Reflections of a beloved son

In one of his sermons, St. Anthony of Padua said, “ Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves.”   We can say many things, but when it comes to living them out, I think many of us fall short – at least I know I do.   Jesus told His disciples to let their “yes” mean “yes” and their “no” mean “no.” Hypocrisy was big then, and it is big now. We can’t say one thing and do another, or better yet, do nothing at all! We see so many people say this is wrong and that is bad but when it comes time to act or show active support, they suddenly become small and fade into the background. Are we like that? Are we “full of words but empty of actions?” God loves us, and even though He had no need to show it, He did.   He sent His only Son.   Jesus died on the Cross.   As it is said in the...

The Lord makes a covenant with Abram and changes his name to Abraham.  He promises him many descendants and that even kings will come from his family line.  To man it seems crazy and unreal.  But to the man of faith, it is not. Abram underwent a transformation from not completely believing to becoming our "Father in Faith."  The Lord reiterates and emphasizes again and again to Abraham that He will be true to His covenant and that Abraham and his descendants will be His People and He will be their God.  God never takes back His word.  Our world today seems crazy and unsettling.  But that is because we are looking through the lens of man.  We must put on the lens of faith, the lens of a man or woman that has been transformed.  Like Abram who received a new name, we too have a new name.  No longer are we called "forsaken" or "desolate," but we are called the "beloved of the Father."  God calls us by name, the name that brings with i...

" Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No. '"  That is what Jesus said to His disciples.  He was teaching them that to be a follower of His they must be people of integrity, who say what they mean, and mean what they say.  We must be people who keep their words.  Without integrity everything we say or do will be compromised.  And Jesus tells them further, " Anything more is from the Evil One " (Mt. 5:37). There's really not much more to say about that.  Our "yes" ought to mean "yes," and our "no" ought to mean "no."  We cannot say one thing and then do something else.  We cannot doing something one way and then tell others to do it another way.  There are no exceptions and they are no special privileges.  Both the leader and the follower are bound by the same rules.  Jesus, who is God and Lord became human and was born under the law so that we could be freed from it.  When Jesus ...

The power of words have always fascinated me.  Though they are just letters put together, yet they can do so much good and so much damage.  They can build up and they can tear down.  They can encourage and they can discourage.  They can sow love and they can fuel hatred .  It is this malleability and fluidity of words that make it so powerful.  But they are just empty signs.  Right now as I am typing, this keyboard is called a "keyboard" because we attribute this word to an object that contains keys or buttons with letters, numbers, and symbols on them that can be pushed down that is lined up on a board.  I can choose to call it something else.  But we know that for Christians, the WORD is neither empty not void of meaning.  The context in which we use "word" contains a deeper reality and a more profound truth.  But the "word" I am using here is just simply a stringing of letters that make up something to which we attribute a partic...

Sometimes we may feel like saying that to someone: " You know nothing... about me, about this situation, about anything. "  Think of a time when you had that experience.  What was happening?  Who was the other person?  What did you say or do?  How did it play out? In today's Gospel reading ( Jn. 11:45-56 ), after having listened to the Pharisees and Chief Priests bicker, debate, and discuss what to do with Jesus, the High Priest, Caiaphas said to them "You know nothing."  Then what followed was the suggestion that putting one man - Jesus - to death would be quite worth it in order to save the entire nation to perish.  Even though what was said seemed harsh, it was a prophecy.  It was a prophecy spoken by the High Priest that year, the instrument chosen by the Father to use to deliver such a prophecy.  Though Caiaphas thought only of saving the Jewish people by cutting ties with this Jesus by calling for His death, the prophecy, in the plan ...