Friend or Enemy?

"Are you jealous for my sake?
Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets!
Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!"

Numbers 11:29

Are you or have you ever been a part of an association or organization that advocates for a particular group or cause? And have you sometimes notice and realize there’s a similar group out there supporting a similar cause and doing the same exact things? What feelings ensue? Feelings of wondering what that group is doing? Maybe some mental comparisons? Or have you ever heard someone say something about similar groups, criticizing them, or even saying how maybe their/our group is better? This happens with religion too.

Growing up I have often criticize a particular group’s slogan that says, “Doing the most good.” I would think to myself, “How prideful! They boast about all the good they’re doing!” So I would always refuse to donate to that organization. I would then sometimes think about the Catholic Church’s charitable organizations and services and all the good we are doing and that we are doing it the right way because unlike that one group, we do not boast about all the good work we do (and undoubtedly, we do!). But that kind of spirit is not a Christian spirit. When the people saw that there were a couple of people prophesying amongst them who were not “prophets,” they complained to Moses and asked him to stop them. Moses rebuked them and said that’s not the way to go. Similarly in the Gospel, when the disciples saw that there were people who were not fellow disciples doing good works and casting out demons in Jesus’ name they tried to stop them. Jesus said they should not prevent them “for whoever is not against us is for us.”

There can never be too much good works or organizations. God is the source of all love, goodness, beauty, and truth, and so all good things come about because of Him. Whether it be Christian, Catholic, or non-Christian, good works are good works. The goodness does not come from the person doing it, it comes from its origin: God. So, the next time we find ourselves comparing or criticizing, let us pray for those doing good and ask the Lord to bless the work of their hands so that those whom they are ministering to may come to know God’s love. Whoever does good is our friend, not our enemy.

Not Alone

“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’
Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’”

John 19:26-27a

Have you ever felt as if there was no one out there who really understands what you’re going through or are experiencing? Do you sometimes feel as if the world is against you? Do you sometimes feel alone? I must admit, I sometimes feel all of those things, but there is one thing I know: I am not alone.

There is one person I know who endured immense pain and sorrow, someone who watched her own son suffer and die while staying by his side. This person is Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Years before Jesus’ passion, Mary was told by Simeon that a sword will pierce her heart, and at the Cross she experienced it. Her Son was dying and there was nothing she could do to stop the pain. And so what did she do? She stayed by His side.

Brothers and sisters, if you are feeling alone, sad, abandoned, misunderstood, or in pain, go to Mary. Tell Mary. Let Her immaculate and pierced heart strengthen you and comfort you. Mary knows what it feels like to be helpless, but she was not hopeless because she believed in God, and she believed that God will bring good out of the horrible tragedy. God will do the same with our own personal tragedies and suffering. Let Mary walk with you. You are not alone.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

Saved by the Cross

“And 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.”

John 3:14-15

We are saved by the Cross. The cross was a hideous thing. To die by the cross is to die in a most excruciating and humiliating way, and yet that was the way our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ died. He died not because He was a criminal, a blasphemer, a revolutionary; He died because of love. He died so that sin and death might be conquered once and for all. He died so that all who comes to believe might have eternal life.

Today we celebrate the Cross, not because of its bloody appearance but because of what came from it. As Christians, we believe that the Cross is not a symbol of torture or death, but rather a symbol of life and salvation. It is by the Cross of Jesus Christ that we dare to hope in life eternal. When we look up at the Cross, what do we see? How do we feel? In the Old Testament when the Israelites were bitten by snakes, they had only need to look upon the pole on which a serpent was mounted and they were relieved of their pain and suffering; they were whole again. Similarly, when we are downtrodden, despairing, and unsure about life may we look upon the Cross and allow the life that came through it fill us with gratitude, joy, and hope. Brothers and sisters, let us rejoice in the Cross because through it we have the hope of everlasting life.