SORRY, SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD

So runs the Refrain of a popular song by Elton John. It seems that human nature never learns through its mistakes, we have to be victims of our own continuous blunders, day in day out. I seriously doubt the truth of the saying, ‘Once bitten twice shy’. Funnily enough, (or should I say, ‘tragically enough’) some people never learn from their own mistakes. It’s only when it is too late to turn back, that eyes will open to the harsh reality and tragedy of life.

Thank God that Christ instituted the Sacrament of Penance and which is possible for everyone who believes. Penance is known under the biblical term of ‘metanoia’. ‘Metanoia’ means conversion, repentance and inner change. It means a change of outlook. That means that it is of the utmost importance to change one’s thought, one’s ideas, one’s way of judging oneself, one’s outlook, to educate and change one’s conscience … from false to true.

… and this requires courageous sincerity. Let us be frank with ourselves and ask the question: “What must we correct in our secret, intimate, personal life?” This is not an easy question, or rather, the answer is difficult and needs courage because of the mental effort. To change our erroneous and faulty mentality calls for humility and determination. It needs guts and courage to face a situation and admit to your wife, your husband or friend: “Sorry, I apologise, I was wrong’’. This admission of guilt requires a very strong character.

I am a firm believer that a true Christian must be a person of a strong, sound character and of great will-power. A true Christian must inherit that courage and determination of our ancestors who faced the jaws of death in the Roman arenas. Trust in God, and Prayers, will develop one’s character. Who would have thought that Simon Bar-Jonas, a hyper Galilean fisherman, a big-mouthed bully, who swore that he did not know the Christ, would end up as ‘Peter’ and was martyred in defence of the same Christ? The Holy Spirit works miracles.

Would have anyone bet on Saul, the terror of Christians, how he would have changed and ended his life? Not for a million dollars! One should find time to think about many other converts whose life changed from night to day. Who would have thought that the wealthy, happy-go-lucky Francis, the jolly minstrel of Assisi, from a great favourite with all the girls and feastings, would end up as a poor Friar, with no roof on his head. Yet, before his death Francis already had thousands of followers.

The secret formula is Penance; that is to forgive an offence, to overcome a point honour, to avoid violence, to escape from the limelight of life, to be the least among your brethren. For this reason Francis never embraced the Holy Orders and remained a Deacon … he felt himself unworthy to become a priest and hold Christ in His hands. And he did hold Baby Jesus in Greccio. This is a good exercise in Penance and Humility. All this needs courage and a strong character, and follow the tip given to us by Paul (… and Paul was speaking out of experience, he knew what he was talking about): “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds.”

Now is the time, we are during the days of Lent, a time in preparation for the greatest victory all Christians celebrate, “The Resurrection of Christ from Death”. Let us prepare ourselves with Prayer, Fasting and Penance. BUT this preparation should be practiced every single day during our Pilgrimage on earth, and not during the forty days of Lent only, but, also in the 325 other days of the year … whilst we still have the time … before the belfry tolls the knell of parting life.

THE FINALS ARE COMING … TENSION AND DOUBT

Who does not hate tests and exams, at times, even interviews? Why is it that exam papers are always set from the one and only chapter I did not revise, and nothing from the other thirty nine chapters? Why are tests almost always prepared to show off the examiners’ knowledge, and not my intelligence and interest? Such is life. I envy Peter, James, John and the rest, they never sat for any exams.

But, they were ‘tested’, if not on books, or reading material, but on their life’s experiences. Once Christ asked them a simple question: “Who do the people say that I am?” They might have got full marks by answering the truth about what the people thought. But then, Christ did ask them the million-dollar question. It was a single, straight forward question: “… and who do YOU say, that I am?”

Copying in exams was, and still is common. Peter, the fisherman, the son of Jonah, never copied, I wonder if he could hold a stylus, a pen in his hand. Besides we don’t know anything about his IQ. From the way he talked and behaved I would rate him as a very poor achiever. Yet, he must have been ear-marked by the Lord. The Holy Spirit prompted the right answer: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” We know from the answer given by Christ Himself: full marks were given to the Spirit, but not to Peter. That was testing, but the Spirit of Christ willed that from Peter’s mouth came the right and only correct answer.

