May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable to you O Lord, our God and our Creator. Amen.

Today, I want to start by expressing a special gratitude that I feel towards our Blessed Mother. She stands as a special example to me of the life that I should lead as a Christian; a life of total willing submission to the will of God. Something that I pray that I, and all of us, may live up to in some small way.

Today is a very unique day in the Church calendar, not only because it is a day that we celebrate the life and work of the Blessed Mother but also because it is one of only three birthdays celebrated on the Church year. The other two births that we celebrate are those of John the Baptist and our Saviour Jesus Christ. It should be evident immediately as to why we celebrate Christ’s birth, that event that heralded to opening of salvation to mankind. However, why do we celebrate the birth of both the Blessed Mother and John the Baptist?

The traditions of the Church hold that all three of these individuals, The Saviour, The Blessed Mother and John the Baptist were both born without the mark of original sin. Jesus Christ, being God himself in human form could not sin and so was obviously free from the sin of our first parents in Eden goes without question. Which leaves us to ask why are our Blessed Mother and John the Baptist also considered to be have saved from original sin? Consider the mission of these two individuals. Of all of those found within the Bible these two figures stand as central to the saving mission of Christ, John the Baptist as the herald of the coming Saviour and the Blessed Mother as the willing vessel of the God-Man Christ, the very Mother of God. I like to think that God looked upon these two great individuals and the mission that they would have to undertake and knew that he could strengthen them by removing the mark of original sin from their births.

At this point I am sure that some of you are sitting there thinking, “If today is about the Blessed Mothers birth, then why was the Gospel about the birth of Christ?”

I am sure that the answers for this are many and varied; however in my mind I take the view that the Scriptures are silent on the life of Mary before her betrothal to Joseph. For information surrounding the early life of the Blessed Mother we need to look to works outside the scriptures such as the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary (translated from the Hebrew by St. Jerome, A.D. 340-420), the Protevangelium of St. James (dated to ca. A.D. 125) or the writings and visions of various mystics throughout the life of the Church. While these works may be of benefit to the faithful they are not works sanctioned by the Church and so are not appropriate for reading here within our sacred rites. For this reason, the Church chooses to offer us a portion of scripture that brings to our minds the significance of the Blessed Virgin in the economy of salvation and just why it is important for us to celebrate and venerate her whenever we can and by doing so, give glory and honour to God in His great works.

I imagine that throughout her entire life the Blessed Mother was being prepared by God to accept the call that he would give to her through the Archangel Gabriel. Can you imagine being a young, engaged woman having an angel of God come to them and announce that they would bear the Son of God? What an awesome and overwhelming experience! I’m not sure how I would react, but I get the feeling I would be brought to my knees and made a quivering mess…is this what happened to Mary though? It certainly wasn’t she boldy accepted the will of the Lord for her life and prepared to receive the Son of God within her sacred womb.

Can you imagine being St Joseph her betrothed? He gets told that his fiancée is pregnant and that the child is God’s! I know that I would have found it hard to believe; I would have doubted and suspected my fiancée of being unfaithful. Is this what Joseph did? Today’s Gospel reminds us that it sure was! The reading indicates that Joseph thought that the Blessed Mother was guilty of a grave crime and was prepared to cancel their engagement by divorce; it was only the intervention of an Angle that changed his mind.

Can you see the difference in St Joseph and the Blessed Mother’s responses to God’s message? Mary’s was a willing and unwavering yes while St Joseph’s was one of doubt and fear. There is something supernatural about Mary’s response. And it is this response that indicates to me the unique place that Mary holds in the economy of salvation, it points us to the truth of her freedom from Original Sin and the extra strength that she had from a life of preparation by and devotion to God. It is for this reason that I look to Mary as my Mother, why I pray for her counsel and her intercession, why I ask for her blessings on my endeavours, and why I strive to live a life lead by the example of her life. I want to be able to stand before the judgement seat and be able to see that I was guided by the most holy mortal person to ever walk upon the earth, that I strove to not only honour them but to emulate their life as best I could.

It is my prayer that we may all look to the Most Holy Blessed Virgin Mary as our guide and example. As Catholics we should be able to boldly proclaim that we hold the ancient faith of the early Church concerning Mary, we should boldly proclaim her as not just a woman but as the very Theotokos, the Mother God!

