The Fuse 10/12 & The EDGE 11/12 Teaching

I. Jenga Tower Analogy   

A. Our Catholic Faith is like your Jenga Tower; tall, solid, strong, made up of the whole of Christ's teaching (Revelation) and guided by the Holy Spirit.

B. Public Revelation ended with the death of the last apostle; John

C. Heresy - The willful and persistent rejection of any article of faith by a baptized

member of the Church.

D. What happened when individual blocks were taken out of the tower base? It weakens the tower which eventually falls over.

II. "The Protestant Reformation"

A. Renaissance, "rebirth" 1400-1500AD. Cultural transformation in art, education, politics, and return to Greek philosophy and Greek architecture

B. 1455 Printing Press, Gutenberg Bible, Education flourished, not only for clergy, but for lay people too

C. Reform was necessary in the Church; Extravagance and Indulgences

D. Martin Luther 1517-Lutherans, 1530 John Calvin-Calvinists (Reformed), King Henry VIII 1533, 1530s Anabapists

III. Divorce

A. Divorce - total separation, disunion, dissolving a marriage

B. Does a divorce solve all the problems between two people? No.

C. What problems arise because of divorce? sadness, loneliness, guilt, anger, guilt, anxiety, shame, lack of trust, disappointment, hopelessness

D. The Protestant Reformation was like a "divorce" in the Catholic Church

IV. Protestants

A. Protestant = one who protests

B. A member or follower of any of the Western Christian churches that are separate from the Roman Catholic Church and follow the principles of the Reformation, including the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches

C. Not in "full communion" with Catholics due to some key differences, i.e. the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Marian Theology, Communion of Saints, Sacraments, etc.       

Oct. 5, 2014 Homily by Deacon Louis Zemlick "Vineyards and Virtue"

We are called to love like God.

In order to do this, Pope Francis, in his Synod of the Family, calls us to deepen our prayer life; to get on our knees and to have a radical personal relationship with Jesus.

If a Muslim asked you, "What is so different and great about being a Christian," what would your answer be? It should be that we are family, we are a community, a Trinity of Love; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! God is our Father, Jesus is our Brother, and, in a very special way, Mary is our Mother. Many religious traditions don't follow this type of love, including Muslims.

In the Old Testament (Isaiah 5:1-7), the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 21:33-43), and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we hear that the Vineyard is the Church and we must take care of it, but we also must look interiorly, inside ourselves, to eliminate the wild grapes inside of us. These small, hard, sour grapes must be pruned. As St. Paul, in our Second Reading (Philippians 4:6-9) says, this process can be aided with what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gacious, and worthy of praise. The virtues of Humility (teachabilty), Chastity (moderation, respect for our bodies and our fertility), Patience, Temperance (moderation), Self Control, and Fortitude (spiritual courage) will create in us an abundant grape harvest for the Lord. 

We must also be the vineyard for the world not the Judge or the Police. The world wants us to judge it, but we will not. WE WILL LOVE THEM WE WILL BE CHRISTIANS WE WILL BE CATHOLIC. We will be the vineyard of radical love, not radical rules. As we come forward and receive the Holy Eucharist, let us transform our vineyard into that love with finest bread and the choicest wine. 

Check out this link! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3kQeHnDHyc 

OCT 5 2014, Homily by Fr Mathew A 27th Sunday

Is 5:1-7; Phil 4:6-9; Mt 21:33-43

Today’s Bible readings remind me of the story of the cookie thief. A woman at the airport waiting to catch her flight bought herself a bag of cookies, settled in a chair in the airport lounge and began to read her book. Suddenly she noticed the man beside her helping himself to her cookies. Not wanting to make a scene, she read on, ate cookies, and watched the clock. As the daring “cookie thief” kept on eating the cookies she got more irritated and said to herself, “If I wasn't so nice, I’d blacken his eye!” She wanted to move the cookies to her other side but she couldn't bring herself to do it. With each cookie she took, he took one too. When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.

Then with a smile on his face and a nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her half, and he ate the other. She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother, this guy has some nerve, and he’s also so rude, why, he didn't even show any gratitude!” She sighed with relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate, refusing to look at the ungrateful “thief.” She boarded the plane and sank in her seat, reached in her bag to get a book to read and forget about the incident. Next to her book was her bag – of her cookies.

The cookies they ate in the lounge were his not hers. She had been the thief not him. Is it not the same we hear in today’s parable. The parable tells us how the tenants attempt to steal the vineyard from the landowner

As we reflect on the parable, like a mirror,  we can see our own reflection in this story. The wicked tenants are us! God has been gracious to us in many ways. His love and kindness was unlimited.  God gave us a wonderful life and placed us in the lushest vineyard in the world.  Look at everything we have. God has blessed us essentially in this beautiful vineyard with food, clothing, shelter, meaningful work, family, friends, church, and community.

