2011

Two friends were eating lunch in a café; one was Chinese and the other was a Jew. Without warning, the Jew struck the Chinese fellow in the jaw, sending him sprawling. The Chinese man picked himself up, rubbed his sore jaw and asked, “What did you do that for?”

The Jew coldly replied, “For Pearl Harbor!” His response astounded the Chinese man. “Pearl Harbor? I didn’t have anything to do with Pearl Harbor. It was the Japanese who bombed Pearl Harbor.” The Jew replied, “Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, they’re all the same to me.”

The two men resumed eating their meals in silence but before long, the Chinese man leaned over and sent his Jewish friend flying with a hard slap. The Jew yelled out, “What was that for?”

The Chinese man icily responded, “The Titanic!” The Jew sputtered, “The Titanic? Why, I didn’t have anything to do with the Titanic!” Thereupon, the Chinese man snorted, “Goldberg, Steinberg, Iceberg…they’re all the same to me!”

Prejudice provides us with the basis for much humor but prejudice also hurts many people. My dictionary defines prejudice as either an irrational hostile attitude or preconceived negative opinions and judgments of others.

This gospel story does not present Jesus in the best light. Certainly, this encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman doesn’t appear to be one of the finer moments of his ministry. This foreign woman begs a favor she has no right to, bursting onto the scene, pleading for help. His reaction may surprise us but what we witness is a classic example of Jewish prejudice toward Gentiles in biblical times. Jesus implies that the Canaanite woman isn’t even human when he harshly responds to her heartfelt plea to save her daughter from demons, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Does his insult bother anyone here or have we grown numb to the pervasiveness of prejudice in our own society?

We tolerate many prejudices which in turn prompt us to exclude certain people from our lives. Growing up, the prevalent prejudice in our country was toward people of African heritage. Today, it seems to be aimed toward those who have recently immigrated to America from third world countries, legally or illegally. We hesitate to welcome the immigrant in our midst, complaining that they have taken away our jobs. For any number of reasons, we don’t think of their plight as our plight, or appreciate what they have to offer.

I can think of few emotional experiences more painful than being shunned. To be excluded can leave a person feeling humiliated, unwelcomed, or unloved. Being excluded can destroy a fragile self esteem, something many people struggled with in childhood.

Exclusion is a human tragedy God does not care to duplicate. At first, God promised the gift of salvation to a chosen few, the Israelites, but as we just heard in the final line from Isaiah, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” God now desires to include all peoples in his kingdom.

Overcoming the cultural bias of his time, Jesus extends mercy to this foreign woman and her ill daughter. Paul reminds us that God will have mercy on everybody. When we reach out to embrace the stranger in our midst, we are acting like our merciful God. Living the gospel means reaching out to others with mercy and compassion, no matter who they are.

Before Vatican II, many Catholics believed that salvation would only be experienced by good and faithful Catholics. In the third century, Saint Cyprian gave us the slogan, “Outside the Church, there is no salvation.” The Church never officially held such a position, teaching instead that those who seek God with a sincere heart will gain salvation.

Well, if the name of my faith doesn’t matter in my quest for salvation, what does? The simple answer is love. St. John tells us that God is love. In Genesis, we hear God saying, “Let us make man in our own image.” If God intended to make us in the image of love, we are being called to be people of love and if we are people of love, nothing can justify whatever prejudices we stubbornly cling to. Prejudice prompts us to build walls instead of bridges. How can love be generated if we continue to imprison ourselves?

After listening to the Canaanite woman, Jesus changed his mind about Gentiles and now could see that God’s kingdom was meant for all peoples. His conversion sets a good example for us to follow, that is, to reconsider our own prejudices. Instead of clinging to his prejudice of looking down on Gentiles, which was common in his culture, Jesus listened openly and was moved to now include this woman in his world and to embrace her.

At Vatican II, the hope was expressed that we as Church would seek to deal with our own prejudices. The bishops wrote, “With respect to the fundamental rights of the person, every type of discrimination, whether social or cultural, whether based on sex, race, color, social conditions, language or religion, is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God’s intent.”

We call ourselves Catholic for good reason, convinced that our message of salvation is meant for all peoples. If that dream is to come true, we must confront those prejudices we cling to, which prompt us to ignore anyone, even the person in the pew next to us. Unless we abandon our own prejudices, can we honestly consider ourselves to be people of love?

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?