Let us pray a prayer written by St Anselm in honour of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother:

Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin; give me strength against thine enemies, and against the enemy of the whole human race. Give me strength humbly to pray to thee. Give me strength to praise thee in prayer with all my powers, through the merits of thy most sacred nativity, which for the entire Christian world was a birth of joy, the hope and solace of its life.

When thou wast born, O most holy Virgin, then was the world made light.

Happy is thy stock, holy thy root, and blessed thy fruit, for thou alone as a virgin, filled with the Holy Spirit, didst merit to conceive thy God, as a virgin to bear Thy God, as a virgin to bring Him forth, and after His birth to remain a virgin.

Have mercy therefore upon me a sinner, and give me aid, O Lady, so that just as thy nativity, glorious from the seed of Abraham, sprung from the tribe of Juda, illustrious from the stock of David, didst announce joy to the entire world, so may it fill me with true joy and cleanse me from every sin.

Pray for me, O Virgin most prudent, that the gladsome joys of thy most helpful nativity may put a cloak over all my sins.

O holy Mother of God, flowering as the lily, pray to thy sweet Son for me, a wretched sinner. Amen

 

 

MT 16:21-27   

Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”
He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”

 

In Matthew 16:21-27 we hear Jesus tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem to complete his God-given mission to save the world by dying on the cross. This naturally comes as a shock to his disciples. After all, why would God send someone to something as ungodly as dying. Could there be another way for God to accomplish his goal, rather than having his only son suffer a gruesome fate? If dying was necessary, couldn’t it be done on the battlefield instead of a cross? Quick and easy, not long, drawn out, and filled with suffering. It is no wonder that Peter rebukes Jesus, since Peter was a fisherman who believed Jesus but could not comprehend the true purpose of Jesus’ mission here on earth.

Peter thought that the Messiah would be a military ruler who would drive out the Romans and restore Israel to the glory days of the reign of King David.  Peter rebuked Jesus because he took seriously his new role as the rock on which the church was built. He took this role so seriously that he thought he had a responsibility to make sure that Jesus’ ministry would eventually be successful, and thought it was his duty to rebuke Jesus, but Jesus puts him in his place . His place was behind Jesus as a follower, a role we too have to play.

Peter like Satan tried to deflect Jesus from the way of god just as Satan tries to deflect us from God’s way today. Satan likes to put traps in our path, and because he is smart he knows that the best time to trap us is right after some great victory when our guard is down.  In Peter’s case it was just after Jesus told him that he was going to be the rock that the church would be built on.  Just as in our lives, when we experience a victory, whether it is financial, emotional, or physical, there sometimes is an obstacle that follows. Satan wants us to follow the wide smooth road that leads to worldly things and sin. Jesus followed (as should we) the narrow rough road of life serving the Father.

Jesus wasted no time in dealing with Satan and neither should we. Peter had fallen for Satan’s temptations of allowing his thoughts to turn inward to himself and his worldly desires. So Jesus moved quickly to stop Peter’s wrong way of thinking. As an example, we should never allow thoughts of pride or sin to linger, we must stay focused on the path of righteousness and ask God to reveal His perfect will to us. When these thoughts do enter our heads we should do as Jesus did and say “Get the behind me Satan”

Jesus knew that the road he would have to travel would lead to self-denial and the cross, and he urged his followers then just as he urges us today to be prepared to pay the price and suffer the consequences if we want to follow the same path in life. One example is how Jesus repeatedly told his disciples of the suffering that awaited him in Jerusalem, but they really didn’t fully understand until after the resurrection. However after they saw the resurrected Christ, they knew He was the Savior.

We take up the cross of Jesus any time we suffer in some way for identifying with Him and His cause. “Cross bearing” does not always include affliction or persecution in general. It may mean denying what we deeply desire in order to do the will of God. When we obey Him, we position ourselves for great blessing and when we disobey him we open ourselves to the bidding of Satan.

When Jesus said that those who want to save their lives will lose them and vice versa, he was right. Our world is full of examples of people who have sold their souls by using sex, drugs, money, careers, possessions or alcohol to find happiness in life, only to be disappointed. Whatever a person is or becomes in his outward life, the particular quality of his or her soul will be the deciding factor in how he or she lives and how others experience him or her.

