What size will the door be when you reach heaven?

In the past two days we have heard about the "rich young man" in Mark's Gospel. When told that he should "sell all and give it the poor, then come follow Me", the man goes away sad - for he has lots of stuff. Jesus looks at His disciples and says "It would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven". The disciples are incredulous. In their culture, material wealth was looked at as a blessing from God and the person owning this wealth was thought to one of God's favorites. When Peter states that they have all given up much to follow Him, Jesus assures them that their reward will be great now on earth and, eventually, in heaven.
This got me thinking - what size will the door be when I reach heaven? I have been "blessed" with much as an American. I have a great home to live in, good cars, and all of the "stuff" I need. I try to keep it all in perspective and put my relationship with God first but I have to admit that it can be tough at times. All of my stuff can be quite distracting. As I am doing an extended period of prayer it can be tempting to check my email. When I know I should be reading a good book I often find myself watching some inane television program.
When my wife and I went to Guatemala several years ago I noticed three things in particular. First, the people are very poor. The men and women have to work VERY hard to keep their families fed, clothed and sheltered. Second, the people are VERY faith-filled. They have a trust for God and His providence that I envy. Third, they are happy people. They don't have all of the distractions in their culture that we have in ours so they are focused on what was important - faith and family. No wonder they are so filled with joy.
It makes you wonder who the truly blessed ones are. We in the United States might look at the people in Third World Countries as cursed because they don't possess all that we do. On the other hand, by Jesus words and my own experience, they seem to have a clearer perspective on life. It keeps me wondering - "what size the door will be for me, for them, for you?"

Mother, mom, mommy...

I fully realize that almost every person could write a column bragging about their mother. That's just the nature of having a mom and realizing what a blessing she has been. But I want to give you just a few sentences about my mother today. She is a remarkable person who deserves many accolades.
My mom grew up in northeastern South Dakota on a farm during the Depression. She had a very abusive father who terrorized the family through alcoholic fits. He abandon them several times and nearly starved them to death more than once. As mom grew up she realized that this type of behavior was generational and that she had the potential of passing down that curse on her own family. So, before she was even a mom, she forgave her dad and prayed for the grace to be able to live in a different way for her future family. She made a decision not to pass on the curse she had lived with but to raise her family in blessing. Before I was born she gifted me. What a great mom!
Today, she is in the nursing home suffering from Parkinson's disease and the severe dementia that goes with it. Her thoughts are very confused and she doesn't always know where she is or what's going on. Although it's difficult to see her in this state, my brothers and sister and I still thank God for the way she loved us even when we didn't recognize her. She taught all of us how to forgive and how to live in the present. She always reminded us that we needed to let the negative experiences from our past be in the past. She taught us to take the blessing of an experience and live in that blessing, to forgive those who made life hell, and to remember that God loves us through it all.

The Advocate

According to the dictionary, an advocate is "one who promotes, defends, and supports the interests of another". It's easy to see an advocate at work in the court system. A lawyer or court appointed person defends, supports and promotes the interests of their client. This person advises and recommends the client based on a sound legal position.
In John's Gospel (16: 5-11), Jesus tells His disciples that is better that He goes so the Advocate can come in His place. What an unbelievable statement! Which of the disciples would have believed that their could be anyone who could take Jesus' place. But that Advocate is the One who leads, guides, and supports the Church today. That Advocate is the same Spirit that emboldened the Apostles and others on Pentecost Sunday. That Advocate is the One who bolstered up Paul as he preached all across Asia Minor, oftentimes being rejected, beaten, and even stoned by the people.
And that Advocate is the same Spirit that works in each of us today. It's easy to sit around and find fault with the world, with our country, with our Church, etc. But we have in us the means, indeed the power, to bring about change. Christians MUST rely on the Advocate as they go about their day witnessing to the truth of Jesus Christ in love. Otherwise we are the noisy cymbals and the clanging gongs.
It would be foolish for an accused man to speak for himself in court. He could only hurt his case and destroy the efforts of his advocate.  It is foolish for us to think that we can affect any change in the world by our own efforts. Today, pray "Come Holy Spirit" and then rely on the Advocate of Father and Son to lead, guide and promote your words and actions.

"Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Plan my own what?!