We now find Christ, accompanied by Peter, James and John, on the mountain of glory. Pope Emeritus, Benedict, rightly pointed out that what we usually term as ‘Transfiguration’ does not explicity mean a change of figure. The change in the way Christ looked, was full of light and glory, and even His clothes looked as white as a lightning’s flash. That was the way Christ always looked during His earthly Mission, and His three apostles were granted the benefit, the grace of seeing Him, for a short time, the way He always looked.
Had Christ permitted the people, the masses to see Him as He was actually seen by His three friends, the masses would have accepted Him right away. That is what Satan had wished for, a short cut, a deviation from the Cross. Now, His three followers were eye witnesses of who He really was.

One very interesting line in the version of Luke is this: “When they were fully awake, they saw His glory.” That means, that we, His followers, must be fully awake, especially during prayers, whilst meditating or studying the Holy Scriptures. We must always be conscious of the presence of God; in nature all around us; in every person we meet; in the sick and poor … and the rest. We must always be fully awake.

But going back to our three friends, Christ did tell them not to talk about their ‘experience’ on the Mount of Glory. Interesting is the remark by Luke when he said they did not speak to anyone about it … for a while. But I feel sure that His Blessed Mother was told by one of them. Later on, they must have talked about it because of the fact that it was included in the Gospel. Remember that Luke, in particular, never met Christ, he was a pagan. Later on he befriended Paul, who must have related to him what he already knew.

When they were wide awake, they realized that next to Christ there was Moses and Elijah. Moses was representing those Israelites who were faithful to the Law, whilst Elijah, the greatest of the Prophets must have been representing all those who believed in the prophecies, and were expecting the Messiah. They then experienced the ‘Shekinah’ the cloud, a symbol of God’s presence, and heard the Father’s message loud and clear declaring: “This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him.”

Are we conscious that the ‘message’ was intended for us too, in the year 2016? Are we wide awake, lest He will pass and we miss His presence? (S.Augustine) Do we see Christ around us in every person we meet? Do we take personal interest to help all those in need? If we do all these acts, and others, we shall, one day, see Christ face to face and HE will welcome us into Heaven. We would have passed the test with flying colours, just as Peter has done.

IS THERE A SHORT CUT TO HEAVEN ???

This is today’s ‘way of Life’: I call it, the ‘press button’ culture; instant tea and coffee, press for your choice of drinks, cigarettes, robotic kitchens ... just set the programme and the robot will prepare meals for you, using ATM cards to withdraw money from the Bank, filling your car with petrol, a do-it-yourself business, short cuts, short cuts, short cuts. And taking short cuts means avoiding the hassle and trouble, take life easier.
This is not something typical of our age, only; Desperate Dan, not the dear figure we used to read in comics, I’m referring to the Master Tempter, because he is desperate, knew about short cuts and their effects. Take Christ when He fasted and prayed in the Judean Desert, and He was tempted, tested by the devil. What did he offer Christ? He simply offered, suggested three ‘short cuts’. What Lucifer had in mind was to try and convince Christ of avoiding the Cross. The devil knew well enough about the immensity, and everlasting effect there would be of Christ accepting to carry, be nailed and dying on the cross. The Tempter tried his utmost to convince Christ in avoiding the Cross by taking ‘short cuts’.

In the wilderness there were limestone stones looking like loaves and I suppose Satan suggested to Christ, “Look at it this way, because you are hungry change these stones to bread, that would be easy for you, besides you can feed many with your bread. Use your wonderful powers to give them material things.” In other words he wanted Christ to ‘bribe’ people into following Him. We all know what Christ answered from Deuteronomy 8: “A man does not live by bread alone.” Satan’s first attempt to suggest a ‘short cut’, failed miserably.

