The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

beside restful waters he leads me;

he refreshes my soul.

If you were to ask people where those words can be found, most people, even those who are not churchgoers, would be able to tell you that they are from the Bible.

They might not know that the words are part of Psalm 23, but they certainly would recognize them as scriptural sounding.

Those words have inspired painters, sculptors, poets, musicians, and church architects down to this very day; they have influenced the prayers of the Mass and have been printed on countless memorial cards; they have even made their way into popular films when there are scenes of a religious service.

Those words have etched the image of Jesus as the good shepherd into our spiritual consciousness. They present a beautiful, comforting image of the Lord watching over the sheep of his flock.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

beside restful waters he leads me;

he refreshes my soul.

Those words and the remaining verses of Psalm 23 that make up this Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 23:1-6) also give us a way to understand what happens at every Sunday Mass.

Each Sunday, the Lord brings his sheep together. He invites those who were made part of his flock in the waters of baptism to step away from their daily hectic schedule. He encourages them to take time to be renewed in verdant, green pastures – the green pastures he provides during the celebration of Mass.

As the scripture readings are proclaimed and the homily is preached, the Lord gives us a message of hope, consolation, and inspiration. He reveals the meaning of life and the depth of God’s love and mercy. As the psalm puts it, “he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths.”

The Lord then sets a table before us. Our focus shifts from the pulpit to the altar table. There the Lord nourishes his flock with his very life-giving Body and Blood. As the psalm proclaims, “You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes.”

During the Mass, the Lord our shepherd also gives his flock the assurance of his presence not only in the liturgy but also in the difficulties of life. He remains with us. As the psalm tells us, “Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.”

Our shepherd even promises that those who share at the table he spreads before us will have eternal life. He tells us in the Gospel of John, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” (John 6:51) This gives us confidence to proclaim, as we do in Sunday’s psalm, that we “shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.”

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

beside restful waters he leads me;

he refreshes my soul.

Those words not only paint a loving image of God's care for us, they also reveal what the Lord does for us at every Sunday Mass. In the midst of our confused and troubled world, our shepherd leads us to green pastures; our shepherd refreshes our souls.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

As people of faith, we acknowledge Jesus to be the Son of God, our Savior and Lord, the Holy One who reveals the purpose and meaning of our lives and who opens the way to eternal life. We recognize Jesus as the true source of spiritual wisdom.

But in the Gospels, Jesus not only gives us spiritual advice, he also offers us guidance that can help us in our daily lives. Jesus is the source of good psychological advice. But that should come as no surprise, for no one knew human nature better then he did. As Saint John tells us, Jesus “did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.” (John 2:25)

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday (Mark 6:7-13), Jesus sends out his disciples to preach repentance and to drive out demons. As he does so, he also gives them some wise psychological advice. He tells them how they should deal with rejection.

Jesus informs his disciples that if people fail to welcome them, if people refuse to listen to their message, then they should get away from such people. As Jesus says, “Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”

Jesus advises his disciples not to remain in the company of people who are hostile and opposed to their message. Jesus knew that remaining with such negative people would only discourage his disciples, slowly drain their spirit and energy, and keep them from ministering to those who would be willing to hear the Good News of the Gospel.

That is advice that we can also apply to our spiritual lives. As Christians we would do well to avoid associating with those persons who disparage the Gospel, who ridicule Christianity, who oppose the moral teachings of the Church, who mock those things we consider sacred, and whose manner of living contradicts the way of life that should be ours as followers of Christ.

The more we associate with such spiritually negative people, the more of their “dust” can get into our eyes and keep us from clearly seeing the truth and way of life proclaimed by Jesus. The one who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

That advice of Jesus makes sense not only for our spiritual lives but in every aspect of life. We need to avoid associating with people who tear us down, who criticize our efforts, who delight in pointing out our flaws, who drain our energy and dampen our joy. Jesus would tell us to move away from such people.

As members of God’s Church, we are aware of the importance of associating with positive, faith-filled people, who encourage us in our walk with the Lord. That is one of the reasons why we gather with our fellow Catholics for Sunday Mass. We come together with good people who support us by their faith and example, and that makes us better people! That is especially important today for we live in a society that seems to be filled with more “dust” day by day.

Yes, Jesus is our source of spiritual wisdom, but he is also a source of wisdom for our daily lives.

This Sunday, Jesus gives us some very worthwhile advice: “Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet.”

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Historians have given names to certain periods in American history. Those periods include the American Revolutionary War, the Westward Expansion, the Civil War, Reconstruction, The Great Depression, and the years during and after the First and Second World Wars.

There was also a time called the Era of Good Feelings. That is the name given a brief period some 200 years ago when James Monroe was president of the United States. It was a time when partisan politics seemed to be put aside, the economy was doing well, the nation was expanding in size, and Americans were proud they had been victorious over the British in the War of 1812.

This Sunday, as we celebrate July 4 and mark 245 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, it does not seem as if we are in an era of good feelings – just the opposite. We are in a time in our nation’s history when many Americans seem to take personal offense at individuals whose ideas, beliefs, values, and opinions do not match their own.

Today’s social media has amplified those bad feelings. It has become a way for persons not only to express their views, but to attack and disparage those individuals whom they find offensive. It seems people are all too ready to write off persons they judge to be in the opposing camp.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 6:1-6), we read of people taking offense at Jesus.

Jesus comes to his hometown of Nazareth. At first those listening to his words in the synagogue are impressed by his teaching, wisdom, and mighty deeds.

But soon their feelings of admiration fade away as questions and perhaps feelings of envy and suspicion fill their minds. Who was Jesus to be standing before them? He was no learned rabbi, no recognized prophet, no member of the religious establishment.

They asked, “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us.” Because Jesus did not fit their expectations of a prophet “they took offense at him.” They rejected him and as a result “he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people.”

That day in Nazareth good feelings turned into bad feelings. Eventually those bad feelings would increase and lead to the cross, for Jesus did not turn out to be the kind of earthly messiah the people expected.

Even though the people of Nazareth rejected Jesus, he did not write them off as being beyond redemption.

Perhaps this Gospel, coming as it does on July 4, can remind us that while we can disagree with others, and even find their views offensive, we are not to consider them outside of God’s care. Nor are we to deny them the respect and civility they deserve as our fellow Americans.

If we behaved that way, we would not only be acting as true Christians, we would also be contributing some needed good feelings to this period in our nation’s history.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

There is a distinct advantage to living in the United States in the year 2021 rather than living in the Holy Land at the time of Jesus.

Today most of us have far more than just the basics of life. We have an abundance of food, clothing, and housing. We have appliances and digital equipment beyond the imagination of people who lived 2,000 years ago. We can communicate almost instantly with people anywhere in the world. Our way of travel is not limited to our feet or a horse.

However, in this Sunday's Gospel (Mark 5:21-43) we hear of two incidents that show the advantages available to those who lived when and where Jesus first proclaimed the Gospel.

In the reading, we learn of a woman who was freed of a disease beyond the ability of any doctor to cure. She had suffered from hemorrhages for 12 years and exhausted all her money on seeking relief. In desperation, she pushed her way through a crowd to get close to Jesus. She believed that she only had to touch his clothing and she would be cured. 

Her hand touched his garments and “immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.”

Imagine being able to go to Jesus with cancer, heart ailments, Alzheimer's, COVID-19, and the other diseases that ravage the human body and have them instantly cured by simply touching his clothing. What a blessing!

In Sunday’s Gospel, we also hear of a synagogue official named Jairus, whose 12-year-old daughter was dying. Despite the condemnation that he would receive by going to a teacher viewed with suspicion by the religious authorities, Jairus approached Jesus. 

Jesus responded to that father's plea for help and set out toward the family home. Even when he heard the girl had already died, Jesus continued on his way. He entered the room where the dead girl was lying, he took her by the hand, and commanded her, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” And she did!

Jesus raised the girl from death and restored her to the arms of her loving parents. Imagine being able to go to Jesus and to ask him to save our loved ones from death. 

Those incidents in Sunday’s Gospel are not proclaimed to point out the advantages that people had who lived at the time of Jesus. They reveal what Jesus can do today.

Jesus can heal us from the disease of sin that deforms our dignity as people made in the image of God and warps our relationships with others and with the Lord.

Jesus can heal us from thinking that our lives have no meaning or purpose, that they simply bleed away like the blood that drained from the woman with hemorrhages.

Jesus can also save us from death, not physical death that comes to all people, but from spiritual death. Even the daughter of Jairus eventually died, not at 12 but certainly some years later.

Jesus can raise our spirits from the everlasting death of eternal loneliness and darkness that come because of sin.

Some of those who lived at the time of Jesus had the advantage of receiving physical healing and a postponement of their eventual day of death.

Those living today have the advantage of benefiting from the saving power of Jesus Christ made present in the Sacraments of the Church. We can receive forgiveness of our sins and the opportunity to start anew. We can receive the life-giving Body and Blood of Christ. We can be assured that if we are faithful to the Lord, there will be eternal life after the final beat of our heart.

There is definitely an advantage to living today!

