We can take great comfort in trusting that Jesus loves us so much that he will do whatever it takes, even die, to protect us from the wolves that seek to scatter and catch us throughout our lives (John 10:11-18). Jesus, the good shepherd keeps us safe from those who pretend to care about us but work to separate, divide, control, and take advantage of us to feed their own selfish desire for power and financial gain. To remain safe, we only need to recognize and listen to the voice of Jesus, the good shepherd, and follow him.

The hour has come, we hear Jesus say in John's Gospel (2:20-33), as he prepared to fulfill his purpose, so that we could have eternal life with him. As we go through life, we too have hours that come and go. Some of those hours are good, times to celebrate, times we can hardly wait for, and times that once we're there, we never want to end. When Jesus's hour had come, it wasn't one of those times.

In the Gospel of John (1:19-22), we hear the Pharisees ask John the Baptist, “Who are you?”. That's a question that can be directed to each one of us, “Who are you?”

Knowing who we are is one of our basic human needs. When we know who we are, we are confident, calm, and have a sense of purpose. Knowing who we are determines what we believe, and our beliefs affect what we do and how we live. Knowing who we really are is important.

Several years ago, I worked at the GM Proving Grounds in Milford. In the mornings, to get to my office I would walk through an underground, pedestrian passageway which led from the parking lot to the building. In the mornings, I would often pass a man leaving and I would say good morning to him. He would usually not reply, just stare at the floor, and walk by.

Sometimes when I'm downtown at Catholic Charities people will ask me if I can hear their confession. I tell them I cannot because I am a Deacon and not a priest. That leads to a brief catechetical discussion on the difference between deacons and priests in the Catholic Church.  I offer that if they wish to go somewhere a little bit more private and spill their guts and get off their chest whatever they're carrying around, that I would be willing to listen.  When we are done, we could pray about it and put it in God's hands. I let them know that if they wish to have their sins forgiven, we have priests that come every Thursday for mass, and they would be happy to hear their confession.

In scripture, we encounter a God who is continually working to gather us back to himself.  In Exodus (19:2-6) we hear God working through Moses to gather the Israelites to himself by telling them that they will be his special possession if they listen to his voice and keep his covenant.

In Matthew (9:36-10:8) we have Jesus amongst a crowd of people who were troubled, confused, and left to spiritually fend for themselves.  He felt pity for them. They were vulnerable to those who would separate, divide, and scatter; those who would lead them away from a loving relationship with God;  lead them away from true happiness, peace, and freedom;  lead them away from the one who came to save them.

Through Catholic Charities and with the help of others, we were able to do a funeral and burial service for a man named John a couple of weeks ago.  John was 66 years old and homeless.  His life was a struggle. He was living in abandoned houses around the city and, back in March, came to Catholic Charities for help.  One of the counselors spoke with him and convinced John to spend that night in the warming center and not in some cold, dirty, dangerous place by himself, and that they would talk the next morning. John fell asleep in the Catholic Charities Warming Center and never woke up. 

It was a blessing for us to conduct this funeral and burial for a man we considered our guest, but who the rest of society didn’t see. At the cemetery, in addition to John, we had the honor to lay to rest the remains of seven others who no one claimed. It was a sad reminder for us that there are many people in our world who are invisible, unknown, have no one to care for them and who’s passing from this world just goes unnoticed.

At Catholic Charities I encounter many people who are struggling with trials of one type or another and some who are out right suffering. I see how many respond to the trials in their life.  The people who inspire me are those who seem joyful in the middle of it all and go about taking the steps they can to help improve their situation.  But how do they have joy?

Suffering is not fun, and it doesn’t bring us a sense of happiness.  But those who are joyful see it from a different perspective.  To them every trial is an opportunity.  It’s a chance to reflect and take stock of their faith in Jesus. A chance to discern how much they really trust him. A time when instead of distancing themselves from him and trying to comfort themselves on their own or in a strange way the world tells them, with the help of the Holy Spirit, they intentionally turn towards Jesus, draw closer to him, lean on him, and love him even more. With the help of the Holy Spirit, their trials actually nourish their life with Jesus. It’s this life with Jesus that gives us them power to engage, endure, overcome, and even be joyful in it all, making things they face seem a little less frightening.  Where can I get this life with Jesus?  It comes from our belief in him.

Over the years, living in a house with my wife and two daughters, I have been very blessed to see how mothers and daughters relate to one another and how their relationships can change. When our girls were young and everything seemed new to them, my wife was excited to do kid stuff; blow bubbles, make s’mores in the summer and snowmen in the winter, or bake cupcakes and cookies. I saw much fun and love, even though everything wasn’t always smooth and easy.

Every Disciple will be like his teacher. Back in the 90’s when I worked at Buick, I can recall that the manager of our factory at the time always wore a sweater vest. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but it just set him apart from how other managers dressed in suits and ties. It wasn’t long that I noticed that most of the other men I worked with started to wear sweater vests too. Some looked good in them, others not so much. I don’t think it was a fashion trend at the time but the men, were becoming like their leader at least in the way they dressed. Could this be what Jesus means when he says that every disciple will be like his teacher? Maybe not, but we will become like our teacher. We will become like the one we follow. Jesus gives us a choice. A choice to follow and become like him or, follow others and become like them.

Often during Lent we hear the story of the Woman at the Well (John 4:5-42). According to some biblical scholars, back at that time most women went to the well early in the day before it became too hot. Young men knew this and would often go to the well too. Not to get water, but possibly to find a wife. They didn’t have Tinder or any of the dating apps we do now, and you didn’t go to the bar; you went to the well.

If that’s the case then it can give us a little bit different perspective on why the woman in our story. She had five husbands and was living with another man. Along with wanting to avoid judgement, and gossip, maybe with all the man trouble in her life, she didn’t need another one, so she went when she thought none would be there. And then she meets the one man she did need in her life. She met Jesus.

I was recently reflecting on one of St. Paul’s letters, I was reminded of “why” Catholic Charities exists…..for no other reason but simply …TO LOVE.

Read what St. Paul says (1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:8)

“The Way of Love. But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;

if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing

As we approach Christmas, I am sure the thoughts of presents have crossed your mind. Today I want us to think about presents. Not presents that we wrap in paper to give and receive at Christmas, but presence. Six years ago, in a small town, far, far away, where the road ends, my mom passed away. (I come from a small town in the UP.) There was no newspaper that we could place an obituary in time to notify people of a funeral. But there was a local woman, Jan Tucker, who did a daily radio talk show that just about everybody listened to.

We are bombarded daily with opinions. Especially with social media, it seems like there are an infinite number of people, organizations, that try to play with our emotions, keep us from thinking and then tell us what we “should” do. If we get caught up in this space, we can become confused, led astray, and even do things against the will of God. So, who do we listen to? Who is the real authority? What is the truth?

Jesus’ question to his disciples is an interesting one. Can you drink the cup I drink? Preoccupied with their desires for greatness, their answer seems like it might have been a little premature, like they didn’t really understand the cup Jesus would drink. The cup was his redemptive suffering.

Everything Jesus suffered, the condemnation, the whipping and beating, spitting, name calling, humiliation, the crown, the cross, the nails, the abandonment, and finally his death had a purpose. The purpose for all that suffering was for us, so that we might be redeemed. So that we might be freed from the clutches of evil and sin in the world, that draws us away from Him and returns us to the loving embrace of God our father. Jesus suffered to rescue you.