In last week’s gospel, Jesus posed the question to his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Judging by his reaction to Peter, a fitting question to ask now is, “Who do you think you are?” His words appear to be spoken in anger and perhaps they were.

I imagine Peter was stunned when Jesus scolded him for his well intended advice by saying, “Get behind me, Satan!” What was so wrong about what Peter had said? Nothing really except that he was perhaps unwittingly trying to prevent Jesus from following God’s will.

While he meant well in his prayer that God would spare Jesus from the pains of crucifixion, Peter was refusing to accept God’s will. As Jesus pointed out, “You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Peter still expected the Messiah to be an earthly king who would rid his homeland of the Romans. Judging the situation at hand by human standards instead of God’s standards, he was an adversary bent on stopping Jesus from following God’s will.

So, who do you think you are? When we offer advice, do we ever ask ourselves if we are thinking as God does or are we thinking as human beings do? How often do we follow Peter’s example and set our sights on human concerns rather than the divine? More often than I suspect we care to admit or realize. In spite of their good intentions, many people give advice that cause others to trip and fall because they are ignoring God’s standards.

For example, pregnant women who for whatever reason cannot or will not accept the unborn child in their wombs are often advised to get an abortion. The advice may be a quick solution to the problem at hand but one thing Project Rachel revealed to me years ago is that few women are left emotionally or physically unchanged by a surgical procedure that takes less time to perform than a commute from here to Seattle. Down the road, some eventually discover the link between their abortion and their present health issues and when they do, they find themselves regretting that they had ignored God’s wisdom.

From the start of our faith journey at baptism until that point when God will judge us, there will be countless moments when people in our lives will advise us on what to do. Some counsel will be worth heeding while other advice will be well worth ditching. Be it advice we give or receive, we should ask ourselves, “Would Jesus give that same bit of advice?”

In his rebuke, Jesus raises a haunting question we cannot afford to ignore. “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” He is warning us that we will be repaid according to our conduct in this lifetime and if we focus on worldly things rather than him, we risk losing everything in the end. The damage caused by making choices that would not be deemed acceptable by God may seem insignificant but danger lurks anytime we ignore God’s wisdom.

Many of our neighbors consider themselves Catholic yet we rarely see them here at Mass. Convinced by others that missing Sunday Mass is not wrong, despite what the Church tells us, they are absent from the Eucharistic gathering for any number of reasons. That bit of worldly advice has lured them into a weekend routine that allows them to become even more distant from understanding God’s way of thinking.

Few Christians set out in life intent on ignoring God and identifying instead only with the world and its secular ways. Keep in mind that the path to conformity and worldliness, which Jesus cautions us to avoid, often begins with seemingly harmless steps yet eventually those who continue to venture down that path find themselves thinking less and less as God does, thus less able to see the value of his wisdom over worldly wisdom.

Paul advises us, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, and pleasing and perfect.” This can only be done through prayer. For Paul, a life lived according to God’s will is the most basic form of worship there is.

Jesus cautions that we cannot follow him unless we take up our cross. “Be ready to offer your life for my cause,” he is telling us. To be a committed Christian, one must be willing to suffer. Martyrdom isn’t the fate of most Christians but those who are committed to him accept the sufferings that come into their lives because of the choices they make for the sake of the Kingdom. They find themselves taking up crosses of inconvenience, of bearing witness, or for some, of martyrdom. That may not seem so attractive against the backdrop of worldly lures but Jesus also tells us that those who lose their lives for his sake will find it.

We are urged to think as God does regardless of the cost. God doesn’t want us to suffer but sometimes suffering and sacrifice might be required of us as we respond to our call as disciples.

Jeremiah, Paul, Peter, and Jesus all found themselves standing at crossroads where they had to decide which way to go: the way of their times or the timeless way of God. They all knew that ultimately the way of God would be the most satisfying yet also the more costly choice to make. They would agree with the poet, Robert Frost, who wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

The message of these readings is simple yet challenging. We should keep the advice we heard in mind when giving advice or before accepting advice, for the choice we make could make all the difference when the day comes that we find ourselves standing before the Son of Man.

1ST Reading: Isaiah 66: 18-21
2nd Reading: Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

Today’s scripture reminds us that we are on a journey, one that ends with eternal life with God. In today’s gospel Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, coming close to the end of his journey to the Father by the way of the cross.

We hear Jesus teaching and spreading the good news of salvation as he travels on his way. In Today’s first reading from Isaiah we find a similar scenario where missionaries are sent out to spread God’s word to those scattered throughout the nations, that is, those nations that are far off, thought of back then as distant lands. This is symbolizing that salvation is offered to all no matter where they are or who they might be.