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Have you ever had the experience of taking a little child to see the ocean for the very first time?

I had the privilege of doing just that some years ago when my nephew Scott was five years old. He had never seen the ocean before. He had seen pictures of the ocean and had heard people describe it, but he had never seen it for himself.

One day Scott’s family came to the Jersey Shore where I was staying and I took Scott to the beach. As we walked toward the water we had to climb over a large dune. As we did, Scott was holding my hand. When we reached the top of the dune, the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean appeared before us.

Suddenly, I felt Scott grasp my hand a little more tightly. Then he just stood there in utter amazement as he tried to take it all in. The immensity of the ocean was beyond anything he had ever imagined.

After a few moments I took him down toward the water, but he was hesitant about getting too close. As he was standing near the water’s edge, a wave began to come toward us. He immediately backed away.

To me the cresting surf looked beautiful. But to Scott, who was just three feet tall, it was terrifying. Those white-capped waves may have seemed like the bared teeth of a beast ready to bite off his feet.

Eventually, Scott became a little braver and ventured into the water. But whenever a wave rolled in, Scott ran to the safety of the beach. For Scott, experiencing the ocean was awesome and terrifying.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 4:35-41), the disciples have an awesome experience not with the ocean but with the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus and his disciples are in a boat crossing the sea when a violent squall comes up. Waves begin breaking over the boat and it starts to fill with water. The disciples fear for their lives. Yet despite the violent squall and cries of the terrified disciples, Jesus remains “asleep on a cushion” in the stern of the boat.

Obviously, Jesus must have been a sound sleeper, but perhaps he could remain calm because Jesus knew who was ultimately in charge. He was!

When his disciples woke him, Jesus “rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still!’” He would never have said that unless he knew his authority over the wind and waves.

Jesus was like the Lord who, in our First Reading (Job 38:8-11), described himself to Job as the one who put limits on the sea. For Jews, who were not seafaring people, to control the deep water was to have awesome power.

When the disciples saw Jesus exercise his power over the sea, “They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

In that moment, the disciples glimpsed the divinity of Jesus. He was far more than just their rabbi and teacher.

Sunday’s Gospel is a good reminder that Jesus is not just the understanding friend, the accepting companion, and the uncritical observer often pictured by society.

Jesus Christ is our awesome God who controls not only the movement of the waves, but the movement of the galaxies across the abyss of space. He is the one who can still the winds on the sea, and the winds that turn pages of history and pages of our lives.

Jesus Christ is, as Thomas professed, our Lord and God. He is our awesome God deserving of glory and praise.

Just as Scott came to appreciate the awesomeness of the ocean that day on the Jersey Shore, may we recognize the awesome nature and wondrous power of God. A God who in the wonder of his love reveals himself to us in Jesus Christ.

As a song written by Rich Mullins reminds us,

Our God is an awesome God

He reigns from heaven above

With wisdom, power, and love

Our God is an awesome God

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

The trees that provide the oxygen we breathe and the lumber we use for building homes, the grasses that turn the hillsides green and feed our livestock, the vegetation that produces the fruits and vegetables that nourish our bodies, the plants whose flowers beautify our homes and express our feelings, all have something in common.

They all sprang from tiny seeds. Seeds that were sown by humans, scattered by animals, blown on the wind, or washed in by flowing water.

In an almost miraculous way, those seeds produce the living plants that cover our world. Even a redwood tree more than 300 feet tall was once only an insignificant seed.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 4:26-34), Jesus tells two parables dealing with seeds. He speaks of a man scattering seed in the field and he mentions mustard seed as being “the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.”

In both parables, the seeds sprout and bring forth wondrous growth. The seed scattered on the ground produces a large harvest of grain, and the mustard seed “becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that birds of the sky can dwell in it shade.”

Jesus tells those parables to teach us “how it is with the kingdom of God.”

Jesus sows the seeds of God’s kingdom as he calls people to turn away from sin and to let God’s will be the guide of their lives. As we pray in the Our Father, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 

Since the time of Jesus, the number of people who have heard and accepted that message has grown tremendously. That has happened because of the action of God who plants the seeds, gives the growth, touches the human heart, and works through his Church.

Sunday’s Gospel might lead us to consider the people and the situations that God has used to plant the seed of faith in our personal lives. It may have been our parents, grandparents, or other relatives. It may have been our parish priest, a religion teacher, or other persons who impressed us by the way they lived as followers of Christ.

The Lord may have sown the seed of faith in our lives during a moment of unexpected joy, during a time of personal crisis, or as we watched the birth of a child, or as someone spoke about a personal journey of faith.

God’s kingdom, God’s presence and action in our lives, happens not because of what we do, but because of what God does. The fact we come to Mass, that we pray, even the fact that we receive Looking to Sunday, are all ways that the Lord nourishes our faith so that his will – his kingdom – will blossom in our lives.

This Sunday, Jesus reminds us that God plants the seed. God nourishes that seed so that it may grow and develop and bring forth a harvest of goodness.

It is a wonder to consider what comes forth from a tiny seed. But it is even more wonderous to consider what can come forth from the seed of faith planted by God in the human heart.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Give the gift of life.

Donate blood, donate life.

People live when people give.

Every blood donor is a lifesaver.

Those slogans are used to encourage people to participate in blood drives. They remind us that our donations of blood can literally save lives.

The scripture readings for this Sunday’s Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, direct our attention to the spiritual, life-saving properties of blood.

In the First Reading (Exodus 24:3-8), Moses reads aloud the laws and ordinances that God had given the Chosen People. In response the people proclaim, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do."

Moses then ratifies that agreement, that covenant between God and his people. He takes blood from the animals sacrificed to God, some of which he had already splashed on the altar, and sprinkles it on the people.

The blood on the altar of God and the blood on the people symbolized the intimate relationship between God and his people. As Moses said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you.”

For the Jewish people, the life force was believed to be in the blood, so this sharing of blood highlighted God sharing his life with his people. They had a “blood relationship.”

This idea is also seen in the New Covenant ratified not with the blood of animals, but with the blood of Christ.

In the Second Reading (Hebrews 9:11-15), we hear how Jesus gave his life for his people. He shed his blood not because God demanded such a sacrifice, but because Jesus was determined to remain faithful to God even in the face of death. Jesus refused to deny his identity and his mission.

In the Gospel reading (Mark 24:12-16, 22-26), we hear the account of the Last Supper. There Jesus shares a cup of wine with his disciples and declares, “This is the blood of the covenant which will be shed for many.” He establishes a relationship between God and his people far greater than the one ratified by the blood of animals.

Each time we receive Holy Communion, we share in the blood of that New Covenant, that new relationship with God.

Even when we receive only the host, we receive the blood of Christ. For as the Church tells us, “Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1390)

Today’s Feast focuses our attention on the great gift of the Eucharist by which we are united with Christ and with all those who share with us at the altar of the Lord. We truly are blood brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today’s feast also reminds us that Jesus Christ is the one blood donor who can truly be called a life saver. His donation saves us from everlasting death and brings us to eternal life.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Smartphones have become an almost essential part of daily life. Devices that were once used for making and receiving phone calls are now used for so much more.

We use our smartphones for taking photos and videos, text messaging, surfing the web, connecting with social media, getting the latest news, depositing checks, viewing feeds from security cameras, storing pictures, participating in Zoom meetings, listening to music, navigating unfamiliar roads, and so much more.

We feel incomplete without our smartphones and we panic when we can’t find them.

While we use our smartphones and appreciate what they allow us to do, most people do not know the inner workings of those devices. If we were to open the case, we would not be able to identify all the parts within it or explain how each one functions. But that does not keep us from recognizing the importance of those digital devices.

It may seem strange to be focusing on smartphones as we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity this coming Sunday. But if we think about it, there is a connection.

We believe that God is a Trinity of Persons. We acknowledge that belief each time we profess the Creed at Sunday Mass, each time we make the Sign of the Cross, and each time we bring someone into the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism. As Jesus commands us in this Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 28:16-20), “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Yet we cannot explain the Trinity – that essential belief of our Christian faith.

We also believe that the Holy Trinity is active in creation. God the Father brings all things into existence and breathes life into those created from the dust of the earth. God the Son takes on flesh, frees humanity from its sins and failings and reveals the way to eternal life. God the Holy Spirit blesses us with spiritual gifts we need to live the Christian life and to make the Church a sign of God’s kingdom in our world. We believe in what the Trinity does, but we cannot fully understand, nor can we control the action of God.

It should come as no surprise that the One God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is far beyond human comprehension. Despite the efforts of theologians down through the centuries, God remains a mystery.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is celebrated in the Church not to give homilists another opportunity to try and explain the unexplainable, but rather to give us an opportunity to recognize the wonderful, caring, and loving way that God is acting in our world and in our personal lives.

We enjoy our smartphones even though we are not sure how they work, so let us enjoy and appreciate the action of the Holy Trinity in our lives even though we cannot explain how God works!

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Imagine what it would have been like to have been present at the great events recorded in the New Testament.

