Well, y’all, and hoowee!  We here in the States have survived another election day, and coincidingly, a brutal election season.  I don’t believe that, in my 64 years on this planet, have I ever seen such overwhelming vitriol and mudslinging.  The television has been full of political ads and commentary, insults, and hate.   We have been inundated by political ads telling us how dreadful the opponents are.  The candidates’ faces and words have been broadcast via radio, TV, social media, and printed media.  Millions of dollars have been spent on this onslaught of political verbiage, and people shared, reshared, tweeted, retweeted all of it. 

And people are passionate about what they’ve said.  They really and truly and honestly believe in whichever candidate they support, and they want the world to know it.  Some of these folks have even politicize their religious beliefs.  Especially those of the Christian Nationalist ilk.  Bearing that in mind, how interesting is it that in the Gospel appointed for today, we hear these words of Jesus:

“See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’   Do not follow them!  (Luke 21:8) 

(Yes, I have listed this verse out of context, coz Jesus was talking about the “end times,” which is a whole different sermon, but bear with me for a sec.)  What if all those (us) who have been so passionate about our political beliefs switched gears and actually worked for our Lord as if He were running for office?   What if we replaced the candidates’ names with the name of Jesus? What if we loved each other the way Jesus loves us?   Can you imagine a country where all of us were as on fire for Christ as we seem to be over these politicians and their messages?  Can you imagine where this country would be?  Can you imagine what would be accomplished if, instead of political rallies, we had “Jesus rallies?”  Why do we not bother?  Why do we not fill our churches the way we fill arenas and convention centers?

The psalmist advises:  Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. (Psalm 146:3 NIV)

Jesus has taught us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”  Mark 16:15.

Isn’t it time to get our priorities straight?   As Christians, have we lost our focus of what is truly important?  Regardless of politics, of whether we are ‘blue’ or ‘red’ or ‘rainbow,’ we are to remain focused on the one thing that really matters in this world and the next:  Spreading and sharing the love of and for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  No matter who sits in the Oval Office, no matter which side of the aisle our folks sit, our job, our mission, our focus, has not changed and will not change:  We are called to love and to serve the Lord with gladness and singleness of heart.  We are called to care of each other, regardless of our politics.  We are commanded to ‘bless those who persecute us,’ and we are called to ‘pray for our enemies.’  We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless. (Matthew 25:31-46). 

And above all else, we are to remember Jesus’s words from John 13:34:  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

In all of our political posturing, let us not forget that in many cases, we are the only Bibles that many folks will ever read, and we are the only Jesus that some folks will ever see.  It is up to us to see the Jesus in everyone, regardless of political belief, race, creed, color, sexual orientation, whether we cheer for Duke or for Clemson, or anything thing else that can be used to divide us.  We are all of us HIS people, the sheep of HIS pasture, and we have far more in common than we do the things that divide us, if we truly identify as HIS.

In the words of the 18th century hymnist, Catharina von Schlegel: 

Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past. 
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last. 
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know 
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Finally, won’t you pray with me?

Bless us, O Divine Father, to find unity with each other, to work together to deliver your word, O Lord, for we know man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. May we be a blessing to others, as we strive to be more like Jesus, Loving Father; kind, caring, compassionate, loving, giving, forgiving and humble.  Father God, teach us to be good role models to the people around us, so that when they see you and your love within us, they would want to know you more and more. God grant us the patience to work together, bring us all together as a family. Let us work together with understanding and compassion in our hearts. Let us not be rude or arrogant towards one another, as we light the way to your heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God for ever and ever.  Amen.

May we speak the Word and hear it; through the intercession of St. Dominic

and in the ✠ Name of the One who Was, and Is, and is to come. Amen.

To begin, today’s Gospel tells of the story of Zacchaeus, who climbed the sycamore tree in order to see Jesus.  Perhaps you are familiar with the children’s song: 

Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a  wee little man was he.  He climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see.  And as the Saviour passed that way, He looked up in the tree.  And He said, ‘Zacchaeus, you come down, for I’m going to your house today.’

Whenever I happen to listen to this excerpt of Luke’s Gospel, I am always reminded of the curious tale of Jack and his beloved beanstalk. Quite frankly, it was my least favorite children’s book, with the Very Hungry Caterpillar taking first place for me, likely due to its friendlier plot. Although I reflect on the former, perhaps, due to the theme of elevating oneself to treacherous heights to get a glimpse of the unknown, out of pure awe and ungovernable curiosity. I mean, how true is this theme in our personal lives? On our own, we are short-handed, and sometimes endeavor on using intermediates to set us on to new heights.

