Brain cancer update

Just got back from Dr. Hanna. He said the MRI showed a very slight increase in the disease. So radiation and chemo slowed it down significantly. i will start my next dose 400 mg. chemo next Mondayevening for 5 days on 23 off and then every two weeks starting Jan. 11 I will be given an IV with Avastin administered as an added deterant to blood flow for any cancer cells. Think of siege strategy: cut off blood and oxygen and then let the chemo destroy
I remain filled with hope and Debbie and I have confidence confidencethat dr. Hanna is putting me on the right course. Of treatment. Thank you for your. Continued prayers
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MARY Full of Grace and Love

Reflections on the Readings

December 20, 2015 - Year C

4th Sunday of Advent

Dennis S. Hankins

Matthew 18:3  

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, 

"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

MARY Full of Grace and Love

Elizabeth greets the mother of our Lord with these immortal words- "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb".

Choosing to be one with us, God entered our  world through the womb of the virgin Mary.

Many sermons this Christmas season will claim: "But Jesus was born to die", a forlorn look at the incarnation. Let us remember that Elizabeth did not say, "Doomed is the fruit of your womb."  Confined to the flesh of our humanity, God was in Christ to show us that it is possible to live in the power of love's pure light. Jesus, the light of the world, reveals the God who is love; he ate and drank with sinners and at the marriage celebration in Cana, he turned the water into wine.

We can be grateful to a very young teenager, whose name is Mary, that she willingly said yes, "be it unto me according to your word".  

The Son of God is not a victim of God's love, but rather he is the love of God incarnate of the virgin Mary. And as the creed states:  He came down from heaven for us men and for our salvation.  If God was mad at us, there would not be a Christmas to celebrate. As it is, the sights and sounds of Christmas, the glorious revelation of faith, hope, and love, and the greatest celebration of Christmas is that of love, a love that caresses the brow of the orphan and condemns the murderous violence of gangs.

God is not a God of violence, but rather he stepped into our world and became the object  of violent hatred and scorn. So, my friend, God is love wrapped in human flesh and was born of the virgin Mary.  This is the old, old story of infinite delight and imperishable truth.  He excludes no one from His love and receives everyone who comes to Him. Let us receive this King of love and each other as brothers and sisters in His kingdom. For His kingdom rests upon his shoulders, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.  For His kingdom is an imperishable kingdom of hope and love.  

In this prayer that is prayed everyday by Catholics, let us pray also:  Hail, Mary, full of grace, blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, mother of our Redeemer, pray for us that we might say yes as fully as you did.  May Jesus who heals us, forgives us, and redeems us, fill our hearts as he filled Mary's womb.  Amen! 

The Gift of Giving

Reflections on the Readings

October 25, 2015 - Year B

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Dennis S. Hankins

Readings for today

The Gift of Giving

The poor widows in the readings of today remind us what it means to love God more! 

They show us the richness of their faith- a faith that moves them to embrace the reality of things not seen. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Generosity is a word that rightly describes the Christian. For by faith Christians and many moved by compassion have built hospitals and schools, and sent medical supplies and water and food to the ends of the earth. And sometimes when supplies seemed not enough often became more than enough in the hands of him who multiplied the loves and the fishes.  The widows of today's readings inspire us to  trust more in God, to desire more to participate in His generous love for the least among us!  What does it mean to love God more?  It may mean that we trust God to meet our needs, even when we do more to make sure our brothers and sisters are adequately assisted.

Putting God first with all that we have, with all our body and soul is not easy, but it does liberate us from being selfish and self centered.  

I have met such people of God whose goodness and generosity have impacted me and my family in recent days.  How near God has been to us in the generosity of those who have reached out and embraced us in the love of God.  All of us are called to give, to let our light shine , to share what we can.  John Wesley, the Anglican priest who was the founder of the Methodist Church said, "Make all you can, save all you can, then give all you can."  I take that to mean, work hard, be frugal, and then be generous.  As we share with others, we are called by God to be cheerful in what we give, and then watch Him as He shows us His pleasure and gratitude, as He pours out upon us and our family His blessings such as there may not be enough room to receive it.  (Malachi 3:10)

The lesson of the readings is this:  It will all work out for us in the end, especially if He finds in us a generous heart, a compassionate spirit, and a desire to help where we can and give all we can. For Jesus himself appears in heaven itself to intercede for us with compassion for all that concerns us.  O what a Savior!  Let our giving be in the name of Him who emptied himself for us men and for our salvation. No, we can't outgive the Lord, but we can be filled with the sacred heart of Jesus in all we do.