“Never say die,” I suppose the devil said. So he suggested to Christ, as He looked down on the whole civilized world from atop a mountain: “Get down and worship me, and you will be master of all you survey.” This policy is, unfortunately, used by many nowadays, even by world leaders, the ‘art’ of compromise. They strike a ‘bargain’ with their belief and the devil. All Mafia members attend church services, BUT, they carry on with their own devilish plans. That is compromise. Again Christ quoted Deuteronomy and threw back in his lap His answer: “God is God, right is right and wrong is wrong.”

We can see the devil’s persistence, he will never give up, and with us most especially. There he goes again offering Christ another choice; atop the pinnacle of the Temple, below, a sharp drop ending in the Kedron Valley. He was offering Christ to be a ‘sensationalist’ to do big things, to be a showman and prove His ability as a wonder-worker, and impress people. But Christ knew that ‘sensationalism’ will wear out, will pass and never last. HIS method, His way was that of giving proof with His sufferings leading to the Cross ... and later to the Crown of Glory.

Christ must have recounted His intimate experience to His Apostles, from His own lips, because he was alone in the wilderness. He was fasting and praying before beginning His mission. The approach, the method Christ chose was to reject all power and glory and embrace the life of sacrifice and the Cross. The Gospel tells us that the tempter left Christ alone ... for a time. A ‘desperate’ spirit keeps on trying; in his last attempt he used the Jews, who were watching Christ dying on the cross. “If you are the Son of God, come down from there.”

Beware dear friends, Desperate Dan, Lucifer, satan call him with whatever name, is always on the go, he works round the clock 24 hours a day. Let not a minute slip without calling the name of Mary, the Guardian Angel or making the sign of the cross. There must be no let-up. Christ has promised us, He will be us till the end of time.

KEEP OUT JESUS !

Jesus would go anywhere as long as he found two persons, a dozen or a crowd waiting for Him to hear His words of wisdom. Why would Jesus go to the Lake of Gennesaret, to the open fields, on a fishing boat, by a mountain side or on top of a hill? I think, if Jesus were to come in person, today, He might hold His Teaching sessions in a football stadium, in Parks or in any open space. Yes He would certainly go to St.Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, to Westminster Cathedral in London, to St.Peter’s Basilica in Rome and to other Churches round the world.

In the days when He lived in Palestine, He could have gone to the Synagogue, which in fact He did, but He was also turned out and the doors shut … and probably declared ‘Persona non grata’. He did go to the Temple in Jerusalem, but we all know how the Temple was used by the money-changers and by the selling of animals for the sacrifice. And we all recall what happened when Christ died on the Cross; how the massive curtain of the Holy of Holies was rent in two, from top to bottom.

It seems that Jesus preferred an open-air space. This teaches us a very important lesson, a strong message. Do you believe that Christ is found ONLY in a church? Definitely not. Christ is found in the market-place, in the schools … even in those schools which forbid pupils, or students, to mention the name of God. Christ is found in the lazy corners, He is in the prisons, certainly Christ is found in all hospitals. Christ is found everywhere.

It is said that when the iron curtain had become only a chapter in the History of Russia, Kruschev told his mother: “Now mother you can pray because the iron curtain has been removed.” Kruschev’s mum showed him her Rosary beads and told him: “Son, I have kept on praying all through the years, now I keep on praying for you, as before.”  What words of wisdom! No legislation, no persecution, no prison bars can keep away Christ. Great fools are those legislators who try, with a stroke of a pen, keep Christ away. Presidents, Senators, Ministers can legislate against Christ (thanks to God’s gift of liberty), BUT they can never shut out Christ … they will be legislating their own condemnation.

Yes, when the doors of the Synagogue were shut, Jesus took to the open road. This lesson was well copied by Francis of Assisi, who started his apostolate roaming the open country-side. He even delivered ‘silent sermons’ along the way. ‘Silent’, because he believed that the example of his behavior and that of his companion, would be copied by others. And that is just what the missionaries, all round the world do.

