Deacon Larry Jesmer

1st Reading Ezekiel 34: 11-12, 15-17
2nd Reading 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28
Gospel Matthew 25: 31-46

Today is the Thirty Fourth Sunday and final Sunday of our liturgical year. Next Sunday we will start a new liturgical year with the first Sunday of Advent, an exciting time especially with the revisions to the Roman Missal. On this last Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Will we be told, at the end of time, to “DEPART” or will we be asked to “Come?”

Today is the culmination of all that we have been hearing in scripture and in the homilies for this liturgical year. The Jesus we have heard about and journeyed with going around the towns of Galilee, Samaria and Judea, the Jesus we have watched teaching, healing, consoling, liberating, is our Lord and KING. He is the visible presence of God in our midst.

In our second reading from the 1st letter to the Corinthians, Paul is portraying a powerful and awesome picture of Christ as Lord and King and rightly so. As all have died because of the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, so all are made alive in Christ through our Baptism. Christ is also presented as the all powerful ruler whom every other power and authority must eventually give way.

The other two readings from today, the first from Ezekiel and the Gospel from Matthew give a very different picture of God and Jesus. Ezekiel shows God as a shepherd tending His flock. How often have we heard Jesus called the Good Shepherd in scripture?

But what is striking and goes to the heart of it all is how we will be judged when Jesus returns on His Kingly throne. Yes, the same Jesus who offered himself to us during our lives, the one who gave His very human life for us, will judge us for what we did or did not do during our lives. Jesus gives us the way to live by looking at others to see Him. This reminds me of a story many of you know.

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain is the story of two boys who lived three hundred years ago in England. Not only were they good friends, they looked so much alike that they could have been taken for identical twins. One of the boys was Edward, the prince of Whales; the other was Tom Canty, a pauper, a poor boy.

One day for some fun, they decided to switch places. They changed their clothes. Edward put on the rags of poor boy and wandered through the slums of London, rubbing elbows with beggars and the under-privileged.

After a time they both got tired of the game. In his ragged shirt and trousers, Edward tried to tell the police that he was the prince. He was thrown in jail. Just as Tom was about to be crowned King, Edward showed up and convinced the officials that he was the true prince. As a result of his experience, Edward became a kind and just ruler. He gained a heart that was always looking after the poor. A lesson for all of us.

As God, Jesus knew the sufferings of human beings. By becoming man, he actually suffered what men, women and children have to endure. The prince in our story learned about the poor in the streets of London, Jesus knew the plight of the poor, the under-privileged. We heard time and time again in scripture how Jesus tended to the lowliest of mankind, beggars, prostitutes, outcasts.

No wonder Jesus lays down this test for entering His eternal home: Did we help the needy or did we not? Today’s gospel is one of the most important in the story of Christ-Good News for those who listen, Bad

News for those who pay little or no attention to the needs of our fellow human beings.

We do not have to wait to be tested. We can test ourselves today: Have we ever fed a hungry person? Perhaps we never met a really starving person, child or adult. Yet everyone knows that millions go hungry.

Did we help by means of the special collections throughout the year or maybe volunteer or donate food or money for our local food bank?

When was the last time we visited someone who was sick? When did we visit someone in prison? This does not mean only those behind iron bars. It also means people behind the bars of loneliness, ignorance, maybe even grief.

Have we taken time to get involved in matters of Catholic Social Teaching? Have we protected the rights of the unborn, the rights of

every human being to be shown respect and dignity?

What have we done for those who are spiritually starving, spiritually sick, spiritually strangers, or spiritually imprisoned? If we have done little or nothing at all, don’t be surprised at the end when a voice is heard that gives the command, DEPART! I pray that none of us do.

The gospel goes even further: What you do for these needy you are doing for Christ himself. Notice what Jesus Says: “I was hungry, thirsty, sick, a stranger. What you did or didn’t do, you did or didn’t do to me.”

Christ makes himself one with those in need. Our King is in the Hungry, our King is in the Thirsty, Our King is in a stranger, Our King is in the sick, our King is in those in prison. Can you see Jesus in them?

Yes, we serve, worship and offer ourselves with Christ our King to God the father on this altar. With the food of His body and blood in the Eucharist which we receive in us, we serve and worship our King in those under-privileged, those needy we serve. When we follow Jesus then we will be very happy and joyful when we hear that voice at the end asking us to “Come”.

