Holy Wordcast

Ord4 - Total Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:46:15 PST

Ordinary Time, 4th Sunday. There are many unclean spirits that we need Jesus to cast out of us. We need help! Jesus knew this, so He shared with us His Mother Mary. My twin started to discover the power of Mary’s intercession and encouraged me to do St. Louis de Montfort’s “Total Consecration to Mary.” I used to wonder why Mary seemed to take care of me. I reflected back and realized that Mary had helped me because I had done the Total Consecration years ago.
The Total Consecration consists of 33 days of preparation beginning on February 20th and ending on March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. I want to invite you to join me.
One of the most famous devotees of this Total Consecration was Pope John Paul II. He discovered devotion to Mary and it changed his life. It also saved his life. He survived an assassination attempt on 13 May 1981. John Paul II commented, “One hand fired the shot and another hand guided the bullet.” May 13th is the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.
I won’t promise that if you do the Total Consecration you’ll become bulletproof. But I will promise miracles. Mary wants us to be happy and holy. She wants us to know her Son. But she isn’t one of these women who will barge into your business; she waits to be asked. If you haven’t felt the power of Mary’s intercession, perhaps it’s because you haven’t asked.
(29 Jan 2012)

Ord3 - Pray like a Champion Today

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:23:04 PST

Pray Like a Champion Today
Ordinary Time, 3rd Sunday. All of Wisconsin thought the Packers were going to the Super Bowl. What did the Packers do wrong to lose their first playoff game? Coach McCarthy said they were weak on fundamentals. In my opinion they thought they were good enough. And because they thought they were good enough, they didn't go out and really play like champions. I'd love to give the Packers a hard time but I can't. The more I think about it the more I realize that we Christians do the same thing.
We think we're "good enough" so we don't bother to play like champions. We are content to come to church from time to time, pray occasionally, and follow some of Jesus' rules. We are weak on fundamentals. That's why we aren't ready to face life's adversities. It's why when things get difficult, our faith feels weak. Here are the fundamentals of being a Christian:

Daily prayer. "Pray like a Champion"
Weekly Mass. Don't miss your practices, if you want to play well all week.
Frequent Conversion. Go to Confession; get rid of sin.
Give generously. Share with the needy. Share your faith.
Grow in your faith. Read. Study. Learn about it.

But there's good news. Jesus has called us each by name. He didn't call us to go out and be good. He called us to come and follow Him. He will walk with us.
What is one thing we need to repent of?
Thirty-nine years ago today abortion was made legal in the United States. Since that day, over 50 million of our own children have died from legal abortion. Now 1/3rd of these generations is missing. Monday is a day of fasting and prayer in reparation for sins against human life. We may be tempted to say that it isn't our concern; we haven't been involved, and that's good enough. But Jesus didn't call us to be "good enough". He called us to be champions. Pray like a Champion today.
(22 Jan 2012)

Chr2 - An Humility Epiphany

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:58:53 PST

[Readings for the Epiphany of the Lord]
Today the Church celebrates the moment when wise men from the East arrive bringing gifts for the Baby. Ancient Christians saw this as a bigger feast than Christmas. This feast gives the first inkling that Jesus is not just the king of the Jews, but that His Gospel will be meant for all nations. The three gifts tell us about the child:

Gold. A gift fit for a king. Jesus sits on his mother's lap like a throne and receives tribute.
Frankincense. A gift for the High Priest.
Myrrh. Used for embalming, it reveals that he will be our Sacrifice and will die for us.

In the course of the holidays I had an important lesson in humility. These readings teach the same thing: the danger of pride and the greatness of humility.

In the first reading, Israel had tried to make itself powerful by alliances with other countries. It failed and went into exile. Now Israel is a more humble country. Pride blinds the other nations; the humble Israel can see clearly. Instead of scraping riches together, God delivers them for His faithful people.
The Gospel teaches the same lesson. The wise men humbly follow the star, ask for directions, and accept the humble child. Herod is too proud to offer Jesus homage; he wants the world to serve him.

I have started praying for humility. Every time I pray for humility, I get humbled in some way. It isn't fun but it's necessary. When we are humble we serve the true king. We are able to see clearly and we begin to realize an amazing truth: our God is a humble God.
(8 Jan 2012)

Christmas - The Best Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:31:28 PST

Christmas Eve. We love all kinds of things about Christmas: Presents, family, the tree, cookies.... The first Christmas didn't have any of those things. But they were still happy because they had Jesus. Our Lord and Savior had given up all his riches as the Lord of the Universe to come and be with us. Why did he do that?
Because He loves us.
Jesus was willing to become small, innocent, tiny, and helpless -- a little baby in a poor family -- for love of us. We can be tempted to think that God is some distant force that doesn't really know us or care but us. But God became one of us in Jesus Christ to prove that He loves us so much that there is nothing He would not give up for us. That's what Christmas is all about: God cared enough to give us His very best.
Where do we experience this love for ourselves? In the Eucharist. The word Bethlehem means "House-of-bread." Jesus was laid in a feeding trough. He becomes food for our souls. In the Eucharist we encounter God's love for us personally. How do we repay His "I love you?" By loving Him in return. Love is the best gift we can give Him in return.
(25 Dec 2011)

Adv4 - What are you getting Jesus for His Birthday?