Now an update since my surgery:  Words are not enough to explain how deeply my family and I have been touched by your sacrificial giving and the assurance of your prayers.   Since my brain cancer surgery, the nearness of God has been evident.  I'm in my fourth week of radiation and chemo therapy.  Blood work confirms that my chemo treatment has not adversely affected my blood count, kidneys, or liver.  There's more to go, but I wanted to thank God and you especially for storming heaven in my behalf.  How grateful I am for your prayers which continue to embrace me and my family.  Receive our love, and we hope that in all ways you are blessed by Him who gives us himself in bread, which is His body and the chalice which is His blood.  Amen! 

Crying Out To The Lord

Reflections on the Readings

October 25, 2015 - Year B

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Dennis S. Hankins

Hebrews 4:12

Bartimaeus, a blind man, sat by the roadside begging.  On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me."  Many rebuked him telling him to be silent, but he kept calling all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me."  Jesus stopped and said, "Call him … What do you want me to do for you?"  And the blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." 

Crying Out To The Lord

Frankly, we are all Bartimaeus.  All of us in some way or another reside at the side of the road of life hoping that someone might help us.  Millions, in fact, sleep under or on cardboard, under the bridges, or on the bench at the park, in need of better food, a shower, a shave, and some good conversation.  

Bartimaeus has never seen a sunrise nor a sunset.  No light has ever pierced his eyes. He has never seen the beauty of kids playing in the neighborhood or seen a mother hold her baby like a treasure.  But through tears he cries out for mercy, much like a baby cries for help when he feels alone or forsaken or in need of mother's milk.  Such prayer is rich and bold.  And like the second reading from last week, such prayer is encouraged.  In other words, let us indeed cry out boldly for the mercy and grace we need.  For our God is able to do exceeding and abundantly above what we cry out for. Another popular and favorite scripture is 2 Chronicles 7:14.  If my people, which are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray,  then will God hear from heaven and will heal their land.

It remains a mystery to me why anyone wants to rain on such necessary and fervent prayer.  Perhaps it's embarrassing or someone thinks God is not interested in our seemingly petty and small issues.  But let us not forget that Jesus said, "Come unto me all of you who labor and are burdened down, and I will give you rest."  Let us cry out, for He will hear us when we are at our lowest low and our deepest need.  You will never hear Jesus say, "That crying soul over there is annoying me."  Just like the cry of a baby for the embrace and assistance of his mother, so our deepest need and request touch the heart of our Father.  For like a mother, He is aware and knows our every concern.  And even should our weeping last through the night, in the morning, there will be joy.  

Indeed in that eternal day, there will be no more sorrow, no more tears, no more pain, no more blindness of soul and body; for He who fills us with light and life that is immortal, is also the light of that city where there is no need for the sun!  So dear children of God, cry out!  Cry out for mercy and healing; cry out more and more.  Cry out until you hear Jesus say, "What is it that I can do for you?"  In that moment, don't hold back, spill your heart, and you shall receive more that you could ever dream or ask for.  Praise be Jesus Christ! Amen. 

The Throne of Grace

Reflections on the Readings

October 18, 2015 - Year B

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Dennis S. Hankins

Hebrews 4:14-16

For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but in every respect who has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The Throne of Grace

From the beginning, the beloved apostle, John, perhaps the one closest to Jesus, explained that the Logos of God was made flesh and dwelt among us as one full of grace and truth.  He and all the apostles together beheld His glory.  

We know that everyone who felt drawn to Christ were welcome in His presence, including the leper and the military leader seeking healing for his feverish daughter.  In fact, no one was excluded including the little children who giggled while sitting on His lap.  In every way, everyone found Jesus accessible, available, and touchable.  Christ was not among the people as one who came seeking attention, but rather came with the heart of a true shepherd, to seek and to save whoever was lost.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save and to heal and to restore and to forgive.  For he came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for us.