Although unlike Mr. Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, our Loving Saviour, Christ, does not seek to grind our bones to make his bread. Rather, in today’s Gospel, He calls Zacchaeus by name to come down and feast on the Bread of Life in the company of the Lord Himself and His disciples.

As Halloween approaches in particular, many people innocently entertain mystics and fortune tellers out of a curious impulse to tap into the divine. Maybe it is to seek comfort during hardship or spiritual advice for the path forward. And, while historical Christianity has long condemned the practices of divination as the crime of the century, what is most interesting to me is the spark of curiosity that pushes people to seek in the first place. The “principle spark”, if you will.

Is God constantly calling us to seek a fruitful relationship with Him, abundant in love and mercy? We ought to believe so! In fact, we know this to be very true, that our God is so eager to be in regular relationship with us. I particularly like the way Jesuit priest Fr. James Martin puts it, “the thing you are seeking is causing you to seek it”.

I urge us, in our daily examen, to pause and reflect on what it is that we are truly seeking. Zacchaeus was a corrupt tax collector that defrauded many for his riches before he sincerely turned to Christ by the workings of the Holy Spirit. It begs asking how we are filling our voids, maneuvering our curiosities, and climbing on to our sycamore trees when Jesus stands right there in the foreground before us saying…

“take, eat”(Matthew 26:26).

When He says…

“Do not be afraid…

I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

Whatsoever it is that we are truly seeking; can it only be remedied by the gracious love of our loving Father in heaven? Well, we ought to believe so! Even in our unworthiness, He is steadfast to embrace us wherever we are in our journey with Him.

I am reminded of when the Centurion exclaimed “Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my servant shall be healed” (Luke 7: 6-7).

And so, my brothers and sisters, make haste to come down from your sycamore trees, for the Lord is already here to stay at your house and has come to seek and save the lost.

Amen.

There is one parable in the Bible in Luke 18:9-14, where Jesus talked about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. At that time Pharisees were people who were considered to be very educated and very religious. They had a large knowledge about the books from the Old Testament (especially God`s Law given through Moses). Average people considered them as those who should be very close to God. On the other hand there were tax collectors and this group of people were considered as very bad people and people who were far away from God. Those people normally did not know a lot about God`s Law and religious rituals. I would like to read again this parable because we could learn something very important from this story and it could be applicable for our everyday life. Take a look:

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

I remember some situations when I was visiting Christian shops, both online and offline. When I lived in Serbia I used to go to Orthodox Christian shops where I could buy many icons, crosses, rosaries, incense or myrrh, candles of pure fax and surely many books. Among them I had my favorite two types of books and those were prayer books and books about saints and holy father`s messages. At the time when I used to live in a monastery I was spending sometimes 3 to 4 hours reading and reading prayers and praying rosaries. But many times something interesting was happening at the time of reading prayers. My thoughts were going here and there and my focus was away. So it was like praying 3 or 4 hours and actually praying for much less period of time. Why I am talking about this example is because I believe that this is happening to everyone. When we pray from prayer books and we think that we actually pray but we do not. I remember I read about some pieces of advice from Christian books. And they were mainly focused on the quality of our prayer not its quantity. God is a real person and our real heavenly father and he wants us to truly talk to him. Rosaries and written prayers are beautiful but they should include our minds and our hearts without that inclusion our `blank` word saying is just like rapping and hipping and hopping. Can be fun, but useless. I remember that I read in some Christian book when I lived in monastery that even one short sentence said from the heart with a pain and desire that God will hear us can be more powerful than reading thousands of Our father without our hearts and minds involved in the prayer. In this reading we had this parable between tax collector and Pharisee. Tax collector did not know any prayer, he did not have any prayer books or religious tools like rosaries or candles. The only thing that he offered to God was his true repentance and his heart. And from the bottom of his heart he prayed `Have mercy upon me, a sinner`. God knows our hearts and he wants our hearts. Religious rituals, prayers from the books, songs, rosaries, candles and incense can help us in our prayer practice. But let us all rather pray like tax collector and avoid praying like Pharisee because God is aiming our hearts rather than regularities, forms, books, etc.

