Respect Life, Become Gospel People

Yesterday, Sunday, October 7th, was Respect Life Sunday, and across the country, if not the world, bishops, priests, deacons and countless others spoke on this matter.  In Midland, there was a Life Chain that formed between Illinois and Ohio Streets along a busy stretch of Andrews Highway. Other cities had similar displays in support of life.  Hearing about Respect Life Sunday, however, can sometimes produce or arouse one or several misconceptions connected to such a name.  Respect Life is not just about anti-abortion, it is about the dignity of every human being from conception to natural death.  It is a recognition that beyond creed or belief, every one of us is a Beloved child of God. It is a plea to come face to face with our brother, or our sister and recognize each other not as Muslim or Jew, Catholic or Protestant, but indeed, as Brother and Sister.  Respect Life  is about being able to recognize who we are in God's eyes and to stand arm in arm as we work for the defense of those whose voices will not, or cannot be heard.  All too often, sensitive issues in our society are either politicized or glossed over with a delicacy that refuses to recognize the urgency of the situation we face.  Today, we are invited to think about this urgency as we regard life and living conditions for many or the lack thereof.  You see, more and more, life, and in fact, each of us, is losing the God-given dignity and importance that is granted us beyond even political borders.  More and more, there is a loss of our image as beloved children of God which in turn has serious consequences, including a breakdown of the family, a loss of childhood at a quicker pace, and all too often, an anger about what "I can do with my own body!"  And as choices take on more severe realities, the dignity of the human self is being diminished, slowly chipping away with every new "option" that is brought to market.  Increasingly,  instead of possessing an understanding of who we are in God's eyes, we fall victim to the latest trends and fashions, to the latest thing that "makes my life easier," without thinking how it may affect others.  We are seduced by the latest medical procedures and have no trouble in justifying our "choices."  Life is much more, MUST be much more than just one or the other issue, and I would dare say, that issue isn't even the correct term to be used.  Rather, life is about a gift that each of us is freely given, the gift of Creator God whose infinite and overflowing love calls us into being.  A gift of ever-redeeming love offered to us through Christ's own sacrifice, it is a gift that the Spirit grants us each day as we face new and ever increasing challenges in our lives, a gift that sanctifies us and strengthens us to keep walking with heads held high and our hearts firmly rooted in God.  And so, as we commemorate Respect Life, we are not called to "fight" against one thing or another, but to become Gospel People.  People who know and love God and who live in love, not just for those we care for, but for all.  It is about being able to root out those evils, that can so easily help us rationalize our own destruction, by living the Gospel message that will always bring us into life. It is about living no longer for ourselves, but for and in Christ, because ultimately,  it will be there, in the love of God, that we will not only find our home, but indeed, where life will be respected and granted.  As always, know that you are loved.  Fr. Rick

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

Rock the Desert, good music, fun times, a little Catholic bashing too.

This past weekend, many people of different ages gathered at Rock the Desert.  From our parish, there was a large group that attended the event, even set up tents.  In the midst of all the good music and fun, I was perplexed to hear that on Saturday evening, one of the speakers started to bash Catholics and Catholicism, reminding everyone of our need to be saved.   I was bothered to hear this, not only because as a priest I have dedicated my life to Christ and often interact with pastors and ministers of other denominations, but also because in a time when society facilitates the creation of “us” and “them” attitudes, a festival such as RTD, should be an event in which people come together in understanding and united in their beliefs, diverse as they may be.  Instead, through ignorant and false rhetoric, people such as this speaker are given authority and permission to continue to perpetuate misinformed ideas about “those” people.  Ideas that can often lead to such tragic events as what we most recently saw in Milwaukee, at the Sikh Temple, or ideas that can create further division and ignorance.  Instead of continuing to create a divisive atmosphere that can lead to xenophobia, maybe we should begin to reach out to our neighbor in an earnest attempt to understand who they are and what they are all about.  This means that tolerance is not an option, nor is distance, rather, it is about reaching beyond the things that make us different, and uniting to share with my neighbor as a fellow human being.  More and more, it has to be about bridging the gaps that may divide us, and taking the time to discover that “they” are just as human as I or we.  And so it is that in reaching out, beyond the Catholic, the Christian the this or that, we not only come to be a better people, but perhaps, it can be said that we become more human and better children of God.  

