WHOSE HANDS

Whose Hands!   A basketball in my hands is worth about $19.  A basketball in Michael Jordan's hands is worth about $33 million.  It depends on whose hands it's in.   A baseball in my hands is worth about $6.  A baseball in Roger Clemens' hands is worth $475 million.  It depends on whose hands it's in.   A tennis racket is useless in my hands.  A tennis racket in Serena Williams hands is worth millions.  It depends on whose hands it's in.   A rod in my hands will keep away an angry dog.  A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty Red Sea.  It depends on whose hands it's in.   A slingshot in my hands is a toy.  A slingshot in David's hand is a mighty weapon.  It depends on whose hands it's in.   Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches.  Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in Jesus' hands will feed thousands.  It depends on whose hands it's in.   Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse.  Nails in Jesus Christ's hands will  Produce salvation for the entire world.  It depends on whose hands it's in. As you see now, it depends whose hands it's in.  So put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families and your relationships in God's hands because...  It depends on whose hands it's in.

FATHER'S DAY

FATHER'S DAY

Father…father

            A Spanish proverb has it: “An ounce of father is worth a pound of clergy.” The priest may offer his Mass, and the nun her sacrifices, and the contemplative may gaze into divine realities, but it is the father, that undistinguished man you see in the early morning, leaving home for the shop, the office, the factory or the coal mine, - that tired, troubled person you see returning home late evening with a smile and a cheerfulness that are sometimes hard to tie together – it is he who is the first guardian of the home and warrior of the faith. He comforts and is comforted by the children who run into his arms. “A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms even if his hands are empty!”

            He is the captain of the home, the rock on which Christian civilisation is built. There is no order or organisation to record his heroism or promote his beatification. He is the common, often inglorious beast of burden. Yes, indeed. But there was a day when the Son of God had personally to arrange for a beast of burden to carry him triumphantly into his holy city!

            The dedicated father today is a hero, and if you ask why he carries himself so bravely, I can answer only because in him is the stuff of saints. Not for him is the boost of applause. The mother is praised in song and extolled in story, and she deserves it. But the father walks the common way without bugles, drums and flags. Truly, he has given hostages to fortune. Those holy men and women who have given up the world are the glorious children of God, but if there were no harassed, poor, slaving fathers, there would be none of those glorious children!

            Peace of mind and soul are lovely possessions, but they are not for the dedicated father. The particular saint in him demands that he go out and meet the challenges of the day, that he be concerned not with his own well being and serenity but with those in his care, that he venture forth into the world and there, thick in the mass of men, seek the opportunity to love his neighbour and his enemy, so that, in advance and not in retreat, in battle and not in seclusion, he may prove himself worthy of Him from whom all fatherhood is named.

            All fatherhood is named from heaven. And all earthly fathers have rightfully kept hold of that old truth that God is Father. He is the Father of creation, the Father of Abraham and the patriarchs. You look at the starry sky and are moved with awe at this mighty God’s power and management. You look at the failures of his creation and are moved by his patience and endurance, by how he continues, despite it all, to be merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. You look at your own frailty, moral and spiritual, and are moved with his understanding and his forgiving kindness.

            To call this great God “Father” is a privilege and a blessing, and this is how, over the centuries he has made himself known. It is a title you use with respect, just as your child uses it for you: “Papa, Dada, Pop, Hi Dad.” What beautiful sounds! And when you use it for God, it tells you of his eternal care that holds you and all life secure in those eternal arms that are underneath and around you.

            This is the faith into which you were born, and this is the love that will not let you go. And when you met Jesus, he confirmed all that for you, as he spoke and acted in the name of that God of fatherly love and authority.

