“The truth is not always the same as the majority decision.”

“When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society. “ - Pope John Paul II

(Scripture Text: Amos 9:11-15)

Thus says the LORD:

On that day I will raise up

the fallen hut of David;

I will wall up its breaches,

raise up its ruins,

and rebuild it as in the days of old,

That they may conquer what is left of Edom

and all the nations that shall bear my name,

say I, the LORD, who will do this.

Yes, days are coming,

says the LORD,

When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,

and the vintager, him who sows the seed;

The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains,

and all the hills shall run with it.

I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel;

they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities,

Plant vineyards and drink the wine,

set out gardens and eat the fruits.

I will plant them upon their own ground;

never again shall they be plucked

From the land I have given them,

say I, the LORD, your God.

In our world, the pronoun “I” does not signify God is speaking.  “I” belongs to the self and being a self can become a burden.  I am the bearer of rights and liberties, I am the keeper of my conscience, I am autonomous, I am unique, I am the sum of my choices, I decide my values, I face death alone. 

Locked into an interior space, the self grows isolated and sad.  This is not who we are or who we were created to be.

Recognizing personal freedom is among history’s great achievements.  Nations that ignore rights and liberty are fearful places.  But freedom need not leave us stuck in isolation within our very selves.

In God’s presence, we don’t disappear; we become more real. 

“One who has hope lives differently.”

“We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God.”  - Pope Benedict XVI (Gospel Text: Matthew 9:9-13) As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." When Jesus went to Matthew's for dinner, the people with whom He ate with were not reformed sinners looking for holiness. They were still known as sinners committed to a sinful lifestyle (Mt 9:10). These people were sinners who wanted to meet Matthew's new Friend, Jesus. Thus, Jesus' reputation probably took a nose-dive with the faithful. Churchgoers can give lip-service to conversion, but a lot of people would resent suddenly having a bunch of sinners in the next pew. Would the church potluck lose its regulars if a group of alcoholics and prostitutes began coming on a regular basis? Would those regulars turn against you if you were the person inviting “those people”  to new life in Christ? As disciples of Jesus, we place a higher priority on reconciliation than on our own reputation. Conversion comes first. If gaining conversions creates conversations that harm us, then so be it. If you take some time to reflect upon the history of Christianity, it has never been popular to follow Christ. To be His disciple means becoming a fool in the eyes of the world (1 Cor 4:10). We are afraid and hesitate to follow the Lord because we are not secure in His love. If we truly knew deep down that God loves each one of us personally and intimately, like no one else ever could or will, we wouldn't worry about playing the fool.

Jesus Himself said in the scripture: "Woe to you when all speak well of you" (Lk 6:26). Therefore, it can be a good thing for us when people speak against us for following Christ.

Don’t be afraid!

“Cast all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”

“As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.” -  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 (Gospel text: Mt 9:1-8)

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.

And their people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,

"Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."

At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,

"This man is blaspheming."

Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,

"Why do you harbor evil thoughts?

Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'

or to say, 'Rise and walk?'

But that you may know that the Son of Man

has authority on earth to forgive sins?"

he then said to the paralytic,

"Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."

He rose and went home.

When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe

and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

Are you defensive when corrected?

If someone corrects you, do you make like a porcupine and stick out your quills? Is your first reaction to correction to justify yourself?

It is natural to react to correction in this way.

Being corrected can be an all-win situation. If we are corrected justly, justice is being done, and we have an opportunity to repent, love others more purely and authentically, and be holier children of God. If we are corrected unfairly, we can humbly suffer redemptively as Jesus did. To be sure, sometimes we must respond to unfair correction and "set the record straight" —  primarily not for the purpose of defending ourselves but for the well-being of others. However, to be corrected unjustly is potentially an even greater opportunity to grow in holiness than it is to be corrected justly.

Therefore, let us proceed through life not trying to protect our precarious egos but maximizing our opportunities to grow in holiness and thereby be pleasing to the Lord.

Ask questions from your heart and you will be answered from the heart

"God isn't afraid of our doubts, but He doesn't want to leave them with us either."

(Gospel text: Jn 20:24-29)

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,

was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."

But Thomas said to them,

"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands

and put my finger into the nailmarks

and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

Now a week later his disciples were again inside

and Thomas was with them.

Jesus came, although the doors were locked,

and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,

and bring your hand and put it into my side,

and do not be unbelieving, but believe."

Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

The apostle Thomas has an unfortunate reputation as the “Doubting Thomas.” For some of us, the first and only thing we remember about him is his statement: “Unless I see … I will not believe” (John 20:25). But earlier on, when Jesus told the Twelve that he was going back to a hostile Judea to help his friend Lazarus, Thomas rallied the other disciples to join him. “Let us also go to die with him” (11:16), he said. So maybe there’s more to Thomas than doubt. Maybe if we look at the witness of Thomas’ entire life, we will find new lessons for our own spiritual journey.

According to long and well-established traditions, Thomas was a rather active apostle. It seems that he pushed the boundaries of the church far beyond the Mediterranean Basin where Peter and Paul labored. He traveled to Parthia, in the northeastern section of modern-day Iran, where he preached and founded a church. From there he moved farther east, to India, where he must have laid a very deep foundation. Thomas’ work there was so powerful that even today, Christians in India still honor him as their patron and their father in the faith.