As we just heard, more than 5000 people had gathered to listen to Jesus and now they were hungry. The disciples noticed the need but took no action. “Dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves,” they urged Jesus. Doesn’t that sound so familiar? Let someone else solve the problem! But Jesus throws the ball back at them. “Give them some food yourselves.” What he said to them, he is saying to us, you can make a difference.

The only food around were five loaves and two fish, food that according to John’s gospel likely belonged to one boy. That boy gave what he had to Jesus, who then fed the hungry crowd. The boy’s generosity provided Jesus with an opportunity to show that an individual’s actions can make a difference.

The late newspaper columnist, Art Buchwald, illustrated this point with a story about his friend, Oscar. One day as they were getting out of a cab, Oscar said to the driver, “You did a super job of driving.” The cabbie looked at him and replied, “Who are you? A wise guy?” Oscar said, “Not at all. I really mean it. I admire the way you moved about in the traffic.” “Yeah, sure,” the cabbie mumbled as he drove off.

“What was that all about?” asked Art. “I’m trying to bring love back to New York,” replied Oscar. “How can you do that?” Art asked. “Take that cabbie,” Oscar explained, “I think I made his day. Let’s suppose he has 20 fares today. He’s going to be nice to those 20 people. They, in turn, will be kinder to other people. Eventually, the kindness could spread to a thousand people.” Art said, “You are developing into a nut.”

Just then they passed a construction site. The workers were on their lunch break. Oscar walked up to a group of them and said, “That’s a magnificent job you men are doing.” The workers eyed Oscar suspiciously. “When will it be finished?” Oscar asked. One of the hard hats grunted, “Next June.” “That’s great,” Oscar said, “It will be a splendid addition to the city.”

As they continued their walk, Art said to Oscar, “Boy, I haven’t seen anyone like you since the Man of La Mancha.” “That’s OK,” Oscar replied, “You can joke, but when these men digest my words, they will be better for it.”

“But,” Art argued, “even if they are better for it, you’re still only one man and one person can’t change New York City.” Oscar responded, “Yes he can. The big thing is not to get discouraged. Bringing love back to New York is not easy, but if I can get others to join me in my campaign, a difference will be noticed.”

Oscar’s message resonates with today’s gospel. One person can make a difference. One person can be an instrument for a miracle. If one concerned person can be the instrument for helping others, imagine the difference many concerned people can make.

Years ago, a middle-aged woman left behind a teaching career at a boarding school and walked into the slum of India’s largest city. She had two dollars in her purse, no income or place to call home. All she had was a deep conviction that God was calling her to make a difference in the lives of the poor and the dying. She felt that her needs would be taken care of.

That woman was Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. By the time she died in 1997 she had built 80 schools, 30 homes for the dying, and 70 clinics for lepers, all staffed by more than 40,000 workers. She had nothing to start with but the equivalent of a few loaves and fishes, but she made what she had available to God, who in turn, has made them available to thousands of people in need. She showed that one loving person could start a tidal wave of love.

The issue here isn’t just physical hunger. Months ago, our parish pledged to support Good Cheer, our local food bank, with our “3 peas in a pod” drive, urging you to bring paper products, protein products or personal hygiene products on the first weekend of each month. These items, which Good Cheer finds too costly to buy enough of, are items that even the poor need. Whatever you bring will make a difference in someone’s life next month and if every family brought one “pea” each month, imagine how many bags we could fill. In May, we donated over 300 lbs. but last month our donations dropped by half. The need is still there for Good Cheer feeds an average of 800 families monthly.

Mother Teresa used to say that the trouble with the world is that we’ve all forgotten that we belong to one another. It is easy to talk big about being God’s children and to say that Jesus is our brother, but do we really mean it? Do we live like God’s children or the sisters and brothers of Jesus? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Some times it takes a special experience to remind us what our kinship is all about: namely, being with one another.

Paul asked, “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” He then suggests that nothing can, but I am not so sure. Our selfishness, our reluctance to reach out to others in need could separate us from the love of Christ. God depends on us to do our share. Our poor, limited small talents, taken and blessed by him, are returned to our hands to share with others. If we fail to do so, both our gifts and his blessings go wanting.

