June 16, 2017
Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 363
2 COR 4:7-15
PS 116:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
MT 5:27-32
Someone made a comment the other day about not needing to bring a sacrifice to the altar, and in a way that’s entirely true. Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. Everything we receive from that work of His and His alone is through grace and not any merit we have of our own. However, we do have to offer a sacrifice at the altar. Ourselves. We come to the altar unworthy with a sacrifice that is blemished by our own failures and sins. That sacrifice is united with the only sacrifice worthy of God’s love, Jesus Christ himself. That’s the sacrifice we must bring to the Mass… a complete giving of ourselves to God through His Son.
St. Paul reminds us today what that looks like. It’s not simply getting ready at Mass, our work begins much earlier. It begins the moment we walk out at the sending from the Last Mass we attended. Our work begins by dying to ourselves every moment of every day that Christ might live in us. That same God who died on the cross now resides in our mortal bodies as though in a Temple created just for Him. All the power of the universe, the life force that animates all life, and sustains the universe itself has been received by us in the Eucharist and if we allow our own frailty, thoughts, and desires to die away can change us into the men and women that we were created to be.
Sometimes we think our thoughts and fancies are harmless. Who do they hurt? Especially for the married people, they hurt not just ourselves but they sap away the strength of our resolve. They weaken our love for the other and embolden our own selfish desires. They undermine our dedication to a single person and drain the very love and devotion we have toward our spouse, our neighbor, and our God. That’s why Jesus reminds us that it’s not just our actions that we must work on, but our thoughts towards others. Our cross is not always just an external situation that is difficult to walk through but is also the nails of our own wants desires, and appetites. In offering those to God, in allowing the things we want that will hurt us to die in ourselves, we can journey with Christ toward Calvary in an even more powerful way… by accepting the cup that God has given us, regardless of what we want in our own lives.
His servant and yours,
Brian Mullins
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer. - Psalm 19:14
The eldest of four is moving out today. She ventures into the world to experience it from a different perspective. I remember doing the same thing shortly before my eighteenth birthday, though I did not move very far away at that point. Like my parents, I've tried to help her to be prepared for what life has to offer. Not just the roses and enjoyments, but also making sure she isn't completely unaware of the gritty and horrible side of life. As parents that is our job. To prepare them for the world. To give them the tools necessary, the knowledge to go forth and become who God has created them to be. As she moves out I pray and hope she finds joy in this life, but more especially that she lives in a way that reaches towards eternity.
So often we reject that knowledge though, don't we? I remember that I began to do things 'my way' as soon as I got on my own. I did go to church, but not as much as I should have. I didn't put the Gospel into action in my life. I wasn't a horrible person on the inside, but my actions bespoke a brokenness that was evident to those of faith. I had been baptized but I wasn't living out that calling to it's fullness. I thought as long as I have faith, that's all that matters right? That as long as I believed in Jesus, confessed him with my mouth, I was 'saved.' It seems I was rejecting a lot of the knowledge that my Father had given me as well.
God in today's readings promises a renewing. He promises that He will take away our stony hearts and give us hearts of flesh. The Psalm of David's lament reminds us of that longing for God's joy, for a renewing of that Spirit with in us. When we are broken those words are so powerful to read. To remind us that God can clothe us in righteousness and salvation. That the invitation to be renewed has already been offered and needs to be accepted. You and I both have been offered the invitation to the wedding feast, but it takes more than just accepting it to attend.
The Gospel reading is one that many people avoid. It's one that gets rid of that notion that one can just confess with their lips, believe, and be saved. It reminds us that we must 'do' something. Saint James phrases it this way, "Faith without works is dead." When all of the people who should have been at the wedding refuse? The King calls to the ones in the streets, the outsiders, the broken, the widow and the orphan. He invites them all to the feast and He seemingly provides for them a garment to wear. One man shows up without it. The King inquires how he got in without being dressed for the occasion and then casts him out. It's not enough to just receive the invitation.... you must have a change, do something, put on the garment. What garment? Saint Paul expresses it to Timothy in this way: "The aim of this instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith." That is the garment. He also says "If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing."
