The Wisdom of Children

The following was taken from a publication called The Lance, which produced by the Knights of Columbus Council 3607.

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The Wisdom of Children: 

Mr. Goldblatt," announced little Joey, "there's 

something' I can't figger out." "What's that Joey?" 

asked Goldblatt. 

"Well according' to the Bible, the Children of Israel 

crossed the Red Sea, right?" 

"Right." 

"An' the Children of Israel beat up the Philistines, 

right?" 

"Er--right." 

"An' the Children of Israel built the Temple, right?" 

"Again you're right." 

"An' the Children of Israel fought the 'Egyptians, and 

the Children of Israel fought the Romans, and the 

Children of Israel was always doing' something' 

important, right?" 

"All that is right, too," agreed Goldblatt. "So what's 

your question?" 

"What I want know is this," demanded 

Joey. "What were all the grown-ups 

doing?"

Forgive me when I whine

Below is a story that was submitted to The Lance.  The Lance is a monthly publication from the Knights of Columbus Council 3607.  I enjoyed it and I hope it brings a smile or provokes an inward reflection.

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Today, upon a bus, I saw a very beautiful woman and 

wished I were as beautiful. 

When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble 

down the aisle. She had one leg and used a crutch. 

But as she passed, she passed a smile. 

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. 

I have two legs; the world is mine. 

I stopped to buy some candy. 

The lad who sold it had such charm. 

I talked with him, he seemed so glad. 

If I were late, it'd do no harm. 

And as I left, he said to me, "I thank you, you've been 

so kind. It's nice to talk with folks like you. You see," 

he said, "I'm blind." 

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. 

I have two eyes; the world is mine. 

Later while walking down the street, I saw a child I 

knew. 

He stood and watched the others play, but he did not 

know what to do. 

I stopped a moment and then I said, "Why don't you 

join them dear?" 

He looked ahead without a word. 

I forgot, he couldn't hear. 

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. 

I have two ears; the world is mine. 

With feet to take me where I'd go. 

With eyes to see the sunset's glow. 

With ears to hear what I'd know. 

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. 

I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine.

Blessed

Below is a homily that I wrote for the folks at Calhoun State Prison a few weeks ago.


Blessed


By Michael Leach

How blessed are we? Sometimes we recognize when we are blessed. Like when we sneeze, there is usually someone around to hear it and they respond “bless you”. Sometimes we are blessed and never know as much. There could be some terrible danger lurking around the corner and for whatever reason we go another way. The Israelites were held as slaves by Pharaoh and used for manual labor. This went on for many generations. God blessed them with Moses and allowed them to be led out of slavery, out of captivity into … where? Where were they delivered too? I could just imagine their initial excitement. To be a free people again! Then to wander around the dessert for days on end… weeks on end... years on end. What were they to eat? God will provide and God has provided. They had “Whatchamacallit”. Anybody here remember that candy bar? The whatchamacallit? The manufacturer, the Hershey Company, didn’t quite know what to call it at first. Their marketing department decided on “whatchamacallit” as a marketing scheme. It worked quite well for them. Actually, the Israelites where blessed with something called referred to as, manna from heaven. Manna is described twice in the bible. The book of Exodus 16: 1-36 and Numbers 11:1-9. Exodus says that manna is “a fine, flake-like thing” and shows up like hoarfrost on the ground. Hoarfrost is something that you may be familiar with. It is just patchy dusty frost that shows up on a cold clear night. The book of Numbers says “Manna was like coriander seed and had the appearance of bdellium. When they had gone about and gathered it up, the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar, then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves, with a rich creamy taste.” Exodus says that raw manna tastes like wafers that had been made with honey. That doesn’t sound too bad, but it doesn’t sound too good either. Manna literally means “what is this”. I just can’t imagine eating it day in and day out for years on end. The Israelites are starting to wonder if this will ever end. They forget that they were delivered from slavery and they were blessed daily by God.

I imagine none of you wants to be here in this place. But for some of you, you have been delivered from the slavery of addictions. Addictions to drugs or alcohol or whatever else. Some of you have found the Love of God in this place. Some of you take the time to reflect on and study God’s word daily for many hours a day, which can be difficult on the outside. I’m not trying to glorify your position in this institution, I’m just trying to bring up some opportunities that you have because you are here.

In the first reading from Isaiah the point is being made about how God provides. He opened a way in the sea for their departure from Egypt. He provides a way through the dessert always providing with water and nourishment. All of this for a people who he formed for himself. The psalmist proclaims that the Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy. In the midst of our tears the Lord hears us. Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing. Saint Paul tells us that nothing of this earth can compare to the good… the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus. I think what is amazing about Saint Paul is that he is continually working on his relationship with Jesus Christ. You would think that they were pretty tight. Jesus knocked him off of his horse and they had a conversation, he had a conversion… Saint Paul was on the right track. Started out on the wrong track but was set straight. And yet he still says that he is working on his salvation. He says “It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I for my part

do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” Saint Paul says that he can’t be content with what he has done, but with what is to come. It is good… always good to have had a relationship with Jesus. It is more important to continue to work on that relationship. Think of your Christian life as a swim up river. Unless you are making progress by actively swimming upstream, you will be taken back downstream. Just pausing in the river will send you back. One of the seven deadly sins is sloth. I’ve never truly understood sloth until recently. Fr Robert Barron has put out a dvd series called the seven deadly sins and the seven lively virtues. Sloth has to do with boredom or indifference to things of God. It is not the same thing as laziness or being lazy. A person can be full of energy to discuss politics, be a work-o-holic, be full of energy for other topics but still not have an interest in God. It is not the fact of not believing in God, it is being comfortable with where you currently are and no interest in going any further. It is a spiritual laziness. The antedote for sloth is zeal. Pray fervently to God for guidance. Ask God specifically what he wants for you. Ask God to give you direction in your life. Look at some examples from the bible on spiritual direction. When the angel told Mary that she would bear Christ, she first said yes, then broke the news to Joseph and then immediately left to go visit Elizabeth. She had a mission. When Jesus was baptized, He immediately went in to the desert to pray and to fast. Jesus had a mission. You, my brothers in Christ, have a mission. God has a plan for you and your life. Every single solitary person on this planet has a plan although they may not know it yet. You need to ask for the plan and listen for the response. Sometimes God will not tell you directly, He will send other people your way to give you stuff to do. He may need you to comfort someone around you. He may need you to do some job or task. He may want you to fail at whatever you are doing so you can grow in Him.

Now we finally come to the Gospel. Jesus tells us about the woman who was caught in adultery and was to be stoned to death. The Pharisees wanted to test Jesus and see if he would condemn the woman who broke the law, which is punishable by death. Jesus asked the Pharisees to let the one among them who has not sinned cast the first stone. One by one they walked away, for all have sinned. We are all sinners and therefore deserve nothing. But God in his infinite wisdom and mercy and love sent his only begotten Son to us, to become human, to take on all of our sins and to die for them.

So, I say that we are truly blessed. We are blessed by God’s Love for us. We are blessed that God is ever present, ever loyal, ever loving, ever forgiving & everlasting. God is waiting for you. All you have to do is knock and ask.

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.