Most Holy Bod and Blood of Christ

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.  It is a fancy and long title in which one can easily lose interest or lose one’s train of thought.  There can be no doubt, that this is a mystical and joyous celebration of Christ entering our lives in a very real and profound manner, especially in the Eucharist.  This celebration, however, is far more than just a recognition of Christ in the Eucharist.  In many ways, the solemnity we live today is one in which we are reminded once again of God’s immense and everlasting love for each and every one of us.  And in the Eucharist, we are shown once again the power that God’s transformative love has in our lives.  Think about it, in the very simple gifts of bread and wine, Christ is revealed to us!  In the very simple gifts we bring, we encounter God, we encounter Him who is our salvation, Him who is our very life!  As we come together, this year, however, I cannot help but bring to mind some of the challenges that we are facing in our society today.  In many ways, the different dilemmas that we are facing today, are blatant proclamations attempting to convince us that we are human beings are nothing more than one vote, one choice, one this, one that.  More and more, we are being told that this very real presence of Christ can be Him or not depending on what safeguards our sensibilities, and worse, today, as the dark cloud of the HHS mandate looms over us, we are being told by the government itself just when and where we can believe.  Thinking about this, also reminds me of our many brothers and sisters who in their own ways have given up their very lives for the defense of Christ present in the Eucharist, and it calls me to an honest reflection of who I am, and in what I believe.  No!  This is not just a cookie and wine!  No!  This is not just something that happens in Church!  No!  You will not tell me what is moral and what is not!  Truth is not optional and life is not a choice!  Life is precisely what the Eucharist is, Christ!  And in our daily journeys we are called to live so as to become our prayer, so as to become what we believe, so as to become Him in whom we believe.  Only then, will the world know who Christ is, because after having received His Most Holy Body and Blood, we bring Him into the world, beyond our churches and there, His Truth, His Life and His Love will prevail, even in the face of those who long ago turned away!  God bless you  and as always, know that I love you.  Fr. Rick

Divine Mercy Sunday

I sit alone in my office today and reflect on the week past.  As I do, I recall the striking moments of celebration at recalling the Resurrection of our Dear Lord.  His glorious new life calls each of us forth from darkness into a new reality that is often beyond our understanding or belief.  The Resurrected One, however, is more than just calling us into life from his throne on high.  He is inviting each and every one of us to recall the great love and mercy that is out poured upon us in our daily living.  As Risen people, we are called to do more than just remember Christ's Resurrection, we are to make it real in our daily living through the life that we participate in and in the blessings we share with others.  This is Divine Mercy, a gift that is freely given to each of us out God's great love, a love that can even break the bonds of death.  In this celebration of Divine Mercy, we are also called upon to be mercy for those around us that need a real touch of Him who is Mercy, Christ.  In reflecting on what Divine Mercy means in today's world, I keep coming back to the thought that mercy is becoming more and more aware of the significance of Christ's Resurrection in my life, and allowing that knowledge and love to overflow from ourselves, not because we MUST do so, but because we cannot help but do so.  In knowing the Resurrected one more and more, our hearts yearn to know and love Him more, and out of this love, we cannot help but call other to the same love we have known in Christ.  It is truly an "oozing" onto others as we know Him.  It is proclaiming to the world that He is Risen, and in his Divine Mercy, I now live!  May we each live, love and know Him more and more as we proclaim God's Diving Mercy in the cry of joy "Alleluia, Christ is Risen!"  God bless you all and know that I love you.  Fr. Rick

