Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.

This familiar passage from Lamentations is so appropriate for today, isn’t it? Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Mater Dolorosa. What a whirlwind of feelings she must have embodied! First, the loss of a child, one of the most heart-wrenching things that can happen to a parent…a child of any age.

Second, what, at the foot of the Cross, looked to be the contradiction of all that had gone before with such promise.

Third, the desertion by most of the Apostles while she and John and the women were left alone.

Our Lady of Sorrows.

But wasn’t she prepared for this? Wasn’t she told by Rabbi Simeon, as we hear in today’s Gospel,

“Behold, this child is destined

for the fall and rise of many in Israel,

and to be a sign that will be contradicted

and you yourself a sword will pierce

so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Artists through the ages have depicted Mary in her sorrow, some even with seven swords embedded in her representing her Seven Sorrows. And many musicians have set the sorrows to music, especially the Marian hymn:

Stabat mater dolorosa
juxta Crucem lacrimosa,
dum pendebat Filius.

At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to her Son to the last.

Isn’t this heartbreaking?

What are we to make of this devotion to a sorrowing mother? We Christians who are invited to incomparable joy with our Lord, how are we to fall to weeping with Mary? Isn’t this its own contradiction for us?

But are we not human? Are we not allowed at times to fall into self-pity, sorrow, despair?

Then maybe that’s the value of the phenomenon of Our Lady of Sorrows. Here is a way to experience these feelings that will not bring us down into the pit, she is a safe haven for us to mourn, and to experience the catharsis of deep, deep sorrow.

We have only to read our Bible to find many cues to us that it is time to mourn: over the death of Absalom, over the Holy Innocents, over the martyrdom of John the Baptist. And we can mourn the losses in our own lives: our friends, our parents, and so sadly, yes, our child. And especially we can mourn with Mary over the torture and death of her son, our Lord.

And sorrowing with Mary, we can feel the pain in her heart and her hands and her feet and her brow as she contemplates the wounds inflicted on her son. We can let ourselves go and weep along with her, and for her, and for us and our own many sorrows.

The sorrows of everyday life that we all experience.

We can cry until our throats hurt and our body is wracked with despair.

With Mary.

And then, as we are in the midst of our lamentations, we can feel the hand of Mary. We can imagine the comfort that she can bring us. And we can see her as she intercedes for us with her son. She is our Blessed Mother and we can surrender ourselves to her comfort just as we used to with our own mothers.

Because that is the message we were given, and that we hope to give to others. As George Fox heard, “There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.” And as John says in his Gospel, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Wasn’t Mary joyful as she heard these words from her risen son? Didn’t all her sorrow come to fruition with the Resurrection and Ascension?

So it can be with us, today and all our days. We can remember Mary’s sorrow and we can rest comforted. We can remember our own sorrow and we can go out and comfort others. Because we have Jesus and Mary as pure examples of how sorrow can and will turn to joy when we open our hearts to God and his promises.

Father, as you comforted Mary and your Son, comfort us as we go through the world. Help us to sustain others in their sorrow and help us to bring the light of gladness to all we meet today and into the future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today the celebrates the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross.   Now, some of you may be asking what in the world is triumphant about an instrument of torture and death and WHY are we celebrating it?

What we celebrate today is the triumph of eternal life over death, infinite love over overwhelming evil.  The VICTORY of our Lord, through humility, over the arrogance of Satan.

It seems so easy for us to make small sacrifices in small areas of our lives.  We give up that candy bar, coffee, or profanity for the 40 days of Lent.  We need to drop five pounds, so we don’t “biggie size” our burger and fries for a few weeks.  We really want to see that particular movie next weekend, so we save up this week.  But what about the bigger picture??

We do seem to have trouble, usually, of making, in the much more important and far greater purpose of our earthly existence… which is where we wind up AFTER it ends.  The answer to WHERE we wind up AFTER starts in our here and now – in our daily life – in how we fight or give in to those daily spiritual battles.  What our response, here and now, to the occasions of sin, innumerable temptations and other potential woes that are laid before us OFTEN, daily.

Do we value the things of the world over the values of God’s Kingdom?  What aspects and pieces of our lives are we willing to nail to the cross, as often as is necessary, and let die so that we may live with victory?  Are we willing to put on the humility, as our Lord did, to make us capable of bearing, overcoming and triumphing over these earthly parts of our lives to bring ourselves, through our faith in Christ Jesus, to life everlasting?

It all begins with the first step of KNOWING that we cannot do it of our own accord.   WE MUST HUMBLE OURSELVES before ALMIGHTY GOD, assured that alone we are doomed to failure, and ask for his saving grace and guidance and Fatherly Love.  It is only after taking this step, WITH FAITH,  that we can even find ourselves on the beginning of the right path.  It is a choice, and I encourage all of us to begin TODAY, EVERYDAY, AS OFTEN AS IS NECESSARY, to examine our spiritual states and take the hammer and nails to anything separating us from living life as a true disciple of Christ.

