But God

 

It’s a tiny little word and it shows up two times in this gospel. Verse 23 and verse 25. “But.”

 

Every time I think about “but” in the bible I think about Joseph in the Book of Genesis because like the Canaanite woman whose daughter is possessed in the Gospel today. Joseph understood the power of that one little word. Joseph was a devout dreamer, a coat of many different colors. At the tender age of 17 he had a dream that he would be a ruler and his brothers would be subject to him.

 

Joseph was foolish enough to share that dream with his brothers and they hated him for it. They resented him further because he was their father’s Jacob’s favorite. So ,one day out in the field they decided to kill Joseph. But the oldest brother Rebar prevented the murder and they sold him instead to a caravan of camel traders heading towards Asia.

 

Imagine yourself like Joseph your hands tied behind you, transported as a hostage with uncaring strangers to a foreign land. Your status plunge from favorite son and future ruler to a slave worth twenty sheklels, less than a camel’s value. Where is God in this dream? Sounds more like a nightmare.

 

But Joseph knew two of the best words in the bible are “but God.” That pairing occurs at least 42 times in Scripture. Words that mean that God is about to do something. Things may be going one way, regardless of appearances but God is about to intervene. “But God.”

 

David is in the wilderness, Saul is in hot pursuit searching to kill David but God did not give David into his hands. The Israelites are fleeing he Egyptian army not knowing how to escape but God led the people by the desert road through the Red Sea, :”but God.”

 

Let me remind you that God protects, God delivers, God intervenes, God saves. So it’s no surprise that Joseph knowing full well the dream that God has in store for his life when he encounters opposition and he gets a bunch of hostility he gets a bunch, even failure, yep. Two words to lean on. “But God.”

 

Situation worsens, Joseph at the end of his life is able to look at his brothers and say you intended to harm me but God intended me for good to accomplish what is now being done, saving of many lives.

When there appears to be dead ends, look for God’s detour signs. His course corrections. Because what we learn from the Canaanite woman in the gospel and from Joseph in Genesis is that dead ends may turn out to be holy moments. If the dream in your life is truly God’s dream, if he has given the destination, He will make the necessary course corrections. There are no dead ends, nothing is impossible with God.

 

Down in Egypt, God helps with the first detour, Joseph gets sold to a good man named Podermer, put him in charge of management over the household. Joseph manages the household and discerns God’s dreams astounds Podemer. But Podemer’s wife sexually harasses, sexually assaults Joseph and when he wouldn’t agree to an affair, she falsely accuses him of assault. So, he goes to jail. Another dead end. But in jail God found another good detour. The jailor puts him in charge of the prison and he interprets dreams for two different inmates who work in the household. One of them is released and returns to the Pharoah as cupbearer and he promises to remember Joseph and help him but he forgot. Dead end.

 

Two years later Pharoah has a dream and desperately needs somebody to interpret and the cupbearer says “Aha,” I remember this guy in prison named Joseph. He was filled with God’s wisdom, he interpreted dreams. He also advises Pharoah on polices for government and became the second in command. There was a dead end and God turns it into a holy moment. What seemed unholy has become holy. Joseph learned to trust God.

 

Trust God…

 

Joseph had dreams, his brothers sold him into slavery but God was with him. He was accused by Padermer’s wife and put in jail, but God was with him.. He was forgotten by the cupbearer but God was with him. It took 23 years for the dream to become a reality. A lot of twists and turns. False accusations. But Joseph had patience and persistence to wait and trust God.

 

So I invite you today as you hear about our parish being threaten to close and accused of false accusations to think about Joseph and think about the gospel, learn those two words, “but God.”

 

They work in every situation when you’re alone, when you’re wandering, when you’re struggling with the decision to go to trial, when you’re a committee member and tired of trying to save this parish, when you accused, when you’re teetering and ready to give up the fight, “but God.”

 

Joseph trusts God, despite prison, poverty, suffering. All the members of your parish committee and all of you who are parishioners need to “trust God” despite harassment, bullying and deception these past six months of detour.

