Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - February 16, 2025

This weekend our readings focus on being “blessed:”

Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.

Blessed the man who…delights in the law of the LORD.

Blessed are you when people hate you…on account of the Son of Man.

Clearly, trusting, hoping, and delighting in the Lord are the paths to being blessed. On the surface, that sounds pretty easy. However, while hoping in the Lord may be easy, truly trusting in the Lord is not. Even harder is being hated because of our love for the Lord. After the Superbowl, players who thanked God were criticized by those who oppose Christianity. Can’t we “delight” in the Lord without being hated?

Others say that we are not “blessed” just “lucky.” I admit that, before I became a priest, I would say how “lucky” I was: “I am so lucky to have a great wife and son,” or “I am so lucky that my career is going so well.” Now that I am a priest, I talk about how “blessed” I am, how blessed my son and daughter-in-law are, how blessed St. Ed’s is, etc. Many people see blessing as the religious version of luck, but the two concepts have nothing in common. Luck is something that randomly happens to one and not to another. Blessings are the direct result of our decisions and actions.

Here is the Google AI response to the difference between being blessed and being lucky:

"Blessed" is often used to describe a state of happiness or good fortune that comes from divine intervention, while "lucky" is used to describe a state of happiness or good fortune that comes from chance.

Bobby Schuller, grandson of the great Dr. Robert Schuller, says it this way:

Friend, you are not just lucky…you have inherited blessings too numerous to count. When you wake up each day, you have good fortune — not because of luck — but because of who your Lord is…When you approach each day with your confidence securely grounded in your Savior, good things will abound in your life!

Finally, James 1:17 beautifully explains the concept of being blessed: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” We must thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us!

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - February 9, 2025

“Oh Lord, I am not worthy!”

At every mass, before we receive Communion, we recognize our unworthiness. This is a common theme throughout scripture. In the first reading, Isaiah says, “Woe is me; I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips…” In the second reading, Paul refers to himself as “one born abnormally.” He believed that he was unworthy for Christ to appear to him and to call him to represent Him. Finally, in the Gospel, Simon tells Jesus, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

Certainly, on our own, we could never be worthy to encounter God, to be loved by God, or even to serve God. Yet, we are all called to do just that. The Lord cleanses the lips of Isaiah so that he is able to say, “Here I am…send me!” Jesus accepts and strengthens Simon saying, “Do not be afraid…from now on you will be catching men.”

In each case, the proper starting position is one of humility. A position that acknowledges that we are unworthy and that no amount of earthly success can change our human condition. The answer is not found in ourselves, but, rather, in the Lord. In our humility, we call upon the Lord and He answers our call, but we do not dictate the terms or the conditions of how or when He answers us. Yet, he gives us the strength to say, “Here I am…send me” and the courage to surrender like Simon, James and John, leaving our version of our lives behind and following the life that Jesus gives to us. Jesus promises to make the first disciples, “fishers of men.” They likely had no idea what that meant, yet, in their humility, they were drawn to Jesus and were open to the idea of following Him. They recognized something special about Jesus and were willing to give up EVERYTHING to follow Him.

We also must respond willingly to God’s call and do His bidding whenever and wherever it leads us. Often, this can be inconvenient or difficult or downright contrary to our own plans, expectations, desires and goals. On the other hand, if we “drop our nets,” follow Jesus enthusiastically, and allow Him to teach us His ways, we will be worthy to be on His path toward a goal that is eternal.

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - February 2, 2025

When my son was young, he loved to fish. He could stand on the dock for hours waiting for a bite. It took extreme patience for a 7-year-old to stay still, hoping to get the big one. I’m glad that he got patience from Rosemary, because he certainly did not get it from me.

Yet, even those of us who are generally impatient can be patient when we are helping our young son or grandson learn a new skill or when we are working on a craft project. Sometimes we forced to be patient because time has to pass for a problem to be solved. Other times, we must be patient because a situation is not within our control.

Simeon has devoted his life to “looking for the consolation of Israel.” He has been patiently waiting because the situation was not within his control. He also had to be diligent, always keeping a close eye on activity at the temple to be present for the moment promised to by the Holy Spirit. Day after day, over many years, he has continuously prayed, hoped, and suffered disappointment. BUT THIS DAY IS DIFFERENT. This day he finally encounters Jesus! God has fulfilled his promise and has rewarded Simeon’s waiting. Simeon not only thanks God for allowing him to finally see salvation, he also tells God that he is ready to “go in peace.”

Simeon’s prayer defines his life: he has lived for this moment. Simeon trusted in the Lord and kept faith while pursuing his mission. Now, his work is done. As best we can tell, Simeon did nothing else in his life EXCEPT to wait to see the Lord. Yet, his life has been worthwhile. When he did that, he was content. Simeon doesn’t react with regret or fear of the end of his life; instead, he praises God and humbly submits his life to the Lord.

Simeon put aside distractions and focused solely on seeing the Lord. If we allow our lives to be filled with distractions, we will not see the Lord even when He is right in front of us. While we may not be able to devote ourselves totally to prayer and waiting, we can always be searching for Jesus, recognizing Him when we see Him, and serving Him when we recognize Him.