When fathers are gathered on Judgement Day, the Lord will gently say, “I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink, naked and you clothed me, homeless and you sheltered me, imprisoned and you visited me. Come, enter the kingdom I have prepared for you.” And the fathers will be bewildered and will ask: “Are you sure, Lord? When did we see you hungry and feed you?” The Lord will reply, “Do you really not know? Do you not remember the way you carefully fed me when I was a baby; the way you loved me into my first small steps across the living room into your arms; and, later, my bigger steps into the waiting world?” “All the time that was me you were nourishing. Yes, of course, it was your child. But it was me, your God, as well.”

“When were you thirsty, Lord?” they ask. “I needed your love and comfort. You held me to your chest and I could hear your heart. As tenderly as the sun opens the daisies in the morning, your gentle voice and loving eyes opened my soul to the mystery of my true identity. I, your God, became your vulnerable child so as to experience your tenderness to me.”

“But naked, Lord, and homeless?” The Lord will reply, “I was born naked and homeless, and you sheltered me, first in your wife’s womb and then in your arms. In my rebellious years I left home, blinded by lesser lights and loves. You did not judge me, your great heart never doubted me; you forgave me, you believed in me, you drew me into a higher way of life, light-making and love-making. No matter what, on my return home, your face at the door was always a smiling sacrament of welcome.”

“But imprisoned, Lord? Surely not!” The Lord paused. “There are many kinds of prison. When I was imprisoned in my fears I cried out in the night; you came and lifted me from behind the bars of my cot and folded me in your arms. Years later you lifted me from behind the bars of bigger fears  -  fears of my own inadequacy, of my own intense emotions, of the terror and beauty of the unknown life ahead. You were the brave one, Dad, wielding the gun that defended the family and kept us together; and you gave me the guts to leap into the jaws of death like a good soldier. So, because of you I can soldier on. Bless you, Dad.”

            Jesus embraces every family, each with its own stories to tell him – the hurting and the healing, the sinning and the gracing. He then sits down and explains to us, amazed, how those ordinary moments of raw human life are his life too. His eyes are twinkling as we struggle to understand what he is telling us. Comforted, we eat and drink his words with the bread and wine of joy. He kisses each one of before we leave. Our hearts are burning within us as we recall his parting words of comfort – our kitchens, too, are little Bethlehems, our breakfast tables are small altars; our whole lives, with their calvaries and resurrections, are one long consecration and communion. But now we are slow to leave.

“Don’t be sad,” he says, “I’ll be waiting for you at home. There are many rooms in my Father’s mansion.”

FATHER’S DAY PRAYER

Blessing of Fathers

Lord God, Father of Jesus and of us all, from you all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named.

Your Church on earth invokes your benediction upon the fathers assembled here, that in their gift and task of fatherhood they may perceive your blessedness,

in their decisions your righteousness,

and love in their undertakings towards their families and the universal family of man.

And despite the difficulties and confusions

of modern life,

may they be supported by the serenity

 of the original creation and the smile of the rainbow

and the affection of their families and friends,

and may they be finely tuned to interpret your word, through Christ our Lord.

Amen

HEALTHY FAITH LIFE: 12 SIGNS

If you sense something might be wrong in your spiritual life, perhaps it's time to examine your Christian walk. Here are 12 signs of a healthy faith-life.

