Better Together

We find no better summary of what we are all about than the words of Pope Francis:

 “Knowing Jesus is the best gift that anyone can ever receive. That we have encountered Him is the best thing that has happened in our lives. And making Him known by our deeds and words is our greatest joy.” 

St Mary of the Visitation Parish exists to be a light on the hill and offer every person in our community a life-changing encounter with Jesus so that we can grow as His intentional disciples and become an evermore credible witness to the difference that Jesus alone can make in each of our lives.

We have been launching our Fall by reflecting on the power of unity and the truth that “We Are Better Together” . In a world of division and divisiveness, in a political environment more and more defined by "sides", the Church is called to be a body of unity, even in the midst of diversity. There is no greater vehicle which can make that possible than the local parish.

Often Jesus uses the images in scripture of the "Wedding Banquet". When we talk about spiritual growth, it is about enjoying the feast and celebration God has in store for us. Spiritual growth allows us to enjoy the abundant gifts and blessings of God’s kingdom. When the focus of our lives – and the focus of our parish – is on spiritual growth – then we truly are better together!

In Matthew 22:1–14, Jesus tells the story of a wedding feast. In the time of Jesus, people would make it a priority to go to a wedding for the feasting and celebration, but surprisingly in the parable no one participates. They refuse to enjoy the good things the king has prepared and miss out on the celebration.relationships and lost opportunities. In many ways it is the manifestation of the “cycle of ingratitude – for remember:” When the “cycle of gratitude” does not take place then most often the “cycle of ingratitude” begins.

The “cycle of ingratitude” is best described as “hard feelings” which, then depending on the maturity of those involved, can either resemble a Junior Kindergarten classroom, or a mature series of adult discussions. Every family, relationship and organization becomes subject to this. Sometimes when the “cycle of ingratitude” goes too far, we see violence, selfishness and even people feeling rejected or “leaving” because they are angry.

This is why Service Saturday, Tuesday Night Together, outreach efforts by our Small Groups – all of these are important because they keep the “cycle of gratitude” going. This is why a simple hand written “Thank you Note” is so powerful. This is why the Eucharist and weekly being at Sunday Mass is so vital. It keeps the “cycle of gratitude” in motion.

But we know that sometimes, like in the Gospel – people reject the invitation to the banquet – Sunday Mass. Funny enough all the reasons are the same today as they were in the parable, (c.f. – “But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them” ). In other words “I don’t need religion, I am busy, don’t talk to me about God….” The king responds in an interesting way…. He invites more to come… others… he opens the door ever the wider……. He does not allow “the cycle of in gratitude” to begin in his heart… but is ever the more grateful for all who come.

So I guess here is the question for us as Disciples of Jesus – and for us as a parish community committed to offering every person in our community a life changing encounter with Jesus. Are we inviting others?

A little self-examination might help here:

• When was the last time we invited or brought a friend to Mass?

• When we don’t see someone at our parish that use to belong – do we ever ask them to return (even if they give the same excuses as above)?

• When was the last time we spoke positively about our parish, priests, our religion – even if people don’t share the “cycle of gratitude” that we do?

• When was the last time we generously donated to our parish to keep things not only ‘operating’ but ensuring we can invite others to the banquet

So often we are hesitant to ask the above and maybe even say “this is not my role, it is not my business.” This Gospel tells us it surely is! If we are not contributing to the cycle of gratitude then we are leaving room for the cycle of in gratitude to begin. If we say well “when they have time they will come”, or “they have a lot going on now, soon they will come” then we are much like the excuse makers in the parable who had ingratitude in their hearts.

Let me pause with this little story. At a parish I served at once there was a couple. They were at church every day and seemed pious. But in their hearts there was a hardness that made them offer snide remarks about others and priests even during Mass. They came to the banquet but not with gratitude. Here is what I learned from observing them – they might have been pious but they did not possess gratitude. In the Gospel, the King discovered that those he had invited were not grateful - but he kept inviting others to the banquet (even when rejected) because the banquet was important and his heart possessed gratitude. Since he never gave up, in time, his banquet hall was filled with people who might not have been pious, but they were grateful. Do we keep inviting? Do we possess gratitude for the invitation to come to the banquet?