Therefore, we have an advocate with the Father.  He is Jesus, the same Jesus, who in the days of His flesh offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears. He humbled himself and became obedient to all that was contrary to His nature, even death, death on a cross as He uttered these words, "Not My will, but Thy will be done."

This emaciated King of glory, my friend, is the Captain of our salvation, whose name we invoke before the throne of grace, and through whose name we ask and receive mercy and grace so that our fears may be drenched in peace and our lives and our hearts may be ransomed, healed, restored, and forgiven.

But like the famous commercials, Wait!!  There's more.  He who made the lame to walk, the leper clean, still in this 21st century lays His healing hands upon our bodies.  For as He was on earth, He is even the same at the right hand of the Father; for Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, always and forever full of grace to help us in our every need.  Let us, therefore, indeed come with confidence to the throne of grace, upon which He sits, to the same Jesus who made the blind to see, and the deaf to hear.  And then, on the third day, following His death on the cross, said to Satan, "What else do you have?"  Then the devil and his minions scampered off into the darkness to perhaps find another group of hogs to drive crazy.

My dear friend, please know there is no pain, nor fear, nor anything present, nor thing to come but that our Lord has already tasted it and overcome it.  For Jesus in His everlasting humanity, flesh of the flesh of Mary and a high priest forever is always sympathetic for us in all that  makes us weak and vulnerable.  For He is our Jesus, our Emmanuel, God ever with us, who is touched by the feelings and trials of our infirmities. So let us invoke His name over all that afflicts us and over all for whom we pray.  For these signs will accompany those who believe; in my name they will cast our demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will pick up serpents, and if  they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; and they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.  With these final words, Jesus ascended into the heavens and sent out His disciples with these words, from east to west, entrusting them with the imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation, the good news for body, soul, and mind!

Allow me to close with this encouragement:  the Father's throne of grace is always open.  It remains as it always has been, an open invitation to all of us to enter into the mystery of grace that always invites the lost, the least, and the lonely into its divine embrace.  We are reminded that God is not mad at us, nor has He ever been.  For Jesus the second Adam, invites the sons and daughters of the first Adam into His fellowship and communion, who dwells as St. Paul says in unapproachable light whom no man has seen or can see, into which He invites us to come boldly with confidence and faith with our praises and petitions in the name of Him who is the potentate of heaven and earth and whose kingdom and eternal love has no end.  Amen!

The Light of God's Word in our Heart

Reflections on the Readings

October 4, 2015 - Year B

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

by Dennis S. Hankins

Hebrews 4:12

Unless you turn and become like children…

The Light of  God's Word in our Heart

God's word is light, revealing whether the thoughts and intentions of our hearts are true, good, and beautiful.  Of course, we pray that our deepest meditations are true to our participation in the divine nature.  In as much as the teaching of the Lord is alive and sharper than any two-edged sword, we must accept that conversion of heart and soul and spirit is the way to all that is true and good and beautiful about Him whom we call "Father."  For the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

The living word of God measures and examines the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, teaching us to eschew what is trash and to embrace what is treasure.  As God speaks to our heart, the beauty of holiness touches us so that we may contemplate the rich and merciful love of God, a truly good meditation for the heart and spirit, which can permeate even the joints and marrow of this frame of dust, which God exalts as a temple of the Holy Ghost.   

So a question:  do the thoughts of our heart reveal one who is growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the everlasting King of glory? Is the special place called my heart filled with the prayer, "In my heart, be glorified."?  For like David, we ought always to pray, "Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me."  This is necessary so that we may think rightly about God as our Father, and ourselves as one who bears God's image;  and also that we may relate to one another rightly as dear brothers and sisters in Him who has loved us.  For we are a family, each one looking into the perfect law of liberty, the very mirror of God's word, understanding that we are servants who must always give an account.  (Romans 14:12)

Here are some things to ponder:  First, the brightness of God's word takes away the power of darkness in our lives.  Secondly, the light of the word and teaching of Christ gives us the strength and the desire to have a heart that is faithful to Him, who alone has the right to reign in this place called my heart.  And lastly, the discerning word of Christ shows us the way to be loyal and faithful to Him who is the way, the truth, and the life, even Jesus, who gave Himself for the life of the world. 

