Tag: Catholic Church

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And They’ll Know We are Christians by our Love

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Fifth Sunday of Easter Readings
First Reading: Acts:14:21-27
Psalm: 145:8-13
Second Reading: Revelations 21:1-5A
Gospel: John 13:31-33A, 34-35

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love. That’s the message of today’s Gospel from John 13. And that’s why Paul and Barnabas are running Lystra and Iconium and Antioch in today’s first reading from Acts 14. They aren’t getting bonuses for every conversion. They aren’t saving for their retirements. No! They are sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ out of their love for Jesus which helps them see that every person has dignity and every person is worthy of the message of salvation. Paul’s missionary journey is made possible out of love.

Love is everything. I would suggest to you that the ultimate fruit of our conversion is love.

Now I have to admit, that is not an earth-shattering idea or even a cool one. In fact, when I was kid going to RE, what we used to call CCD, I remember complaining to my catechists about all these lessons that always talked about love. I told them we should be learning what it means to be Catholic – like studying our history, our culture and our traditions. But really, I didn’t get it, and that my catechists had no answer for me says they didn’t get it either.

Being a Christian means to be transformed by love. The ultimate fruit of our conversion is love. Love is what drives my desire to learn more about Jesus. Love is what drives my desire to share the Good News with others. Love is what should motivate us to go the margins to bring the Good News. Being a Christian means I need treat everyone around me with love – even if I don’t agree with their politics – even if I don’t agree with their lifestyle – even if they broke the law, for example, are here illegally. Every person is created by God and so every person has dignity. Christian love means that I love the sinner even though I hate the sin.

Is this easy? No and that’s why Catholics talk about conversion being a daily process. Conversion means dying a little to ourselves every day so that we become more fully Christ-like. And this conversion to love is critical. Jesus says, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another,” (John 13:35). Without love, our words and gestures and actions are meaningless. The beginning of discipleship is to first be converted by love and then live a life of love for others.

Homework: I suggest we reflect on the following two questions this week – at least a couple of times this week.

  1. First, what does the feedback I receive from others say about how I live my life? Can they see I am disciple of Jesus Christ by the way I love other people?
  2. Second, where in my life do I need to grow in love?

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

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Good Shepherd Sunday

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Mass Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
First Reading: Acts 13:14, 43-52
Psalm: Psalm 100:1-3, 5
Second Reading: Revelation 7:9, 14B-17
Gospel: John 10:27-30

Happy Mother’s Day to all our friends and family around the world who celebrate mothers today.

The fourth Sunday of Easter which is known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” is also the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.” As always, you can find the links to today’s readings as well as some excellent resources for vocations and discernment in the notes section and also on our website, www.deaconrudysnotes.org https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/. Today, we remember in a special way all our bishops and our priests. But the challenge of the Scripture today applies to all in leadership roles over God’s flock, the Church.

First, who is the Church? John tells us today in Revelations Chapter 7, verse 9, that the Church is the “great multitude”. God swore to Abraham his descendants would be too numerous to count. And in the Church, as John sees, this promise is fulfilled.<1>

That’s an awesome image, right? But it can also be an overwhelming image too. I think its very easy to get lost in a big crowd and feel completely alone. Have you ever felt that way? My brothers and sisters, I have good news! Jesus tells us that he is our Shepherd and he will watch over us, so we are never alone. In today’s Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 100, verse 3, reminds us, “Know the Lord is God, he made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the flock he shepherds.”

Indeed, in today’s Gospel, John Chapter 10, verse 27, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” How does that work, exactly? How does he speak to me? Well, I think that in order to hear his voice, we need to stop talking! Right? How many of us in our prayers do all the talking and never pause for a second for the Holy Spirit to respond? I think if we listen, we can hear him speak to us at every Mass, through the Bible, through our pastors, through our parents, through our friends, through the events of our lives, and through his creation all around us. C.S. Lewis reminds us that, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks to us in our consciences, and He shouts to us in our pain!”

How many of us, I wonder, miss out on the hearing God’s voice or the angels’ song because we won’t quiet our minds or we can’t set aside the pressures of life that we often place upon ourselves? How can we ever really discern God’s will if we don’t hear his voice – if we don’t stop, drop and roll, as the Life Teen ministry suggests, follow the links at the bottom of this podcast notes for more information about that.

But God’s voice is not only for us. That’s why we, as disciples, are challenged to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, just like Paul and Barnabas in today’s second reading from Acts Chapter 13. They “were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit” and continued to preach to the Gentiles who welcomed them with delight (v. 48).

Our challenge is to become good shepherds and good sheep, good leaders and good followers.

Everyone who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd. So, our pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, government officials, etc. are all shepherds. We become good shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time and talents for their benefit protecting them from physical and spiritual dangers. Parents must be especially careful of their duties to give their children good example through the way we live our Christian lives.

We are called to be good sheep – not passive, blind and dumb creatures – no! We are called to be actively good sheep. As sheep we are called to be part of the community – our local parish. There we hear and follow the voice of the shepherd through homilies, Bible classes, pastoral counseling, spiritual direction and advice. We receive from our pastors spiritual food by regular participation in the Holy Mass, by receiving the Sacraments, and by attending prayer services, renewal programs, and missions. We cooperate with our pastors by giving them positive suggestions for the good of the parish, by encouraging them in their duties, by lovingly offering them constructive criticism when they misstep, and by praying for them. We also should cooperate with our fellow parishioners in the activities of various councils, ministries and parish associations.

