Lover of Souls

Reflections on the Readings

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 31, 2010 - Year C

Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

Lover of Souls

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Every evening Adam and Eve visited with God.  Then something terrible happened. Our first parents lost their way; they had eaten of the forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They were empowered by this new knowledge to decide for themselves what is good and what is evil.  Innocence became suspect.  And Adam and his wife Eve veiled themselves from each other; they also hid from God. 

Their home was the Garden of God.  In this place our first parents delighted in their Maker and Provider.  But now hearing the familiar sound of God arriving from the east side of Eden, Adam and Eve hid themselves among the trees of the Garden.  "Adam," God called.  There was no answer.  Adam's lostness and reluctance permeated the air.  God lifted his voice again and called out, "Adam, my dear son, where are you?" Adam, in whom God had breathed the breath of life, peaked out from behind the trees.

Today we learn that Zaccaheus is lost. He is not very tall and is unable to see Jesus because of the crowd.  He scoots up a sycamore tree from where he sees Jesus without any hindrance.  Jesus' fame precedes him and Zacchaeus a rich tax collector is well known too.  He is also despised. Tax collectors don't make friends easily.  Still, this chief tax collector, who is also a son of Abraham, desires to see Jesus. Soon he learns that Jesus wants to see him too.  

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He is not willing that any should die outside of his mercy. Opposing no one, with love for all of his creation, he especially loves humanity, in whom is the imperishable breath of God.  This is why Jesus seeks the wayward and lost Zacchaeus, a son of Abraham.  It is why he saves you and me, and all who will receive him. 

Coming to the sycamore tree, Jesus spies Zacchaeus.  And the loving and friendly voice of Jesus calls out, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down.  I want to go home with you."  And this friendless tax man jumps to the ground to embrace Jesus.  Everyone is astonished.  It's simply unbelievable.  Murmuring among themselves, they said, "Can you believe it?  Jesus is going home with a man who is a sinner." Speaking in low voices, their disgust hung in the air.  "How can a holy man associate with such low life?" they contend.  In their minds, even Jesus became suspect.

But a miracle is happening.  In the precious arms of Jesus, Zacchaeus becomes a new man.  This sinner receives a new heart and a new and generous compassion for the poor.  Vowing to make everything right with anyone he has cheated, he promises to restore it fourfold.  Perhaps Mr. Z announced, "If in this crowd today is anyone I have cheated, please come by the office in the morning."  Hearing Zacchaeus' intention to repair any injustice of his making, Jesus declares, "Today salvation has come to this house." Love of God and neighbor is true conversion. 

Jesus wants his love for souls to be our love for others as well.  In this love is power; power to bring God's presence everywhere. We make known Jesus Christ in our words and our actions.  As Peter once caught fish for a living, Jesus revealed to him he would soon become a fisher of men.  This common phrase describes the work and the necessity of the Church in the immense sea of humanity.  Jesus said before his Ascension, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And teach them to observe all that I have commanded you."  Baptism brings us into the Church, the Body of Christ, and in the Church we  hear the teachings of Christ.

Often the Church is referred to as Mother Church.  It is in her arms the lost, the lonely, and the least receive comfort and salvation. In her we hear the words of absolution; she says to us, "Neither do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more. Make things right between you and your neighbor."  She assists us to grow in grace; from her we learn Christ. And at her table we feast on him who is forever the lover of our soul.

Amen.     

 

  

 

Lover of Souls - Sunday, October 31, 2010

Reflections on the Readings

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 31, 2010 - Year C

Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

Lover of Souls

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Every evening Adam and Eve visited with God.  Then something terrible happened. Our first parents lost their way; they had eaten of the forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They were empowered by this new knowledge to decide for themselves what is good and what is evil.  Innocence became suspect.  And Adam and his wife Eve veiled themselves from each other; they also hid from God. 

Their home was the Garden of God.  In this place our first parents delighted in their Maker and Provider.  But now hearing the familiar sound of God arriving from the east side of Eden, Adam and Eve hid themselves among the trees of the Garden.  "Adam," God called.  There was no answer.  Adam's lostness and reluctance permeated the air.  God lifted his voice again and called out, "Adam, my dear son, where are you?" Adam, in whom God had breathed the breath of life, peaked out from behind the trees.

Today we learn that Zaccaheus is lost. He is not very tall and is unable to see Jesus because of the crowd.  He scoots up a sycamore tree from where he sees Jesus without any hindrance.  Jesus' fame precedes him and Zacchaeus a rich tax collector is well known too.  He is also despised. Tax collectors don't make friends easily.  Still, this chief tax collector, who is also a son of Abraham, desires to see Jesus. Soon he learns that Jesus wants to see him too.  