Imagine if you had been there when Jesus fed the crowd of thousands with a few loaves and fish, when he changed water into wine at Cana, when he gave sight to a man blind from birth, when he walked on water, when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, when he was crucified, and when he rose to life that first Easter Sunday.

Since we were not there, we can only picture what it would have been like to see those events happen before our eyes.

This Sunday, we hear about the great event of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11). Consider what it would have been like to be in Jerusalem that day, to hear the driving wind, to see flames of fire come down upon the disciples, and then to hear them boldly preaching about Jesus in words that were understandable to people of every language.

While we were not present that first Pentecost Sunday, that day is not something for us to only imagine. Pentecost is something that we can experience ourselves, for the Holy Spirit continues to come into our lives and into our world.

The Holy Spirit that emboldened the disciples to go into the streets of Jerusalem has continued to empower Christians to proclaim the Gospel in every land and in every language. Those first disciples could never have conceived that the Spirit who inspired them would be actively guiding the work of the Church some 2,000 years later.

The continuing power of the Spirit is evident in the Church’s proclamation that Jesus is Savior and Lord. As St. Paul tells us in Sunday’s Second Reading (1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13), “No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”

The Spirit’s power is also apparent in the Church’s uninterrupted celebration of the Sacraments, in its service to the poor, in its work for justice and peace, and in its ongoing ministry of forgiveness and mercy. As Jesus tells his disciples in Sunday’s Gospel (John 20:19-23), “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”

The Holy Spirit is also with each of us. The Holy Spirit came into our hearts at our Baptism and blessed us at our Confirmation with the gifts we need to live out our faith.

While it takes imagination to picture the great events recorded in the New Testament, that is not true with Pentecost. Pentecost does not have to be imagined, for the Holy Spirit is working today in our Church and in our personal lives. To recognize the action of the Spirit does not take imagination, it takes prayer, silence, and reflection. It also takes being attentive to the subtle inspirations that come to us when we pause to remember the presence of the Spirit who dwells within us.

But it is a challenge to appreciate the presence of the Holy Spirit for we live at a time when the Spirit’s flames of inspiration are often overshadowed by the glittering lights of our culture and its message is lost in the blaring sounds of society’s never-ending distractions.

The coming of the Holy Spirit is not something for us to imagine. It is something for us to experience in our own lives.

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people. And kindle in us the fire of your love.”

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Attendance is taken at the beginning of the school day and it is part of the agenda at formal business and government meetings.

Someone has the responsibility to call out the names of those who should be at the class or meeting. When individuals hear their names, they reply, “Present” or “Here” to indicate they are in the room.

Those who fail to respond when their names are called are marked absent.

If attendance had been taken at the start of the Last Supper, it would have indicated 13 people were in the Upper Room, namely, Jesus and the 12 Apostles. As Matthew tells us, “When it was evening, he (Jesus) reclined at table with the Twelve.” (Matthew 26:20)

If attendance had been taken on Holy Saturday, there would certainly have been one person marked “absent.” Jesus was no longer with his disciples. He was dead and his body was in the tomb.

But if the roll had been called on the evening of that first Easter Sunday, Jesus would have answered, “Present!” Or he might have indicated he was there in a more formal way. As Saint John tells us, “Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

Jesus was no longer absent, he was risen! He was with them.

According to Saint Luke, the Risen Lord then remained with the disciples for several weeks. As we are told in this Sunday’s First Reading (Acts 1:1-11), “He presented himself alive to them….appearing to them during forty days….and speaking about the kingdom of God.”

Then after his final instruction, “as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.”

After the Ascension, the Risen Lord was no longer with them. As the angels told his disciples, “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

The Ascension of Jesus seemed to mark the day when Jesus left his disciples.

However, it would be a mistake to mark Jesus “absent.” The last thing he told his disciples was “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Jesus promised to remain with his disciples. That is a promise that he has kept and continues to keep to this very day.

Jesus is with us when the Church gathers in prayer, as he told us, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)

Jesus is present as his Gospel is proclaimed. After we listen to the reading, we declare, “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.” We praise the one who has just spoken to us.

Jesus is present in the consecrated bread and wine that we receive in holy communion. They are not reminders of the Lord who was with his Apostles 2,000 years ago. Rather they are the Body and Blood of Christ who is truly with us. As Catholics, we believe in the “real presence.”

Jesus is present in the celebration of all the sacraments. It is Christ who acts through his priests to bless us with his grace, mercy, and love.

The Ascension is not about the Risen Lord leaving us, but rather about the Risen Lord remaining with us in a new and wonderful way. A way that allows him to be with us at every moment and in every place.

If the roll were taken whenever Christians came together, Jesus would certainly shout “Present!” when his name was called.  

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

There is a word that appears both as a noun and a verb a total of nine times in this Sunday’s Second Reading (1 John 4:7-10) and another nine times in Sunday’s Gospel (John 15:9-17). That word is “love” – a word also frequently found in the prayers of the Mass.

As often as that word is used in the scriptures and in the liturgy, it appears even more frequently in music. There are more than 1,100 songs with the word “love” in their titles, and tens of millions of songs about love have been written over the years.

Love is a popular word indeed. But what exactly is love?

Love is usually understood as an intense emotion. Love means having strong feelings toward another person, such as feelings of tenderness, kindness, desire, sexual attraction, warmth, yearning, infatuation, caring, and so on. When we tell someone that we love them we are admitting we have strong feelings for them.

In Sunday’s Second Reading, we hear, “Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.” But if, as Saint John says, God is love, and love is an intense emotion and feeling, then it is easy to conclude that John is saying that God is an infinitely intense, divine emotion.

However, John also says, “In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.”

In the Gospel, Jesus says something similar. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” 

In both readings, love is not an emotion but is something that leads to action. God, who is love, sends his Son who gives his life for us, and in return expects us to follow his example. God does good for us and he expects us to do good for others. We are to love as God loves.

Love in the scriptures is not a matter of feelings and emotions but rather, love is actively doing good for another person.

For example, when Jesus tells us, “love your enemies” (Luke 6:27), he is not telling us that we should have feelings of tenderness, kindness, attraction, warmth, and caring for those who hate us and would do us harm. That would be unreasonable to say the least. Instead, Jesus is telling us to do good for our enemies. He makes that clear when he goes on to say, “do good to those who hate you….Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  

We see love in action on the first pages of the Bible. God, who is love, does good. God creates man and woman, and God creates the world that will be their home. Then “God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.” (Genesis 1:31) God proclaims he has done something good!

In our day, love is often equated with emotion and feelings. Such love can be fleeting, demand little, and have no lasting effect. It can be like a song that lifts your spirit for a moment and then fades from memory.

Love that is understood as doing good, demands commitment, action, and sacrifice. If we have any doubt of that, all we need to do is look at the cross. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

May the Risen Lord continue to bless you

with his presence and peace

throughout this Easter Season!

Xfinity, FIOS, Verizon, Optimum, T-Mobile and AT&T all advertise that they can provide the best cell phone and Wi-Fi connection available.

Each company claims that if we subscribe to their service then our cellular calls will be loud and clear, our Wi-Fi will be uninterrupted, our upload and download speeds will be blazingly fast, movies and music will flawlessly stream to our devices – all our digital equipment will perform perfectly.

Without such a strong and reliable connection, our smartphones, laptops, computers, navigation systems, and digital assistants will not function as designed. They will be relatively useless hardware.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (John 15:1-8), Jesus speaks about the need for a strong connection, and he does so by using an example from the agricultural society of his day.

He says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”

Then Jesus declares what happens to those who lose their connection with him. He warns, “Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.”

Or to put it another way, such people will be like a smartphone cut off from the digital universe. Good for a paperweight but little else.

If we are to blossom as the men and women God wishes us to be, if we are to bear fruit and bring forth a harvest of goodness, we need to be united to the love, strength, and power that flow from a connection with Jesus Christ and with his living Body, the Church.

We see the importance of such a connection in our First Reading (Acts 9:26-31). There we read how Saul arrived in Jerusalem “where he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him not believing he was a disciple.”

It was only after Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them of Saul’s conversion that he was accepted. Both Saul and Barnabas recognized the importance of being connected to the Church, the living Body of Christ.

Sunday’s readings remind us that Christians need a connection to Christ. That connection happens through the Church, where we meet the Lord in Word and Sacrament and in the Christian Community that gathers in his name.

We might say the Church is like an internet service provider, it furnishes us with what we need to have a strong, life-giving connection to Jesus Christ.

Whether we make use of that connection is up to us. If we do, then we are like that connected branch that Jesus describes. Joined to the vine, that branch has life and bears fruit.

If we ignore the connection to Christ that the Church provides, then we are like a branch disconnected from the vine. We spiritually wither and die.

Each time we use a digital device to connect to the Internet, we might use that moment to remember the importance of our being connected to Christ and his Church. The stronger that connection, the more vibrant our spiritual lives!

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

May the Risen Lord continue to bless you

with his presence and peace

throughout this Easter Season!

What do you picture when you hear the word firefighter or the word paramedic?

Both words usually bring to mind persons of strength, skill, and courage actively engaged in their professions.

We may imagine a firefighter confronting a blazing inferno as he and his company attempt to extinguish the fire and to rescue those trapped by its flames and smoke.