At a homily a few days ago Father Don spoke of Metanoia. That fancy Greek word which means to turn around, to change. It has a stronger meaning. It has a connotation of turning inside out. Today we might say "flipping our life upside down." That's what it means to put on the garment, the arraignment for the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. It means to turn your life around completely. To stop living for self, and to embrace the tools the Father has given you to become the person He has created you to be. It means to stop doing it "my way" and to start living out the thing we say at Mass every time we attend: "thy will be done."
His servant and yours,
Brian "He must increase, I must decrease."
This morning as I was reading the Mass readings for today, I was reminded of something that happened this weekend on the retreat that I think fits in nicely. One morning I was standing in the lobby watching the sun rise over the Mississippi River when I noticed a tree frog climbing up the inside of the glass next to me. Every time I would move he would freeze and begin to lose traction, sliding back towards the floor. As long as he did not look away from what he was doing to watch me he would climb towards his goal, wherever that was. It was only when he looked at me instead that he would end up right where he started. That to me speaks rather eloquently of what Isaiah was speaking to the Israelites about.
He was chastising them, not for sliding down the door, but for not climbing at all. They had become so complacent in their sin that they were just continually offering sacrifice. They were no longer truly offering their hearts to God with contrition. Now they were just sitting at the bottom of the door, not even bothering to try to change. Why bother climbing? We are just going to slide back down. They had lost sight of their goal and were simply looking around at all the distractions. Isaiah was reminding them to get to climbing again, to start doing more than just hollow ritual.
God calls us in the same way to make love our focus and justice our aim. In the Gospel we see an echo of that line from Isaiah when Jesus speaks of the reward a disciple will receive for giving a cup of water to the thirsty children. Jesus knows this is controversial, a teaching that the world will not want to follow, but one that we must do. After reading some news articles of the events that transpired in our country while I sat in peace and silence listening to God, I realize even more how important that is today. In one of the readings just yesterday we were reminded that praying for someone without giving them what they needed was worthless. That doesn't aim the arrow at the center of the target.. but somewhere off to the side.
This is how we climb our door, how we gain traction to get up the glass of life. To reach out to those in need. Those who are thirsty and hungry. To feed them and give them drink. That's both physically, for we have many hungry widows, orphans, less fortunate and refugees who need our help; and spiritually. There are many young men and women out there who are hurting right now. There is a void there that needs to be filled, something inside that causes them to lash out. What are their needs? The only way to know is to listen. Is to have an earnest conversation and say, "How can I help?" Then to help. Not just to get a good glimpse of the door that needs to be climbed.. but to start climbing it together. We climb our door by helping them climb theirs.
When we read sacred scripture, especially the writings of and about St. Paul the Apostle, we see such a transformative experience. Here the man who once persecuted the Christians himself, pulling them into the streets and out of their homes, looking to kill them and destroy them; is coming to the end of his own race. God has revealed to him via the Holy Spirit that imprisonment and hardships are what await him in the future and that he is running out of time to do the things he has been doing. How much does one's life have to change in order to go from wanting to spill the blood of the Christians to preaching to everyone he comes across in order to make sure they have the same offer of salvation that he had?
In my teenage years, especially during college, I fell into that branch of Christianity which basically says once you are saved, you can do whatever you want; and I did. I partied, I drank, I had relationships that were inappropriate. I still believed very much in Jesus Christ, but I put all of it on God... none of the relationship on me. That's really the key isn't it? Relationship can never be one way. It involves someone else. Why then do some of us pretend that Jesus is the one who has all the work to do and that all we have to do is skate by? He never said that. He never acted that way. Paul here in this first reading shows us too that even with a direct encounter on the road to Damascus he didn't stop and just quit being a religious man.. but rather went out to "bear witness to the Gospel of God's grace."
I think as we journey toward Pentecost we should be thinking about our own Baptism, our own moments of conversion. The Apostles received the Holy Spirit on that day and were emboldened to journey out into the world to preach the Gospel as well. All of them, including Paul, considered "life of no importance" to them. Rather, all they considered of importance was spreading the Gospel to as many people as they could, to bring about God's will, God's Kingdom, right here on earth. You and I received that same Spirit and that same Mandate when we became Christian. It's no longer enough to live as a young man, putting all of a relationship on someone else, expecting all the perks of being the family but none of the responsibility. "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me."
