Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1781430 times)

cassini · « **Reply #75 on:** October 23, 2024, 12:41:20 PM »

Fr Sean again.
Make Problems Opportunities

Someone defined a loser as an individual who when opportunity knocks at the front door, he or she is out back looking for four-leafed clovers. My father used to say that the problem with us humans was that we didn’t view problems as opportunities for enrichment. What he said didn’t make sense to me then. It does now. Two brothers were fighting with each other. Their father punished the one who started the fight by sending him to clean the stable. The other was rewarded by being allowed to play with his toys. After about half an hour, the father checked on both. The boy that was rewarded with the toys was crying. He was upset because he couldn’t make up his mind about which one to play with. The father expected the boy in the stable to be feeling bad because of the dirty task imposed on him but was amazed to hear him whistling. On entering the stable, he saw his son using a shovel throwing horse manure out the back door with a big smile on his face. The father asked the son why he seemed to be so happy. The boy replied, “Well, with all this horse manure there has to be a pony in here somewhere.” What makes the difference is whether we view what life hands us or what we create ourselves as problems or opportunities.

The world is full of problems. We’re bombarded with them every day in the media. When we meet one another more often than not the conversation centers on problems, personal and otherwise. Is it any wonder why more and more people are depressing? The T.V. news is usually bad news. If we don’t view problems as opportunities we doom ourselves to misery and hopelessness or we become cynics. When we focus only on our problems we can feel overwhelmed but God turns them into opportunities. God gives us the wherewithal to benefit from everything that happens to us if we put our trust in Him to show us how our problems can be blessings.

St. Augustine defined evil as the absence or deterioration of good. Evil is a negative reality. It cannot exist on its own. It needs a host like a leech needs a living creature. The host is the good in us. Therefore, wherever we see evil we know that good is not maintained. Evil tries to suck the good out of us like a mosquito or a leech. Without the existence of goodness, evil couldn’t exist since it wouldn’t have anything to feed off. When a person lives a good life evil has no power over him or her. It’s too easy to become overwhelmed by evil since it’s given much more press than goodness receives. We must view evil in light of the good that that is being attacked. Like the boy believing there’s a pony given all the horse manure in the stable, wherever there’s evil there must be good somewhere. The more good is identified and restored the more evil is starved and dies. We can’t eliminate evil unless we restore the good that it is attacking. Evil cannot exist if the good is maintained. This is why we need God because He is all good and the source of all that is good.

St. Mark records an event where Jesus eliminated the evil of blindness by restoring the goodness of sight (Mk 10:46-52). He turned a problem into an opportunity. A blind man along the roadside called out for help. He had been blind for many years and was relegated to begging for a living. His blindness was a huge problem because he couldn’t get employment and there was no welfare. He heard that Jesus would be passing by and took advantage of the opportunity to ask that his sight be restored. He had faith and hope that, somehow, an opportunity for healing would one day knock on his door and he made sure to take advantage of it. He couldn’t see Jesus, but he could hear and shout hoping to be heard. “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me,” he yelled. The apostles tried to hush him up, but the more they did the louder he shouted, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus heard the cry - He always hears the cry of the poor - and ordered His apostles to bring the man to Him. Jesus asked him, “What do you want to do for you?” The man said, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.

The blind beggar was a man of faith and hope. He had learned from Jeremiah (31:7-9) that “The Lord has delivered His people … (and promised to) gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child … (and) console them and guide them … (saying) For I am a Father to Israel.” Jesus told him that it was this faith in God that healed him.

Here is a man who had a problem but turned it into an opportunity to have restored what he had lost. Jesus who came into a world full of problems in order to turn them into opportunities for experiencing His Father’s love. Every problem is an opportunity to turn to God where He meets us in our needs through His Church in faith, love, and hope. St. Paul was inspired to write in Romans 8:28, “All things work for the good of those who love God according to His design.”

