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.

In this story we hear about Jesus’ and his disciples making their way to Capernaum, and the disciples arguing with each other about who was the greatest. How would you feel, listening to that? It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t stop them in their tracks and tell them to just be quiet, that he didn’t want to hear their self-centered babbling or, give them a good talking to, to correct them. Instead, he patiently waited until they got to a house, went inside, didn’t scold them, but taught them. And he does the same for us. We spend time with Jesus, to listen to him, and learn something about what it takes to be a disciple of his.

Today we hear Jesus telling us the parable of the talents. You’ve probably heard this story before. It gives us a warning and a blessing. It lets us know that if we invest the talents God has given us, we will enter into the joy of his kingdom. That’s what we’re after isn’t it, joy with God? But this teaching raises some questions. First what talents has God given me? How do I invest them and, how does this lead to a joyful existence with God in his kingdom?

Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

Jesus sent his apostles out two by two. He told them how to travel and what to do. In this passage they return and tell Jesus all they had done. After their work, Jesus knew they would need to recharge for what was coming next so, he responded to them by inviting them to come away to a deserted place to rest a while. Jesus is reminding all of us, that even when we are doing his work, it’s important for the health of our soul to rest.

Over the years, living in a house with my wife and two daughters, I’ve been blessed to see how mothers and daughters relate to one another and how their relationships change. When our girls were young I saw much fun and love, even though everything wasn’t always smooth and easy. Time passed and adolescence set in. There was shopping, clothes, emotions, conflict, even tears sometimes, and still much love. As they make their own way in the world, their relationship with their mom becoming a beautiful, loving friendship.

This reading of the woman with the hemorrhage is one of my favorites. Now that may sound gross, and I don’t like blood. In fact the sight of it can make me queasy. This woman spent a lot of time and all of her money on doctors who tried to cure her, but they only made things worse. She suffered even more. Somebody told her about Jesus. And they must have done a pretty good job because she believed that, if she could just touch his cloak, she would be healed.

Mk 4:35-41

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,

Jesus loves you so much that he wants always to be with you, and for you to be where he is. He died for you, so that your sins could be forgiven and no longer separate you from him. He rose from the dead, he is alive and will be with you and you can be with him forever. The Gospel is the love of Jesus. We provide hope to others when we proclaim it.

When we take the time to know and be in the presence of the Holy Spirit we feel different, we feel safe, grateful, and blessed. The Holy Spirit is all around us and when it comes into us, we act out of love instead of worry and need for control. We choose to do the more loving thing, and not the more selfish thing. With the Holy Spirit, we can be content, we can live with calmness and reassurance, we can live at peace.

The other day a woman came to the Catholic Charities Center for Hope in downtown Flint. Eve (not her real name) was probably in her mid-60’s and had recently become homeless. She said she hadn’t slept in the 3 days it took her to find her way there. During the couple of hours she spent there, Eve was provided, with food to eat, more clothes to wear, personal items to use, a bible to feed her spirit, and finally driven to a place to stay. She was looking forward to a warm bath and a bed to sleep on. Eve’s basic human and spiritual needs were provided for.

Mother’s Day will be here soon. We all have earthly mothers, someone who gave birth to us. Some of our moms are still with us here on earth. Some of our moms have left this life and moved on to the next. My earthly mom passed away six years ago after struggling with mental illness for 20 years. Just before she passed away though, God gave me hope in a clear vision in a dream that she would be okay. And I often still pray for her that she is there in heaven with her mom, dad, and sisters.

Each of our relationships with our mother is different and personal. For some of us, our relationships are loving, and tender and our mother cares for, teaches, and nurtures us. But for some, the relationship, for one reason or another, is not so healthy. Our mother may seem mean, indifferent, or even absent, and thinking about the relationship can be upsetting. How then, can we celebrate Mother’s Day in a healthy, uplifting way?

Only when a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, will it produce fruit. This is how life renews itself. For us this is an ongoing process. We are constantly letting things go, letting things die, as we move through life. Last year prior to the pandemic, we were used to how thing were unfolding. We thought the way things were done was the way. We were so full of life. Then the sickness came and the way we were doing things had to die. But, we didn’t die. We created, new opportunities and new ways to stay in community with one another were opened to us. Out of the death of one life, a new way of doing things, a new life was formed.

Even the need to wear masks caused how we physically looked at each other to die, but we didn’t stop seeing. We wore masks that reflected our personality, we learned to smile with our eyes. For me, it gave me permission to look you in the eye. What did I see? A great beauty that I might have missed had this death not happened.

As we begin Holy Week, I am reminded of the gospel of John 1:35-42 when we hear Jesus ask the two who were following him, “What are you looking for?” It’s a question he is asking each and every one of us right now.

Sometimes our answer is a practical one. What are you looking for? I can’t find my cell phone anywhere and I’m lost without it. If you pray to him, Jesus may indeed, help you find your phone. But if we only pray for convenient solutions to life’s trials, we may realize at some point that this is probably not the answer Jesus has in mind. So at some point he will ask again, “Really, what are you looking for?”

Back in the day, there used to be a thing called P90X. It was an intense workout routine guaranteed to give you a totally ripped body in 90 days. Well, what if there was a more intense exercise in spiritual perseverance that, if you stick with it, will bring you closer to Jesus and transform you in let’s say 40 days. How would that work?

We all have things in our life that if used in excess can strain our relationship with others and Jesus by taking time away from them. Maybe it’s our phone, social media, pod casts, videos, or video games. Being to busy and over scheduling, even if they’re good things, can rob us of investing valuable time in our faith and with those most important to us.

We would like to introduce Deacon Ken Preiss. We are so excited to have him with us here at Catholic Charities of Shiawassee & Genesee Counties to provide counsel and healing to those seeking change in their lives. That his words provide you guidance and comfort.

Deacon Ken Preiss is just a normal guy. He lives in Fenton with his of wife of 31 years, Karen. His daughter Madeline is a Neonatal Nurse living in Texas and his youngest, Kate is a senior at Kettering University studying chemical engineering. Before becoming a deacon, he worked as a Project Manager at General Motors for 33 years.