Jesus saves us by his death, by overcoming once and for all the power of sin. Sin no longer has a death grip over us. Christ makes it clear that God will forgive the sin that we confess and from which we repent in the sincere desire to renew our lives. Christ makes us realize that we are the most precious creatures in creation-creatures worth dying for.

As Jesus said, death lurks in the darkness of life. Whatever we hope to find outside of God’s plan proves elusive and temporary. Only by walking with Christ on the path of goodness will we find security and contentment we are seeking. If our lives are more important to us than our faith, our lives will be over.  If our faith is more important to us than our lives, we will be rewarded with eternal life. Our Christian life involves sacrifice because Jesus must come first in our lives. We are to be like Jesus-selfless and obedient, even to the point of death to self and life in Christ.

Heavenly Father, give us the strength to take up our crosses and follow you, give us the wisdom to drive around Satan and all his temptations while cruising down the rough and narrow road of life, guide us onto the path toward salvation and righteousness. Amen

 

The Herod who ordered the beheading of John the Baptist is Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the Great. His first wife was from the neighboring Arabian kingdom of the Nabateans. I am sure you can visualize its capital city Petra cut into the cliff face in modern day Jordan because Indiana Jones went there to rescue the Holy Grail. While married to his first wife, Herod met Herodias, and they lived adulterously at first and then they both divorced their spouses so they could marry. Sin often brings its own punishment and it did in this case. The Nabateans were enraged with Herod for slighting his first wife, one of their own, and in 39 AD there was open conflict between them which resulted in the exile of Herod.

John the Baptist, following in the footsteps of the prophets of old who confronted the kings over immorality, confronted Herod the tetrarch. John the Baptist preached the truth about fidelity in marriage to Herod Antipas. Obviously John’s preaching to Herod was not successful; Herod and Herodias remained together. On this occasion, John the Baptist was like the prophets of old who enjoyed little success. Jeremiah, the prophet, despite all his pleadings would eventually see Jerusalem in the hands of the Babylonians because the people would not listen to his pleas to repent and return to living a life under the Covenant with God. The prophets were not called to be successful; rather they were called to preach the word of God whether welcome or not. John the Baptist preached to Herod without success, but John fulfilled his calling; he preached the word of God welcome or unwelcome. The hostility to his preaching on marriage means that just as he preceded Christ in his birth he would also precede Christ in his passion and death.

St. Augustine in one of his sermons sees John the Baptist taking the role of a priest (Sermon 293:1-3). Augustine reflects on John the Evangelist’s describing of Jesus as the Word in the Fourth Gospel. John is the voice preceding the Word. The Vox before the Verbum. The role of the priest is to be like John, a voice for the Word. Through the voice the Word enters the heart of another. This is done without the speaker, the priest, having lost any of the Word himself. The voice is a mediator, helping the Word to enter the heart of another. Commenting on St. Augustine’s sermon, Cardinal Ratzinger in Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith: The Church as Communion (p164) wrote,

Ultimately, the task of the priest is quite simply to be a voice for the word: “He must increase, but I must decrease”—the voice has no other purpose than to pass on the word…On this basis the stature and the humbleness of priestly service are both equally clear: the priest is, like John the Baptist, purely a forerunner, a servant of the Word. It is not he who matters, but the other.

As Jesus’ passion and death draw near, his teaching becomes more intense. According to the chronology of St. Matthew, the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem is a prelude to the dramatic cleaning of the Temple. There follows a series of parables that emphasize the theme of judgment and repentance. In the Gospel of today’s Mass (Matthew 23:13-22), Jesus rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy.

As we have seen, Jesus gives great importance to the virtue of sincerity. To be sincere is to live in the truth, and the source of all truth is God. To be sincere involves living as God would have us do, so that our desires, words, and actions are authentic and all spring from the same source.

The hypocrisy of some of the scribes and Pharisees stands in stark contrast to this ideal. Jesus doesn’t criticize these religious leaders simply for being sinners; no one can escape that condition. Nor does he rebuke them for being unrepentant; he must still have hope for them in that regard. They are criticized, however, for manipulating the precepts of their religion, and for failing to share the riches of their faith with others.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter” (Matthew 23:13).