But until that time comes, let us experience the Kings kingdom here on earth. Let us see Jesus in others. Let Jesus our shepherd and King lead us to the Father as we pray this simple but profound prayer:

“Teach me, my God and King,

In all things thee to see,

And what I do in any thing

To do it as for thee.” Amen

1ST: Exodus 22:20-26
2nd: 1 Thessalonians 1: 5c-10
Gospel: Matthew 22: 34-40

Well, here we are again. We hear the Pharisees trying to put Jesus to the test. Last Sunday we heard the Pharisees attempt to entrap Jesus in his own words with the response to the question about being lawful in paying taxes to Caesar.

This Sunday we hear the Pharisees once again attempting to trap Jesus, to invalidate Jesus’ authority by asking him about the greatest commandment. Keep in mind that the Jewish people held about 613 commandments and 365 prohibitions.

Well, I imagine it was mind boggling for the Jewish nation of Israel to comprehend, let alone remember all their laws and regulations. Is it any wonder that keeping the law became a burden for so many people?

Today’s gospel shows how Jesus sees beyond all those laws to see what is at the heart of it all, to see the greatest commandment that is at the center of the covenant with God. “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Jesus says that “This is the greatest and the first commandment.” Then he goes on to say; “the second is like it.” “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus is giving this second part importance as a part of the first.

Jesus is speaking about one’s whole being and life energy being directed into the first and second commandment, Love God, Love Neighbor. Love Neighbor, Love God. You see, you cannot have one and not the other.

Jesus saw the law as a unified whole because it was based in the covenant with God and that covenant came into being because of God’s love. And so, love becomes the principle or decisive factor and the key to interpreting the requirements of the law.

The real challenge comes when we are asked to live out that love covenant through our day to day interactions with our neighbors. We are asked to love those whom God loves and that group is much wider than the people we like or those we find easy to love.

Can you imagine how it would be coming from an Islamic country living here, or coming to this country from some other place looking for work, any work, to put food in a child’s belly, or coming from a country ruled by tyranny and injustice.

These neighbors, possibly living next to us, are stared at and looked at as outsiders, people, who even in our country of freedom, are considered beneath us. Now, not all of us think this way but that is the perception our society emanates.

Isn’t this the warning we hear in our first reading today from Exodus? How do we treat the outsider, the alien, the immigrant around us? It is odd that we do not hear cries across our country for solutions to these perceptions. It is odd that we do not hear the cries of the poor enter into our governments discussions.

We sure hear the cries of banks and financial institutions that are looking for bailouts but what about those who are losing their homes because they cannot afford those balloon payments? How about the farmer who cannot afford to work the fields?

We know so much more today about the hardships suffered by our neighbors here and abroad but despite the wealth our nation, there are many vulnerable and struggling people. Just look under the overpasses of our freeways or the long lines at the food banks across our country, or even look at those dear children who are dying of starvation and sickness in Africa.

At the Last Supper, Jesus reminds us all again. He says to his disciples and us: “Love one another as I have loved you.” At times, loving one another, loving our neighbor is really difficult. It is not easy to forgive a drunken driver who has killed a close relative, a drug addict who robs and steals from the elderly to feed their addiction.

We, as Christians, are at the heart of what happens to those vulnerable people across our city, county, state, nation, and across our world. If we truly love God, then we truly love others. If we do not give of ourselves fully with mind, heart, soul, how can we love ourselves or even love our neighbor? How can we help those who need us, yes, even the drunken driver and the drug addict?

Jesus shows us the greatest love possible. He doesn’t expect us to be crucified but he is asking us to live lives based on love.

My sisters and brothers, today and every time we go to Mass, we receive in us God’s total gift of love through the body and blood of his only Son, Jesus Christ. If we truly and honestly open ourselves to receive this love, then we are transformed through it by the gift and power of the Holy Spirit., to live our lives in God’s love.

What happens when we live our lives in His Love? We share this love with others whether those under the overpasses of our highways, those who have different religious beliefs, those who are persecuted, those who are hungry, those who have wronged us, those who are vulnerable.

Let us join together as the body of Christ to prepare ourselves to receive Jesus in our midst. He is waiting for us. On the cross he hung, between God and Neighbor, loving each with all his heart, mind and soul, inviting us to do the same.

1st reading – Ezekiel 33:7-9
2nd reading – Romans 13:8-10
Gospel – Matthew 18:15-20

As I was reflecting on today’s readings, I kept going back to when I was a young boy, about 10 years old. Back in the old days, some say, back at the old homestead.

I remember how it was my sisters jobs (all six of them) to help my mother prepare the meals and to set the table. I also remember, “oh too vividly”, that it was my brothers and me who had to clean up and do the dishes. Can you imagine how many dishes there were with 10 kids, a set of parents, and no dishwasher? I cringe every time I think of it!!!!