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He is not willing that any should die outside of his mercy. Opposing no one, with love for all of his creation, he especially loves humanity, in whom is the imperishable breath of God.  This is why Jesus seeks the wayward and lost Zacchaeus, a son of Abraham.  It is why he saves you and me, and all who will receive him. 

Coming to the sycamore tree, Jesus spies Zacchaeus.  And the loving and friendly voice of Jesus calls out, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down.  I want to go home with you."  And this friendless tax man jumps to the ground to embrace Jesus.  Everyone is astonished.  It's simply unbelievable.  Murmuring among themselves, they said, "Can you believe it?  Jesus is going home with a man who is a sinner." Speaking in low voices, their disgust hung in the air.  "How can a holy man associate with such low life?" they contend.  In their minds, even Jesus became suspect.

But a miracle is happening.  In the precious arms of Jesus, Zacchaeus becomes a new man.  This sinner receives a new heart and a new and generous compassion for the poor.  Vowing to make everything right with anyone he has cheated, he promises to restore it fourfold.  Perhaps Mr. Z announced, "If in this crowd today is anyone I have cheated, please come by the office in the morning."  Hearing Zacchaeus' intention to repair any injustice of his making, Jesus declares, "Today salvation has come to this house." Love of God and neighbor is true conversion. 

Jesus wants his love for souls to be our love for others as well.  In this love is power; power to bring God's presence everywhere. We make known Jesus Christ in our words and our actions.  As Peter once caught fish for a living, Jesus revealed to him he would soon become a fisher of men.  This common phrase describes the work and the necessity of the Church in the immense sea of humanity.  Jesus said before his Ascension, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And teach them to observe all that I have commanded you."  Baptism brings us into the Church, the Body of Christ, and in the Church we  hear the teachings of Christ.

Often the Church is referred to as Mother Church.  It is in her arms the lost, the lonely, and the least receive comfort and salvation. In her we hear the words of absolution; she says to us, "Neither do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more. Make things right between you and your neighbor."  She assists us to grow in grace; from her we learn Christ. And at her table we feast on him who is forever the lover of our soul.

Amen.     

The Prayer of the Heart (Part II)

Reflections on the Readings

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 24, 2010 - Year C

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

The Prayer of the Heart (Part II)

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

Prayer of the heart is a unifying force.  It reconciles us to God and draws us closer to one another.  We cannot say we love God and claim his friendship in our lives if we do not honor him in each other, like our family or the stranger sitting behind us.  It is painful to hear the Pharisee pray, "I thank thee that I am not like other men."  The Pharisee's prayer divides and excludes a fellow worshipper.  But feel the power of forgiveness and reconciliation in the prayer of the tax collector.  He expresses sorrow for not being more like God.  Praying fervently he says, "God, be merciful to me a sinner."  True prayer is self-effacing and rises from the heart in humble adoration of God who desires that everyone live within his mercy and love.    

The word 'pharisee' means 'separated ones.'  Pharisees would not even pray in close proximity to someone like a tax collector.  To the Pharisees, a tax collector was just as unclean as dirty hands or unwashed utensils.  To associate with someone they judged unclean was to become unclean as well.  Therefore, they would not consider eating or drinking with tax collectors and other assorted sinners.

  

The Pharisee in today's reading thanks God he is not like other men.  He's grateful that he has become, as far as he's concerned, morally perfect. He only associates with other Pharisees, he tithes and he fasts Monday and Thursday of each week. Everything this man does satisfies the law, or at least his interpretation of the law. He is, as far as he is concerned, utterly righteous.

Pharisees do everything to be seen by others.  The Pharisees' priorities were greetings in public places and the best seats at dinner.  Tossing a few coins to the beggars and praying in public places –– all done to be seen.  Their holiness was superficial and thin, and made their prayers and almsgiving a matter of public display rather than a motivation of their heart.

According to the Pharisees, Jesus is impious and reckless.  He eats with those nasty god forsaken tax collectors.  He lets a woman bathe his feet.  And some of his closest associates come from suspicious backgrounds, like Matthew, a former tax collector, who left that occupation to follow Jesus.  You see, unlike the Pharisee, Jesus is a friend of sinners.  And the tax collector who prays in today's Gospel seeks the friendship of God in his prayer when he says, "God, be merciful to me a sinner."  A humble prayer, the prayer of the heart, decries its own sins, not the sins of others.  

Long before I became Catholic, I grew up reading about mighty prayer warriors.  My earliest memories are about the fervent and heartfelt prayers of my Pentecostal Church family.  Pentecostal missionaries and evangelists told stories of mighty answers to prayer.  These missionaries were touched deeply in their hearts to leave everything familiar to live among people who had never heard the name of Jesus.  They learned to love, and to pray for and with people of all colors, races, faces and station.  They went to the four corners of the earth, all because the prayer of their heart was, "Jesus, use me.  Please, Lord do not refuse me.  Surely there's a work for me to do."