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:46:22 PST

Advent, 4th Sunday. Imagine throwing a birthday party for all your closest friends. They all come to celebrate with you and they bring fantastic gifts. But then they give their gifts to each other… no one brought a gift for you, and it was your birthday! That would be strange, wouldn’t it? But that’s how we celebrate Christmas every year. It is the birthday of Jesus, but instead of getting Him a gift, we give gifts to everyone else.
We are celebrating the birthday of Jesus. But in order to really appreciate what the birthday of Jesus means we need to go back to the beginning. God prophesied a Messiah and the Jewish people thought that meant another great king like David. But God had even better plans: He himself wanted to become one of us. God is our relation!
Mary got to conceive Him, hold Him, care for Him — and they grew closer and closer together. The first gift of Christmas is not something but Someone: Emmanuel, God-with-us. God is not a big, powerful, impersonal force. God is content to put himself into our hands, and to be vulnerable and helpless before us. He was willing to be a child in our hands; are we willing to be a child in His hands? Mary gave Jesus the gift of herself; she made space for Him in her life.
What are we going to give Jesus for His birthday?
(18 Dec 2011)

Adv3 - Rejoice! The Lord is Near

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:43:14 PST

Advent, 3rd Sunday. [not recorded live]
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near (Phil 4:4-5)
These are the words of our entrance antiphon for today’s Mass. It’s “pink candle Sunday”, when we celebrate passing the half-way point of Advent. That means that Jesus is near us. Advent is a season for realizing our need for God. Unfortunately, most people don’t discover until after Christmas that you can’t make yourself happy and you can’t buy joy. Peace on earth and joy to the world are gifts. God is the one who gives them to me.
I’ve managed to stay joyful in the midst of a flood of funerals. I think it’s because I’ve been remembering to pray. In fact, I even got one of the nicest compliments I have ever received. Someone said I acted “Christlike.” Every Christian should be told that. Have others seen Christ in you? Have you seen Christ in others? John the Baptist witnesses to Christ. We know when we see John the Baptist that Jesus can’t be too far behind. In the same way, if others see Jesus through us, He must be close by.
The bad news is that we can’t make ourselves happy. The good news is that God can. Rejoice! The Lord is near.
(11 Dec 2011)

Adv2 - Mountains and Valleys

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:40:14 PST

Advent, 2nd Sunday. [not recorded live] Isaiah has good news for his people – God himself is coming to visit them. The mountains and hills will be made low and the valleys filled in to make way for the coming of the King. Our God is coming to visit us, but we have to make a way for him into our heart. What do we have to do to prepare our hearts? Isaiah gives us a clue:
Make low the mountains of our pride. How often do we think that we are better than than everyone else, that God couldn’t possibly help much beyond what we can do for ourselves, and that a little visit might be fine but we really don’t need a savior? Those are the mountains of our pride.
Fill in the valleys of our worthlessness. And then there are the times when we think everyone else is better than us, that God couldn’t possibly love someone like me, and why should I get ready because he wouldn’t even bother visiting someone like me. These are the valleys of our worthlessness.
The Baby Jesus is the antidote to both our pride and our worthlessness. He is innocent and humble and shows us that God is not proud. God chose to be a helpless baby. But he also comes to dwell with us. We receive him in Holy Communion at Mass. How could we be worthless if we receive our Savior? The Baby Jesus levels the mountains of our pride and fills in the valleys of our worthlessness. Our God himself wants to visit us. Make space for God.
(4 Dec 2011)

Adv1 - Make Time for God

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:39:11 PST

Advent, 1st Sunday. I recently visited my little niece. She was so excited that every half-hour she asked, “Is Uncle Joel here yet?” When I arrived she came running out to meet the car and gave me a huge hug.
This is what Jesus has in mind when he tells us, “Be watchful! Be alert!” We should look forward with eager expectation to the coming of the One we love. If you were to die tonight, would you be ready? You would leave undone all the things you have put off — people you haven’t forgiven, or haven’t loved, and things you haven’t gotten to yet. Would you be excited to see Our Lord? Would you recognize Him? More importantly, would He recognize you? Have you really spent enough time with Our Lord that you can say you know each other?
At any time of year, but especially during the holiday season, it is easy to get so busy that we forget to pray. That is why we are handing out little wooden nickels. They remind you to make space for God and to make time for God. In fact, one side has a little clock on it. You can use a highlighter and color in how much time you plan to give to God each day. Maybe you want to give God twenty minutes, or only 5, or a whole hour. Before you make up your mind, remember that you aren’t going to have extra time in the day. That means to really give God time, you have to be willing to give up something else. I think we would all agree that time spent with God is time well spent.
If we really knew Our Lord well, we would be as excited to see Him as my little niece was excited to see me. That fact that we aren’t very excited about His coming can mean only one thing: we haven’t taken the time to really get to know Him. Make time for God.
(27 Nov 2011)

Ord34 - Treat the King as He treats Us

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:55:33 PST

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. The glory of the King of Kings is revealed. Everyone is judged on whether they treated Him well or badly. When, we wonder, did we have a chance to give our King food and drink? In the least of our brothers and sisters. It's not that Jesus will be king in the future; He is the Lord now. But he is not a Lord who rules by violence and force. He invites us to act the same way. Our King is compassionate and merciful. Do we treat others the way our King treats us?
(20 Nov 2011)

Ord33 - New Mass: Please Respond

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:40:36 PST

The Mass 2.0: The Eucharistic Prayer

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my Roof

So far we have covered the Gloria and the Creed. As we look ahead, we see that most of the changes are a word here or there. The Mystery of Faith has changed in one important way – we are missing the most popular response: Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again. What happened? It doesn’t exist in the Latin. The translators invented it when they wrote the English translation. So when the new translators came to that part, there was nothing to translate.
The other thing worth noting is the Invitation to Communion. This one looks very different: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. What does a roof have to do with receiving Communion? It is a quote from Luke Chapter 7 about a Centurion who believed so strongly, Jesus didn’t even need to enter his home to cure his servant. Jesus says, “Not even in Israel have I found such faith.” We quote this Centurion because we are asking for faith like that.