I remember how one of my older brothers used to check the sharpness of the knives by chopping away at the top of the knife drawer before placing them in the drawer after drying.. I also remember how I told him not to do that because mom would be very upset. Of course, my brother would not listen to his younger brother so he never stopped.

According to our gospel today, the best thing I could have done would have been to go to my mother, but being boys and not to be outdone by the other, my other brother and I joined in also to check the sharpness of the knives before placing them in the knife drawer.

When the time came to pay the piper, my mother, we would all blame each other; No, I didn’t-he did! Not me, him! Mom, I’m your favorite!(as if that would work).

The point is – that if we are our brothers and sisters keepers, a lot of the wrongs around us would be eliminated, no matter how small or large the wrong is. I was wrong not only for what I did but for what I did not do, go talk to my mother about the problem.

I believe that the real sin here was doing something that got my mother very mad and the knowing that my brothers and me were the cause. We were all affected, even my other little brother and my sisters and even my father because they faced the brunt of my mothers wrath.

This scenario of my two other brothers and me is somewhat how our society is today. We see the same non-caring for those who are making wrong choices or doing wrong things. Nowadays it is easier for some people to turn their heads instead of confrontation with the one committing the wrong or easier for them to join in like my brother and I.

You can see this in the inner city where gangs are so prevalent. You can see this by how many abortions are done each day throughout the world. You can see and hear about the violence around us every time you pick up a newspaper or listen to the news on t.v. Yes, we are all affected by all the sins of the world.

Pope John Paul II, now Blessed, during his pontificate wrote, “There is no sin, not even the most intimate and secret one, the most strictly individual one, that exclusively concerns the person committing it. With greater or lesser violence, with greater or lesser harm, every sin has repercussions on the Whole Human Family”.

Our readings today are about responsibility. Responsibility to look after one another to include doing that which keeps one another in good standing with God. Of course we can only do this if we are in good standing ourselves.

Imagine how it would be if your family was in a similar situation as I was when I was young or it could have been a situation you remember from your past. Could you see yourself being confronted in the manner of what we heard in Matthew’s gospel? How embarrassing would that be? It probably would definitely stop one from doing what got them in the situation in the first place.

In some way, I feel that it goes a lot further and means much more than just getting scolded for your action. It is about being in union, in harmony with the ones around you and with God. It is also about living our Christian faith on our sleeves, not hidden away for no one to see.

People around us are our responsibility. Our responsibility to look after and to love. If we truly love one another, then we become the watchman, as we heard in the first reading. As followers of Jesus, we who belong to the Church have the responsibility to treat sinners with respect and lead them to repentance.

Followers of Jesus had the responsibility to respond to penitent sinners by reintegrating them into the community, and to avoid unrepentant sinners as was the customary response to Gentiles or tax collectors who were often separated from the community.

We have a responsibility to ones around us as well. And I believe it goes further than just those in the Church. It touches every aspect of our society. I would like to ask these questions for all of us: How often do we join in the assembly of those who are standing up and protesting against the atrocities of abortion? How many of us get on that bus to go to the capital every January to stand up for the rights of the unborn?

How many of us write to our legislators to have our voices heard on topics and laws that go against the respect and dignity of every human being? How many of us have written to the newspaper in response to an article that went against the principles of which we stand for as Catholics? How many of us have turned our heads or just joined in the flow of things? I did when I was 10 years old and there were other times much later on that I am not too proud of.

Let us watch after each other. Let us not be like Linus in the Comics Strip “Peanuts”, who was confronted by Lucy who demanded that the t.v. channel be changed. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. “These five fingers” says Lucy-holding up her hand. “Individually they’re nothing” she says but as she makes a fist, she says “When I curl them up like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold”.

Linus considers the situation a second-then says, “Which channel do you want ?” Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “why can’t you guys get organized like that?”

Let us not be like Linus who wants the same power as Lucy. Our power lies in our hearts not our fists. Powered by God’s love given to us in the body and blood of Christ, we can go forward from here to live our faith fully in word and action. We can go from here as ones who care for each other. And as we heard in the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, Love does no evil to the neighbor, so we can go from here to “Love our neighbor as ourselves”.

1ST Reading: Isaiah 66: 18-21
2nd Reading: Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

Today’s scripture reminds us that we are on a journey, one that ends with eternal life with God. In today’s gospel Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, coming close to the end of his journey to the Father by the way of the cross.

We hear Jesus teaching and spreading the good news of salvation as he travels on his way. In Today’s first reading from Isaiah we find a similar scenario where missionaries are sent out to spread God’s word to those scattered throughout the nations, that is, those nations that are far off, thought of back then as distant lands. This is symbolizing that salvation is offered to all no matter where they are or who they might be.