Here is the crux of the issue. Like the wicked tenants in the parable, we very often cut God out of the spectrum of our life and declare ourselves that we are on our own and we have nothing to do with God for all the resources and blessings we enjoy in our life.   We forget the fact that  we are just tenants or stewards 

 There are people today who are tempted to ignore their families -- tempted to spend their time making a living instead of making a life -- tempted to major in minors -- tempted to live their lives in such a way that, when they are added up at the end of time, they will amount to little more than zero.

There are people here today who are tempted to give God short shrift in their lives -- tempted to give God an hour on Sunday morning and call it good -- tempted to ignore God's call to love their neighbor and to serve those in need -- tempted to believe God's promises, but to ignore God's claims on their lives.

Robert Newell was driving along an isolated road one night when his car suddenly stopped running. He was stranded. Then the lights of another car approached, pulled alongside, and stopped. After exchanging pleasantries, the other motorist pulled a rope from his trunk and towed Newell's car several miles to the nearest garage. Newell tried to give money to the man, but he refused it. Newell then said, "Well, I must in some way return your kindness." The stranger replied, "If you really want to show your gratitude, buy a rope and always carry it in your car."

God is like that. He has put us in the vineyard, and invites us to enjoy its fruits--but he wants us pass the blessings on--to live righteously, to care about each other, and to bear witness to our faith. God's emphasis on fruit-bearing is not unlike the motorist saying, "If you really want to show your gratitude, buy a rope and always carry it in your car."

 As you go through this coming week, I invite you to remember that you are living in the Lord's vineyard.  Assess your life. Ask yourself if you are paying your rent -- giving God his due. 

  "Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them" (Oliver Wendell Holmes).

Weekend Warriors

What did you do last weekend?

Between cooking meals, doing the everyday laundry, and mowing the grass, our family went to the Friday high school football game, had a senior pictures shoot, attended the marching band competition, drove to taekwondo lessons, bought groceries, ran errands, completed the fall garage cleaning, and finished homework.  I couldn't wait until Monday so I could get a little rest. You may have had an even busier weekend if you play travel ball, have a dancer on the team, or were out of town for work. We squeeze so much into the weekend!

We also take the weekend for granted. Did you know that without God and His chosen people, the Jews, we wouldn't have a day of rest from the work of the world at all? Despite all that we have planned for our weekend, the reason we rest from work is for worship; to do the 'work of the people', the liturgy. Of course, we hear in Genesis that God rested on the seventh day. He gazed at all that He had made and called it "Good." He even called mankind, "Very good."

God chose Moses to ask Pharaoh to let His people go for three days into the wilderness so that they could worship the Lord (Exodus 5:3-9) and Pharaoh refused. Then, because Pharaoh would not comply, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go forever. The plagues occurred every seven days; on the day the Hebrews were not allowed to worship the Lord.

Once the Hebrews were in the desert, God fed them with the manna. He told them to collect enough manna on the sixth day so that they could rest from work on the seventh and worship Him. The Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses specifically told the people to "Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep it Holy." The Israelites kept the Sabbath day for over a thousand years. Until Jesus' public ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension, the day of rest from the work of the world was Saturday; the seventh day, the day that God rested in Genesis.

However, the early Christians moved this day of rest from the last day of the week to the first day of the week because with Jesus came the New Covenant, a 'new creation', a New Testament. The day of worship became Sunday and Christians today are still supposed to rest from the work of the world in order to do the work of the people, the liturgy, on Sunday (or Saturday at sunset).

The bottom line is, we are blessed with a weekend in order to worship. If we do all these other things on the weekend, but we don't worship the way God instructed us to, then we are missing the purpose and point of the weekend entirely.

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time A Cycle Homily by Fr Mathew

Ezekiel 18:25-28

Phil 2:1-11

Matthew 21:28-32

At my previous assignment I had a school. Therefore every week I had to do a children's Mass and a children's homily.  Every now and then I would invite a group of  children to the front for a special homily, One day I  brought a smoke detector and  displayed it during the homily. I told them it was a smoke detector. Then I asked them, "boys and girls, "do you know what it means when the alarm goes off?". One of the boys by name  David immediately raised his hand and said, “It means Daddy’s cooking dinner.”

Dads are often dissed, aren't they?

In 2007, Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers filed a lawsuit against God for breaching the contract. In the lawsuit he accused God of not protecting people from floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes, contagious plagues," and the like. The lawsuit was dismissed by the judge on the grounds that God doesn't have a legal address; therefore he can't be summoned to appear in court.

