Who do “They” Say Jesus Is?: Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest (Eccl 3:1-11; Ps 144:1b and 2abc, 3-4; Lk 9:18-22)

Who do “they” say Jesus is?

There are probably a million or more answers to this question as people define their personal Jesus based on ideologies they embrace.  They want the “seal of approval” of Jesus over what they believe to be true and how they want to live their life.  

This happens in a formal way in the tens of thousands of non-Catholic ecclesial communities that are out there.  Each of these denominations have unique and often conflicting doctrines of faith.  Some of these doctrines are critical to the salvation of a soul.  Their image of Jesus is marred by the theology they preach, because they need a Jesus that represents the theology they want to believe is true.

It also happens informally in our lives.  Sometimes we see this in a very visible way.  Take for instance, a “Catholic” politician that supports anti-life legislation and regulation.  They often create an image of Jesus that allows them to compromise on the objective truths of the faith in order to reconcile with what they refer to as the “will of the people”.  One might say, they choose Barabbas over Jesus.

That said, none of us are immune to the risk of adopting a false image of Jesus.  Anytime we try to justify putting our will before God's will or try to justify putting what we want to believe before what the Church actually teaches, we are in danger of developing a false image of Jesus.  What are those things in life that cause us to choose Barabbas over Jesus?  Definitely something we can all take to prayer.

This is precisely what makes the second question so very powerful.  Jesus isn't just asking for a personal reflection of who one person thinks He is.  I believe this is our first example in Church history of the Pope making a proclamation with the college of bishops.  This isn't just a fisherman named Simon providing a personal answer to a question.  This is the Church making a declaration through Peter.  In Matthew's account of this event, Jesus says that it is the Father that reveals this Truth of who Jesus is.  The Father revealing this Truth through the Church.

Ultimately, that's how we come to understand who Jesus really is.  The Father continues to reveal the authentic Jesus Christ to and through the Catholic Church.  Very practically, obviously, through His true presence in the Eucharist.  But, also in all aspects of our life.  How we face personal moral decisions in our daily life.  How we chose and live out our life vocation.  How we vote.  How we relate to others.  Whatever the situation is, we must always understand who Jesus is in that situation and, in a very substantial way, understand “what would Jesus do”.  The answer to those questions are always found in the Catholic Church, because that is how He is revealed by the Father.

This is why Jesus stressed the importance of listening to the Church in the Gospel of Matthew.  This is why Saint Paul referred to the Church as the pillar and bulwark of Truth in his letter to Saint Timothy.  

Listening to the Truth taught by the Catholic Church will ensure we choose Jesus over Barabbas.

Thanks be to God!

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Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?: Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs (1 Cor 15:12-20; Ps 17:1BCD, 6-7, 8B, 15; Lk 8:1-3)

“Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”

You may recall that iconic line from the 1989 Batman movie.  I don't know if screenwriters intended any real meaning to the phrase.  I do know what comes to my mind when I hear it.  The same thing comes to my mind when I read about the exorcism of Mary Magdalene in the Gospel.

While demonic possession is extremely rare (praise God), other forms of demonic influence are far more common. Let's face it, it doesn't take an exorcist to see the effects of the demonic all around us, certainly in our culture, our society, and our politics, but perhaps also in the life of someone close to us.

According to Saint Augustine, a demon can influence a person’s cognitive abilities, influencing their sensory powers.  The demon “creeps stealthily through all the avenues of the senses,” impacting their perception of the people, places, and things in their lives.  This is what we refer to as demonic obsession.

Demonic obsession can often appear as a mental or psychological disorder. To be clear, demons are not the cause of these disorders; however, they work feverishly to make sure the conditions do not improve, in spite of psychological or psychiatric care.

When I meet with someone I suspect might be suffering from demonic obsession I lead them into a guided mediation based on their primary negative emotion.  We ask the Holy Spirit to reveal a memory associated with the emotion.  Very often, the Holy Spirit reveals a traumatic event from their past.  We tend to not deal with the traumatic events in a healthy way.  Some of us would rather sweep them under the proverbial rug and pretend they never happened.  But demons love to use those events as a foothold to influence us.  This is what we call an entry point.  It isn't until we bring the light of Christ into the memory in order for Jesus to heal the wound and fill their mind with His truth, that the demon loses its foothold and the person is freed of the spiritual bondage.

Other entry points include contact with the occult (no matter how innocent it may have seemed at the time), religious cults (particularly Freemasonry organizations, such as the the Shriners), oaths, resentments, rebellion (especially against the teachings of the Church), and sexual sin.  

Once upon a time, I danced with the devil in the pale moonlight, but I was delivered.  Too many others are still suffering.  If you feel someone you know is currently dancing in the pale moonlight of spiritual bondage, there are helpful resources available.  I'd be happy to connect you with them.