God is offering salvation that is meant for all and today his kingdom

is offered to us through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Yes, we are on a journey and like Jesus, we are to proclaim the gospel message to all we meet on our way. We are to let them know that they too are invited to Jerusalem, yes, the banquet of the Lord. But before we can do this, we must know Jesus.

In today’s gospel, Jesus is talking with Jews who are very familiar with Holy Scripture. They are considered righteous, doing all that the “law” requires. They are, like us, regularly attending worship services, serving in the leadership of the Church, working for just causes.

They know a lot about God, however, one does not enter through the narrow gate by knowing about God.

The gate to the Kingdom of God is narrow and difficult, not because God made it that way, we do. We find it difficult and narrow because we believe that our knowledge about God, even our works for him, are the way. Jesus says “NO”. Being part of the Kingdom of God is not about what we do or what we know, it is about who we are. It is about a true relationship with him.

Jesus spent his life of ministry developing relationships. Many were interested in what Jesus had to say, a lot were interested in being healed by him, few were interested in being with him.

Jesus wants us to know him. There are many ways throughout scripture, that God reveals himself to human beings, but for God to come down, taking our humanity and walking this earth in the person of Jesus , shows how very much he wants us to know him.

It is good to know about Him. There are a lot of people who don’t know Jesus who know a lot about him. You don’t even need a book now days to hear about Jesus. We have the internet, radio, television. We hear people talk about Jesus, we gather to discuss the latest theology about Jesus. All this is good but is it the important thing for us?

It is good to do things for God. We do things to help others, easing their pain and suffering. We march for just causes and we stand up for the oppressed and abused. Good people do good things, however, what moves us, what energizes us to do these things? Do we do these things to support our egos, to look good in the eyes of others? Or, are we learning what Jesus is teaching us?

Jesus is showing his disciples, to include us, how to love as he loves; Unconditionally, no matter who you are, what you are, or where you come from. But it does take relationship. That’s how God made us.

You see, relationships take time. Knowing people takes time. Jesus spent time with his disciples. He walked with them. He went fishing with them. He ate with them. And Jesus spent the night with them.

Jesus didn’t need to spend time getting to know his disciples, he already knew them. Jesus spent time with them so that they could know him, so that he could model for them what they were to do when he was gone and Jesus shows us how even today, but we must be willing to be changed.

Yes, this is hard for us. We do get very comfortable with our imperfections, our human flaws. The thought of ourselves changing is hard for us. But through our relationship with Jesus Christ, change is inevitable.

Look at all of us here today. Do you think that what we hear in scripture, the people we interact with, changes us? Do you feel that the sacrament we receive, the Eucharist, the body and blood of our savior Jesus Christ, changes us and brings us so close to Jesus? You bet it does, and every time we meet on Sundays, we are changed that much more. It is all about relationship with Jesus Christ.

As we change by becoming ever closer to Jesus Christ, we learn to love as he loves and the by-product of that love, that relationship, is good works; we feed the hungry, we clothe the naked, we visit the sick, the homebound, the imprisoned. We stand up for what is right and good by protecting life from the womb to the tomb, and we protect the human dignity of all people through our Church’s Catholic social justice teachings. We take on the persona of Jesus in our own lives. That is true relationship.

If we believe that we are good enough to enter into the presence of God on our own merit, without a relationship with Jesus Christ, we will be among those knocking who will not be known. Not known because we have not recognized Jesus. There is no relationship.

The second reading talks about being strong and not losing faith. We hear from the letter to the Hebrews that “all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” This peaceful fruit is that relationship with Jesus Christ and the change in our hearts that comes from it leading us to the end of our journey to the Father.

And so, relationship costs. They cost time, energy, but God thought we were worth it. We are worth his time, his energy and even his life. Yes, we are on a journey and the gate is narrow, but it is open for us today.

We can open the narrow gate through a relationship with Jesus Christ, and in finding out who we really are, his disciples, walking this earth as he walked. We can step through that gate now and we will wonder why we waited so very long.

1st Reading: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a.
2nd Reading: Romans 9: 1-5
Gospel: Matthew 14: 22-33

Isn’t it true that when we hear or read scripture passages we find ourselves in the stories? I know I do. Some passages bring back memories of when I was a young boy or when I was in my teens. In fact, scripture touches every part of my life, as I am sure it does yours. Whether in good times or bad scripture stories touch our lives through our experiences in life. After all, scripture is the story of life and the struggles in being faithful to God.

