Good Shepherd Sunday

Below is a homily that I shared recently.

Good Shepherd Sunday – Mike Leach

There are a great deal of things or ideas, that I could talk to you about from today's readings.  From the first reading we have Peter talking to "the builders", the leaders of the people and elders.  You can think about it in modern times as Peter talking to people like our bishops, our judges and senior officials of the government.  Peter  was talking about how a man was healed.  Peter Said "… then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean... whom you crucified,... whom God raised from the dead;... in his name this man stands before you healed..." whom you crucified... whom God raised from the dead... This is very strong language.  Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and had strength and courage to say these things, to testify that it was in Jesus' holy and precious name that this work of healing was performed.  To quote the end of the first reading..."There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved."

You and I often times need the strength and the courage to say things to others.  We can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us in those moments.  It is by God's grace that we are able to overcome obstacles in our lives.  Obstacles could be temptations to sin or the need to stand up to those people in our community who need to hear the Truth.

From the psalms ... Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his kindness endures forever... I have also read in other translations, his mercy endures forever.  God is good, amen?  Have you ever thought about how long forever is?  We deal with clocks and calendars, but with God, there really is no time.  How long is God good?  Forever.  How long will his kindness and mercy endure? Forever.  How long will God wait for us?  As long as it takes... hopefully we will not wait forever to go to God.  Think about the parable of the prodigal son.  The father leaping off the front porch a running to greet the returning son.  Even before the son asked for forgiveness he was forgiven.  We are told by Jesus to forgive how many times?  77 times 7 or 70 times 7 depending on the verse.  Does that mean we are to forgive 539 times or 490 times? NO! We are to forgive until there is no need to forgive any longer or rather, we are to always forgive.  Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us... Jesus also said that the way we are to be forgiven is how we forgive each other.

From the Second reading... "See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God." Children of God makes us automatically think that if we are children, then our Father is God.  Our Father who art in Heaven.  The reading goes on to say "what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him" We don't exactly know what God looks like, but we can be assured that when it is revealed to us, we shall be like him.  It is really hard for me to imagine what it will be like when I'm face to face with God!

Now on to the Gospel.  Jesus is described as the good shepherd.  Good doesn't quite cut it though.  Jesus is the ideal shepherd or the model shepherd.  The reason He is ideal for the job first is because He is God.  The second reason is that he is fully human.  A shepherd, in order to know his sheep and care for them, has to live among them. He has to be close to them. Jesus not only came from heaven to earth to be near his sheep, he actually became like them. The shepherd became a sheep, took on our nature, and lived life in the same way as we do (except without sin). This is why he is the good shepherd, perfectly qualified to know us and to care for us. He is like us in our flesh. There is no shepherd like Jesus.

Jesus lays his life down for his flock... we are his flock.  Jesus said that He knows His own and they know Him. I have not witnessed a shepherd tending to his flock, but have heard stories about it.  A shepherd spends much time with his sheep.  It is really quite remarkable that they learn the sound of his voice. And when he calls for them they actually come to him.  If they hear the sound of a stranger's voice, they will stop.  If they hear the stranger's voice again, they will run away and scatter.  Fortunately for us, Jesus knows each and every one of us by our first name and we know Him by His first name, Jesus.

Jesus also said that He has other sheep that do not belong to the fold. He must bring them also and they will listen to His voice. Consequently, they will be of one flock, having one Shepherd.

When Jesus spoke of His other sheep, He was referring to the Gentiles who at the time were not inheritors of the Old Testament promises of God for His chosen people. He was referring to all the people throughout the world, no matter their language, their nationality, their race or their culture. All are called to be of one flock, to have one Shepherd. Through faith in Jesus and the Sacrament of Baptism, all are born again of the godly seed to belong to the One Body of Christ. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, all are equal as children of God.

The Heavenly Father loves His Son Jesus because He voluntarily laid down His life for all of mankind. Jesus laid down His life so He can take it up again.  Our hope lies in the resurrection.  Our hope to live in eternal life with the Father is through Jesus Christ.  Alleluia. Happy Easter and May God Bless You.