 

Joseph despite 23 years of detour of suffering gets better, not bitter. And all of us on Divine Mercy’s committee and all of you in these pews are better not bitter.

 

God has dreamed your life and it will require your cooperation. As your pastor and your parish committee members we humbly ask your support to make a decision to move forward in our legal proceedings and give us your permission and support to go to trial to return this building to Divine Mercy.

 

There are challenges ahead and everyone will not get excited about God’s journey. You will get to a point what appears to be dead ends, setbacks, disappointments but in those moments turn to God. I mean really where else will you go. DON’T GIVE UP!

 

He will help you turn what would make you bitter, into something that will make you better. Because truly, there are not more beautiful words then, “BUT GOD.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God Will Catch Us

 

Yesterday, I was called to provide grief support to teachers at a daycare center. Last Thursday, a mom while driving to pick up her two-year old daughter was killed in an auto accident.

 

As I listened through their tears, one shared that when she heard about the tragedy, all she could think of was who was going to feed this child, where was she going to live. This mom was a single parent with no family. 

 

Go ahead and say it aloud, "How can your God allow this?” This child will never know the love of her mother. Her teachers are  devastated and will probably never get over their sorrow. “What meaning can this tragedy have except to prove that life itself is ultimately meaningless?"

Both teachers shared that they cried in their classroom throughout the day while taking care of their little ones. As I listened, I could only drank in their sorrow that filled the room and let the storm within their hearts run its course. 

 

To his credit, feeling himself sinking into the waves, Peter stretched out his hand to the Lord saying, "Lord, save me." And of course, Jesus saved him. Even in his failure Peter teaches us the invaluable lesson of always reaching out to the Lord when we're in trouble or when we encounter life with so much sorrow.

 

Many people find it difficult to believe in a loving God because of the suffering of the innocent. As a hospital chaplain for a decade in the pediatric unit and serving now as a trauma specialist, I am no stranger to doctors, teachers, nurses and parents brokenhearted, frustrated and angry because they could do nothing to save or even alleviate the pain of a child.

 

In the moment of sorrow, I have no wish to change a person’s feelings. “I feel the same way." I am a human being and have the same emotions as anyone else when faced with agony. Nevertheless, although my feelings are the same, my conclusions are quite different from others. What angers us is not God's indifference but our own powerlessness and the pain it causes us. If we can blame it on God or use their suffering to disprove the existence of God, we can relieve ourselves of a great deal of responsibility but we will not solve the mystery or relieve the suffering of these teachers.

Peter wants to walk on water, and Jesus says to Peter, “Come.” When Peter’s initial success morphs into failure, Jesus is there to catch him. Peter, the former fisherman, gets caught in the net of Christ’s love, safety, and assurance. Maybe the response to that failure was an even more important demonstration than the ability of someone to walk on water. No one, in fact, actually needs to walk on water. Many of us desperately need to know that God will catch us when we can’t.

Lord I pray for all my Sonshine parents whose child has died of disease, accidents or unknown cause. We need to know that God will catch us when we can’t understand the meaning of tragedy in our lives. Peter represents all of us as disciples. God does not work by way of miracles in our lives. He doesn't want us walking on water. He simply assured us that he would be with us always: "Go, teach all nations, baptizing them....and behold I am with you always, till the end of the world" (Mt. 28:20). That Jesus is with us always should be enough for us.

 

 

Why Does God Let Us Fail

 

What would you think is Jesus’ favorite word? Most might say love and you know that’s fair enough since Jesus talked about love. “Love one another as I have loved you” that was essentially Jesus’ parting sermon to the disciples.

 

Now some might say fear. How many times does Jesus say “do not be afraid.” He gets to turn fear into courage so perhaps more than any other phrase in all of scripture Jesus says, “do not be afraid.”

 

Or, you might go in a different direction and you might say forgiveness. That word may very well define Jesus’s mission on earth. He suffered and died for the forgiveness of sins, my sins, your sins, everyone’s sins. Everybody needs to forgive somebody.

