‘That you may have life, to the fullest (John 10: 10)

   Jesus’ birth began the process of reconciliation, repairing our broken relationship caused by the bad choices Adam and Eve made.  Jesus’ life, suffering, death and resurrection was so we (all) could get reconnected with God, to have life to the fullest.

   In January we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, and we remember our own Baptism that began our relationship in God’s family.  Through our Baptism we enter into the family opportunity for fullness of life, which is a close connection with God.

   And Jesus wants us to stay there, but we also make our own choices that sometimes separate us from God.  But God does allow “U – Turns” and welcomes us back through Reconciliation.  It is a way that we get reunited with God as well as God’s family (the Church).

   The Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist are great blessings in helping us live faithful lives.  They help us restore connection and feed our bodies and spirits in our faith-filled journey.

   Jesus came to offer us this fullness of life, but it is our choice to receive the gift, and then apply it as an effective part of our lives.  We are to share in Jesus’ mission to help others have life to the fullest too.

The Never-Ending “I Love You” Story

   From the beginning of time, now in the present and forever more, God has and continues to proclaim, “I Love You.”  When everyone was disconnected from God’s kingdom, from the family, because of Adam and Eve a plan to reconnect us all was set in place.

   Jesus was born, lived, suffered, died and rose again for the reconciliation of everyone, to make the family whole again.  Every part of God’s plan, including Jesus’ presence and accomplishments on earth, bridged the gap that separated us from The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.

   God wants everyone to hear that “I Love You” message.  So each of us is a messenger with a special (same) task – Tell the world and bring them closer to God.

   This doesn’t mean that we must carry around our Bibles and show people the Word of God.  Some people are called to do just that, but all of us are supposed to live the Word of God daily.

   Living the Word of God means making Faith, Love and Hope big parts of our lives.  Living the Faith is believing and trusting in God.  Living the Love means treating others with kindness and compassion.  Living the Hope is expecting a bright future, because a life with God includes eternity.

   The “I Love You” is because our God wants to get and stay close to us.  Jesus’ invitation to Mass (at least weekly) is a great way to get close to God.  Our attendance, full participation and truly celebrating helps us build up our community of faith, our family in God.  Family is incomplete without the I.L.Y (I Love You)!

It’s not about the bunny; It’s about the Lamb!

It’s not about the bunny; It’s about the Lamb!

   March 9^th (Feb. 22nd, 2023) was Ash Wednesday which began the preparation time we call Lent.  We are preparing for a time, the Triduum, in which we’ll remember the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

   While Easter is the greatest celebration in our Church’s liturgical year, it has gotten entangled with commercial ties.  Easter eggs, chocolates & other candy, and the Easter bunny have become closely associated with this season.  Yet we must not let that overshadow the real reason for the Easter celebration – that Jesus came to live among people, suffer as He did, even give His life and be raised from death.  This was done to reconcile us back into the kingdom of God.

   Just as in the time of Moses, the blood of an unblemished lamb was used to spare those who had it on their doorposts, we are saved by Jesus, the (unblemished/sinless) Lamb of God.  Our redemption was an act of love, God’s choice to save us.

   Much of our Eucharistic Celebration, the Mass, is based on what we experience through the Easter season.  There is consecration of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus & receiving Holy Communion that comes from The Last Supper.  There is the Lamb of God, through which we recognize Jesus as the sinless One who took on our sins and offers us mercy and reconciliation.

   There is so much more about the Mass that can be traced back to our rich spiritual heritage and tradition.  As I learn more about Mass and the message of Jesus, I get closer to God – and that feeling is so uplifting.  In our preparation through Lent there are many things we can do to get closer to God.  Some of them include attending extra Masses during the week, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, setting special time for prayer, reading the Bible, or you may have some other ideas too.

   Who is this God who finds us worth redeeming – I want to know You more.  I know (and of course God does too) that I can’t handle the answers in big chunks, so the revelations come in small bits.  Yet to me the messages are significant.

