“The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” The Gospel reading this upcoming week finishes with this quote from Jesus. This passage reminds me of the many great Catholic men and women who have gone before us as we celebrate the great feast of All Saints Day this week. Although the saints have many different stories, one common theme in their lives is that they always give God the glory. They don’t live to be exalted by men, but rather they live their lives to exalt God and to show others God’s love and mercy. I was talking to Fr. Pins the other day, and he told me the story of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Pier Giorgio’s life is an incredible story, and he was a great witness as to how we should live out our Catholic faith. I want to share his story with you all because Pier Giorgio epitomized a servant who humbled himself in service to others. As a little bit of background, Pier Giorgio lived in Turin, Italy in the early 1900s and was from a wealthy family. His father founded a newspaper and was also involved in Italian politics. At a relatively young age Pier Giorgio had a dynamic faith and a deep spiritual life. When he was only 17 years old, Pier Giorgio joined the St. Vincent De Paul Society in order to serve the needy and later also joined the Lay Dominicans. He relied on frequent reception of the Eucharist and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for strength in living out his faith and mission of service. Pier Giorgio could have lived a life of luxury and had a high social status, but instead he dedicated his life to service of orphan children, the poor, and the sick. Pier Giorgio cared for others throughout his everyday life. He would give his bus money away to people who needed it. Then he would run home but would sometimes be late for meals, which would not make his parents happy. One night when it was very cold outside, he showed up at home with no coat on. Pier Giorgio’s father was very upset with him for having no coat, but of course he had given his coat to someone who didn’t have one. When he received gifts of money from family members, he would give the money away to those in need. Pier Giorgio also made sure that poor children received the sacraments, and he nurtured them in their faith. When Pier Giorgio was only 24 years old, he contracted polio and died very suddenly. It is believed that he contracted polio while taking medicine to a sick person who needed the medicine. At his funeral, the church was packed with Pier Giorgio’s family and his family’s friends. Because of his dad’s status in the community, those in attendance at the funeral were the wealthy and influential people in society. But when they left the church, his family saw the streets lined with people there to honor Pier Giorgio. These were the poor and marginalized people that he had ministered to for seven years. His family never expected this and realized they didn’t really know who Pier Giorgio was. They had no idea the impact he had had on the lives of these people in their community. Likewise, many of the poor who Pier Giorgio had served were surprised to learn that he was part of the influential Frassati family. This is a brief snippet of Pier Giorgio’s life, but it shows the humility with which he lived each day of his life. He put the needs of others before his own not looking for any payback or reward. He lived a life of self-sacrifice in service to those in need. While he sets quite a high bar, what a great person to remember as an example of how we all should show Christ’s love to others especially those in need. -Joe
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As a high school youth minister, I too often hear that young people are not attracted to Christianity because there are too many hypocrites, too many people who claim to be Christian who treat others like crap. And my response is… you are absolutely correct. There ARE many hypocrites in our faith and it is devastating to ALL of us when we treat our neighbor poorly.