You and I are no longer children. That's what it means to be an adult.. to stop simply existing off of someone else, and begin to take our own place in society. To start taking on responsibility for our actions and to stand accountable for our failures. St. James wrote it so eloquently in his letter: Faith without works is dead. You show me your faith without your works.. and I will show you my faith through my works. Are we ready for that? To stop letting our hormones and emotions control our lives and instead to work for God's version of justice, for God's version of mercy? You see our world has taken justice and mercy and made it about I, about our own egos... what the world owes me... My rights, my entitlements. Rather God challenges us to reach out into the world and worry about the other. The broken, the poor, the widow, the orphan. The refugee. The downtrodden. The oppressed. The illegal alien. God's mercy demands that we worry about them, not I. It involves agape love, self sacrificial giving.
I'm not there. I worry too much about me. Respect. I tend to demand it. I want it. I get upset when I don't get it. God challenges me instead to become meek, merciful and to leap for joy when men treat me wrongly. How do I get there? There is only one road, one path to Heaven. Only one food which can prepare us for this transformative journey, a food that when eaten does not get consumed, but rather transforms the person who receives it. That is the Eucharist. Receive it often, receive it reverently, and receive it disposed towards God's grace.. and watch as he transforms you from a child... into the image of Christ you were created to be. That's what discernment is about. If there is anything I've learned from my Diaconate classmates this past year is that growing up requires sacrifice, it requires effort, and above all it requires trusting in God's grace. Are you ready to make that leap?
When I was fresh out of college money was pretty hard to come by. To try to make ends meet five of us moved into this one trailer and pooled our monies to make things happen. It was an interesting thing. On the surface one would have called us a community. All of us professed to be Christians and attended church a few times a year. We even talked from time to time about the Bible and listened to religious radio on lunch breaks when we could. The thing was, we shared a home.. but you wouldn't say we were sharing much else. One of us even had a shelf that contained their stuff. I remember once when the brother of one of the guys living there drank something off the 'shelf'. All of us gasped! That's the 'shelf'! You're in trouble! Sure enough, when that roommate came home the first thing out of their mouth was, "Where is my stuff!"
That's a far cry from the ideal isn't it? In the first reading for today's daily Mass we can see what the early Christians considered the ideal community. Everything they had was in common! They shared it all. There were no shelves, no 'hey that's my shirt', everyone sold any money they had and the community leaders distributed it evenly so that none were lacking in need. It's easy for me to look back at that living arrangement and pick it apart and say hey, we didn't meet that ideal at all did we? Yet, if I'm honest, looking at any household today we can often find similar situations. Someone upset because someone else wore their shirt. Someone mad because their phone is dead because someone was playing on it when it was supposed to be charging... someone upset because the last thing of ice cream is gone and they didn't get any. Pretty standard for any family isn't it?
The interesting thing about this reading from the history of the early church is that it's talking about an example for them to look up to. Barnabas, the son of encouragement, lived in such a way that they felt we should all learn from him. He sold what he had and brought it to the Apostles to distribute as they saw a need. As a man who greatly admires Saint Francis of Assisi this truly touches my heart. How many of us are willing to do that? We complain every time we turn on the radio and someone is asking for money. You can see the eyes roll and hear the sighs at times when a priest gets up during the year for the Diocesan Stewardship Appeal. "There they are asking for money again." "Why is it everytime I come to church they want more cash?" "Don't they have enough?" Or better yet, "Why don't they sell everything in the Vatican and give it away to the poor!" (Ask me about this last one sometime, my answer may shock you.)
Imagine though, another situation... if every one of us who professed to be Christian... gave like we should? If we opened up our bank accounts and gave 1%, 2%, 10%... 100%? What if instead of trying to pretend we own the money we earn.. we rather acknowledge that it was all a gift from God? Then we put our money, our time, our talent, all of it... where our mouths were. If every person in our Parish gave 10%? I imagine we'd never have to ask for money. Rather, we'd see a need and meet it. This year we saw a need, $6,700 dollars... and we met it. It took some time, but through some sacrificial fasting, prayer and almsgiving we are going to be able to build a well. That's beautiful! That's marvelous! That's the way it should be!
Yet, there is something more that must be faced. Lent is not a time to simply change for a season, and go back to who you were before.. No Lent is a time of metanoia, transformation, changing from bad habits to good... Lent is over, but the giving should just be starting! That's why we as a Parish are looking at raising even more money, giving throughout the year and not just during the penitential season leading up to Lent. Maybe we'll build a house? Feed a village? We are still discussing this as a pastoral council.