   That’s also what the overall message is – we are significant and important to God.  We are worth saving, even to the point of sacrificing the Lamb.  That’s what the passion of our Lord is all about – So we have a Way home.

After this Lent, continue with what you sacrificed (all or some of it/them) to keep helping you get closer to God.  Don't just go back to your pre-Lent lifestyle; our preparation through Lent is meant to make changes that improve us.

The Longest Good Friday

   On Good Friday (April 22^nd) we remember that Jesus died for us, sacrificing His life that we might be saved.  His resurrection came on the third day after His crucifixion; Easter is Sunday April 24^th.

   We must also move quickly into the resurrection mindset, so we can become the alleluia people once again.  If we dwell on grieving because of His suffering and death, then we limit celebrating that Jesus reconnected us into the family of God.  Don’t let Good Friday keep you down, Jesus wants Easter Sunday to lift you up!

   I love the quote from Max Lucado -- "Your place in heaven was more important to Christ, so He gave up His so you could have yours."

Salvation: It’s An Inside Job

            We could not fully understand that God wants a close relationship with us without Jesus being born to live as one of us.  He then continued to share the message of God’s love in terms of family and community.

            Some people understood parts of His teaching, but others felt threatened by it.  They wanted to keep their way of life, not making a place for God.

            We are at a similar place, where we have to choose, daily, to accept or reject God fitting into our lives.  How do we respond?

            Our Lenten and Easter seasons are all about preparing our lives to include God.  We are also challenged to build up our family and community relationships.  Then we must support and encourage each other in our faith journeys; then God is present wherever we are, to all.

            Jesus’ life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection are signs that God considers us worth the sacrifice and the reward – eternal life together.  Receive what God offers, be changed and share the renewed you!

Sorry Jesus, but Your Suffering and Death Just Wasn’t Enough

   Does this title sound ridiculous?  Would we ever say or even thing something like that?  Maybe those words or thoughts wouldn’t cross our minds or lips, but do we proclaim just that in our actions?

   Jesus said “… follow the Commandments …” to a man who wanted eternal life.  That way of life makes a priority of loving God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving others as we love ourselves.

   So we know what God asks of us, but do we make the choices to do what is right?  We are to treat each other with kindness and compassion, making loving choices.  Jesus did that for us.

   Jesus offered Himself up for us, which we hear about continuously, but especially in the Lenten and Easter seasons.  His goal was not to just die for our sins, but to also reunite us with the kingdom of God, to make our family in God whole again.

   Before the sacrifice Jesus made, He celebrated a supper with His friends, His disciples.  He offered bread as His Body, and wine as His Blood, but also said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”  That supper along with His suffering, death and resurrection are what we commemorate each time we celebrate Mass.

   So if we don’t make attending, fully participating in, and truly celebrating Mass weekly (at least every weekend), then what do our actions really proclaim for our lives?

   Our experience at Mass should be centered on building up the community, offering our voices and actions in the prayers and songs to bring the celebration alive.  The Body of Christ is not just something we receive, it is also what we become.  We are part of the Body of Christ (as Church), and the Body of Christ is a part of us in Holy Communion we receive and consume.

   That Holy Communion strengthens our faith and that of the whole community, building us up as a stronger more unified holy communion.  We have been changed by the Word and Eucharist through Mass.

   As the renewed person we’ve become we are sent out to live changed lives and be the change Jesus wants for our world.  One of OMC’s youth taught me recently that amidst an experience such as our Mass can be, I can realize that “I feel so alive.”

   My actions can proclaim the Presence of Jesus as a friend, my Lord, my Savior, and especially someone I want you to meet.  Don’t let your words and actions proclaim the wrong messages about who Jesus is, what He did for us, and what He wants for us all.

   Yes, this Person, the Son of God sacrificed so much, suffered, died and rose again to give us hope and life, eternal life.  We are the Easter people, all year long, every year.

