“On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.”

“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” – Saint Augustine

(Gospel text: Jn 3:22-30)

Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea,

where he spent some time with them baptizing.

John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim,

because there was an abundance of water there,

and people came to be baptized,

for John had not yet been imprisoned.

Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew

about ceremonial washings.

So they came to John and said to him,

“Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan,

to whom you testified,

here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.”

John answered and said,

“No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.

You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ,

but that I was sent before him.

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;

the best man, who stands and listens for him,

rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.

So this joy of mine has been made complete.

He must increase; I must decrease.”

Our contemporary culture has become one of silliness and superficiality. We tend to live on the surface of life and allow ourselves to be swept away by the winds of every fashion and trend, opinion and whim. Its sad to say, but many people in Western Civilization today live unreflective lives.

What is the prescription for this current state of mind?

It is contained in the words of St. John the Baptist at the end of today's Gospel: "He must increase; I must decrease."

As a nation and as individuals we have dethroned Jesus from our hearts. Even though the numbers of the so-called "nones" (people who are not affiliated with any religion) are growing steadily, the vast majority of Americans still consider themselves in some sense believers.

But does their belief really translate into their everyday existence? For too many the answer is clearly, as well as sadly, no.

Another way of saying it is that we need to strive towards dying to ourselves, to our whims, to our sinful habits, to our self-centeredness, to our childish attachments. We need to work at reorienting our lives and eliminating from them everything that keeps Jesus at arm's length.

St. Paul wrote: "When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things" (1 Corinthians 13:11).

As a culture we are in the throes of spiritual death but it is still possible that we could be brought back to life. The prognosis is poor but there is hope. The diagnosis is dire, but there is a cure.

Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom

“I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him.”  - C.S. Lewis

 (Gospel text: Lk 5:12-16)

It happened that there was a man full of leprosy

in one of the towns where Jesus was;

and when he saw Jesus,

he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,

“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”

Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,

“I do will it. Be made clean.”

And the leprosy left him immediately.

Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but

“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing

what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”

The report about him spread all the more,

and great crowds assembled to listen to him

and to be cured of their ailments,

but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

What should we do to be cleaned?

Sometimes we want something much bigger, something immediate and powerful that heals us in an instant.

It’s easy to hear again and again in church about repentance and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and to sigh, “Yes, I’ve heard that before!”  It’s pretty mundane.  It’s not that impressive.  And because it’s so familiar, we can think it’s not going to make any difference. 

But challenge yourself! - Living life without forgiveness is like drinking poison.

St. Jerome expressed the same idea centuries ago when he asked, “How can a sick person expect to be healed if he is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor?” Some years back, a Jewish psychologist remarked, “Over the last few decades, as the line of Catholics waiting at the confessional has decreased, the number of my clients has exponentially increased.” When was the last time we went to confession? Six months ago? Six years? Not since our first Holy Communion? Don’t we realize that God loves us—not so much because we’ve been good, but because we need Him? “There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.”(LK 15:7)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI-l9ug7S7A&feature=youtu.be

“God is not looking for alms, God is looking for action.”

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”  - Unknown

(Scripture Text: 1 Jn 4:19–5:4)

Beloved, we love God because

he first loved us.

If anyone says, “I love God,”

but hates his brother, he is a liar;

for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen

cannot love God whom he has not seen.

This is the commandment we have from him:

Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God,

and everyone who loves the Father

loves also the one begotten by him.

In this way we know that we love the children of God

when we love God and obey his commandments.

For the love of God is this,

that we keep his commandments.

And his commandments are not burdensome,

for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.

And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.

What does it mean to love your brother? 

For me I take ‘brother’ in this context to be metaphorically inclusive of humanity.  In order to love God, we must love people. When we truly love others, we find ourselves acting out of compassion on their behalf.  We find ourselves speaking for those without a voice, standing up for those who have been downtrodden by society; we find ourselves making the Kingdom of God tangible and real. 

Easier said then done. How do we do this?

If you’ve ever followed an instruction manual, you know how it works. After you complete step one, you proceed to step two, and then three, and eventually—if you’re a little savvy—you move to the final step of complete assembly. Now what would happen if, as you are attempting to put something together, you realize that the order of the steps in your manual is all jumbled up? You can imagine the mess you would have on your hands!

St. John here gives us an instruction manual, of sorts, to help us understand something about love. We love because he first loved us… . Whoever loves God must also love his brother (1 John 4:19, 21). Let’s say that the last step here—the finished product—is loving others. What do you think would be the first step, according to John’s manual?

If you said, “God loves us,” you got it right!

Here’s the key to the whole manual: as we follow Jesus’ command to love one another, we need to make sure we are in touch with God’s love for us.

If you aren’t receiving it yourself, you will surely have a difficult time giving it away!

Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and everyday. Either he will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings. - St. Francis de Sales

(Scripture text: 1 Jn 4:11-18)

Beloved, if God so loved us,

we also must love one another.

No one has ever seen God.

Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,

and his love is brought to perfection in us.

This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,

that he has given us of his Spirit.

Moreover, we have seen and testify

that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.

Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,

God remains in him and he in God.

We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.

In this is love brought to perfection among us,

that we have confidence on the day of judgment

because as he is, so are we in this world.

There is no fear in love,

but perfect love drives out fear

because fear has to do with punishment,

and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.

Love and Fear – these two emotions seem to be the themes of today’s reading. While I could easily just talk about love, today I feel compelled to address the harder question, how is fear the opposite of love?

What I think St. Paul is getting at is that crippling fear, fear that leads us to inaction, is the opposite of love. Love is action. It physically connects us with both others and God. As St. Paul states, “love is brought to perfection in us… love is brought to perfection among us.” Love is not letting fears keep us stagnant and isolated. Love addresses the emotion of fear but does not give into it, even when our life is on the line. While Jesus did fear the crucifixion, he did not let it cripple him from performing the ultimate act of love.

So as we reflect on today’s scripture passage, let us take some time to address those main fears that hinder us from ACTING with love.

Maybe you’re afraid of being insulted. Maybe you’re afraid of offending someone. Maybe you’re afraid that you will be hurt – socially, emotionally, or maybe even physically. Maybe if we take today to address and pray about our fears, maybe we will be able to recognize and overcome them the next time they arise.

Christ really does live in you. You really are his representative in this world.

So be confident!

The love that you crave is already in your heart.