RevRobJack.com

          When we spend time with the Lord, we usually are looking for answers. Why is the economy bad? How can I be a good example to my kids? Why can’t the reds get their act together? We know that Jesus has the answers because he is God. The problem is that when we deal with the Lord, as we see in the Gospels, instead of giving us answers, he asks us questions. This evening he asks us a very important question: Do you realize what I have done for you?

          In the Gospel, Jesus may have only been referring to the feet washing, but there is more to it than that. His question to us reaches to the very center of who we are and how we are to live. Do you realize what I have done for you? How do we answer such a question?

          The answer lies in the celebration of the Mass itself. The second part of the question is What have I done for you? When we look at that we see that God has chosen to save us from sin and death by sending his Son Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary. We know from the Gospel that Jesus loves us to the end. There is nothing he will not do to redeem us and restore us to the Father’s grace. We know that the Father has put everything in Jesus’ power, and he chooses to give himself to the Father as an offering for our sins. To make us one with him and restore us to holiness, Jesus allows himself to be broken for our sins on the cross.

          Finally, we know that JeEsus entrusts himself to us as our food and drink. St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that Jesus’ action at the Last Supper was not just some symbolic recalling of the Passover, but the real and everlasting Passover. He has come to destroy death and make us who we are: children of God entrusted with a never ending inheritance. Through the words of the priest and the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, simple gifts of bread and wine become real life for us, Jesus Christ. He has made the Covenant with the Father unbreakable. This is what Jesus has done and continues to do for us until he returns in glory.

          So now, we return to the first part of the question: Do we realize it? We often find ourselves taking much for granted. This is especially true of the spiritual nature of our lives. Do we realize who we are receiving? Do we realize the cost for him? Do we realize the value of the gift of God himseld who has filled this world with meaning and hope? Do we realize that Christ’s committment demands a response on our part? If we take the Gift for granted, then how do we treat the Giver?

          Tonight we remember what he is still doing for us through his Church. With gratitude let us turn to the Lord with love in our hearts and praise on our lips. Let us pray: Lord we realize what you have done for us. You love us, you died for us and you give us your Body and Blood so that we may never be separated from you. You are my love, my life, my God. Give me the courage to proclaim your death and resurrection through my words and actions so that all may know your love through me.

     The Gospel for this first Monday of Lent is the Final Judgement scene of Matthew 25. It seems to me that the key to all of this is that we don’t have to look far to see our Christian mission. It is pretty much right in front of us. Those who were sent off to the everlasting fire had only one excuse: “When did we ever see you Jesus?  We only saw others, and since we did not think them to be worth it, we kept on going.” This is the time of year when we need to see the real worth of persons and deeds and words. It is said that a cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

    Jesus Christ was not a cynic. He saw value in every person and in every good deed and every kind word. He did not worry about the price, because the true worth of something is really beyond price. One word that could quickly describe the life of Jesus Christ is Sacrifice. He asks us to be willing to make sacrifices for others as well. We can sacrifice for our families; we can sacrifice for one another, and in all these things it is really a sacrifice to God. If we fail to sacrifice to God, we do not show him the honor that is due to him. If we sacrifice to God by sacrificing for others, we will not be goats, but sheep. And being part of the sheep of the flock, the Lord will be our Good shepherd and care for us.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio

     The Scribes and the Pharisees are asking Jesus why he is eating with sinners and tax collectors? Could it be that these people were the only ones to accept him? Maybe they were the only ones who invited him. Jesus makes it clear that it is for the sinners and tax collectors that he came. They are the ones in need of healing. If the only qualification for coming and eating with Jesus is that the person be a sinner, then we are definitely invited. We meet the requirements. Everytime we gather for Mass, we are there with Jesus Christ. The only difference today is that when we gather to be with the Lord, it is to eat his Body and drink his Blood. By doing so we proclaim his death and resurrection until he returns again in glory. This is the “medicine of immortality” of which St. Ignatius of Antioch speaks.

