Time to Clean Up Our House

 

Black Friday and today its Cyber Monday and either you are exhausted searching for deals on the internet or simply exhausted looking at your screen. However, the greatest gift in the past 72 hours is not found on your screen and it may surprise you because it doesn't come in a goody box. 

 

It's the gift of repentance. Just a reminder, but this past Sunday was the beginning of Advent and we hit the ground by stating its starts with repentance, to turn around, to change one's mind, to feel sorrow for sin. A complete turning around. Repentance means I stop moving my way, I turn around, I express regret and remorse, and I move forward on God's way. 

 

It's important to get clear on what matters most and what matters least. That's what repentance does. It brings clarity, self-awareness, and humility because we each have a tendency to turn away from God by the choices we make when we decide to nudge God aside and put ourselves at the center of the universe. And that part of us that thinks that we don't need God, we put ourselves where God alone should be, in the center. The part of us that causes us to resist or even reject what is right, even to reject God himself. Sometimes it's our pride. We think so much of ourselves that other people just aren't as significant as we are. We love to think about ourselves. We love to compare ourselves to other people. And spiritual arrogance is probably the worst sin of all because instead of having God at the center of our lives, we replace him with self. Or maybe what you and I need to repent of is anger, or impatience, or an uncontrollable passion that just gets away from us. It happens to all of us. Or maybe it's lust, or alcohol, or gambling passions that have become uncontrollable that they govern our lives. 

 

When asked what his message was, Jesus said, "Repent, the kingdom of God is here." That was it. In Luke 5, he says, "I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance." In Luke 13, he says, "Unless you repent, you will perish." In Luke 15, he says, "There's more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous people with no need to repent." Repent, to stop, to turnaround, to express remorse to God, and to move forward on God's way. The first Sunday of Advent is very clear: The Lord is coming. It is time to get ready. Repent, tell God you're sorry for the ways that you've placed anything or anyone, even yourself before him in your life. Be honest with yourself. Take time to look at your life, how you invest your life. It's time to clean up your house, repent and ask for forgiveness.

 

One way to do that is to do some things that humbles you, to serve somebody who needs your help, to serve someone maybe you don't even like, to serve. This Friday, I have volunteered to help make 500 nut rolls to raise funds to support Fr, Nadeem’s ministry. This young man and his spouse have won of hearts of people by inviting them back to church in Lancaster and North Java and make God the center of their farms and homes. We are humbled to have them serve our community.

 

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was asked, "What are the keys to the Christian faith?" He says, "There's four: humility, humility, humility, and humility." He's right. Take some time to get ready, to clean up your house right here. 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are either burned out from work, worried about a new variant or frantic about what goodies to buy for Christmas. Help us to get off this treadmill and put You back in the center of our lives. Call the cathedral at 716-685-5766 and order your nut rolls for the holidays to support Fr, Nadeem and Rebecca’s ministry.

 

Ask for Eyes as God Sees Us

  

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected when received with thanksgiving. -- 1 Timothy 4:4 

 

I am still bathing in the experience of celebrating the birth of a new Catholic parish called Divine Mercy in Las Vegas. The faith and enthusiasm of the people and their love for God are an inspiration. Yet, I was sad to learn that some people stay away from receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion because they think they are not worthy.

 

Let me help you with that kind of thinking by saying it is simply not true. Why do I say that because my experience of God is that He is a God of love. It is impossible for God, whose essence is love, to create anything that is not good.

 

Sometimes, our own labels of "good" and "bad" get in the way of our ability to see the goodness of God in its fullness. Paul challenges Timothy, and us, to renegotiate our categories and to simply receive all that God creates with thanksgiving. We believe that God created us and loved us into being.

 

How many times have we heard phrases such as “We are created in God’s image and likeness” or “God doesn’t make junk”? I cannot count the number of times I heard these words! Why then, is this basic principle of our creation so hard to understand about ourselves and about other people?

 

Why is it so hard for us to believe that God is still part of our ongoing creation, that God is awakening goodness in us, that God is calling goodness out of us, and that God is birthing goodness into the world through us?

 

Regretfully, we priests are guilty because we have preached from the pulpit that we are not perfect and therefore sinful and not worthy to come to the altar to receive the God of life. We preach the need for confession and trust in the mercy of God. Forgive us Lord for being so brutal that people stay away from this beautiful sacrament in which you simply want to give us a hug that says “I love you—for you are the best of My creation.”