12 Signs of a Healthy Faith-Life

1. Your faith is based on a relationship with God, not religious obligations and rituals. You follow Christ because you want to, not because you have to. Your relationship with Jesus flows naturally out of love. It is not forced or driven by guilt. (1 John 4:7-18; Hebrews 10:19-22.)
2. Your sense of security and significance is centered on God and who you are in Christ, not on others or your accomplishments. (1 Thessalonians 2:1-6; Ephesians 6:6-7.)
3. Your faith in God is strengthened as you walk through life's troubles, trials and painful experiences, not weakened or destroyed. (1 Peter 4:12-13; James 1:2-4.)
4. Your service to others flows out of genuine love and concern for them, not from compulsion or a need to be recognized. You offer your service as a joy and a pleasure and not an obligation or a heavy burden. (Ephesians 6:6-7; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 12:10.)
5. You value and respect the unique differences and individual gifts of your brothers and sisters in Christ, rather than expecting conformity to one Christian standard. You appreciate and celebrate others' gifts. (Romans 14; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31.)
6. You are able to give and receive trust and allow others to see you—and themselves—in a state of vulnerability and imperfection. You allow yourself and others the freedom to make mistakes. (1 Peter 3:8; Ephesians 4:2; Romans 14.)
7. You can relate to real, everyday people with a non-judgmental, non-legalistic attitude. (Romans 14; Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37.)
8. You thrive in an atmosphere of learning, where free thinking is encouraged. Questions and doubts are normal. (1 Peter 2:1-3; Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15; Luke 2:41-47.)
9. You prefer balance over black and white extremes in your approach to the Bible, its teachings and the Christian life. (Ecclesiastes 7:18; Romans 14.)
10. You do not feel threatened or defensive when others hold to a different opinion or perspective. You can agree to disagree, even with other Christians. (Titus 3:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-25; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17.)
11. You are not afraid of emotional expressions from yourself and others. Emotions are not bad, they just are. (Joel 2:12-13; Psalm 47:1; Psalm 98:4; 2 Corinthians 9:12-15.)
12. You have the ability to relax and have fun. You can laugh at yourself and at life. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4; 8:15; Proverbs 17:22; Nehemiah 8:10)

Get Spiritually Fit

Maybe after reading this you've discovered you need some help getting spiritually fit. Here are a few exercises to point you in the right direction:

• Renew your relationship by Spending Time with God.

HOLY SPIRIT SERMON

Sermon on the Holy Spirit

 

It is said that a certain guide lived in the desert of Arabia who never lost his way. He carried with him a homing pigeon with a very fine cord attached to one of its legs. When in doubt as to which path to take, he flushed the bird into the air. The pigeon quickly strained at the cord to fly in the direction of home and thus led the guide accurately to his destination. Because of this unique practice, he was known as the “dove man.” So, too, the Holy Spirit, the heavenly dove, is willing and able to direct us in the strait and narrow way that leads us to the more abundant life, if in humble self-denial we submit to his unerring supervision. Then we shall be men and women of the Pentecost.

Let us focus on our Lord Jesus. When Jesus was baptised in the Jordan and the Spirit descended on him in the visible form a dove, it wasn’t a piece of advertisement or comic routine; but serious business. Because immediately after the baptism, Jesus submitted to the Spirit who drove him into the desert as a prelude to his mission. The body of Jesus was instinct with the Spirit, such that whenever he exhaled he breathed out the Spirit. You will recall how after his Resurrection he breathed on his disciples, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit; those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.” That was the Spirit of pardon and reconcilement.  Jesus clearly told his disciples, “The Spirit blows where he wills. There’s no telling where he will blow you.”  After Pentecost day the Apostles were dispersed on the wings of the Spirit to the fours corners of the earth on the mission evangelisation.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who animates the Holy Catholic Church and Communion of Saints. We believe in the Holy Spirit who brings about the forgiveness of sins, and accomplishes the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

If any outsider declares that the Catholic Church is packed with fools and charlatans, we can assure him that there’s room for one more. How the Church has survived despite its fractious factions when the Roman and British empires have collapsed; how the Church has survived, what with all its troubles within and problems without can only be answered by the last paragraph of the Apostles’ Creed which we recite every Sunday: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,” or, more correctly, “I believe in the Holy Spirit who animates the Church, who builds and sustains the Catholic Church, who preserves the communion of saints, who operates the forgiveness of sins, who brings about the resurrection of the dead and honours the pledge of life everlasting.” St. Paul states openly that the divine Spirit dwells in the human body. He is like blood that pervades every millimetre of the body. The Church is the Body of Christ, and the Spirit is its soul. And since the soul has not left the body, how can the body fall apart and corrupt? Today’s feast tells us that the Holy Spirit continues to be present in the church. And, let me add, that presence is a loving presence. Presence without love is as destructive as love without presence.