God is offering salvation that is meant for all and today his kingdom

is offered to us through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Yes, we are on a journey and like Jesus, we are to proclaim the gospel message to all we meet on our way. We are to let them know that they too are invited to Jerusalem, yes, the banquet of the Lord. But before we can do this, we must know Jesus.

In today’s gospel, Jesus is talking with Jews who are very familiar with Holy Scripture. They are considered righteous, doing all that the “law” requires. They are, like us, regularly attending worship services, serving in the leadership of the Church, working for just causes.

They know a lot about God, however, one does not enter through the narrow gate by knowing about God.

The gate to the Kingdom of God is narrow and difficult, not because God made it that way, we do. We find it difficult and narrow because we believe that our knowledge about God, even our works for him, are the way. Jesus says “NO”. Being part of the Kingdom of God is not about what we do or what we know, it is about who we are. It is about a true relationship with him.

Jesus spent his life of ministry developing relationships. Many were interested in what Jesus had to say, a lot were interested in being healed by him, few were interested in being with him.

Jesus wants us to know him. There are many ways throughout scripture, that God reveals himself to human beings, but for God to come down, taking our humanity and walking this earth in the person of Jesus , shows how very much he wants us to know him.

It is good to know about Him. There are a lot of people who don’t know Jesus who know a lot about him. You don’t even need a book now days to hear about Jesus. We have the internet, radio, television. We hear people talk about Jesus, we gather to discuss the latest theology about Jesus. All this is good but is it the important thing for us?

It is good to do things for God. We do things to help others, easing their pain and suffering. We march for just causes and we stand up for the oppressed and abused. Good people do good things, however, what moves us, what energizes us to do these things? Do we do these things to support our egos, to look good in the eyes of others? Or, are we learning what Jesus is teaching us?

Jesus is showing his disciples, to include us, how to love as he loves; Unconditionally, no matter who you are, what you are, or where you come from. But it does take relationship. That’s how God made us.

You see, relationships take time. Knowing people takes time. Jesus spent time with his disciples. He walked with them. He went fishing with them. He ate with them. And Jesus spent the night with them.

Jesus didn’t need to spend time getting to know his disciples, he already knew them. Jesus spent time with them so that they could know him, so that he could model for them what they were to do when he was gone and Jesus shows us how even today, but we must be willing to be changed.

Yes, this is hard for us. We do get very comfortable with our imperfections, our human flaws. The thought of ourselves changing is hard for us. But through our relationship with Jesus Christ, change is inevitable.

Look at all of us here today. Do you think that what we hear in scripture, the people we interact with, changes us? Do you feel that the sacrament we receive, the Eucharist, the body and blood of our savior Jesus Christ, changes us and brings us so close to Jesus? You bet it does, and every time we meet on Sundays, we are changed that much more. It is all about relationship with Jesus Christ.

As we change by becoming ever closer to Jesus Christ, we learn to love as he loves and the by-product of that love, that relationship, is good works; we feed the hungry, we clothe the naked, we visit the sick, the homebound, the imprisoned. We stand up for what is right and good by protecting life from the womb to the tomb, and we protect the human dignity of all people through our Church’s Catholic social justice teachings. We take on the persona of Jesus in our own lives. That is true relationship.

If we believe that we are good enough to enter into the presence of God on our own merit, without a relationship with Jesus Christ, we will be among those knocking who will not be known. Not known because we have not recognized Jesus. There is no relationship.

The second reading talks about being strong and not losing faith. We hear from the letter to the Hebrews that “all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” This peaceful fruit is that relationship with Jesus Christ and the change in our hearts that comes from it leading us to the end of our journey to the Father.

And so, relationship costs. They cost time, energy, but God thought we were worth it. We are worth his time, his energy and even his life. Yes, we are on a journey and the gate is narrow, but it is open for us today.

We can open the narrow gate through a relationship with Jesus Christ, and in finding out who we really are, his disciples, walking this earth as he walked. We can step through that gate now and we will wonder why we waited so very long.

Two friends were eating lunch in a café; one was Chinese and the other was a Jew. Without warning, the Jew struck the Chinese fellow in the jaw, sending him sprawling. The Chinese man picked himself up, rubbed his sore jaw and asked, “What did you do that for?”