So it’s a little unfair that we tag Thomas only as one filled with doubt. He may have wavered, but the whole arc of his life reveals not a doubter but a faithful follower of Christ: an apostle, a missionary, an evangelist, and a martyr. Thomas was loving and loyal, and also quite stubborn in his pursuit of truth. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t just take the other apostles’ word for it that they had seen the risen Christ!

So today, thank the Holy Spirit for giving us Thomas. Not Doubting Thomas but Courageous Thomas. Loyal Thomas. Persistent Thomas. If you still identify better with Thomas in his doubt, remember that Jesus accepted him right where he was and took him deeper. He will meet you, too, wherever you are. He will be patient with you as you pursue the truth and grow in your faith.

“You can sacrifice and not love. But you cannot love and not sacrifice.”

Remember that when you leave this earth you can take nothing of what you have received, but only what you have a given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage. - Saint Francis of Assisi

 (Gospel Text: Mt 8:18-22)

When Jesus saw a crowd around him,

he gave orders to cross to the other shore.

A scribe approached and said to him,

"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,

but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."

Another of his disciples said to him,

"Lord, let me go first and bury my father."

But Jesus answered him, "Follow me,

and let the dead bury their dead."

In today’s Gospel, a scribe approaches Jesus and states, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” In a turnabout way, Jesus explains to the scribe that he is homeless; my life isn’t one of luxury, Jesus seems to say. The conversation is so brief that it’s difficult to tell if Jesus is testing the scribe or just informing him that a life of faith isn’t always easy. In fact, we never officially find out if the scribe continues with Jesus and the disciples because another disciple intercedes and asks permission to bury his father before leaving on the journey. On the surface level, Jesus’ response seems cold-hearted and inconsiderate: “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” After re-reading and reflecting on Jesus’ response, I realized that what comes across as a cold-hearted demand is actually Jesus calling the disciple to leave the past behind him and move forward in life. He doesn’t want the disciple to half-heartedly follow him with one foot in the door and the other out. Instead, he calls him to sacrifice what it is that is holding him back and move forward. Jesus calls the disciple and us all: Let go of what is holding you back, and follow me.

           

Although I had to search a little bit more to find meaning in today’s readings, they provided me with a lesson that I needed to hear: a life of faith isn’t always easy, and it always requires sacrifice but if we allow ourselves to be passionate about living lives of faith, we will easily be able to let go of what holds us back.

Follow me» (Mt 8:22), says today's Gospel. And St. Gregory the Great reminds us: «Let temporal things be used, while keeping eternal realities in our desire; let earthly things be utilized for our trek, while desiring the eternal ones for the end of our journey». This is a good criterion to examine whether we are properly following Jesus.

“For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.”

“The badge of courage does not require that we walk through something dangerous. It simply requires that we continue to share God's love whenever and wherever we are.”

Gospel text (Mk 5,21-43): Jesus crossed to the other side of the lake and while He was still on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him. Jairus, an official of the synagogue, came up and seeing Jesus, threw himself at his feet and asked him earnestly, «My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live». Jesus went with him and many people followed, pressing from every side. 

Among the crowd was a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a lot at the hands of many doctors and had spent everything she had, but instead of getting better, she was worse. Since she had heard about Jesus, this woman came up behind him and touched his cloak thinking, «If I just touch his clothing, I shall get well». Her flow of blood dried up at once, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her complaint. But Jesus was conscious that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, «Who touched my clothes?». His disciples answered, «You see how the people are crowding around you. Why do you ask who touched you?». But he kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, aware of what had happened, came forward trembling and afraid. She knelt before him and told him the whole truth. Then Jesus said to her, «Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be free of this illness».

While Jesus was still speaking, some people arrived from the official's house to inform him, «Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Master any further?». But Jesus ignored what they said and told the official, «Do not fear, just believe». And He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James and John, the brother of James.

When they arrived at the house, Jesus saw a great commotion with people weeping and wailing loudly. Jesus entered and said to them, «Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep». They laughed at him. But Jesus sent them outside and went with the child's father and mother and his companions into the room where the child lay. Taking her by the hand, he said to her, «Talitha kumi!» which means: “Little girl, get up!”. The girl got up at once and began to walk around. (She was twelve years old.) The parents were astonished, greatly astonished. Jesus strictly ordered them not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.

The dictionary defines 'fear' as "an emotional reaction to a perceived threat of evil to our well-being." Fear, then, is an emotional reaction. We can be afraid of things that are not actually evil, even though they might be perceived as such. That which we fear could actually help us grow in faith. For example, a severe downturn in the economy could compel us to turn to the Lord, walk more closely with Him, and trust Him more than ever before. However, there are some things we should fear. We teach children to fear things that can harm them, such as a hot burner on the stove. As adults, we should be especially afraid of things that can harm our soul. To overcome fear, we need faith (Mk 5:36). The synagogue official and the woman with the chronic bleeding both broke through any fears to come to Jesus. The synagogue official risked ruining his reputation with his Jewish peers. The bleeding woman was 'unclean'; she would have been fearful of passing on her uncleanness to anyone who touched her (see Lv 13:45). Nonetheless, each stepped past that emotional reaction of fear and stepped out in faith. Of what should you be afraid? Be afraid of not becoming all that Jesus wants you to be.  Today at Mass, when you receive Jesus in the Eucharist, give over to the Lord that one powerful fear that keeps you from becoming the disciple God wants you to be. Surrender your fear today and let Jesus put it away forever.