Leave it all on the field

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 107
Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

Have you ever heard athletes talking about "leaving it all on the field?" When I played football we talked about this concept a lot. Leaving it all on the field means that while you are playing the sport, you play with all that you have; you play with all your heart and emotion, all your strength and energy, all your skills and abilities; and you play until the very end. This is so at the end of the game you can say that you put everything you had into that game, you didn't hold anything back and you left it all on the field. This concept has more than just athletic implications; imagine if we all approached our faith life like this.

We are told today that the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all you mind." What does this imply? God needs to be first in our lives; not just on Sundays, not only when it is convenient, not only when we are bored, and not only when we are in trouble. He needs to be number one, every minute of every day. When we do place Him first in our lives; it is simply amazing how everything else will fall into place and how things will be put into perspective more. It is not simply enough to just place Him first though. When we do follow Him and love Him we cannot just do it partially, we need to give of ourselves totally. We need to give it all to Him, all of our heart, all of our soul, and all of our mind. Place Him in your hearts, let His Spirit fill you, fixate your thoughts on Him at all times, love Him with everything you have and don't hold nothing back. When we give up everything for Him, this is called sacrifice. Our Lord Jesus knows all about sacrifice. It was He who gave all of who He was for us; so that we could have a way to the Father. Shouldn't we also sacrifice for Him, as he sacrificed for us?

Let us all play until the end, and leave it all on the field.

Father above, you give us this great gift of life. Let us use it to serve you with all that we are and to hold nothing back. Lord grant us the strength to persevere until the end so that when we reach you we might hear the words "well done good and faithful servant." Lord we pray for all those who are seeking you on their journey through this life. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Everbody's Invited!

Memorial of Saint Pius X

First Reading: Ezekiel 36: 23-28
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51
Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14


The parable of the wedding feast. In the gospel today we are told that the Kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and when he invited all of the original guests; none of them came. They found excuses not to come, such as work or business. He had dispatched his servants to tell them that all the food is ready and all they need to do is show up. Now some of the servants were mistreated and killed; to which the king sent out troops to destroy these men and their city. So what do you do when none of the people you had originally invited to your wedding don't show up? Simple, find other guests! The king then sent out his servants to find whoever they could and it didn't matter if they were bad or good, they were all invited!

This parable should speak loudly to all of us. We are all invited into God's kingdom, he has prepared a place for all of us. Good or bad, it doesn't matter; come one and come all! Now this is not to say that we are to just come as we are. As we see from the person who came to the wedding without a wedding garment on, he was binded and cast into the darkness. Although invited to the feast, he was not willing to "change." Now in the parable they speak of this as a physical change of clothes, but we should all understand it to mean an inward change of heart, mind, and soul.

The book of Colossians discusses this "change" that we should all go through. When we are called, St. Paul tells us that we are to: "put to death then, the parts of you that are earthly; immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry...but now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to each one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator." (Col 3:5-10)

What an awesome God we serve, our God who does not care where we have been, as long as we are willing to surrender to Him and "put on our new self." We are all invited to the feast, let us make sure that we are continuously working to be "wearing the right garments."

Father above, we thank you and give you praise for this day. Let us do everything in word or in deed for you our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant us the courage and strength to shake off the old and put on the new. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

That's not fair!

Memorial of Saint Bernard

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23
Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16


"That's not fair!" How many times a day do we hear this (or even say it ourselves)? Think about all the times that you might have said this during your life. Perhaps you said it while playing games in gym class, or while confronting a teacher on a grade they gave you on that term paper that you worked so hard on, or at work when someone less qualified was promoted ahead of you. We can all note many times in our lives when the tables have been turned on us and it seems as though we get the rotten end of the deal.

"That's not fair!" This must have been the credo of the first workers in the vineyard of today's gospel. In the gospel the workers who only worked part of the day received the same amount of pay as those who worked all day. Can you imagine the riots that would be going on in your workplace if you boss decided to do this? And why is this? Because we all know that this is not fair, it is not ensuring that everyone is being treated equally. But in our quest for fairness and equality it seems as though we forget about those very important virtues that should be governing our decisions and our judgement. The first workers, like many of us, were only focused on themselves and what they were not getting, instead of what they were getting. By thinking of themselves only and fairness, they had forgotten the importance of compassion, generosity, and mercy. I am sure that there was a time when these workers remember what it was like to stand outside and wait all day for work as the last worker had done. Wouldn't they have been thankful for a merciful master to offer them the same daily wage as everyone else, regardless of when they arrived? When we focus solely on fairness and equality, mercy tends to be forgotten about.