As we draw soon to a conclusion our series, are we keeping our commitment to the Banquet? Are we aware of what keeps us from it? Are we present with piety or pure gratefulness? Are we seeking in all we do (action and especially word) to lead others to know that by offering every person in our community a life changing encounter with Jesus – we are better together!

Hold On... One Season Ends and Another Begins

Today in our modern society of iphones, emails and the internet, a lot celebrities claim to have millions of followers and friends. It is very easy to be an electronic follower or friend of a person you have never met. Following Jesus is not as easy as this. He invites us to be His friend by knowing Him upfront and journeying with Him

As we have journeyed this summer together, through the thought of being a theromoeter or a thermostat. As we have pondered the need for a humble heart. As we have paused and considered disappointments, regrets and fear and how we handle them. As we have considered this Road Trip which is the journey of faith all as we back our bags, we come to the conclusion of the summer and the cusp of Fall and we ask –- what do we hold on to?

Where is our foundation? How solid is our rock? Does the slightness news cause a reaction? Does the littlest disappointment cause us to repulse? Does the given challenges and tensions cause us to retreat? Do we bunker down? Do we evacuate or do we trust in the rock of faith?

That in our moments of confusion

That in our times of disillusionment

That in our occasions of bewilderment

That in the storms of life

We come to the Church – God’s Rock – and Here we find Him, and here we will find the direction, comfort, mercy and peace we need. That we need not pack our bags alone – but that we can walk knowing the rock is with us.

Recently I have been reading about Archbishop Oscar Romero whose cause for beatification as a saint is before the church. He was Archbishop in El Salvador at a time of great persecution and suffering for Christians and time of inequality between rich and poor. When he became the Archbishop there was one change he made – which caused a storm of challenges in his life. He opened the Cathedral, and his own home to the poor and those who were suffering, and gave them a place to sit – even among the rich - where in before the poor had to wait outside, and be invited in if there was room. His reason was simple “no matter what you carry in the heavy bags of life your place is with the church – she is your rock.”

May the invitation of our summer journey together – permit us to walk together with the Church – staying close to the rock no matter what comes – even in the storms - and may a new season soon before us lead us all toward closer relationship with Jesus 

Regrets - don't pack them!

So our summerseries continues….. I hope that you have been following along. Maybe it’s been the three audio podcasts or, given that I have been away from the pulpit a few weeks due to our Devotions to St Anne celebration and this weekend the Steubenville Conference with our teens, through this Blog. Either way, make sure to follow along – because Making Sunday Matter is not a slogan, it’s a life commitment we accepted at Baptism and Confirmation – in essence it is what Discipleship in Christ is all about – cause without honouring Sunday by being in God’s House – well – we are saying the Lord’s Day is just like any other day – and well that is just not true!

So I am not sure about you but sometimes I have regrets. Things I wish I could do over again, handle differently, say in a new way, or do over. I know very little about golf, and if you have ever seen me play you would agree, but the few games I have played – well – I got the nickname “Mulligan” – because I always wanted to “do it over.”

As we “Pack OurBags” we find ourselves at times wishing we had “put something in” or not over packed and could “take something out” during this journey of life toward our final destination. Our second reading for this Lord's Day is taken from the end of the eighth chapter of Paul’s magnificent letter to the Romans. In this great book of the Bible, we learn that in Christ, God has disclosed His providential plan whereby He intends to reconcile all things to Himself. I don’t know about you, but those words always give me comfort and peace. 

Do you feel weighed down today in condemnation and shame from past mistakes? It’s time to make an exchange. Because of what Christ has done, you can walk in God’s mercy every day. Instead of living in regret, you can live in peace. You don’t have to sit on the sidelines of life and pay penance for your past mistakes. God has a gift of righteousness to cover you. Nothing you’ve done in the past is too much for the mercy of God. But Mercy is something we must be willing to “pack” and it is the only things we should “carry around.”