This is the first in a series of seven “woes” in the Gospel of St. Matthew. In a way, they are the “reverse side of the coin” to the eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). Whereas the Beatitudes proclaim the pattern of blessedness for the Christian, these “woes” reveal the barrenness that is the rotten fruit produced by the rejection of Christ and his Gospel.

Blessedness versus barrenness. This is the contrast presented by Christ. If we want to find blessing, grace and peace in our lives, we will strive, with God’s help, to live the virtues described in the beatitudes. On the other hand, the interior blindness that fuels the “woes” will only lead to corruption, cynicism, and unhappiness.

Particularly offensive to the Lord is the twisting of religious practice into something that resembles superstition.

“You say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?” (Matthew 23:18-19).

Where did the Pharisees get all of this? Their approach to religious duties seems to be little more than a series of well-choreographed rituals, far removed from the intentions of the heart.  It is almost as if religion has been reduced to a game of chance. “To attribute the efficacy of prayers. to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2111).

We recognize, of course, that Jesus directs this warning not only to the Pharisees, but to us as well.  We never want to regard the outward practice of the faith as a kind of “good luck charm” with the power to manipulate circumstances to our benefit. Rather, the visible forms of the faith serve to cultivate and reinforce an interior disposition of belief, conversion, and worship.

Indeed, in the sacramental life of the Church, outward ritual is transformed by the power of Christ into a living and dynamic communion with God. The sacraments possess a power all their own, because it is Christ himself who is at work. When our faith is firmly rooted in the sacraments, it will not only be preserved, but it will grow in vigor and intensity.

 

 

Today, in the life of the Church, is the Memorial of St. Augustine.
A Saint, a sinner, a poet, a philosopher, an author, a father, a bishop, a doctor of the Church, a father of the Church – there are so many ways to look at the saint for today. Yet above all, he is Christ’s.  He is a disciple, or perhaps he, like St John the beloved, would describe himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved.

For a sinner the greatest thing about the Lord Jesus is that He identified Himself and revealed Himself to the lost. For St Augustine of Hippo, this was the greatest thing about Jesus Christ, which came through almost on every page of his writings. He never got over the fact that God called him out of darkness into his marvelous light.  However great and noble, lofty and poetic his writings may be – he never stopped rejoicing in the very simple truth that he is loved by God.

“You called, shouted, broke through my deafness; you flared, blazed, banished my blindness; you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you; I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst;  you touched me, and I burned for your peace.”

The world today needs people who are in love with God, or rather witnesses who reveal themselves as disciples whom Jesus loves. The only thing that can break through the complexity and the confusion of the people of our time is the simple and holy Love of God.

Ever try teaching chastity to a teen, correcting a person who is hurting many, or consoling a person who is suffering in the wake of immeasurable loss?  Without the love of God, these things are impossible or perhaps even futile.  It is only the Spirit of the living God, that lives and sings in the hearts of disciples that can ignite this fire in others.

This is the fire of St Augustine, his song, his instruction, his beautiful Latin poetic praise of God, his mystagogy and catechesis, his heart and soul – the Love of God. This is why he has such appeal to disciples of every age and every land.  He is a man of sincerity.  A man who’s love is sincere.  There is no faking true love. He is a man on fire with God’s mercy.

There is great need for apostles of our age to be on fire with this love, to first burn brightly with it and then share it like fire that catches others.

May the prayers of St Augustine help us to be on fire with the Love of God and to share it with all.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable to you O Lord, our God and Our Creator.

“Who do you say that I am?” – this question from Jesus stands at the core of what it means to be Christian and is a question that all those who profess the faith have had to face. How we each choose to answer this question is of vital importance for to know who Jesus truly is is to know the path that leads to eternal life.

In the passage from the Gospel today Jesus aims this question at His Apostles and it’s interesting to see that they give a number of answers of varying nature; they said “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” For those of us who have already accepted the Christian faith, standing some 2000 years from these events the answer of the Apostles seem perplexing. I have to admit that when I first read this passage preparing for the sermon I was puzzled as to why the writer of the Gospel left these incorrect understandings of Jesus’ identity in his account. If Jesus wants us to know who He is then why first tell us who he is not?