The Jew coldly replied, “For Pearl Harbor!” His response astounded the Chinese man. “Pearl Harbor? I didn’t have anything to do with Pearl Harbor. It was the Japanese who bombed Pearl Harbor.” The Jew replied, “Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, they’re all the same to me.”

The two men resumed eating their meals in silence but before long, the Chinese man leaned over and sent his Jewish friend flying with a hard slap. The Jew yelled out, “What was that for?”

The Chinese man icily responded, “The Titanic!” The Jew sputtered, “The Titanic? Why, I didn’t have anything to do with the Titanic!” Thereupon, the Chinese man snorted, “Goldberg, Steinberg, Iceberg…they’re all the same to me!”

Prejudice provides us with the basis for much humor but prejudice also hurts many people. My dictionary defines prejudice as either an irrational hostile attitude or preconceived negative opinions and judgments of others.

This gospel story does not present Jesus in the best light. Certainly, this encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman doesn’t appear to be one of the finer moments of his ministry. This foreign woman begs a favor she has no right to, bursting onto the scene, pleading for help. His reaction may surprise us but what we witness is a classic example of Jewish prejudice toward Gentiles in biblical times. Jesus implies that the Canaanite woman isn’t even human when he harshly responds to her heartfelt plea to save her daughter from demons, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Does his insult bother anyone here or have we grown numb to the pervasiveness of prejudice in our own society?

We tolerate many prejudices which in turn prompt us to exclude certain people from our lives. Growing up, the prevalent prejudice in our country was toward people of African heritage. Today, it seems to be aimed toward those who have recently immigrated to America from third world countries, legally or illegally. We hesitate to welcome the immigrant in our midst, complaining that they have taken away our jobs. For any number of reasons, we don’t think of their plight as our plight, or appreciate what they have to offer.

I can think of few emotional experiences more painful than being shunned. To be excluded can leave a person feeling humiliated, unwelcomed, or unloved. Being excluded can destroy a fragile self esteem, something many people struggled with in childhood.

Exclusion is a human tragedy God does not care to duplicate. At first, God promised the gift of salvation to a chosen few, the Israelites, but as we just heard in the final line from Isaiah, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” God now desires to include all peoples in his kingdom.

Overcoming the cultural bias of his time, Jesus extends mercy to this foreign woman and her ill daughter. Paul reminds us that God will have mercy on everybody. When we reach out to embrace the stranger in our midst, we are acting like our merciful God. Living the gospel means reaching out to others with mercy and compassion, no matter who they are.

Before Vatican II, many Catholics believed that salvation would only be experienced by good and faithful Catholics. In the third century, Saint Cyprian gave us the slogan, “Outside the Church, there is no salvation.” The Church never officially held such a position, teaching instead that those who seek God with a sincere heart will gain salvation.

Well, if the name of my faith doesn’t matter in my quest for salvation, what does? The simple answer is love. St. John tells us that God is love. In Genesis, we hear God saying, “Let us make man in our own image.” If God intended to make us in the image of love, we are being called to be people of love and if we are people of love, nothing can justify whatever prejudices we stubbornly cling to. Prejudice prompts us to build walls instead of bridges. How can love be generated if we continue to imprison ourselves?

After listening to the Canaanite woman, Jesus changed his mind about Gentiles and now could see that God’s kingdom was meant for all peoples. His conversion sets a good example for us to follow, that is, to reconsider our own prejudices. Instead of clinging to his prejudice of looking down on Gentiles, which was common in his culture, Jesus listened openly and was moved to now include this woman in his world and to embrace her.

At Vatican II, the hope was expressed that we as Church would seek to deal with our own prejudices. The bishops wrote, “With respect to the fundamental rights of the person, every type of discrimination, whether social or cultural, whether based on sex, race, color, social conditions, language or religion, is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God’s intent.”

We call ourselves Catholic for good reason, convinced that our message of salvation is meant for all peoples. If that dream is to come true, we must confront those prejudices we cling to, which prompt us to ignore anyone, even the person in the pew next to us. Unless we abandon our own prejudices, can we honestly consider ourselves to be people of love?

1st Reading: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a.
2nd Reading: Romans 9: 1-5
Gospel: Matthew 14: 22-33

Isn’t it true that when we hear or read scripture passages we find ourselves in the stories? I know I do. Some passages bring back memories of when I was a young boy or when I was in my teens. In fact, scripture touches every part of my life, as I am sure it does yours. Whether in good times or bad scripture stories touch our lives through our experiences in life. After all, scripture is the story of life and the struggles in being faithful to God.

