What is Trust?

One of my Parish Deacons spoke this as the homily this last Sunday, in response the readings, which I have also included at the end. I hope you enjoy it as much as me.  

By Joseph Laird, Deacon, Archdiocese of Omaha

What is trust? For a banker, trust is a place you put your money in for someone in the future. For a parent, trust is where you believe in your child that they will do what they say they will do by following up with an action that they actually did it. In a relationship, trust is being vulnerable, open, and honest to those closest to you where you share yourself knowing they will not take advantage of you.

Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, defined that trust in today’s Gospel in his words “my sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” We are his sheep that he leads. However, we need to trust him and take that first step and let him lead us.

Why is Jesus referred to as the Good Shepherd you ask? To understand this we need to know what a shepherd is to their sheep. A shepherd extremely values their sheep.  Sheep provide the shepherd wool, skins, milk, meat to eat, and are the means of their survival. However, sheep have no ability to defend themselves. The shepherd will do everything in his power not to have the sheep wander off, be snatched away, or eaten by wolves. A shepherd is dedicated and provides personal attention to each and every one. They know the ones that will stray or lag behind and they will find the missing ones and carry them back to the fold. Sheep find comfort when they see or hear the shepherd’s voice.

We have all been a shepherd at one time or another. It could be at work or as a parent. I am reminded of a time where I took my flock, who consisted of my daughter, my wife Rene’, my 3-year-old son, and Rene’s 84-year-old mom, to paradise. Ok, it really was not paradise it was actually a road trip to Disneyland. It was a nice August day where we saw every prince and princess you could image, we saw Donald, Pluto, and the star of the attraction, the mouse with the big antenna ear … yes it was Mickey. We walked all over the park, rode the many rides, and then it happened in mid afternoon; I lost one of my flock… my 3-year-old son. Rene’ and I asked Rene’s mom to sit and wait as we scurried all over looking for him. There were people everywhere and Joey could not be found. Well we did find him and when he saw us he was not in a panic because he trusted we would be there. When we went back to get Rene’s mom, we found out she also went missing. Another frantic search ended when we went to lost and found and there she was in an air conditioned room as relaxed as can be. Both trusted that I would find them.

Those who love Jesus also trust him to shepherd them. It is not by faith alone that we can be led but it is by love. It is not just by conviction but it is a willingness to want to be cared for by him. However, it’s our sin and self doubt that prevents him from caring for us. Our sin is not too great that he would turn away from us. No obstacle too big that he would not open his arms to us and call us home. May the thought of this urge us on and stir in our hearts that Jesus truly loves us. Sure there will be obstacles in our way as we journey home but we should not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Jesus also values each and every member of his flock. No one is valued any higher than the other. He values the young to the very old.

In today’s 1^st reading Paul was preaching at Antioch, some of the Jews did not want to listen to Him. They were jealous because of the crowds that listened to Paul preach the word of God. The Jews did not see that Jesus loves all his whole flock and not just a few. However, since they rejected it, Paul turned to the Gentiles who were delighted when they heard the good news.

How can we trust and follow this mere man who taught radical things like “love your neighbor as yourself.” How can we trust a man who offers eternal life to those not like us. Do we react as the Jews in jealousy that Jesus loves those who are different than us? Do we judge those who are of different ethnic backgrounds, political beliefs, social or economic status?  Are they truly different than we are? Is it our prejudices and blindness that keep us from trusting in him?

Prior to him becoming pope, Pope Francis, once said “we need to avoid the spiritual sickness of a Church that is wrapped up in its own world: when a Church becomes like this, it grows sick.”

We are all called to go out to find the lost sheep to journey with us and experience the love of Jesus. We are all called to invite our family home back to the flock. In the words of Pope Francis, “We seek to make contact with families that are not involved. Instead of just being a church that welcomes and receives, we try to be a church that comes out of itself and goes to the men and women who do not participate, do not know much about it, and are indifferent toward it.”  Pray for all the lost sheep and invite them to a relationship with Jesus.

Jesus unconditionally loves and protects us. He will lead us to springs of life giving water. Jesus, as Good Shepherd, will never abandon us and in him we are safe. We will not hunger or thirst anymore when we trust in him. Open yourself up to him and let him lead you and as long as we follow him, our destiny is sure.

This week reflect on this one question… do I trust in Jesus to lead me?

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 13:14, 43-52

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats. Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.”

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region.  The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city,  stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5

R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song.

R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends.

R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations.

R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Reading 2 Rev 7:9, 14b-17

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

Then one of the elders said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“For this reason they stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Gospel Jn 10:27-30

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

The Largest Pillar to Fall

A devout protestant argues for months, becomes Catholic. Oh Lordie, there is so much to tell. and here is the first:

The Largest Pillar to Fall

Martin Luther said, “Justification is the article on which the Church stands or falls.”

