Holiness Arises in the Heart!

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feb. 11, 2017

St Mary of the Pines Catholic Church, Shreveport, LA, U.S.A.

Fr. Joe is on leave from his parish in Kenya, St. John the Apostle Awasi Catholic Church, Kisumu Archdiocese.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

You all know people with a decent reputation. They are respectful of others and law abiding. We also know some who with a good reputation turn out to be different than we

thought. Some bring terrible hurt and inflict real damage. As the old saying goes, appearances are deceiving. Looking good does not mean that our hearts are filled with goodness.

The first reading today (Sirach 15:15-20) tells us this: “If you trust in God, you too shall live.” The gift of wisdom comes from God and that wisdom is practical knowledge of how to live

well in all relationships, learned from generations of experience and reflection on life with God and one another.

In the second reading, (1 Cor 2:6-10), Saint Paul tells us: “We speak a wisdom to those who are mature.” Because our wisdom originates --not from human reason  -- but from the eternal, hidden plan of God, rulers of the present age cannot know it. It can only be grasped through divine disclosure. God's character and plan are revealed in Christ's passage through the humiliation and agony of the Cross to the Resurrection. 

This wisdom is the spiritual eye that can see the effects of God's love and saving power working in us through Christ's redemption. We are called to use it. A blind man slowly turned around the corner of a street feeling his way

with his white cane. A young man coming from the opposite direction collided with him. "Why don't you look where you are going?" barked the hurried young man. The blind man gently replied, "Why don't you go where you are looking?" Many times we fail to use the  eye of Wisdom God has given to us.

In our Gospel (Mt 5:17-37), today, Jesus wants us to use that "spiritual eye." He wants us to see the world through His glasses. He reminds us that it is not external behavior that determines everything, but what is more important is what is happening in our hearts.

Matthew's Gospel was written primarily for Christians who were grounded in the scripture and traditions of the ancient Hebrews--or simply Christians who had first been Jews. The gospel also focused on Jews who were considering becoming Christians as well as all who wanted to learn more about this New Way as our faith was first called.

Matthew's Gospel has numerous references to the Torah, the most important part of the Hebrew Scripture. The Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In Matthew, there are five main talks or discourses of the Lord modeled on the five books of the Law or the Torah. The first main discourse of the Law is the most important--the Sermon on the Mount, part of which is in today's gospel reading. Just as Moses went up Mount Sinai to bring the Ten Commandments, God's Law to the people, Jesus climbs the mountain of the Beatitudes to present the New Law to the people.

With this in mind, we can understand Jesus's opening remarks in today's gospel: "I came not to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them." In the Lord's eyes, the Hebrew Scripture is not only valid, but it holds a place of greater reverence than ever before. But merely fulfilling the precepts of the ancient law was not enough. The attitudes and lifestyles of the Christian must reflect living the law.

When he introduced the New Law of the Kingdom of God Jesus said something that was absolutely shocking. He said that the holiness of the people had to surpass that of

the scribes and the Pharisees. How could anyone be holier than the Pharisees? The pharisees were referred as "Perushim" [separated ones]. They strictly observed the Torah and hence they refused to mix with those who didn't observe torah vigorously.  

The Pharisees dressed wearing numerous images of their religion--including phylacteries, or miniature lists of the ten commandments. These hung from their headbands so whenever they turned their

Phylactery on his forehead, miniature 10 Commandments

head they would fulfill the law: keep these commandments always before your eyes.

They fasted. They said loud prayers for all to hear. But Jesus said that his followers had to be holier than these Pharisees. How could that be possible? Well, Jesus explains, our external actions must be a reflection of what we are really like in our hearts. If what we do is not a reflection of who we are, then we are hypocrites. Hypocrite, that’s the word that Jesus uses over and over to describe the Pharisees. 