We may picture a paramedic racing to the scene of a traffic accident and working with her squad members to render life-saving emergency aid to victims of a high-speed traffic accident.

However, when we hear the word shepherd a more passive image usually comes to mind. We tend to think of someone with a staff in hand looking over a flock of sheep as they enjoy an afternoon on a grassy hillside.

If the adjective “good” precedes the word “shepherd,” we may think of the shepherd described in the Gospels who searches for the lost sheep and when he finds it joyfully carries it back home on his shoulders and celebrates with a party.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (John 10:11-18), Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” However, Jesus’ description of what makes a good shepherd is hardly gentle and passive. The shepherd he describes is not only caring but also active and courageous and ready to sacrifice for the sake of those in his charge. Jesus says, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

We learn about the life of a good shepherd when we read how David, the future king of Israel, described to King Saul how he would tend the sheep of his father Jesse.

David said, “Your servant used to tend his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or bear came to carry off a sheep from the flock, I would chase after it, attack it, and snatch the prey from its mouth. If it attacked me, I would seize it by the throat, strike it, and kill it. Your servant has killed both a lion and a bear.” (1 Samuel 17:34-36)

Jesus is that type of good shepherd. He seeks to keep his sheep from straying into the dark valley of evil and sin. He even sacrifices his life on the cross for the sake of his sheep. By his passion, death, and resurrection, our good shepherd saves us from the ultimate “wolf.” He saves us from the Evil One who seeks to ravage and destroy us.

Jesus is no passive shepherd who only watches from the hillside. He is the shepherd who “lays down his life for his sheep” and opens for us the way to the green pastures of eternal life.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

It can’t be! It’s just too good to be true!

That may be our reaction when something wonderful happens in our lives, something that we never expected.

It can’t be!  It’s just too good to be true!

For example, imagine you apply for an upper-level position at your place of employment. You do so without much hope of success since there is a rumor that the management has someone in mind from outside the company. But you apply anyway, and you work hard to make a good impression during the interviews that follow. Weeks go by, you hear nothing, and you assume you were passed over for the position. Then unexpectedly, the head of the company calls you in and informs you that you got the promotion. Not only that, you will also receive a substantial increase in salary and improved benefits.

You are stunned. It can’t be! It’s just too good to be true!

Such a reaction may help us to understand what happens in this Sunday’s Gospel for the Third Sunday of Easter. (Luke 24:35-48)

The disciples are gathered together as they listen to Cleopas and his companion recount how they met the Risen Lord on the road to Emmaus.

Suddenly, the Lord appears among them. We are told, “they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost.”

Jesus whom they had seen arrested, crucified, and placed in a tomb, could not be standing before them, alive and risen. That was just too good to be true. Dead people stay dead. They must be seeing some sort of phantom, some type of ghostly apparition.

Besides, who knew if the earlier report of what happened on the road to Emmaus was true or just wishful fantasy.

The Lord, aware of their inability to comprehend his most unexpected presence, tries to help them understand that he is real and risen. “Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”

He then asks for food. “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.” Ghosts do not eat, but living people do, risen people do!

Then the Risen Lord explains that what happened to him was in accord with God’s plan. “The Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

By those words, the Risen Lord commissions his disciples to witness to the truth of the Gospel, to show humanity the way to peace and fulfillment, and to proclaim that for those who accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord, death is not annihilation but the pathway to an eternal life of joy.

But many people refuse to accept the resurrection of Jesus and the truth of the Gospel not because they do not want to believe, but because it all seems just too good to be true.

But it is. It’s all true. That is the amazing message of Easter!

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

May the Risen Lord bless you with his presence and peace

this Easter Season.

Put your money where your mouth is. That challenge can be leveled at people who speak about their concern for others but do nothing. Words, no matter how wonderfully crafted or poetically delivered, do not alleviate suffering.

Those who declare their compassion for persons who are homeless, hungry, or unemployed, or for victims of sexual abuse or human trafficking, or for those in the womb or at the end of their lives, can rightly be challenged to back up their words with their money.

As Saint James tells us, “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?” (James 2:16)

Words of compassion need to be paired with financial contributions that help those in need and support organizations seeking to improve the human condition.

That is also true when it comes to words of faith. We need to profess our faith not only with our words but also with our actions and with our money. That message is found in the readings for this coming Sunday.

In the Gospel (John 20:19-31), the Risen Lord appears to his disciples that first Easter Sunday. He blesses them with the Holy Spirit and commissions them to be agents of mercy and forgiveness.

The Risen Lord comes again the following Sunday. During that appearance, Thomas the Apostle makes a profound profession of faith as he declares Jesus to be his Lord and his God.

That same profession of faith was also made by the first Christians. They proclaimed their faith in the Risen Lord and they did so with their words and also with their money.

As we learn in our First Reading (Acts 4:32-35), “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common….There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.”

The generosity of those Christians was so powerful that we are still impressed by it some 2,000 years later. They let their faith in Christ guide the use of their money and possessions.

Today, we are called to share our faith in the Lord who overcame the power of death. We are to tell others of the One who reveals the meaning of life and who can fill the empty place in the human heart. We are to speak of the positive difference that Jesus Christ has made in our lives.

But that cannot be done with words alone. We live in a society flooded with words. We need to proclaim our faith by our actions, and perhaps most especially by what we do with our dollars.

Christians who generously share their wealth to help others and to support the work of the Church have a greater chance to be heard than those whose money and faith are disconnected.

Like Thomas, we are to profess that Jesus is “My Lord and My God,” and we are to do that the same way the first Christians did. We are to do it with our words and with our money. Otherwise, we might be challenged to “put your money where your mouth is.”

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

May the Risen Lord bless you with his presence and peace this Easter Season!

There are three vaccines currently being administered to people to protect them from Covid-19, namely, those manufactured by Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.

Those three vaccines were given emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA is the government agency that regulates drugs, supplements, and medical devices and makes certain they are safe and provide the promised health benefits.

Wise consumers are skeptical of health claims that are not approved by the FDA: claims that end with the words, “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.”

During his ministry, Jesus made a series of claims about himself.

He said that he was the path to God. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 4:16)

He stated, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

He affirmed he was the long-awaited Messiah. He answered, “I am,” when asked if he was “the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One.” (Mark 14: 61-62)

He testified that he was one with God. “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30)

He asserted that he could satisfy humanity’s deepest desires. “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35)

He declared that he could forgive sin. He told the penitent woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:46)

He proclaimed he had power even over death. “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.” (John 11:25)

Those striking claims of Jesus were rejected by the religious authorities of his day, as certainly as any unproven product would be rejected by the FDA.

When Jesus cured a mute person, the Pharisees said that Jesus was in league with the devil himself. “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” (Matthew 9:34)

When on a sabbath day Jesus gave sight to a man blind from birth, he was labeled a sinner by the Pharisees. “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” (John 9:16)

When Jesus spoke of his relationship with God and his coming in glory, the Jewish chief priest declared “He has blasphemed!” and found Jesus deserving of death. (Matthew 26:65)

The religious authorities of his day evaluated and then rejected the statements of Jesus. That rejection was made abundantly clear when they demanded his crucifixion and mocked him as his life drained away on the cross that Good Friday afternoon.

But the judgment made by those religious authorities was not the last word. Three days later, the highest of all authorities gave his verdict. As we hear in this Sunday’s First Reading (Acts 10:34a, 37-43), “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day.”

In the Resurrection, the Father validated and confirmed the message and the identity of Jesus. Jesus truly was the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Son of God. His Gospel was truly the Good News of Salvation.

We might say that on that first Easter, the life and work of Jesus was endorsed by the “FDA.” Jesus received the Father’s Divine Approval. And it is an approval that we celebrate this Easter Sunday and every Sunday. For that approval means that through Jesus we can overcome the virus of sin and death and come to eternal life.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

May the Risen Lord bless you with his presence and peace this Easter Season!

Children like stories with happy endings. They want to hear that the princess was rescued from her captors and that the bully in school got a taste of his own medicine. They want to see lost children reunited with their parents and to watch the outcast, who barely made the team, score the winning goal. They want to read that the mom suffering with cancer was healed and that the “bad guys” were caught and punished.

Children like stories with happy endings and so do adults. We do not like stories where good people end up losing, where darkness overcomes the light. We do not want that to happen in the stories we read or the movies we watch. And we certainly do not want that to happen in real life. We want situations in our lives to have happy endings.

We want to learn that the biopsy was negative. We want our boss to announce we got the promotion. We want our friends to be loyal and supportive and our children to be happy and successful.

But situations in life do not always end on a happy note.

Certainly, this Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 14:1-15:47) for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion has no happy ending.

Jesus is betrayed by Judas, one of his closest disciples, and then deserted by his friends when he is arrested in the garden.

He is falsely accused before the religious authorities and declared guilty of blasphemy by the high priest.

Jesus is denied three times by Peter who swore he would always remain loyal no matter the circumstances. He listens as the crowd who had hailed him as the long-awaited Messiah cries for his crucifixion.