Many are Called

There is one other change that I want to mention. During the Consecration, the priest will soon say: Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the New and Eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. It might sound disturbing that we are saying “Many” instead of “All.” It might sound disturbing, but that’s what it says in the Bible (see Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Isaiah 53:12). Jesus’ sacrifice was for many (not just a few), but not all will accept it. That is perhaps the most disturbing thing about God’s love for us: we have the power to reject God's love for us. Let’s not.

All together as a Family

Now that we have looked through the Mass translation, I want you to know that you don’t have to like it. Maybe you’re excited about some things. Maybe you’re uncomfortable. Maybe there will be some things you’ll miss. That’s perfectly fine. You have a right to your own opinion. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to do it. My dad used to tell us, “We’re doing this as a family, and you’re part of this family.” We Catholics are a big universal family. We are all doing this together as a family.

It’s not the end of the World

I think that this new translation will be a Y2K moment for the Church. Remember all the hype that every machine would stop working when the year rolled over to 2000? And nothing happened. There has been lots of hype and discussion about this translation but I think it's not going to be a big deal. Maybe that’s really a bad thing. Many people aren't interested in learning the new responses because we don't know the old ones. I also know that many of you grew up when you were expected to just stay quiet in Mass and you did that very well. So I’m just going to make an appeal: please respond. This isn’t just my show. You don't come to Mass to watch me worship God. You come to Mass to worship God yourself. I have my parts and you have yours. We each have to do our part.
You have every right to expect me to do a good job. You expect me to come to Mass prepared, to have something worth listening to. You expect me to speak up and not mumble, and it bothers you when you can’t hear me. Most of you like it when I sing and you expect me to do that well. Those are all fully reasonable expectations for your priest. But if you expect this of me, I have every right to expect the same from you.
If you expect me to come to Mass prepared, then it's only fair that you also come to Mass prepared. Read the readings in advance. Think about what you want to get out of Mass. Come early and recollect yourselves. If you expect me to speak up and not mumble, then I can expect the same out of you. Do you like me singing? Well, I like you singing, so let’s sing together. Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel that we have the freedom to use the gifts we have been given. Two servants make good use of their gifts and the third wastes it. You get out of Mass what you put into Mass. If you are getting nothing out of Mass, I think we know where the problem starts. Please respond.
(13 Nov 2011)

Ord32 - New Mass: The Creed

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:24:53 PST

The Mass 2.0: The Creed

We Catholics we share a common set of beliefs. We believe that we have met God in a significant way, and this God has taught us who He is and who we are. The Creed contains our basic summaries of these truths. There are three significant changes in the translation of the Creed. Here is the new translation:
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
(all bow at the following words)
and by the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy,
catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen
In the current translation of the Mass, we say, “We believe.” The Latin word Credo means “I believe.” It is true that we as a Christian body believe in God. However, saying I believe is more profound for two reasons:
First, it challenges each of us. It is easy to hide in a crowd and mumble along with we believe. But Do I really believe this? Do you really believe this? We each must answer for ourselves.
Second, we are One Body in Christ. Professing a common faith gives us a common voice. The whole Catholic world can stand up with and say together, I believe.
I always ask Confirmation students this question: Is Jesus God? We believe in only one God. But God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all God. How can there not be three different gods? They are consubstantial. It means that Jesus shares the same Divine ‘substance’ of God the Father. There are three divine Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) but only one Divine nature (one God). This word is not so hard to say if we break it down a piece at a time: con/sub/stantial.
Jesus was really and truly God. But he was also really and truly man. Jesus was a human being just like us. They key word we use to say that he was truly human is the word incarnate. It comes from the Latin word carne meaning “flesh” (a carnivorous animal is a “flesh-eater”). The word in-carne expresses the idea that Jesus came into our human flesh. He didn’t just appear to be a human being. He didn’t just put on a man-suite. He really and truly became flesh like we are. There is a special gesture that accompanies these words. We bow when we say: “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” We bow because Jesus bowed. He is the God almighty and Lord of the Universe. It was a huge act of humility for Him to become a human being.

The Coming of the Lord

It is Jesus who reveals the Father to us and gives us the Holy Spirit. The Incarnation is the key moment when our world became entwined with God. For centuries God was preparing the world to receive the gift of his Son. Yet the Israelite people expected the Messiah to be a great king. They failed to recognize the Messiah in the humble love of Jesus Christ. Even though we know the history of Jesus, we Catholics often make the same mistake. Jesus becomes present here in bread and wine and other Sacraments. He works in our every-day lives. Yet we expect God’s work to be somehow miraculous and spectacular. The Creed reminds us who God is and how He acts. If we learn the Creed well, we will also learn how to recognize God when He appears in humble ways every day.
(6 Nov 2011)

Ord31 - Introductory Rites of the new Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:38:32 PDT

The Mass 2.0: Introductory Rites (16:30)

You can follow along with the new Mass translation here:
http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/samples-people.shtml

“And with your Spirit”

Those of you who used the old Latin/English missals will find this response very familiar. It is heavily rooted in Scripture. This response can be found in Galatians 6:8 and also 2 Timothy 4:22. There is also an ancient Holy Saturday homily that uses this phrase, showing us that it was in common use among the early Christians:

The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

Theologians tell us that spirit is not the soul of the priest, but rather the Holy Spirit that the priest received at his Ordination. In other words, the priest is telling the people, “Hey, look sharp, the Lord be with you” – you are God’s people. And the people say back, “And you, be our priest.” We are inviting each other to live up to our own dignity. This new line appears 5 times at Mass. It should be easy.