To demonstrate his point, Jesus contrasts the written law of the Torah with the new attitude of the Kingdom that must motivate this law. For example Jesus says, "You have heard it said that murder is wrong, but harboring hatred is also wrong even if you don't physically kill someone."  Why? Because murder is conceived by hatred. The person who hates but does not murder is not a good person. He is just a person who has followed the social norms perhaps to avoid punishment. It is the same with all the laws and rules of the New Kingdom. The Lord's point is that following the law demands living the lifestyle that gives rise to the law. Living the life of the Lord

motivates the Christian rather than the minimal performance of the law.

It is important that we convey this message to our children. I know how adamant you all are to provide the best for your children. I and all your priests are edified by your efforts to be the best parents you can be. I want to re-enforce those efforts that I know you are making to have your children understand the motivation for their actions. Consider asking the children "why" a particular action is good or bad. For example, "I saw you playing with your cousin today and sharing your toys with him or her. That was very good. Do you know why?" Hopefully, your child will answer, "Because people are more important than our stuff." 

Maybe we need to do the same thing for ourselves. For example, "I am here in Church. This is good. Why?"  This is because I belong to God and He belongs to me. I need this intimate union with Him in the reading of Scripture and partaking of the Eucharist at least once a week. Or, "I really lost it with my spouse or my kids. This is bad. Why?"  It's not just because anger is bad, but I sinned against the love that animates our family, the Love of God."

You see, it is not in the action itself but it is in the motivation behind the action where the person's true identity is found and formed. We are called to take upon ourselves the very identity of Jesus Christ. We are called to be selfless givers. We are called to be eternal lovers of the Father. We are called to rejoice in His presence in our families. We are not called to be minimalists in the faith. We are called to develop the facility of finding meaning in the laws that God gave us so that our external actions might truly be a reflection of our internal attitudes.

So, is it easier to be a modern Christian than an ancient Jew? Absolutely not. Christianity is extremely demanding upon us all because it calls us to be 100% committed to living in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.When we make efforts to be wholesome and sincere, then our holiness will surpass even that of the scribes and Pharisees.

God gave us the tremendous gift of freely choosing. Love isn’t truly love unless it is freely given – and freely received.  God has paid us a tremendous compliment in that He respects our decisions. He offers and then He waits for our response. His love for us is unconditional. His only law is love, a love within us that governs our choices and the actions that flow from our choices.

Matthew’s Gospel repeats the same lesson: doing good actions that look good in the eyes

of the world and yet do not contain our complete commitment to Him is not enough: “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’” We cannot fool God. God wants us to give ourselves completely to Him. He will give Himself to us beyond all that we can imagine!

What Hinders the Spread of Christianity? Christians

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feb. 5, 2017

St Mary of the Pines and Sacred Heart of Jesus Mission Church, Shreveport, LA, U.S.A.

Fr. Joe is on leave from his parish in Kenya, St. John the Apostle Awasi Catholic Church, Kisumu Archdiocese.

He asks for our prayers for his people who are experiencing hunger due to drought.

What is the greatest hindrance to Christianity in our country? 

This is a question that is bound to elicit a variety of answers depending on whom you ask. Possible answers would include: the mass media, popular culture, materialism, bad government policies, other religions, etc. A missionary had the occasion to put this very question to the great Mahatma Gandhi, “What is the greatest hindrance to Christianity in India?” 

His answer was swift and decisive: “Christians.” These are not committed Christians, but those who talk and behave in a manner that has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. 

Before the days of widespread high blood pressure, salt was regarded as a great good. It was salt that preserved food and kept it from spoiling. Salt was traded by caravans just as people traded gems and gold.

Jesus called His disciples  the salt of the earth -- we are essential to the world. We carry in us Christ's life sacrificed for all  mankind. He also identifies as as the light of the world. 

A mother and her small child once drove past the restored home of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois. It was night and the

President Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois

national shrine of the United States was brightly lit. "Look, mama," said the child excitedly, "Mr Lincoln left his lights on." The mother smiled, "Yes", she replied, "He left them on for the whole world to see." 

