Hello, my name is __________, and I'm a hypocrite.

Recently, there have been numerous events and issues in our Country that have demanded that we pay attention.  Whether Chik-fil-a or political candidates, the fact of the matter is that more and more we are being pulled every which way by a constant barrage of media.  I believe that in this frenzy of talking heads and "analysts," we are forgetting a very important and crucial aspect of who we are.  Instead of placing all our trust in one talking head or another, we are enjoined this weekend to trust in what God is doing in our midst.  More and more, the call of Moses, as we hear it this Sunday, is a call to the basics.  In reality, the call that Moses places upon the Israelites, is a call to remember whence they came from, and who they are.  It is a call for each and every one of us to remember where we have each come from and who we are.  Not in the false light that this or that corporation places onto us as they try to figure out how best to take our money, but the light that is revealed to us in Christ.  A light that cannot and will not be conquered, and a light that calls us every moment of every day to come home.  This light, which is Christ, invites us to turn from the daily deluge of noise which can so easily distract us from that which really matters, that which really brings us life, CHRIST!  After all, the Pharisaical dilemma is not that they have too much power, or wealth, instead, their problem is that in their power and wealth, they have allowed those things to overwhelm their sense of who God truly is, so much so that when God is standing before them, they merely devise a plan to question Him in order to trap and condemn Him.  Today, we are called upon to look beyond those things that are meaningless, and to focus on what really matters, God with us, Emmanuel.  When we start doing that, we will then begin to not only live a life that is less cluttered and more God-filled, but we will truly start living, and those talking heads, they will become nothing more than a passing noise, empty and gone.  Be at peace and know that I love you.   Pray for me as I do for you.  

Fr. Rick