He hears the Roman governor give in to the demands of the crowd even though Pilate cannot discover “What evil has he done?”

Jesus is then whipped, ridiculed, and led through the streets to the place of execution. There he is nailed to a cross that puts him on display before a crowd of haters as his blood drains away and he dies.

In that story of the Passion there are no happy endings at any time. No one speaks up for Jesus. No one comes to his rescue. No one saves him at the last moment.

The story ends with the unhappiest of endings.

Perhaps that Gospel teaches us that as much as we might wish it, every situation in our lives does not have a happy ending. It teaches us that the good do not escape suffering. It teaches us that darkness can overcome the light and “bad guys” can win. It teaches us that God does not act like a superhero who arrives at the last minute to make sure everything turns out right.

Life is not a series of situations filled with happy endings – not even for those who strive to be faithful to God. If it was not like that for Jesus, the most perfect, loving, and faithful Son of God, why should we expect it to be like that for us.

But while this life does not always have its happy endings, we know that ultimately there is a happy ending. That is the message that we celebrate next Sunday, Easter Sunday, and it is the message that we proclaim each time we gather at the altar of the Lord.

We all like stories with happy endings, and so does God. God writes that happy ending in the pages of eternity.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Imagine for a moment that things had gone a different way that first Good Friday.

Suppose that Pontius Pilate did not change his mind about Jesus after he declared, “I find no guilt in him” (John 18:38). Rather than giving into the crowd and the demands of the chief priests, imagine that the Roman governor did not abandon an innocent man.

Or suppose when Pilate asked the crowd what person he should set free on the occasion of Passover, the crowd had shouted “Jesus” rather than “Barabbas.”

If either of those things had happened, Jesus would not have walked the road to crucifixion later that day. Instead, Jesus would have walked away a free man. He would have been able to continue his ministry. He would have continued proclaiming the Kingdom of God, healing the sick, forgiving the sinner, and gathering disciples. And there would be no crucifixes displayed on the walls of our homes or in our churches.

But Jesus was condemned and put to death. Jesus knew that would be the case. As he says in this Sunday’s Gospel (John 12:20-33), “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”

Jesus was that grain of wheat, that seed that had to die in order to transfer its life and energy into the sprouting plant. So, by his suffering and death, Jesus became the source of new life for us.

Certainly, in his humanity, Jesus did not seek the cross. As he told his disciples, “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.”

Suffering and death came to Jesus because he refused to be anything less than completely faithful to his Heavenly Father and to who he was as his Beloved Son. Suffering and death came to Jesus because he loved us, and he demonstrated that love on the cross.

As he said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:13-14)

Even those without faith recognize the immense love that a person demonstrates in offering his or her life so others may live. Medals are given and statues erected for such sacrifices.

When Jesus was lifted upon the cross that Good Friday afternoon, he transformed that instrument of death. It became the tree of life and the symbol of his self-sacrificing love. Jesus poured out his life and in doing so “he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” (Hebrews 5:9)

Those who have never heard the story of Jesus or never looked at a cross, could never imagine what the Son of God did for us sinners.

What Jesus did out of love; we are called to imitate in some way in the circumstances of our own lives. A Jesus tells us in Sunday’s Gospel (John 12:20-33), “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.”

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Is religion about what we do for God, or is religion about what God does for us?

We usually think of religion as involving specific things we do to win God’s favor, and ultimately a place in heaven.

For us as Catholics that includes accepting certain beliefs, going to Mass, confessing our sins, making sure that our children receive the sacraments, donating to the parish, praying the rosary, helping those in need, serving in parish ministries, doing penance during Lent, reading the Bible, following the moral teachings of the Church, etc.

But when we consider this Sunday’s readings, we get a different impression.

In Sunday’s Gospel (John 3:14-21), Saint John tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

In our Second Reading (Ephesians 2:4-10), Saint Paul says something similar, “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ.”

John and Paul both emphasize the fact that God does something for us before we do anything for him.

God sends his Son, who takes on flesh and comes among us. Jesus embodies God’s mercy and makes it present in his ministry as he reaches out to the rejected, the sick, and the sinner.

He then makes that mercy and love of God unmistakably clear as he endures the cross to bring us into a new and eternal relationship with God. As Jesus tells us, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

God does all this for us, before we do a thing for God.

Religion, above all, is recognizing the gracious, unearned, undeserved love of God in our lives. That love brought us to life when we were conceived in the womb of our mothers, sustains us to this very day, offers us forgiveness for ours sins, and promises us eternal life. As Paul tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.”

When we recognize and appreciate what God has done for us, we respond with thanks and praise. Our response of thanks and praise shows itself in what we call religion. We do religious things not to win God’s favor, but as the way we respond to the gracious love that God shows us.

Those who are religious are those who understand what God has done for them. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

There are various types of institutions in our society. For example, we have governmental, political, academic, and religious institutions. We have financial, legal, cultural, and athletic institutions, and those that provide health care, and those that bring us the news and connect us to the digital world.

Those institutions have something in common. Over the past years, many of them have lost the trust and respect of the public. Some are seen as corrupt, dishonest, self-serving, exploitive, and unfaithful to their stated mission and purpose. It appears that faith in societal institutions has declined.

That has caused some people to become cynical, detached, and to cease their involvement and support.

It has driven other people to protest and attack those institutions that they judge to be failing. There have been times when buildings and property associated with such institutions and organizations have been vandalized and even destroyed by those protesting their shortcomings and failures.

In this Sunday’s Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent (John 2:13-25), we read of Jesus coming to the Temple in Jerusalem. We might say he comes to the headquarters of institutional Judaism.

There he sees merchants selling “approved” animals for sacrifice, and moneychangers converting Roman currency into coins “approved” for religious donations.

Those engaged in these activities were doing so for a profit and with the consent and collusion of the religious authorities. There was money to be made from religion!

What Jesus observes compels him to action. Justifiably angry, he drives these profiteers from the Temple as he shouts, “stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

Jesus did not deface the Temple or call for its destruction. He did not demand an end to the worship taking place within its walls. He did not insist this Jewish religious institution be shut down.

Rather, Jesus addressed the real problem, namely, merchants, moneychangers, and Temple authorities who were putting money before God. The problem was not the institution itself but the people who were using the institution for personal gain. The problem was sinful people.

After all, Jesus himself continued to come to the Temple. As Jesus told the high priest during his interrogation, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing.” (John 18:20)

The problem with any institution is not the institution itself. Institutions do not exist on their own; they are composed of people. Jesus did not confront a building, a structure, an organization that day in the Temple. He confronted the people who were degrading that religious institution.

Today’s Lenten Gospel challenges us to consider the many financial, religious, academic, social, governmental, cultural, political, and business institutions of which we are a part. And then to ask ourselves if our involvement is making them better, more moral organizations? Or if our behavior is only adding to the reasons why people are losing faith in institutions?

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

The word “listen” can have more than one meaning.

“Listen” can mean stop talking and settle down.

“Listen” can mean pay attention to what is being said.

“Listen” can mean do as you are told, be obedient.

“Listen” can mean notice the subtle sounds around you.

“Listen” can mean redirect your thoughts.

In Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 9:2-10), Jesus takes Peter, James, and John and leads them up a high mountain. There Jesus shines with divine glory and a voice from the heavens declares, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”  

The command to “listen” was not meant only for those three disciples standing on a mountain of rock. It is also meant for us. For God has brought us up the mountain of faith, made us part of his Church, and called us to listen to his Son.

But listening to God’s beloved Son means more than just hearing his words proclaimed in the readings at Mass or “hearing” them as we read the scriptures at home.

Listening to God’s beloved Son means quieting the thoughts competing for our attention and concentrating on what the Lord is saying to us.

Listening to God’s beloved Son means taking his words to heart and making them the guide for our lives. It means obeying his words of instruction.

Listening to God’s beloved Son means noticing the small and subtle ways that God speaks to us through other people and through events in our lives.

But such listening to the Lord is more difficult than ever. For we live in a society that continually clamors that we listen to its words – words that come at us through social media, streaming services, cable news, and the entertainment industry.

Such listening to the Lord is a greater challenge today when there are so many self-proclaimed experts, life-coaches, celebrities, and influencers promoting what they consider to be the way to fulfillment, happiness, and peace.

Such listening to the Lord requires strong faith and trust in God. The very idea of God and the hope of eternal life are attacked as wishful thinking or seen as evidence of a feeble mind afraid to face its mortality.

This Lent is a time for us to evaluate what kind of listening we are giving to God’s beloved Son. If our listening only amounts to letting the sound of his words touch our ears, we are not doing what God expects of us.

Listening to God’s beloved Son only starts with hearing his words. It ends when his words have influenced our actions and changed our understanding of life. “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Really listen!

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

For the past 11 months, all of us have become much more health conscious. We do all we can to remain healthy and to avoid being infected with COVID-19.

We maintain a social distance. We wash our hands and sanitize surfaces. We wear face coverings. We stay away from crowds and limit social gatherings. We work from home when possible.

In addition, we personally assess our health. We check to see if we have any symptoms that might indicate that we are infected, such as a cough, body aches or a loss of taste.