Although Lincoln has been dead since 1865, he is still a tremendous inspiration to everyone. But Christ Himself -- in a even greater sense -- remains the shining beacon for all people of all times. He is "Light from Light,  true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father." (Catechism of the Catholic Church)  Christ has shared with us His Light during baptism and He asks us to become His Light to the world.

In today’s gospel Jesus says to his disciples, “You are the light of the world” (Matt 5:14). But elsewhere in John 8:12 Jesus says of Himself, “I am the light of the world.” Who then is the light of the world, Jesus or His followers? Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. We are nothing without Christ. To the degree you participate in Christ's life, you too become light to the world. 

The Christian in the world today is called to be salt and light. Now what do these mean? We are asked to be salt to our world because of Christ dwelling in us,  preserving it from spoiling because of greed, injustice and lust, preserving it from decaying because of dishonesty, disloyalty and disrespect. We are called to be salt to the world transforming it through Christian values such as chastity, human rights and decency. We are urged to be the light of the world illuminating our homes, parishes, nations with charity, truth,  peace along the way shown by Christ. 

As salt we are called to be sweet disciples, friendly and kind, living peacefully with everyone. As light, we are called to lead others to Christ. Without light, we bump into each another and fall into the ditch. But light says: “Here is the road, take it; here is danger, avoid it.” Our duty is to sanctify the world. 

But how do we do that? Take the path of salt and light. Salt must make the food taste better. If salt loses its taste then it is useless and can no longer make a difference. Light must dispel darkness. A flashlight with dead batteries helps no one in the dark.   If believers have nothing that distinguishes them from unbelievers, then they are like salt that has lost its saltiness and therefore cannot make a difference. And what distinguishes us from non-believers  but the life we live. As Jesus says in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Love is the distinctive mark by which you can tell the true Christian from the false.

Secondly, both salt and light operate by associating with the thing that they want to change. Salt cannot improve the food unless it goes into the food and changes it from within. Light cannot show the way unless it encounters the darkness. Sometimes Christians think that the way to go is to keep away from getting involved with society. But if we do that, we are hiding our lamp under the bushel basket. To make a difference we must get up and get involved.

Disciples of salt and light must meet the particular needs of our time. Save the world from corruption. Dispel the darkness of

division and injustice. See the needs of the hungry, naked and homeless. Come to their assistance. The Lord's appeal in our first reading "Share your bread with the hungry and shelter the homeless and clothe the naked." (Isaiah 58:7) still resounds today and it resounds louder than ever. 

In Kenya, this need is much felt especially in the North. I was impressed when I heard that people are donating through Red Cross to feed my vulnerable people. Nakedness can obviously be taken literally in terms of those without adequate clothing, but it has a wider meaning. The naked are those whose human dignity is denied, who stand before the rest of  humanity without protection, power or hope. It is therefore the responsibility of the Christian to recognise the dignity of each person, regardless of race, colour, tribe, religion or nationality.

Brethren, we will be called to make sacrifices and even face opposition from those who prefer to live in darkness and refuse to approach the light. St. Paul found success

only through the power of the Holy Spirit. "I did this," he wrote, "so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy, but on the power of God." (1 Cor 2:5). 

Set Your Light on a Hill and Draw Others to God

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feb. 5, 2017

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

In today’s Gospel (Matt 5:13-16), Our Lord Jesus describes the mission of His disciples by using the metaphors of salt and light. 

As we reflect on the images that our Lord gives to us, let us open our hearts to the Holy Spirit so that we can hear Our Lord’s call to be His witnesses to the world! 

"You are the salt of the earth.” We all know that salt is a precious commodity. In fact, in

ancient times salt was considered one of the most precious and costly of all commodities. Wars were fought both to protect and exploit salt deposits deep in the earth. 