Is it easy?  NO!!   Is it worth it??  YES; the rewards are far beyond what we can begin to comprehend.  We must be humble enough to trust God to be God and KNOW that His promises and assurances of recompense for living for him will not and cannot return void.

Let’s face it… none of us are getting out of this earth alive.  Our days will end will a last breath or the return of our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ.  Either way, shall we be judged and rewarded as victors and receive a crown of eternal glory, or will we continue to live our here and now, falling into Satan’s snares, and have our days in this world end with eternal separation from God Almighty??

CHOOSE, HERE and NOW… take up your crosses and CARRY THEM TO VICTORY, to a TRIUMPHANT FINISH, through a humble way of living for and in GOD.  Only this, through faith in our Blessed Lord, can we turn our woes into WOWS and our death into an eternal existence of heavenly happiness.

From the Epistle of St. James, 2:14-17

14 How does it help, my brothers, when someone who has never done a single good act claims to have faith? Will that faith bring salvation?

15 If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on,

16 and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty,’

without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that?

17 In the same way faith, if good deeds do not go with it, is quite dead.

Our jobs as Christians is to give those without faith, those who are doubting their faith, and those who have lost their faith, the spiritual necessities to regain that faith they once had by our actions and deeds. Pray with and for those who doubt their faith or have lost their faith. Feed the hungry, both nutritionally and spiritually. Clothe the naked, both physically and spiritually. Comfort the sick and dying, both physically and spiritually. And last but not least, open your homes to the homeless, both spiritually and physically.

Matthew 25:31-40 says:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

36I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.

’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?

39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.

The instructions are pretty clear here: we are our brothers’ keepers. Jesus has instructed us to take care of each other both physically and spiritually. It is up to each of us to fulfill Jesus’s instruction in order to inherit the kingdom of Heaven.

If we don’t follow the above instructions then we can expect the following as stated in Matthew 25:41-46

41Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

44Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’

45Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The instructions seem clear and the rewards are truly wonderful. Just as the consequences of not following the teachings of the Lord are quite clear and not nearly as wonderful.

Step back and take a look at your Christian life and evaluate yourself. Have you followed the teachings, have you clothed, fed, prayed, or visited? Or do you shun and ignore the people who need your spiritual help and guidance. Today would be a good time to start looking a little closer at those who most of us feel are “beneath us” or “unreachable”. Even the smallest act of kindness and true love might be just enough to touch the hearts of those in need.

      There is an elderly gentleman in my neighborhood, who lives alone, and seems to spend most of his days hitting plastic golf balls in his yard, or feeding stray cats who appear every evening on his front porch. When we moved in to our new home a few years ago, he at first appeared distant, not very friendly. Since then, I have learned that this is just his way. He had a severe brain injury many years ago, so he doesn’t relate to others like you and I would. But, he has a big heart, and is very generous. See, most of my neighbors are elderly, and thus on a fixed income. So money is usually tight for these folks, as it is for most of us. This kind gentleman has a daughter who brings him boxes of produce and bread every week. And, he gladly shares these with every one, including myself. He could be selfish, and keep this bounty all to himself, but he doesn’t. We are blessed by his generosity, but I believe he is likewise favored in the eyes of the Lord, as described in Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23:

       “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all. Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail. Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate; for the LORD pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them.”

This generous neighbor could turn around and try to sell the produce, or pick and choose who he gives it to, but instead he freely shares with whomever needs it. I know many of you may donate to a worthy cause, such as an orphanage, or maybe you buy gifts for a Secret Santa child during the holidays. Yet, when a scruffy bum approaches you on the street as you rush through your day, do you speak harsh words to him, or her……do you even politely say “No” when they ask for spare change……or do you just rush past, having already passed judgment on someone you really do not know? But, then you see a group of school children collecting money for a field trip, and decide to donate, considering them a better use of your time and money? I’m not saying we should not support our children in their endeavors, but I just want to caution you to heed the message in James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17:

“My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”

       Please do support our children, or those in orphanages, or Secret Santa, but also do not ignore your next door neighbor, or the dearheart who comes up to you on the street. Just as my neighbor exemplified in his generosity, to pick and chose who receives our money, time, or gifts, is to serve in judgment over others. As we all know, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” is not only commanded by God, but should serve as a basis for all we say and do in our daily lives. Because what good is it to say we have faith, we believe in our heavenly Father, if we do nothing else but spend our days worrying about just ourselves? “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” So, what works, or actions, have you committed to doing here lately to help others?

St. Mark 7:1-8,14-15, 21-23

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.   —For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders.  And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves.   And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. — So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”   He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”   He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand.   Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.  “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”

In today’s Gospel we see Jesus calling out the Pharisees for their hypocrisy – the fact that they placed more importance on man made rules and regulations rather than purity of the mind and heart.  I wonder how many of us Christ would find ourselves guilty of the very same hypocrisy today?

