Serving Two Masters: A Sports Analogy

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells us we cannot serve two masters.  

We must love one and hate the other.

This can be hard to explain or understand in a world that is not so easily seen in black and white.

One analogy that I came across tries to explain this in sporting terms ...

Let's say you live in Chicago.  You have two baseball teams you can root for ... the American League White Sox, or the National League Cubs.  (This analogy works for many cities and sports by the way... in England, for example, you could have Manchester United vs Manchester City in soccer/football).  

Some fans will tell you that you can root for both hometown teams, especially since, in the baseball example, they are from different leagues.  They argue that they can watch both teams compete, and root for them against whoever they are playing.  This would sort of equate to us saying we can serve both our material lives and God equally at the same time.  

On the flip side, some fans will argue you absolutely positively cannot root for both teams.  You must choose one, or the other, and throw all of your passion, loyalty and love behind that one team. 

Let's go back to that first example, though - the fan that says they can root for both teams.  This might be true for most of the season.  But what if the White Sox and Cubs both made it to the World Series and had to play each other?  (Or when Man U and City play each other for the Manchester Cup?)  Wouldn't that fan then have to ultimately choose one?  To love one and thus hate the other?  And what about when the two teams are playing a game at the same time?  How does the fan choose which team to watch?  He/she either chooses one, or splits his/her attention ... and thus does not give their entire self to one or the other.

While this analogy is not perfect, I think it does help explain that when we think we can serve both masters (read: root for both teams), we end up, at best, only giving a piece of ourselves.  

And we all know that God deserves all of us.  Not just a piece!

We need to be more like the fan that knows this is not possible, and chooses one team to serve for with all of his/her self.  

God Bless you.

Take This Post With a Grain of Salt

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells his followers that they are the "salt of the earth". 

He then reminds them that if salt loses its taste, it is "no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

Now ...  I'm no salt expert ... so take the following with the proverbial grain of it: 

Back in Jesus' time, salt was quite valuable.  Obviously, it was used for seasoning.  But it was also used for wounds and for preserving food.

I recently learned, however, that salt could also be quite evil to agriculture.  In fact, conquering tribes would often salt the land of the conquered ... thus ruining any current crops and sometimes preventing future growth as well.  

So which kind of salt are we?

The kind that tastes good, preserves God's word, and cleans spiritual wounds?

Or the kind that has no taste, that increases blood pressure, and prevents others from growing in Faith?

God Bless you, and may you be the salt of the earth and the light of the world!

Overturning Tables and Loving One Another

My church is celebrating First Holy Communions this month.  Since we have a relatively smaller church, each mass has about 10 children receive their first Eucharist.  This goes on for about 3 weeks or so.  

I must admit, these masses bring out the best in me, and, unfortunately, the worst in me. 

On the bright side, seeing these little children of God receiving Christ for the first time is such a beautiful, and promising, thing.

On the other hand, events like these fill the church with lots of visitors.  Visitors who park their cars in fire lanes or the middle of our exits so they can make a quick getaway as soon as Mass ends.  Visitors who talk so loudly before mass that the congregation cannot hear the greeter (who is using a microphone) welcome everyone.  Visitors who do not show any kind of respect for the Eucharist, other than getting close enough to it so they can take a photo.

This frustrates me.  

Part of me thanks God for bringing these people to Mass to begin with.  And I often pray that some of them return based on their experience.  

The other part wonders what Jesus would do in these situations.  

Would He "overturn the tables", as He did in Jerusalem, and tell them that His Father's House should be a House of Prayer?

Or would he softly remind me of what He said in today's Gospel, namely that we should love each other as He loves us?

What do you think?

God Bless you.

Pairs

"Jesus summoned the twelve and began to send them out two by two." 

"If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."  Ecc 4:10

Pairs.

They show up quite a bit in the Bible.  

In today's reading, Jesus sends the apostles out in pairs.  He knows that they will be witnesses together and strengthen each other.   In Mt 8:10, Jesus tells us that he will be there where two come together, and in 10:2, Matthew even lists the apostles in pairs.  Important events such as preparing the Upper Room, and securing the donkey for Palm Sunday also involved pairs.   