Although salt is a commodity, salt really does not have much value in itself. It is valuable for what it does and how it affects other things. For example, in Jesus’ times salt was used to season and preserve meat. Along with preserving meat, salt is used to preserve and enhance the taste of food. 

Therefore, as Christians, we are to be like salt -- passionate about the faith we have been given. We are to preserve and enhance it and bring God’s love and truth to others.

In His metaphor of salt, Our Lord Jesus also warns us: “But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” 

My brothers and sisters, we have been given the Truth! Therefore, we are called to be on fire for our faith! 

If we throw our faith away and live for the world, then we are worse off than if we had never received the faith in the first place. For, nothing can be worse than allowing our faith to be stagnant and not grow.

In fact, in the Book of Revelation Our Lord warned He will be particularly stern with those who do nothing with the faith they have been given. “I know your works. I know that you are neither cold nor hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out my mouth." (Rev 3:15-16) 

Jesus also uses the metaphor of light in today's Gospel. “You are the light of the world.”

My brothers and sisters, we are called to enlighten the world through the bold proclamation of the Gospel. Nothing about the challenges of the Gospel should remain hidden. The truths of our faith are to be fully exposed as bright as a light placed on a lampstand in a dark room!

Our Lord says also that we are to be a city on a hill. Our Lord says, “A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a

lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.” In these words our Lord is not talking about a city such as San Francisco or New York or Paris. No! Our Lord is talking about our Church! 

In ancient times, a city on a hill was a point of navigation. Travelers would see the light to be guided toward their final destination.

Therefore, our Church is to lead the world in the right direction.This is why we have doctrines, unchangeable teachings that will lead others into the fullness of Truth. 

Our society is built on sand, and as such it will collapse. Yet, the Truths of our faith will remain forever.

The bottom line is that Christians are called to be vibrant witnesses!  “[Our] light must shine before others, that they may see [our] good deeds and glorify [our] heavenly Father." 

Married couples are called to live their vocation of marriage as a witness of God’s plan for marriage. Single persons are called to glorify God by living chastely. We are called to lead others into the Truth regardless of whether or not they like what we represent! 

Today we are living in dark times. We are living in faithless times. Many are caught up in this world of sin and have lost sight of the road to eternal salvation. Many are unaware of the reality of eternal judgment. The gate of sin has opened wide. 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, be God's witnesses. Become His salt. Set your light on a hill so that many will be drawn to know and love God. May God bless us in this endeavour.

Live in Nirvana, Live Chastely

by Susan Fox 

In 1994, Dr. Mary Pipher published a book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. The book is viewed as a call to arms for the feminist movement to remove the violence and sexism that is affecting young women in the United States. But sadly to me the book was simply a candid and pitiful picture of a society that has totally abandoned the virtue of chastity. And so their daughters’ lives are in ruins. 

Pipher bases the book on case studies from her work as a therapist. Perhaps one of the saddest examples is a young 15-year-old girl, Cayenne, who contracted herpes. When Dr. Pipher met her, Cayenne asked about a recurring dream, in which an old man with a goat walks into her bedroom carrying a sharp knife and begins to cut her in pieces and feed her to the goat. The therapist never tells Cayenne or the reader of the book what she thinks the dream means. But Cayenne said the dream means she was afraid of being cut up and eaten alive. What kind of family would allow such fear into their daughters’ lives? 

Cayenne regretted the loss of her once good relationship with her parents, but rightfully — in my opinion — she blamed them for not keeping her safe. I agree with Cayenne on this point 100 percent. Out of a desire to be loved and accepted, Cayenne gave up her virginity to a boy she hardly knew at a what could only be described as a “sex” party when she was 14. The sex occurred in the first hour of the party. Asked what she felt about the boy now, she said, ”I wish it had been more romantic.” She also told the therapist that a movie in which a teenage girl has graphic sex with  a guy she barely knows “tells it like it is.” Her parents told her nothing of chastity. They simple told her to wait and have sex when she was in love. Pretty limp advice. My task was to restore Cayenne’s confidence in life, and try to teach her that living chastely could be a means of accomplishing that goal. Asked what she thought was her greatest virtue, Cayenne responded, “courage.”  

