From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. p. 12

Romans 8: 5-9

Those who are living by their natural inclinations have their minds on the things human nature desires; those who live in the Spirit have their minds on spiritual things. And human nature has nothing to look forward to but death, while the Spirit looks forward to life and peace, because the outlook of disordered human nature is opposed to God, since it does not submit to God's Law, and indeed it cannot, and those who live by their natural inclinations can never be pleasing to God. You, however, live not by your natural inclinations, but by the Spirit, since the Spirit of God has made a home in you. Indeed, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

Romans 5: 15-21

    There is no comparison between the free gift and the offence. If death came to many through the offence of one man, how much greater an effect the grace of God has had, coming to so many and so plentifully as a free gift through the one man Jesus Christ! Again, there is no comparison between the gift and the offence of one man. One single offence brought condemnation, but now, after many offences, have come the free gift and so acquittal! It was by one man’s offence that death came to reign over all, but how much greater the reign in life of those who receive the fullness of grace and the gift of saving justice, through the one man, Jesus Christ. One man’s offence brought condemnation on all humanity; and one man’s good act has brought justification and life to all humanity. Just as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience are many to be made upright. When law came on the scene, it was to multiply the offences. But however much sin increased, grace was always greater; so that as sin’s reign brought death, so grace was to rule through saving justice that leads to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

                To be likened to God we must love
                    God with our whole heart —
                    our whole soul and our whole
                    being and
                    love our neighbor as ourselves

                God calls us to relationship —
                God calls us to a vocation
                God calls us to obedience

                God is the Creator
                We are the creatures —

                Our hearts are the focus
                We are to love according to God's will
                In that lies our happiness

                We see all things through God's eyes —

                The devil wants power —

                God told Cain — the devil was lurking at
                    his door, but he could have power
                    over him —

                Cain gave in — his crime was premeditated —
                    he did not heed the warning of God

                Cain slayed his brother
                Cain hated
                Cain was prideful
                Cain was jealous
                Cain was angry
                Cain was greedy —

                He gave in —

                By the time of Noah — the human race
                    was corrupt — each generation growing
                    more grave in sin —

                God did a loving thing destroying this
                    corruption from sinful, willful men —

                Sin is sin —
                Sin is being unloving —

                Sin takes us away from intimacy with
                    God deeply in our hearts

                We must fall into the arms of God —
                God is the builder —

                Our whims and fancies do not bend the truths
                Jesus is the truth —
                We are to live by God's truth —

                God has a plan He is the Creator

                After the flood God commanded the animals
                    and Noah and his family to go out
                    and renew the world, recreate
                    the world —

                Only God knows the pure heart —
                    The heart is the core of the person —
                    The heart is the seat of spontaneity,
                        faculties and personality,
                        our thoughts and decisions,
                        feelings, expression need to
                        pass through the heart

Genesis 6: 5

Yahweh saw that human wickedness was great on earth and that human hearts contrived nothing but wicked schemes all day long.

1 Samuel 16: 7

but Yahweh said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him; God does not see as human beings see; they look at appearances but Yahweh looks at the heart.

Job 16: 13

he shoots his arrows at me from all sides, pitilessly pierces my loins, and pours my gall out on the ground.

Psalm 101: 5

One who secretly slanders a comrade,
    I reduce to silence;
haughty looks, proud heart,
    these I cannot abide.

I look to the faithful of the land
    to be my companions,
only he who walks in the path of the blameless

Psalm 111: 1

Alleluia!

I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart,
in the meeting–place of honest people, in the assembly.

Ezekiel 11: 19

I shall give them a single heart and I shall put a new spirit in them; I shall remove the heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh,

                    The heart is the center of religious and moral
                awareness — the home of conscience —
                It is from the heart we serve and love and praise God.