Penitential Act

There are three options for the Penitential Act. The most familiar one: “Lord, have Mercy,” “Christ have mercy,” “Lord have Mercy” is exactly the same in the new translation, so there’s nothing new to learn for that one. Sometimes though you’ll hear me say, “Kyrie eleison” instead. That happens to be the only part of the Mass still in Greek. It simply means “Lord have mercy” and is used interchangeably with the English.
The Confiteor is different in only two places: the word greatly and the three-part repetition of our faults. A gesture has been restored that again will be familiar to our older parishioners: each time we say the word fault, we will strike our chest. This is an ancient way of saying, “My bad.” (see Luke 23:48) . We aren’t emphasizing our sin; we are simply admitting guilt. In order to receive what God wants to give us, we have to admit that we need God’s help. The Penitential Act puts us in the right mood to admit that we need God’s gifts.

Gloria

We deserve nothing, but God has given us so much. Just as we asked the angels and saints to help us obtain God’s forgiveness, so now we join them in praising God. The Gloria begins with the angels’ line from the birth of Jesus: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will (Luke 2:14). Many of the lines come from the book of Revelation where it talks about the white-robed saints worshipping God, or from other parts of Scripture (see Rev. 7:12, John 1:29, Rev. 15:4, Psalm 83:19). If you compare this more precise translation with the previous one, you’ll notice that it repeats itself a few times. Just as we repeatedly acknowledged our sins in the Confiteor, so we also repeatedly acknowledge God’s greatness in the Gloria. Singing the glory of God is the greatest thing we creatures can do.

Collect (opening prayer)

The priest says, “Let us pray,” and pauses for each of us to pray silently on our own. Then, he gathers or “collects” all these prayers into the prayer known as the Collect. The new style of the Collect is much more difficult. Each collect is a single sentence using Latin Subordinate Clauses to make the petition addressed to God. Most of the time, the collects have this simple pattern: God who, do, through. Watch this in action with the prayer from the 31^st Sunday:

God	Almighty and merciful God,
*Who*	by whose gift your faithful offer you right and praisworthy service,
Do	grant, we pray,that we may hasten without stumbling to receive the things you promised.
*Through*	Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Why bother?

Now that we are looking at the real translations, you might say it looks like much ado about nothing. What’s the big deal about a word here or a word there? There are two reasons. First of all, if you are going to do a whole new translation, you need to look at everything from start to finish (that’s why it took them about 8 years to finish this). Secondly, the worship of God is the most important thing we could possibly do. We shouldn’t be sloppy about worshiping God. Today’s Old Testament reading and Gospel both accuse the priests of bringing glory to themselves instead of glory to God the Father. In contrast, Paul has become their humble servant for the sake of the Word. This humility is what enables us to truly serve God and become who we were meant to be. It’s not true that the priest does all the work at Mass and everyone else just sits back and watches. It’s everyone’s job to worship God. The priest is here as your servant to lead you in worship. But you have to do your own part.
(30 Oct 2011)

Ord30 - New Big Red Book

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:58:25 PDT

This fall we will change to a new English translation of the Mass. You might have heard rumors or hype about the coming changes, but it all boils down to one simple change: You know that big red book that the priest reads all the prayers out of? We’re getting a new copy of the Big Red Book (it’s proper name is the Sacramentary or the Roman Missal).

The Long History of the Big Red Book (in 400 words or less)

When the early Christians gathered for Sunday worship they would usually pray in Greek. Even in Rome, most of the first Christians were Greek-speaking immigrants. Somewhere in the 300’s, enough Latin speakers had converted that the Church in Rome decided to translate the Bible and the Mass prayers into Latin. As the Church continued to expand northwards into the missionary lands of what would become France, Spain, Germany, England, etc., the decision was made that the churches in the former Roman Empire would all use the same Big Red Book. They wrote to Rome and asked the Pope to make copies of the Big Red Book he was using in Rome. Since the book was for Mass it was known as the Missal, and since it came from Rome it was called the Roman Missal. It expanded and changed over the next thousand years, but wherever the Latin church prayed, it always used the same Big Red Book everywhere. When missionary priests came to the New World in the 1600’s they brought with them copies of the Big Red Book and used it to celebrate Mass with and for the native peoples.
After the Second Vatican Council some significant changes were made to the Roman Missal. The most noticeably change was the permission to translate the book into local languages (up to that point, everyone in the West used Latin). Now you could celebrate Mass in Czech or Swedish or Swahili, provided that your translation had been duly approved by the Big Red Book officials in Rome. The Americans worked together with other English-speaking countries to quickly whip up an English translation. We have been using this same translation for the past 40 years.

Why a new Translation

The original translation was done quickly. The translators simplified many of the more complex phrases found in the Latin copy of the Roman Missal. Latin is a very rich language that can say a lot with few words. The Mass in many places quotes from different passages in the Bible. These quotes can be confusing unless you understand the context of where they are coming from. The original translators felt that Americans would not understand some of the complexity of the Latin prayers. In the last 40 years we have learned a great deal about celebrating Mass in English. One of the things we have learned is that given time and good explanations, we can handle big words and complex sentences. About 8 years of thought and careful planning went into this brand new translation.
Our Gospel this weekend reminds us that the most important commandment is to love the Lord our God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. As important as this commandment is, we can easily forget it in the hustle and bustle of daily life. The current translation of the Mass has become so familiar that sometimes we respond without even realizing what we are saying. This new translation is a good opportunity to take a closer look at what we are saying and what it means. I hope as we look at the words we say, we will put more of our heart into loving God and loving our neighbor when we come to Mass.
(23 Oct 2011)

Coming this Advent: The Mass 2.0

The Long History of the Big Red Book (in 400 words or less)

After the Second Vatican Council some significant changes were made to the Roman Missal. The most noticeably change was the permission to translate the book into local languages (up to that point, everyone in the West used Latin). Now you could celebrate Mass in Czech or Swedish or Swahili, provided that your translation had been duly approved by the Big Red Book officials in Rome. The Americans worked together with other English-speaking countries to quickly whip up an English translation. We have been using this same translation for the past 40 years.