 

I think Jesus has another favorite word. I think Jesus’s favorite word is “rise.” Rise is the word Jesus uses every time he describes how he is going to establish his kingdom and unlock the Gates of Heaven. He’s going to suffer, he’s going to die, but this is the most important claim in all of human history. He said he was going to rise, he would literally rise from the dead so that he could do the same for you and me. He would do this at the moment of our death. Instead of us being alone, we’re going to hear a simple word of life, whispered into the depths of our souls, “rise.”

Rise to life again.

 

The story of the Transfiguration suggests that rising is not just a word applied to life after death. It actually applies to the here and now so we learn the disciples are faced down in the dirt, gripped with fear because they hear the voice of God the Father. They hear him say this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased, listen to him and they’re unable to comprehend what’s happening.

 

They’re unable to comprehend that Moses and Elijah are there with them and they actually heard the voice of God and they’re down on the ground, prostrate facing the dirt trembling with fear unable to figure out what to do and what does Jesus do?

 

He comes over to them, he comforts them with a touch and he says “rise.”

To rise is to go from who we are to who we could be. Whether we are  gripped by fear or lost in the darkness of an addiction, a physical sickness, being discouraged, feeling broken. Whatever it is to go from that to a future of goodness, beyond comprehension, a future of peace and vitality and life and flourishing.

 

I mean there’s no story more attractive to the human spirit than the story of someone rising. Being the underdog. Our greatest glorious moment as human beings is not failing but in the rising up every time we fail.

 

Now think about this, God doesn’t prevent us from failing or falling. He doesn’t prevent us from doing that, He lets it happen. He does so for many reasons most of which are too mysterious for us to ever know but one of the reasons we do know is this. Nothing transforms the soul into something beautiful quite like rising quite like getting up when everyone thought you were destined to stay on the ground forever.

 

God parents us in this way. He lets us fall even if we have to fall over and over and over again because we need to rise. We need to rise for a particular reason so if there are things weighing you down in life, if there are things that may make you doubt the hope that you carry within you. If  you’re weighed down by the sense of your own inadequacy, you’re weighed down by the past opportunities you’ve missed in life, the burdens and cruelties of life. If you are weighed down by the  faces of those who have wronged you and set you back permanently in life. If you’re on the ground because your dreams are lying dormant somewhere in a forgotten corner of your heart. If Iife every day feels like an overwhelming blur of a burden, if there’s something you need to but don’t want to do because it’s hard or painful or you don’t think you can do it. If you’re growing restless or if you’re stuck at a rut in your life, if you’re just limping through your days just trying to get by, if life has placed an unfathomably large burden upon your shoulders and you have no idea how you’re suppose to carry it or if the reality of who you are in relation to who you thought you could be has shattered your world. If you move through your day dazed, disoriented or uncertain of what to do next. Hear this word, rise.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they hear the word of Jesus, hear the word that breathes life and strength into our souls. Hear the word of Jesus saying to you, “rise.”  Rise. Believing who you could be is not a forgotten dream but a god-given destiny.

Praying with the Sikh Community

 

Last Sunday, I was invited by our veterinarian Dr. Graywal to attend his Sikh community worship service. A Sikh house of worship is called a gurdwara. Typically, a gurdwara includes a commercial kitchen as well as a hall for community worship and meals.

As I entered the gurdwara, I removed my shoes and washed my hands that reflect the community’s way of showing respect for their scared space. I was next given a cloth to cover my head. Sikhs greet one another bringing their palms together at chest level (known as Anjali) and slightly bow their heads in a humbling and respectful way. They greet one another with the Punjabi salutation—Sat Sri Akal (roughly translated as “Blessed is the person who says God is Truth.”) The essence of this gesture is the belief that the divine exists within each one of us. As Catholics, I like this greeting and might introduce this gesture at all my Masses reminding people that “I see Christ in you.”