We also employ certain devices that help us evaluate our health. We use thermometers to test for fever; pulse oximeters to check our heart rate and blood oxygen levels; pressure monitors to determine our blood pressure; and scales to reveal fluctuations in weight.

By doing those things and using those devices, we get an idea of the status of our physical health.

Checking on our spiritual health is not so easy. There are no thermometers that can reveal if we have a warm or cold heart for God. No pulse oximeters that can tell us the level of holiness in our lives. No pressure monitors that can indicate how much influence evil is exerting on our decisions. No scales that can tell us if we are weighed down by selfishness and sin.

Checking the status of our spiritual health requires we make a personal examination of our lives. This season of Lent, which began Ash Wednesday, is the time in the Church’s calendar for such a spiritual wellness exam.

We often associate Lent with doing penance, giving up certain foods or activities, saying extra prayers, and so on. Those are certainly wonderful practices, but Lent should also be a time for reflection, a time for us to take a good look at our lives.

When Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 1:12-15) tells us that “the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days,” it was not to do penance. Jesus was without sin. In the desert, Jesus reflected on his coming ministry and he rejected every temptation to be unfaithful to what God the Father expected of him.

Our Lenten self-assessment of our spiritual health might include asking ourselves the following questions:

Am I closer to God this Lent than I was last year, or does God have a diminished role in my thoughts and decisions?

Am I living as the child of God and faithful member of the Church that I promised to be when I renewed my baptismal promises last Easter?

How many minutes a week am I giving to prayer, to Mass, to the reading of scripture, and to the things of God, compared to the hours I give to streaming services, videogames, and social media?

How much of my money goes to satisfying my needs and to accumulating “stuff” I do not need, and how much goes into the collection basket and to charitable organizations?

Do I allow the sinful and immoral behaviors endorsed by society to infect my mind and to influence my decisions and actions?

During these months of the coronavirus pandemic, we have all learned the importance of checking our physical health. This Lent, may we better appreciate the importance of evaluating our spiritual health. For as Jesus tells us, only the spiritually healthy will see God. As he puts it, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Stories touch us more deeply when they relate to something in our own lives. For example, a story about a child with autism will be heard one way by parents with a son or daughter recently diagnosed with that developmental disorder, and in another way by a couple without children.

That is also true with the stories we find in the Gospels. This Sunday’s Gospel passage (Mark 1:40-45) about the cure of a leper may strike us differently than it has in the past.

At the time of Jesus, those with leprosy were in a terrible situation. They were believed to be contagious and expelled from the community. They had to live apart from family and friends. They had to remain at a distance and to warn people of their approach by shouting “unclean.” They were dependent on the charity of others. They were condemned to a life of sickness, loneliness, and despair.

In the past, we may have had a theoretical understanding of the situation of those with leprosy at the time of Jesus. But this year, we may relate to that Gospel story in a different way because of the current pandemic.

At this time, we are instructed to remain socially distant from others. We are told to wear a mask to protect ourselves and others from possible infection. We are advised to avoid crowded situations and to limit social interaction. We are reminded to keep washing our hands and to sanitize any surfaces that may have been touched by others. We are to do our best to avoid any interaction with those with COVID-19. And if we think we may have been with an infected person, we are to quarantine ourselves for 14 days.

Our present circumstances give us some understanding of the situation of the leper and also of the surprising action of Jesus in Sunday’s Gospel.

Rather than telling the leper to stay away, Jesus allows the leper to approach him. He does not demand that the leper remain socially distant and speak to him from afar. Kneeling before Jesus, the man begs for a cure.

Rather than responding only with words, Jesus touches the leper. As we are told, “moved with pity, he stretched out his hand (and) touched him.” Jesus breaks the taboo that forbade contact with anyone who was unclean. By his action, Jesus restored the man’s health and in doing so allowed him to resume contact with the community.

The man was so overjoyed that he could not keep quiet. “The man went off and began to publicize the whole matter.” There was as much chance of him keeping quiet, as of today’s media keeping quiet about the discovery of the coronavirus vaccine.

We can relate to the story of the leper not just because of the impact of COVID-19, that story also tells us about the effects of sin.

Sin is a “virus” that distorts our dignity as children of God. It harms our relationship with others. It hinders the coming of God’s kingdom. It makes us imperfect witnesses to the truth of the Gospel. It darkens our lives and adds to the darkness in our society. In a word, sin makes us unclean. It makes us spiritual lepers.

But rather than avoiding us “lepers” and remaining distant, God reaches out to us in Jesus. He touches us with his healing and forgiveness and brings us back into a relationship with him and with his Church.

If we were only as conscious of the harmful effects of sin as we are of the harm caused by the coronavirus, we would readily seek out the “vaccine” that Jesus offers us in his Sacraments and through his Church.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

If you want to know the priorities of a newly inaugurated president, governor, mayor, or any public official, or the main concerns of anyone in a position of authority, just consider what they first do when they come into power.

For example, President Biden’s first actions indicated his priorities. They included speeding up the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine; providing additional financial assistance to struggling individuals and businesses; opening schools; and seeking to heal the divisions in our nation.

Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 1:29-39) and those of the past two Sundays are all taken from the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel. Those readings tell us what Jesus does when he begins his ministry.

Jesus begins by proclaiming, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

He then calls Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, and John to leave their boats and become “fishers of men.”

Afterward, Jesus enters the synagogue where he frees a man possessed by an unclean spirit.

He then goes to the home of Simon and Andrew where he cures Simon’s ailing mother-in-law.

Those actions indicate the priorities of Jesus; they reveal what he saw as his mission.

His mission was to proclaim that God was breaking into this world in a dramatic way. Through him, God was inviting people to turn from sin, to follow God’s will, and to live in peace with one another and all creation.

His mission was to create a community of disciples who would join him in announcing that the kingdom was at hand.

His mission was to confront evil and sin and to demonstrate the power of God over all the forces of darkness that diminish the human spirit.

His mission was to bring healing to the sick and the suffering, to lift them up.

The priorities of Jesus involved bringing about a new relationship, a new covenant of love, between God and his people.

The priorities of Jesus should be our priorities as well.

As followers of Jesus, we are to share the Good News of the Gospel and to help people recognize the saving action of God in their personal lives and in our world.

As followers of Jesus, we are to invite others to be part of the Church, part of the Christian community that makes Jesus present in our world through word and sacrament and in acts of love and service.

As followers of Jesus, we are to confront the evil, the darkness, the deceit, the lust, the materialism, the greed, and the selfishness that debase human life.

As followers of Jesus, we are to do what we can to ease the suffering of the sick and the hurting and to bring healing to those in physical, mental, and spiritual pain.

Sunday’s Gospel challenges us as individual Christians and as a Church to discern if our priorities are in line with the priorities of Jesus.

No matter our position in life, whatever we decide to do first reveals what we consider most important!

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

During this time of the coronavirus pandemic, health care professionals and government authorities have been urging us to be tested to determine if we may be infected with COVID-19.

Such tests are critical because sometimes the presence of the virus is not readily apparent. People can be asymptomatic yet still be infected and able to pass on the coronavirus to others. Looks can be deceiving. That is why we are urged to wear face coverings, stay socially distant, and frequently wash our hands. Just observing someone will not let you know if that person might test positive for COVID-19.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 1:21-28), Jesus comes into the synagogue in Capernaum. He astonishes the people because he teaches “as one having authority and not as the scribes.”

While there, a man possessed by an unclean spirit suddenly cries out, “Have you come to destroy us?”

If Jesus had not entered the synagogue that day, would the congregation have known the man was possessed? And perhaps even more importantly, would the man himself have recognized the evil that had taken over his life?

The teacher who came into the synagogue, the teacher the possessed man recognized on a human level as “Jesus of Nazareth,” and on a spiritual level as “the Holy One of God,” diagnosed the man’s condition and rebuked the demon. Evil could not hide in the presence of Jesus, the light of goodness.

Today, our world is filled with darkness, filled with “unclean spirits” that can corrupt and possess people. There are the unclean spirits of materialism, selfishness, greed, racism, hypocrisy, pornography, crime, sexual abuse, domestic violence, lust, addiction, pride, laziness, moral indifference, digital idolatry, etc.

In the presence of Jesus, the Holy One of God, those evils become evident. His word proclaims the truth, and his example reveals the way to a life of meaning, purpose, and happiness.

In our day, many people seem to be walking away from Christ and from his Church. That may be happening because, like the man in Sunday’s Gospel, they find the presence of Christ makes them uncomfortable. He is too unsettling to the unclean spirits that may have found a place in their lives.

Just as it takes a test to detect the presence of COVID-19, it takes the presence of Christ to help us realize the “unclean spirits” in our society and in our personal lives. Once we realize our condition, we can seek the healing power of Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy One of God.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Evacuate the building! There's a fire in the basement!

How we react to that statement depends upon when we hear it.

It we were told that a firefighter had ran into our office complex last week and had ordered people to evaluate the building because of a fire, that information would not cause us to jump up and run for the exit. We would likely ask for details about what had occurred that day, but those words would not affect our present behavior.