Who is our neighbor you may ask? I guess my answer would be anyone who is not you! Sorry I couldn’t be more specific. Our readings for Sunday point out a few groups in particular, like immigrants, for example. I see many Christians who justify their hatred for illegal immigrants as ‘JUST’. Hatred for our neighbor is never OK, as God is calling us to something deeper. God is calling us to welcome aliens to our country! Now this is not a political rant as I agree that there should be LEGAL was for aliens to come to our country and that illegal actions should not be justified. But I digress… Another group mentioned, widows or orphans. I would say this refers to those who are lonely or have no one to stand up for them. How many of us know a widow or orphan? Not too many of us do. But how many lonely and or defenseless people do we know? God hears their cries! This ranges from the cries of the unborn, to those who have been abandoned or neglected worldwide, to that kid at your school no one talks to… They all need someone to stand up for them, to care for them, to show love to them. Another group mentioned is the poor! I hear many people not want to help the poor with money for fear of what they will do with their charity! There are many ways to help the poor besides giving away that dollar at a stop light! Here’s the thing… no matter the who our neighbor is or what the situation is, we can recognize a true Christian by their love. If you have good and true relationship with God, it merely means you are open to Him, His movements, and you openly receive His love into your life. If you have a good and true relationship with God, His love overflows out of you, so showing love for your neighbor is oftentimes effortless! To hate or treat your neighbor poorly would be more difficult if you are tight with the big guy upstairs. Likewise, if you are God are tight, it is easier to be kind to others, to share what you have, to encourage, to visit, to feed, to give, to live out the love you encounter with the God who has blessed you so abundantly. You'd have an endless fuel tank of grace! Knowing this, Christ reminds us of our primary calling, the Greatest Commandment(s): Love God with everything you are, then (with the love you’ve received from Him) love your neighbor as yourself. So if you have shown hatred recently, if you have wished ill will, if you have lied or done someone harm in some way, or decided NOT to do something you SHOULD have done… I challenge you… How are YOU and God right now? Are you letting Him fill you with His love, peace and joy? During Mass this Sunday, pray that He may take up more space in your heart and soul, then do something kind! Our readings for this Sunday are a reminder of something vital in the direction we live our lives: God is in charge and has chosen us for great things! Don’t let other distractions steer you in the wrong direction!
The first reading is about God calling Cyrus, appointing him to a task, assuring him that He (God) would open doors, give him strength and make things happen EVEN IF CYRUS didn’t know God. The Psalms remind us that God is good and deserves ALL of our praise! He is the reason we succeed and find blessing and abundance! HE is the source! Paul writes to the Thessalonians about the grace of God and commending their endurance. He reminds them of what started their call to spread the good news of God, the Holy Spirit through the message they heard with conviction. They did not hear someone preach without passion, rather, they heard someone probably an apostle preach and teach with the Spirit of God, with passion and love! In the Gospel Jesus is cornered by the Pharisees who wanted to trap him into jail time by his answers. They basically ask Jesus if people should skip paying taxes because Caesar is not their god. Jesus answers, “give Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is God’s”. What a brilliant answer! Now to apply this to the theme of these readings… Many of us do not consult God whatsoever in our plans for our live. God created us, he chose each of us for a purpose. If we discern what that purpose is and try to follow it, God will be with us, open doors for us, give us the strength we need, and let us know he is with us along the way! Along this road of God’s will we walk, we must give Him our praise and thanksgiving, acknowledging along the way that you are merely responding to his will, choosing to serve him, and offering to Him your prayers of supplication and thanksgiving! DO NOT BE DISTRACTED by 'what is Caesar's'. Many of us are motivated by money, greed, power, pride, etc. Those do not belong to God. Let God and our love for Him and His love for us be the motivation and map to help guide us in our live's direction!
Have you ever shown up to an event and been completely under-dressed? Or perhaps over-dressed? It’s super embarrassing and I don’t wish it on anyone. You have a way of feeling ‘left out’ of the group and that everyone can tell! Yikes. So imagine a grand ball, or a banquet that you have been invited to where they have a whole bunch of different forks and spoons and you have NO idea which to use for what. All of that embarrassment could be avoided if you KNEW what you were getting into. If you knew the host, you would know both how to dress and how to navigate all the forks and spoons on the fancy table, right? But if you went to the feast because ‘everyone else was doing it’ or because you wanted some free food, you would likely stick out like a sore thumb. Now, the readings this Sunday tell us of such a banquet! God’s blessings for those in eternity with him will be spoiled rotten, all needs met! He will provide for those on earth too, just as long as they stay his people. The Israelites for example were God’s chosen people… and “He would