What I find interesting, is that today, we seemed to have moved to either side of that number.  At one end, we have less intimate, large gatherings that number in the hundreds or thousands.  At the other end, we have many people doing things (including praying) by themselves, without the support of another.  Both, of course, have their places.  But I can't help but wonder if we are missing some wonderful opportunities by not working in twos more often.  

God Bless you.
 
 

Poor Numbers

What the Servant with Two Talents Shows Us

Jesus gives us many lessons through the Parable of Talents.

He teaches us about servitude, expectations, judgement and hard work.  

But it dawned on me this weekend that we normally spend most of our reflections thinking about the superstar servant that delivered 10 talents back to his master, and the poor sap that only returned the one he was given.  

We never talk about the middle servant.

But he teaches us an important lesson about God.  

The middle servant only delivers his master 2 talents, versus 5 for his counterpart.  On a value basis, that is much less. 

But on a percentage basis it is exactly the same 100% return!  And if you notice, the master gives the exact same praise to him as he does the servant that returns 5 talents.   

The master did not give them all the same amount of talents (money) just as God does not give us all the same amount of talent (ability, skills, strengths, etc).  

But just like the master in the parable, God does not expect us to return the same total value to Him.  He does, however, expect us to deliver the most that we can based on what we were given.  

As a society, however, we tend to gauge how we are doing by comparing ourselves to others.  Are we going to church more than others?  Do we do more volunteer work than others?  Have we given as much as others?

But the middle servant reminds us that we should instead be determining if we are giving God a 100% return on what He has given us.

God Bless you.

3 Things About The Parable of The Two Sons

This weekend's Gospel includes the Parable of the Two Sons. 

Three things hit me as I reflected on it:

1)  One downside to hearing the Gospels in pieces like we do week to week (versus reading them straight through), is that I often lose sight of context.  It didn't dawn on me until later that, if you read Matthew's Gospel as chronological, Jesus is probably days away from His death when He tells this parable.  

2)  Similarly, it is easy to miss the connection between this passage, and one earlier in Matthew's Gospel where Jesus tells us "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one that does the will of my Father who is in Heaven."

3)  Every time I hear this reading my first reaction is to assume I am the son that does the right thing, even if he initially says the wrong thing.  In reality, I am probably more often like the son that says he will do the right thing, but then does not.  How many promises do I make to God that I don't follow up on? 

God Bless you.

P.S.  For those of you that missed it, our fellow blogger friend Victor has published a new book called The Priest and the Prostitute.  You can see the trailer (yes, there's a trailer!) for it here.

Highs and Lows for Simon Peter

I'm going to keep to my Simon Peter theme for another week. 

Just last week, Matthew told us that Jesus glorified Peter as His Rock - the foundation He would build his Church on.  

As far as praise goes, that is about as good as it gets!  Peter must have been on top of the world hearing those words from our Savior.

But we know it was not all rainbows and sunny skies for Peter.  In this week's Gospel we hear the exact opposite.  

Our Lord lays one of the harshest insults possible on His Rock.  

He calls Him Satan. 

I'm sure once Peter figured out why he was getting yelled at, he felt the sting of that one. And such was life for Simon Peter.  A few steps forward, and then a few steps back.

Kind of reminds me of someone I know.  

Us.

As Shirley commented on my post last week, God did not choose a perfect man to lead His church.  He chose one with human weakness that was frequently on display.  One who stumbles often, but is given the strength to do better next time.  

It sure is inspirational, isn't it?  

I pray that our Lord blesses us with even half the strength that He gave Peter!

God Bless you.

Musings on the feeding of the five thousand

Last Sunday we heard Matthew's version of the feeding of the five thousand.  