Cayenne, can I share a story with you?

“Gramma! Gramma!” Little Tommy ran after Rene. The tiny boy is completely devoted to Rene and Rene loves to care part time for her beloved grandson. Rene’s adult children are well adjusted, successful socially and deeply faithful Catholics. 

Renee is happy, committed to her family and her Catholic faith. Her husband of 34 years finds her beautiful and feminine. It’s an amazing secret of lifelong faithful marriages — the husband still thinks his older wife is the loveliest creature on earth — even when her tight abs have sagged, and other stuff has turned to cellulite. However, Rene didn’t always have this happiness.

Rene grew up in a very strict Protestant household, and suddenly had the freedom to discover herself when she went to college. There she decided to try tarot cards and atheism, a deadly mix. She chucked her family’s moral values. She met a young poet and fell in love. They were on the college tract and unlikely to marry, but basically who cares when you are in love right? They slid into an affair.

The guy she dated definitely was romantic in a narcissistic way. Unfortunately, he didn’t see her value as a person nor did he seek her good above his own. In fact, he wrote a poem about Rene and compared having “sex” with her to “pissing” in a famous lake in the United States. Rene had very close family ties back home, and she soon realised that her dream man did not really care for her. He was using her. She had a nervous breakdown, and ended up in a mental hospital. Sexuality used as a casual toy can be very dangerous.

No one had explained the purpose of sex to Rene, nor how devastating a casual affair can be. Sexual relations can be a source of joy in your life, but outside of a committed lifelong marriage, they can be awful. 

My husband told our son that it’s basically Pandora’s Box — if you open it too soon you can become enslaved to behaviours and personal trauma that will haunt you the rest of your life. Your health may suffer too. Cayenne, if you wait until you find a real man willing to change diapers, who wants your good over his own, then marital relations are the frosting on a happy cake.

But human beings have a long way to go before they are able to successfully integrate sexuality within their personhood, and therefore enjoy inner unity in their bodily and spiritual being. They have to learn self-mastery. (CCC 2337) Call this state Nirvana if you want, but it’s basically the practice of the virtue of chastity. Sexuality becomes truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one man and one woman in

complete and lifelong mutual gift open to new life. That’s what Rene has now.

Waiting is hard though, and men uninterested in marriage may refuse to date a girl unwilling to “fork it over.” This can feel like rejection. I didn’t marry until I was 30, and usually my dating life consisted of one date only. He never called again because I didn’t sleep around. I’m grateful now for these small rejections, but at the time I thought I wasn’t attractive. Being a chaste single requires courage, a virtue you have recognised in yourself.

Sexuality is called the generative power of man because it allows two people to make

new human beings and bond with their spouse for life. Our first parents discovered this, “And Adam knew Eve his wife: who conceived and brought forth Cain, saying: I have gotten a man through God.” (Gen 4:1) Human sexuality is the sweet glue in a lifelong marriage surrounded by a garden — full of the fruit of new little lives. This is the family.

Sex is the language of the body. It says “I give myself to you totally and completely now. I have already committed my life to you. And

with this act I renew that sacramental lifelong bond,” according to author Mary Beth Bonacci. A committed unmarried relationship says “I promise not to date anyone else until I dump you (or you dump me.)” Bonacci adds, “I have never seen an unmarried relationship improve as a result of sexual activity.” No, because people can use their body to lie. With your body in the sexual act, you say, “I give myself to you completely.” But in your mind you think, “If it works out.” That is not romantic at all, is it?