In our first reading we hear dramatic details of heavy wind, earthquake and fire. Sounds like how Moses experienced the appearances of God. Yet it is not in those dramatic events that Elijah encounters God. Instead, God comes to Elijah unexpectantly in “a tiny whispering sound”. Without Elijah’s openness to the Lord’s coming in the whisper, he would not have recognized the Lord and received his new commission. This is what today is about, not losing focus on God through Jesus Christ, the one who saves.

In our times we also face other trials, other conditions that takes our focus away from God replacing our confidence in him with fear. We live in a world that finds lives torn apart from war, lives torn apart through natural disasters, lives torn apart through terrorist attacks on innocent people, lives torn apart through social injustices because of the lack of respect for the human dignity of all people, whether in the womb or those coming to the end of human life through sickness or old age, and much more.

Through all the situations of human life some wonder where is God in all this? The answers we hear are many and varied.

Some are complexing to us who believe! We hear; “It’s God’s will.” “There is no god”. Some ask “If God is such a good god, why does he allow such things to happen?” “How”, some ask, “can you believe in a God that allows such things to happen ?” What should we believe?

We have to go back to the beginning of things where, in Genesis, we find God creating order out of chaos, to create an ordered and purposeful universe. God gives us the dignity and task of joining with Him in bringing creation to completion. How dos He do this? He places us on earth.

He puts his faith in us to work with him in overcoming all that would smother life, charging us to be his stewards over the world. So, instead of questioning God maybe the ones who lost focus (faith) and even we need to ask ourselves’ “How well have we cooperated with God?” How well have we kept ourselves open to hearing his call? Have we kept our focus on God through Jesus Christ? Sometimes we fail at this, don’t we?

This brings us to Peter in our gospel passage, Peter, who is the rock upon which Jesus built his Church, losing focus (Faith) in Jesus Christ which causes him to start sinking in the water. Peter was walking on the world’s stormy waters. Peter relied on God’s presence in Christ-he was walking toward Jesus keeping his eyes fixed on him.

Then, disaster struck. Peter allowed fear to take hold of his heart. Fear made him move his attention, his focus, away from Christ and he became fixated on the stormy winds. At that moment, that split second he was not open to hear the Lord. Peter begins to sink but the Lord stretches out his hand to lift Peter up from possible drowning.

All of us need to know and pay attention to our fears. We need to remember that fear controls our choices more than any other force in our lives. Think of the decisions each one us has made, the actions 3 we have taken, that were based more on fear than of confidence, choices that were based more on fear than on love.

Who uses our fears against us? Do you know? That is right, the devil. Fear is one of the greatest weapons the devil uses.

Keep in mind that I am not talking about questions. With Jesus, it is fear that is the opposite of faith, not doubt. Questions are gifts that bring us to discoveries of truth. People who question have faith that there is an answer. What does fear bring? It brings despair, the opposite of faith. There are no questions. No questions, no truth.

Confidence is a word that I mentioned just a little bit ago. It is a word that we need to grasp onto today. We cannot have confidence when we are isolated and all alone (in Fear)! Peter had confidence and then he lost it. What happened? He started to sink because of his fear. He also had fear when he denied three times that he knew Jesus. Jesus was there for him but his decision, based on the fear of being persecuted, led him to make bad decisions. Can you see what I mean? Has this happened to us sometime in our lives? You bet.

Where there is confidence there is always someone else involved. That’s the point of today’s readings. One can find confidence, even in the worst of storms, even in the most chaotic of earthquakes and even in a quiet wind, as long as we keep our focus on God through Jesus.

We can go through the worst that life has to throw at us only if we keep our focus on God. No prayer? No confidence. No coming to mass every Sunday? No confidence. Not sharing in the life of the Church- in the body of Christ? No confidence. No receiving of the gifts and graces through the sacraments- Guess what? No confidence. Soon you will take your eyes off of Jesus, and just like Peter, you’ll begin to sink.

If we head Jesus, we will look at ourselves like St. Paul in our second reading. He would suffer as Jesus suffered for the sake of others in gaining their faith, so that they could experience the life in Christ.

Not easy to do but take a good look at what Jesus went through for you and me! This puts it all into context, doesn’t it?

I mentioned the word confidence, con-fidere, which means to believe with. So, where is God in all this? He is here. He is here in his Christ, his only Son, Jesus. Do we have faith? If so, we will have the confidence and the strength that comes with Christ’s presence in our lives. With His body and blood in the Eucharist to feed and nourish us, we will be able to face anything life throws at us. We will walk on the waters of life, towards Jesus, until we are home in his arms in heaven.

