Author: admin

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When someone learns that I’m a priest, often their reaction is mixed with excitement and concern, saying something like:

“Wow, Father, that’s great! There is such a shortage of priests in the Church today.”

Which is usually followed by a comment on how to draw others into the priesthood. I leave you to imagine what the suggestions might be.

While an increase in the number of priests would be a blessing, it isn’t the most pressing issue facing the Church today.

What the Church needs more than anything, even more than priests, is disciples; men and women who really believe Jesus and put his teachings into practice.

In other words, what the Church needs is:

YOU.

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In the Gospel, Jesus says to us plainly, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” There’s no in between. Love and obedience are inseparable.

So what, exactly, are his commandments? 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself.”

All the teachings of Christianity – prayer, fasting, charity, evangelization, penance, truth-telling, moral living, and even salvation – boil down to love.

This is the essential question, perhaps the beginning and the end of the spiritual life:

Do we love one another as Jesus has commanded us? Or not?

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Chances are we’re a work in progress. 

We love people, including ourselves, to varying degrees: a little, a lot, or not at all.

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Think about the “love” siblings sometimes have for one another. During this Coronavirus pandemic, for example, they’ve been cooped up for weeks, if not months.

I’m sure every parent has played peacemaker a time or two, commanding their children like Jesus to love one another. Or, in the least, to act as if they loved one another.

And so, siblings share their toys and clothes with gritting teeth and words spoken softly under their breath, possibly planning a moment of retaliation against one another when mom or dad isn’t looking.

In those moments, they act as if they “love” one another out of fear of punishment. It’s better to get along than to get grounded.

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How many of us, including adults, treat others this way? 

We get along, not because we want to, but because we fear the alternative. Peace made with gritting teeth is better than war. 

That can be true even among nations. 

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Most of our relationships, however, enjoy a higher degree of love. Think of the bond forged between spouses, family members, and friends.

We love those who love us; there’s a fair sense of reciprocity. “But if you only love those who love you,” Jesus says, “what good is that? Even sinners love those who love them” (Luke 6:32).

“But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great” (Luke 6:35).

Love your enemies. That’s the key.

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An enemy is not just someone who attacks me. But anyone who threatens me; who irritates me; who gets underneath my skin; whose opinions are different than mine; who challenges me to see an alternative side.

If you love me, Jesus says, then love them. 

But how is that possible?

Humanly speaking, it may be impossible. Loving someone who’s hurt us is counterintuitive; irrational. It goes against our instincts. But not against our faith.

The end goal behind this commandment is peace. World peace, communal peace, family peace, and inner peace.

This is why we need the Lord’s help. In particular, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promises to send us in today’s Gospel.

The Holy Spirit makes what is impossible, possible.

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The name, “Holy Spirit,” comes from the Greek word, “parakleitos,” meaning, “someone who’s called in to help in time of trouble or need.”

The Greeks used it in reference to an expert who was called upon to give advice in a difficult situation; a witness who testified on behalf of someone in court; or a leader in battle who riled up his troops, filling their hearts with courage.

The Holy Spirit is the One who comforts us, inspires us, fills us with wisdom, and makes us brave.

Herein lies our consolation.

Jesus knew his commandments would be daunting; humanly speaking, impossible. Which is why he offers us the Holy Spirit, to strengthen us on our journeys.

But first we must call upon his name. Only then will the Holy Spirit come to our aid, because God never forces himself upon us.

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Where might I need the Holy Spirit? 

What mountain am I struggling to climb? Who is it that I find hard to forgive? Which of my habits am I unable to break?

How is it possible for us to do the impossible? Where can we find the strength, the stamina, to climb life’s highest mountains? This is where the Holy Spirit acts in our lives – if we seek his power resting within us.

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While the Church can always benefit from an increase in priests, what we are in deeper need of is disciples – men, women, and priests – who put Christ’s command of love into practice.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful; enkindle in us the fire of your love. And we shall renew the face of the earth.

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I’m not much of a gardener, but I do know this: There are two types of branches – those that are fruitful and those that wither. 

Withering branches are the dark, limp ones. They must be pruned, because they demand energy from the vine.

Even as they die.

It’s a fascinating truth: withering branches demand energy to die. 

It’s why the healthiest plants are pruned; gardeners only keep the fruitful branches in order to preserve the life of the plant.

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In the Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit.”

Meaning, the Lord prunes those withering branches in our hearts, those that drain us, those that sap our energy, those that are not bearing fruit.

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Think of how much energy it takes to hold a grudge, for example. That anger is unhealthy; it saps our energy.

Yet grudges can be terribly difficult to let go of, which is why we need God’s help. We need him to prune us. 

Or think of how heavy grief can be, especially without faith. It makes us close in on ourselves. Or the toll greed, selfishness, and pride can take on a person’s relationships.

Every so often, even a healthy Christian heart needs pruning. Perhaps we all do after this extended period of lockdown and self-quarantining.

What branches – what areas of my life – are not bearing fruit? Where do I need to be pruned?

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At times being pruned is painful and humbling. Think of the humility it takes to ask for forgiveness. 

But the Lord, the Divine Gardener, only makes us holier, happier people; people that bear lasting fruit.

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It’s another tough day for Saint Paul. 

As it says in our first reading from the Book of Acts, “They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.”

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Imagine Paul covered in rubble and bruises, passed out on the ground.

Lifeless. 

His message of salvation has been utterly rejected by the Jews to the point they try killing him.

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But he’s a tough old ox.

At some point, that pile of rubble starts shaking. A bruised and dusty Paul emerges victoriously from his makeshift tomb. 

A man once considered dead is alive again.

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Isn’t this image a foreshadowing of Paul’s resurrection? 

He endures such a brutal beating willingly; regardless of whether or not he lived or died, he knew that he would rise again.

His faith in the resurrection was the source of his persistence.

As he writes in his first letter to the Corinthians, “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?”

Death – and the fear of it – no longer had power over Paul. 

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How many of us feel like Saint Paul, stuck under a pile of rubble?

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Whether we’re buried under the rubble of grief, the rubble of unemployment, stress, frustration, or boredom, Paul reminds us that Christians never give up.

When we get knocked down, we stand up again, dust ourselves off, and continue moving forward.

Because the same Lord who strengthened Saint Paul now strengthens us. 

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