As I listened to the story for what must have been the five thousandth time (although one can never hear it enough!), I decided to capture some of my thoughts:

• I reminded myself that this is the only miracle to appear in all four Gospels, highlighting what an amazing event this must have been
• Matthew starts by telling us that Jesus was upset about John the Baptist's death and thus withdraws to be by himself, an no doubt, to mourn.  Yet, he selflessly puts that on hold when he sees an opportunity to preach and potentially save the lives of others.  
• Jesus does not feed the masses by himself.  Notice that he tells his Apostles to.  The same thing applies to us today I suppose.  He could snap his fingers and feed all the hungry in all the world, but he is asking us to.  
• God does not give exactly the right amount of food.  There are twelve wicker baskets- full left over.  A reminder that He is so generous ... He gives us more than we will ever need.
• I remember reading once how people would use various elevations or wind direction to ensure there voice would travel far enough for all to hear.  But still, speaking so 5,000 people can hear you can't be that easy.
• By the way, we always refer to five thousand.  But note that Matthew states that that does not include women and children.  I wonder what that number really was.  

 God Bless you.
 

Two words in the Passion that say quite a bit

There are two specific words in the Matthew's Passion that speak volumes.

The first is Rabbi.

Matthew tells us in one of his earlier gospels (Mt 23:7-8) that Jesus is not a fan of the term Rabbi.  And yet, Judas calls Christ this twice in today's reading.  

First, Jesus tells his Disciples that one of them will betray Him.  Matthew tells us that they all begin to ask "Surely it is not I, Lord?"   Only Judas asks Christ, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?"  Perhaps the weight of what he was about to do was so great, that he could not bring himself to use the term Lord. Or perhaps it was his way of showing that, in the moment, he was no longer a believer. 

The other time Judas uses this term is later that night, in the garden. Just before he betrays our Lord with the kiss, he proclaims "Hail, Rabbi!"

And here is where the second specific word is used.

In response to this, Jesus says something unbelievable. 

He says, "Friend, do what you have come for."

Jesus was just betrayed by Judas - to the point of a horrific death.  And He still greeted him with the word friend.  Not Judas.  Not traitor.  Not a word unfit for this blog. 

Friend.

It is a word we glance over as we read the pivotal pieces of the Passion.  But it speaks volumes to the love and forgiveness of our Savior.

I hope you have a very Blessed Holy Week.

Musings on the Transfiguration

The Transfiguration is such a complex event, that I always have random thoughts going through my head while I read it.  Some are serious, some less so.  Rather than try to weave them into one coherent post, I thought I'd just jot a few of them down in short form.

• One question I always ask myself ... how did Peter, James and John know what Moses and Elijah looked like?  (Nametags? Did Jesus tell them afterwards?  Did they have divine inspiration?) 
• Someone once pointed out to me the contrasts between this event and the Crucifixion. They are eery.  Transfiguration: Jesus is up on a mountain, bathed in light, with His apostles around Him, and the voice of God praising Him.  Crucifixion:  Jesus is without clothes, nailed to a cross, with Peter and James nowhere to be found, two thiefs next to Him, and silence from God.
• We all lovingly smile at Peter's comment during this scene, but what often gets overlooked is that God cuts him off.  Matthew tells us that "while he was still speaking" God speaks. 
• Scholars argue whether the Transfiguration occured on Mt. Tabor or Mt. Hernon.  This might not matter to the casual reader, but to the apostles it would have.  Mt. Tabor is 1,886 feet high, while Mt. Hernon is almost 5x higher at 9,232 feet high!  
• Matthew does not mention this, but Luke does - the apostles were sleeping during part of this, and awoke to see the splendor.  It is a lovely thought with much symbolism ... the beauty we can see when God awakens us.
• Jesus asks Peter, James and John not to say anything to anyone until after He is risen.  How hard must that have been for them!  

I hope you are all having a Blessed Lent! 

Time: A perspective

When we read through the Bible, years and months feel like seconds, don't they?

Take today's Gospel, for example.  