But if a firefighter suddenly ran down the hall shouting those very same words while we were at work, we certainly would move. We would get out of the building immediately.

What we hear at the present moment is far more likely to cause us to react than what was said in the past.

In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 1;14-20), we hear Mark’s account of the first words preached by Jesus, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

We can hear those nineteen words in one of two ways. We can hear them only as words said in the past, said some 2,000 years ago, or we can hear them as being spoken at this moment.

Heard as words from the past they let us know that Jesus saw the time in which he was living as critical. God’s kingdom was breaking into this world.

Those words also reveal that Jesus was continuing the message of John the Baptist. John had announced the coming of the kingdom; Jesus proclaimed it was now present. He was inviting his hearers to live as part of that kingdom by turning away from sin and following the way of the Gospel.

But those words are not just words spoken in the past to the people of that day. When the Gospel is proclaimed, Jesus speaks to us now. The Gospel is always news – “good news” for those who hear it. It is not just “good history.”

This Sunday, Jesus is telling us that in him, God is working in our world to bring about his kingdom. That kingdom is at hand when we repent, when we reorient our lives. We do that by turning away from sin and self-centeredness and letting the attitudes and priorities of Jesus guide our lives. When we do that, the kingdom comes.

As Jesus said, “The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the kingdom of God is among you.” (Luke 17:20-21) The kingdom was present in Jesus and is present today in all those who heed his words.

If someone yelled, “Evacuate, the building, there’s a fire in the basement,” we would run for the exit. We would realize those words were meant for us right now.

The same is true for the words that Jesus speaks in Sunday’s Gospel. They are meant for us right now. “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Two classes that are often undervalued and sometimes eliminated when school budgets need to be cut are music and art appreciation. Yet those two subjects are important. They help to form cultured, well-educated people.

Music appreciation introduces students to different styles and forms of music. It teaches them what to listen for and how to understand what they are hearing. It exposes them to music they may have never heard.

Art appreciation opens the eyes of students to a world of painting, sculpture, and drawing. It helps them to look beyond what they see and to recognize the intricacies of a piece of art and the vision of life being conveyed by the artist.

As unexpected as it might seem, this Sunday’s First Reading (1 Samuel 3: 3b-10, 19) is related to music appreciation, while Sunday’s Gospel (John 1:35-42) is connected to art appreciation.

In the First Reading, we read how Eli, the priest, helps the young boy Samuel to appreciate what he is hearing. Samuel is awakened three times by a voice in the night that he takes to be that of Eli.

After the third interruption, we are told that “Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.”

Eli then helps Samuel to recognize that the voice he is hearing is no human voice, but rather the voice of God calling Samuel to serve him.

Young Samuel needed a spiritual mentor to help him appreciate what he was hearing.

In the Gospel, John the Baptist and two of his disciples are standing together when a man walks by. The disciples do not appreciate the significance of the stranger until John the Baptist says, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

If John the Baptist had not helped his two disciples recognize who had just walked past them, they may never have become followers of Jesus.

Those two disciples needed John the Baptist to help them appreciate the importance of the stranger they were seeing.

Like Samuel and like those disciples of John the Baptist, we also need help to appreciate and recognize the voice and the presence of God.

The Church is just such a mentor and guide. Through its teaching and preaching the Church helps us to appreciate the message of God found in the words of the Old and New Testament. The Church teaches us how to listen and discern what God is trying to say to us as we hear and read his words found in the scriptures.

The Church also serves as our mentor and guide when it comes to appreciating the presence of God. It teaches us to discern the presence of the Lamb of God in the bread and wine of the Eucharist, in the pouring of baptismal water, in the other sacraments, and in our fellow Christians.

The Church also provides us with spiritual directors, confessors, catechists, vowed religious men and women, and faith sharing groups that can open our ears and eyes to the message and presence of the Lord in our personal lives.

Appreciating music and art enriches life. But nothing enriches us more than appreciating and recognizing the voice and presence of God.

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Imagine you started a new job at a large company where you did not know a single person.

As you sat at your desk filling out some final forms for the Human Resources Department, the owner of the firm walked over to you and said, “You are a fine employee. I am really pleased with you.”

You would be surprised by that comment. You would think that the owner had confused you with someone else since you had done nothing deserving of praise. It was your first day on the job!

In Sunday's Gospel (Mark 1:7-11), we hear of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. When Jesus comes out of the waters of the Jordan a voice from the heavens proclaims, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

We might wonder why God the Father would say he was pleased with Jesus for Jesus had not yet begun his ministry. We might say that it was Jesus’ first day on the job.

At the Transfiguration of Jesus, the Father says something similar. As Jesus shines with divine glory, a voice from the heavens declares, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5)

On that occasion, the words of God the Father would seem to be more fitting. Ever since his baptism, Jesus had been proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, healing the sick, driving out demons, forgiving sins. He had been fulfilling the mission the Father had given him. It would be understandable that the Father would be well pleased with what Jesus had been doing.

So why does the Father proclaim his satisfaction with Jesus on the day of his baptism? God himself gives us the answer. The Father takes joy and pride in Jesus simply because of who Jesus is. As the Father says, “You are my beloved Son.”

We see that same dynamic in the relationship between parents and their children. Parents love their little ones even when they have not done a thing to earn their approval. Parents simply shower their love upon them because they are their beloved sons and daughters. They love them for who they are, not because of what they do.

This Sunday, we are reminded that we are loved by God, but not because of what we do for God. After all, what does Almighty God need us to do for him?

God loves us simply because we are his children. We were made so at our baptism. As the priest or deacon told the congregation just before leading them in the Our Father, “Dear brothers and sisters: these children, reborn through Baptism, are now called children of God, for so indeed they are.” 

The Father is pleased with us, he showers his gifts upon us, not because we have earned them, but because we are his children.

This Sunday, as we hear the words that God the Father speaks to Jesus, we can also hear them as words that our heavenly Father addresses to us, “You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter; with you I am well pleased.”

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Best Wishes for a New Year Filled with God’s Presence and Peace!

The Christmas Season is a time for presents, a time for giving gifts.

We give Christmas presents to express our love for family members and friends and to thank people for what they have done for us. We give presents to bring joy and happiness to others and to see their looks of surprise and gratitude. We give presents to those we hope to grow closer to in the future.

This Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 12:1-12) is about presents, what we might call the first Christmas presents.

Led by a shining star, magi from the east come to Jerusalem seeking the newborn king of the Jews. When they find him in Bethlehem, they offer him gifts that reveal something about this child. The gift of gold hints at his royalty, frankincense at his divinity, and myrrh at his future suffering and death.

But besides those three gifts, the magi give another gift. They give the new-born king the gift of their presence. Their coming to be with Jesus, Mary and Joseph is an even more wonderful gift than the material ones they bring.

That is still true today. Visiting someone, being with another person, is a wonderful and appreciated gift, perhaps more than ever during this pandemic.

Being with people we love through Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, or other such services cannot match being physically present. Hugs and kisses, companionship and kindness, sharing a meal, or just sitting quietly with a loved one, far outweigh any virtual encounter. Just ask grandparents if a digital session substitutes for their grandchildren jumping into their arms when they arrive for a visit.

The Christmas present we most like to receive from people who are dear to us is to have them with us. Their presence is the most precious gift. That was the best gift given by the magi, and it is also the gift that God gave humanity that first Christmas.

The God who had revealed himself in the majesty of creation, in the words of scripture and the preaching of the prophets, and in his care for his people, judged those “virtual” gifts were not enough.

God decided the best gift that he could give was the gift of his physical presence. In the incarnation, God took on flesh and came to be with his people in the Child of Bethlehem.

That presence of God continues to this day. The Lord remains with us in the bread and wine of the Eucharist, in the gathering of his Church, in the celebration of the sacraments, in the proclamation of his word, and in unexpected moments of grace and mercy. Our Catholic faith proclaims that God is with us. God truly is Emmanuel.

In this season of giving, on this day when we recall the gifts of the magi, we remember that the best gift we can give others is to be with them, to be in their company.

That amazingly is the gift that Almighty God gave and continues to give to us. As the Lord told us, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) God’s present is his presence with us!

© 2021 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Best Wishes for a New Year Filled with God’s Presence and Peace!

Influencers are people with the ability to affect the purchasing habits or actions of others, particularly through social media.  Such influencers are sought after by companies anxious to increase their sales or to introduce new products to the public.

Influencers have been around for a long time. We may not have used that term to refer to them, but we have seen them in action on television. Actors, athletes, entertainers, and other celebrities have been endorsing products and espousing certain causes for many years. For example, Michael Jordan is associated with Nike, Oprah Winfrey with Weight Watchers, and Tom Selleck with reverse mortgages.

With the rise of social media, influencers have increased in number, and many have gained considerable sway over the public.

However, for most of us the truly important influencers in our lives are not found in the digital or broadcast world, but in our homes. The members of our families, particularly our parents, influence us more than those outside of our homes.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Certainly, each one of them was an “influencer,” a holy influence on the others.