St. John Vianney reminds us, "Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself." Prayer is an immersion into him who is love. When we truly pray from our heart, we will love what God loves and to love as God loves. When our heart is filled with God's love, the prayer of our heart will be filled with charity for our neighbor.  

God hears the cry of the lowly, the oppressed and the brokenhearted.  Of the two who are in prayer at the Temple, it is the tax collector who truly prays.  This outcast –– unwilling, perhaps unable, to lift his eyes to heaven –– captures the heart of God.  

As we come to the altar this morning, we, like the tax collector make no special claims.  "Lord, I am not worthy," is our heartfelt prayer.  The Love we receive from this table is boundless and immense.  In this sacred time and place, even the weakest among us has an audience with Love that doesn't judge the appearance, but the prayer of the heart.

To him be the glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

The Prayer of the Heart

Reflections on the Readings

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 17, 2010 - Year C

Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

The Prayer of the Heart (Part I)

And (Jesus) told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 

Prayer is deeply personal; the exchange between two hearts.  The Psalmist describes the prayer of the heart like this:  As a deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God.  Jesus today speaks of this longing, of this need to always pray and not lose heart.  And the way to not lose heart is to draw near to God in prayer.  We must believe that God lives, and that he rewards those who seek him with his life and his love.

The widow in the Gospel is extremely vulnerable.  But her only hope for protection is if the judge vindicates her.  Otherwise, her situation will grow worse.  So she pours out her heart, begging for the attention of the court.  The judge cares little for her plight.  However, he would rather be rid of her than to be worn out by her persistent plea.  In the end, the judge vindicates her.  

Jesus wants us to know that God, unlike the unjust judge, responds to our prayers.  He cannot be worn out by our requests or our pleas.  He does not grow weary or become too tired to hear the feeblest voice among us.  Those who cry out to him, whether it be day or night, will find God ready, willing, and able to comfort our troubled hearts.  

It is said, that after several years of married life, a husband and wife start looking alike.  They certainly begin to finish each other's sentences.  And sometimes each will know what the other is thinking and wanting.  Like the kiss between a husband and wife, prayer is the kiss between our heart and the heart of God.  After a few years of prayer, we begin to be more like him whom we love; through prayer we begin looking more like Jesus.  And in time, the heart in prayer even knows the thoughts and will of the Lord.  Indeed, before we ask him, our Father knows our deepest longing.  He knows the thoughts and the deepest intentions and aspirations of our heart.  

The prayer of the heart is not only persistent praying.  It is not only prolonged contemplation. The prayer of the heart is filled with confidence.  Coming to the Lord in prayer, we draw near to the throne of grace.  Before this throne nothing and no one is hidden.  Nothing should be hidden between us and the Lord.  Everything that matters to us and to him is visible before his merciful eyes. 

Jesus said one time, "My house shall be called a house of prayer."  St. Paul describes Christians as 'temples of the Holy Spirit.'  It is our heart that is now a house of prayer.  Sometimes we don't know how to pray.  What can be done in such a time of weakness?  The Spirit helps us in such times, intercedes for us and through us with sighs too deep for words. Our confidence in prayer derives from the truth that the Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God.

But Jesus raised a question.  It is an important question for us today.  "When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Jesus asks.  Will we lose our heart for prayer or will we remain faithful in prayer?  We enter into the deepest of all prayer when we receive the body and blood of Jesus.  As we contemplate such closeness with our Lord, we pray more fervently, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you."  Wishing not to presume upon his love, we pray, "only say the word, and I shall be healed."  And once again, we commune with our Lord; it is deeply personal, it is the exchange of love between two hearts.  We love him back because he first loved us.

And this shall we do, until he comes in glory.  

Amen.  

Respect and Reverence: Keeping it Real

It is common to stand when the color guard passes by. Men remove their hats. Adults and children often place their right hand over their heart. This is good and shows deep respect for our Country and for those living and dead, who have helped preserve our liberty.

I thought about this again when recently witnessing the opening ceremonies of a circus. Again a color guard whose members were well past retirement age presented the colors. Everyone stood and gave the proper respect due at such a time.

As I thought about these rituals of respect we make for our flag I thought about some of the rituals in the Church.

In the Church we show reverence in special ways for our Lord and our baptism. Making the sign of the cross is a special act of reverence. We begin our prayers this way. This gesture puts things in perspective. Above all else we owe our existence, the air we breathe, and the food we eat to God. So we begin our day and all good things in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; making the sign of the cross in the name of the blessed three in One.

As we enter the Church, we dip our finger into the Holy Water and recall our baptism by making the sign of the cross. At the reading of the Gospel we sign our forehead, our lips, and our heart with the sign of the cross; invoking the Holy Spirit that we might be properly disposed to hear, receive and spread the Gospel.