The Gospel reading talks about the wind. The word there for Spirit and Wind is the same word! The breath.... the wind... the Spirit... the word has the connotation of presence.. of life. When someone is unconscious you put a mirror under their nose to see if they are breathing.. with breath is life. That's a powerful thought. Jesus is there in the tabernacle.. breathing.. waiting for you. Where he is.. life is. Where he goes.. life goes... Where he is rejected? Life is rejected. In the Eucharist is all of the life force in the universe.. the ultimate wind.. the ultimate Spirit... God himself. So you are given that gift.. that life. You receive into you the breath of God.. something that cannot be contained but is greater than yourself. Are you going out into the world with it? Are you breathing life?
Some people have told me that when they enter the Catholic church they feel a presence.. like someone is there.. even when the Sanctuary is empty as far as they know. That's Him. That's the breath, the wind.. the Spirit.. That is Christ's presence in the tabernacle.. it is tangible, you know he's there.. I have never experienced that in any other church. Yes, I've found beautiful prayer spaces. I've enjoyed uplifting concerts. I've prayed with men and women of many faiths and denominations.... I've never been in any of those churches empty and felt the presence I feel when being before the Eucharist. That brings me to one other thought... When people meet you, when they pray with you, when they visit you or you visit them... when you converse, when you share, when you break bread together... do they feel His presence in you? Are people aware of the breath of Christ, the Holy Spirit, in your life? When you go from Mass at the end, when you are dismissed by the priest or Deacon.. they say "The Mass is ended, go forth glorifying the Lord with your lives." That's not a dismissal to go back to your old way of life.. it's a challenge to go forth into the world as a living tabernacle, a temple of God... when people are in your presence they should know He is there too... it should change you... and they should know by your actions, words and deeds that you are a Catholic and a disciple of Christ.
So, the question becomes: "If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
The other day I read an article about how that the current generation of children are being raised to believe that not recycling a soda can is just as bad or worse than looking at pornography. I thought that must be complete bunk. How could that even be possible? So I asked a few teens myself. Guess what? It's true. So much so that even in one of our classes we started to see that notion of environmental responsibility being the utmost of responsibility for a holy life. We were discussing what the world would be like if God's kingdom was a reality here on earth. What would it be like if people really didn't take more than they needed? If they shared what they had? if they loved instead of hated? What would God's reign look like?
We got some of the answers I expected: peaceful, no war, less worries, etc. Then came other words I would never have expected. "We'd all be robots." "No one would have any fun." "Life would be boring." After talking with them a few minutes they began to open up and say things like, "I couldn't use my cell phone because it would create pollution." That's not what God's reign is about. It's not about taking away fun, but people are convinced it is. They are bound by the rules they have in their head, not the rules that we have in our faith. They associate holiness and piety with dryness and boredom. How do we get past this? How do we find our way beyond a superficial understanding of what God has to offer and realize that what he is offering is pure happiness, joy and freedom?
In tomorrow's Gospel we see Matthew's version of the Our Father, this is the one we as Catholics use in our liturgies. In that prayer I believe lies the truth of the happiness that God has to offer. The first line itself speaks volumes, but we more often than not take it for granted. Our Father. God is not a distant deity that transcends everything and never interacts with us. Rather, we are in a personal and intimate relationship with the trinity. We have been given the honor and blessing of calling God Father, Abba, Papa, Daddy. That's closeness... that's tenderness... that's family. God is offering us a family of peace. A family of love. A family of understanding.
He's not asking us to give up pleasure, no, pleasure can be good. Rather he is asking us to use those good things, those good feelings, those enjoyable devices and technologies responsibly and reasonably. We don't have to give up our cell phones, our gaming devices, our televisions, or our hobbies to be Catholic. What we do have to do though is to do those things with not just ourselves in mind, but with the entire world. Yes, technology can create pollution. More over, it can create a moment in which our lives are consumed with our self, with our ego. Those are bad things. The cardinal virtues though remind us to be detached from that. That doesn't mean destroying these things and living a bland, meager existence. It rather means that we take steps to make them enjoyable and responsible. Solar chargers, limiting our time, sharing our experience, making sure to watch things that bring joy but also avoid temptations, etc.