Everything has a purpose. Everything used against its purpose is an act of injustice. What is the purpose of the eye? It is to see. But say I have a delicious brownie and I stick it in my eye to taste it. Ouch. Can I taste a brownie with my eye? No, put it in your mouth. Yum. Sticking a brownie in my eye to taste it is an unjust act. It is using the eye for something other than its intended purpose.

So what is the purpose of human sexuality? It creates new life in the safe and stable environment of the family in which the spouses are committed to sharing the whole of their lives with one another, and no other. Sex used outside of its purpose is an unjust act. People will always be hurt in unjust situations.

Some people think the purpose of sex is pleasure. Pleasure can be part of this activity, but if pleasure is the only criteria for sex, then women can be kept against their will in harems, sold into sexual slavery and prostitution. Homosexual sex feels good too, but doesn’t make people happy. It was just reported that 52 percent of youth self-identifying by their homosexuality in the

United Kingdom have tried to harm themselves, according to a survey conducted by Metro, a pro-homosexual advocacy group. So the sole purpose of sex is definitely not pleasure.

“Sex speaks one language and one language alone. And that language is ‘You and I, now and forever, sacramentally united, ready for whatever happens.’ It means marriage and marriage alone. Out of that context, sex can mess up a relationship badly,” Bonacci wrote.

Rene regretted the fact that her parents didn’t tell her this. She learned it when she became Catholic. From a mental hospital, she applied to graduate school at a prestigious school on the East Coast, and was accepted. She chose to study languages. In her Latin class, she read that God made her in His image and likeness. God is love. Casual sex has nothing to do with real love. Rene lived chastely after her conversion to Catholicism, and then met her lifelong lover, her husband Robert. They consummated their relationship after they were married.

Lost innocence can be restored. During that time of waiting to meet the one, she practiced self-mastery, which is a long and exacting work. Like me, she had to realise that you only need to date one man, your future husband, and that requires a good self-image, the one that God gave us in the beginning.

The very essence of love is ruined when pleasure becomes its sole purpose. Love involves reciprocity — each spouse loves the other as a person, not an object of self-gratification. Each wants the good for the other. 

Men are different than women. When they enter a romantic relationship their physical sensuality dominates. Men are sight oriented. They can fall into the trap of wanting a woman because of how she physically makes him feel, not seeing her value as a person.

But a women gets pleasure from the man’s attention — even if it lasts one hour (the time it took for your first sexual encounter). In high school, my friend Julie decided to have relations with a man. The rest of us girls were virgins so we were curious, “What happened?” Trying to make it sound like more than it was, she said that what she enjoyed was the “closeness.” She didn’t feel any pleasure. The guy used her, gave her a sexually transmitted disease, and she went on to un-joyful closeness with other men.

Years later I asked her if she ever married. She was married, she said, but only for one year. The rest of her 63 years were spent as a single woman raising dogs. She has no children. She has no lifelong emotional “closeness” with a man. Pre-marital sex essentially ruined her life.

Emotional unchastity is often the weakness of women. Without a good self image we can use sex to get a man’s attention for the purpose of making us feel good. It’s a form of pleasure, but also a form of insecurity. “If I don’t go to bed with him, he’ll dump me.” Unfortunately, women feel pressured into sex because of a lack of good self image.

I used to be a very insecure person. But when I met my future husband, I was given a great gift. I felt deep peace. I was not anxious as I had been in previous dating situations. “Does he love me? Will he marry me? What do I have to do to win him?” None of those sort of questions entered my mind. I had a total

Larry Fox, my husband, with our

son, James, the fruit of 

happy chastity

willingness to wait and see how this relationship would develop chastely. We waited during a one-year courtship and now we’ve been married for 33 years. My hope is that all young women will aspire to this kind of lifelong loving relationship. Wait for the right man. Don’t take second best. 

Susan Fox is working on a master's degree in Marriage and Family at the International Theological Institute in Trumau, Austria. 

Interested in studying at the International Theological Institute? You can apply here.