   We are thankful that our God considered us worth reclaiming, redeeming, reconciling, reuniting.  Eucharist means thanksgiving, so we are giving thanks every time we celebrate, truly celebrate the meal that Jesus initiated.

   You’re invited, but not just to attend, rather to share in the celebration with full participation.  Accept!  Receive!  Consume (Word and Eucharist)!  Be Affective!

Passion for Life

   For God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life. (John 3: 16)

   God wanted us to be reconnected to live, united with all in heaven.  So Jesus came and lived as a man, suffered and died as a condemned criminal and was raised from death to bridge The Way to the Father.  April 17^th is Palm Sunday, which we also call “Passion Sunday.”  Jesus’ “passion” was the time from The Last Supper through His crucifixion and burial (which we also call the Paschal Mystery).

   Passion has many meanings according to the dictionary.  One of them is “intense love.”  I think this is very close to Jesus’ passion.

   God loves us so much that Jesus took human form to raise us up through His resurrection.  Jesus said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.”  Because of this great love we come to know God, and feel some of that love.

   To lay down my life for a friend is an extreme situation.  It is not likely I will often have to make that choice.  Try looking at it in a different way; we might make a sacrifice so others come closer to God.

   That’s a totally different way to see it.  That is easier for me to understand, and more often a choice I’ll face.  I can give something of mine, sacrificing to share with others the message of Life, Eternal Life.

   The sacrifice could be money toward a worthy cause, or time, talent and effort to help someone meet my friend Jesus.  In a homily Fr. Richard Hopkins said, “The only Jesus some people may ever meet could be through you.”  I need to live so others can see Jesus through me.

   I can introduce many to Jesus with simple words and actions.  As these words and actions become more frequent, they become a way of life, a habit.  I love to share with others about Jesus in my life because I learn more about my faith, and my love of God grows too.

   The result is that I have a love of Life, true Life, Life in Christ.  Now by imitating Jesus’ example I am developing a passion for life and sharing the excitement for our living faith.  Serving others in this way continues to build up the kingdom of God.

   Let Jesus’ passion for Life help you on the Way to get closer to God’s kingdom.  Our continued connection (and re-connection) with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – helps us develop our own passion for Life.

Amen-ding my life

Written in Jan. 2005, but themes can apply to Lent also

   The messages that Jesus taught show us how to live.  That is not always easy because there are so many temptations.  That is what “Amen-ding my life” is all about.

   Amending – Improving; Making changes, or correcting.

   Amen – So be it – Said or sung at the end of a prayer or hymn to show we agree:  “Amen to that.”

   In our lives things are always changing, and hopefully it is in positive ways.  As Christians, Jesus’ teachings can help us to make our choices.  We could agree to Jesus’ directions, saying “Amen,” but that is just part of it.

   When we are Amen-ding our lives, it also includes our actions.  We also have to be Amen-able.

   Amenable – 1) To obey; To do.  2)  Being responsible; Being accountable.

   Being Amen-able means that we are willing to obey, to do as shown, to be responsible for, and accountable to the ways Jesus directs.  We have to get past the, “My life is too busy for God,” “Other things are more important,” or “What have You done for me lately?” ways of thinking.

   We are at the beginning of a new year, when resolutions are made.  We try to change one, two, or several things in our lives.  If God is not part of that change, then we’re already on the wrong track.  The right track includes Jesus as He’s done so much for us.

   We have great cause to celebrate and rejoice because Jesus was born, lived, suffered, died and rose again for each of us to be reconnected with the kingdom of God.  We are alive in Jesus.  Jesus opened the door, but He won’t make us walk through; that’s our choice.  I think He invites us to come share in eternal life, and then waits for us to choose God’s Way.

   Amen-ding my life is also about strengthening the bond in my connection with God.  When I take the steps to get closer to God, what God shares with me are many times more than what I expected.  We receive so much in our relationship with God, compared with what we give back to God.  God can never be outdone in kindness and generosity.

   Our abilities are great in what we can give, but what God wants more is our availability.  Be amen-able, be amen-ding – Amen to that!