Another lesson learned from the Gospel Text is the advice given by Jesus to Peter and company to “go out in the deep.” The Jews believed that the sea was the abode of the evil spirits, and as a rule fishermen never dared to fish far away from the shore. But Christ’s message was that His true follower must be a person of courage, full of resources and imagination, not bound by laws and rites (Pope Francis).

It is said that on that occasion they caught a shoal of 157 different fishes. What importance has the number to be included in the Gospel? Coming to think of it, according to Historical Records, there were at that time, one hundred and fifty seven nations … in the , then, known world. I have found another important message. Look up the Book of Revelations, in chapter 15, verse 7 you will find the answer: “With God all things are possible”. Because as we said we cannot keep away Christ away, all things come about according to His Divine Plan. Woe to him who tries to stay in the way of the Almighty Father.

OUR VOCATION? … TO BE A FARMER

If there ever was a super psychologist, an extraordinary one, it must have been that Rabbi from Nazareth, Jesus Christ. Facts from His life, prove this statement. He was just starting off on His Public Ministry when He gave proof of this. He did go to the Synagogue of Nazareth, as it was the norm; He went up, unrolled the scroll and starting reading from Isaiah. But His next appointment was not in the Synagogue, though He did go at other times.

Those attending the Talks and Lessons in the Synagogue, had to stay till the very end, that was the custom. But Christ thought otherwise, ‘How about going on the beach, by the sea, where many people will be working?’ And that is just what He did. Strolling on the beach anyone could get fed up and walk away. So He resorted to a ‘plan’; He started off by telling them a story, and as we all know Jews, adults and children alike, enjoyed listening to stories. Christ started teaching by telling them a ‘parable’. They were used to listening to parables. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

So here goes the master of parables. He started by drawing their attention to a farmer in a nearby field, who was sowing seeds. “Look,” He said’. Eyes were quickly turned, following Christ’s finger, to the farmer close by. That action itself included the crowd present as an active part of the parable. Some might have even known the farmer in question, his wife or children might have been present listening to the Rabbi, who knows?

Then He spoke about what the farmer was doing, sowing seeds, in fact the text of this Gospel did start with the word “Look”. He explained the normal procedure of sowing, but with a slight difference. Now tell me, what farmer in his right senses would throw seeds on the rocks, and amongst thorns. Along the wayside it’s very understandable. Because the wayside did not exist, it was part and parcel of the field itself, but people had to cross and automatically a certain area became a pathway.

But throwing seeds on the rocks and amongst thorns makes no sense at all, yet Jesus said it, so He must have had very good reasons for saying it. Do you know of any  person who himself admits that he is a blasphemer, a persecutor of Christians, one who enjoys slaughtering those who have a different religion or belief, that he finds sheer joy in beating and imprisoning people of all ages? Thank God if you do not know such people. But you have read about Saint Paul. All those atrocities are part of his CV before he converted, and he himself admits doing them. Now, was Saul not living among the rocks, he was for sure a big thorn. And yet he was converted and became the Apostle of the Gentiles, and his seed yielded a hundred-fold, if not more.

Have you ever thought how many persons who lived as great sinners, during their life time and now they are acknowledged as Saints by the Church. They lived among thorns and rock. To mention some; St.Mary of Egypt, a professional prostitute by the age of twelve; St. Olga of Russia and St.Vladimir; St. Augustine; St. Thomas Beckett; St. Philip Howard and a many others, on an endless list.

The farmer in the parable is Christ Himself, but we can and should spread the Word, on every occasion with anyone. Who knows what a good example might do, a right word in the proper tone and circumstance can go for such a long way. Now we are the farmers. Salvation is not reserved for myself alone, part of my salvation is attending to my brother’s needs. Doing one ‘such’ good deed a day does not simply make you a good ‘Boy Scout’ or ‘Girl Guide’, it’s more than that, it qualifies you for eternal happiness for saving one soul from amongst the rocks and thorns.