Each student at ITI is only charged 6,000 Euros a year in tuition, but the actual cost of the education is 20,000 Euros.
Donate here

Or contact: Dipl. Ing. Alexander Pachta-Reyhofen, Director of Development (Europe), International Theological Institute, Email: a.pachtareyhofen@iti.ac.at

Bibliography

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, Promulgated Pope John Paul II, (Liberia Editrice Vaticana, 2000)  The Vocation to Chastity, 2337-2350 

Bonacci, Mary Beth. Real Love, Answers Your Questions On Dating, Marriage And The Real Meaning of Sex. (Ignatius Press, 2012,) 76-85.

Wojtyla, Karol. Love and Responsibility, trans. Grzegorz Ignatik, (Boston: Daughters of St. Paul, 2013) 140-141.

Rules for Happiness

The Beatitudes

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai

Fourth Sunday of the Year, Jan 29, 2017 

St. Mary of the Pines, Shreveport, Louisiana

Father is visiting the U.S. from Kenya

"Happiness is that which everybody seeks." So says the great philosopher Aristotle.

Aristotle also observes that everything people do twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, is what they believe will bring them happiness in one form or another. But the problem is that what people think will bring them happiness does not in fact always bring them true and lasting happiness.

Think of the drunkard who believes that happiness is found in the beer bottle. He runs a red light, hits a car and wakes up in a hospital with plaster and stitches all over his body. Then it dawns on him that the happiness promised by alcohol may be too short-lived. 

Or take the man who frequents the casino for excitement. By the end of the month, he finds he can no longer pay his house rent.  Then it dawns on him that the happiness promised by the casino is fake. So Aristotle says that the ethical person is the person who knows and does what can truly bring them true and lasting happiness.

Another word for true and lasting happiness is “blessedness” or “beatitude.” In today’s gospel, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount shows that He really wants his followers to have true and lasting happiness, the happiness that the world cannot give. This state of blessedness is what Jesus calls living in the “kingdom of God.” 

The eight beatitudes we have in today’s gospel  (Mt 5:1-12) constitute a road map for anyone who seeks to attain this happiness of the kingdom.

Everybody seeks happiness. But often we look for it in the wrong places. Ask people around you what makes people happy and compare the answers you get with the answers Jesus gives. The world has its own roadmap to happiness. It's not the way that God thinks. 

Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit;” the world says, “Blessed are the rich.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn;” others say “Blessed are those having fun.” Where Jesus says “Blessed are the meek;” the world says, “Blessed are the smart.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness;” people  say “Blessed are those who wine and dine.”

Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful;” others say “Blessed are the powerful.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart;” we like to think, “Blessed are the slim in body.” Where Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers;” the world says, “Blessed are the news makers.” And where Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake;” society says, “Blessed are those who can afford the best lawyers.”

We see that the values prescribed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount are in fact counter-cultural. We cannot accept these teachings of Jesus and at the same time accept all the values of our society. Of course, Jesus does not demand that we abandon the world. But he does ask that we put God first in our lives. Only God can guarantee what our hearts long for -- true peace and happiness. Nothing the world gives provides this, and once God has given it to you, nothing in the world can take it away.

The Eight Beatitudes do not describe eight different people such that we need to ask which of the eight suits us personally. No, they are eight different snapshots taken from different angles of the same godly person. The question for us today, therefore, is this: Do we live our lives following the values of the world as a way of attaining happiness or do we live by the teachings of Jesus? If you live by the teachings of Jesus, then rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

On the Epistle, (1 Cor 1:26-31) God Delights to Work with Nothing. 

The reading tells us that God knows how to write straight with crooked pens; that God, in fact, prefers to write with crooked pens.

"Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,  so that no one might boast in the presence of God." (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

Paul begins this section by inviting the Christians of Corinth to consider their call.  It is God who takes the initiative and calls us to His service. We sometimes find ourselves considering whether we should remain in the church or not. We feel that it is up to us to decide to follow Jesus or not. But Jesus tells us that the initiative to follow Him comes not from us but from God himself.
“You did not choose me but I chose you.” (John 15:16)  “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me.” (John 6:44). It is a calling given by God. 