Apart from baptism, the sacrament of confirmation signals the abandonment and submission to the power of the Spirit; it signals the empowerment that results from the Spirit’s presence. The person who abandons herself to the sway and power of the Holy Spirit is led to live according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh. The people who are empowered by life in the Spirit are known by the fruits they bear. Their lives are fragrant with peace, patience, kindness, long-suffering, gentleness, truthfulness, single-hearted love of God and neighbour. The absence of the Spirit is evident by sentiments of hatred, jealousy, envy, greed, lust and despair. With the Holy Spirit in our heart we are sure where our preferences lie.

Take the case of St. Peter. The Spirit would push Peter to Rome to preach the Word and to die for it. That was the best thing that happened to him since it came from deeper and more mature spontaneity, the type of spontaneity that makes you rush to the rescue of children screaming in a burning building or a train crash or bomb blast, the mature spontaneity that makes you speak in defence of someone unjustly treated, to open your heart to a poor person.

That’s the Spirit (with a capital “S”). When we let the Spirit take over our lives, the best is yet to happen.

The famous Protestant charismatic preacher, Rev. Moody, once said, “You might as well try to hear without ears or breathe without lungs, as try to live a Christian life without the Spirit of God.”

A little girl was visiting her grandmother in a small country town in southern United States. Grandmother took the girl to a highly charged Pentecostal function. The people got all worked up and expressed their feelings by jumping about and shouting. It was another of those “Holy Roller” services. The little girl asked her grandmother if all that leaping meant that the Holy Spirit was really present. Her grandmother said, “Honey, it doesn’t matter how high they jump; it’s what they do when they come down that will tell you if it is the real thing.” My comment is that it would be good if we were a little more enthusiastic about our faith, but what matters is what we do in everyday life. Does the Holy Spirit have a practical effect on our daily life, and in what way? As someone put it, “We do not need more of the Spirit. Rather, the Spirit needs more of us.”

“Receive the Holy Spirit; those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven” (John 20, 22). That was the Spirit of pardon and reconcilement. After Jesus assigns to the disciples (and to all of us) the ministry of making his love present in the world, he offers the strength to carry out such a difficult task: “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ (John 20, 22). This is like a new creation scene in which Jesus enlivens and empowers his followers much as the creator breathed life into the first human being (Gen 2, 7). Then Jesus singles out what is clearly the very first duty of his followers: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (20,23). This can only mean that one of the primary effects of true Christian love is the willingness to forgive others who may have hurt us in any way. This is an awesome responsibility and it cannot be restricted simply to the sacrament of reconciliation. Every one of us is offered the help of the Holy Spirit so that we may have the courage to forgive and if we do not do so, in some very real and tragic sense the healing will be thwarted.

Sometimes I think that the only question that will be asked at the last judgement will be, quite simply, Did you let my people go? In other words, was the overall effect of your presence in the world to liberate or to hold in bondage? Were you a Moses, friend of God, or a pharaoh, holding others in slavery? Forgiveness can be very difficult, but that is precisely why Jesus sends his powerful Spirit to assist us.

Jesus clearly told his disciples, “The Spirit blows where it wills. There’s no telling where it will blow you.”  Jesus told Peter, “When you were young, you clad your belt and went where you pleased. But when you are old (i.e. matured in the Spirit) somebody else will clad you and take you where you do not wish to go.” You might also remember that decisive turning point in the life of Peter. He was in Rome in the year 52, but the antichristian persecution was getting too hot for him there. So he struck out for home and country back in Palestine, accompanied by a little servant boy. But on the way, on the Appian Way, to be exact, he was intercepted by Jesus who appeared to him. Peter was shocked to see the Lord and asked him that famous question: “Quo vadis, Domine?” (“Where are you headed, Lord?) And suddenly the little boy began speaking, “My brethren in Rome need me.” The vision was over, the Spirit had spoken, and Peter made an about turn, double-timing it back to Rome where he was crucified upside-down.