Let us therefore live with a heart devoted and in solidarity with Christ, whose face is the face of those for whom nothing has been prepared; whose parched tongue is the tongue of the thirsty; whose life is the life of the poor, the widow, and the orphan.  May we be filled with the love of God, and be cheerfully loving and merciful and kind to one and all!  Amen. 

Reflections on the Readings

October 4, 2015 - Year B

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dennis S. Hankins

Matthew 18:3  

Unless you turn and become like children…

The Haunting Routine of Violence

President Obama spoke to our nation about the tragedy at Umpquah College in the state of Oregon.  From his heart, the President spoke of the routine of violent behavior, the routine reporting of such violence, and his own routine of coming before the nation to speak about such violence.

This senseless nightmare is Satan's effort to make us think that Christ's love is without merit and lacks strength to rid the soul of sin's dark blot.

The monstrous actions of the shooter reveals a violent disregard for our fellow sons of Adam and daughters of Eve.  It is selfish, arrogant, and rude in its absolute essence, and is  resentful of the fact that others like one's self are made also in God's image.  

This violent sickness believes somehow that God's image, equitably given to all, is somehow given less to one's self.  Thus violence lashes out, as though God has not freely given us all things, including His very image.  

Therefore, such expression seeks to destroy, to kill another like one's self, and wrongly believes that somehow I am defending God's integrity, as if the children who sit on Jesus' lap are an imposition rather than an expression or example of perfect love.

In truth, at age 60, I hear Jesus calling me to reject always in my thoughts, in my words, and in my deeds the haunting, barren routine of violence, and rather take up the dance of love and see God perfect in His love; violence therefore stripped of its power.

Amen.  

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail Dennis at: dennishankins@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @dshankins or visit him at: www.dennishankins.com

Reflections on the Readings

Heart Trouble

Reflections on the Readings

August 30, 2015 - Year B

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday 

Heart Trouble

 And he said, "What comes out of a man is what defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man."

Life is more than just how diligent we are in dotting our 'i's and crossing our t's. A lot more! We don't need spiritual brownie points, we need a heart that is free from the tyranny of sin. A good prayer to pray is, "Lord search me and examine me and see if there be any evil in me.That prayer helps us to point the finger at the right person. It is so easy to name the sins of the other person. But today we are challenged to ask ourselves, "Am I just a hearer of the word of Christ or am I an example of his life, his love, his teaching." If the word of truth grips our heart, feeds our imagination, then we are a first fruit of what will one day be what we expect the new heavens and new earth to be like. For nothing unclean or defiled can be there. And if we expect to be there then we should pay attention to any heart trouble of the sort Jesus describes. 

I like the song that says: It's me, It's me, O' Lord, standing in the need of payer. David prayed for a new heart and a right spirit after his sin of adultery and murder found him out. God knows the thoughts and intentions of our heart. We are only fooling ourselves when we think we are hiding anything from him. Yet He extends to us and to all grace we don't deserve and love that we cannot earn. The invitation that still has no small print says, "Come unto me all of you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

When we come to confession, there is nothing hidden, and what we hide is not invisible. It is more important to be forgiven rather than deceived. For if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1John 1:8)

What comes through today's readings is that the Father offers us a personal relationship. And certainly our heart should be his and his alone. For it is in the deepness of the God who is love where our own heart is made new and fresh in his love. With a new heart comes a new way of relating to others, especially those nearest and dearest to us. For everyone we meet bears the same image of God. So let us have a generous heart for all - with a heart free from evil thoughts, envy, slander, and pride. For our heart is meant to be the throne of the King. May we greet each other with the humility that resembles the King and receive each other as brothers and sisters in Christ So, Take my heart Lord. Come and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. Amen.

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail Dennis at: dennishankins@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @dshankins or visit him at: www.dennishankins.com

A Special Request

Dear Friends, 

As you already know, because of my requests for prayer, our daughter, Melissa, was unexpectedly hospitalized for seven days. She was admitted with chest pain, and was diagnosed as having a blood clot that led to a stress heart attack. The cardiac physician also discovered an anomaly in her heart in the electrical side of things that required a procedure that completely cured her of that anomaly. However, Melissa was also diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. All of this came on the heels of just having major surgery one week prior to this crisis. 