                If the reader of this knows anything about the reformation, he/she should know that Luther was not the whole reformation, but got a serious ball rolling for others. So I will often refer back to Luther, and you might say “but I don’t like or agree with Luther.” That doesn’t matter. What matters first is why the reformation happened at all. Bear this in mind.               

                Before Luther, there were many reformers. Most of these reformers wanted a moral reformation – a challenge to a 700 year problem for corrupt positions in the Church, including the Pope.  Luther was a solid advocate of a reformation against the corruptions of the Holy Catholic Church. In his well heard of “95 Theses” there were several issues Luther addressed boldly.  Ever read them? They are available online these days. Have a look. You will see him pointing out three recurring problems: 1) the power of a Pope, 2) the corruption of the church, 3) the issue of indulgences.  Indulgences were the chief issue, but I see three common topics. Either way, these were the mainstream issues he spoke out against in the beginning of his ministry. Even during this time, Luther often was heard speaking that there was no single issue that should cause him to break free from Rome (the Roman Catholic Church). Bear in mind he was no layman, he was indeed a devout monk turned priest ordained and anointed. He wanted the unity of the Church to remain integral in whatever happened. But, his invocation as the Diet of Worms “here I stand,” and the “article on which the Church stands or falls” are central to the reformation.  Why the change of heart? He was probably angry as the years went by. Trying to have someone kidnapped, misleading them to a castle tower, and other things might do that…

                So what was the position on justification exactly? Luther’s view was Justification by “Faith Alone.” In the Latin it is “Sola Fide.” To fill the reader in, the Catholic view of Justification is and has always been ‘Faith + Works.’ To me, as a protestant at the time, this didn’t seem too foolish. Of course salvation was from Faith alone!  I recall to my mind what St. Paul says in Romans 3, about not boasting of works, because it has nothing to do with salvation. When Luther was challenged by scripture such as James 2:24, “you see that a man is justified by works and not faith alone.” Luther responded by calling the Book of James “an Epistle of Straw,” inciting it should be burned. Well there is a serious contention there between Paul and James, right? Does Paul not also say in Galatians 5:6, “what is important is faith expressing itself in love.” Does James not echo this saying, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:27). You can check out the Greek if you please about what I am saying but the best thing to do is take into context the scripture here. Paul, when he says works have nothing to do with salvation was speaking of works of the law, and later is referring to charitable works. Well, hey, so is James. James also is referring to obedience to God in the works.

                Any plain reader can see that the Catholic view is clearly derived explicitly from scripture. This is rare. I will write about it another time, but the doctrines of Christianity are very rarely explicit from the Scriptures; rather they are very implicit. It was only with new heresies that the Church saw the need to define, dogmatize, or opinionate the Churches official position. A perfect example is the Trinity. For now, just know, or learn to see that the primary reason Luther gave us for the Schism is completely unbiblical itself. Heavens knows how this actually took off as an academic apology for Christendom, but I can see where people wanted away from the corruptions of the Church. What’s terrible is that the reason for this break, “faith alone” is found nowhere in the Bible. But, don’t rush into the judgment. Catholics do not count faith as important as works, or vice versa. Any Deacon, Priest, Bishop, or Pope will tell you that the faith-filled relationship is the utmost important! It is a huge misunderstanding that the Catholic Church weighs so heavily on works.

                So I have pretty simply laid it out for the reader. You can do as I did, and check out the debates on youtube, or the ones in text. They are all over the Internet. You will see that neither back down, but I think it is easily discernible that the Catholic tradition of “faith and works” for justification is a better argument, and is biblical as well. And that brings up a big point on the benefit of the Catholic view. They have +2000 years of this belief in faith and works. It is no modern opinion, or a response to Luther, or anything else; it was echoed throughout the ages from the very beginning. This is so important as you will hear many these days say, “well, the Catholic Church does not look like the New Testament Church we observe in scripture.” Point taken. But according to whom? This can drag out a whole separate issue, but really, if we look at scripture only, and ignore traditions, we wind up in a very harmful spot. I know, I will be blasted for that, but I will explain the scripture and tradition thing another day. Stick with me for now.

If you followed along, you saw where in scripture we observe faith and works and not just faith alone. Paul said, “do not get into vein arguments.” Some would call this a stupid argument, “they both teach the same thing.” Well, yes, Protestant pastors will teach that faith without works is dead faith, but will not include works in justification. Whatever the case, if it is such a silly topic then that should certainly create some doubt in your mind for Luther’s and the other reformers (who all agreed, by the way, with Luther) reason for starting the reformation and deciding that a schism with the Church was more important.

That is the greatest pillar to fall for my foundation for Protestantism. I was not the first or the last, but after I realized that Luther was not in sync with the historical church, all of Protestantism began to make much less sense, and was much less necessary, and much less truthful.  So don’t get me wrong, Protestant churches are great, and they preach, mostly, the Truth, but it is not the whole truth. In fact, there is only one Church that says it is infallible.

Please write me with questions: shaunmc04@gmail.com