However, as I contemplated the passage I came to realise that these incorrect statements hold a very important message for us; Jesus had a purpose in drawing these false notions out from the Apostle. Jesus was showing us two things, firstly that we should not be afraid of false doctrine as the light of truth will always show the darkness found in falsehood, and secondly it points out to us that it’s important to understand falsehood so that we can combat it with the truth. Imagine if you were trying to discuss the truths of the Gospel to someone who was of another faith. How easy do you think it would be to have that discussion with no knowledge of what they already believed? I tend to think that it would be very difficult to have a truly meaningful faith conversation like this without a knowledge and understanding of the false beliefs of the person you’re talking with.

So, now we are left asking ourselves, if Jesus is not John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets returned who is he? In response to this the Apostle Peter makes one of the clearest statements about the identity of Jesus, he says “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” At first glance this may not seem like a very profound statement, these are words that we here in relation to Jesus all the time. However, for the Apostles this is a pivotal moment, it’s the moment when they come to a realisation of exactly who and what Jesus is, it’s the moment when they realise that He is not just another man, a prophet, but something far more. In the words of Peter we see two aspects of Jesus identity revealed. Firstly Peter refers to Jesus as “the Christ” and secondly as “the Son of the Living God”.

To those of us who are already Christian the word Christ may not hold significant meaning; it’s a word that we use with great frequency and in fact we tend to use as part of the very name of Jesus, like it is his surname. However, if we go back to the root meaning of this word it holds great significance in the faith and by using it in relation to Jesus Peter was making a bold statement. The word Christ mean anointed one and finds its equivalence in the Hebrew word Messiah. So in saying that Jesus is the Christ Peter is declaring that He is the long awaited Messiah. Throughout the long history of Israel there had been a constant message of deliverance from oppression and it was firmly believed that the ultimate deliverance of Israel would come at the hands of an anointed king and saviour, the Messiah. In stating openly and boldly that Jesus is the Messiah Peter is acknowledging that Jesus is the one that was promised by God to his ancestors, that Jesus was the one who would deliver Israel from bondage and bridge the gap between God and man. This is a powerful statement and truly a brave one.

Peter also refers to Jesus as “the Son of the Living God”; now at first hearing this the Apostles may not have thought much of it as every child of Israel was a Son of God, but this is not what Peter was saying. Peter clearly did not say that Jesus was A son of God but rather that He was THE Son of God. Peter was declaring that not only was Jesus that promised saviour and liberator of Israel but that He was in a very real sense something more than the rest of humanity. He was declaring in the best way he knew how that Jesus was divine, that He was more than just a man and that He in fact was directly of God; that He was God incarnate.

It may seem like this is a lot to read into these two simple statements; but when we pray and contemplate these words we can easily see that held within them are the crux of the Christian faith. If we are going to be faithful to Jesus we need to recognise two things about Him. Each and every one of us must recognise that Jesus is the very Son of God, that his substance, that his being and essence is not merely that of a prophet or a man. Instead He is of the very essence and person of God; the Father and Jesus are one and to know Jesus is to know the Father. Once we have come to recognise that Jesus is the Son of God we must know that Jesus has come to save us that it is only through the name of Christ that we may gain eternal life. If we fail to recognise this we fail recognise these two things we fail to be Christians and have fallen short of our inheritance of a heavenly abode.

I would encourage each and every one of you hearing or reading this sermon to join me in the next week in contemplating who Jesus is. Each and every one of us should take this opportunity to search our hearts for what Jesus means to us. If we have failed to accept Jesus as the Son of God and as our personal Lord and Saviour now is the time to do so. If we don’t let Christ into our hearts, if we don’t let Him extend his saving grace to us then how can we expect to be welcomed by Christ and His blessed mother into a heavenly inheritance once we have “shuffled off this mortal coil”?

It is my unending prayer that we may all be strengthened in our faith in Jesus and that all those in the world who are yet to accept Christ as their Saviour may have the true faith kindled within their hearts.

If you are in need of a boost in your faith or if you are seeking faith in Christ please join me in this prayer:

Lord, I wish to believe in you. I ask that my faith may be full and unreserved, that it may penetrate my thought, my way of judging Divine things and human things.
Lord, let my faith be joyful and give peace and gladness to my spirit, and dispose it for prayer with God and conversation with men, so that the inner bliss of its fortunate possession may shine forth in sacred and secular conversation.
Lord, let my faith be humble and not presume to be based on the experience of my thought and of my  feeling; but let it surrender to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, and not have any better guarantee than in docility to Holy Scriptures and the Tradition and to the authority of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Faith. Amen.