We pray in that same prayer "thy kingdom come, thy will be done." That isn't just speaking of Jesus return at the end of time, but also of the present moment. God's kingdom is going to be fulfilled in a completeness at the end of time that may not be possible in the here and now, but it is also present and tangible imminently. You and I as members of the body of Christ have a responsibility to bring about the Kingdom. Through temperance, through fortitude, through prudence, and justice. It does not mean that we cannot enjoy ourselves. It does not mean that life should become dry and void of entertainment. It does mean that we should consider God and our fellow man in everything we do. If we are enjoying an expensive meal while our brother starves? There is something wrong with that. If rather, we are enjoying a similar meal for less money and inviting our brother to dine with us? That's justice. That's peace. That's the Kingdom.
Here it is Lent and many of us are trying to grow closer to Christ. We are giving up things. We are trying to participate in the three methods the church encourages us to use: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Let's not forget those people who are still struggling in a land of limbo... the persecuted Christians being chased and murdered by ISIS. The refugees fleeing their countries trying to find a life for their family and children. The men, women, and children being murdered by the drug cartels just across our border. The homeless, underemployed, sick and homebound in our very own neighborhoods. That's what Lent is about. We aren't supposed to fast alone, but to give as well. So take the extra money you might save by eating smaller meals and buy something for someone who is struggling. Shovel a driveway. Take up someone's garbage cans at the end of the day when you bring up your own. Smile. Hug. Remember, one of the most important things to do at this time and throughout the whole year, is to work on those corporeal works of mercy:
Feed the Hungry
Give Drink to the Thirsty
Shelter the Homeless
Visit the Sick
Visit the Prisoners
Bury the Dead
Give alms to the Poor
I think that's our lesson today as we examine the words of Christ when he teaches us to pray "give us this day our daily bread." This speaks of a super substantial bread, a bread that is Eucharistic in nature. It's our duty as Catholics to take that bread into the world both physically and spiritually to provide the needs of others. Us. Not give me. We are praying for us. You are receiving something powerful in the Eucharist, something that should be given to others.. in your thoughts, in your words, and in your deeds...
On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats. Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God. On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Today our priest, Father Don, gave a long talk about this very passage. I want to try and capture what I took away from that homily. The lesson there is one I hadn't really thought about, but as a person who does a lot of apologetics and witnessing on the internet, I find it's one that is so very pertinent to us on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Notice that when Paul and Barnabas came to the town, they received them well. They were in their comfort zone. Paul and Barnabas were both Jews and they were bringing a message of hope about the Messiah! They accepted the message with open arms. They followed and worshiped with Paul and Barnabas and treated them with respect.
It was only on the next weekend, when they gathered to talk and the entire town gathered, that the Jews became jealous. Notice that the following verses (I've included the entire section below) indicate that it was because of the Gentiles that they were jealous. Not because the message was one they didn't appreciate, but because of inclusion. They were mad because not only was the message for the Jews, but for them! For those other ones over there, the unclean, the sinners, the ones who aren't part of the chosen ones.
How often do we fall into that very trap ourselves? Growing up I was not Catholic, but a baptist. Many of the churches I went to talked very uncharitably about the Catholic church, and well frankly, about any church that wasn't their church. Don't date that girl, her dad is one of those Jehovah's witnesses. Don't go to the boy scouts, they meet in the basement of the Methodist church! Oh you don't want to go to that church, they speak in tongues and fall out in the aisles! Or, don't go over to that church they don't speak in tongues or don't fall out the aisles (both from different people in the same non-denominational church.) Jesus is white! No Jesus is black! No Jesus is a Jew! He loves everyone, no he hates everyone except this group! It's enough to make your head spin!
It's so easy to say, God's message is for me, for this type of person, for the ones I am comfortable around. But God's message is for everyone! Now will everyone get to heaven? No, I don't think they will, scripture is pretty clear on that. However, Christ owns the Catholic church, the Catholic church does not own Christ. Jesus decides who goes where and who is included, not us. We spend too much time judging and not enough time spreading light. As St. Theresa said, At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.' Hungry not only for bread - but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing - but naked of human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a home of bricks - but homeless because of rejection.
In Christ,
Brian
Acts 13:14, 43-52
Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats. Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.
On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.”