Dr. Graywal explained that the word Sikh (pronounced "sick") means 'disciple' or 'learner.' The Sikh religion was founded in Northern India in the fifteenth century by Guru Nanak Dev Ji and is distinct from Islam and Hinduism.  Sikhism is monotheistic and stresses the equality of all men and women.  Sikhs believe in three basic principles; meditating on the name of God (praying), earning a living by honest means as well as sharing the fruits of one’s labor with others. Sikhism rejects caste and class systems and emphasizes service to humanity. 

As I entered the gurdwara sacred space the men were wearing turbans. Turbans are worn to cover their long hair and with respect to God. The Sikh turban (dastar) is a crown of commitment and dedication to serve all humanity. It is an article of faith that represents honor, self-respect, courage, spirituality, and piety. 

 Salvar Kamees is a Sikh women's wear. Salvars are baggy loose fitting pants with ankle cuffs called ponche. The salvar is worn beneath the kamees, a dress top which is available in as many styles as there is imagination, and color, often decorated with embroidery. The very devout tend to wear simple prints or solid colors with a little embroidery, as an expression of humility. 

The Sikh faith is committed to the equality of women, as it defines God as gender neutral, perhaps one of the few major world religions to do so. There is no activity in a gurdwara or within the community that is permitted to a man but not to a woman. There is no religious function from which women are barred at any time of their lives.

Entering the main prayer hall, I felt an uplifting and soothing feeling. Musicians playing traditional Sikh devotional music filled the room with a beautiful sublime song. Many sat and prayed on rugs on the floor, while others bowed and placed offerings before a raised platform containing the Guru Granth (the holy book). I sat cross-legged and felt the peace and calm, being careful not to point my feet towards nor turn my back on the Guru Granth. 

After the service, I took part in the Langar. Langar is a beautiful tradition that takes place every day in every Sikh gurdwara around the world. Langar refers to full vegetarian meals that are funded and prepared completely by volunteer worshipers and served to anyone who wishes to partake in them. The kitchen was a hum of activity as people stirred giant pots filled with lentils. Back in the sacred space of worship, people shared in the great meal, and everyone pitched in to the dishes. The sense of true community and care was profound. As Catholics, we enjoy our Lenten Friday fish meals or once a year Spaghetti dinners. Perhaps, we need to start offering breakfast buffets or dinners after Sunday Mass to reflect our love for one another.

 Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are Baptists, Lutherans, Jewish, Sikhs , Roman Catholic, Polish National Catholic and all faith traditions who gather each week to give you praise and thanks. My humble thanks to Dr. Graywal and all the members of his faith community who graciously welcomed me to their worship service and sent me home with a lots of homemade Sikh foods.

 

 

 

 

 

Why Do We Allow Weeds in Our Garden?

 

I wonder if Jesus is a terrible farmer or is he trying to make us think?

Jesus says that the kingdom is like somebody who sowed good seed in the field, but then found that there were weeds growing along with the wheat.  The field workers ask if they ought to pull up the weeds, but the owner says, “No, you would risk pulling up some of the good stuff at the same time.  Just wait till harvest and then we’ll sort it out.”

It is a ridiculous approach.  It is the opposite of what you would actually want to do.  Most of us know from experience that if you don’t control the weeds in your garden, by the end of the summer you might not even be able to find your peppers and tomatoes for all of the weeds.

In this world, there is good existing alongside the bad.  There are weeds among the wheat. Of course, we like to think of ourselves as the wheat, the good person, while the weeds are the bad guys. The question for us is, “What do we do about those weeds?” Another question that might make us uncomfortable, what about the weeds in my life?

We all have wheat and weed within us. I think we are both. We are all capable of great things and terrible things.  It might be more helpful to think of the wheat and weeds being mixed up – in our world, in our community, in our church, even within ourselves. We might ask ourselves: Why do we allow weeds in our garden?