As you can imagine, this hospital stay comes with tremendous expense. In addition to the medical bills, Melissa has been unable to work for the duration of her hospital stay as well as many days after she was released. She is, at this point, only able to work limited hours as she recovers and learns to live with diabetes. 

We are asking for help for our daughter in dealing with the financial devastation that has come from this unexpected health crisis. Our son, Reverend Timothy Hankins, has set up a link for this purpose. Any amount you can contribute will help a wonderful young woman recover from a horrible circumstance. Thank you for your generosity and for your continued prayers and support. Here's the link:  http://www.gofundme.com/melissahankinsmed

With grateful hearts,

Dennis & Debbie Hankins

Life in the Great Mystery

Reflections on the Readings

August 23, 2015 - Year B

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday 

Life in the Great Mystery

Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the church; however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

My wife and I recently celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. How did we stay together all these years? With lots of love and forgiveness! As the first reading reveals, life is filled with choices and decisions. I was 20 and my bride was 17 when we pledged our lives and love to each other. I boastingly say that our children got their good looks from me because their mother obviously still has her's. I also enjoy telling folks how smart my wife is. You see, she graduated from High School as a junior with honors. What prepared Debbie for High School?  It was her four years at a country school in Merriam, Illinois where 5 and 6th grade and 7th and 8th grade were in the same room. So yes, I married up. 

Mutual love and respect and a shared faith in the grace and love of God is the stuff of romance. A few years ago I hit a brick wall while in pastoral ministry. I was devastated. Physically and emotionally  exhausted my days were dark and the nights were darker. I needed help. I needed someone to tell me that somewhere, somehow, the fog would lift and life would return again to my weary body and mind. A physician laughed at me and said, "What do you know. A paranoid preacher. No, it didn't help. But one day, my bride said to me, "One day you will be as strong as you ever felt weak! It was a word from God! I felt something hit my chest with a thud and liquid strength began to pour into me.From that moment I began to walk out of the hurt, the despair, and the darkness. A few months later I became a 9-1-1 Medical, Fire, Police Dispatcher, a position I held for 10 1/2 Years. 

The teaching of Jesus is filled with Spirit and life. Throughout his ministry Jesus invited his listeners to pay close attention. He said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Jesus explained that a wise person should take his teaching to heart and build his life on what he learned. Then when the storms of life come, and winds of betrayal and fear howl about, and doubt and accusation beat like an unrelenting rain storm on your mind and soul,the teaching and life of Christ will nourish and protect you until the storm passes by. For Christ loves us and nourishes us with his own life, with his own body and blood. And in the Sacrament of marriage, the holy mystery is that a wife and husband cherish and nourish each other in the gift of each to the other - a picture of Christ and his Church. 

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail Dennis at: dennishankins@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @dshankins or visit him at: www.dennishankins.com

The Truth is in Jesus

Reflections on the Readings

August 2, 2015 - Year B

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

The Truth is in Jesus

Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. You did not so learn Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. (Ephesians 4:17-20)

Brutal! Barbaric! Unthinkable! Depraved! These words passed the lips of many as the revelatory videos of undercover investigations of Planned Parenthood surfaced. From those interviews we've learned that PP not only facilitates abortions but also markets to the highest bidders the body parts of aborted babies. As the father of four children, I can only say that this news more than turned my stomach. I wonder how many of these precious aborted babies are friends that my children and yours will never meet? 

These revelations remind us why Jesus explains that his followers, although in the world, we are not of the world. As followers of Jesus, we can not, we must not, live and think like the world. We are to have the mind of Christ, not the hollow, empty and impotent thinking of the world. President Obama lectures us and recently Kenya, that we need to give up the values that we have because of faith in Christ. Christians are viewed as archaic, out of step, and threatening to the ideals of progressive thinking. So the Little Sisters of the Poor, no matter the good they provide in the care of the indigent, are ordered to provide birth control in their insurance policies for their employees, no matter that it violates their conscience and beliefs. 