 

 

Holy Trinity Sunday

I wanted to post a homily that I gave to a group in Calhoun County.
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Holy Trinity Sunday

Our current perception of the word mystery evokes a feeling of problem solving. In fact, the synonyms presented by Merriam Webster are… closed book, conundrum, enigma, head-scratcher, puzzle, riddle, secret
In mystery novels or movies or games such as clue, we try to figure out “who done it”. It was the butler… in the drawing room… with a dagger.

A really good example of the Mystery of the Holy Trinity comes from one of the fathers of the Church, St Augustine.
One day, after spending many fruitless nights trying to fully comprehend the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, St. Augustine was walking along the beach as an attempt to clear and sooth his mind. As he was wandering, he came across a young boy playing on the beach. The boy had dug a hole in the sand, and was racing back and forth between the ocean and his hole filling his bucket from the sea and emptying it into his hole.
St. Augustine watched the boy for a few minutes, then approached, asking:"My son, what is it you are trying to accomplish?".
The boy looked up and said, "I'm going to empty the ocean into this hole".
St. Augustine laughed, saying, "My dear child, you cannot possibly empty the ocean into that small hole!".
The boy stopped, looked the saint straight in the eye, and said in a voice that struck St. Augustine straight to his soul, "I have a far better chance of emptying the oceans of the world into this tiny hole, than you have of completely understanding the mystery of the Trinity, Augustine."
With that, the boy vanished, leaving St. Augustine alone on the beach. The saint realized that he had been visited by an angel, and realized that he had reached the limits of his comprehension of the Mystery.

God the Father
In Genesis, we clearly see that God the Father is the creator of everything. God created the Heavens and the Earth, everything seen and unseen. He is all powerful, all knowing – omnipotent, a serious force to be reckoned with. Mighty… Almighty. And just as big and powerful is God… so is his Love for us.

My wife and I recently read a book together called “Heaven is For Real”. It is about a young boy, 4 years old, who underwent an emergency appendectomy. While he was under anesthesia, he visited heaven. I don’t want to tell you about the whole book, but there was a piece of it that I wanted to share. He was telling his earthly father what God looked like. He said “God is really big and he really loves us, a lot.” I was caught by the first two descriptions of God. First, he is really big. Second, he loves us a lot. God is Love. In the second reading from 2nd Corinthians… The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you… The love of God… God has an intimate knowledge of each of you… of the whole world. Matthew chapter 10 says “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” God is our Heavenly Father. In our first reading God is described as ", a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity." That is the kind of Father I like to have and that is the kind of father I aspire to be. But how to we achieve such lofty goals??? Ah… wait and see.

Jesus
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Jesus was sent to us to show us the way to the Father. John 14 says "I am the way and the truth 5 and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. 6 From now on you do know him and have seen him." Jesus is the way to the Father. He is the perfect sacrifice. Think back to Abraham when he was sent to sacrifice his only son Isaac. They headed up the mountain and Isaac asked where the sheep was for the sacrifice. Abraham answered him “God himself will provide the sheep for the sacrifice.” We know that at the last moment before Abraham was to slay is own son, that his hand was stayed and a sheep was actually offered up. Fast forward several hundred years and we see that God has provided the sheep for the eternally perfect sacrifice. The new covenant.

Holy Spirit
But before Jesus left use, he promised to send a helper, a comforter, paraclete, advocate. The word paraclete means, “one who consoles or comforts, one who encourages or uplifts; hence refreshes, and/or one who intercedes on our behalf as an advocate in court” The Holy Spirit is or should be our guide. During John the Baptist’s preaching ministry, he baptizes people with water but tells them that the one coming after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit (Mt 3:1-12). At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, he is anointed with the Holy Spirit (Mt 3:16).
In Lk 4:14, we are told that Jesus returns to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. Shortly after that, he pays a visit to the synagogue in his hometown. He unrolls the scroll and quotes a passage from Is 61:1-2:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Rolling up the scroll, Jesus says: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:14-21).
The Spirit has empowered Jesus in many ways throughout his public ministry, e.g., to preach and teach with authority, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, spend nights in prayer, speak God’s truth to both religious and secular authorities, embrace the will of God no matter what the cost. As Jesus’ ministry progresses, he starts to speak about sharing his spirit with his followers: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:26). “The advocate…will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (Jn 14:25). In Acts 1:5, Jesus says: “John baptized you with water, but in a few days you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.” Jesus even exhorts: “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you…” (Jn 16:7).
Remember when I asked you how we could achieve the goals of becoming more like God? Here is the answer… The Spirit’s presence in our lives is even better than if we had Jesus physically present with us. Why is this? “Christ himself can be more intimately present to us through his Holy Spirit than he was bodily to his Apostles. They knew him better— more intimately and more accurately after he left them and sent his Spirit. Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit as teacher, guide and consoler.