As children of God we need to take advantage of every opportunity to ask for His help. The term “opportunist” has some negative connotations. It’s used to describe a person who takes full advantage of every opportunity to achieve his or her own ends without regard to morality. We must be opportunists to use the problem of evil as an incentive to ask God to help us by the power of the Holy Spirit to restore the good that is being attacked. That involves a commitment on our part to live the morally good life by upholding the good that is of God, since only He is good. Our commitment to the good commands us to take full advantage of every opportunity to protect it by nurturing, defending, and restoring it when it’s abused or undermined.

Every problem is a challenge to our faith and an opportunity to express our trust in God “who does great things for us; we are glad indeed.” He promises us that, “Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing” (Ps 126:1-6). Harry Emerson Fosdick, in his book, “On Being a Real Person”, wrote, “Life is a landscaping job. We are handed a site, ample or small, rugged or flat, picturesque or commonplace, whose general outlines and contours are largely determined for us. Both limitation and opportunity are involved in every site and the most unforeseeable results ensure from the handling – some grand opportunities are muffed, and some utterly unpromising situations become notable.”

The power of our faith in Christ lies in the belief that through, with, and in Him every problem is an opportunity for receiving what He has to offer us. We must become Christian opportunists. The next time you have a problem of one kind or another or when someone brings up a problem, instead of commiserating about it, focus on the opportunity that it presents for turning to God and trusting in Him to restore or give you what you need. Then you won’t be overwhelmed by it. Our prayer must be prompted by the man in the Gospel: “Master, help me to see opportunities for being blessed by You where others may see only problems. Amen!” We must ask Jesus to help us view our life through the eyes of supernatural Faith so that we can see every problem as an opportunity to receive His blessing. Faith in Jesus helps us to see what we could never see with our physical eyes. (fr sean)

Five Keys from The Bible For A Happy Home:

1. Give God the first hour of each day. Pray in the morning (St. Mark 1:25).

2. Give God the first day of the week. Serve in your church to save your community (I Corinthians 16:2).

3. Give God the first portion of your income. Keep books on what you give to be sure you do not think you are giving more than you actually are! (Proverbs 3:9, I Corinthians 6:2)

4. Give God the first consideration in every decision. This includes your choice of house, close friends, work, church, school, etc. (St. Matthew 6:33).

5. Give God's Son first place in your heart always. Live in His presence as though He were the unseen guest in your house - He is, you know! (2 Corinthians 8:5). Ord L. Morrow, Good News Broadcaster

cassini · « **Reply #76 on:** October 30, 2024, 08:50:19 AM »

Fr Sean again.
Why We Must Identify Ourselves as Sinners

Jesus revealed that He came to save sinners, not the self-righteous. “I have not come to call the self-righteous to a change of heart, but sinners” (Lk 5:32). St. Mark records Jesus announcing His mission: “This is the time of fulfilment. The reign of God is at hand! Reform your lives and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15). The reformation Jesus called for is about changing our life from a sinful state to a state of grace and holiness. Self-righteous people are those who think they have no sin and, of course as a result, see no need to reform their lives. I have had the experience of people coming to Confession saying, “Bless me, father, I have no sin.” Because we can’t hide from God, Jesus’ Church requires us to “recall our sins” as we begin every Holy Mass. In the Penitential Rite of the Holy Mass we admit that we’re all sinners and in need of prayers so that we might receive the grace of repentance and the gift of forgiveness, which are gifts from Jesus in and through the Sacraments of His Church. God gives us His Commandments so that we can know what virtuous, righteous living is and what vicious, unrighteous living is.

God’s Commandments are the signposts that we’re loving Him through freely obeying them. Jesus revealed that, “You will live in my love if you keep my commandments, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and live in His love” (Jn 15:10). Prior to saying that, He warned that, “A man who does not live in me is like a withered, rejected branch, picked up to be thrown in the fire and burnt” (15:6). Jesus came to call sinners to be transformed from a state of sin to a state of grace by living in His love through obeying His commandments. Here Jesus is fulfilling what God said through Moses in Deuteronomy 6:2-6: “Fear the Lord, your God, and keep, throughout your lives, all His statutes and commandments… and thus have a long life … that you may grow and prosper and benefit from God’s promises.” God called His people to “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.” Later God declared, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Lev 19:18).