be their God and they would be His people”… but they stopped being his people eventually… they stopped being faithful to God and started worshiping false gods… they distanced themselves from Him and their lives fell apart. They were kicked out of their city, returned to beggars. You’d think we would learn from them… Jesus then tells a parable in the Gospel. A parable of a wedding feast! The King wants all their invited guests (the chosen people, Israelites) to attend and NONE of them came. The King invited them yet again, telling them of all they would receive! And yet, they still did not come. In fact, the invited guests (Israelites) beat and killed the Kings Servants (prophets and God’s servants sent to tell the Israelites how God wanted them to be). Then, angry and probably hurt, the King invited Any and ALL to his son’s feast. Well, it is free food after all, so many came, both good and bad people alike. The Gospel parable continues… The king sees someone at the wedding banquet and the guest is NOT dressed appropriately. The king KICKS HIM OUT “into the darkness outside”. When I first read this, I was kind of shocked… I mean, hello? It’s just an outfit!? But I realized… Do you think this underdressed man was kicked out because he chose the wrong clothing style? No! He was kicked out because the man OBVIOUSLY did not know the son, nor did he care to. His lack of dressing up or making any effort told the King that he was at a party to which he did not belong. This parable tells us of the blessing God has in store for us! And ALL, every single one of us, is invited to partake in those blessings! But only a few or chosen to stay. And really, those few who are chosen are chosen because they want to stay, they put effort into knowing the son and respecting the son. Let’s ask ourselves this question… If Christ has invited me to his banquet, what would I wear? Matt and I were watching CNN this morning of the shooting in Vegas and CNN was interviewing a young man who was at the concert with his sister. When the shots rang out, everyone ducked down and his sister kept trying to climb on his back to protect him and absorb any potential bullets, shouting that she loves him. Although the young man said he was agnostic before the concert, this event helped him to become a Christian. His sister became Christ to him, using her own life to save his. His sister survived and stuck with him during their escape. Her brave example shows us that in times of great anxiety, fear, and despair, we must be peace, courage and hope for others around us. Must I point out the obvious state our country and world is in? Between natural disasters, hurricane after hurricane, the entire island of Puerto Rico out of drinking water and electricity, wildfires in CA, homes being destroyed, the bitterness and hatred for our fellow citizens of the USA, the impending conflict with North Korea and now, the deadliest shooting our country has ever faced with Vegas. We need a crapload of peace, courage and hope. The readings for Sunday are such a well-needed reminder of the saving power of God . You see, in the first reading, the prophet Isaiah tells us a parable of a friend who does everything to grow a beautiful vineyard, yet only wild grapes grow. The grower, upset with the results, vows to destroy the vineyard, as it does not bear fruit. Isaiah tells us that Jerusalem is the vineyard and the people of Judah (God’s chosen people) are the plant/vine which was destroyed. Enter Jesus Christ, our Savior In our gospel reading, Jesus then tells this exact vineyard story and adds a little more to it... A landowner (God) does everything just right to create this beautiful vineyard (the world he created) and left it to tenants (people). He sends in his servants to collect and harvest but the tenants beat, kill and stone them. The landowner sends in more, they are also destroyed. Finally, the Landowner sent his Son, (“They will respect my son”) but the tenants did not respect him; they killed him to steal his inheritance. Jesus then asks, ‘What shall become of the tenants when the landowner comes?” They say that they should die a terrible death! Jesus corrects them and says, “The stone that has been rejected has become the cornerstone.” He is referencing Psalm 118: 2. Let’s read that whole Psalm here: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.” When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense[a]; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.[b] The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up[c] to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. This Psalm promises us God’s mercy, His goodness, and His salvation. The answer to our prayers is heaven and heaven is promised to those who love Him. So in these dark times, we must continue to love God, become Christ for one another. We must no longer fear ridicule for living out our faith and loving God. We must wear persecution as a crown. “Blessed are those who have been. persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Mt 5:10). I challenge you to be lighthouses, to shine the light of truth and God’s love to all who will see, to REFELCT and DWELL on the good things in this world, to be helpers. Fred Rogers gives us some great advice here: Paul sums up all of this so nicely in the second reading for Sunday and says it much better than I could in his letter to the Philippians:
“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” My prayers are with you all this week. Lots of love and peace of Christ be with you. ~Stacy |
AuthorWord up. I am Stacy, the youth minister of this amazing group of teens. I have 4 kids of my own, 2 heaven babies and like 60 teens I consider very large children of my own. Archives
March 2018
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