God is in the dock. That is what we read in the book of Ezekiel. People complain against God, “The Lord’s way is not fair.” God challenges their complaint through the prophet: “Is it my way that is unfair or rather, are not your ways unfair?

God speaks through Ezekiel. If we commit inequities we will die in our sin. On the other hand if we turn away from our sins, we will live. Repentance and transformation is the central theme in the first reading.

Coming to the gospel, we see the same underlying idea. A father asks his first son to go out to  his vineyard and he refuses to obey ; but  later he repented and did go to the vineyard. He went to the second son and did the same. The second son said he would go, but did not go to the vineyard. Obviously it is the first son who carried out his father’s will.

It is interesting that in Matthew we don’t read the parable of the prodigal son. We read that parable in the Luke’s gospel. I find similarities between these two parables. The first son who initially refused to go out to the vineyard in today’s gospel is very similar to the youngest son in the parable of the prodigal son. Both didn't obey their father, but later repented and reconciled with their father. The second son in today’s gospel who said “yes” to his father is very similar to the oldest son who always obeyed his father. But he was reluctant to accept his youngest brother and refused to dance with his father.

Jesus addressed this parable to confront the fake spiritual life of  Pharisees who were very meticulous about religious practices.  Many a time we think that spiritual life consists in a bunch of religious practices. Don’t get me wrong; they are important. In fact there is more to our spiritual life. Christianity without conversion and transformation is like a dead horse.

God is not nearly as concerned about polite words and appearances. The Gospel is about repentance and change. But the Gospel is about more than change, it is about transformation, about being changed to be something more like God.

We who claim to be wonderful Christians -who go to church, read the bible, and stand for pro-life-  presume that we always say “Yes” to God,”  but there is a danger that we can become like the oldest son in the parable of the prodigal son who is arrogant, judgmental and contemptuous in his attitude toward his youngest brother and to his father. That is why there will so many surprises in heaven. We will see the least expected in heaven.

The second reading of Paul to the Philippines takes our reflection to a different realm and teaches us how we can grow in our spirituality by what we have been doing. When you wear a nice perfume, people recognize your presence and say, “you smell good. Tell me what kind of perfume you’re wearing?” I want to ask you this question: “do you smell like Jesus? ‘I doubt that any of us have ever given that question much thought.

Well, if you want to smell like Jesus, you can buy a perfume by name “Virtue.” It is made in California. They claim that if you wear that perfume, you will smell like Jesus.

So there you have it. You, too, can smell like Jesus. It may sound ridiculous, but it does lead us to a much more profound thought.  Max Lucado says in his book “Just like Jesus,” “God loves you just the way you are", writes Lucado, "but he refuses to leave you that way.”

Now there is a statement you can take home with you. “God loves you just the way you are,  but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be like Jesus”

Many of us like the first part, “God loves you just the way you are.”  We want God to accept us just as we are. And when we come to the second part we say, “Please leave me alone,.”  Because we hate change.

This is Paul’s message: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."

When we do these things we are not far away from the Kingdom of heaven.

Life Teen Life Night "The Jesus Question" 09/21/14

"The Jesus Question"

I. The Jesus Question

A. Matthew 16:13-17 Jesus asks two questions:

• "Who do the people say that I Am?" John the Baptist, Elijah
• "Who do you say that I Am?" The Messiah, Son of the Living God

B. When God asks a question, we should pay attention.

• Ex. Genesis 3:8-10 Adam & Eve hid. "Where are you?"
• God already know every answer to every question. Why would he ask?
• God wanted Adam to know where Adam was. Shame, Fear, Guilt

C. If Jesus asked today (2014) in modern America, "Who do you say that I Am?"

• A Nice Guy; not THE nice guy, just A nice guy. Good Teacher, A Prophet
• These are 'accommodating' and 'tolerant' answers. Relativism.
• It's tragic that our culture wants to reduce Jesus to a Nice Guy
• Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. If He's not, He's a liar. A fraud. Crazy.

D. When we realize Jesus is EXACTLY who He says He is...

• The Bible becomes more than just an inspiring book. It's the inspired and Living Word of God. "Words have value depending on Who speaks them." M. Kelly
• The Church becomes more than just a human institution. "The Church is a sheepfold, the flock. Even though governed by human shepherds, are unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep." CCC 754
• If Jesus is the Son of God, everything changes; our relationships, our activities and the way we spend our time, ourselves.

II. Jesus, through the Word of God, His Church, Life Teen, Bible Study, retreats & conferences, has the power to transform our lives.

A. We all desire happiness. It's is written on the human heart. Only in God will we find the truth and happiness we seek. CCC27

• If this is true, why do we sometimes avoid church, the Bible, Life Teen, etc.?
• Tweaking vs. Transformation. We don't really want our lives transformed.
1. "Dear God, please tweak this and that. Tweak my parents, siblings, teachers, etc.
2. God is not in the business of Tweaking. God is in the business of transformation.
3. Most of us have never really prayed a prayer of transformation. "O.k. I give you permission to transform me, my family, etc." It's a hard prayer.