It is tempting to be angry about the diminution of marriage as the sacred exchange of vows between a man and a woman recently promulgated by the Supreme Court, about the wholesale slaughter of babies in the womb facilitating the harvesting of their body parts, and about forced participation in Obamacare even when its required birth control provision violates the beliefs of Christian employers and religious communities. 

Let us never forget that the Good News is always good news! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is after two thousand years no less real. So our mission is still a mission of mercy. We are still about the saving power of grace. Going into the darkness wherever it is with the light of the gospel of Christ remains our calling, our mission, and our responsibility. For you see, if the Good News is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. But God in his mercy has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So please, for the sake of Jesus, who lived, died, and rose again on the third day, let the light of Christ shine. ( 2 Corinthians 4:3-6) For the truth that sets free is in Jesus! Amen.

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail Dennis at: dennishankins@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @dshankins or visit him at: www.dennishankins.com

A Picnic With Jesus

Reflections on the Readings

July 26, 2015 - Year B

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

A Picnic With Jesus

Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.

I hope you are having a good summer. This summer I reconnected with family and friends in southern Indiana and our family vacation included visits to historic Williamsburg and Yorktown walking in the footsteps of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. At Virginia Beach the waves of the Atlantic Ocean licked our feet while the vibrant sound of wave after wave coming to shore reminded me of the words of John the Revelator: …and his voice was like the sound of many waters. 

So my roots, deeply entrenched in Hoosier soil, got an overdue visit. Our visit to historic Virginia reminded me that the great ideas that birthed this nation should never be surrendered. And while my feet sank into the sand at Virginia Beach my soul was soothed by the sound of the waves chasing each other to see which one would reach the shoreline first.

Summertime activities also include cooking out and having picnics. Well, today, the gospel is about a really big summertime picnic. Just the number of hungry men was about five thousand. Counting women and children the number attending this picnic is several thousand. I personally would panic, but not Jesus. He knew what he would do. The ministry of hospitality went into full speed. The disciples invited the huge crowd to get comfortable and find a place to sit down. Everyone was invited to stay. Isn't that just like Jesus? After all, hospitality is the very heart of Christianity. As scripture reminds us, we are encouraged to not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2)

A little boy offered his lunch of two fish portions and five barley loaves. We all do well to have more of the kind of faith that child demonstrated. Didn't Jesus say, "Except you have the faith of a little child, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven?" I'm too often reserved; too often reluctant to let Jesus in and have his way in me and with me and with my stuff. I want to have more of the faith of that little boy who didn't wonder if he would have anything to eat if he gave his lunch to Jesus. Maybe what we are supposed to learn here is that little is much in the hands of Jesus. Also, nothing given to Jesus is ever wasted. 

Any way, Jesus gave the best picnic ever. And from this demonstration of hospitality of food and fellowship we should learn that a church community should be more like a picnic, a community of sharing with one another, where the common language is the love of Christ and the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace is evident. For together we embrace one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all through all and in all. Amen. 

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail Dennis at: dennishankins@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @dshankins or visit him at: www.dennishankins.com

The Real Message of the Rainbow

Reflections on the Readings

June 28, 2015 - Year B

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

The Real Message of the Rainbow

Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them, and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hoped for the wages of holiness, nor discerned the prize for blameless souls; 

for God created us for incorruption, and made us in the image of his own eternity, (or nature) 

but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it. (Wisdom 2:21-24)

This past Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States of America struck down any state laws banning same-sex marriage. News reports stated that SCOTUS had made same-sex marriage the law of the land. No such thing happened given that the Supreme court is not a legislative body. What the majority opinion did was strike down state laws banning same-sex marriages. 

President Obama stated that on the question of same-sex marriage, "Justice arrived like a thunderbolt." In recent years the President has been vocal on how his view of marriage has evolved. And he believes that everyone should evolve with him even though as recently as four years ago he said that his Christian faith informed him when he stated that marriage is between one man and one woman. In celebration of the decision of the Supreme court, the President had the White House bathed in lights depicting the colors of the rainbow Friday evening. 

We must remember that SCOTUS is not a modern day Mount Sinai, even given the President's 'thunderbolt' comment. However, Moses, upon ascending Mount Sinai did encounter a Holy God descending upon the Mount in fire and smoke. Trumpet blast, thunder and lightening shook the Mount as God wrote on stone tablets with his finger the Ten Commandments. 