The Mystery of the Holy trinity is not puzzle to be solved, but a faith to be lived and experienced.

Enjoyable Easter Weekend

This past Easter Weekend was very enjoyable.  As I mentioned in my previous post, we participated in the Holy Thursday Mass.  The stark contrast between Thursday and Friday was astonishing.  The kids were amazed at the bareness of the church.  No flowers, no decorations, no opening music, no closing music.  It provided for an excellent teaching moment.  And then there was the Easter Vigil service.  It opened up in the dark and starting in the back of the church candles were lit.  Everyone attending had a candle and when it finally made its way to the front, the whole church was ablaze with the fire of Christ.  There was much singing, rejoicing, lots of scripture and psalms.  New comers were brought in to the Chruch at that time... It was just really beautiful.

 

Easter Sunday we had fun.  The girls put on their dresses that they wore the previous evening and we took pictures outside (hopefully I can get some posted for the blog).  It was such a pretty day.  Then we all went to the movies... Monsters vs Aliens in 3D.  It was a good story and we all had a good time.  Then Lori made us a great meal (Baked Ham, Mac-n-Cheese, the whole nine yards) We colored Easter Eggs and had a great time doing it.

 

I'm so thankful to have a great family.

 

Peace be with you!

Easter Triduum

Last night was the beginning of the Easter Triduum, which is the three days before Easter Sunday. It begins with Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday. This service commemorates the institution of the Eucharist that Christ instituted some 2000 years ago at the Last Supper.





A portion of last night's readings, came from 1 Cor 11:23-26 and John 13:1-15. (Text Below)

1 Cor 11:23-26

Brothers and sisters:

I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,

that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,

took bread, and, after he had given thanks,

broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me."

In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,

"This cup is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,

you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Jesus commanded his disciples to go out and make disciples of all nations, instructing them in the ways of Him, which includes eating His flesh and drinking His blood until He comes again. Paul is sharing this information with the Corinthians.

On Holy Thursday, we celebrate that Christ instituted what we call, "The Eucharist", which means thanksgiving. This meal doesn't necessarily sustain us physically, but it does wonders for the soul.

John 13:1-15

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come

to pass from this world to the Father.

He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.

The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.

So, during supper,

fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power

and that he had come from God and was returning to God,

he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.

He took a towel and tied it around his waist.

Then he poured water into a basin

and began to wash the disciples' feet

and dry them with the towel around his waist.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,

"Master, are you going to wash my feet?"

Jesus answered and said to him,

"What I am doing, you do not understand now,

but you will understand later."

Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet."

Jesus answered him,

"Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."

Simon Peter said to him,

"Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."

Jesus said to him,

"Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,

for he is clean all over;

so you are clean, but not all."

For he knew who would betray him;

for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean."

My daughters asked me "Why were those people getting there feet washed?" at Mass last night. Yes, we actually had "A foot washin'" at our church last night. I explained to them the same thing that the gospel said... that Father was setting an example for us to follow. We should be willing to do the nasty, unpleasant jobs that people need done...and do so with a loving heart. We shouldn't look at helping one another for the sake of checking things off a list... Washed feet, check. Cut neighbors lawn, check. Took groceries to Soup Kitchen, check check. We should look at it as, my neighbor can't mow the grass, I should really lovingly help him out... or not everyone is as blessed financially as I am and there are many people who are out of work and hungry, I would like to help feed them. "When I was hungry you fed me... "

Now, being as curious as I am, I looked up the meaning of "Maundy". The name "Maundy" comes from the Latin antiphon Mandatum Novum, i.e. "a new mandate." This new mandate from Jesus is taken from John 13:34: love one another as I have loved you.