As long as you’re living in regret, focused on the negative things of the past, it’s going to keep you from all that the Lord has ahead for you. You’ve got to let go of what didn’t work out. Let go of the hurts and pain. Let go of your disappointments and failures. 

You can’t do anything about the past, but you can do something about right now. Whether it happened 20 years ago or 20 minutes ago, let it go and move forward. If you keep bringing negative baggage from yesterday into today, it will slow done your progress toward your future. It is like packing too much and find that the weight of the baggage is slowing down your arrival for where you need to be. You may have had an unfair past, but you don’t have to have an unfair future. You may have gotten off to a rough start in life, but it’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish.

To help you do this, let me give you three strategies for the first ten minutes of your day.

1. Choose to serve the Lord with all your heart.

Every morning we have the opportunity to choose who we are going to serve; who we are going to live to please that day. Every morning we can consecrate ourselves to the Lord. You might pray something like this: Lord, You are my highest desire. I want to serve You and please You in every aspect of my life today. This is the day You have made. I choose to rejoice and be glad in it! Give Him your all, seek to discern His will and way daily. Pray for faithfulness and wisdom when moments of choice and decision come, and trust that His Spirit will show the way!

 2. Choose to be happy and full of joy.

Joy and gladness don’t just happen to us — we choose them! We may not feel happy or joyful, but when we take on happiness, live in joyful ways, our feelings will begin to respond to our choices. So recount God’s faithfulness to you. Thank Him for all He has done, and remember the ways that He has delivered you in the past. Don’t focus on what you haven’t got — be grateful for what you have. Put a song in your heart, and sing it all day long. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

3. Choose to look to God to provide for your needs.

God says we are to ask Him for our daily bread. He never runs out of what we need! When the children of Israel gathered manna, there was always enough. They were never lacking, and didn’t have to work for it. But they did have to look to Him to provide it, and receive it from His hand. Trust God to meet your needs at the beginning of every day.

We live without regret not because everything is perfect, and not because there are not things to discourage us, but we live without regret because God will provide. In Christ Jesus, all things become new and today's disappointments become tomorrow's opportunities. Today's failures transform themselves in tomorrow's lessons. Today's set back and hurdles, appear tomorrow as new roads and pathways to an even better way that He has planned for us. 

That is the great treasure spoken of in our Gospel, to live in His peace! What great joy there is when we finally find a precious thing that we have long been seeking. This treasure might be finding our vocation, landing the perfect job, the birth of a child, or making peace with the past. Our desire for this long-sought pearl helps us to better understand the heart of God. Made in His image and likeness, but given complete free will, we are His treasure. He longs for the return of our love just as the merchant waited to find the pearl of great price. We are that unique and precious creation that Jesus is willing to sacrifice everything for. He waits and looks for us, and welcomes us with great joy and love.

Sometimes God's love is found that way. There's the saying, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Sometimes in the course of our everyday lives, something happens that vividly and surprisingly summons us to union with God. We realize, in a flash, what it's all about. We weren't particularly looking for it, but it found us.

That's what Jesus is getting at today. As you pack for the walk through the fields of life, be open to the inrushing of grace, when you least expect it. And when it comes, give up anything that holds it back. So as we keep packing - well, pack the treasure which is His peace. So go forth and live it now -  "God's got it" - live in His peace, not your regrets!

Our Summer Series - Pack Your Bags - reaches pivotal question!

“If I allow fear to take me over, I won’t be able to make the
moves that I need to… to keep going.”

Fear is one of the most powerful forces there is. Fear can paralyze and fear can isolate.

Fear is used every day to control and contain us. As subtle as an Old Spice commercial that said, “You don’t want to be old and single, do you?”, or as loud as physical dominance.

When Jesus rose from the dead – that changed everything, including the opportunity for us to live with absolute freedom. Freedom is the antonym of fear.  God said, your shortcomings, your mess ups, your failures–none will be counted against you. Who you are will never be affected by what you do. But we don’t trust Him. We still fear that, somehow, our mess-ups affect how God sees us and affect our value in some way. So we tread warily through life.

It’s as if God promised He’s removed all the prickles from the grass and yet, we tip toe around, in case He missed some. Life is not meant to be tip toed through. Life is meant to be run with freedom. No chains, no shackles, no tip toeing.  

