Our Lady Of Lourdes Podcast

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time--Deacon Darell's First Homily by Lourdes Denver

Enjoy the "hike" instead of the "car ride" with your faith. Matthew 13 is this week's Gospel reading, and is the center of Jesus's Gospel teaching. He speaks in seven parables. Isaiah 6--"You shall indeed hear, but never understand, you shall indeed see but never perceive." We are so insistent on knowing what God wants for us, directly, but why doesn't he? He tells parables because they are meant to engage your heart. Being a Christian is not just knowing what to do, but it's about knowing your heart. Jesus wants our heart. That's what parables are all about. If you think the parables are for someone else, you aren't listening. Father Brian encourages us to read the upcoming week's Gospel, prayerfully, and we will get more out of it during Mass. Listen, because hardness of heart has prevented us from hearing the truth. Christians are meant to act, not spectate. If you want to follow Christ, you are going to have to take a chance and leave something behind in our lives to truly become free and find the trut

Judaism and Christianity paved the way to the tool for rest. We do not honor the Sabbath because it is a burden. The Sabbath reminds us that we do not belong to this world--to its mediocrity, consumerism, politicism, and demand for our souls. Rest on the Sabbath to grow closer as a family. Rest on the Sabbath to rejuvenate to better conquer your week. Rest on the Sabbath to stand out, and rest on the Sabbath because it is a gift from God to remind us we are not slaves of this world.

Rocky Balboa, Punching Bags, and Pursuing God's Virtues! When you pursue your own satisfaction and your own virtues, then you are no longer pursuing God's. When there's a great story that touches you, it's not enough to watch; you want to be a part of it. Kids get this the most--it's not enough to hear the story, they want to be a part of it. "In Christianity there are no spectators." If we get the true significance of Christianity, our heart will be beating in our chest, and we won't be able to sit still! We'll never find fulfillment and happiness as a spectator.

We were born into a condition where things "aren't right." Romans 5: "As sin came into the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and so death spread to all men." No one expects the brand new, baptized baby will forever be sin-free, and original sin doesn't mean the baby did something wrong, it means that something wrong with our human hearts. We rejoice in things we shouldn't--we love ourselves more than others. We have to fight an uphill battle to become the people we are supposed to be. Some people believe there will be no more sin as long as we keep pursuing knowledge. We must ask ourselves, "What is wrong with the world," which, in turn, will lead us to the question of God. Also from Romans 5 "The free gift is not like the sin of Adam and Eve. If many died through one man's tresspass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift of grace of The One Man, Jesus Christ, abounded for man." We, as Christians, are not meant to be normal. The grace of God is meant to conquer in you.

As Father Brian returns from the Holy Land, he enlightens us about the most incredible gift ever to be bestowed upon us--the gift of the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As we struggle with wounds from our interactions with society, we tend to desire to withdraw from our relationships, entirely, just as in the story, Into the Wild, which is based on a true story. Father Brian highlights the main point revealed of that story--"An unshared happiness is not happiness." The moments that mean the most in life are the moments we share together--and there's a word for it... Tune in to find out what it is! ... and yes, it relates to Corpus Christi!

Hear from guest priest, Fr. Jim Thermos, how blessed we are to partake in the deepest form of God's Love, and the foundation of the Church--the Holy Trinity. Without all three parts of the Trinity, God himself would not be possible, because it is a complete exchange of God as a complete person, and the Alpha and Omega.

Guest Priest, Monsignor Jed Patrick fills in for Fr. Brian during his trip to the Holy Land and enlightens us about the privilege of helping the poorest of the poor in developing countries. He highlights the ways we can help with even the smallest contribution. Just $2,500 will build a home for a family, and just $500 can bring clean water to a village. Their mantra: “delivering food, shelter and hope for the poorest of the poor.”

Based on the request from the Archdiocese, Fr. Brian Larkin addresses the importance of maintaining the sanctity of life, with regard to the Assisted Suicide bill that recently passed in Colorado. Also noted are the important points that once a person has agreed to follow through with assisted suicide, a priest can no longer present the sacrament of The Anointing of the Sick, and there would be no time for the sacrament of reconciliation once the pills are administered. Shortly thereafter, he switches gears and speaks about The Ascension of The Lord, and how St. Patrick truly brought the Irish people to Christianity because he had a mission that gave him purpose. He was able to face trials and tribulations with joy, because of his God-given purpose to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth, which, at the time, he believed he had fulfilled. ...Are you that kind of person?

Fr. Brian Larkin explains the simplicity of evangelization--if you are kind and personable and you love Jesus, you will go far in the evangelization world. "Love without truth is sentimentality." He describes the absurdity with relativistic thinking, because Jesus made it clear: "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life." --All religions are not the same.

May 14, 2017

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