Jesus was asked by a scribe which of God’s commandments was the greatest. The Pharisees had broken down the Ten Commandments to 613 laws so people wondered which one was the most important to keep. Jesus answered by quoting from both Deuteronomy and Leviticus where He combined love of God with love of neighbour, namely love God with everything you are and have and love your neighbour as yourself. Thus Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments into two groups integrally connected, the first three telling us how to show our love for God and the last seven showing us how to show our love for our neighbour, our father and mother being our first neighbours. Our love of God is no greater than our love for our neighbour. It’s against the backdrop of this Law of Love that we’re forced to admit we’re sinners who need to repent and seek forgiveness with a commitment to live a holy life.

The commandment (this is not just a suggestion) to love God, ourselves and our neighbour with all our heart, soul, and strength is impossible without God’s help. To have any hope of doing this we must humbly pray with the Psalmist (Ps 18:2-4): “My God, my Rock of refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation, My stronghold!” Why? Natural love isn’t enough to love God and neighbour consistently. We need supernatural love which only God can give us. Which of us loves God, ourselves, and our neighbour with all our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength consistently and constantly? If we’re honest, we have to admit that none of us, even the holiest among us, loves God and our neighbour with all we are and have. This is the kind of love that is unconditional love and is given without counting the cost.

So where does this leave us? It leaves us with the reality that we’re sinners because we don’t consistently love as God expects us to love. To the degree that we are inconsistent in our love, we’re sinning either by commission or omission. This is why we’re in constant need of the grace of reconciliation, which God, in His mercy and justice, has made possible through Jesus, who is sacramentally present in His Church, particularly in Reconciliation where we can repent and receive forgiveness for mortal and grave sins, the Anointing of the Sick where mortal and venial transgressions of the Law of Love are forgiven when a person is unconscious, if he or she has a repentant heart, and in the Holy Mass where venial sins are forgiven those with a repentant heart.

Sinners don’t go to Heaven. Heaven is for repentant sinners who seek forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift even to the holiest among us because only God can forgive and none of us deserves it. God alone perfects us because He alone can free us from sin and its effects. But He won’t do that unless we admit our sin not just out of fear of punishment but because God is so good in Himself and so deserving of all our love.

The Catholic Church is the visible sign of God’s wish to save every man and woman from sin. The Church brings Jesus to us in each Sacrament in which He both purifies and strengthens us to do good and avoid evil. The Holy Spirit revealed that Jesus “is always able to save those who approach God through Him since He lives forever to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:23-28). The Catholic Church makes it possible to personally approach God through Jesus who is present in her, especially in the Holy Mass.

The Church traditionally devotes this month of November to remembering and praying for the souls in Purgatory, which “is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be released from their sins” (2 Macc 12:46). It’s also a time to think about our own death and the need to ask and answer this question: “How consistent am I in obeying God’s Law of Love?” Admitting that we don’t love as we could, and should, makes us conscious that we’re sinners who cannot save ourselves from hell. This prompts us to ask the Holy Spirit daily for the grace to repent, seek forgiveness, and double our efforts to love God, ourselves and our neighbour with all we are and have. We’ll be judged by how much effort we put into joyfully living in accord with God’s Law of Love. (fr sean)

Indulgence through Praying for the Souls in Purgatory

You can get a plenary indulgence any day this November? The Vatican grants Catholics a plenary indulgence if they visit a cemetery to pray for the dead, and follow the required conditions, on any day in the month of November.

Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree that extended the availability of some plenary indulgences because of concerns about avoiding large gatherings of people in churches or cemeteries. The Vatican has issued the same decree this year during the month of November.