                Noah was offering God gratitude, reconciliation
                    by serving Him —

                Noah made a sacrifice

                Jesus sacrificed Himself to His death on the
                    cross to save us —

                We were told in the beginning of Genesis
                    to be fruitful and multiply —
                    Adam and Eve sinned
                    sin entered the world

                God created the world

                Adam and Eve were gifted

                Man was created in the image and likeness of God
                the devil tempted Adam and Eve and they fell
                the devil is a fallen angel —
                    one who said we won't serve God
                Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden

                Abel is murdered by Cain —
                Cain is jealous
                Tension between first born and Abel

                Seth is born — Noah came from Seth

                Cain killed his brother — he would
                    receive the wrath of God

                God told Noah to preach repentance
                It rained on the earth for 40 days
                The waters continue 150 days

                Noah was given the sign of the rainbow —
                The rainbow appears as a symbol of
                    God's covenant with the people
                    left on the earth —

                Abram was called by God
                Sarah was his wife
                God made a covenant with Abram —

                Abram will be blessed by God with
                    greatness —

                Blessings and curses will come to the
                    world through Abraham —
                    Those who imitate Abraham's faith
                    will be blessed —

                Abraham is promised by God that
                    he will be the Father of many
                    nations —

                Moses and Aaron announce God's demand to Pharaoh

                Plagues of Egypt under Moses
                    1) River to Blood
                    2) Frogs
                    3) Lice
                    4) Flies
                    5) Murrain of animals
                    6) Boils
                    7) Hail
                    8) Darkness 3 days
                    9) Death of first born

                Moses parts the waters to let the Hebrews
                    cross
                The Red Sea allows them to pass —
                    Pharaoh witnesses the closing of
                        the sea

                Moses came down the mountains with
                    the Tablets and they were
                    dancing around a golden calf
                    and Moses throws the tablets
                    of stone to the ground and
                    they break —
                    He destroys the calf

                Moses goes up again
                Moses gets God's forgiveness and the
                    commandments

                Moses and the serpent

                Samson slays 1,000 Philistines

                Throughout salvation history —
                    man rebels — God lets him suffer —
                    Man repents —
                    God sends a King —
                    A prophet to help them —

                The Philistines worshiped false gods
                The Philistines sacrificed children
                                            (human sacrifice)

                The Philistines are defeated by Samuel —
                Saul defeats the Philistines —
                Saul is anointed by the prophet Samuel
                But Saul is rejected by God for
                    disobedience

                David was 22 when anointed
                    by Samuel

                Saul is totally defeated by the Philistines
                    Saul was bad

                    David anointed King
                    David eliminates Philistines
                    David commits adultery
                    Solomon born
                    David had lots of children

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

July 19, 2009

HOMILY
There was a man who worked in a museum whose job it was to explain the different exhibits. On one occasion he pointed to the bones of a dinosaur saying the bones were 100 million and 9 years old. Someone asked how they could date those bones so accurately. He said “well, when I started working here, I was told these bones were 100 million years old and I’ve worked here for nine years.”

Today I want to give everyone a little history lesson. I’m not going back to the dinosaurs, but I am going back pretty far – to King David, 1000 years before Christ. When I was in school, I hated history. It wasn’t until we studied the history of the Old Testament in the seminary that I began to appreciate it. I cannot cram 1000 years of history into a couple of minutes. I just want to touch on the parts of Jewish history that are mentioned in today’s reading. If you want to learn more, read everything in the Old Testament, but be sure you have a commentary to help you. Otherwise, you’ll give up in despair because you won’t know what it’s all about - especially the prophets and the historical books.