 

Perhaps, it's life’s events, which at times bring anger, worry, sadness, or tiredness into our hearts, and block our ability to understand that all that God created is good and that includes ourselves. Sometimes, it might be our own sinful choices that block our ability to see our own goodness or the goodness in others. God grant us the serenity to have the courage to accept our weaknesses and yet, come to the communion rail knowing you want to bathe us again in your love.

 

How can we combat our ability to not see God’s goodness at work in ourselves?

 

We can ask for eyes to see as God does, and we can daily review our day, offering prayers of thanksgiving for the gifts of our lives. This simple practice of offering God thanks every day for the gifts of our lives fosters awareness of God’s abundant goodness in all that God creates.

 

For what did I give thanks on Thanksgiving Day.  today. At the top of the list, Divine Mercy where I witnessed lots of smiling faces filled with love of family and love for one another, plus an off key enthusiastic pastor who inspires his people with lots of “Polish smiles.”

 

Next time you come to church, don’t hesitate when Fr. Adam invites you to receive Holy Communion. Come, see and taste the goodness of the Lord, for He sees the good in all of us.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, and new Friends at Divine Mercy that they come to your altar and receive your scared Body and Blood for you want them to be close to you always. Open our eyes to see that all you create is good.

 

THE DAWN OF A NEW FAITH COMMUNITY

 

Just returned from a “God moment” where Bishop John and myself had the humble privilege of dedicating Fr. Adam’s Divine Mercy Catholic Parish in Las Vegas. Over 400 families from many ethnic groups that include Anglo, Czech, Polish, Italian, Filipino, Japanese, Hawaiian, Chinese came to celebrate and give honor to Jesus and his mother Mary.

 

To express my gratitude to God, I had the opportunity to photograph the sunrise and valleys in this beautiful southwest. I added some inspiration for your prayerful reflection. Kindly, remember Divine Mercy at your Thanksgiving table for they have suffered abuse by their local clergy. This community is a blessing because this is a sacred home where you will find the heart of Jesus. To Fr. Adam, Cleric Dan, Caryn and all your generous volunteers, May the Mother of God protect you and keep you safe. fr. matt

 

FYI, I have two websites that you might want to forward to your Facebook Friends.

Father Matt’s Photography: : http://fathermatt.picfair.com/

Father’s Matt Sonshine reflections: http://fathermatt.blogspot.com/

 

THE DAWN OF A NEW FAITH COMMUNITY

 

 

 FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST’S LOVE FOR ALL PEOPLE

 

 

IN THIS VALLEY, HEARTS SOAR WITH PRAISE TO GOD WHO HAS BROUGHT US TOGETHER

 

 

 OUR FAITH WILL SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE LAND THAT ALL ARE WELCOME TO FIND THE LORD AT DIVINE MERCY

 

 

WE ARE A PEOPLE WITH ONE PURPOSE, TO BRING JESUS HEALING LOVE TO ALL WHO HAVE BEEN PRICKED IN LIFE.

 

 

WE ARE WILLING TO SACRIFICE AND BRING HOPE TO THOSE WHO ARE LOST AND AFRAID.

 

 

WITH JESUS OUR LIGHT LEADING OUR WAY, MAY ALL OUR HEARTS AT DIVINE MERCY BRING JOY AND PEACE TO ALL TO JOIN US IN PRAYER

 

 

THE PEOPLE WHO SAT IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT, AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SAT IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH, A LIGHT HAS DAWN.

 

 

What is Hope?

 

Nothing like hearing Jesus predicting “the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, stars will be falling from the sky, powers in the heavens will be shaken” when we’re coming to Mass.  Over the centuries, this has been used to inspire fear.  It was (still is) the basis for doomsday preachers who would utilize this text with the ending of it saying that the “day or hour” all of this will finally occur “no one knows…” except God “the Father.”  The point was get right with Jesus before the end times – or else.  

 

I think that for many of us though, we treat these scriptures as something we just have to “get through.”  They don’t seem to resonate.  We hear these predictions which seem so distant and removed.  They haven’t happened yet and in some ways they kind of pale in comparison to so much of what we see going on around us.  We see wildfires raging, tempers and anxieties and tensions and atrocities too numerous to list in the news.  We know of the brokenness in the world, as much as the brokenness in our own lives.