A prayer can be anything we do in the name of Jesus. Feeding the hungry, donating something to those in need, helping a friend, a colleague, showing mercy and love. In my life I am sad to say that many times I saw people who were praying a lot but did not display love and respect or mercy toward the other people. And I was always sad about that. They do similar things like Pharisees. They have the form of religious practice but deep inside they are empty. We should be good and just. It is written in Sirach 35:14-18 about the importance of being just with other people.

Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it; He will not show partiality to the poor; but he will listen to the prayer of one who is wronged.  He will not ignore the supplication of the orphan, or the widow when she pours out her complaint. Do not the tears of the widow run down her cheek.

Sometimes we may feel that God is not listening to our prayers. But it is that God always has a plan for all and each one of us. Nothing is happening with no reason and purpose. Let us learn to trust God and learn to pray from the heart. Blessed be the Lord.

What’s the difference between prayer in church and prayer in a casino? In a casino, you really mean it.

Prayer is so woven into the fabric of what it is to live as a Christian that perhaps sometimes we forget to ask that simple question: “why do we pray?”. And if we forget to ask why we pray, then there must be a danger that one day we may simply forget to pray altogether.

This Sunday’s scripture readings can help answer the question “why do we pray?” at several levels.

At a very basic level we pray because we recognize that by ourselves, we are powerless. Moses recognizes that the attack of the Amalekites is a real danger to the people of Israel: by themselves they may not have the wherewithal to resist, and their escape from Pharaoh will have been in vain. They have no military strategy or secret weapon to save them. Moses turns instead to constant prayer “from the rising of the sun to its setting” (Ps 112[113]:3). He does so having faith in God, knowing that Israel’s “help is in the name of the Lord” (Ps 120[121]:2).

So too with the widow in the gospel: she has nobody to defend her rights; only by constant “prayer” – not in this case to God, but to the unjust judge – can she hope for justice.

It is right that we should, in humility, recognize our powerlessness and be constant in bringing our needs before the Lord. But if that were all there were to prayer, we would have to say that the more powerful somebody is, the less he or she would need to pray. Perhaps this is why the unjust judge, entrusted with considerable power and authority, has “neither fear of God nor respect for man” (Lk 18:4). Why bother praying for divine assistance if you already have the military might or the political clout or the money to defend yourself and others against aggressors and injustices?

There is a clue at the end of the gospel passage: after telling us how God will see justice done swiftly in answer to our constant prayer, Christ adds, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8)

It seems he will find lots of praying going on, at least from those who recognize their powerlessness; but will he find any faith?

We might initially think that a strange question. If people are praying to God, surely, they have faith in him? But in the gospels even the demons know that God exists, and they implore him to act in certain ways. In that very basic sense, you could even say that they pray to God; though we could not say that the demons have “faith”.

What Christ asks of us is not merely that we should pray insistently for our own needs and for justice to all – though certainly we must pray for that. He asks us to have faith: that is, he calls us to believe in God and his word, and freely to commit our whole selves to him.

Prayer isn’t about persuading God to do what we want, however noble that may be; it is about inviting God to mold us in faith into what he wants for us. Prayer can’t change God; it should change us.

Through our prayer our faith is nourished and deepened: and that is one reason why Christian traditions of prayer – whether liturgical or private – focus on the scriptures. Praying with the scriptures, using words given to us by God, we enter more deeply into “the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15); we learn more profoundly the holiness to which our Lord calls us.

As Christians we have Christ himself as our model: God made man was himself a man of insistent prayer during his life, and ultimately on the cross, pleading for us and alongside us for our redemption. Ancient Christian tradition sees Moses’ prayer with arms extended as prefiguring the cross (cf. Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 97). The self-emptying of the cross is the point around which all the scriptures and all history turn, and it must be the focus of our prayer as we look to answer Christ’s call to follow him.

Why do we pray? To be like Christ and to be with Christ, now and forever.

Ya know, one of the things I do every day is to check my “Memories” on Facebook.  Sometimes there are little things, silly things.  And sometimes there are memories that remind me of milestones, things I’ve done, places we’ve gone, moves we’ve made. 

And sometimes there are huge things, not so pleasant things, like memories of some of Scott’s health scares, of people we’ve lost.

And every one of these Memories that Facebook is so happy to remind me of helps me to remember …to be kind….to be thankful.