Thank God, He is patient. Thank God, He is loving.  Thank God, He is merciful.  That’s the good news of this Gospel.  That Jesus sees the potential within each of us to be a weed or abundant fruit – and keeps giving another chance, keeps waiting, Because even when we’ve made a mess of things, even when our sins have caused a mess in our lives and hurt others, He can create something new.   

So much is messed up in our world right now.  But before I let that completely unsettle me and go down unproductive rabbit holes where I start making judgments and suggestions to the Lord on how things ought to be, I’ve learned it’s then that I need to stop… And to come back to being grateful, for example, knowing that the Lord has given me more time – to be attentive to my own weeds in my garden.  And maybe that’s the Lord’s hope, His plan – how much better would the entirety of His garden look if we all were to do the same?

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have many gifts of wheat like joy, kindness and compassion. We are grateful for these graces. However, when the weeds appear like impatience, anger and judgment let us learn to pray to be honest with ourselves and ask Our Lord for wisdom to burn the weeds out of our garden and grow to be abundant fruit.

 

 

Are You Big Hearted

 

This past Sunday, I shared some thoughts with Fr. Erick about giving the “dreaded money talk” to his parishioners. 

 

Scientists tell us that every second, inside the sun, the equivalent of 4 million elephants are being transformed into light, an irretrievable, one-time gift. The sun is giving itself away. If this generosity should halt, all energy would eventually lose its source and everything would die and become inert. We, and everything on our planet, alive because of the generosity of the sun.

 

The sun reflects the abundance of God, a largesse that invites us to also be generous, to have big-hearts, to risk more in giving ourselves away in self-sacrifice, to witness to God's abundance.

 

But this isn't easy. 

 

Instinctually, we fear and we horde. Because of this, whether we are poor or not, we tend to work out of a sense of scarcity, fearing always that we don't have enough, that there isn't enough, and that we need to be careful in what we give away, that we can't afford to be too generous.

 

But our God is generous, and wasteful beyond our fears and imaginations. Nature too is stunningly overwhelming and generous. We see this in the biblical parable of the Sower: the Sower, God, whom Jesus describes, is not a calculating person who sows his grain carefully and only into worthy soil. This Sower scatters seeds everywhere: on the road, in the bushes, in the rocks, into barren soil, as well as into good soil. He has, it seems, unlimited seeds and so he works from a generous sense of abundance. We see that same abundance in the parable of the vineyard owner, where the owner, God, gives a full day's wage to everybody, whether they worked the full day or not. God, we are told, has limitless wealth and is not stingy in giving it out.

 

God is equally generous in forgiveness. In the parable of the Father who forgives the prodigal son we see a person who can forgive out of dignity and calculated cost to self. And we see this same largesse in Jesus himself as he forgives both those who executed him and those who abandoned him during his execution.

God, from everything we can see, is so rich in love and mercy that he can afford to be wasteful, over-generous, non-calculating, non-discriminating, and big-hearted beyond our imaginations.

 

And that's the invitation: to have a sense of God's abundance so as to risk always a bigger heart and generosity beyond the fear that has us believe that we need to be more calculating because things seem scarce.

 

My good friend Steve who comes every two years to maintain our water conditioner, choose to return a second time when I found moisture on the floor behind the tank. He diagnosed and repaired the problem and when I asked “how much for the repair?” he simply said “no charge.” Instead of money for his time and travel, in exchange I gave him two referrals. One to Hickey Freeman to get nice clothes for a wedding and the name of the washer and dryer company that farmers use that’s built to last. He was estatic and truly grateful with this gift of information.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are “big hearted.” I have never met a truly generous man or woman who didn't say that he or she always received more in return than he or she gave out. To be generous and big-hearted we have to first trust in God's abundance and generosity. What will you give today that resembles God’s gift of love for you?

 

I Will Give You Rest

 

Last Sunday, I shared Jesus’ teaching about acts of kindness that will not go unrewarded. Last Monday morning, a retired teacher and forester came to my farm to cut down a hanging log that smashed the tractor windshield. Later in the afternoon, I listened to Sarah’s fear that her parish in Las Vegas will need to look for another church building.