 

And I’m sure that all of us have our own stories of things that anger, upset, unsettle, depress, frighten or fear us.  So much so that we probably couldn’t notice stars falling or whether the sun or moon were out at all.  We come to Mass not to feel worse about things.  Where is the Hope? Maybe the better question is what is Hope?

           

My mentors in life are folks in there 80’s. Why, because they have had many experiences of dark nights. One wisdom senior told me: “I’ve learned the big difference between optimism and hope. Optimism is ‘Annie’ (you know, the annoying kid from the musical with the curly red hair) belting out, ‘The sun’ll come out tomorrow! Bet yer bottom dollar there’ll be sun.’ My old mentor would say: “Good luck, kid. The forecast says snow for the rest of the week.”

 

He continued though – Hope’s different. Hope says, ‘Okay, so it’s gonna snow. We’ll get the job done anyway.’ Hope says, ‘It’s the last inning, and we’re down by three, but let’s go out swinging!’ Unlike optimism, hope knows that quite often nice guys do finish last, but that it’s a helluva lot better to be a nice guy than to be first.”

 

Jesus is our Hope.  In following Him, the one who has endured loneliness, abandonment; the one who was rejected and betrayed; the one who was tortured and killed – In following the one who knows personally every physical, emotional, pain as he experienced life and death on the Cross and then conquers the grave in being risen from the dead, Jesus is our Hope. 

 

So this Gospel story isn’t about inspiring us to obey him out of fear.  Nor is it about patiently enduring suffering and pain knowing that one day things will really get bad (you think these are the end times, wait).  Jesus is reminding us as we endure things that may feel like, may look like the end times – of what is most important.  What is most important is our souls.  That our souls are fixed on the things that are eternal.  That we don’t allow the tribulations, the trials, the struggles to deflect us from those eternal things. 

 

Jesus invites us to let go of the anger, the cynicism, the disillusionment – and when we do , we see the reality that thousands of people every day are moved to be compassionate to people they had never met.  Something resonates in the hearts of strangers to be generous – to be selfless.  They choose Hope.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have endured dark times during these past two years. Let our hope be You alone, for You are the love that brings compassion to hurting hearts and the promise of eternal life.

 

How Generous Are You?

 

I had spent the day working with a group of customer service staff, the manager had driven from Charleston, South Carolina to fill in for three months while new staff could be trained. This was the busiest store in the city and these “baristas” were bouncing from counter to counter filling cups of coffee into exotic blends for morning commuters and people in need of their caffeine fix.

 

 

However, at the end of my 12-hour shift listening to their concerns and connecting people with helpful resources, I got into my car to drive home, turned the ignition and heard only a clicking sound. The engine would not start, a dead battery. Yes, I have AAA, but I decided to go back to the store and ask: “does anyone have jumper cables to charge a dead battery?”  Henry, a University of Buffalo student, smiled and said “let me check.” Outside in the dark and cold, he checks his truck and “voila” out comes the cables and he is connecting the cables to positive and negative, I turn the ignition key and “Yes, God there are guardian angels” the engine starts with no problem. That’s generosity and much appreciated by this shepherd.

 

 

There’s another story when, "Jesus sat down opposite the Treasury and watched the multitude putting money into the Treasury." He says, "Many rich people put in large sums and a poor widow came and put in two copper coins which make a penny." Then what happens? It says, "And he called his disciples to him." Check out this widow. Truly, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those together who had contributed to the Treasury," and then the lesson, "For they contributed out of their abundance. But she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had her whole living."

 

 

I think most of us like to be generous. I like to think when I offered Henry some money for his help that was being generous. But the reality is I can be very generous and it absolutely does not impact my lifestyle at all. And I suspect that's true for many of us. We can be very generous and it doesn't impact our lifestyle, and that's what we're seeing here in this reading. We're seeing a woman, widow, doesn't say how old, but what is a widow? A widow is socially vulnerable, she's financially vulnerable. She's vulnerable. There's a great trust that God will provide. 

 

 

I think how I was in a jam, dead, battery, in a strange city, far from home and in need of a jump start and Henry came to my rescue. How generous are we? How generous do we think we are? How generous are we actually? And how do we close the gap and go beyond the gap and live lives of staggering generosity?

 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we are often invited to show generosity in many forms. Yes, financially to give to a cause, but another form of generosity is sharing our time, or simply listening to someone fears and concerns and yes, maybe helping someone carry a heavy load. And when we give like that widow may we have the same trust that God will provide.