Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - August 11, 2024

Fighting and internal strife were common problems in the early church. The letter to the Hebrews reminds early Christians to avoid distractions: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” However, rather than embrace the one true message of the one true Christ, many early Christians were distracted by the “strange teachings” of internal issues of legalism and history. In this week’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he speaks sternly to them because they are simply not getting along. Even those who tried to preach the good news to non-believers were setting a poor example because their own words and actions were inconsistent with their preaching. 

Paul chastises the Ephesians for fighting amongst themselves and for being rude, disrespectful, insulting, judging, and gossiping: “All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” Paul directs the Ephesians in the same way as Jesus directs His followers in today’s Gospel passage: “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from Him comes to me.” The lesson we learn from both Jesus and His Father is a lesson of love. Paul reminds the Ephesians (and us) that Jesus Christ is “the way” and they, as followers of “the way” must remain united in Jesus. Nothing should ever interfere with that reality. 

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul told them that they should fix their “thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Those excellent, praise worthy things would be the life of Jesus Christ, His sacrifice for us, His love for us, and His desire to be with us for all eternity. The messages to the Ephesians, Hebrews and the Philippians remain relevant and applicable to all Christian churches today; to the Catholic Church in particular as the standard bearer of Christianity; and, to our parish as the face of Jesus Christ in Dana Point. God bless us all as we try to remain focused, forgiving, and faithful!

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - August 4, 2024

Growing up in New York, complaining was an Olympic sport, but the Israelites took their complaining to an entirely new level. They were master grumblers. If you read the Psalms, you will see them repeatedly complaining and lamenting God’s treatment of them. In fact, the complaint, or lament, is the most common type of psalm. Over 40 psalms are either individual or communal psalms of complaint.

Today, we hear that the Israelites, “grumbled against Moses and Aaron” saying, “Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!” They get an A+ for exaggeration and sarcasm.

Never mind that Moses and Aaron had just rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Never mind that, since God chose Moses to lead the people, they were actually grumbling against God when they grumbled against Moses. Their sarcasm shows that they have no appreciation for God or for the great gift that He has given them. They place no value on their freedom and would prefer to be slaves with their “fill of bread” than free men who have to trust God.

Complaining was a distraction that focused them on the past instead of the future. In fact, it delayed them from realizing their future. It took about 20-30 days to walk from Egypt to Canaan, but when they arrived, they sent some men to assess the situation. The men returned grumbling about how hard it would be to conquer the land. They doubted God. As a result, God forced them to wander the desert for an additional 40 years.

That’s one of the risks of complaining. It tends to focus on worry instead of trust, on the past instead of the future, on how things “used to be” instead of how they might be. It implies distrust in God and resistance to change.

Instead of complaining let’s try having an “Attitude of Gratitude.” Thank God for what we have, trust Him for what we lack, and be open to His plan for us. As the Book of Proverbs says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…and he will make your paths straight” (even in the desert for 40 years).

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - July 28, 2024

Paul urges the Ephesians to, “live in a manner worthy of the call [they] have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love…” The church in Ephesus was in disarray because people had begun to criticize each other and to lose patience with each other. Paul felt that, as they lost their relationships with one another, they would ultimately lose their relationships with Christ.

Paul knew that relationships are based on mutual respect and trust. The quickest way to erode that trust is to speak poorly about one another. He was warning them not to communicate negativity, discontent, and general unhappiness. Catholics today would do well to take Paul’s message to heart. Too often we hear vocal criticism of Pope Francis or certain Cardinals or Bishops. Sadly, Catholics today are especially impatient with or intolerant of other Catholics who may be more “traditional” or more “progressive” than they are. This is the opposite of what Paul is demanding of the Ephesians.

We must recognize that, as Catholic Christians, we are all part of a “universal” Church. We are on the same team fighting the good fight against evil. This fight is not with fellow Catholics, or even fellow Christians. It must be directed toward those in the world who would gladly see us fail. While the world revels in loudly judging and criticizing each other, we are “called” to support each other with kind words and charitable actions. Even when we disagree, we must not make negative personal comments intended to be hurtful or divisive.

Once I saw a sign on the door to a TYKE classroom that said: “THINK before you speak: Is it True, Helpful, Inspirational, Necessary, and Kind.” We are trying to teach our 4-year-olds a skill that many of us have not mastered at 34 or 54 or 74. When Paul tells the Ephesians to “bear with one another through love,” he reminds them (and us) that we cannot truly be in loving relationships with Jesus unless we are in loving relationships with one another within His Church. Paul tells us that we can only accomplish this if we are gentle and patient with others whose moral, political, or religious positions differ from our own.