On the Fourth of July, our fire chief helped change a flat tire on a trailer stranded in front of his house. The tourist had no spare so he gave him a tire to get back home. Later on the 4th, Fr. Don called that a former parishioner of mine from 47 years ago returned from hospital in Florida. She is good friends with his wife Yvonne. I thought it might be nice to send her a gift but instead of flowers I remembered the afghans volunteers at the cathedral sewed for the sick. I now have a beautiful afghan that I will put in the mail this morning.

Then on Wednesday, I received an email from a dear friend in Farmington who regretfully received a bill for 1.2 million dollars for his wife’s heart surgery. He is a compassionate caregiver to his lovely spouse but their insurance is challenging the hospital billing. Once again, I am sadly aware that our medical system in this country is broken. Later in the afternoon, I drove my wife for her first physical therapy appointment to cope with a chronic back pain. By coincidence, Maggie, my neighbor, also comes to this PT office and missed her appointment thinking it was later in the week. I shared with the office staff that Maggie’s sister is her “uber” driver and gave the staff her cell phone number to schedule future visits. Then at the end of the day, a package arrived from Fr. Erick. To my surprise and delight, it was bottle of imported tequila from Mexico in thanks for helping him in his challenging ministry.

This Sunday, we hear Jesus teach: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke

upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Make no mistake, Jesus knows we sometimes carry heavy burdens. But Jesus is saying, “Your burdens are so much of your own making. Why do you burden yourself so cruelly? Come here. Take up the burden, the yoke I have for you. I have an easy yoke and a light burden. Yes, my child, in your life you will have to carry a burden, but why not carry my yoke? I assure you it will immediately put you in eternal life, and it will be a light yoke, an easy yoke. Come on, try me. You will find rest for your souls.”

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends whose acts of kindness help others bring relief of their burdens. We have a shoulder to lean on when our burden is too much to bear. Be at ease my friends, for Jesus is callin: “Come on, try me. You will find rest for your souls.”

I wonder if in the life of Jesus anyone ever gave him any special gifts?

 

 

Random Acts of Kindness

 

In our gospel passage, Jesus tells his disciples that "whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of these lowly ones because he is a disciple will not want for his reward". In other words, no act of kindness, no matter how small, will go unrewarded. 

 

As disciples of Christ , we are invited to see others as potential disciples, persons who may see Christ in our acts of kindness to them. And, in the true Spirit of one hand not knowing what the other does, these acts should be performed even when the recipients cannot reward us.

 

I am returning from Rochester after providing a critical incident debriefing and get a phone call in my car. It’s the case manager from my neighbor case manager home care agency who informs me that she has received a notice that Maggie’s Medicaid will be cancelled June 30^th. She says she doesn’t understand why Medicaid informed her with only two days notice. This is outrageous since Maggie has been receiving this benefit for over a decade. Why is it being terminated? Maggie’s has one sister and I am her advocate when it comes to helping get her benefits like food stamps, a wheelchair, emergency life alert necklace, or her cell phone doesn’t work. The case manager suggests to contact social services. In the meantime, I call Maggie’s sister and learn that they had filled out some forms and took them to social services a month ago. What the paperwork was all about she had no idea?

 

I called social services and of course you get a voicemail to leave a message that says keep it short be and leave a number. “Margaret J., Medicaid cut off in two days, please help, call my number.”

Now I call in reinforcements and send a prayer to her guardian angels. My reply was a voice mail from social services. Sorry we can’t talk to you because of HIPPA. The privacy laws prevent this worker from discussing her case with me. So, I fax her a power of attorney and wait again to discuss her case. I get a call from her sister who shares that the social service case worker called her to explain that the cancellation was a mistake. Maggie is not losing her Medicaid. I get a return call from social service who tells me to wait till 10am tomorrow to call back her home care rep that her Medicaid benefits will not be terminated. I look at my cell phone and the clock reads 3:59pm. Thank you angels.