When Mass is ended, we dip our finger in the Holy Water again to remember we enter the world as members of Christ's body. We become members of the family of God by baptism. We re-enter the world as members of Christ's family. We are the hands and voice and face of Jesus in the world.

To genuflect before the Tabernacle and the Altar shows reverence for the Lord. We believe that from the Altar we receive the body and blood our Lord. We wouldn't think of ignoring or taking for granted what takes place in that Holy Place on that Holy Altar.

All of these actions and gestures show deep respect and reverence for Christ who loved us and gave himself for us. We have been bought with a price; the price of our redemption being the death of Jesus on the Cross. So having a crucifix reverently displayed in the home or office testifies of our faith in Christ who died on that Cross.

I recently noticed a Baptist girl wearing a Crucifix necklace. I asked her what her Baptist friends thought about that. She smiled from ear to ear and said, "Hey, the cross doesn't mean anything if Jesus isn't on it; I'm just keeping it real!"

Gestures of respect and reverence just keep it real.

And Then They Met Jesus - Sunday, October 10, 2010

Reflections on the Readings

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 10, 2010 - Year C

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

And Then They Met Jesus

And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."

John the Baptist needed assurance.  We all do sometimes.  He sent messengers to ask Jesus a question.  "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" they asked.  And they witnessed Jesus healing the blind and the lame.  The deaf were cured and the dead were raised.  Even the poor received the good news of the Kingdom and the lepers were cleansed. Then Jesus told the emissaries, "Go tell John what you have seen and heard."

There you have it.  The lepers are cleansed.  Never would a Jew think of touching a leper.  But Jesus did.  One time a man full of leprosy fell on his face and begged Jesus saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."  And stretching out his hand, Jesus touched him and said, "I will; be clean."  And immediately the leprosy left the afflicted man.

In the scriptures, leprosy might include a number of skin disorders to full blown leprosy.  The separation the leper experienced was tempered only by the friendship and community among other lepers.  But the separation from family and friends made the pain of leprosy even more intense.

Sin separates us from God.  It separates us from each other.  Any number of sinful acts testify to the pain our sins inflict.  Adultery is painful.  Pornography like leprosy eats away everything that is good – leaving behind indescribable pain.  Abortion stops one heart and breaks another.  Alcohol abuse and prescription drugs used wrongly numb the abuser and those near to us.  Pain begets even more pain.

Listen carefully and you will hear someone asking, "Can someone just stop the pain, the loneliness, the desperation – this living hell?  Can someone make me whole again?  Can someone give me any hope?"  These are questions many have in common.  As we are gathered here today, let's believe that Jesus is near.  Today let's believe we will meet Jesus like the lepers did. 

For the ten lepers one day was no different from another.  No one special had come within shouting distance of their community for a long time.  Rumors came and rumors evaporated much like their skin and bones.  Except one tale survived.  And something about today is different than yesterday.  Someone catches their wind and yells to the distant lepers, "Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming!"

There is a prophet in Israel. In Naaman's time it was Elisha.  In the Gospel today it is Jesus.  The simplicity of it all is the stuff of joy and healing and thanksgiving.  "Dip seven times over here in the Jordan River, and you will be cured,"  the prophet Elisha proclaims.  "Go show yourselves to the priests," Jesus tells the ten lepers.  Naaman goes back to Damascus with new skin.  The ten lepers begin their trip for the 1,000th time in hope of being proclaimed clean.  And then it happens.  It happens as they are going.  All ten of the lepers are cleansed.  Every last one of them is healed.  

One of them, a Samaritan, stops in his tracks.  Something is different.  He counts his fingers and toes.  He caresses his face.  Joy erupts from his thankful heart.  Turning around he runs as fast as he can.  He falls on his face at Jesus' feet and gives him thanks and praise.  Ten were cleansed. One is grateful.  Only one.  

But it is the Samaritan we can be like.  We can give Jesus what he gave Jesus.  Every Lord's day we can come to this table to participate in the Great Thanksgiving.  In this Eucharistic meal we meet Jesus.  He is the same Jesus the leprous Samaritan met.  He is the same Jesus we approach with praise and thanksgiving as he did.  The opposite is also true.  If we deny him he will deny us.  If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.  So like the Samaritan, let's lift up our hearts to him who loves us and forgives us and gives us a new song.  

With worthy and thankful hearts let us receive the body and blood of our Lord.   In this memorial of our redemption the Lord reveals his saving power.  By this deep communion with Christ, you can return home a new person. Your kids will see a new daddy.   A new understanding of sacrificial love will permeate your marriage.  Perhaps your colleagues may ask what is different about you.  What will your answer be?  You might say, "In the middle of all I thought was important, I was missing something, and then I met Jesus."

Amen.

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to his uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. You can email him at dennishankins@gmail.com   His website is:  www.dennishankins.com