When David was king 1000 years before Christ, David wanted to build a house for God, since there was no Temple for God at that time. God did not give David permission to do so, however God promised David through the prophet Nathan that he would bless him and build David a house in the sense that David’s kingdom would continue forever and one of his descendants would always rule. This blessing lasted through the reign of David’s son, Solomon; but we humans somehow have the ability to sabotage God’s blessings. Solomon turned to pagan gods and over-extended the country financially by elaborate building projects and exorbitant taxes, so when Solomon died there was a rebellion and most of Israel broke away from Solomon’s successor, David’s grandson, Rehoboam. Rehoboam continued to rule over the southern part of Israel, the area we know as Judaea . For 400 years (and this is amazing) the kings of Judaea were descendants of King David. The northern kingdom that rebelled against David’s successors suffered under a succession of kings and rebellions. In less than 300 years the northern kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians, people from northern Iraq. About 100 years after that, the Babylonians from southern Iraq conquered the Assyrians and took control of the entire Middle East. The conquest of the Babylonians brings us up to Jeremiah whom we heard in today’s first reading. At the time of Jeremiah, here was the situation: the northern kingdom no longer existed. The southern kingdom, Judaea, was still being ruled by David’s descendants but they were not loyal to God or to God’s laws. Jeremiah spoke to these kings as they came into power, the last four being: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoikin and Zedekiah. Zedikiah, the last reigning king, died in disgrace. After the Babylonians captured him, his sons were slaughtered before his eyes, he was then blinded and led off to Babylon in chains where he presumably died. You can read how Jeremiah spoke with them in great detail in the book of Jeremiah. He told them exactly what they needed to do to survive the invading forces of Babylon. His messages were ignored. He blames them and their leadership for the destruction that came upon God’s people. As we heard in today’s first reading, God speaks through Jeremiah: “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture.” God said he would take over shepherding his people; he would bring them back from exile; he would appoint leaders over them who would serve them well and lead them to peace and security. It took 600 years before God thought the world was ready for this king who would reign and govern wisely, who would do what is just and right in the land.

But then he came, through the announcement of an angel to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel said to her “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

In last week’s gospel, Jesus sent his apostles out to heal and cast out demons and to call people to repentance. In today’s gospel we are told of their return, excited over their experience and tired. Jesus wanted to some time off, but he couldn’t. The mission of Jesus and his apostles apparently was so successful that a great crowd caught up with them before they had chance to catch their breath. Mark describes Jesus taking compassion on them (his heart was moved with deep sympathy for them would probably be a better translation). He saw them as sheep without a shepherd, - people without leadership, and he began to teach them.

One of the important messages in today’s readings is that in love our Lord leads us, by teaching us and appointing others to teach us. But we need to listen, and we need to keep on listening. We’ll never be finished listening and learning as long as our world suffers from injustice, poverty, hunger, discrimination, war, hatred and killing of innocent people. Christ would be put to death before he would stop teaching. It is to our own great loss when we stop listening. That’s one of the reasons we are here each weekend, to listen and to learn. We call ourselves disciples. The word disciple means learner. When we’ve quit learning, we’ve quit being a disciple.

                Rehoborm, son of Solomon born

                Temple of Solomon

                Devil can come, but we have power
                    over the devil —

                We can conquer the devil
                We have a free will

                We have spiritual blindness —
                Pray to see through God's eyes —

                God open our eyes
                God open our hearts
                God help our hearts to be pure

                Don't have a hard heart
                Don't have a bitter heart

                Stay one with Jesus
                Stay attached to the vine

                Jesus heals the whole person
                Pray to be healed
                        1) spiritually
                        2) physically

                Have abundant living in God

                The devil wants to make good look
                    evil and evil look good

                We can have everything it looks
                    like —
                    money —
                    fame —
                    talent —
                    then some actresses commit suicide

John 3: 30

He must grow greater,
I must grow less.