Why a new Translation

Our Gospel this weekend reminds us that the most important commandment is to love the Lord our God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. As important as this commandment is, we can easily forget it in the hustle and bustle of daily life. The current translation of the Mass has become so familiar that sometimes we respond without even realizing what we are saying. This new translation is a good opportunity to take a closer look at what we are saying and what it means. I hope as we look at the words we say, we will put more of our heart into loving God and loving our neighbor when we come to Mass.

Fr. Joel

Ord29 - Even Cesar belongs to God

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:39:19 PDT

Ordinary Time, 29th Sunday. The Pharisees try to trap Jesus with a clever question. They ask, "Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Cesar or not?"
If Jesus answers Yes, the people will be angry.
If Jesus answers No, the government will be angry.
Jesus replies with one of the best one-liners in history: "Repay to Cesar what belongs to Cesar, and to God what belongs to God."
If the coin has Cesar's image, then give it back to him.
But us, whose image to do we bear? We bear the image and likeness of God himself. That means that we belong to God. In our first reading to day from Isaiah, God claims ownership even of a foreign king who does not believe in Him. How then could He fail to own us, His baptized Children? Too often we forget the One we belong to and we tarnish His image. We often fail to see the image of God in our neighbors. The poem, "The Touch of the Master's Hand" by Myra B. Welch reminds us that we are worth far more than we realize.
Repay to Cesar what belongs to Cesar, and to God what belongs to God... but even Cesar belongs to God.
(16 Oct 2011)

Ord27 - Daily Stewardship

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:19:01 PDT

Ordinary Time, 27th Sunday. Are we renters or are we stewards? In today's Gospel, the renters try to use the property for themselves. They forget who really owns it. We often have the same problem Everything we own is a gift from God, including the world and our very life itself. We are Stewards entrusted with gifts that we do not own. It belongs to God, and we have to use it for the glory of God.

Treasure. Everything we own belongs to God. We can't take anything with us. Do we use our things wisely? Everyone should make a family budget: list your income and expenses, and you'll be able to make better choices about where to spend God's money.
Talent. Does your body look loved, or just lived in? Do you give your body rest, healthy food, exercise? How about your mind -- are you putting it to good use? Are we good stewards of God's gifts?
Time. We never 'find' time. Everyone gets exactly 1440 minutes per day, 168 hours per week. We already know exactly how much we are going to get this week. How will you use it?

God gave us these gifts and He wants us to use them well. This week, let the Master show you how to be a good Steward.
(2 Oct 2011)

Ord26 - Actions speak louder than Words

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:59:06 PDT

Ordinary Time, 26th Sunday. Today's Gospel can be summed up with this little phrase: Actions speak louder than words. What you do matters more than what you said. This can be useful when evaluating a boyfriend or girlfriend. It can also help us discern the character of an employee. It also lets us know if we are really being a Christian or not.
Every Christian believes that Christ is God's answer to our needs. God made us in His image and likeness, but we don't always act that way. So He not only told us how to act, but He showed us. Jesus shows us how to be a human being and He then helps us do it. By being a Christian, you promise to try and live like Jesus. In the last few weeks, Jesus has showed us three different ways that He lives:

Jesus Forgives. Seventy times seven times.
Jesus is Generous. He gives far more than we deserve.
Jesus is Humble. He gave up His glory in order to serve us.

Since Christians imitate Jesus, we also need to forgive, be generous, and be humble. Are we actively trying to be like Jesus? We say we are Christians, but actions speak louder than words.
(25 Sep 2011)

Ord25 - Receiving the Gift of God

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:08:54 PDT

Receiving the Gift of God
Ordinary Time, 25th Sunday. The workers in today's Gospel are not grateful for the gifts they have received because they compare themselves to others. In the same way, we are often not grateful for the gifts God gives us. We Christians have received amazing gifts. Not one of us is good enough to go to heaven. Why? Because Heaven is a gift. We can't earn a free gift; you just have to receive it. In the same way, none of us is good enough to go to Heaven, because heaven is a free gift. God gives it freely to His children. We are like orphans who have been adopted as children of God. An orphan cannot earn adoption, but he or she can be expected to live up to the new family they have received. In the same way, we have been adopted as God's children. We didn't earn it, but we do have to live like it. We have to behave as children of God.
We often ask God for all kinds of things: health, wealth, toys, good weather... How often have you asked God for a deeper relationship with Him? The best gift God has to give is Himself, but it's often the last gift we really want. Sometimes God takes away our toys and things so that we can realize how worthless they are compared to Him. God wants to give us himself. Are we willing to receive His gift?
(18 Sep 2011)

Ord24 - Homily for the Anniversary of 9/11

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:26:03 PDT

"Forgiveness is like Spiritual Judo"

Ordinary Time, 24th Sunday. Do you remember what you were doing on September 11th, 2001? Most of us can. The world after 9/11 is a very different place than before. We distinctly remember the visions of horror as the towers burned. We also remember the visions of beauty as people prayed, served, and gave of themselves in the aftermath of the tragedy.

On this 10th anniversary, our liturgy provides us with a Gospel about forgiveness. Let's dig into the Gospel to see how radical it is. In the time of Jesus, it was commonly accepted that you had to forgive someone 3 times when he offended you (like a 'three strikes' rule). Peter is willing to go above and beyond by forgiving his brother even 7 times. Jesus blows everything out of proportion by asking for 77 times of forgiveness. Then he explains it with a parable (Matthew 18:21-35). The "huge amount" that the servant owes his master is 10,000 talents. The "much smaller amount" he is owed is 100 denarii. There were about 6,000 denarii in a talent. Roughly this is equivalent to being forgiven 60 million dollars, and than shaking down a buddy for a hundred bucks. You can see why the master has a right to be angry. Jesus says that we have been forgiven so much, we have no right to refuse to forgive our brother.