In our first reading we hear dramatic details of heavy wind, earthquake and fire. Sounds like how Moses experienced the appearances of God. Yet it is not in those dramatic events that Elijah encounters God. Instead, God comes to Elijah unexpectantly in “a tiny whispering sound”. Without Elijah’s openness to the Lord’s coming in the whisper, he would not have recognized the Lord and received his new commission. This is what today is about, not losing focus on God through Jesus Christ, the one who saves.

In our times we also face other trials, other conditions that takes our focus away from God replacing our confidence in him with fear. We live in a world that finds lives torn apart from war, lives torn apart through natural disasters, lives torn apart through terrorist attacks on innocent people, lives torn apart through social injustices because of the lack of respect for the human dignity of all people, whether in the womb or those coming to the end of human life through sickness or old age, and much more.

Through all the situations of human life some wonder where is God in all this? The answers we hear are many and varied.

Some are complexing to us who believe! We hear; “It’s God’s will.” “There is no god”. Some ask “If God is such a good god, why does he allow such things to happen?” “How”, some ask, “can you believe in a God that allows such things to happen ?” What should we believe?

We have to go back to the beginning of things where, in Genesis, we find God creating order out of chaos, to create an ordered and purposeful universe. God gives us the dignity and task of joining with Him in bringing creation to completion. How dos He do this? He places us on earth.

He puts his faith in us to work with him in overcoming all that would smother life, charging us to be his stewards over the world. So, instead of questioning God maybe the ones who lost focus (faith) and even we need to ask ourselves’ “How well have we cooperated with God?” How well have we kept ourselves open to hearing his call? Have we kept our focus on God through Jesus Christ? Sometimes we fail at this, don’t we?

This brings us to Peter in our gospel passage, Peter, who is the rock upon which Jesus built his Church, losing focus (Faith) in Jesus Christ which causes him to start sinking in the water. Peter was walking on the world’s stormy waters. Peter relied on God’s presence in Christ-he was walking toward Jesus keeping his eyes fixed on him.

Then, disaster struck. Peter allowed fear to take hold of his heart. Fear made him move his attention, his focus, away from Christ and he became fixated on the stormy winds. At that moment, that split second he was not open to hear the Lord. Peter begins to sink but the Lord stretches out his hand to lift Peter up from possible drowning.

All of us need to know and pay attention to our fears. We need to remember that fear controls our choices more than any other force in our lives. Think of the decisions each one us has made, the actions 3 we have taken, that were based more on fear than of confidence, choices that were based more on fear than on love.

Who uses our fears against us? Do you know? That is right, the devil. Fear is one of the greatest weapons the devil uses.

Keep in mind that I am not talking about questions. With Jesus, it is fear that is the opposite of faith, not doubt. Questions are gifts that bring us to discoveries of truth. People who question have faith that there is an answer. What does fear bring? It brings despair, the opposite of faith. There are no questions. No questions, no truth.

Confidence is a word that I mentioned just a little bit ago. It is a word that we need to grasp onto today. We cannot have confidence when we are isolated and all alone (in Fear)! Peter had confidence and then he lost it. What happened? He started to sink because of his fear. He also had fear when he denied three times that he knew Jesus. Jesus was there for him but his decision, based on the fear of being persecuted, led him to make bad decisions. Can you see what I mean? Has this happened to us sometime in our lives? You bet.

Where there is confidence there is always someone else involved. That’s the point of today’s readings. One can find confidence, even in the worst of storms, even in the most chaotic of earthquakes and even in a quiet wind, as long as we keep our focus on God through Jesus.

We can go through the worst that life has to throw at us only if we keep our focus on God. No prayer? No confidence. No coming to mass every Sunday? No confidence. Not sharing in the life of the Church- in the body of Christ? No confidence. No receiving of the gifts and graces through the sacraments- Guess what? No confidence. Soon you will take your eyes off of Jesus, and just like Peter, you’ll begin to sink.

If we head Jesus, we will look at ourselves like St. Paul in our second reading. He would suffer as Jesus suffered for the sake of others in gaining their faith, so that they could experience the life in Christ.

Not easy to do but take a good look at what Jesus went through for you and me! This puts it all into context, doesn’t it?

I mentioned the word confidence, con-fidere, which means to believe with. So, where is God in all this? He is here. He is here in his Christ, his only Son, Jesus. Do we have faith? If so, we will have the confidence and the strength that comes with Christ’s presence in our lives. With His body and blood in the Eucharist to feed and nourish us, we will be able to face anything life throws at us. We will walk on the waters of life, towards Jesus, until we are home in his arms in heaven.

As I said at the beginning, we can relate to the stories in scripture because these stories are our stories.. Can you hear God’s voice now?