What standards does God use to choose men and women to belong to Him and do His work? Now, this is exactly where God’s ways part from our ways. Normally we would expect God to pick people who are wise, powerful, and of a good reputation in the eyes of the world. But Paul tells us that God actually chooses people who are the exact opposite. Why does God prefer to work with the nobodies of this world? There are two reasons for this: one is  for the best of the one called, and the other is for the best of those among whom they work.

We can  do the work of God only with the strength that comes from God. Therefore, the first requirement of a servant of God is that he or she learn how to depend on God. For this reason God sometimes allows His servants to carry the burden of their human weakness, so that they will learn that unless they stand in God, they cannot stand at all. St. Paul had a “thorn in the flesh,” which he asked God to remove.  God did not remove it. God simply said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” And Paul concluded, “Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, … for whenever I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10).

The second reason why God allows human weakness in His servants is so that the people among whom they work will realise that the good accomplished by His ministers come from the grace of God, not their own ingenuity.  If they understand this, people will not be tempted to idolize their ministers. The Christians of Corinth had already fallen into this temptation when they began labelling themselves according to their favourite missionaries: “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas.” God wants us to see beyond the ministers who bring us the word of God and to keep our eyes on Jesus, who is Lord and Saviour of us all.

The Lord calls all Christians, and especially those men and women who minister to God’s word to us in any capacity, to a life of holiness. 

A People Who Walked in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light!

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jan 22, 2017

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

Today begins the ministry of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It takes place immediately after the arrest of John the Baptist. (Matthew 4:12-17)  Our Lord Jesus appears on the scene

with His first sermon which was both brief and bold: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

My brothers and sisters, as we reflect on these words of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us allow them to ring loudly in our hearts. These are the first words Jesus spoke in his public ministry. They are the most important words for every Christian to follow.

Ever since humanity fell through original
sin, God has been calling us to repent, turn away from sin,and follow His commandments. The reality is that sin has brought darkness into our world. We hear of these effects in the reading from Isaiah 8:23-9:3 today, where the Israelites are experiencing a turbulent period in the 8th Century B.C. 

About 100 years previously, Assyria had invaded the northern kingdom of Israel. Some were carried into exile while others were subjected to great oppression.The Assyrians ravaged the whole place. They were so
wicked that they even destroyed trees, turning the land in to a desert. 

The people had rebelled agains the laws of God. That was the reason for Israel's utter devastation. But, God does not forsake His promises. He has come to fulfil His promise through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Light of the World.  

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian." (Isaiah 9:1-3)

Our Lord Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. He is coming again to establish the fullness of His kingdom on earth. Yet, until our Lord comes again, we must turn our lives over to God and seek repentance because
our world will go through more difficult times because of sin.

What is most important is the salvation of our souls.  For, our society will pass away. Our nation will pass away.  But our souls live forever. Therefore, we need to take seriously Our Lord’s call to repentance! 

My brothers and sisters, we are living in sinful times. Darkness has enveloped not only our country, but darkness has enveloped the entire world! Many people are living in darkness and are in danger of losing eternal life. 

This year we celebrate the 100thAnniversary of our Blessed Mother’s message at Fatima. She warned us about these times. Yet, our Blessed Mother has also promised us that in the end Her Immaculate Heart will
triumph! For, Our Lord Jesus is coming again! When He comes, there will be no more war,  violence, hatred, or selfishness. There will be no more immorality, no pornography, no child murder, no divorce or anything that is not of God. For, the Light of Christ will overcome the darkness of the world. 

Therefore, let us not take Our Lord's call for

Fr. John Paul Shea at his ordination

repentance for granted. Repent, turn away from sin! For, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. May Our Lord bless each one of us and help us.