We think if we forgive, the offender gets off scott free. But this is not the case. The offender still has to answer to the Master. Forgiveness allows us to turn the offenses of another into a benefit for myself. It's kind of like spiritual Judo. Judo is that martial art where supposedly you use your opponent's strength against him. With forgiveness, the wounds someone tries to inflict on me end up helping me instead. I put them to good use, so that as my enemy tries to cut me down, I grow stronger.

One of the victims of the holocaust was found with this little prayer in his pocket:

O Lord, remember not only those of goodwill, but also those of ill will.
But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted upon us;
Instead remember all the fruits we have born because of this suffering --
      our fellowship, our loyalty to one other, our humility, our courage,
      our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble.
When our persecutors come to be judged by you,
      Let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.

In the midst of evil and tragedy, we can rise the the occasion and become better people. I bet Osama bin Laden did not intend for all of America to attend church because of his attacks, but that is exactly what happened. My hope and my prayer is that some time in the ten years after the attack, Osama bin Laden realized the evil he had done and repented, and God forgave him. Maybe he's now in heaven, and has me the thousands of victims of the violence and evil he promoted. Maybe this seems a little far-fetched to you, but this is what Christianity is all about. After all, the master forgave me 60 million. Why should I resent it if the Master forgives another servant a couple billion.
(11 Sept 2011)
(The prayer is quoted from Sunday Homily Helps, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 9/11/2011)

Ord23 - If my brother sins against me

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 11:37:35 PDT

If my brother sins against me
Ordinary Time, 23rd Sunday. Love builds community. Sin destroys it. We are called to be people of love. So what do we do when someone sins against us? Jesus gives us a three-step process.

Talk to him (or her). Not to everyone else. It's not about getting even, but about helping my brother repent.
Bring a couple others into the conversation. How do I know that he needs to apologize? Maybe its me. A couple good friends will help.
Talk to the church. Sin is like toxic waste; it begins to contaminate everyone. Loving people also means being intolerant of sin, because sin destroys community.

Finally, if he won't listen even to the church, we treat him like a tax collector or a Gentile. Here there are two things we have to understand. First, we are not excluding someone from community. By choosing sin, and refusing to repent, they have excluded themselves from community. We are only making public what has already happened. Second, how did Jesus treat tax collectors and Gentiles? He loved them and invited them in. In other words, we can never "write someone off" no matter what they have done. We have to always be willing to welcome them back, provided they take the necessary steps.
But there is one more thing to keep in mind -- before I can truly help my brother with his sins, I have to be honest with myself about mine. (4 Sep 2011)

Ord22 - Full of Love, Free of Selfishness

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:26:27 PDT

Homily for the Seminarian Appeal
I just got back from World Youth Day 2011 in Spain. It was so hot, so crowded, so loud, so amazing -- it would be virtually impossible to explain it to someone who wasn't there. The highlight of World Youth Day is a Sunday Mass with the Holy Father. The night before, the young people gather for a vigil with the Pope and spend the night camping out in a field. There were people crowded everywhere enjoying the sun. However, after a rain storm blew in, quite a number of people left. The next day, the Holy Father was joined by between 1.5 and 2 million people for the largest Mass ever celebrated in Spain.
As I was reflecting on this, I realized how much I try to live my own life full of pleasure and free of pain. When I get up in the morning this goal is usually the first thing on my mind. Peter has the same thing in mind in today's Gospel reading. He can't understand why Jesus would accept suffering. But Jesus has something better in mind. You see, when we live for pleasure, we become more selfish, and we make ourselves the center of our lives. Other people become either sources of pleasure or obstacles to be avoided. Jesus has something better in mind. He chooses to live his life full of love and free of selfishness. He invites His disciples to do the same.
The world was amazed that so many young people would gather to hear an 84 year old man tell them to believe in Jesus. The world is also amazed that even in the 21st Century, young men are still feeling the call to the priesthood. Our Diocese is blessed with 23 men who are studying to be priests. Some of them came along on the trip to World Youth Day. Please pray for them. The world doesn't understand why perfectly normal men would choose to put their own pleasures aside and lay down their lives to serve us and the Church. But we understand -- once you have begun to live a life of love, you discover that there really is nothing better.

Mass11 - The Creed and the Intercessions

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 12:01:58 PDT

The Word became Flesh, and dwelt among Us

I Believe

The Liturgy of the Word ends with two more ‘words’, the Creed and the Intercessions. The Creed can look and sound like a dry and formulaic recitation of a bunch of old doctrines. Not true! The Creed is a living and active thing, but it only makes sense when we see it in connection with the Scriptures. In just a few short words (224 to be exact), the Creed summarizes the basic outline of the entire Bible. If you want to review the Creed, you can find it in the Breaking Bread missal on page 12. The Bible teaches us that there is one God and he is Father and creator. He is also Son and Redeemer, and Spirit who gives us life. These three persons are the great actor in the history of the world. The Creed teaches us that human history is not a series of random events. The little bits are part of one great complex and dramatic story. History is “His story” – it tells the tale of God and man, and the dramatic battle between good and Evil. The Creed not only summarizes the Bible but it also summarizes the world we live in, both its past and its future.
When we start using the new Mass translation this Advent, you will notice that the Creed has changed a lot. The translators have been very careful and precise. They went over every possible English word to find the words that best translated the Latin. What we believe makes us who we are; we need to be very careful to say it clearly. The biggest change is from “we” to “I”. The word Creed comes from the Latin word Credo, which means, “I believe.” In the current English translation we say, “We believe…” It’s true that we all believe this, but that is not what the Latin had in mind. The Latin used “I” because it is also challenging each believer. It is easy to hide in a crowd and mumble along with everyone else. Do you really believe this? God is the center of history; is He the center of my life? The Creed challenges each and every one of us.