Palm Sunday on Friday of the Fifth week of Lent

May the Peace and joy, the love and blessing of Christ be with you!  
I have been allowing this entry to percolate throughout the day as I reflected on what I wanted to share.  Today, I sat with the thought of having celebrated Palm Sunday yesterday with a group of 150 inmates in the Eden Detention Center.  It was a powerful moment to enter the gates of the center, and to hear the loud click as the gate shut behind me.  Slowly, I entered a world that is both foreign and new to me.  After the initial formalities of signing in, going through the X-ray and having our ID's taken up, Deacon and I were escorted through the facility to where the simple metal chapel is. Upon entering, I was amazed to see that so many men had come for mass, I was even more touched to see that there was a full band that had come together for the celebration!  The place was abuzz because for the first time in many years, the inmates were to participate  in the mass in their native language, Spanish.   The celebration itself was beautiful in its own rite and while there were few men who received communion, every one of them participated to the best of their ability.  Today, I have also had the opportunity to watch the movie "Of God's and Men," again.  This is a film about seven Trappist monks in Algiers who were kidnapped and killed by terrorist in the mid-nineties.  After much persuasion and threats, the monks had decided to listen to God's call as they continued to serve in the monastery where they were.  This refusal to leave eventually cost them their lives, but in reality, they had long ago decided to give those lives up for the sake of Christ.  
I write about these two incidents because in some ways, the readings for Passion Sunday are about discipleship and our call to follow Christ even when the road ahead is filled with uncertainty.  Unlike Judas, who believed himself able to manipulate God, discipleship is about Peter, and being willing to constantly turn toward God even in the face of death and destruction, clumsiness and denial.  Discipleship is being able to follow the Master and to be open the His call even if it seems to end at Golgotha.  It is precisely about trusting that God's call will  not lead me astray, but rather, to a place where life and love will prevail, even in the midst of fear or for those prisoners, behind bars.  My thought throughout today was about the ability to give up my life for the sake of the Kingdom, not only in service as a priest, but as a faithful witness to a love that calls me beyond the cross, beyond the tomb, to the glorious moment where new life prevails, the Resurrection!  Discipleship is having the courage, if not the understanding, the continue following the Master, our Master, even as he Himself takes up His cross.  Discipleship is being able to encounter God's love, not only in the bluebonnet covered fields of Texas, but also within the scary and institutional walls of a prison.  May we each continue to follow our Master, and from Him, may we be filled with love so as to proclaim that Christ is Risen, not just in good times, but always!  As always, remember that I love you and may God bless you.  Fr. Rick

the money changers in our midst

This was supposed to be a reflection on the Third Sunday of Lent, but as it turns out, there is something far greater than just one Sunday at play in my meditations and prayers.  As I imagined Jesus going up to His beloved Temple and being compelled by His love for God to undo the great sin that had taken root at the Temple in the form of the money changers, I kept wondering about the modern day money changers and God-manipulators.  Obviously, the easy targets become those who use the name of the Lord to get their own, but this is too easy.  Instead, I thought about the Commandments and their proclamation of a life that is deeply rooted in God.  Many people believe that these Commandments are "must- dos" that God imposes on us from on high.  In actuality, I believe they are humble proclamations of one who knows God's love.  Having this in mind, the question then arises, who are the money changers, or rather, who are those people who look at God and mock Him and His followers?  At the moment, one major player in this, includes those who are trying to impose on our religious liberties.  Ironically enough, its those who are manipulating a truth for their own gain.  In calling it a "choice," there are those who would rather see to the death of millions of unnamed but unforgotten babies (called fetuses) instead of reaching a point where we understand the beauty and sacredness of humanity and the delicacy of sex.  Instead, they fill the minds of many people as they proclaim these crimes to be necessary and a part of our modern world, and as they impose the payment for these crimes on those faithful men and women who try to proclaim the Good News of Christ with their lives. As such, I truly believe that we are called upon today to take on the zeal of Jesus as He overturned the tables, we are called upon to profess our faith and to do so with the knowledge that we are God's beloved children.  No longer must these money changers be allowed to deface God, as His children, and in our faithful living, may we be witnesses to a truth far greater than any government or any unjust law, a Truth in whom is our life, a Truth who is way, a Truth whom we love, a Truth to be lived beyond this, the Third Sunday of Lent!  Peace to you and God bless you.  Love you. Fr Rick