If we should ever feel unloved by God, we have only ourselves to blame. As Pogo, a famous cartoon character of the mid 20th century whom many of us remember fondly, often said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

A motivational speaker once began his talk by asking, “Who was Jim Thorpe’s coach? Who was Albert Einstein’s arithmetic teacher? Who was Billy Graham’s religion teacher in junior high?” His point was that many people become who they are because someone planted seeds of future greatness in them. So who was Albert Einstein’s second grade math teacher? I don’t know, but that person certainly impacted our world. This to me is where today’s readings hits home. What seeds are we planting in the lives of others as we venture through life? We may think that our actions won’t make much difference but they just might. Certain deeds, like certain seeds, have led to great outcomes. When President Abraham Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, he said, “So this is the lady who started the big war.”

What “big war” are we seeding? What seeds are we planting in others? Sometimes we fail to grasp why our world is in the shape it is in. We spent hours at work and then wonder why our children have become strangers to us. We carry our prejudices like badges of honor, and then wonder why violence and anger strangle society. We justify our indifference to the less fortunate, yet grumble why so many are on welfare. What we often forget is that our words, actions, and priorities can make a difference by planting the “right seeds” in others, but first, we have to produce them.

The basic lesson in this renowned parable of the sower is this: if what Jesus is telling us doesn’t result in making us better people, then there is something very wrong, not with his teachings, but with us. Just as seeds won’t grow or thrive in certain soils, there is something amiss with the “soil of our hearts” if we are not endeavoring to grow in holiness and goodness.

Like rain sent to nourish budding plants, God offers us help every day, all day, free of charge, even when we don’t deserve it. God enlightens our minds, encourages us to do good, and gives us the grace to avoid sin, or at least tries to.  Such is the message Isaiah leaves us with. God seeks the best for this world but ultimately the outcome is up to us, much like the outcome of any garden we plant. If the garden is well tended, its beauty and harvest will provide a rich feast. On the other hand, a neglected garden provides little more than a bed of weeds. A landscaper once quipped, “If there’s no gardener, then there is no garden!”

So, what is our attitude as we listen to the lessons of Jesus, handed on to us in both scripture and the teachings of our Church? The different soils mentioned by him describe our varied responses from outright rejection to open hearted and enthusiastic acceptance.

I once assembled a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle. The challenge was not in the number of pieces but the absence of any picture to guide me. As I fitted the many pieces together, the picture slowly emerged. I imagine some not so patient people would have quit along the way, while others with too much else to do wouldn’t begin the assembly in the first place. Only those who persist to the end will be greatly satisfied at seeing the whole picture.

The same holds true for our faith. None of us began our faith journey at baptism with a complete awareness of Jesus and his good news. Through prayer and reflection, we come to know and appreciate the whole message of our faith. For those who persist, the harvest, as Jesus says, is bountiful. Others who are not so patient or committed will journey through life with an incomplete picture of Jesus and his message of salvation.

With the parable of the sower, Jesus challenges us to allow the word of God to take root in our hearts so that we in turn may sow the seeds of justice, peace, and reconciliation that our world so ardently yearns for.

Years ago, a reporter asked Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia, what gave him the courage to stand firm during the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union. Surprisingly, he credited Lech Walesa, who started the downfall of communism in Poland when he founded the Solidarity movement. When Lech Walesa was asked what inspired him to stand firm, he said it was the civil rights movement in our country, led by Martin Luther King, Jr. When Martin Luther King, Jr. was asked what inspired him, he said it was the courage of one woman, Rosa Parks, who refused to move to the back of the bus one December afternoon in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. Could we say that a brave little woman in the south brought about the downfall of communism? Seeds are like that. They have great potential. Likewise, we never know whom we may influence by what we say and do.

Who seeded you? Who put value, meaning, and grace into your life? God bless them for they touched you in a way that moved you to be present in worship with us this day.

Who are you seeding quietly? Perhaps you have no idea but as we leave church today, we can leave with the intention of making a difference. After all, we are told, “The mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” We can leave this space, intent on better living the message of Jesus Christ. When we let his word take root in us, we in turn can plant the seeds of God’s love in others that tomorrow’s world will harvest.  In this way, we can truly love and serve the Lord and one another.

1ST Reading: Zechariah 9: 9-10
2nd Reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13
Gospel: Matthew 11: 25-30

One afternoon, a little boy was playing outdoors. He used his mothers broom as a horse and had a wonderful time until it was starting to get dark. He left the broom on the porch and came back into the house.

As his mother was cleaning the kitchen she noticed that her broom was missing. She asked the little boy where her broom was. She then asked him to go and get it. The little boy informed his mother that he was afraid of the dark and did not want to go out and get that broom.