Mary and Joseph raised the child Jesus. They brought him up in their Jewish faith and introduced him to the religious rituals of their people. They took him to the synagogue and to the Temple in Jerusalem as they observed the required rituals. As we read in this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 2:22-40), “They took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord.”

We also read of Mary and Joseph continuing to take Jesus to the Temple. “Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.” (Luke 2:41-42)

We are told that at home in Nazareth, Jesus learned from them. He “was obedient to them…And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” (Luke 2:51-52)

Jesus was also influenced by Joseph in terms of his chosen occupation before his baptism by John. Jesus is referred to as the son of the carpenter (Matthew 13: 55) and as a carpenter himself (Mark 6:3).

Mary’s influence on her son, is seen at the Wedding Feast of Cana. She is the one who tells Jesus, “They have no wine.” (John 2:3). A sensitive mother persuades her son to come to the aid of an embarrassed couple.

While Mary and Joseph were influencers in the life of Jesus, he influenced them as well. We have a hint of that when we are told, “but his mother treasured all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:51). We also see that influence when Joseph realizes that he must flee to Egypt to protect the child Jesus from Herod.

In the Holy Family, each member was a holy influencer on the other. Their influence continues down to this very day as we celebrate this feast in their honor.

In fact, Pope Francis himself recognized Mary as an influencer. During World Youth Day in Panama, he tweeted, "With her 'yes', Mary became the most influential woman in history. Without social networks, she became the first 'influencer': the 'influencer' of God.” (January 27, 2019)

This Sunday, as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, we not only remember their holy influence, we are also reminded that each one of us is called to be a “holy influencer” in our own families.

© 2020 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

Best Wishes for a Joyous and Holy Christmas Season!

When someone asks us to do something, especially if it might be challenging or difficult, we usually don’t answer immediately.

Before answering, we weigh the pros and cons. We consider if what we are being asked to do is in line with our values, and if it will benefit us or others in some way. Only then do we give our answer.

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Luke 1:26-38), someone is asked to do something extraordinary. Mary is asked to be the mother of the savior. She seems to answer rather quickly. She tells Gabriel, the messenger from heaven, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

We might wonder why Mary did not take more time to carefully consider what she was being requested to do. She only asked how the pregnancy would come about.

Yet she might have asked how she could explain that pregnancy to her family and neighbors, and above all, to Joseph. She might have questioned why she was chosen and not someone else. She might have wondered how her response would affect her future and her marriage. She might have asked herself if the message was truly from heaven or a trick of her imagination or wishful thinking.

Perhaps the reason why Mary quickly responded as she did can be found in the Gospel reading itself. There the angel says to her, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

The grace of God, the presence and help of God, prompted Mary to agree to do what God requested – a grace that was with her from the first moment of her existence.

We were reminded of that this past December 8 when we celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. That day we heard this Sunday’s Gospel applied to Mary’s conception in the womb of her mother Anna.

Mary was full of grace from that moment. She was untouched by the sin of our first parents, by humanity’s original refusal to do what God asked of his people, namely, to obediently follow his will.

Free from that negative influence and filled with God’s grace, Mary was more than ready to do what God requested. How could she not do what God asked, if she were filled with his grace and presence?

The grace of God that filled Mary has also touched our lives in some way as well. It was the grace and power of God that brought us into the Church. It is the grace of God working in our lives that enables us to profess our faith and to strive to live as Christians. It is the grace of God that leads us to respond to God’s invitation to gather with our fellow Catholics for Sunday Mass.

Because Mary was full of grace, because the Lord was with her, she could willingly do whatever God asked of her. When we do what God asks of us, it is for that very same reason. God is with us, touching us with his grace.

As Saint Paul tells us in his Letter to the Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

The God who filled Mary with his grace has also blessed us with grace so that we might be able to do what he asks. Since that is the case, the angel Gabriel might be able to say to each of us, “You have been touched by grace. The Lord is with you.”

© 2020 Rev. Thomas B. Iwan

Dynamic, driven, persuasive, austere, stern, focused, strict, honest, God-centered, holy, prophetic.

All those adjectives could describe John the Baptist whom we hear about in this Sunday’s Gospel (John 1:6-8, 19-28).

Such a personality does not seem to be a good fit for the Third Sunday of Advent, often referred to as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudate is a Latin word meaning “rejoice.” The word appears in this Sunday’s entrance antiphon where we are told, “Rejoice (Gaudete) in the Lord always; again I say rejoice.”

Furthermore, the first prayer of the Mass also speaks of rejoicing. We ask the Lord to enable us “to attain the joys” of salvation and to celebrate with “glad rejoicing.”

Sunday’s First and Second Readings, as well as the Responsorial Psalm, also highlight rejoicing.

In the First Reading (Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11), Isaiah says he has been sent “to bring glad tidings to the poor.” He proclaims, “I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul.”

Then in the Responsorial Psalm, we hear the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

In our Second Reading (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24), Paul tells the Thessalonians, “Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always.”

Those prayers and readings do not seem to harmonize with the prophet we meet in the Gospel. John the Baptist does not bring rejoicing to mind as he boldly proclaims, “Make straight the way of the Lord.”

The idea of rejoicing also seems out of place this Advent season. The ongoing pandemic gives us far more reasons to feel depressed and worried than joyful.

Perhaps we need to consider what it means to rejoice in the Lord. It must mean more than wearing a smile and being happy, otherwise, the Church would not be highlighting John the Baptist.

Christian joy is not a result of everything going wonderfully in our lives, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. As Saint Paul tells us “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience….” (Galatians 5:22)

Such joy, he tells us, comes when we allow God’s kingdom into our lives. “For the kingdom of God is …. righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:7)

This idea of joy coming from God is also found in our readings.

When Isaiah spoke of bringing glad tidings to the poor, he was speaking to Jews who were returning from exile and discovering Jerusalem was devastated. Yet they could rejoice, for the Lord would be with them. 

The Blessed Virgin was able to rejoice in God even though she was unsure of what awaited her. But she knew, as the angel had told her, “The Lord is with you.”

Paul told the Thessalonians to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, to give thanks for God’s blessings. Certainly, those who speak to God in prayer and who appreciate God’s blessings are people who can rejoice in God’s goodness.

When we understand joy as a gift of the Spirit and as a blessing that flows from an awareness of God in our lives, we can see how John the Baptist can be a figure of joy. He certainly knew he “was sent from God.” He knew his mission was to make people aware of the promised Messiah who was present but not yet recognized.

Spiritual joy, Christian joy, is not necessarily the result of all things going right, but a result of God being in our lives and in our hearts.

That certainly was the joy of John the Baptist. He knew that God was with him.

As a children’s hymn puts it, “I’ve got that joy joy joy joy down in my heart.” That kind of joy, the joy that comes from God, can never be taken from us.

© 2020 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski

As you know, we are currently in the season of Advent, the four weeks that lead to the celebration of Christmas.

This is probably not your first Advent season. If you are 25 years old, you can most likely remember going through at least 20 Advent seasons. If you are 50, that number increases to 45. If you are 75, that number reaches 70, and if you have reached 90 years of age, that means you might be able to recall as many as 85 Advent seasons.

But no matter how many Advent seasons we can remember, none of us has ever lived through an Advent season like the one we are in now.

This Advent, because of the restrictions imposed during the current pandemic, the number of people coming to Sunday Mass is lower than it has ever been. Gatherings to make Advent wreaths or to celebrate ethnic religious devotions have been canceled or curtailed. Buying Christmas presents for the needy and placing them under parish Giving Trees has been changed to donating cash or gift cards. Church choirs have canceled their concerts. Families are altering their usual traditions and rather than planning which Christmas Mass to attend, they are wondering if it will be safe to go at all. This Advent is like none in the past.

This Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 1:1-8), which contains the first verses of Mark’s Gospel, is appropriate for an Advent like no other.

Mark starts his Gospel very differently from the way Matthew, Luke, and John begin their accounts. There is no setting the stage, no gradual introduction of characters, no annunciation to Mary, no messages to Joseph, no birth at Bethlehem.

Mark wastes no time, he simply writes, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” and then he adds “the Son of God.” He lets the reader immediately know who this Jesus is.

Then Mark tells us of a prophet like no other. John the Baptist, strangely dressed and oddly nourished, suddenly appears. He preaches a baptism of repentance and deflects attention from himself as he proclaims, “One mightier than I is coming after me.”

John’s message is so powerful, so unlike any other, that “the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem” flock to him and are baptized. It is an extraordinary moment.

That reminds us that this Advent, and every Advent, is a time like no other. For each Advent finds us at a different place in our personal and spiritual lives.

Our appreciation for what it means to profess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is not the same as it was last Advent, and the role we are allowing him to have in our lives has either expanded or contracted.

The way we respond to the message of John the Baptist this Advent will be determined by how honestly we evaluate our lives in the light of the Gospel.

Advent is a challenge from God to recognize what we need to do and how we need to change, so that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, may enter our lives more completely and transform us by his grace.

This Advent Season of the liturgical year of 2021 is like no other, but no Advent season ever is – no matter how many Advents we have gone through in our lives.

© 2020 Rev. Thomas B. Iwanowski