Friday, November 19, 2010

Happy New Year?

Well, it’s official. This week I received my first email challenging me to make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. I wonder how they knew. But from now until the end of the year we will be hearing countless commercials about this diet or that weight loss program. Everyone of them will promise us that we can become thin and trim in just a few short weeks. Somehow the media has tied celebrating the New Year with weight loss. Nevertheless as the New Year approaches people will be talking about making some changes, some resolutions. It makes sense doesn’t it – a new year and a new you. But in reality I tend to think that although some people make these resolutions sincerely for most of us it is just a fun thing to do. We make these promises but we don’t really expect these changes in our life to really happen. We don’t really believe that we can become thin and trim in just a few short weeks. But as Christians we know there is something very good about reflecting on our life and seeing where we might make a decision, a resolution, to change, to grow, to break some patterns that we are not happy with and to start over again.
In the life of our Church this Sunday is like New Year’s Eve. The feast of Christ the King marks the end of the Church Year. The following Sunday we begin a new year as we begin the holy season of Advent. So on this eve of a new Church year let's decide to make New Church Year Resolutions.
What could our New Church Year Resolutions be? I think the best way is to take some time and reflect on this past year and ask God what area or areas in your life might need some change or improvement. Then have confidence that the Lord wants to bless us by showing us some areas to consider.  And that our God will give us what we need to actually put these changes into action. But there is one resolution that we can all make. Our Holy Father has invited the whole Church to focus on the unborn as Advent begins. Pope Benedict is opening Advent this year with what appears to be an unprecedented liturgical focus on the unborn and the gift of human life. Next Saturday evening in St. Peter’s Basilica the Pope Benedict XVI will lead a First Vespers service and a “Vigil for all Nascent Human Life.” And the Holy Father has requested bishops and parishes throughout the whole world to do the same. In response to this invitation many parishes in the Archdiocese are gathering before next Saturday’s Vigil Mass to join their minds and hearts with the Holy Father and Catholics throughout the world by praying the rosary for the unborn. Although we all can’t be in Church next Saturday night we can all stop what we are doing and pray as one family.
And then let’s continue our resolution of prayer for the unborn throughout the season of Advent. Is there a better time to pray for the unborn than in this great season of Advent which culminates in the celebration of the most important human birth in the history of the world – the birth of Jesus.
May all of our New Church Year resolutions bring us true joy and peace throughout this New Church Year.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Called to be Saints!

Channel surfing during the half time of the Eagles game I came across the Game Show Network. Much to my surprise on the TV at that very moment was a silly game show that I used to love to watch - Let’s Make a Deal. Just as I remembered there was Monty Hall in the audience making deals with a crazily dressed audience. Some people actually won some prizes while others got a clunker of a prize. Well it all came down to the big deal of the day – two people who won the most during the show could trade in their winnings for a chance at the grand prize knowing that it was behind one of the three curtains. On this particular show no one picked the curtain with the big prize.
But what if you could see behind the curtain? What if you could see what the prize was? Wouldn’t we all pick that curtain? I know I would.
John’s vision from the Book of Revelation is like a sneak peak behind the grand prize curtain of life – it is a glimpse of the prize that awaits all who faithfully follow the Lord Jesus. Take a look …
Great multitude …every nation, race, people, and tongue … wearing white … palm branches … singing, rejoicing before the throne of the Lamb
This is the celebration of ALL the SAINTS!
You know in many ways All Saints Day is really more for us. I am sure the saints are excited about all of us gathering to worship the Lord and to honor them but the saints are sharing in the heavenly banquet, they have won the prize and they are enjoying eternal life with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The saints don’t need All Saints Day – we do. We need to realize what a tremendous life lies ahead. We need to know that Jesus was serious when He promised to prepare a place for us. So All Saints Day is a day for each of us to pick the grand prize curtain, it is a day to choose to be a saint.
But how … how do we choose to be a saint? Aren’t saints super holy? Doesn’t it require that we do something spectacular? Don’t we have to be successful in all that we do?
Mother Teresa answered these kinds of questions this way, “God has not called me to be successful, He only called me to be faithful.”

This is what is required to be a saint
 - FAITHFULNESS -
WE need to HEAR the Word of God and ACT on it!
But it is not all up to us the Holy Spirit will help us to really hear what God is saying to us and how we are to respond. Then we need to respond by coming forward and receiving Jesus Himself in the Eucharist. He will be the strength and the power we need to be able to put that word into action.
The BE-attitudes are our Gospel challenge. Jesus instructs us on how to act, how to be faithful. We need to be live humbly, with a pure heart, showing mercy and compassion. We need to be peacemakers, and to be  concerned about the welfare of those we encounter. For each day we are in constant contact with others from family members to complete strangers. But our attitude should be the same. “Whatever you do for the least of my brethren, you do for me.” Each person needs to be loved as though we were meeting the Lord Himself. This is what it means for you and I to begin becoming saints.
Simple everyday faithfulness to God’s Word
 by caring for all those we meet.