Author: admin

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Gospel: John 13: 31-35

When Judas had left them, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself,
and God will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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One of the best-known columnists in America today is David Brooks. He’s written several insightful books on character and morals, his most recent being, “The Second Mountain.”

Recently, I searched for it on Amazon and after pushing that button, “Buy now with one click,” it arrived safely at my door. 

Brooks’ basic point is that there are two mountains that most people encounter in their lifetime.

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The first is quite obvious – it’s the mountain of success.

Get out of school, start a career, climb the company ladder. Accomplish all those things that our society considers important.

But countless studies have shown that when we get to the top of that first mountain and look around, the view is ultimately…unsatisfying. 

While it’s important to succeed – it’s important to put bread on the table – if we place all of our eggs in that one basket, then we’ll never satisfy our hungry hearts. Something is missing.

Deep down, we know we were made for more. 

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Enter the second mountain. 

Brooks calls this the “eulogy mountain.” What will people say about us when we’ve reached the end of our journey? 

They won’t consider the car we drove, the things we had, or the suits we wore. 

They’ll ask whether or not we led a meaningful life. Were we generous to those in need? Did we show up to our children’s practice or plays? Were we a reliable friend? Did we run the race of life and keep the faith?

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In the Gospel Jesus tells us, “Love one another the way that I have loved you.” You might say he’s moving our attention towards that second mountain, which of the two, is the only one he climbed. 

He never accumulated wealth, status, or property. He was only concerned about showing us how to love.

Yet his example of love can be difficult to follow.

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For example, if we examine some of our deepest relationships, we may find there’s still an element of selfishness or fear at work. Often – perhaps unconsciously – we ask ourselves, “What am I going to get out of this relationship?” 

We consider the benefit that we’ll receive if such a relationship works… Or, conversely, the loneliness we may suffer if it ends.

On some level that’s natural. But it’s not how Jesus commands us to love. 

“Love one another the way that I have loved you.” In other words, do not think about what you can take from someone else; rather, focus on what you can give. 

That’s how Jesus spent his life. He was total gift. 

“But he was God!” you may be thinking. Yes. But he was also fully human.

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Like Jesus, how much of myself do I give away? And how much of myself do I keep? How much of me is hiding behind a protective wall?

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Let’s take this one step further.

Christ teaches us that love doesn’t always lead to instant happiness. Sometimes it’s quite painful. For Jesus that meant carrying a cross and bearing our sins… But for us? 

Love may demand that we accompany our spouse through an addiction … or journey with a friend who’s battling cancer. 

Love may urge us to give someone a second chance, or to accept a family member for who they are – not who we want them to be.

Love is not blind; it sees clearly. It accepts people’s strengths, weaknesses, even their quirks and habits.

That’s the way Jesus loves us – just as we are – and it’s how we should love one another, without an ounce of judgment.

Who is one person in my life that can I try to love a little more? Is it my spouse, a friend, or even someone that I barely know? 

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Love can be thrilling … and, at times, exceptionally painful. But the more we climb that second mountain the more fulfilled we become, because love is what satisfies our hungry hearts.

After all, when someone else speaks about us at our eulogy, that’ll be what matters; not the office we held or the letters after our name, but whether or not we loved them.

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Image credits: (1) The Second Mountain, NY Times (2) AnaStpaul (3) DTN/Progressive Farmer

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Gospel: John 14: 1-6

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel passage comes from part of Jesus’ Last Supper discourse as he begins revealing to his disciples that this will be his final night on earth. 

Their faith will be shaken. Their world will be turned upside down. Their Lord will be taken from their midst, soon placed in a tomb. Tomorrow will be dramatically different from today.

Yet he tells them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

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To be “troubled” in the sense that Jesus used it meant to be, “overwhelmed by the fear of death or some other grave evil.”

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Although dark hours are ahead, Jesus assures them, they can proceed in peace. The disciples are being challenged to believe – as sometimes we are – that God is stronger than the evil we face. 

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What troubles my heart? When do I feel overwhelmed?

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In those moments, turn to the Lord, who whispers quietly, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” 

The Lord will journey with us through every trial.

As Saint Paul once wrote, “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

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May the God who opens otherwise impossible doors calm our hearts with peace.

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Image credits: (1) Revival Christian Fellowship (2) National Catholic Reporter (3) T.D. Jakes, Twitter

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Acts 13: 13-25:

From Paphos, Paul and his companions
set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia.
But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered into the synagogue and took their seats.
After the reading of the law and the prophets,
the synagogue officials sent word to them,
“My brothers, if one of you has a word of exhortation
for the people, please speak.”

So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,
“Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen.
The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt.
With uplifted arm he led them out,
and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert.
When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan,
he gave them their land as an inheritance
at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.
After these things he provided judges up to Samuel the prophet.
Then they asked for a king.
God gave them Saul, son of Kish,
a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Then he removed him and raised up David as their king;
of him he testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’”

The Word of the Lord.

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Saint Paul is an extraordinary role model for me as a priest. He was celibate, a zealous convert, and a man deeply in love with Jesus. 

But one aspect of his life is often overlooked. Though he traveled far and wide, Paul rarely traveled alone.

As the Risen Lord said to the disciples in our first reading yesterday, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called them.”

Paul and Barnabas were commissioned to preach the Gospel in Greece, Cyprus, modern-day Turkey and Iraq. 

We get a sliver of Paul’s sermon in today’s first reading. He’s explaining to the Jews in Antioch how Jesus is their long-awaited king.

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It’s a message that will convert some, but not all. Occasionally, Paul pokes the hornet’s nest, so to speak, enraging the crowds. His life will be in danger more than once.

I can only imagine how much harder his journey would’ve been if he didn’t have a community to write to while in prison; if he had no person to pray for him on his travels; if he had no open heart to receive his sermons.

Even Paul’s life was marked by more than one set of footprints: those of trustworthy friends.

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As it’s written in the Book of Sirach:

Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter; whoever finds one finds a treasure.

Faithful friends are beyond price, no amount can balance their worth.

Paul knew that. We know that.

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So, how might we offer that support system and be a faithful friend for another today?

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Image credits: (1) Goodnet.org (2) Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, Valentine de Boulogne (3) Bibliatodo