The Gospel appointed (Lk 17:11-19) for today tells us about Jesus healing ten lepers.  And yep, they were all happy and excited, and I’m sure that would have been a pretty major Facebook memory for them.  Yay!  But ya know, only one of the ten, one, had the grace to turn to Jesus and say, “Thank you.”

As y’all know, I lost my daddy twelve years ago, and Momma died five years ago.  And as painful as that was, my sibs and I were privileged to actually be the caretakers for both our parents in their last months and weeks and days.  During that time, we all had the chance to thank Momma and Daddy for being the amazing parents that they were.  We had the rare opportunity to make sure that we had nothing left unsaid, that our parents knew how much they were loved and honored and appreciated.  We had the opportunity, which we grabbed with both hands, to say thank you. 

In the past however long I’ve been on Facebook, some of y’all have held my hand through the health scares (terrors?) that Scott has experienced.  Heart attacks.  Cancer.  Mega-major hernia surgery.  These things were life changing.  Relationship changing too.  In any of these scenarios, I could have lost him.  And let me tell you, that helped me to learn to appreciate him even more than I already did.  These things taught me to be ever and oh so thankful that he is still with me.   These things taught me to make sure that he knows just how very much he is loved and appreciated. 

The vast majority of folks who know me well know that not only did I teach, but I spent most of my adult life working in flower shops.  And yes, while there are many, many happy memories associated with weddings and proms and births and anniversaries, there also are so many sad memories of families and loved ones ordering flowers for someone who has died.  And invariably, those who ordered flowers in person for someone close to them, especially family members, almost always said one of two things:  The last thing I said to him/her…..  or……  The last thing he/she said to me was….   And for the most part not one of those people had expected the last thing said to actually BE the last thing said.  Some of the more tragic things I was told was, “We argued.”  “I wasn’t very nice.”  “She was mad at me.”  And of course there was always, “I love you.” 

So you can imagine that, there, too, I learned my lesson.   One does not get to be 64 years old without losing many, many folks who were loved.   It’s for this reason that I almost always end a conversation with folks I care about with an “I love you” or a “Hugs!” or a heart emoji, or something to let them know they are important.  You can bet that I want my last words to you to be positive, to let you know that you are loved and important and seen. 

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote, “do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26.)  I’m gonna go one step further here and say, “Do not end a conversation with someone you care for without telling them in some way how important they are to you.” 

Now, with all that being said, how much more so does Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians resonate when he writes in 1 Thessalonians (5:16-18)  “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

If you were to leave this world suddenly, would the folks you love know that you loved them?  Would our God know that you love Him?  Let me encourage you to make it so.  Say thank you.  Say “I love you.”  Frequently.  By your words, by your actions. 

I’m gonna close with this prayer, thought to be written in 1912 by Father Esther Bouquerel, and is more commonly known as “The Prayer of St. Francis.”

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Oh, Y’all……   What a week for so many people.  The devastation and loss of life because of that hurricane.  Wow.  And then a couple of friends of mine got some not so great news health-wise; another friend is battling cancer…..  And THEN, yesterday I was looking at the scriptures appointed for today (coz that’s kinda what I do, ya know) and the Reading from the Book of Habakkuk in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament dontcha know) included this:

How long, O LORD?  I cry for help
 but you do not listen!
 I cry out to you, “Violence!”
 but you do not intervene.
 Why do you let me see ruin;
 why must I look at misery?
 Destruction and violence are before me;
 there is strife, and clamorous discord.   

Wow, huh?  So many times we feel that God just doesn’t care.  That he has abandoned us.  That we’re alone in our struggles and there is no help to be had. 

Sometimes we want to give up, and we get despondent.  And ANGRY.   And we hurt.   And we wonder WHY in THUNDER God made this happen, or LET this happen.  Just like Habakkuk.

Lemme tell ya about my Daddy.   Daddy was a man of great faith.  Daddy was our family’s pillar of strength.  Our hero.  There wasn’t a thing he couldn’t fix, be it a boo boo in need of a band-aid, my dryer that only worked when Daddy was at my house, (I hated that dryer) or any vehicle made in his lifetime.  And then he got sick.  Way sick.  Terminally ill.  Cancer.  Mesothelioma.  Daddy couldn’t fix it.  The doctors couldn’t fix it.  And my father, being the man he was, said, “It is well with my soul.”  And he started to teach us. 