Galatians 5:1 | Freedom in Christ
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free,
and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

As we begin to trust God more and more, to step out from behind fear and run, we’ll begin to see life in a way we never have before, the way God designed it. This summer we have been working through a message series called “Pack YourBags.”  We have taken three major steps in the journey asking ourselves some important questions like:

First, in this season of heat which is Summer – are we a Thermometer or a Thermostat? Do we just talk about the heat around us, (the stuff that makes us uncomfortable) like a thermometer would in telling the temperature, or do we seek to lives a life which  – like a thermostat would – seeks to change the temperature as we seek to live in the comfort of Christ.

Then we moved forward a bit, and checked out our heart by asking - do we live in humility? Seeking above all to live in humility with God. See we don’t set the temperature, we seek to let Christ do that, but we have to have a humble heart to let that happen.

That message then led us toward asking the question – how is our heart? What influences are taking us into unhealthy patterns in our life – are we prepared to make the changes we need in our lifestyle to have a healthy spiritual heart.  Make sure to check out these messages.

So we have arrived at this juncture, now almost halfway into the summer. If we are willing to take note of the temperature of our life, make the changes we need, reflect humbly of heart as we do, and live with a healthy spiritual heart – then it’s time to look at the topic of freedom and some ways to shed the fear that holds us back.  This pursuit is a lot like going to the mailbox and finding the envelope with the letter we have been waiting for, or been worried about.

Over our lifetime, we all have received letters.  Some letters are great, we find ourselves saving them and reading them over and over again.  Some letters are more challenging, they hit a chord with us that feels challenging or convicting.  Those letters we want to toss away, even though in the back of our minds what the person said was probably right. 

God’s word is a letter which has arrived for us this Lord’s Day and in essence it asks – what is holding you back from dropping the fear and walking in faith?  Sometimes its our past, or we are apprehensive about the future, or we are unimpressed with our present path. Each of us must remember the past with gratitude, live the present with passion, and embrace the future with hope. A grateful memory of the past: not archaeology. We don't go digging for our regrets. Rather we embrace a passion for maintaining ever alive and young our first love, Who is Jesus. This then leads us to live in Hope, with the knowledge that Jesus is with us and guides our steps – that is at essence the core of freedom and friendship with Christ.

Today the word “friend” has become a bit overused. In our daily lives, we run into various people whom we call “friends”, but that is just a word we say. Within virtual communications, “friend” is one of the most frequently found words. Yet we know that superficial knowledge has little to do with that experience of encounter or closeness evoked by the word “friend”.

When Jesus speaks of His “friends”, He points to a hard truth: true friendship involves an encounter that draws me so near to the other person that I give something of my very self. Jesus says to His disciples: “No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (Jn 15:15). He thus establishes a new relationship between man and God, one that transcends the law and is grounded in trust and love. At the same time, Jesus frees friendship from sentimentalism and presents it to us as a responsibility that embraces our entire life: “Greater love has no man than this - that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).

We become friends, then, only if our encounter is more than something outward or formal, and becomes instead a way of sharing in the life of another person, an experience of compassion, a relationship that involves giving ourselves for others.

It is good for us to reflect on what friends do. They stand at our side, gently and tenderly, along our journey; they listen to us closely, and can see beyond mere words; they are merciful when faced with our faults; they are non-judgemental. They are able to walk with us, helping us to feel joy in knowing that we are not alone. They do not always indulge us but, precisely because they love us, they honestly tell us when they disagree. They are there to pick us up whenever we fall.

So the key to freedom - to not living in fear but rather grabbing hold of faith - is friendship with Christ. As you continue your summer journey and “packing your bags” – how is your friendship with Jesus? Can I suggest three methods to answer that questions honourably and honestly

• First, do you speak daily with Him? 
• Do you visit Him weekly on His day at Mass? 
• Do you desire to grow in knowing Him regularly? 