 

Just as our Lord noted in today's gospel, an act of kindness need not be something done on a grand scale, but something as little as a glass of cold water. All that is needed is some thoughtfulness, with a dash of understanding and compassion thrown in for good measure.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends grateful to Brad who repaired the basement light, Susie who donated the bird seed, Denny who shared his homemade maple syrup, Jeff who repaired the broken tractor, John who cut down the fallen trees. Your acts of kindness keep me safe and sound. May your acts of kindness bring a smile to all you touch by your thoughtfulness and compassion.

 

 

What Are You Afraid Of?

In most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.

What are you afraid of?

In the gospel, Jesus warns the disciples to be wary of those who seek, not to destroy the body, but those who wish to destroy the soul. In other words, those who wish to crush our spirit.

Jesus contrasts two kinds of peace: a peace that he leaves us and a peace that the world can give us. What is the difference?

The peace that the world can give to us is not a negative or a bad peace. It is real and it is good, but it is fragile and inadequate.

It is fragile because it can easily be taken away from us. Peace, as we experience it ordinarily in our lives, is generally predicated on feeling healthy, loved, and secure. But all of these are fragile. They can change radically with one visit to the doctor, with an unexpected dizzy spell, with sudden chest pains, with a surgery that didn’t go as planned, with the loss of a job, with the rupture of a relationship, with the suicide of a loved one, or with multiple kinds of betrayal that can blindside us. We try mightily to take measures to guarantee health, security, and the trustworthiness of our relationships, but we live with a lot of anxiety, knowing these are always fragile. We live inside an anxious peace.

What Jesus offers is a peace that is not fragile, that is already beyond fear and anxiety, that does not depend upon feeling healthy, secure, and loved in this world. What is this peace?

The phrase Jesus repeats more often than any other throughout the Gospels is “Be not afraid.” Why because He knew more than anybody else that the measure of your life will be the measure of your courage, following Jesus requires incredible courage. It will take incredible courage to be counter cultural, incredible courage to follow the dreams He gives you. It will take incredible courage for you to strive every day to become a better version of yourself and to help the people you love do the same. A deep genuine relationship with God banishes our fears and fills us with the courage to live a great life.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, for I believe that something wonderful is about to happen in your life. I believe that faith overcomes fear. We worry about the future God says I hold the future, we worry about failure, God says walk in my ways and I will bless you. So again, what’s your worse fear? What are you afraid of? What’s preventing you from being who God intends you to be because deep down you know that’s God’s power is greater than your fear.

 

The Ordination of Fr. Erick

 

Two weeks ago, I shared my humble privilege to serve as the archdeacon and present to the bishop Deacon Erick who would be ordained a married Catholic priest in the Polish National Catholic tradition. The following article was published in the Las Vegas Hispanic newspaper about this historic ordination.

“In an emotional religious ceremony held at the headquarters of the Divine Mercy parish, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, Erick Heredia's ordination as a Priest was carried out.
 
Before numerous representatives of the clergy, led by the bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo-Pittsburgh, John Mack, Erick Heredia became pastor of the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC).
 
Father Erick will be exercising his pastoral ministry at Divine Mercy Polish National Catholic Church located at 3844 Meadows Lane, in the vicinity of The Meadows shopping center.
 
Bishop John Mack asked him during the sermon to "Live a life that is worthy of the calling you have received. Walk humbly in love and charity. Embrace with mercy the faithful of the church. And in your home, share the spirit of God that unites and liberates you."
 
For his part, Pablo Castro, as a proud native of Morales, Mexico, expressed that, "The ordination of Father Erick is a transcendental, historic moment, not only for the people of Morelos, but for the entire Hispanic community to have a new priest. People will have a new religious ally."
 
Many people agree that we are living in difficult times; violence, drugs and lack of moral values lead us into a destructive spiral. "In this church, they have programs that seek to rescue young people from the clutches of alcohol and drugs, not only is it coming to Mass, but the faithful have the opportunity to take advantage of the mental health services they have here," he stated.
 
