Promises

 “Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the Lord appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed. So Moses decided, ‘I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned.’ When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ He answered, ‘Here I am.’” Then God said to him, “Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?’ He answered, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you: when you bring my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this very mountain.’” (Exodus 3: 1-4, 10-12)

As Moses approached the burning bush, did he in his wildest dreams imagine that it would be God speaking to him? When he realized it was God and that God wanted to use him as one of his leaders, Moses balked at the idea. Was it out of humility that he protested? Did he think he wasn’t worthy? Or did he protest out of fear or because he knew that what God was asking of him would be very difficult? I encounter families every day who are facing one of the most difficult things that could be asked of them. They are faced with their child being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and having to undergo cancer treatment. I know that most of these parents, if not all of them, would take the pain and suffering on themselves rather than watch their child endure the terrible treatments.

The mother of a teen recently diagnosed with cancer mentioned that she has never felt closer to Mary then she does now as she watches her son suffer. His very life is threatened and there was no way to prevent this from happening. Her son is united with Christ on the cross and she is united with Mary, unable to take this cross from her son. God tells Moses that that he will be with him and even promises proof that it is He who is asking this of him. This very promise that he gave to Moses is the same promise he gives to each of us, I’ll be with you. As we are faced with the struggles of this life let us always remember that we are never alone and God will not abandon us.  

Faithful Servant

 “The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’” (Matthew 25:20-21)

Today was the funeral and burial of a beloved Cistercian monk, Fr. Matthew Kovács. I wasn’t able to attend the funeral today but I did attend the Rosary last night. Fr. Matthew was born in Hungary and in 1949 entered the novitiate in the Cistercian Abbey of Zirc, experiencing the last 10 months of the monastery’s existence before its suppression by the Communists. Our Lady of Dallas, a monastery of the Cistercian Order was founded by refugees from Hungary. The monastery founded Cistercian Preparatory School in Irving, Texas and Fr. Matthew was a teacher for many years. Each decade of the Rosary was led by one of the Cistercian monks that had been one of his students, including the present Abbot. After the recitation of the rosary, a couple of people spoke to those who had gathered in the chapel. One of them was a young priest who recounted the story of his first interaction with Fr. Matthew. It was a simple yet beautiful story of a terribly shy 10 year old boy and a Hungarian monk. Not many words were exchanged but the simple act of the monk climbing on his desk to reach his stash of cookies and then offer them to this young man left a memory that will never be forgotten. The simple act of sharing cookies began the journey of this young man becoming a Cistercian monk who will also live out the rest of his life in this same monastery that Fr. Matthew helped establish. There was such joy in this young priest’s telling of this story. My first encounter with Fr. Matthew was a little humorous and each time I think back on it I can’t help but smile.

His obituary spoke about the trials he endured during Communism and the long arduous journey of his becoming a priest. It was a good reminder to us all that we must always persevere through hardships and keep our eyes on Christ. While the grief will be great for many whose lives were touched and forever changed by their encounters with Fr. Matthew, there is comfort in knowing that he died peacefully in his sleep and is now rejoicing with our King. It is comforting to know that we have another saint watching over us and interceding for us. What a great model of a good and faithful servant we have in Fr. Matthew.

The Lost Sheep

“Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, ‘Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 10:1, 5-6)

Jesus came for all mankind. He came for the gentiles and the Jews; the pagans and the Samaritans. But in today’s gospel he is instructing his disciples to focus on the lost sheep of Israel. 

God sometimes asks the same of us. He wants us to focus on those in our own family who have strayed from the Church and to reach out to them. Maybe it is a sibling, a spouse or a child; or it may be our parents. We need to pray for them daily and provide opportunities for them to voice what is on their heart. Maybe they feel that God abandoned them at some point in their life. Maybe they feel shunned by the church because they are divorced or had a bad experience in confession with a priest who was judgmental instead of merciful. The church is made up of sinners and we sometimes do hurtful things to one another. But as disciples we must present the divine, unchanging Truth to each person in such a way as to make it understood and loved. ~ Elizabeth Lesuer

We hear many references to sheep in scripture, especially lost sheep. In Matthew’s Parable of the Lost Sheep, the question is asked. “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” (18:12-14)

There are so many lost sheep. Our world is full of sin, pain, hatred and death. At times the burdens of this life seem too great to bear. Often, it is during times like these that people turn away from God. But we must continue to be a hopeful people and trust in His promise. Others look to those that claim to be Christian especially during trials. They look to see if we remain hopeful and trust in God even when things look hopeless. Do we offer everything to God in prayer or do we become bitter and angry when we are faced with horrible circumstances? Do we continue to praise Him in the storm? Our life is our witness to others and how we respond to the circumstances in our life can help draw others closer to Christ or lead them further astray.  There is much rejoicing when one of the lost sheep is found and brought home.  Dear Lord, help me to lead other to you just as others led me back to you when I was so lost. I want others to know the love and mercy that I have experienced upon returning to you with a humble and contrite heart. Amen.