      Thanks be to Jesus Christ for coming to be with us and teach us that the Father is merciful and is willing to take us back if we only repent. Thanks be to Jesus Christ for dying for us on the cross that the disease of sin and death will not have the last word.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio.

        The reading from the book of Deuteronomy has Moses exhorting the Jewish people to choose life. To choose life means to choose God. It is clear from the Gospel that to choose God means to daily take up our crosses and following him. Most people want to prove themselves as worthy friends, spouses, employees, etc. This desire for approval is seen in our ability to make sacrifices for God, for others and for higher things such as honor and principle. The highest thing to sacrifice for is love. This kind if sacrifice is also the most difficult as well as the most fulfilling. In order to be filled, one must first become empty. Christ sacrificed himself on the cross for the love of all mankind. He is clear that if we are to follow him, we must sacrifice as well. This sacrifice should not be done begrudgingly, but joyfully.

       Now that we have begun this second day of Lent, let us ask the Lord to help us to be willing to sacrifice for others and for Him, both bigs ones and little ones. When we begin to do that, we will be one more step on the way to Easter, when we will see what our sarifices have really accomplished.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio.

     When Lent begins, I tend see people with sour faces. They look more serious and more devout, and they don’t look like they are having much fun. Lent can also be a fun time. It is time to do new things, like go to the stations of the cross, make a pilgrimage to a local fish fry or spiritual talk at a parish, or give yourself an excuse for changing something about your life, you wanted to, but did not have the nerve to carry it out.

      Some seem more interested in giving up stuff for a while rather than taking on things that can change the direction of your life. This is the time the Church gives us every year to challenge ourselves to become better believers. Even if we are good, we can always be better. It is not about the quantity of things that we give up or take on, rather it is about the quality of our love for God that needs to increase. When I measure the success of my work during Lent, I want to see concretely how I have grown in my relationship with God to become a better person intellectually, spiritually and even physically, though that is the hardest for me. 

     All I can say is have a good time during Lent. Enjoy being with God more, take advantage of the opportunities to serve others. Then, when we finally come to Easter Sunday, we will be able to truly celebrate how through the death and resurrection of Jesus and the working of the Holy Spirit we have become better servants of God and one another. 

     My four-night Lenten series entitled “Living Jesus: Reclaiming our Catholic Faith” begins tonight at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in Norwood at 7:30 pm.

These are the talks for the four nights

February 23  Living God, Living Word

February 24  Living Faith, Living Waters

February 25 Living Church, Living Bread  Mass with distribution of Ashes begins at 7:00pm

February 26 Living Sacrifice, Living Prayer

          Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This is the Patronal Feast of the Seminary. Co-adjutor Archbishop Dennis Schnurr celebrated the Mass and received three first year theologians as candidates for diaconate and priesthood. The right of candidacy is a public statement from the semiarians that they intend to continue Seminary studies and the Church accepts their intention. The Cincinnati seminarian received from James Romanello from Holy Trinity Parish in Norwood. There are also two seminarians from Toledo: Nathan Bockrath and Jeremy Miller. Please keep them in your prayers.

     It has been a while since I have posted regularly, but I have a stack of St. Paul reflections to add soon. I have recently updated the audio version of my Sunday homilies. Click on “Words of Hope: Ordinary Time.” Double clicking on the date you wish to hear should start it using your own audio system. If you wish to download, you can right click on the homily and then click on copy. That should do it.   I will have a CD version of the September homilies ready soon. Click on Contact Fr. Rob if you would like one of these.

    Also, Happy Birthday to my sister Kathy today. She would probably not like for me to mention her age. Suffice it to say she is my youngest sister and I am 43.

    Do not forget to check out www.eccesacerdos and pray daily for a local diocesan priest. we need all the prayers we can get.

    There seems to be some problem with the Eccesacerdos site today which is keeping me from downloading information. As soon as the problem is sorted out, the October prayer list will be added. It always seems to be something!

   The class notes for S240 Theology of the Holy Trinity have been fixed and are available for down loading.