So often, too often, many Christians sew their wild oats Monday through Saturday and then find themselves praying for a crop failure on Sunday.  Sure, we may wear our crucifixes or crosses, have all the right bumper stickers and even do volunteer work for this organization or another – all the outward show to identify ourselves as Christians – but is it in vain?  Just for the show?  Really meaning nothing because of the conditions of our hearts?

Do we harbor hatred in our minds?   Lusts in our bellies?  Unforgiveness?  Addictions?  Do we gossip or spread rumours?  Do we murmur and complain?  I think you get the gist; we know the list could go on and on.

While we know that, for us, perfection in this life is an impossibility,  we ARE to strive for it.  We are called to be in this world, but not of it.  We are called to be holy as our God is holy.  After all, we are made in the divine image!  But, we will fall.  We will fail.

So what is the point?  It lies in this:  that when we do falter, when we do fail – that we get back up, seek out forgiveness for our sins and shortcomings and get back in the race toward holiness.  Keeping our focus on Jesus Christ, with the aide of the Holy Spirit, that is GOD within us, we can accomplish what is pleasing to the Almighty.   What finds favour in His sight we can choose to do, but only with His help.  We must seek out, with humility and singleness of heart and a hatred of what is unholy, to do what makes us truly the sons and daughters of God.  Not merely putting on an outward show. But, truly, in our heart of hearts desiring that which is pleasing and good in the eyes of the Lord.

I spent nearly a decade as a raging alcoholic.  During that time I never missed a church service, I always sang the loudest in the choir and I volunteered with many, many different organizations… but for what?  It was all a song and dance – pure show.  Internally, I was rotten.  My life was as far off the tracks as it could be.  And with all that show, I was only fooling myself.  I wasn’t right with the Lord.  I was not pleasing Him.   I was a Pharisee.  So long as other people could see the “great” works I was doing then I felt holy and most of the time holier-than-thou.  It was all in vain.  All for naught, nothing, nada, zip, zilch.

Once I turned my inner life around and stopped drinking and put God back where He belonged, as the most important part of my life, then everything changed.  I wasn’t any longer concerned about putting on the “show” for others.   No more did all the “lip service” matter.  I had to take a long and painful and difficult look at my life.  At the way not only did it affect me, but how it effected others.  The show mattered, not in any good way.  Not in any way that was gainful spiritually.   It hurt me and those I loved and those I associated with – most of all, it hurt God.  I was letting Him down.  All the outward folderol was costing me a true relationship with the Almighty.  It was making a mockery of the cross – of the work, the price that Christ had paid for me.

Now I ask each of us to take our finger of deep introspection and turn it toward ourselves.  WE typically have no problem pointing out the faults and hypocrisies in others, but it is much harder to be honest with ourselves about our shortcomings.  However, when we do get honest with ourselves about ourselves, then – and only then – can we take a moral inventory and see what was purely lip service, eliminate it and live our lives for Christ and in Christ and BY CHRIST, be victorious!

This is the lesson of today’s Gospel.   This is what Christ is teaching us.  Not simply to have a pretense of honoring him with a great outward show – what does it matter if your hands are dirty or clean when your mind and emotions, that is, YOUR SPIRIT, is filthy??  Take that first step of trust in Christ, and allow the divine guidance to lead our thoughts into line with the thoughts of God.  To have our actions FOLLOW what we are internally.  To truly love and serve the Lord with gladness and singleness of heart.  By doing this, then we are really the children of God and please Him with our works.  And then, we can be led onto His path of peace.  Amen.

Based on Jn 6:24-35

Today our Lord Jesus is telling us that it is not the physical food of bread that we should be looking for and that we should be looking to be fed by the Holy Spirit. The bread of life is not the loaf in a packet that we buy from a shelf in the supermarket, but is indeed Jesus himself. Jesus was referring to himself as it is he that we need for life, he is essential for true life itself.

If we leave a loaf out overnight it is likely to become stale and perhaps mouldy as it is quickly perishable, whereas the true bread of live-Jesus is erernal. He is the bread that lasts and sustains us forever.

In my life I often come across people who are hungry because of their life circumstances, but many of these people regardless of this are filled with joy, love and hope as they know that Jesus is the truth and that he will always sustain them.

This is exactly what Jesus is telling us when he said, “I am the bread of life.” Jesus feeds us with love, hope, grace and forgiveness and he the true bread from heaven which we need to live the full lives which we were all created to live.

When we partake of the Holy Eucharist, we share in this bread of life. We share in our Lord Jesus with all our Christian brothers and sisters across all the world and across all of time.

We are to share the bread of life with others, to work for food which endures forever. We are called by God our Father to work for him, to share his love, and the good news of the salvation of Jesus.

We are called to be preach the word, to be peacemakers, to love each other for who we are irrespective of any differences. We are called to work to share the unconditional love and acceptance of our Lord Jesus to all and to live our lives as an outpouring of that love.

In whichever way you are called, let us go forth bringing the love and peace and the completeness of the bread of life into the world and into people’s hearts and lives.