Reading 1:RV 21:9B=14
R psalm: PS 145:10=13,17=18
Gospel: JN 1:45=51

Today we commemorate the Feast of St. Bartholomew. He is mentioned in all of the four lists of the Apostles, for example, in MT10:3.

Bartholomew who is also known as Nathaniel, was one of the first followers of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. He really isn’t known much about or mentioned about as much as other Apostles such as Paul, Peter, Matthew or John. However, St Bartholomew as little known and mentioned amongst the Apostles, is has greatness due to this very fact.
Bartholomew lived his life doing exactly as the Lord Jesus had instructed him to do, he preached, he baptised, he administered the Eucharist and he proclaimed the good news and salvation of Jesus to all nations. We are taught by tradition, that Bartholomew even travelled to India to Preach the good news of Jesus Christ. We are also taught by tradition that Bartholomew was martyred for his faith in the place that today we know as Armenia.

In the Lord’s Kingdom, true greatness is not to be found in the riches of a Gold crown and a Gold throne, but in a crown of thorns and the bloodstained cross of salvation. True greatness is demonstrated by proclaiming the Glory and the greatness of our Lord Christ. In the Lord’s Kingdom of which all true children of God are part, greatness is not to be found in positions of power, or titles, or in the personal strength of mankind, but rather is found in weakness, in service, and to the glory of the Lord Jesus whose victory over death on the cross for our sins, won for us the chance of eternal salvation.

St Bartholomew was great because of his service as he didn’t glorify himself, but glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Dearest brothers and sisters, we as mere humans are not great, but however, our Lord and Master is!! By serving our Lord Jesus, we gain a share in his greatness. Our greatness is neither earned nor is deserved, it has been earned for each of us by our humble Lord and master and who is also yet our great servant.
Let us live by the example of St Bartholomew within each of our lives, serving and glorifying the Lord with all our hearts and souls. Let us not fall into the trap of glorifying ourselves as this earthly world does. We are part of the Lord’s Kingdom and are not of this world. Serving and proclaiming the glory of our Lord and God is vital if we are truly to be children of God and to belong to his heavenly Kingdom.

Let us pray:

Lord, sustain us with the faith and service which made St Bartholomew ever loyal to Christ your Son. Let your Church be the sign of salvation of the Lord for all the nations of the world.
Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in Unity with the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

This week marks the beginning of another school year for many children, my granddaughter included. She starts kindergarten this year, which means a new school, new friends, and a new routine. I imagine she is quite nervous her first day, but probably not as nervous as her Mom. As a grandmother, I admit to also being nervous. Will she like school, or her teacher? Will she make friends easily, or will the other kids make fun of her because she is different (being of mixed-race)? I also admit to fearing for her safety. Though school systems now have multiple safety measures and protocols in place, I imagine a lot of parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, will worry about their little ones. But there is someone who is always looking out for our children-Jesus.

I remember when I was little, attending a baptist church in West Virginia, one of the first songs we learned was “Jesus Loves the Little Children”, written by C. Herbert Woolston (1856-1927). The tune for the hymn was composed by George F. Root. It goes something like this:

“Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow
Black and white
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children
Of the world.”

Such a simple little tune, but it carried a big message. We all knew, from the youngest toddler to the oldest teenager, that no matter what, Jesus loves us! Doesn’t matter the color of our skin, if we are rich or poor, if we sometimes act out, we are always loved and cherished. This is illustrated so clearly in Mark 10:13-16:

“People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”

What a powerful vision ~ this holy man, the Son of God, welcoming the little children to sit with Him a spell. For many children, I’m sure this is the first time they saw Jesus, who must have seemed like a stranger to them. Yet, they gladly went up to Him, as if they knew there was not anything to fear.