The Nicene Creed in the Mass 2.0

Present Text

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son
he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the
resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

New Text

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy,
catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

See http://usccb.org/romanmissal/samples-people.shtml

Lord, Hear our Prayer

The Gospel, the Homily, and the Creed all challenge us. They explain to us what God expects from us and ask if we believe God and if our actions match our beliefs. If we have listened carefully, we have probably felt ourselves challenged. So the obvious thing to do now is to turn to God in prayer. In what is known as the Prayers of the Faithful or the Intercessions, we ask God for help for ourselves and our world. This moment reminds us of what great love a Christian is called to have. We pray for our neighbors and people half-way around the world. We pray for our Church and other churches. We pray for all those in need. We lift up those of little faith. This is a moment for us to reach out to the whole world, gather it up, and offer it to God. The Intercessions are an act of love.
They are also an act of Priesthood. During this part of the Mass, the People exercise their own Priestly function. As you know, the priest’s job is to pray and sacrifice for the People of God. But every Christian is called to pray and sacrifice for the World. As the priest brings Jesus to the Christian people, so the Christian people bring Jesus to the world. The Intercessions prepare God’s people for the job you will face the rest of the week: to pray and offer sacrifices on behalf of the whole world. Don’t be afraid; God is with you.
Today’s readings [19th Sunday in Ordinary Time] show Peter doing the impossible — walking on water. He can do it as long as he continues to believe in Jesus. When the wind whips up, Peter starts to lose his faith, and he sinks. This same thing happens to us. Here in Church we strengthen our faith in Christ. During the rest of the week, we struggle to continue to believe. This is why we need to return to church every week and repeat once again: I believe.
(7 Aug 2011)

The Hubble Deep Field Image (the best I could find on the web)

Hubble Deep Field (2004)

More amazing pictures at HubbleSite

Mass10 - The Gospel and the Homily

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:58:40 PDT

The Word became Flesh, and dwelt among Us

The Gospel of the Lord! Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

The Liturgy of the Word reaches its climax with the reading of the Gospel. We know the Gospel is special because we do a number of unusual things at this time:

Standing. During the rest of the readings we remained seated. We stand for the Gospel, just as we would stand if an important person entered the room.
Alleluia. The word is Hebrew and means “Praise to God.” It was used in temple worship and appears on the lips of the angels when they sing God’s praises in heaven in the book of Revelation.
Prayer of Purification. Before reading the Gospel, the priest prays this prayer silently: “Almighty God, cleanse my heart and my lips that I may worthily proclaim your gospel.” He is asking to be purified so that Jesus might speak through him.
Procession. The Gospel book is treated with reverence and dignity.
Sign of the Cross. The priest and people sign themselves on their forehead, lips, and heart with the sign of the cross. They are asking that their thoughts, words, and actions may follow what we are about to hear in the Gospel.
Incense. If incense is being used for a particularly solemn Mass, the Gospel book is incensed as a sign of the presence of Jesus.
Kissing. Following the reading of the Gospel, the priest or deacon kisses the spot he has just read. This reverence is offered out of love for Jesus Christ.

What does all this mean? It means that we are not just rehashing old history of Jesus. We don’t just hear about Jesus calling for repentance; we hear with our own ears: “Repent and believe in the Gospel!” We don’t just recite an old parable about buried treasure; we hear a parable addressed to us. Jesus promised, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt 18:20). It is Jesus Himself who speaks to us through the Gospel and calls us to repentance, conversion, and a deeper friendship with Him.

Practice what you Preach

Following the reading of the Gospel, the priest (or deacon) offers a brief explanation of the readings. When a man is ordained a Deacon, he is given these instructions: Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach. In other words, the ordained minister is supposed to “chew” on God’s word by putting it into practice in his own life. He then offers the people the results of his prayer and experience. What does this Gospel look like in action? Where have we seen these words come true in our town? This is the job of the homily. Jesus says today, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” A good homily will take the “old” Gospel and bring it to life by showing us that it really works. It is like putting on a pair of “Gospel glasses” and seeing the world as Jesus saw it. Then, we turn those glasses and look at ourselves. Depending on how we are living, that can be either comforting or shocking.
Sometimes a homily comes out a little half-baked, or you start to wonder where your priest is going with it. You don't just have to wait for the priest to do the reflection for you. In fact, every Christian should be "chewing" on the word of God and experience it in your own life. We are all called to Believe what we read, Teach what we believe, and Practice what we teach. (24 Jul 2011)

Mass9 - The Bible in Three Years

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:39:46 PDT

The Word of the Lord came to Me

A Grand Tour of the Bible

We learned last week that the Bible is God’s word to us. But if we sat down to read it all, each Mass would last several weeks at least! So instead we take a small selection each week. You might not know that the selection changes on a cycle of three years. Currently we are in Year A, so you will hear readings from Matthew’s Gospel. In Year B we read Mark and in Year C we read Luke. In the course of the 3 years, we read most of the Bible. In fact, there is so much scripture that regular attendance at Mass is itself a Bible study.
Some of our Christian brothers and sisters believe that all you have to do is read the Bible and do what is says. It’s not really that easy. The Bible is dense and complex and full of different layers of meaning. It can be carefully examined, compared and contrasted, and mined for meaning. Some of the Church Fathers compared this process to a cow chewing its cud. We should return over and over again to Scripture, each time meditating and asking God for new insights. If you don’t understand a particular reading, don’t worry – it will be back in 3 years! As time goes on, the riches of God’s word begin to enrich our lives more deeply.