While we know the frustration of the first workers all too well, we must also remember what it is like to have someone be merciful to us. What if God was not a God of mercy, but a God of Fairness? How many of us would make it to heaven and receive our eternal prize? I don't think that any of us would want to get to the heavenly gates to hear that we were just a bit late coming to our faith. But how much more wonderful is it to know that God is a great God of mercy! He is not worried about fairness; He knows us all to well. The Lord knows that some will take longer than others to come to Him and to surrender their life to Him. Thankfully, He wants to be with us, and he is willing to wait however long that takes.

So let us not worry about fairness so much in our lives. Let us make room for God's mercy to work in us. Remember, it is never too late for anybody. We have a choice: we can be joyful for those seeking God's Kingdom no matter when in their lives they begin, or we can be on the side judging and noticing how late they are. I pray that we will all make the right choice.

Father above, we thank you for being so merciful to us. We thank you for each of our callings and we ask that you continue to guide us towards you. Lord we pray for the strength and courage to persevere through this life until the day the end. We pray for all those going through difficult times and pray that they turn to you in their time of need. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Threadin the Needle

First Reading: Ezekiel 28:1-10
Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32
Gospel: Matthew 19:23-30

Have you ever tried to thread a needle? I still remember the traumatic experiences from home economics class in middle school. If you ever want to watch something hilarious, take a look at a bunch of teenage boys trying to sew. I can tell you that it still takes me a long time to thread a needle. The difficulty of getting that little thread through that little hole; the frustration is just beyond words.

Today in the gospel we are given a good analogy of how difficult it is for a rich person to enter the Kingdom. Jesus tells us that "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle that for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God." My first thoughts are "A camel! Are you serious? I can't even get a thread through the hole!" We are warned here and in the first reading of the dangers that wealth and money can bring. Now if you do have money and make a good living, does this automatically rule you out of getting to heaven? Probably not, I believe that what it comes down to is whether you are a good steward of your money. If you are simply storing up wealth all for yourself, then it is very possible for you to become what we understand in the first reading as "haughty of heart." And in the first reading today it appears as though wealth can cause a vicious cycle. Ezekiel tells warns the prince of Tyre "...you have heaped up your riches ; your heart has grown haughty from your riches..." So if we are not careful and we do not learn to be good stewards of our money,we may begin to make money the most important thing in our lives. It is not wealth or anything else that should be first in our lives, it is Christ and His Kingdom that we should seek first.

Let us not let our hearts grow haughty from our wealth, let us give to God first and remember to be good stewards with our money.

Father above, we thank you for the gift of another day. We pray that we will put our trust in you alone, for with you all things are possible. Amen.

Material World

First Reading: Ezekiel 24:15-23
Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21
Gospel: Matthew 19:16-22

Like many of you I have been watching the Olympic games and I have been greatly enjoying seeing all of the athletes striving and straining, and using the natural abilities that God has granted to them (whether they realize it or not). It has been especially exciting seeing our country represented so well and to see athletes break records and make history right before our eyes. But in between the high dives and gymnastics vaults, we are bombarded for several minutes by commercials. While some of them make us laugh, others tend to make us go "Huh? What was the point of that commercial?" No matter what their outcome, all these commercials are trying to do the same thing: sell. All of these commercials are telling us that we need the newest iPhone, or digital camera, the best insurance, the best cell phone service; it really never ends. Each day we are bombarded by these advertisements telling us that we really need all kinds of new stuff. We even get messages that say we may not need it, but we deserve it. It is just so unfortunate that many in our culture have this mindset of having lots of stuff, and many of us define ourselves by the stuff we have. There are actually many studies going on right now that are examining this issue of materialism in our society. Here is a quote by one researcher that talks about materialism with our children:

"Contemporary American tweens and teens have emerged as the most brand-oriented, consumer-involved, and materialistic generation in history. And they top the list globally. . . .More children here than anywhere else believe that their clothes and brands describe who they are and define their social status. (Schor 2004)"

Is this not just heartbreaking to hear?

In the gospel today we are told of a young man who wishes to gain eternal life, so he goes and asks Jesus what he needs to do. Jesus tells him to keep all of the commandments. The young man says that he does that and what else he must do. Jesus then tells him “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The young man becomes very sad about this because of all the stuff that he owned. Does this sound like someone who is suffering from a materialistic mindset? It sure does to me. But are we all very different from the young man of this story? What if someone walked up to you and told you to sell all of your stuff and go work as a missionary the rest of your life, would you be jumping for joy? Probably not, we are all so attached to our lives and all the things in our lives. It is unfathomable for us to give away all of our stuff because then we wouldn't have anything...or would we? In the gospel we are told that if we sell all of our stuff and follow Christ then we will have treasure in heaven. I think that when we start to think of the outcomes; treasure in heaven should start to sound much better than a bunch of stuff that is lying around and collecting dust.