What is a plenary indulgence?

A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ, Mary, and all the saints to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. The indulgence cleanses a person of all temporal punishment due to sin. However, it must always be accompanied by a full detachment from all sin, including venial sin.

Requirements: Sacramental confession, Holy Communion and prayer for the intentions of the pope. Sacramental confession and receiving the Eucharist can happen up to about 20 days before or after the act performed to receive a plenary indulgence.

It is appropriate that Communion and the prayer take place on the same day that the work is completed. One sacramental confession is sufficient for several plenary indulgences. However for each plenary indulgence one wishes to receive, a separate reception of the Eucharist and a separate prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father are required.

The Vatican decree issued due to the pandemic allows Catholics who are unable to leave their home, such as the sick or elderly, to still obtain a plenary indulgence by reciting prayers for the dead before an image of Jesus or the Blessed Mother. Examples of prayers homebound Catholics can pray include the rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, lauds or vespers of the Office for the Dead, or by performing a work of mercy by offering their pain to God.

cassini · « **Reply #77 on:** November 06, 2024, 01:30:02 PM »

Fr Sean again.
Would Jesus Draw Attention to Your Giving?

Sigmund Freud described the human psyche as a combination of three forces: ego, id, and superego. In Greek, psyche means spirit or mind. Our psyche is our spirit and it differs from our soul. Our soul is unchanging and eternal while our spirit develops and changes according to our values and circuмstances. Our soul is our vital principle, that which makes us human. Our psyche or our spirit is demonstrated in our thinking, acting, and through our personality. You could say that our spirit is our mental attitude towards the world. Freud attempted to show that our mental attitude is the result of the interaction between the ‘Id’ as our desire for pleasure, the ‘Superego’ as our conscience, and the Ego as the balancer between them. He rejected religion as a neurosis and believed that pleasure was our main motivating force. The Ego’s job, according to Freud, is to ensure Id’s desire for pleasure is balanced by the Superego’s sense of right and wrong. Ego, in Greek and Latin, means the personal pronoun, “I.” From it we get the words egotism, egotistical, egomaniac. All have negative connotations. Why? Because they reflect self-centeredness and selfishness. The unholy trinity is Me, Myself and I!

Because of our fallen nature we’re all prone to selfishness and, as a result, sinfulness. Do you enjoy the company of selfish people? Do we enjoy being selfish? Yes, but we don’t like to admit it. Does it makes us feel good? No, not in the long term. To be selfish is to be a taker rather than a giver. Our ego wants us to continually look out for ourselves even at the expense of others. Like Oprah, we “love expensive presents.” Someone noted that in Heaven the busiest angels are those answering the phones in the Office of Requests, while the least busy angels are in the Office of Thanksgiving. Selfishness and gratitude aren’t partners. We’re always asking God for help but how much time and effort do we put into thanking Him through sacrificing our time and effort for the benefit of others as He has sacrificed Himself for us? We see this selfishness loud and clear on Sundays and Holydays in our country where only a small minority worship God in the Holy Mass. Is it any wonder that a culture of death prevails? Egotism always leads to the death of the human spirit and the starvation of the soul’s need for God.

The antidote to selfishness is generosity. Jesus Christ epitomized generosity of spirit by sacrificing Himself to ransom us from Satan’s grip on our soul through his appeal to our ego. Christianity is about practicing generosity in imitation of Jesus. Through His Church’s Sacraments, Jesus gives us the grace to eliminate our selfishness by putting Him first and then, through His love, putting others first thus conquering our tendency toward Me-ism. God’s Spirit inspired St. Paul to write, “Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – He will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circuмstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works” (2 Cor 9:6-8).

There are three kinds of giving: Giving out of our surplus, giving what we don’t need ourselves, giving to get something in return, and giving without counting the cost or expecting a reward. Only the last kind of giving provides the antidote to selfishness. The first two are self-serving. St. Ignatius of Loyola prayed: “Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will. Amen.” He prayed this prayer hoping to receive the grace to be selfless and thus Christ-like, a faithful Catholic Christian.