"Imagine yourself a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof. You knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But then He starts knocking the house about that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house than you thought of. He's throwing out a new wing here, putting in an extra floor there, putting up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

B. How is God calling you to transform your life right now? Not your parents, not your teachers, not your friends - YOU.

Taken from "The Jesus Question" Lighthouse Catholic Media cd by Matthew Kelly

www.dynamiccatholic.com

25th Sunday in ordinary time: Fr Mathew's Homily Sept.21

Have you ever heard about a game by name “Zero-Sum Game?” A Zero-Sum Game is a game in which there are x number of chips on the table. In this game one person has to lose for another person to win.

We play this game in this world. Big winners live in mansions and drive expensive cars. They have boats and planes. They spend winters in Miami and spend summers in Maine. The winners get whatever they want and the rest of us get what is left.

In today’s gospel, Jesus turns the “Zero-sum game “upside down. Jesus explained the Kingdom of heaven with parables. It is a mystery to understand.

If you are planning to move to a foreign country, I am sure you would learn their customs and their rules to live as a good citizen of that country.

For us heaven is like a foreign country. Most of us would like to go heaven one day. So for us it is important to know some of the rules by which heaven is governed. We already know some of those rules. The Fist will be the last in haven. The more you are at the service of others, the more you become great in the Kingdom of God.

Here is another important rule for us to know before we go to heaven. It is called “the rhetoric of excess.”

Let me give you a great example for this rule, “the rhetoric of excess.” When we go to Portage (Kalamazoo), at the Westnedge exit, have you ever seen homeless people standing with a placard “I’m homeless, Please help me, and God will bless you?”

Every now and then I would give them a dollar. Onetime as I opened my wallet, I had only a twenty dollar Bill. So I gave that homeless man $20 dollar. When I told my friend about this he said I was crazy and it was too much money.

The British literary critic Frank Kermode (1919–2010) called this phenomenon “rhetoric of excess.” Our God practices the Rhetoric of excess. .” Our righteousness must be produced to excess. In the gospels, we can see many times this principle being practiced.

In the gospel, the apostles ask Jesus, “How many times should we forgive? “Seven times?

Jesus replied, seventy times seven. It means divine forgiveness, given and received, is beyond calculation or comprehension.

Or think about the good shepherd who abandons a flock of ninety-nine sheep in order to find one lost sheep. In the parable of the prodigal son God is like an indulgent father who welcomes back his indigent son with the best party that money could buy, despite the anger of the older son at such excessive generosity.

John compares God's kingdom to a wedding party with an outrageous excess of fine wine.  In the parable of the sower, God sows the seeds indiscriminately. God scatters all over the place without calculating the outcome.

I gave that homeless man my twenty dollar bill. It was an honest effort to imitate the excessive generosity of God by doing something that defied common sense or conventional wisdom.

One day you and I will be standing at the pearly gates.  Sunday school teachers and choir members – priests and deacons and bishops -- will get a big surprise when they go to heaven. They will expect to be kings of the castle. But there will be a lot of surprises. You will see a lot of people least expected..

 And when we go to heaven, we might just find ourselves standing in line at the heavenly gates -- with a drunk who came to Jesus on his deathbed standing IN FRONT OF US!  Surely I should go to the front of the line and he should go to the back." But God will remind us that he has been generous to us as well as to the other person. He will ask, "Are you envious because I am generous?"

A few years ago, at St. John Bosco I gave a homily in which I said that God’s love is unconditional. To make it more concrete, I said, "God loves George W Bush and Saddam Hussein alike" and a few in the congregation thought I was a heretic and pronouncing blasphemy.

  

Even long time Christians forget the fact that Our ways are not God's ways. We get furious when God deviates from our way of operating. Many a time the kind of God we believe in is very limited and finite and our image of God  is a projection of our own behaviors and perceptions from human experience.  Insisting on our personal freedom we sing with Frank Sinatra "I did it my way." On the contrary, when God does things His way, we resent and grumble about the mercy that God shows to whom he pleases. 

God's’s love is without limits. He pours out His Grace without reservation and without regard to who deserves it and who doesn't deserve it;  but we forget how we ourselves benefit from his mercy. If that bothers you, get over it. We , human beings,  may be unfair, but God is fair. God’s ways are not our ways.

These readings challenge us to see people and events in the world the way God sees them. Our automatic responses are egocentric. When we follow God's ways and practice the principle "Rhetoric of Excess," we're not that far from the Kingdom of heaven.

The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation(C.S. Lewis).