Jesus said to his disciples: “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I received my first bible when I was thirteen.
“You’re a teenager now,” my grandmother said to me. “Half-way to being all grown up! It’s time for you to start reading the bible. Start with the Gospels: there’s Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John!”
It seemed like such a simple fact; there are four Gospels and my grandmother knew each of them by name. But I had never heard of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John before. I wondered if God existed, but had no idea then that he’d spoken to humanity in the bible.
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It was the most ordinary of moments – receiving my first bible – but my grandmother planted a seed in my heart that later blossomed into faith.
When I was sixteen, I read that bible from cover to cover. And so began my journey with Jesus.
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Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, Jesus’ grandparents.
I wonder what kind of seeds they planted in his heart; what they taught him about the world; or what lessons he learned from their lived experience. He may have rejoiced in the smallest things they said or did.
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And, by extension, I wonder what kind of seeds so many of you – grandparents, great aunts and uncles – have planted in the hearts of your grandchildren.
If my life is any example, then remember this: nothing is ordinary in the mind of a child.
Children have a unique sense of awe; they lean on adults – especially their grandparents – for guidance as they go, in my grandmother’s words, “From half-way to all grown up!”
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May we all plant a seed in a young person’s heart today. And through the intercession of Saints Anne and Joachim, in time may it bear good fruit.
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Image credits: (1) For Your Marriage (2) St. Anne’s Catholic Church (3) Rainy Day Mum
Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we too believe and therefore speak, knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence. Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
The Word of the Lord.
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The Hoover Dam is situated in the desert, between Arizona and Nevada. When constructed in the 1930’s, the goal of the dam was to provide water – and by extension, life – to vast areas of the Western United States.
To this day it remains an essential source of water and hydroelectric power.
Inevitably during the construction of the dam, over 100 people lost their lives due to dehydration and disease.
When the dam was completed, a tablet was set in the wall with the names of the men who died and the inscription: “These died that the desert might rejoice and blossom as the rose.”
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While all of these men worked to earn their daily bread, perhaps some of them also knew the value of their labor; perhaps some were willing to suffer, even to offer their lives, for the sake of generations to come.
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This is the Christian attitude that Paul writes about extensively in his pastoral letters, including in our first reading today.
Christians were commonly killed in the first three centuries after the death and resurrection of Christ – Saint Paul and Saint James, whose feast day we celebrate today, included.
But Paul urges Christians to remember that, even should their faith and ministry cost them their lives, future generations will find Christ because of them.
You might say, “No cross…no crown.”
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On this Feast of Saint James, may we all unite our suffering to the Cross of Jesus – whether that’s from fending off temptation, staying loyal to the Lord, or persevering in the desert of prayer.
Much like those men who constructed the Hoover Dam, our labor for the Gospel will give life for generations to come.
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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Wikipedia (3) Inspirational Christian Blogs
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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One of the most exciting times of the year is summer CCD. It’s amazing to see our church filled with kids who are ready learn about Jesus.
As they begin diving into the faith, inevitably questions arise.
For example, one of the teachers came up to me and said, “Father, how do you define prayer? The kids are asking me some hard questions about it.”
“Like what?” I said.
“Well, they’re wondering if prayer is like a competition.”
“What?”
“Well, one of the kids said, ‘What if I asked God to let me win first place in a race and my friend asked God for the same thing. If he gets first place and I don’t, then does God love him more than me?’”
No, prayer isn’t a competition.
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Nor is it a guarantee.
If I prayed for a BMW today and received it tomorrow, then everyone would pray! But we don’t always get what we pray for.
By a show of hands, how many of us prayed for something and not received it?
If Jesus were seated in these pews, this his hand would be raised, too.
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Even Jesus was told, “no.”
Remember what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knelt down and prayed, “Father, let this cup pass from me… yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Hours later, he’s led off to Calvary.
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So, if prayer doesn’t guarantee us first place, freedom from suffering, or a BMW in our driveway, then what does prayer do?
Why should we pray?
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Because Jesus prayed, leaving us an example to follow. The disciples saw the difference it made in his ministry firsthand, which is why they ask him in today’s Gospel, “Lord, teach us how to pray.”
Consider moments when Jesus prayed and the effect it had on his ministry: he prayed before choosing his twelve Apostles.
He prayed before performing miracles like the raising of Lazarus, the multiplication of the loaves, and walking on water.
He prayed before calling Peter the “rock” of the Church, handing him the keys to the kingdom of heaven…then he prayed for Peter again that his faith would not fail after being scandalized by Jesus’ crucifixion.
How many of us find ourselves in a similar situation?
We need to make an important life decision; we need a miracle; we want courage to carry our cross; we want peace; we want to intercede on someone else’s behalf as Jesus did for Peter.
At these intersections, we’re called to pray!
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Often enough, God does give us what we ask for. “Ask and you shall receive,” Jesus says, “seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Hasn’t our journey together over the last two years been an answer to prayer?
I’m humbled when I think about a particular parishioner, who said to me when we first met, “Father, I prayed to Jesus, asking for a young priest who’s on fire. Then you arrived.”
And I said, “Well, I certainly hope I fit the bill!”
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So, why does God answer some – but not all – of our prayers?
Parents, think about when your children approach you asking for something.
Whatever it may be, they are convinced that it’s best for them. Sometimes they’re right. But not always.
God sees us the same way. When we ask for something, we are convinced it’s exactly what we need. Sometimes we’re right. But not always.
God is our Heavenly Father who knows what is best for us. But like children who must communicate their needs to their parents, so we must also share our desires with God.
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So, what’s one thing I’m praying for?
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“I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you,” Jesus says.
If you don’t get what you desire right away, then persevere in prayer. God will always give us what we need, so long as we ask.
Even when the answer is “no,” we’re called to trust – as Jesus did in Gethsemane – that our Father knows best.
The resurrection is proof of that.
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Image credits: (1) Velvet Ashes (2) An Encounter with Yeshua, Yongsung Kim (3) A Perfect Peace, Yongsung Kim