God has revealed in the Old and New Testaments what He considers to be a generous spirit, an attitude that comes from the heart. The Book of Kings relates the story of a widow of Zarephath whom God’s prophet, Elijah, asked to bake a cake for him from her last portion of flour and oil before she and her son faced certain death by starvation. She trusted in the Lord’s promise through Elijah that He would provide for her if she shared her last bit of food with him (1 Kgs 17:10-16). God is always faithful to His promises, which is why all reasonable people should have faith in Him. The New Testament records brings another poor widow donating her last pennies to the Temple treasury. Her generosity drew Jesus’ attention. As Jesus put it, “”She contributed all she had, her whole livelihood” (Mk 12:44). He contrasted her donation to that of the scribes who donated out of their surplus, while she gave out of her poverty and trust in God’s providence. Their giving was self-serving. Her giving was selfless and an act of Faith in God.

One of Satan’s ploys is to convince us that we must rely on ourselves. That’s our unconscious motivation for why we’re selfish. But the fact is we can’t function without God who alone can save us from sin and death. That’s why Jesus tells us clearly, “The man who seeks only himself brings himself to ruin, whereas he who brings himself to naught for me discovers who he is” (Mt 10:39). We make ourselves naught for Jesus and discover ourselves as His followers when we give without counting the cost. As Proverbs reminds us, “The generous soul will prosper, he who waters will be watered” (11:25). We can’t be Christian and at the same time act selfishly. Giving isn’t always about money or things. It’s about being present to others, listening to them, praying with them, greeting them with a smile, offering them a helping hand, being patient with them, forgiving them, expressing gratitude for their existence – even those who annoy us or are our enemies, understanding them, encouraging them, affirming their gifts, recognizing, etc. I’m reminded of the last verse of a song made popular by Glen Campbell, “Let me be a little meeker/With the brother who is weaker, /Think a little more of others/And a little less of me.”

How do you and I want to face God’s judgment at death? The Holy Spirit reminds us: “Just as it is appointed that men die once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him” (Heb 9:24-28). It is our choice now to decide whether we want to meet Jesus Christ as selfish or as generous people who give Him our total self - all our mind, heart, soul, and strength. He will judge you and me according to our deeds. Will our generous deeds outweigh our selfish acts, or vice versa? Now is the time to decide. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #78 on:** November 14, 2024, 11:37:52 AM »

Fr Sean again.
What’s Ahead for You?

What’s ahead for each of us is either the best or the worst, depending on whether we die as Jesus’ friends or His enemies. The best for each of us is to enjoy eternal happiness in the presence of God who is our Father, our Saviour, and our Sanctifier, accompanied by all the angels and saints. The worst is the loneliness and self-hatred of Hell that results from making someone or something else other than God the centre of our life here on earth. If we want the best, reason tells us that we should invest in the best, and there is no one better than Jesus Christ who is present in His Church. That entails lovingly obeying the Ten Commandments, the laws of Jesus’ Church, and humbly living the eight Beatitudes. Someone said that the only two things we can’t escape are death and taxes. Whatever about taxes there’s no escape from death. Regarding death Jesus warns us: “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you least expect” (Mt 24:44). Since none of us knows when we will die it makes sense to be ready every day to meet Jesus face to face as our Judge. Daily asking ourselves, “Am I following Jesus today in my thoughts and actions is like when you’re driving and you see a police car in your rear-view mirror you immediately check your speedometer.

The Holy Spirit revealed that: “Just as it is appointed that men die once, and after that be judged, so Christ was offered up once to take away the sins of many; He will appear a second time not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him” (Heb 9:27-28). At death each of us will be judged according to our deeds in this world. That judgment will bring us either the best or the worst, not just temporarily, but for all eternity.