Matthew tells us that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert.   Forty days!!  We skim past that as we read about the various temptations Jesus faced.  But do we really appreciate how long that is?  If you are reading this on March 9, 40 days ago was January 28th.  Imagine being in the desert since then, facing the blistering sun during the day, and cold at night. All while fasting.  I don't know about you, but a day of fasting feels like a week to me - and that is while I sit in my comfortable, climate controlled environment.  

This got me thinking of other time spans that I gloss over in the Bible.

For example, Jesus is crucified, and dies in a few short paragraphs.  But I constantly forget he spent six long, grueling hours on the cross.  When I get a splinter in my finger, I rush to get it out as quickly as possible so the pain will stop.  Jesus had nails driven through his hands and feet ... and they stayed there right along his bruises for 360 long minutes.

I never realized, until this year, how long John the Baptist spent in prison.  Never even thought about it since we go from him being arrested to beheaded in a few words.  But scholars think he spend almost two years in prison.  And I'm pretty sure it wasn't the kind Martha Stewart served in.

Mary and Joseph depart Nazareth and arrive in Bethlehem in a few sentences.  But that journey probably took five to seven days.  Walking all day.  And Mary was pregnant! 

The Israelites spent a few pages suffering in Egypt.  But in reality, it was almost 400 years.  To put that in perspective, if you started counting today, your great-great-great grandchildren would still be in Egypt. 

There are many, many more.  But hopefully you get the point of this post.  The ironic thing is that we have no idea what time feels like for God.  Does a second feel like a year?  Or a year like a second?  

God Bless. 

 

Double worry

I once participated in a seminar where the leader spent a great deal of time trying to remind us what is in our control vs. what is out of our control.  

First, he started with "the past", and reminded us that not one person in the room could change it, no matter how hard we all try.  Therefore, we should not waste time worrying about it. 

Then he moved to "the future", and told us it was nothing more than a theory.  Not one of us could actually guarantee it would even arrive.  Therefore, again, we should not waste time worrying about it.  

His goal of the seminar was to teach us about "the present" and how we react to it.  When something happens - it happens.  It is already in the past.  Therefore the only thing we can control is the present - which is how we react to it.  We can choose to be positive or negative. Etc etc.  

Of course, it sounded so easy when he said it.  On paper it looks as simple as 1+1=2.  

Putting it into practice in real life is much harder, of course.  

In this week's Gospel, Jesus is trying to give us a similar message. He points out how useless our worries are - especially those regarding the future - and that God will provide for us the same way He does for all living things.  My favorite line in this passage has always been:

Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life?

That is such a powerful line.   

But this week, I spent time thinking about Matthew's last line in this reading:  

Sufficient for a day is its own evil

In that phrase, Jesus is basically telling us that each day brings with it particular cares, worries, issues, problems, etc. To worry about the things of tomorrow is basically doubling the worry we face today.  

And with everything going on in our lives, who needs that??

God Bless you. 

"Turning The Other Cheek" might not mean what you think it means

Today's Gospel is a commonly quoted passage about turning the other cheek.  

Most Christians I know (including myself for a long time) viewed this as a passive, almost meek, behavior. 

But knowing a little about the culture during Jesus' time gives us a potentially different lens.

In those days, Jews, and even Romans, viewed the left hand as unclean.  They used their right hand in contact with others.  Including striking someone.  In addition, they would use the back of their right hand when slapping someone to show disgust and insinuate superiority over their victim. 

Therefore, the act of striking someone on the right cheek meant the aggressor was showing contempt for the person.

Now Jesus encouraged his followers to turn the other cheek, which meant exposing the left.  That means the aggressor would need to strike with the inside of his right hand, indicating equality, or the back of his left hand, which was unclean. That would give the striker pause! This does two things.  First, it does not show violence or fear ... in many ways it shows resistance and bravery.  Second, it activates the aggressor's conscious - which is what Jesus was really after.

I saw Fr. Barron discuss this passage once, and he summed it up by saying during a violent event, you historically had two options.  Fight or flight.  Fighting meant an eye for an eye, etc - and just bred a more violent world.  Flight, on the other hand, vindicated the violence and allowed it to continue.  Jesus offers us a third option which translates to a peaceful stand while making a point.  