As I said at the beginning, we can relate to the stories in scripture because these stories are our stories.. Can you hear God’s voice now?

As we just heard, more than 5000 people had gathered to listen to Jesus and now they were hungry. The disciples noticed the need but took no action. “Dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves,” they urged Jesus. Doesn’t that sound so familiar? Let someone else solve the problem! But Jesus throws the ball back at them. “Give them some food yourselves.” What he said to them, he is saying to us, you can make a difference.

The only food around were five loaves and two fish, food that according to John’s gospel likely belonged to one boy. That boy gave what he had to Jesus, who then fed the hungry crowd. The boy’s generosity provided Jesus with an opportunity to show that an individual’s actions can make a difference.

The late newspaper columnist, Art Buchwald, illustrated this point with a story about his friend, Oscar. One day as they were getting out of a cab, Oscar said to the driver, “You did a super job of driving.” The cabbie looked at him and replied, “Who are you? A wise guy?” Oscar said, “Not at all. I really mean it. I admire the way you moved about in the traffic.” “Yeah, sure,” the cabbie mumbled as he drove off.

“What was that all about?” asked Art. “I’m trying to bring love back to New York,” replied Oscar. “How can you do that?” Art asked. “Take that cabbie,” Oscar explained, “I think I made his day. Let’s suppose he has 20 fares today. He’s going to be nice to those 20 people. They, in turn, will be kinder to other people. Eventually, the kindness could spread to a thousand people.” Art said, “You are developing into a nut.”

Just then they passed a construction site. The workers were on their lunch break. Oscar walked up to a group of them and said, “That’s a magnificent job you men are doing.” The workers eyed Oscar suspiciously. “When will it be finished?” Oscar asked. One of the hard hats grunted, “Next June.” “That’s great,” Oscar said, “It will be a splendid addition to the city.”

As they continued their walk, Art said to Oscar, “Boy, I haven’t seen anyone like you since the Man of La Mancha.” “That’s OK,” Oscar replied, “You can joke, but when these men digest my words, they will be better for it.”

“But,” Art argued, “even if they are better for it, you’re still only one man and one person can’t change New York City.” Oscar responded, “Yes he can. The big thing is not to get discouraged. Bringing love back to New York is not easy, but if I can get others to join me in my campaign, a difference will be noticed.”

Oscar’s message resonates with today’s gospel. One person can make a difference. One person can be an instrument for a miracle. If one concerned person can be the instrument for helping others, imagine the difference many concerned people can make.

Years ago, a middle-aged woman left behind a teaching career at a boarding school and walked into the slum of India’s largest city. She had two dollars in her purse, no income or place to call home. All she had was a deep conviction that God was calling her to make a difference in the lives of the poor and the dying. She felt that her needs would be taken care of.

That woman was Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. By the time she died in 1997 she had built 80 schools, 30 homes for the dying, and 70 clinics for lepers, all staffed by more than 40,000 workers. She had nothing to start with but the equivalent of a few loaves and fishes, but she made what she had available to God, who in turn, has made them available to thousands of people in need. She showed that one loving person could start a tidal wave of love.

The issue here isn’t just physical hunger. Months ago, our parish pledged to support Good Cheer, our local food bank, with our “3 peas in a pod” drive, urging you to bring paper products, protein products or personal hygiene products on the first weekend of each month. These items, which Good Cheer finds too costly to buy enough of, are items that even the poor need. Whatever you bring will make a difference in someone’s life next month and if every family brought one “pea” each month, imagine how many bags we could fill. In May, we donated over 300 lbs. but last month our donations dropped by half. The need is still there for Good Cheer feeds an average of 800 families monthly.

Mother Teresa used to say that the trouble with the world is that we’ve all forgotten that we belong to one another. It is easy to talk big about being God’s children and to say that Jesus is our brother, but do we really mean it? Do we live like God’s children or the sisters and brothers of Jesus? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Some times it takes a special experience to remind us what our kinship is all about: namely, being with one another.

Paul asked, “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” He then suggests that nothing can, but I am not so sure. Our selfishness, our reluctance to reach out to others in need could separate us from the love of Christ. God depends on us to do our share. Our poor, limited small talents, taken and blessed by him, are returned to our hands to share with others. If we fail to do so, both our gifts and his blessings go wanting.

If we should ever feel unloved by God, we have only ourselves to blame. As Pogo, a famous cartoon character of the mid 20th century whom many of us remember fondly, often said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”