All that said, it is extremely important to remember, we have nothing to fear from the demonic presence in our midst. If we are truly living out our baptismal authority through the sacramental life of the Catholic Church, then we have nothing to be afraid of.  The fact of the matter is the demons fear you as a sacramentally active member of the Body of Christ.  

As Pope Saint John Paul II once said, “The Church, expert teacher of humanity and holiness, shows us ancient and ever new instruments for the daily combat against evil:  prayer, the sacraments, penance, careful attention to the Word of God, vigilance and fasting.”

Brothers and sisters, continue to truly live the sacramental life of the Church.  Persevere always be in a state of grace.  Be victorious in the spiritual battle.

Thanks be to God!

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Be the Bee that Sets the World on Fire: Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (1 Cor 9:16-19, 22B-27; Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12; Lk 6:39-42)

Saint Paul makes it clear in the first reading that he puts it all on the line to be a missionary disciple.  He surrenders his whole life and his whole will to be an instrument of the Gospel to win souls for Christ.

Faith tells us that if we truly surrender to the Lord in faith, then He will strengthen us in all things.  Yet, many of us are hesitant to follow in the footsteps of Paul to be a missionary disciple to the world around us.   

Saint Catherine of Siena famously said, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."  God meant for us to be missionary disciples, but too often we fall to the lies that have been fed to us by the world, the flesh, and the devil.  The lies that have become planks in our eyes preventing us from seeing the true invitation of Christ and preventing us from being fully trained to be like Him.  The lie that we are not good enough.  The lie that we don't know enough.  The lie that we don't have anything to offer.  Lies, upon lies, upon lies.

The truth is that each of us have a story of how the love of God is made visible in our lives.  That story can be a  source of strength for someone else struggling in their faith.  That story can be an invitation for someone to re-engage in their faith if they have been away for a while.  That story can be an opening for spiritual healing a person that desperately needs it.  That story can introduce someone to Christ that may otherwise never have an opportunity to hear the good news.

As the Eucharistic revival continues, we will become more acquainted with the phrase "maintenance to mission".  This transition will be our invitation to remove the planks from our eyes that often prevent us from engaging in missionary discipleship.  

Saint John Chrysostom said, "The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others."  We need more bees in the vineyard...bees that are willing to spread the pollen of the Eucharist to others. Missionary disciples that can build relationships, create trust, and accompany others on their spiritual journey to a deeper relationship with Christ in order that they may become missionary disciples in their own right.

That is our spiritual invitation today. Contemplate how Jesus Christ is calling us to be missionary disciples in this moment of Eucharistic Revival.

Be the bee, and set the world of fire.

Thanks be to God!

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The Longest Journey: Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time (1 Cor 8:1B-7, 11-13; Ps 139:1B-3, 13-14AB, 23-24; Lk 6:27-38)

Two themes jumped out at me from the Mass readings today.  The theme of knowledge from the letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, and the theme of love from the Gospel of Luke.

It reminds me that one of the longest journeys we have to make in life has a distance of about 13”...the average distance from a person's head to their heart.  Living life in our head as opposed to through our hearts limits us in many different ways throughout many different aspects of life.  But, it is particularly problematic when we intellectualize our faith life as opposed to internalizing it and living it out through true Eucharistic love.

My spiritual life was stagnant for a good number of years.  I attended Bible studies, book studies, and veraciously studied on my own; however, it wasn't until I started to internalized that knowledge and began to live it out in action that I began to grow closer to the Lord.

Book studies and Bible studies are good things that we need in our lives, but those are the beginning of the journey, not the end.  They give us tools that we can apply to life, but like any tool, there has to be action for the tool to be useful.

But, our actions need to be more than just going through the motions.  Our participation in serving our neighbor is certainly worthy acts of charity.  But, how often do we get caught up in the work of those services and miss out on the true purpose of what it means to serve our neighbor?  What more can we do to make our service to others a true encounter with Christ for the people we serve?  What more can we do to use service to lead people home to the Eucharistic heart of Jesus Christ?

Those are questions I don't have answers to, but I know the answers are out there.  

A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to help out at Saints Peter and Paul.  We are all busy doing good work, serving those in need, providing a good, nutritious meal to the homeless and hungry.  At one point, I looked up and noticed one of our students sitting at a table having a conversation with one of the homeless women.  Here, we were all being a bunch of Martha's, busy doing charitable service.  But, this student took a moment to be a Mary...to have a true encounter of love with someone who needed it.  It was impactful, and it left me wondering how can we bring more Mary's into the mix with our Martha's.  Maybe each of us can pick ten random names from the parish directory to give them a call, have a personal conversation, get to know them a little, and invite them to join us in community through the Mass and the many events of the parish.  

Just a thought to ponder this month.  A thought that can hopefully help us start the journey from our head to our heart.  To use our acts of service to create relationship, build trust, and ultimately lead people to a deeper relationship with out Eucharistic Lord, that is how we will win souls for the Immaculata.

Thanks be to God!