Living a spiritual life is living a life in which our spirits and Spirit of God bear a joint witness that we belong to God as his beloved children. This witness involves every aspect of our lives: “Whatever you eat, then, or drink, and whatever else you do, do it all for the glory of God”, says St. Paul (Rom 10, 31). Wherever we go and whomever we meet, God’s Spirit will manifest himself through us. We may occasionally need to speak up in defence of God, even enlighten someone about Jesus Christ, as long as it doesn’t create divisions. But the way that the Holy Spirit manifests himself most convincingly is through the fruit: “love, joy, peace, endurance, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5, 22). These fruits speak for themselves. Circle the odd one out. Joy is the odd one out. Why? The other items, like love, peace, goodness, are virtues requiring strength and application, to have and to develop, especially self-control. But joy seems to come and go by itself. I feel it or I don’t. I feel good when I do and sad when I do not. It’s like the difference between good cool weather and physical fitness. I can’t produce cool weather but I can work towards physical fitness by proper dieting and exercise. “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we diet !” Patience and self control fall into the gymnasium variety; joy is like the weather. We cannot earn it or acquire it, though we can pray for it since we know that God and the saints are in the fullness of joy. And we can prepare ourselves to work together with God’s generosity in the power of the Holy Spirit precisely by making other people happy.

Happiness is the result of spiritual health, not material wealth. Material wealth certainly can be a positive factor of security for our children and ourselves. But by working for our spiritual health we can acquire a deeper foundation for inner security. A happy person is not a person in a given set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes. You can get out of bed ready to make the day an adventure. Or you can drag yourself out of bed dreading the hours ahead. You can get up early enough to have the time to relax with a healthful breakfast. Or you can stay in bed as long as possible and rush to work, mind and body all tense, and thoughts all scrambled from hurrying. Your attitudes help create your circumstances; they make you either a happy or unhappy person, to overcome problems or go under them. You can rise from sleep and declare, “Good Lord, another day!” or you can say: “Good day, Lord”, or “Another good day, Lord.”

Among the saints who are identified with joy or mirth is St. Thomas More of England. Thomas More was condemned to death by a perverse and petulant King Henry VIII. But the death sentence did not dampen his gaiety. During his last days, while in prison and suffering from his old disease in the chest - gravel, stone and the cramps - he habitually joked with his family and friends, whenever they were permitted to see him, as merrily as in the old days of Chelsea when he was Lord Chancellor. When it came time for him to ascend the executioner’s scaffold, it was discovered that the structure was so weak that it appeared ready to collapse. Turning to the man assisting him, Thomas More remarked, “I pray you, I pray you, Mr. Lieutenant, see me safe up, and as for coming down, let me shift for myself.” After kneeling and saying prayers, he turned to the executioner and, with a cheerful countenance spoke to him: “Pluck up thy spirits, man, and be not afraid to do thine office. My neck is very short. Take heed, therefore, thou strike not awry for saving thine honour.” As he placed his head on the block, he shifted his prison grown beard aside saying, “This has committed no crime.” May I remind you, dear friends, that under his finery as Lord Chancellor, St. Thomas More always wore a hair shirt and prayed five hours a day.

Focusing on the coming great feast, we recall that our dear Lord Jesus has poured into our hearts the Spirit of the promise. May we be open to his joy, strength and consolation.

We believe in the Holy Spirit who animates the Holy Catholic Church, who brings about the forgiveness of sins,

and accomplishes the resurrection and life everlasting.

PRAYER: (Hildegaard of Bingen, 1098 – 1179)

Holy Spirit, the life that gives life,

You are the cause of all movement,

You are the breath of all creatures,

You are the salve that purifies all souls,

You are the ointment that heals all wounds,

You are the fire that warms our hearts,

You are the light that guides our feet.

Let the world praise you.