Fr. Barron also gave a very interesting, modern day example of this kind of behavior.  He said one day, Bishop Desmond Tutu came upon a small bridge.  On the other side, coming at him, was a know racist who told the bishop to "step aside, I don't make way for gorillas."  Bishop Tutu stepped to the side, gestured for the man to continue, and calmly replied "I do."

No passive meekness there!
 
God Bless you. 

Salt, Light, and too much Snow

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples (and us) that we are the salt, and light of the earth.
  
I usually focus on the "light" part of that statement, mainly because it is more vivid in my mind.  However, given that I live in the snow-ridden, northeastern United States, today the salt angle is leaping off the page at me.

Most of us probably know the general interpretation of this passage.  Back in Jesus' day, good salt was used to preserve food, much like Christ charged His disciples with preserving His word and the Faith.  However, salt that loses its flavor is worthless, and gets tossed out and trampled on - much like sinners could be tossed out of the Kingdom.  

(Two notes of interest:  One, salt does not lose flavor easily, so this could also be interpreted as "impure, or inferior" salt.   Two, if salt gets trampled into farmland, it can ruin entire crops - much like sinners can ruin otherwise Holy people.)

But this winter's weather has led me to another analogy.  Every other day, it seems like we face more snow and ice here in my part of the world.  When the road crews put high quality street salt down, we all walk confidently and remain upright (read: remain good disciples of Christ).  When they use inferior salt, or the salt has become trampled into the ground from too much traffic, our road instantly becomes very slippery - causing people to fall (read: sin). 

So whether we are preserving the Faith, or helping people walk steady on their path to Paradise, I think our mission is pretty clear!

God Bless.   

Worry, worry, worry.

Yesterday I read Matthew 6, and came across a phrase I wish I remembered more often:

Can any of you, by worrying, add a single moment to your life-span?

Jesus asks His followers this on the Mount, but we should be reminding ourselves of this every day.

Let's face it - we humans are a worrisome people.  We worry about our loved ones, our jobs, our finances.  We worry about terrorism and nuclear war.  We worry about our health, illnesses, aches and pains.   And we Worry (with a capital W) about death.

But Jesus reminds us that all this worrying is for naught.   God knows what we need.  And He has a plan.

So really, the only thing we should be "worrying" about, is whether we are following God's commandments and loving Him to our fullest.

And here I was worried I wouldn't know what to blog about this week! 

God Bless.

Random Thoughts from a Busy Week

Sunday:  I hear the Gospel reading about Jesus calling Peter.  It dawns on me that after cleaning the nets after a day on the sea, fisherman are exhausted.  And yet, when Jesus tells Peter to go back out, he does so without little argument.  Do I act like that when Jesus leads me?

Monday:  Pope Benedict resigns.  I admire him for his decision.  It could not have been easy, and it feels like it was made with the best interest of the Church in mind.  That is what a true leader does.

Tuesday:  Genesis.  God created man in His image.  Every time I hear that phrase I am blown away.  To be reminded of that is inspiring.  A reminder that He expects so much more of us.

Wednesday:  Ashes.  I remember when the priest used to remind us that we came from dust and we will return to dust.  That is hard for us immortal-wannabes to accept.  I immediately think about Pope Benedict and his decision earlier in the week.  He understands this better than we do.  

Thursday:  The world is better while everyone is focusing on Love. Even if it is a "Hallmark holiday".  I try to imagine what it would be like if every day was like this.  I wonder if anyone wished Jesus a Happy Valentine's Day.  After all, He loves us more than anyone else.

Friday:  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus tells us there will be a time to celebrate with the bridegroom and a time to mourn and fast.  Life is like that isn't it?  Waves where the cross is light and waves where it is almost unbearable.  

Sunday:  Jesus.  Desert.  40 days.  No food.  I went 4 hours this week and was the equivalent of a 6 year old.  His strength is incomprehensible.  

A Blessed Lenten season to all of you reading this!