He taught us that God does not ‘give’ us the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad things that happen in our lives.  Life happens.  Crap happens.  People make poor choices.  Natural disasters occur.  We get sick.  Nowhere does Holy Writ support the claim that any of these things is God’s doing.  What kind of God would we worship if he, indeed, sent us all the trials and tribulations and suffering and horror for which He is blamed?

Many Christians have suffered to the point of death at the hands of executioners, (consider the Holy Martyrs.) Many suffer to the point of death at their own hands. All we can say is that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). This may not solve our depression, but it does give us perspective. Even if our depression has caused us enormous doubt, this can be helpful. 

When “bad” things happen to any of God’s children, God is grieved and suffers with us, and this was experienced most vividly in the hurt and suffering of Jesus Christ for all humanity. Any “bad” thing which happens is never the last word. Rather, God is the deepest and last word, and that word is love and eternal life with God.

The Bible clearly teaches that God does not cause us to suffer. For example, the Bible says that when we go through trials, it would be a mistake to say: “I am being tried by God.” Why? Because “with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone.” (James 1:13) In other words, God never causes the trials we face or the suffering that follows. To do so would be wicked, but “God does not act wickedly.” (Job 34:12.)

If God does not cause us to suffer, then who or what does? Sadly, humans are often victimized by other imperfect humans. (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Additionally, we may face calamities because of “unexpected events”—that is, because of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) The Bible teaches that ultimately “the ruler of this world,” Satan the Devil, is responsible for human suffering, for “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (John 12:31; 1 John 5:19) It is Satan—not God—who causes people to suffer.

God is aware of our suffering. From the very start of human suffering, not a single teardrop has gone unnoticed by our loving Father, whose “watchful eyes” see everything. (Psalm 11:4; 56:8) For example, when his worshippers in ancient times were being oppressed, God said: “I have certainly seen the affliction of my people.” But was he only vaguely aware of their pain? No, for he added: “I well know the pains they suffer.” (Exodus 3:7) Many people have found comfort in that truth alone—the thought that God is aware of everything we suffer, even the trials that we or others may not be aware of or fully understand. (Psalm 31:7; Proverbs 14:10.)

God feels for us when we suffer. Our Heavenly Father is not only aware of human suffering but also deeply moved by it. For example, God was sincerely troubled when his ancient worshippers faced trials. “During all their distress it was distressing to him,” says the Bible. (Isaiah 63:9) Although God is vastly superior to humans, he feels empathy for those who suffer—as if their pain were in his heart! Indeed, “Our Heavenly Father is very compassionate and merciful.” (James 5:11) Additionally, Our Heavenly Father helps us to bear our suffering. (Philippians 4:12, 13.)

We must also remember that our Lord Jesus knows what it is to suffer, to mourn.  He wept at the grave of Lazarus, he wept over Jerusalem, and he suffered horrifically during His Passion.

God will end all human suffering. According to the Bible, God will bring an end to the suffering of every human on the planet. By means of His Heavenly Kingdom, God will drastically change the human condition—for the better. Regarding that time, the Bible promises that God “will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) What about those who have already died? God will bring them back to life here on earth so that they too can enjoy life free from suffering. (John 5:28, 29) Will anyone be plagued by painful memories of past suffering? No, for Our Heavenly Father promises: “The former things will not be called to mind, nor will they come up into the heart.” (Isaiah 65:17.)

When he was first diagnosed, Daddy said that, if he got better, he got more time with Momma.  If he didn’t, he got to see Jesus.  It was a win/win for him.   And he said, “It is well with my soul.”

Let me share the lyrics to “It Is Well With My Soul” with you.

It Is Well With My Soul  (Song by Bob Kauflin and Sovereign Grace Music)

When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well With my soul

It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come

Let this blest assurance control

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate

And has shed His own blood for my soul

It is well With my soul

It is well, it is well with my soul

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought

My sin, not in part, but the whole

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul

It is well With my soul

It is well, it is well with my soul

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend

Even so, it is well with my soul

It is well With my soul

It is well, it is well with my soul

‘Cause of You, Jesus, it is well

It is well With my soul

It is well, it is well with my soul

Songwriters: Christopher C. C. Stafford / Philip Paul Bliss

It Is Well With My Soul lyrics © Bethel Music Publishing, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Walt Disney Music Company, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

I guess what my point here is, no matter what happens to us, God is with us.  We may not see him.  We may not hear him.  But he is there for us to give us peace.  To comfort us.  To help us say, “It is well with my soul.”

Amen.