Even today, many children are eagerly seeking a personal relationship with Jesus. There was a movie out recently (based on the bestselling book), “Heaven Is For Real”. Its about the story of a 4-year-old boy named Colton Burpo. Colton claims to have visited Heaven during a near death experience. He shares his story about Heaven with his curious father, Todd Burpo. Of course, Colton’s family is not at first sure what to think of his story and his visit to Heaven. What I found interesting about this story is it also makes mention of a young Lithuanian girl, who felt compelled from a very young age, to draw the face of Jesus. This extraordinary little girl is Akiane Kramarik. At age 4, Akiane painted her vision of Jesus Christ, which is replicated in the film. Born in 1994 in Mount Morris, Illinois, to two Atheist parents, Akiane was seeing visions of God, Jesus and Heaven. What first began as pencil drawings, Akiane kept replicating these visions into beautiful expressions of art and moved to pastels. By 6 years of age, Akiane switched to acrylic paint and then oils. What an awesome example of Jesus’ words, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them”.

Here are just a couple of examples from the Bible of Jesus showing His love and mercy for the little ones:

John 4:46-52 (NIV)

“Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. “Unless you people see signs and wonders, Jesus told him,“you will never believe.” The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”  “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

Luke 8:40-56 (NIV)

“Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”  Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,”Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.”

We now know that Jesus truly does love all the children of the world. Over the course of His ministry, Jesus often presented children as an example of the type of faith adults are to have. When Jesus blessed the children, He told His disciples, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15). In another instance, when the disciples were fighting about who would be the greatest in God’s kingdom, Jesus brought a child to stand in their midst. He then chided His disciples: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2–4). According to Jesus, the qualities of children, including humility and simple acceptance were crucial for anyone who wishes a closer relationship with our Father.

Let me tell you a personal story.

A few years ago, I was stricken with an allergic reaction. The doctors are still not sure what it was, but it was severe enough for me to go to the Emergency Room at the hospital. Everything was beginning to shut down and I got to the ER just in time.

As part of the treatment, I was given a sizeable shot of epinephrine which had quite a negative reaction on me. The scariest part was hearing a nurse say “He’s crashing!” Believe me, that’s not something you want to hear. I have no real memory of what was going on, except a lot of frantic to and fro from the staff, and my wife sitting by my gurney looking pretty grim.

When I saw her face, all I could think was “God, no matter what happens, take care of this wonderful woman, my wife.”

I’ll have to admit, I was scared.

I prayed again for the comfort of all my family and for their strength through what I thought was about to happen to me.

Then I looked to the foot of my bed, still asking for peace for my family, and I saw…someone standing there. It was not vivid enough to look like a person, but there was definitely an oval cloud around whomever or whatever was there.

The Blessed Mother, Mary.

That’s what immediately came to mind. And of course, the oval shape was the same as the Miraculous Medal I was wearing.

Mary.

I relaxed. There was no talking, no message, no revelation, but simply a feeling of peace. I absolutely knew it was Mary, the Mother of God.

I relaxed. The frantic staff’s movement started to slow. One of the nurses patted me on the shoulder. Sue was holding my right hand. I felt OK.

To that moment in my life, Mary had been an enigma. Whenever I thought of her during my readings of the Liturgy of the Hours, it was with some sort of annoyance, I think occasioned by the type of language we find in the Vigil Gospel for today, when Jesus corrects a woman in the crowd saying, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” And the language Jesus uses at the wedding feast at Cana, “Woman, what does this have to do with me?”

I always had, if not a negative attitude toward Mary, then one of tolerance and annoyance.

I have no idea where it came from.

But I can tell you, from the day of my allergic reaction, my feeling for and about The Blessed Mother has changed completely.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” These words from today’s Gospel began my new quest to become acquainted with The Blessed Mother. I found that almost every reference to Mary in the Bible portrays a humble, pious, and truly blessed woman. One whom I now can truly see as “The queen (taking) her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.” One who, as we hear in The Annunciation readings, immediately accepts God’s grace and carries out his word. This woman, who is described in the first Reading as “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”

Now I must confess that I’m a skeptic. Always have been. Need a two-by-four to get most messages…but that night, lying on the hospital gurney, ready for whatever was to come, I unquestionably had a visit from Mary whose unspoken message to me was “Everything is going to be all right.” That message was not that I was going to make it, but that everything was going to be all right. The Blessed Mother.