His mother smiled and said; “The Lord is out there too, do not be afraid.” So the little boy opened the door just a little, poked his head out the small opening and said; “God, if you are out there, could you please hand me the broom?”

Here is a little boy, afraid of the dark. What does he do? After the assurance from his mother that God is out there, even in the dark of night, he opens the door and asks God for help. Without that assurance from his mother I really doubt that he would have even opened the door.

The little boy looked to God for assistance not only to get that broom but also to protect him from the dark of night. Jesus says; “Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”. In a way, the little boy in our story accepted Jesus’ offer. I really feel that is how he got the strength to get that broom, despite the darkness.

As we go through life we are able to share our joys, our triumphs, our failures, our sorrows, even our fears, with others. It could be a parent, a

2 brother or sister, a spouse, a grandparent, a friend, a co-worker, and even our pastor. The point is that we do not travel this road called life alone. As the little boy experienced, we do not travel this road called faith alone. The boy was burdened with his fear of the dark but he most likely overcame that fear by calling out to God in the darkness, the very place he feared the most.

On the face of it, life is not easy. We all have our fears, our problems in this life. We have our sufferings, our daily worries and anxieties. There are addictions, addictions to drugs, pornography, the internet, addictions for electronic games and even T.V.

We experience times where we deal with the loss of loved ones in death. I cannot imagine the anguish of losing a spouse after being married for decades, or a parent who has lost a child. Yet through all of this, our Lord is offering Himself to us. Jesus says; “come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

So, what is being said here? How are we to understand it? In Jesus’ time there was the stress of the “Law” put on the Jewish people by the Pharisees and Scribes who made the implementation of God’s word a burden. Jesus brought to them the way to live; by loving God and neighbor and how to do that.

Jesus says “Come to Me” and here Jesus speaks with divine wisdom, as the giver of rest and comfort, extending this invitation to all those who are laboring through life.

But the Jews in Jesus’ time were waiting for a king, a savior, one who would lead Israel to military victory over Rome. They were not looking for a lowly and humble savior, riding on the foal of a donkey.

They could not conceive of a suffering savior, who offered Himself as the sacrifice for sinners, yes, you and me included, taking on the burden of sin on Himself, easing our burden.

Jesus is offering us the opportunity to get to know the Father through a companionship, a partnership with him. Jesus goes on to say, “take my yoke, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” In Jesus’ time a joke was put on the shoulders of cattle so that together they could plow as one.

When Jesus asks you and me to take his yoke, he is offering Himself as our partner, our companion. To take on His yoke is to associate and identify ourselves with him, our destiny with his destiny, our vision with his vision, and our mission with his mission.

It is to know that we are not pulling the yoke alone and by our strength, but together with Jesus and by the strength that comes from the gift he offers each of us through his body and blood in the Eucharist. It is to know that Jesus is not just a teacher who gives us homework but a friend who helps us do it.

In taking on the yoke of Jesus, our trials in life are not taken away. We still will face illness, anxiety, the burdens of human life, however, Jesus will help us and ease our burden by being with us as we move through them.

This frees us to continue Jesus’ work on earth, his mission of spreading the good news of the gospel. We can accomplish this by living our lives in Jesus Christ. Through our actions, words, and deeds do we bring Jesus to others by simple acts of kindness. In the stained glass of some of our windows we can see the corporal works of mercy. Acts of kindness to others they are. Do you know them?

They are to Feed the Hungry, Give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, visit the captive (prisoners), visit the sick, bury the dead. Another act to continue and that Deacon Bob Huber held so close to his heart, was to protect and defend the basic human dignity for all people through Catholic Social Justice issues.

A writer by the name of Nelson Henderson wrote; “The true meaning of life is to plant a tree under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” This says it all. We do these acts of kindness as Jesus did, for the love of the Father, not expecting a reward or any other

kind of benefit and we do these acts of kindness with humility and grace.

There is another saying that says ” Success in life is not measured by what we leave behind etched in stone, but what is woven in the lives of others.” When we share the yoke of Jesus we become Him in a world that needs the Fathers love so badly. When we share the yoke of Jesus we share in his mission to take care of all our neighbors. When we share the yoke of Jesus we come to know the Father in an intimate way.

When we do this we will not focus on what is missing from our lives but we will see and be grateful for the abundance of God’s gifts present…….allowing us to experience heaven on earth making our lives easier and our burdens light.