Although I am not surprised by the Supreme Court's decision, I am appalled. The fundamental unit of any society is the family. That understanding has been the bedrock, the very foundation of every civilization since the Garden of Eden. And I say that without any animus toward those who identify as LGBTQ. My list of friends, teachers, acquaintances, and colleagues include individuals on this list. My entire life I've tried to be a bridge builder in the hope that I might be the face of Jesus to everyone I meet and know. They have included adulterers, drunkards, liars, homosexuals, thieves, idolaters, and robbers. In fact, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 that the Church in Corinth included such as these whom St. Paul now describes as washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. ( 1Corinthians 6:9-11)

We can rejoice about the parish at Corinth as we can about every Christian church filled with sinners saved by grace because:

- The Bible says that Jesus is a friend of sinners and that he ate and drank with them. (Luke 7:34)

- The Bible says that God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

 

 - God doesn't hold grudges for the Bible says that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting our trespasses against us. (2 Corinthians 5:19) God is not mad at us or anyone. God loves us and everyone. Nor can we be angry or hostile toward our neighbor whom God loves.

 -The Bible says that God has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19)

 -The Bible says that now is the acceptable time; now, is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

- The Bible says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away.(2 Corinthians 5:17)

The SCOTUS decision does not change one thing about what we believe about marriage and what has always been true about marriage. Especially now, however, as the Bible says, we must not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ: it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith. (Romans 1:16)

The real meaning of the rainbow is how God remembers his covenant with Noah every time he sees the bow in the cloud. What is that covenant? It's that God loves us; that he will never allow a flood to cover the whole earth again. The message of God's rainbow is about a loving God who is not willing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Amen.

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail Dennis at: dennishankins@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @dshankins or visit him at: www.dennishankins.com

Ransomed, Healed, Restored, Forgiven!

Reflections on the Readings

June 21, 2015 - Year B

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Dennis S. Hankins

Readings For This Sunday

Ransomed, Healed, Restored, Forgiven!

Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

My title comes from the first verse of one of my favorite hymns: Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven… "To his feet thy tribute bring; Ransomed, healed, restored forgiven, Who like thee His praise should sing?"

Grace is not cheap. The violence Christ endured reminds us that grace is not cheap, that no one is excluded from his outstretched arms, that we all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross. Even for Dylan Roof, who massacred nine persons this past Wednesday night at Emmanuel African Methodist Church, in Charleston, South Carolina, there is room at the cross. Here's the bottom line. At the foot of the cross, none of us get to point fingers of contempt and accusation at one another and our common prayer is, "Deliver us from evil." For we were all dead in trespasses and sins, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that continues to work in the sons and daughters of disobedience, among whom we once lived. (Ephesians 2:2-3)

At the Easter Vigil we hear the Good News:

"O happy fault, 

O necessary sin of Adam

which gained for us 

so great a Redeemer!" 

If any one is in Christ, he is a new creature, a new creation, a new Adam, a new Eve. Ransomed! Healed! Restored! Forgiven! That's the Good News! Why? Because through the first human family sin entered the world. And because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve we all enter this world as sinners. The theological term for this is original sin. Even little Johnny and Susie born this afternoon entered the human race in need of a  Savior which means that original sin is a state and not an act. In union with the whole human race Johnny and Susie and Juan and Maria need to know that while we were yet sinners, born and unborn, Christ died for us! And that's the Great and Good News and the reason we bring our children to Jesus in Christian baptism.

In Christ our past no longer defines us. The old is passed away and the new has come. We still wrestle with temptations and the allure of the past, and the glamour of sin, but no longer in our weakness, but in the strength of Christ's love for us. This is why St. Paul can explain to the Church at Corinth that no matter your past, "You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) Christ filled the raging waves and blowing winds with his peace. He fills us with his love and peace and breaks the tormenting and debilitating power of sin in us so that we can shout: "Ransomed! Healed! Restored! Forgiven!" Because everyone who is in Christ is a new person! 

Amen.

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail Dennis at: dennishankins@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @dshankins or visit him at: www.dennishankins.com