In our faith life, we are called to go out and do things that are so counter-cultural and according to society "not normal." But by detaching ourselves from this materialistic mindset and detaching ourselves from our stuff, we are gaining treasure in heaven. Not all of us are called to go and sell all of our stuff, but we should be ready to if we needed to. Detachment is a very powerful tool that can help us follow Christ better. We need to detach ourselves from all of our material possessions because although they may be really nice (and perhaps a lot of fun); they may be prohibiting us from a truly thriving relationship with our Lord and Savior.

I pray that from this gospel, we all seek to learn more lessons in detachment, and to rid ourselves of this materialist mindset.

Father above, we thank you for the gift of another day and we ask for your help in serving you this day. Lord by ourselves we cannot do as you will, but with your spirit we can follow where ever you lead us. Give us the strength and courage to follow you no matter what. Let us live in this world and not of it. Lord we pray for all those who are clinging to their things instead of you. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Bring them to me

First Reading:  Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32  

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 51

Gospel:  Matthew 19:13-15

Today's gospel, although shorter,  has so much meaning.  In the first reading today we are told how the just man should act, and how they should not act.  It also make reference to where the unjust lead their children.  In the gospel today we see that Jesus makes time for the children.  He rebukes anyone who tries to prevent the children from coming to Him.  It reminds me of that classic children's' song "Jesus loves the little children."  There is a verse that says; "They are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world."  Wow, what a great verse!  I know that this is a simple children's' song, but sometimes some of the most insightful things are some of the most simple.  Like Jesus, all of God's children should be precious in our sight, and deserving of the respect and dignity that we should all be receiving.    

I think that this gospel and this song should put things in perspective when we prioritize things in our lives.  We should all be thinking about how we are making time for the children.  Whether we have kids or not, is there some way that we can help lead them to Christ?  What talents has the Lord given us that we might be able to serve His children?  Perhaps it might not be serving directly, but sometimes how we conduct ourselves in our lives is just as important.  Ever go to throw something away, miss, and then just walk away?  Ever just walk past someone who has dropped an armful of things?  Think no one is watching?  Well, God is always watching and seeing every thing that we do.  Along with God, it has been my experience that there is usually a kid around somewhere who is watching exactly what we are doing.  We have a responsibility to be good role models to the children, which can be just as powerful as directly working with them.  Remember, great role models are the ones who do the right thing even when no one is around.  

As Christ says;“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Where will you lead those around you?  

Father above, we thank you and give you praise for this day.  We thank you for all the joys that you bless us with everyday.  Lord we thank you for the children who teach us to be humble and to live simply.  Help us to guide them to you and to never lead them away from you.  Lord we pray for all those who are working to turn back towards you in their lives.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Mother May I...

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Reading: Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 45
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-27
Gospel: Luke 1:39-56

Greetings to each of you on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary! As you all know, Mary has a very special in our faith, and she should hold a very special place in our hearts. As hard as it is to admit, I was very against praying to Mary (and the Saints) and the rosary before I came into the church. In fact this attitude even continued for a while after I felt called into the Catholic faith. This is a very hard thing for anyone learning about the faith to understand. To anyone just learning, it appears that we are worshipping Mary and the Saints. I know that I felt this way, and even when I learned that it wasn't worshiping, that it was just asking for their intercessions, this did still not make sense to me. I think that a lot of times in my life I try to be as efficient as I can be, this probably spilled over to my prayer life at this time. I kept thinking, why would you pray to someone like Mary when you can just prayer directly to God? Why not just eliminate the middle man (or woman)? This was a question that I could never seem to get answered. I am sure that while I was one this quest to prove that we should just pray to God alone, He was up in heaven just looking down and smiling thinking "soon Jimmie, you will understand."

It wasn't until I started to let God work in me; that I finally began to understand Mary's role. I began to look at her role in the beginning. Which we see in the gospel of Luke today. After saying my first rosary, I began to understand the words that Elizabeth spoke when she said "And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" I started to understand that God had a plan from Mary from the very beginning (and in the end). We see in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians today that "For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life," So as Jesus is the new Adam, so Mary is the new Eve, our mother.

When I finally let God open my eyes and my heart, I realized that it wasn't Mary that I had an issue with, there was something else that I was letting block me from turning to our blessed mother. Once I realized what was blocking me from our blessed mother, I simply offered it up to God and asked for healing from this past hurt. Ever since then I have been able to turn to our Mother and rely on her intercessions.

Mary brings us closer to her Son Jesus. If you are having issues with this like I did, whatever the reason, I just ask that you think about doing two things. One is ask God to help you understand Mary and her role. The second is to find information about her. I will guarantee that you will be shocked at the information that you find. If you need some resources please feel free to email me, I will help you find some.

Blessed Mother, may we always turn to you with our intentions. Help bring us closer to your son Jesus, help us know how we might know Him and love Him more.

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are though amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, to the son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be a world without end. Amen.