Something Old, Something New

The pattern of readings is almost always the same: an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a New Testament reading, and then the Gospel. The Gospel is the most important of the readings. The Gospel was chosen first and then an Old Testament reading was picked to reflect the same theme and idea. This was once very controversial. Some early Christians believed that we should throw out the Old Testament. They said it was full of people killing each other, sinful behavior, wives getting stoned for adultery and lots of laws that don’t apply any more. Now that we had Jesus, they said, we didn’t need that old stuff anymore. But cooler heads won this debate. They pointed out that God used the Old Testament to prepare for the coming of Christ. The Church put it this way, God “brought it about that the New should be hidden in the Old and that the Old should be manifest in the New.” (DV 16). The promises made in the Old are fulfilled in the New, but they also explain the context of the New Testament. In the end, even the Old Testament is all about Jesus Christ.
We see this in today’s readings. The Old Testament reading tells us that God is just but also merciful. In our Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable about the weeds and the wheat. Jesus will not let them pull up the weeds for fear that they disturb the wheat. He is just, but also merciful.
The Psalms are a series of 150 inspired hymns that were sung by the Jewish people for various occasions. We use them to respond to the reading from the Old Testament. The New Testament reading wasn’t necessarily chosen to match the other two, but it can reveal some interesting things about them. After each reading, the reader says, “The Word of the Lord” and we respond, “Thanks be to God.” Wait; think about it. Through the lips of the lector we are hearing God’s own words! That is amazing and beautiful. Every Sunday God speaks to his people through the Scriptures. God is speaking; are we listening?
Fr. Joel
DV = Dei Verbum, The Dogmatic Constitution on the Divine Revelation; see www.vatican.va

Mass8 - The Liturgy of the Word

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 11:01:15 PDT

Tell me that You love Me

The Word of God, in our Words

The Mass is a single act of worship but consists of two primary parts. The first part is known as the Liturgy of the Word. The second part is called the Liturgy of the Eucharist. These two parts make up one whole act of worship of God. Simply put, first God tells us that He loves us, then He shows us. We open the Bible to hear God’s words of love.
Now, the Bible is not a single book. It is instead a portable library of 73 books written over a span of nearly 3000 years. They are written in many different genre – history, prophecy, poetry, wisdom. We believe that these various books are inspired by God. Now, this does not mean that God dictated and human beings scribbled God’s ideas word for word. Instead, the Second Vatican Council says:

“To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more.” (DV 11)

So each book has two authors, a human being and God Himself. The human scribe wrote using his skill, knowledge and vocabulary, and yet God also worked through him to say what He wanted said and nothing else.

Story time with the Father

“In the sacred books the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them.” (DV 21)

What is the Bible about? It is a non-fiction drama about the romance between God and Man. It tells us that we were created by God and made to be happy, but instead we chose sin. It then unfolds the history of God’s conversation with human beings. It shows us how He called Noah to save a few human beings and all the animals from a great flood. It tells us about Abraham and his descendents who became the people of Israel. It tells us of great prophets who heard God’s call, and great sinners who rejected it. The Bible is God’s story, but it is also our story. It shows us who we are as human beings and what we are capable of. But also, we believe, through the power of the Holy Spirit it continues to speak to us today. Have you ever sat in church and thought, “That reading must have been meant for me!” It was. Each lector becomes a spokesperson for God himself, telling us what God wants us to hear. This is our story that is unfolded each Sunday at Mass.
References:
United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) Chapter 2
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), paragraphs 101-141
DV = Dei Verbum, The Dogmatic Constitution on the Divine Revelation

Mass7 - True Independence

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Joel Sember) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:32:23 PDT

You could come to Mass week after week and never really understand what we are doing here. So we are back to our series on the Mass. If you would like to review the previous posts, they are available under the tag “The Mass“. The Bible reveals three aspects about the Mass.
Sacrifice
The Jews used to sacrifice animals and then join in a meal. The greatest sacrifice was the Passover Lamb. Jesus came as the Lamb of God to sacrifice himself for us. This sacrifice is made present in the Mass.
The Real Presence of Jesus
Through the Mass, Jesus fulfills his promise to be with us always. Under the appearance of bread and wine, Jesus himself is present at Mass.
Communion
Human beings are made in such a way that we yearn for union and communion with others. This leads to lots of strange behavior when young people (and not so young) get desperate for a relationship. But our faith tells us that we were made for more — we were made for Communion with God himself. The Mass is a foretaste of this Communion that will be fulfilled in Heaven.
Easy Yoke; Light Burden
In today’s Gospel Jesus says:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Mt 11:29-30)
Surely the Gospel is very demanding — love your enemies, turn the other check, hating your brother is like murder. How can this be an easy burden?
We are not burdened by the demands of the Gospel. We are burdened by our own ego. We carry with us the need to prove ourselves to everyone, the need to be right, to maintain our own reputation, to make up for the mistakes of the past and to be ready for what might come in the future. Jesus wants to carry all these things. The only burden he asks us to bear is the challenge of loving Him fully at this particular moment. Compared to what you have been carrying, this burden is easy and light.
The presence of Christ always brings peace and joy. Do you have enough peace? Do you have too much joy? I doubt it. Because we all need more Jesus in our lives. You have sacrificed by being here at Mass today. Jesus is really present here. Are you really present here? Or are you distracted by the things you watched on TV last night and the plans you have for the afternoon? Jesus comes to enter into Communion with you. Are you coming to enter into Communion with Him? This weekend the United States celebrates our Independence Day. While we are a peaceful and prosperous nation, we have not experienced the peace that our hearts long for. Come to Christ and you will find true independence. (3 Jul 2011)