God never stops warning us as to what lies ahead. Jesus’ Church reminds us that in the Old Testament He chose Daniel to encourage the people to continue to be faithful in the midst of persecution. He promised that because of their fidelity the best was still ahead for them. “At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, the guardian of your people … your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book” (Dan 12:1). God sent the Archangel Michael “to be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil” so that we might remain faithful to our Baptismal vows. The day we were baptized Jesus wrote our name in Heaven’s book as His adopted brother or sister. If we want to look forward to the best, we must strive to be a faithful and loyal brother or sister to Jesus by giving witness to our faith in Him to lead us through this world by the power of the Holy Spirit guiding us in His Church. As Jesus’ adopted brothers and sisters we proclaim daily in the words of the Psalmist: “O Lord… You it is who hold fast my lot. I set the Lord ever before me: with Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed … You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in Your presence, the delights of Your right hand forever” (Ps16:11).

God gave us the intellect to read the signs of the times and determine what choices we need to make in order to prepare ourselves for what’s to come. We’re able to read the signs that predict the coming of the seasons. We must also read the signs that tell us our end is near. Jesus reminds us that no one knows when the world will end. “But of the day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mk 13:32). It makes sense to be prepared. We should prepare ourselves to do what’s necessary in order to receive a favourable verdict from Jesus on how we lived our life. How do we do that? By faithful membership in His Church where He transforms us through His Word and Sacraments. He reminds us that, “The heavens and the earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mk 13:31).

Everybody wants to bet on a winner. No one likes losing. If everything in this world will come to an end, betting on it or on anything in it means backing a loser. The only thing that lasts is God’s Word which becomes His flesh in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated by His Church? His Church will last because she is His Bride and He promised that “the gates of hell will not prevail against her” (Mt 16:18). Fidelity to Jesus in His Church means that evil cannot overpower us. Because God is everlasting everything He says and does is also everlasting. God’s word is God-become-flesh, Jesus Christ conqueror of sin and death, the One who alone promises an eternal life filled with joy. He is the only one who can assure us of winning in the end because he won in the end through His Resurrection. Does it make sense to invest our time and effort in anyone or in anything else? Jesus wants each of us to be a winner and to look forward to the best, namely to enjoy eternity in the presence of God and His angels and saints. This is why Jesus warns us that He is the true Messiah and there are no others. “If anyone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is here!’ ‘Look, he is there! – do not believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will appear performing signs and wonders to mislead, if it were possible, even the chosen. So be constantly on guard! I have told you about it beforehand” (Mk 13:21-23).

Finally, Jesus tells us not to waste our time worrying about when the world will end or even about when we might die. While He says there will be signs happening that remind us the end is coming but we mustn’t fall into the trap of predicting when the end will come. Our focus must be on living the Christian life in the present so that at the moment of death we’ll hopefully hear Jesus say to us: “Come, you have my Father’s blessing! Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Mt 26:34). May these words of Jesus be ahead for all of us. So what’s ahead for you? It is up to you! (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #79 on:** November 21, 2024, 05:04:28 AM »

Fr Sean again.
This Year of Grace Ends Honoring Jesus as Our King

The Catholic Church devotes the last Sunday of her liturgical year to honoring Jesus as King of heaven and earth. St. John (Jn 18:13b-17) records an exchange between Pilate and Jesus prior to Pilate handing Him over to be crucified. “Pilate said to Jesus, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world.’ … Pilate said to Him, ‘Then you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say I am a king. The reason I was born, the reason I came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’” Jesus came into the world to grace us with the truth about God, ourselves, and what we need from Him.

Pilate was looking out for his own interests, which centered mainly on keeping his job. To do that, he had to keep the Jews happy. Otherwise, their report card on his governance might make him look bad to the Roman Emperor. Jesus, on the other hand, was also looking out for His interests, which centered on carrying out the will of His Father. His Father’s will was that every human being would experience His love through repenting their sinful state, seeking His forgiveness. While Pilate was concerned about himself, Jesus was concerned about all human beings. Pilate’s notion of kingship and Jesus’ concept were diametrically opposed. For Pilate being a king meant power, adulation, comfort, riches, servants, honor, and being first. For Jesus being a king meant being a servant to all. Which concept of kingship are you and I more attracted to? Pilate’s or Jesus’? What would the world be like if everyone adopted Jesus’ understanding of kingship? Imagine a world where people would be vying with one another over who could serve the most?