                We have to stand up for what is
                    right

                John the Baptist is our model
                    for this

                Concupiscence

                    7 deadly sins
                        Pride, Greed, Envy, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth
                    rebellion
                    turn in on self
                    SELF-CENTERED

                God's grace to lead us to be holy
                God's grace can heal rebelliousness

                We can have controversy
                        argument
                        accept vision of the world

                We are to grow in Christ —
                    be meek in heart not combatal

                We grow in Christ

                We see the world as it really is
                    see through God's eyes

                We live in humility

                We put aside hardened hearts and
                    we beg for open - soft hearts

                God gives us the sacraments

                Confession chance to conquer our woundedness

                God's grace — Forgiveness of sins —

                We must admit our sins

                Concupiscence — turn in selfishness
                                        on ourselves

                        rebellion

                We can have an ill-informed conscience
                    from lying to ourselves —
                    choosing vices — bad habits
                    inner - conscience can become such that
                    a person has no problem doing anything

                They won't admit they are ever wrong —
                They say they are right when they are wrong —

                We live in a society of many ill - informed
                    consciences

                Sin becomes common place to them — A just person
                    with a good conscience thinks sin is awful —

                The more we sin we diminish our humanity               

                The Good Shepherd leads to abundant life

                God is order

                Everything in creation bears the
                    handprint of God

                There is an evil shepherd

                Those obedient to the Good Shepherd
                    hear His voice and follow Him

Galatians 2: 19-20

...I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me.

                Do we look like Christ - so people
                    see Christ in us like Mother Teresa?

                Happy life is one who is living
                    in harmony — living
                    according to the will of God

                Live life abundantly

                Not giving into self —
                    selfish
                    controlling

                See people in the nursing home — 

                PAIN of HELL IS
                    eternity without God

                Peace for person rooted in God
                    even when dying

                The Father and Jesus are one

John 15: 1-8

I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit
he cuts away,
and every branch that does bear fruit
     he prunes
to make it bear even more.
You are clean already,
by means of the word
     that I have spoken to you.
Remain in me, as I in you.
As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself,
unless it remains part of the vine,
neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me, with me in him,
bears fruit in plenty;
for cut off from me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
is thrown away like a branch
—and withers;
these branches are collected
     and thrown on the fire
and are burnt.
If you remain in me
and my words remain in you,
you may ask for whatever you please
and you will get it.
It is to the glory of my Father
      that you should bear much fruit
and be my disciples. 

                God prunes the branches
                Deeply rooted in the vine
                Stay attached to Christ
                Father is the vine grower —

                Live united to Christ — more we will
                    flourish

                If we are cut off from God we die
                Only in God will I find rest

                Without God we are chasers
                    Looking for perfect spouse —
                        3 years down the line — might
                        not fill you

                GOD MUST BE THE CENTER

From The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 
    by Louis J. Puhl, S.J. p. 12

                        23. FIRST PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION

                            Man is created to praise, reverence and serve God 
                        our Lord, and by this means to save his soul.

                Adam and Eve
                    blamed everybody, but themselves
                    worse sin

                        premeditated sin

                    bigger sin

                    planning to kill your brother out
                        of jealousy —

Excerpt from January 3, 2007

Messenger:               Life is lived as a response
                            to God's love —
                            Living deeper life in Him. Life
                            a journey saturated with His grace —
                            we contemplate everyday to
                            live more directly
                            according to God's will.
                           
                                Living according to God's will is
                            a process whereby we are taught in
                            the instruction and wisdom of the Holy
                            Spirit —
                                   dwelling deeply in God:
                                   Father, Son and Holy Spirit in such oneness.

                                We are to reach to live in the reality —
                            heaven is real and we are preparing for the
                            beatific vision —

                                God's life in us — the life of grace
                            IS OUR JOURNEY HERE BELOW.

                                Beginning at baptism — we receive
                            a special sharing in His life — our knowing
                            and loving capacity is elevated — we are
                            raised to such heights in Him.
                            For me this is reality —
                                God lives in me —
                                I communicate in
                                deep oneness
                                with the Divine God.

                            My life a journey of deeper live in Him.
                            I am deeply aware of His presence
                            within me. I study my life lived
                            in Him as one going to school — I
                            am living in the school of life in
                            Him — according to His Plan — experiencing
                            deeper life in Him always is my journey
                            of life.