No friendship can grow in isolation (isolation is the breading ground of fear). Daily conversation with Christ is needed – remember that appointment with God. No friendship can grow without communication (not talking a tool of fear). No friendship can become all it is meant to be without “meeting up”, so on the Lord’s Day do you visit Jesus at His Home and share in the Eucharistic Meal which is the Mass. This connection with Jesus on the Lord’s see should not be solely seen as an obligation, but an opportunity for friendship with Christ which leads to trying to expand and grow in knowing Him, loving Him and serving Him (staying still is the motion of fear).

As we keep moving forward – would you be willing to ask those questions and "take the temperature" on your friendship with Jesus? Make sure you can state whether "I filled with fear or freedom" as I move forward.  So keep packing your bags – for we are all on the journey to a great destination together. 

The Impact We Make

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The Israelites had an excuse, they had to get out quickly. But any savvy traveler will tell you, always pack food for the journey, at the very least a snack! Since God hastily called them to leave Egypt, and because the trip was long (forty years!), out of His loving kindness the Lord provided bread as food for their journey: manna given from heaven, and water from rock. To us it may not sound appetizing, but it certainly sustained them. In our first reading however, Moses told the Israelites, that it wasn’t the manna, but “every word that comes forth from the mouth of God”, (that is, His promise of love and fidelity), that kept them strong and moving onward. The manna was merely the fulfillment of God’s promise.

Today we celebrate the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus and the real presence of Jesus in our bread we call “Eucharist” (“Thanksgiving”). Traditionally known as “Corpus Christi” (Latin for “Body of Christ”), this feast day originated in France in 1246 and highlighted the fact that while manna fed the Israelites, it could not give them eternal life. Only the bread of Eucharist which God feeds us, will sustain us through our journey of life into heaven and eternity.

Those of us who share in this meal will always remain in Jesus and Jesus in them, as promised in today’s Gospel. If we eat his flesh (a word He uses instead of “body” to emphasize His humanity) as means of nourishment, and drink His blood, (blood was thought to be the bearer of life and sacred to God), Jesus will raise us up on the last day, just as The Father raised Bread for the Journey Him, to have eternal life with The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We know from personal experience that meals do more than just provide nourishment. Sharing meals can also create a bond that can heal divisions and transform relationships. St. Paul declares in Corinthians, that our sharing of the blessing cup of Christ’s blood and breaking the bread of Christ’s body generates a bond that not only unites with Jesus, but also unites us as a community (“body”). But we must always keep in mind that Christian community extends further than the walls of our Church or the gates of our neighborhoods. We are called to be “bread for the journey” to the poor by healing the division between those of us who have, and those who have not. Bread comes in all forms: sometimes our very hands, and encouraging word from our mouths.

Today is also Father's Day. We wish to celebrate Fatherhood and the important role models which Dads are called to be. They are often the  "bread" of their families in so many ways - especially by the impact they can make. Thank you Dad's  and may our prayer below help you to be all you wish to be as you model for us, by the impact you make, the best Father ever - our Heavenly Father!

A Father’s Day Prayer

Lord, we give thanks for Fathers,

For their love and affection.

For their support and guidance.

For their humour and playfulness.

Bless all Fathers and help them to continue to model God’s unconditional love.

Lord, bless all men who are Father figures for children.

Bless the important modelling they do for children.

By caring and nurturing children

they give them a glimpse of the goodness and tenderness of God. We ask our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Impression You Make

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In the Ascension we learn that Jesus withdraws, so that we might ourselves be sent out to make Him present in the world. At Pentecost we rejoice in the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, whom we receive at Baptism and Confirmation and through whom as disciples of Jesus we proclaim the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father. Pentecost comes because all of us need a beginning - but we need one that has His guidance and inspiration - especially in our mission of discipleship. Today we celebrate the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In the Feast of the Trinity - God communicates with us and His message is an infusion into our lives. Each of us seeks to make an impression – even rocks makes an impression in the sand. Our impression is often in the form of communication – think of the various methods we have today to communicate – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Email and even carrier pigeon I guess. But what we communicate – or more specifically – WHO we communicate is the focus of the Trnity.