Have you ever reflected on what you are asking for when you say in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come”? When we ask God to send us His Kingdom we must be willing to serve others and testify to the truth because that’s what membership in His Kingdom calls for. Jesus as the King sets the tone and standard for all in His Kingdom. Membership in Jesus’ Kingdom gives its members assurances that cannot be given by any other power: unconditional love, eternal life, eternal happiness, complete freedom, justice, and peace. His Kingdom is the only Kingdom that will not end. All earthly kings are subject to Jesus. All earthly kingdoms give way to Jesus’ Kingdom. A year of grace is a year of benefits from God’s presence to those who are members of His Kingdom

Jesus pointing out that His Kingdom was a Heavenly one he said to Pilate: “If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” Worldly kings use force to keep their positions. History attests to the belief that might is right and so the powerful rule the powerless. But in Jesus’ Kingdom the members express their power in serving others rather than making servants of others. That is what a member of Jesus’ Kingdom does as a graced person during each year of grace. A year of grace is a time period in which God is present in and to the members of His Kingdom, which is visible here on earth in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

If Jesus is King and His Kingdom isn’t of this world, it follows that reasonable people, especially Christians, would use their time in this world to be active members of His Church, the visible sign of His Kingdom on earth. Since so many are using this world to deny, ignore, or compete with Jesus, we can conclude they are irrational. Why would we focus on something that doesn’t last? The Holy Spirit revealed that, “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth … Behold, He is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see Him… I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, ‘the One who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:5-8). This is the truth to which Jesus Himself attested. To refuse to believe it is stupid.

Given this fact about Jesus, why would we embrace someone or something other than Him? Nothing else lasts or enables us to cross from a world that’s temporary to a world that’s permanent - where every tear will be wiped away; where there is no death or dying, no suffering or crying, no conflict or deprivation, no betrayal or irritation; where there is only fulfillment and happiness forever. As human beings endowed with the ability to reason and freely make choices, our behavior so often reflects a woeful lack of intelligent choices. When we look at ourselves, we have to admit that too much of what we do and say ignores what Jesus tells us. We think and act more out of stupidity than intelligence!

Next Sunday we begin a new Liturgical Year. Jesus’ Church calls it a “year of grace” because it offers us a new opportunity to be receptive to Jesus’ presence in us and among us as members of His Church. In the Person of His Son, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Father graces us with His presence. He is our Father who calls us to be present to Him as His adopted children whom He loves unconditionally. The highpoint of this grace-filled meeting takes place in Worship – the Holy Mass. The most central and vital action of every Christian is to worship God. As the priest proclaims in the Preface of every Holy Mass: “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give You thanks …” In worship, we recognize that God is God and we are His creation, totally dependent on Him for every good thing. In worship, we express order in the universe recognizing that God is in charge. In worship, we express the truth about who we are and our need for community. At Holy Mass in the company of Jesus, we testify to the truth that He saves us through His sacrifice on the Cross and recognize that it alone sets us free.

We cannot testify to the truth without publicly witnessing our relationship with Jesus since He is the Truth. The truth about Jesus is that He is the King of all creation and before Him “every head will bow and every knee will bend” (Rom 14:11). Reason amplified by Revelation tells us that we should take every opportunity during this new year of grace to bow our heads and bend our knees in the presence of Jesus whose Kingdom is without end. As rational creatures we must admit that there is no other king or kingdom that can compare to Jesus and His Kingdom. Jesus is the only king whose kingdom will not come to an end. (fr sean)

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Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1781430 times)

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