                                Fr. John J. Pasquini states

                                "Life needs purpose and meaning, a purpose
                            and meaning that transcends the here and
                            now."

                                "We recognize that we must be more than
                            some complex organism that is born,
                            lives, struggles and dies in emptiness."

                                The Priestly Newsletter is the voice of the Good
                            Shepherd. The Bishops and Cardinals are recognizing
                            the voice of the Good Shepherd and following
                            Him.

                                In this oneness of consecrating our hearts
                            to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary — in living
                            deeply IN — Him — IN being united so deeply
                            in the Mass — I see the oneness grow
                            ever deeper — as the Church a pilgrim
                            Church grows to greater maturity — living
                            more according to God's will — The Father's
                            Plan for the Church and the world.

                                The priests are called Father — they are
                            to help to lead the flock as a deeply
                            united family following the Good Shepherd.

                                Truth is in Him — the more we live
                            in the truth — know the truth — the truth
                            of Jesus Christ — the more we are united.

                                Living in truth, being one in Him is
                            not to confuse the issue with our
                            individual uniqueness. Every person has
                            been given such talents to serve God uniquely,
                            love God and others uniquely and build God's
                            Kingdom helping to lead souls to heaven.

                                We shout the joy of the resurrection —
                            singing Alleluia for the Victory has been
                            won — Our lives are lived according to God's
                            will — in the Plan of the Father living the
                            Pascal Mystery of death/resurrection —

                                The purple book "Light, Happiness and Peace"
                            by Fr. John J. Pasquini
                            is a gift and a very strong companion to
                            the prayers "Authenticity" a book of prayers
                            by Fr. John.

                                Our lives are but a simple breath
                            when compared to eternity — let us focus
                            vision of life in Him —

                                As St. Paul says
                                "It is no longer I who live, but He
                            who lives in me."

                                Yes — LIFE IN HIM IS LIFE   
                                lived in Light, Happiness and Peace —

                            This book Light, Happiness and Peace is
                                a journey into the spiritual life —
                                an awakening of deeper life IN HIM.

                                This book will be published under
                            Shepherds of Christ Publications and sent to the
                            hierarchy in the Church with the
                            Newsletter as Authenticity was in August.

                                Here are some of the comments we received
                            from bishops and cardinals about the book
                            Authenticity — a book of prayers and meditations
                            that can help lead the soul
                                to the unitive life —

January 8, 2010 continues

                    The Father is the head of the family
                    The King is the head of the country

                Power can be used for selfish
                    vain gain —

                In baptism we receive a sharing
                    in His life

                The Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwell
                    in a special way in
                    the baptized - graced soul 

                If we are faithful to God —
                    He will help us with grace
                    to not be enslaved to sin

                SIN — DEADENS

                blinded — can't see

                Cloud of witnesses
                    telling us about sin

                In studying the Word we know
                    Christ

                Cloud of witnesses

                A MAP

                Saints

                Holy People

                As opposed to a

                Work with God

                Receive His reward

                God promised Abraham —
                    He would Bless those who
                        bless Him
                    Curse those who curse you

Genesis 15: 5

Then taking him outside, he said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Just so will your descendants be,’ he told him. 

                ABRAHAM
                        HAD
                        FAITH

                ISAAC

                Abraham did everything God wanted
                Not controlling

                Abraham - had faith - walk into the
                    unknown

                Faithful

                Covenant with God

                Mystery of God —
                    I am eternally attracted to this

                God symbol of fire

                        HOLINESS

                Fire of Jesus' Heart
                    purges out evil

                God cannot contradict Himself
                God is always faithful
                God welcomes us back
                God never abandons us —

                When people are disobedient
                    innocent people suffer
                        with sin

                Homosexuality

                What we do affects everybody

                    - be people for others
                    - body of Christ
                    - social injustice —
                       everybody out for themselves

                Disregard for others

                We have a moral obligation to
                    love our brothers

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