The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Lord make me an instrument of your peace. I say this prayer almost every morning as I awake, trusting God to transform me because I know I cannot make it through the day on my own volition. I am human. Just like the next person. I make mistakes. Almost all men and women of faith pray for God's peace, God's will. We pray: Our Father, who art in heaven. They will be done. We pray: Lord grant me the serenity We consistently pray for peace and joy.
Yet, there is also a disturbing trend to Christianity. We tend to be Christians+. On the surface that seems like a good thing, and sometimes it is; as long as it doesn't interfere with the Gospel. The problem is we tend to add something to our Catholicism, or religion, our Christianity. We take something we believe in, and we tack it on to the Gospel. Christianity + Democrats. Christianity + democracy. Christianity + republican. Christianity + the tea party. Christianity + a belief. Christianity + Occupy Wall Street.
It's ok to be a Catholic and a democrat. It's ok to be a Catholic and a republican. It's ok to be a Catholic and a member of the tea party. We must remember though, that we are Catholic first. We are Christian first. Our first and most important allegiance is to God. If there is a democratic belief that is contrary to the Gospel, then we cannot live by it.. follow it.. nor expect others to do so. The same with our republican beliefs.
We also have a tendency to say things like, real Christians must be members of this as well! If they really followed the gospel, then they'd be a democrat too! If they were really following Christ they'd be protesting on wall street with the Occupy Movement, etc. God has clearly laid out what we are to do. I agree there are causes we should join. There are indeed parts of certain movements I agree with, but the only movement a person needs to join to be a member of the body of Christ.. is the church. It's really that simple. If we examine every single movement out there, we are going to find there are parts of that movement which do not agree with our faith.
I agree with movements that want to help the poor. I don't agree with abortion. I agree with free market, I don't agree with removing the environmental protection agency in order to make business explode, at the expense of destroying God's creation. I am a vegan, but I understand that God has given permission (not requirements) to eat meat. I am Catholic. Not Catholic+, not Catholic-, but Catholic.
Let us all learn to follow God's peace, not our own. God's will, not our own. Let's learn to discern what God wants from us, what God calls us to do in the gospel. Let us pray with all earnestly, God's will be done here on earth, as it is in Heaven.. and mean it.. live by it.. live it here, as we believe it will be lived there. The story of our lives is a many volume book filled with paragraphs of information, going on and on, filling shelf upon shelf. This life is but the very first letter... there is so much more to come after... let us start living as if eternity is what matters... because if eternity is what matters.. then love is what we need to be exhibiting here.. in every breath.. every action.. every moment.
You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.- Matthew 5:13
Jesus talked in parables a great deal of the time. In this particular statement he made some very profound statements if we just take time to really analyze it. I just want to look at three particular thoughts that have been going through my mind the past few days. There are many other lessons that could be taken from here, but these are the ones that really stand out to me. They involve salt itself. These are the three things that I think of most when I talk about salt. So what does salt do?
Salt enhances flavor
When we add salt to our food it has a little flavor on it's own, but the major function of salt in gourmet cooking is to draw out the flavors of the food. It enhances them, makes them more pronounced. Jesus reminds us in this simple statement that we are to enhance the world around us. We are to make it better. To take the good in it, and there is good in the world, and magnify that. We are to edify, build, uplift. To increase the good by drawing attention to it, and avoiding the things that are evil.
Salt preserves
It preserves food from corruption. It keeps the world away from what it is protecting. It cures it, and keeps it from rotting. We as the salt are to avoid corruption, and to preserve ourselves and our families from being corrupted. We try to spread the word to others, preserved in it's truth, not altered. It is our job, our duty to preserve the world as much as we can from corruption. By spreading the truth, the gospel, in every action and aspect of our lives. We vote our faith, we walk our faith, we work our faith.
Salt makes one thirsty
Every action we do should help draw others towards God. They should be looking at us and saying, "I want what he/she has!" Our lives should make others thirsty for God, for love, for hope, for justice. Not just others, but ourselves! We should be thirsting for a closer relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ! Salt by it's very nature causes one to thirst even more.
So those are some simple aspects of being the salt of the earth. Are you being salt? Do you enhance the flavor of the world? Does your presence make others want you around or do they see you coming and go, "Oh great, here he/she comes again!" Do you preserve yourself and others, as much as you can, form corruption? Or do you live your life in a way that 'rots' your immortal soul and potential leads others to do so? Do you make others thirst for God, do you yourself thirst for Him?