If there is truly one certainty in life it is death. Each and every person will die, no exceptions. Recently, in my ministry, I have been around a lot of deaths and many funerals and I have learned one thing- I am going to make sure my funeral plans are done prior to my death. We have met with several families of late and the range of preplanning is vast - from absolutely none (most common) to a few sketchy plans. The problem with this is obvious - often the true will of the deceased is NOT followed. Persons who would have wanted a funeral Mass in the Parish Church are often buried with a quick prayer service at a funeral home led by who knows who. Persons who would have liked a Liturgical Wake/Vigil Service with a Rosary end up having a quick visitation and no prayers since their children have fallen away from the faith "aren't going to sit through a Rosary".
Preplanning with a funeral home can be wise, as well. Funeral directors tell us that people who do NOT preplan have funerals that are about 30% more expensive than those who do. In the emotion of the moment, people will often spend thousands more on a casket, vault, flowers, etc.They will end up meeting for HOURS with the funeral home and church trying to get things put together. I thank God that my father-in-law, who died recently, had all of these things done in advance. We met for less than an hour with the funeral director and had the funeral liturgy planned in just a few minutes - and it was the funereal HE wanted.
NONE of us know the time, the day or the hour. Good planning can ensure that you have the funeral you want, where you want. Do your children and your pastor a favor - do that planning now. Many churches have preplanning forms that can be filled out and kept in your membership file. Most funeral homes also have a way of assisting people in the planning process. It may seem morbid or make you uneasy to talk about your own death or the death of your spouse (or other loved ones) but it will make things MUCH easier when the big day comes.

This is how you do it:

How can we be disciples of Jesus Christ? How would anyone ever know that you or I are connected in some way with God? We might think "I go to Church, I pray every once  in a while, I think I'm a nice person", etc. Although going to Church, praying and treating others with kindness are good things, they are not enough.
Jesus, in John's Gospel, makes it pretty clear just what it takes when he says "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”(13: 34-34)
Unfortunately, our culture has all but stripped the word "love" of its true meaning. We have been trained to think that love is sentimentalism or romanticism. While these can be occasional expressions of love, they are not love itself. Love, in Jesus terms, is simply this: Willing the good of the other, as other. In other words, laying down your life for the good of the beloved(s) in your life. If we know that the good of our spouses and children is to get to heaven then we will work, in love, to assist them in attaining that end. If, on the other hand, we want to raise children that will be good Christians and good citizens, we need to be willing to allow them to suffer the consequences of their actions and "fail" if necessary. To shield a child from every negative or bad thing in their life is  anything but love. Love demands respect of the other person's freedom - in fact, love has to exist in that freedom.
Do you want be a disciple of Jesus Christ? I know that I do. But it goes way beyond claiming a religious affiliation or membership in a parish. It goes way beyond good feelings and bland sentiment. It means I live my life loving all persons as Jesus loves me. That is a tall order. That seems impossible. But if Jesus words in this Gospel are true it is the ONLY way to properly follow him. That means I love the people in my life that drive me crazy, it means I love those that don't seem very lovable, it means I love the Jew, the Muslim, the Hindu, the African, the Native as much as Jesus loves them.  Do you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? This is how you do it: " This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

With accompanying signs...

Today is the Feast Day of St Mark the Evangelist. Mark is mentioned in Acts,1Peter and by St Paul in his letters. He is believed to be the first Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt where he eventually suffered martyrdom by being drug through the town with a rope tied around his neck.
In the last lines of his Gospel he talks of the signs that accompanied the Apostolic preaching on the life of Jesus Christ. I wonder what those signs might have been then? I wonder what they are today as believers continue to go forth with the Word on their lips and Christ in their hearts. How is their relationship of love evident?
I surmise that it is not much different than a relationship of love between two people. When I first started dating my wife some 40 years ago I was different than I had been before. My friends often asked me "What has gotten into you?" I was so filled with new found love that it was obvious in my words, my attitude and my actions. I imagine many of you have experienced that same thing.
Our relationship with God should be like that. We discover God through the Word and the testimony of others. As we begin to understand the love God has for us it becomes easy to fall in love with God. Just as in human love, we will be different because of that loving relationship with God. That love should be evident in our lives and, indeed, be the "accompanying sign" of our relationship. St Paul reminds us how necessary it is to have that love before we go out and proclaim so that we do not become a "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1Cor 13:1).
Today, on the Feast of St Mark, let that love shine forth in new and beautiful ways!

God's Patience...

Recently, I have been involved in several funerals in one way or another - wake services, assisting at funeral Masses or burials. What really got me thinking was the diversity of ages of those who had passed away. The youngest was 39, the oldest was 97 and there was a 60 year old and a 67 year old in between. In my ministry as a Deacon, I have done many Wakes and been involved in many funerals and most of them have been for people younger than me or just a couple of years older. I often wonder why one person gets 97 years and others die very young.
A Scripture verse that helps me is 2Peter 3:15 which says "Consider the patience of the Lord as salvation". God gives us the years we need in order to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12). My prayer for all of the people that I work with at funerals / wakes is that they truly have participated in the work of their salvation and benefited from God's patience.
I also consider that years spent on earth are not the same as living in Eternity. What truly is a long (or short) life from and Eternal perspective? Whether a child lives only a few hours or a person lives to be 100, I believe God honors that life completely. Certainly, from a human perspective, it is difficult to lose our loved ones (particularly children). Our own Faith, Hope, and Love along with the support of family, friends, and parish is what assists us on the path of grieving and sorrow.