So as I hear today’s Readings, Psalm, Alleluia, and Gospel I am washed again in the peace which The Blessed Mother represents to us and her acceptance and understanding of whatever God is preparing for us.

And especially after the disturbing image of a ferocious and terrible dragon from Revelation, with the words

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One.”

With those words, it is as if Mary is telling me, again, “Everything is going to be all right.”

So as we contemplate the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, let us all draw comfort from The Star of the Sea who calms the waves and sends us peace as we travel these sundering seas.

Jesus, help us to go through life as your Mother did, praying and trusting in God’s mercy. Give us eyes to see her glory and ears to hear her silent words of comfort.

Amen.

ROM 8:28-30

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

To understand this verse, we need to think through four truths:

1. God has an eternal purpose and He is able to accomplish His purpose.
2. God’s eternal purpose includes calling to salvation a people for Himself.
3. God’s purpose for those whom He calls to salvation is their ultimate, eternal good.
4. Knowing that God is working all things together for our good brings great comfort during difficult trials.

One of the most helpful things that you can learn about your Christian life is how to handle the trials that inevitably will come your way. Jesus explained that there are some who receive the word with joy, but their faith is only temporary. When affliction or persecution because of the word hits them, immediately they fall away. They didn’t expect affliction or understand how to handle it. They signed up for success, not suffering. They wanted prosperity, not persecution. So, they fell away when the trials hit. It is especially in times of suffering that Satan, whom Peter describes as a roaring lion, seeks to devour you. So, it is essential for your spiritual survival that you know and apply what the Bible teaches about trials.

Romans 8:28 is one of the most familiar verses on this subject. The NIV reads, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” All things don’t just happen to work out for good on their own. Rather, God providentially works all things together for good for His people according to His purpose. But while Romans 8:28 is a source of great comfort when it is properly understood, it is often misunderstood and misapplied. Some think that it teaches a positive outlook on life, that everything will turn out for our happiness in this life. But this denies or greatly minimizes the reality of suffering and evil. It insensitively says to those who are suffering: “Don’t worry, be happy, your loss isn’t really so bad.” But the verse isn’t saying that.

Sometimes well-meaning Christians recite Romans 8:28 to a person in the throes of grief, trying to help or comfort. But at the moment of loss, the grieving person mostly needs your presence and your help with practical matters. Later, if need be, you may be able to help him understand and apply this verse. But it will help us all to weather suffering better if we understand this verse before the storm hits.

All things are not good. It would be mockery to say that they are. The death of a child is not good. Cancer is not good, drug addiction is not good, war is not good, blasphemy is not good. Many of us have some salt with our meals. Table salt is made up of both sodium and chloride. By itself, sodium is a deadly poison, and so is chloride. Put them together, and you have table salt. Salt flavors food, and a certain amount of salt is necessary for health and life. We cannot live without some salt in our systems. God can take things that are bad and put them in the crucible of His wisdom and love. He works all things together for good, and He gives us the glorious, wonderful promise that He will do so.

We know that we have victory over sin and over Satan, but this verse in Romans teaches us that we also have victory over our circumstances. It says that all things work together for good. Many times, this promise has been trivialized. For example, someone may be driving down the road and a tire will blow out. The person may say, “Oh, well, the Bible says that ‘all things work together for good.'(1) Maybe there’s a sale on tires.” That isn’t what this verse means. The good is not to make us necessarily healthy or happy but to make us holy, to make us like Jesus. If the goal of our lives is not to be like Jesus, that goal is too small. Our goal must be to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. Whatever the circumstances that come to us, we can rely on God’s promise in Romans 8:28. No matter our circumstances, no one can take this verse out of the Bible–and may Satan never take it out of your heart.

Let’s ask ourselves these questions when we don’t understand how the situation at hand can be working for the good:

1: What are the most difficult trials that you have been through, and how may God be working these for our ultimate good.

2: Why does Romans 8:28 only work if God is sovereign over all the evil that happens? Why does denying that truth not help?

3: What does it mean to love God? Is it primarily a feeling? If it includes feelings, how can we keep our feelings passionate?

Lord, in your mercy give us the wisdom to understand that all things do work towards good for all who love you, help us to understand that You want good for Your people, and that we must be patient allowin You to put everything in the proper order so that good will happen in Your time. Amen.