Together we are a good herd – a good church – when we continue the ministry of salvation begun by Jesus – when we reach out to the margins and share the Good News. God gives us Faith through Baptism, and then he strengthens that Faith in Confirmation. He supplies food for the journey in the Holy Eucharist and in His Divine Word through Scripture. He sanctifies our society through good and holy marriages and through the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life. May we foster a spirit of vocations in our families so that our children know they have options to serve the community as priests, deacons and consecrated religious brothers and sisters.

Our readings today offer us both comfort and challenge. The comforting message is that we are in the hands of the Good Shepherd. The challenge is that pastors and lay people alike should be good shepherds to those entrusted to their care.

Homework! I ask you to reflect on the following questions. I encourage you over the next week to pause at least once a day and consider these questions through your prayer and meditation:

  1. In what ways am I a good shepherd and in what ways must I improve?
  2. In what ways am I a good sheep and how can I be a better, more active part of the community?
  3. And our bonus challenge today is: May we pray for those discerning God’s call to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life.

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

Notes
<1> Compare Revelation 7:9; with Genesis 15:5.

Resources

  1. World Day of Prayer for Vocations https://www.worlddayofprayerforvocations.com/
  2. Pope France Message for the 2019 World Day of Vocations
    http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/vocations/documents/papa-francesco_20190131_56-messaggio-giornata-mondiale-vocazioni.html
  3. USCCB World Day of Prayer for Vocations http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/world-day-of-prayer-for-vocations.cfm
  4. USCCB Discernment Tools http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/discernment-tools.cfm
  5. 3 Steps for Discernment by Life Teen: Stop, Drop and Roll https://lifeteen.com/blog/discernment-in-3-easy-steps/
  6. Fr. Mike Schmitz 4 Helpful Rules for Discernment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne8n-1ATd1s&vl=en
  7. Bishop Robert Barron How Should I Discern the Priesthood? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdxYHfExkfo
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Third Sunday of Easter

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Readings
First Reading: Acts 5:27-32, 40B-41
Psalm: Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
Second Reading: Revelation 5:11-14
Gospel: John 21:1-19

Peace be with you! Today’s Gospel is from John 21:1-19. You’ll find a link to the readings in the notes for this podcast. If for some reason the links don’t show up, no worries! You can always head over to my website, www.deaconrudysnotes.org, where you’ll always find the full text for this podcast along with links to the readings. Most of the reading links point to the USCCB website. That’s the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website where they have an excellent resource of the readings used in the mass every day of the week.

Now, there’s a lot going on in today’s Gospel where Jesus appears for the fourth time. Don’t forget, the first appearance was to Mary Magdala, (John 20:11-17). There is definitely a theme of reconciliation, right? Peter is reconciled with Jesus, (John 21:15-19). There is a Eucharistic theme in the sharing of bread and the fish, (John 21:12-13). But I would like to talk about the discipleship theme in today’s Gospel.

What does it mean to be a disciple? I think being a disciple means three things.
First, we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. (John 21:7). Now, accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior should change everything. It should change the way we look at the world; the way we see our family and friends; it should change everything. But does it? Look at the disciples. Jesus has appeared to them twice before and what are they doing? They went fishing – and not on some leisurely fishing trip. No! They are behaving like the commercial fishermen of their day – fishing by night so that they can bring the freshest fish to market the next morning.

Before you shake your head or roll your eyes in disbelief at Peter, I wonder how many of us, after a retreat, a mission trip, a pilgrimage or some other powerful encounter with Jesus, just go back to our everyday lives without giving it a second thought – just as if nothing happened? Having an encounter with Jesus – accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior – should change everything.

Second, being a disciple means we should want to learn more about Jesus. Jesus asks Peter, just as he asks each of us, “Do you love me?”, (John 21:15). Have you ever fallen in love with someone? Do you remember what it felt like when you first fell in love. It wasn’t enough just knowing their name, right? You probably wanted to know everything you could possibly learn about them. The same is true in our relationship with Jesus. If we love him, then we need to learn more about him. The Church has a treasure trove of excellent resources for us to learn more about Jesus. Many people have come before us and they’ve left us some amazing works of art, literature, stories and theology as they tried to understand Jesus. From GK Chesterton, to CS Lewis to JRR Tolkien; from Michael Angelo to the builders of beautiful churches adorned with magnificent works of art; to great teachers from John Henry Newman, to Teresa of Avila, to Augustine. There’s so much quality information out there to help us learn more about Jesus. Not sure where to begin? Your parish can offer you all sorts of ideas of places to begin. Either way, the great challenge of discipleship is for us to learn more about Jesus Christ.

Finally, discipleship means that we need to go out and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Pope Francis calls this being a missionary disciple. So many people in this world struggle with all sorts of addiction – alcohol, drugs, pornography, sex – because they are missing something in their lives. But nothing can fill that hole in our hearts except Jesus Christ. So, we need to reach out to people to share with them the message of hope, the message of mercy and the message of love that comes from our Savior.

To be effective, we should emulate Jesus. What did he do? First, he built a small fire and fed the disciples. Like him, we need to meet people where they are. So, from the beginning, the Church has followed Jesus’ example by feeding, clothing, housing, and educating people. Our concern for people’s physical needs not only relieves human suffering, but also constitutes a powerful spiritual witness. We meet people where they are and by our example, we share the love of Jesus Christ with them. Through us, other people can have an encounter with Jesus Christ – an encounter that leads to transformation – transformation that leads to salvation.

Homework! This week I ask you to reflect on the following two questions.

  1. First, what does the way I live my life say about my love for Jesus?
  2. Second, how can I help support the mission of the Church in feeding, clothing, housing and educating people?

I think by doing our homework, we might become more effective disciples of Jesus Christ. Do you got it? Do you get it? Are you going to do it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!