On the other hand, Guadalupe Loyo Malabar, one of those who attended the ordination ceremony, commented that, "As a mother, the pastoral guidance of Father Erick will make us unite under the spiritual mantle of the priest; for parents and children who take the wrong path, it will be a great refuge of assistance. We are proud that we have another Hispanic priest in Las Vegas.”

As the Vocation Director and friend to Fr. Erick, the following photo shows the moment I laid hands on my brother priest and more special, when Fr. Eric offered me his priestly blessing. What is even more touching is the photo when he blesses his mom and she kisses her son's hands.

 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially pray that more laborers will answer the call to serve as deacons and priests. Yes, the laborers are few but i believed there are many who wish to come and serve. If you feel you haver a vocation, call or email me anytime.

What Are You Thirsting For?

 

I am extremely humbled that on June 7^th, I will have the privilege as the “archdeacon” to present to the parishioners of Divine Mercy Polish National Catholic Parish, Deacon Erick Flores to be ordained as a Catholic priest and new pastor of their church.

 

In Las Vegas while the illusion of happiness is the invitation to come and win the jackpot that could change your life. In reality, the real crisis for local residents is that their water supplies may soon run dry. Despite the record snowfalls and floods in California, their reservoirs are at record low levels and the residents and visitors will thirst for water.

 

Jesus spoke alot about water and he used water images. People lived in a desert and the people understood how difficult it was to get water. To get water people could not just walk into a store and buy a bottle of water. The reality was that water in the time of Jesus was extremely scarce. It was difficult to come by. They had to dig wells and they had to go to these wells wherever they were. They probably had to go to the center of their village where the wells were located and they had to draw out the water and most likely wait in line for other people to draw out their water. Jesus is using this image because it is something they have to think about every day.

 

We all have thirst and we all have hunger. The bushman of Kalahari desert in South Africa talk about two kinds of hunger. There is a great hunger and a little hunger. The little hunger yearns for food, clothing, and shelter and the greatest hunger of all is the hunger for meaning.

 

I think hunger and thirst can be used interchangeably because the people of our time are hungry for meaning, we are thirsty for meaning.

 

There’s only one thing that makes human beings profoundly bitter and that is a life without meaning. And that’s what’s our culture is doing thrusting a life without meaning, chasing the illusion that happiness is winning a slot jackpot, or a roulette table, or a bet on a sports game, a life without meaning.

 

There’s nothing wrong searching for happiness but far more comfort to the soul is something greater than happiness or unhappiness and that is meaning because meaning transfigures all. Once you realize what you are doing has meaning for you it is irrelevant if it makes you happy or unhappy for you are content.

 

Deacon Erick vocation to the priesthood will give his life meaning bringing the good news of Jesus to people who have felt abandoned, broken, discriminated and empty. His meaning will be to bring his people comfort in their pain, hope in times of trail, and love in moments of despair.

 

Father Erick will preach: “On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. He who believes in me as the Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living waters.” Now this is what Jesus said about the spirit which those who believed in him were to receive.

 

So that you have enough water otherwise you will die and the people you love will die this incredible, scarce resource is abundantly available in Jesus.

 

We are all desperately thirsting for something. Do you know what it is? And who or what or where do you imagine will satisfy this thirst. Jesus is saying if anyone is thirsty, let them come to me and drink. Whatever your thirst is, you likely know it or if you don’t know, take time and go away in silence and reflect what it is for you.

 

Pray to God: “I am thirsty, please satisfy my thirst.” That’s the invitation Father Erick will bring to all his people in his parish and visitors from around the world. Yes, people from around the world will come to Divine Mercy to satisfy their thirst, to satisfy their hunger.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, and especially Deacon Erick as he prepares to be anointed with your spirit to bring the good news, comfort, mercy and meaning to all your people to satisfy their thirst and satisfy their hunger.