Earlier this year I became the recipient of retinal migraine headaches.  Unlike migraine headaches which bring great pain and can last for hours, the retinal migraine headaches I contracted happened sporadically and primarily affected my right eye which is far sighted.  There is no pain associated with it and lasts anywhere from a few seconds to about five minutes usually resulting in temporary blindness.  They have a potential to lead toward strokes and death in serious cases.  According to my doctor, I currently have a mild case to be watched but unless the frequency picks up I should be okay.

Most of my early life I spent looking for where I belonged.  Attending multiple elementary schools due to personal problems between my mom and dad made it difficult to focus on where I was headed in life.  I had to adjust to each scenario, not because the classes were so different, but the schools and people in them had specific goals that often conflicted with what I became familiar in prior situations.

What do you give someone who seems to have everything one would want in life?  It is a periodic dilemma we often face when dealing with the wealthy.  In Solomon’s case from our first reading in the Book of Wisdom, he inherited a wealthy empire at peace after his father, King David, died.  There was nothing one could buy that he probably didn’t own.  And yet, when God asks him after the completion of building the Temple in Jerusalem what did he want, his response: Prudence along with the spirit of wisdom.

Dear Friends –

Please note that I am not an expert in marriage or divorce counseling as it relates to our Gospel and readings in which both are referenced.  My blog this weekend is based on three perspectives: My own marriage of 53 years; Witnessing relative and friends’ marriages; and Meeting and talking with couples as a deacon either prior to a marriage in the Catholic Church or after a divorce of couples married either in or out of the Church.

Being a Catholic Christian doesn’t mean we are automatically saved or know better than others when it comes to doing God’s work.  On the contrary, we need to work harder to avoid the sin of being judgmental that ruins a person.  Though God welcomes those baptized into the Catholic Church, He also expects that we will live up to the promise we make of loving both Him and all that He is created as Jesus loves us.  Without that, we risk loss of the Holy Spirit and the ability to serve those who are in need as defined by Christ.

God and the world strive to be the best.  The difference is in their approach.

It is no secret that the world, for the most part, defines “best” as being Number One.  Society usually breaks it down into three areas: Wealth, Power and Fame.  On an overall scale, the United States, China and Russia lead in all three categories.  It is the subjectivity of how one specifies the strength in each category that decides who or what is number One in the past, now and for the future as all three can claim victory for any number of particular times.

Everyone needs some type of direction to at least go from point “A” to point “B.”  Without that, we will meander for a longer period of time.  We may or may not reach our destination of choice.  The real crux of going from one place to another requires correct information so we can make the proper decision without too many detours.

One of the faculties I have been granted by my ordination into the permanent Diaconate is to baptize children.  I view it as one of the greatest blessings for which I have been gifted in service to the Lord.  To bring a child into the faith and, more importantly, into a personal relationship with God is a deeply spiritual time which touches my very heart and soul with humility and joy.

In our current baptismal ceremony, at the Ephphatha or prayer over ears and mouth, a deacon physically touches the ears and mouth of the child with his thumb.  This is similar to how Jesus touched the deaf and dumb man in St. Mark’s Gospel today.  While doing so, the deacon says:

“The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and dumb speak.  May He soon touch your ears to receive His word, and your mouth to proclaim His faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.”

It is at this time of invocation that the initiation sacrament calls the parents and godparents (on behalf of the child) to acknowledge the purpose for the child’s Baptism into the Catholic faith: Listen and Share the Gospel message.  It also verifies what the Prophet Isaiah said to the Israelites and us: “Be strong, fear not!  Here is your God, He comes with vindication; with divine recompense He comes to save you.”

St. James Letter further defines it by adding: “…show no partiality as you adhere to the faith…God chose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He promised to those who love Him.”

We are called by our Baptism to open our ears, heart, mind and soul to God’s message of love in our relationship with Him and all that He has created, as Jesus loves us.  In response, we need to fulfill our promise to God that we will share this message of love. 

In doing so, people will begin to understand the wonderful gift of life God has given us now and to live forever.  Let us not hesitate, but be open to all who want to learn and to those who need to hear.

Reading 1:  Isaiah 35: 4-7a
Reading 2:  James 2: 1-5
Gospel: Mark 7: 31-37

If I have learned anything in my life, it is that the normative is change; not status quo.  Whatever people plan, they “must” be ready to expect the unexpected and to do what is necessary to take care of the new direction.  If one doesn’t, he or she may discover that life runs in circles rather than towards an objective or a goal.

Deciding to follow God is not always an easy decision.  As humans we are familiar with things of the flesh so we often use our senses to decide which way is best for us.  God, on the other hand, places spirituality first; allowing us to choose for ourselves which path leads us in the right direction for eternal life.  Jesus never forced adherence, but instead invited, urged and appealed to people to believe in His teachings, healings and sacrifice as a sign of God’s truth for the people He created for everlasting life.

Prior to him becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger gave a homily that warned the world about a new threat to human freedom and dignity he called “The Dictatorship of Relativism.”  He said: “We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one’s own ego and desires.”

As Catholic disciples, we have received the most precious gift we could ever have with Jesus’ proclamation that He is the Bread of Life who takes away the sins of the world and offers to each of us everlasting life, if we say yes and follow Him.  He has proven this to be true by all that He did while in the flesh on earth by teaching, healing, dying and rising in obedience to the will of God, the Father, and out of love for those the Trinity created.  What more do we need from God to believe and trust in Him?  The simple answer: Nothing!

Recently, while picking up a few items in a local grocery store, I met a fellow parishioner who shared how blessed she felt by God in her life.  I don’t often receive unsolicited information about one’s feelings, much less a positive affirmation of God’s presence.  It was both refreshing and gave me joy to know that this person was willing to reach out in the way she did.

Being an ordained deacon does not provide me with a leg up, so to speak.  I am challenged daily as everyone else who espouses Christianity as the faith of their choice.  My temptations are no less and my struggle with giving in to sin is a difficult choice at times, depending on the decision I am given to make.  The difference for me is remembering the pain when in the past I have given in and the disappointment I am to God for not living up to my promise to be faithful no matter what the cost.

It has taken me most of my life to learn how to be patient.  I still struggle with it but have adopted a better perspective.  This new found approach comes from watching and admiring mothers rearing of small children, whether they have help or do not. 

What does this have to do with our readings and Gospel today?

One of the most frightening times in my early life happened when I was on a road trip from Chicago to a resort in Wisconsin in a rain storm with a raging wind from a tornado that tore off my windshield wipers.  In addition to that, the bottom of the tornado’s funnel cloud touched land about 50 feet from me and forced the car to the side of the road.  To say the least, I was frantically praying to God during this dark time asking Him to protect me from harm.

A few days ago my wife discovered some pictures of our family move from Illinois to California as we stopped to visit the Grand Canyon.  One was of the six of us looking down into the canyon and remembering the remark by one of our children saying it’s just a big hole in the ground.  Another was of my youngest on my shoulders who a week earlier wouldn’t talk or be near me because she was angry I had been away for a long period of time to set up our new life across country.  I remarked to her when she saw the picture that it was a journey that changed our lives forever.  Though she had no memory at the age of two about the trip, she agreed with my comment.