It is from God the Father that all begins - He is the infusor into our lives. Fom within that unity of God we find the image for ourselves too. The Trinity teaches us that we honour not three separate god’s distinct - but a unity in the impression of one generated from the Father. So too in our lives when the impression we make is in unity of purpose with God’s will for our life, and what we communicate is generated from the Father, we find that our lives are in harmony.

Often the anxiety we feel in life, the confusion we sense, or the turmoil we go through, is because we are embarking upon a path that is not in union and is leaving the impression of self and not God. This disunity is what causes the lack of harmony.

John’s Gospel talks about this plan as eternal life. That is our focus and was the focus of the life that Jesus had been discussing with Nicodemus earlier in the Gospel chapter mentioned today. In other words, to have eternal life is to experience the kingdom of God by being born of “water and Spirit,” and the gift of the Spirit of God is what enables us to live “eternal life” here and now. Eternal life, therefore, is the baptized person’s participation in the life of the Trinity.

So how do we make sure that we are leaving the impression and living in the image of the Triune God. Well two ways get us on the road:

• That we ask ourselves often in prayer (during our appointment with God) – who are we representing – whose impression are we leaving? In the witness that we give, in the way that we walk as Christians, in the wisdom we share with others – is it our impression or God’s impact we seek to make?
• That we discern and decide we will live vertical lives and not horizontal lives.  Horizontal lives just keep “plugging along”, they “get through” stuff, or as we have put it in other messages series – they “survive”, not “thrive.” But a vertical life is always pointing upward to God. In our witness, in our way, in our words and wisdom – pointing to Him and making sure we are in union with Him.

So the Feast of the Trinity asks – who are we communicating, what impressions are we making and who are we in union with? May it be the Trinity!

Pentecost

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Can you recall the greatest gift you ever received? Perhaps as a child, it was a long sought after toy. Or maybe the keys to your first car as a teen. How about that diamond ring that came with a proposal for marriage? Around the holidays, jewellers promote diamonds as the “gift that lasts forever.” One thing certainly is true, the best gifts are the ones that show the giver really knows you; are personal, and are exactly what you need!

Today, we the Church celebrate the greatest gift ever given, or ever to be given. Rising from the dead and alive again, Jesus knew he would soon ascend and return to His Father. Before leaving, He promised he would give a farewell gift, one of far greater value than any precious gem, one that truly lasts FOREVER! This gift is the right colour, the right size, and exactly what was needed. Today we celebrate the fulfilment of the promise: Jesus sending his most personal gift, the Holy Spirit.

But what is the Holy Spirit and how can we receive and use this gift today? The Spirit is symbolised by a dove to indicate its unpredictable yet gentle presence; or by fire (God appeared as fire in the Old Testament) to indicate its divine power. Describing the Holy Spirit, many have said it is love; or “that voice that nudges me into action;” “the unity of God;” a supernatural force; “how I see God working in my life, the day to day feeling of God’s grace.”

While these truly describe the Spirit, they are only SPIRITUAL GIFTS His attributes, not what He is. The Holy Spirit is NOT an animal, an energy, or an emotion; not a feeling or philosophy or a force. The Holy Spirit also is not a human being but he is a person, the third person of our Triune God, yet pure spirit. Sometimes it seems the old term “Holy Ghost” makes it easier to comprehend Him: a gentle and benevolent divine person without a material body.

During the Sacrament of Baptism, before pouring water, the minister lays their hands on the person and says “receive the Holy Spirit.” And because Jesus PROMISED this would happen, His personal Spirit flows out from the Father through Him, and rests within (“indwells”) the person. For many, nothing noticeable occurs, even though within this great gift, “to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (as Paul describes in his letter to the Corinthians), always to strengthen and empower the individual. However, if one learns to be docile and yield to The Holy Spirit, amazing manifestations of God’s love can occur during our ministry: healing, wisdom, teaching, tongues, divine faith, evangelization and even miracles. These “gifts” of the Spirit (manifestations) are given to strengthen, empower and build up His church. The Holy Spirit also unites and energizes the Christian community as well, with the purpose of helping all the faithful to be able to communicate with and experience God within us and in the world. Truly the greatest gift ever given and one that is everlasting!