May the Peace of Christ be with you all.

Catch-Up

I recently finished up my first continuing education class at the University of Dayton. The class was actually an online seminar. It was an introduction to the General Directory of Catechesis. There were about 6 students in my class and we were required to post a certain amount of times on the class discussion board. It was really good to share ideas with people from different parts of the country.

Today, Maddie didn't feel well enough to dance :-( . So I brought her home and the rest of the kids :-). Lori even was allowed to leave work early :-) yea an early evening with the whole family :-)

I ran 3 miles today with some guys at work. whew. I was tired after the run, but feel great now. I have a piece of flair on my flair board that says "Running is cheaper than Prozac". It really is.

While I'm typing this post up, I can hear my children at the kitchen table playing with clay. They are having a great time and getting along. :-) Life is good.

Real Presence of Christ in Eucharist

I've been asked to provide information regarding the Catholic beliefs of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Many Catholics and non-Catholics alike think that the Roman Catholic Church invented the doctrine of transubstantiation. Transubstantiation means that the bread and wine presented on the altar at the Mass become the the Body and Blood of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit at the consecration. The consecration is the time when the priest calls upon the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into Christ's Body and Blood. However, the Body and Blood retain the appearance of bread and wine. The Roman Catholic Church, that is, the Latin Rite Catholic Church, and other Catholic Churches in communion with Rome believe that the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, body, blood, soul and divinity. The Orthodox Churches and most other Churches of the East do so as well. Anglican [Episcopalian] and other Protestant denominations have interpreted Christ's presence at the celebration of the Lord's Supper or Eucharist to be either only spiritual, or symbolic, or non-existent.

Below are 2 selections from the bible, both from 1st Corinthians...

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."~1 Cor. 10:16-17


"For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord."~1 Cor. 11:23-27

I ask you, if the bread and cup are not truly represented as the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, why then will partaking of it in an unworthy manner make you guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord?

The early Christians, before the time of the bible, also taught the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. A book called The Didache or "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles" is a manuscript which was used by 2nd century bishops and priests for the instruction of catechumens. Many early Christian writers have referenced it making this document relatively easy to date.

"Let no one eat and drink of your Eucharist but those baptized in the name of the Lord; to this, too the saying of the Lord is applicable: 'Do not give to dogs what is sacred'".~Ch. 9:5

"On the Lord's own day, assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure. However, no one quarreling with his brother may join your meeting until they are reconciled; your sacrifice must not be defiled. For here we have the saying of the Lord: 'In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a mighty King, says the Lord; and my name spreads terror among the nations.'"~Ch 14

When Jesus first told his disciples that the bread he was breaking with them was His body, what did people think? Read John 35 - 66 Below...

35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.'^[a] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

52Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit^[b] and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Did Jesus go to those who turned back and no longer followed him and tell them that the bread and wine are only a symbol, come on back? No.

There are many more references that could be examined. I believe this to be a good starting point.

Peace be with you,
Mike Leach

Starting School Again?

I've signed up for continuing education classes at the University of Dayton. The classes that I've signed up for will go towards being a certified catechist. Should prove to be interesting. I'll keep you posted.

Starting school again? It's not really so much as starting again as much as it is continuous learning. When do we ever stop learning? In my line of work (the computer industry) there is constant learning and updating all of the time. And with the bible and church, there is always a yearning to learn more. No matter how many times I've studied something bible related, there always seems to be another layer, facet to look at. Like looking at an expensive diamond, it is beautiful from a distance, but becomes more brilliant when inspected under light and even more so when examined with a magnifying glass. That is how I like to approach things. First a broad look and then to start uncovering layers and to "dive deep" in to the subject all together.

So, please pray for me that this next endeavor goes well and is fruitful.

Peace,
Mike Leach