God's free Gift of Love

I will never forget the first time my wife told me she loved me. We had been dating each other exclusively for a year when she told me to sit down; she had something to tell me. Not the most encouraging way to start a conversation so I was not prepared to hear “I love you”. I was not expecting it for she had always hesitated to say these words. They meant too much for her to just casually say. For my wife, to tell someone you loved them was an ultimate declaration not lightly said and not to be taken back once said.

Her love gave my feelings value. It was a wonderful feeling but with love comes a great responsibility. My next thought was one of apprehension. I had to be worthy of that love. I had to respond in such a way that conveyed my feelings for her and to the love she has for me.

I cannot make my wife love me nor can my wife make me love her. These are choices we both freely make. God’s love is given to us freely. St. Paul tells us God’s love is a gift. It is not something we can earn. God’s love for us is so great that he gave his only Son for our salvation. Through the Son’s death and resurrection, God has made a place for us in heaven. Accepting God’s love is our choice but it can be hard for some. We may spend too much time thinking of our flaws and imperfections. We may not feel worthy of God’s love. We have to remember that Jesus tells us he did not come into the world to condemn. He came into the world to save us. Jesus knows our flaws, he know our imperfections and still he came; freely.

God’s gift of love can be accepted or rejected. God does not make or demand we love him. We are not forced into a decision to love God. God has given us the freedom to respond to his love. Has God's free gift of love been accepted? How are we responding to the acceptance of God's love? Is it heard in our words? It is shown in our deeds? It is the mercy we show to others? Are we feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty and sheltering the homeless? Are we keeping the commandments?

Let this be your prayer today; that your words and deeds be always a reflection of your acceptance of God’s love for you. (Modified version of Bulletin Column dated March 11, 2018)

Holy Week Celebrations (Bulletin Column 20150329

Today is the beginning of Holy Week. It commemorates Christ Passion starting with his messianic entrance into Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday we read the people crying out as Jesus enters the city, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” We move forward quickly to the Liturgy of the Word where we enter into the passion of our Lord. We will hear of the torture, pain and death Jesus endures for our salvation. The Gospel reading should remind us that we do not want to become part of the crowd screaming “Crucify him.”

The evening Mass on Holy Thursday will mark the beginning of the Paschal Triduum. On Holy Thursday the Mass readings take us away from the passion of Christ to the calmer time of Jesus celebrating the Passover meal with his Apostles. We recall what the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church has called the source and summit of Christian life. Jesus, in anticipation of his sacrifice on the cross, institutes the Holy Eucharist. He tells us the bread has become his body and that the cup holds the blood of the new covenant. Jesus has already told us that we must partake of his Body and Blood if we are to remain in him and him in us. He now commands us to “Do this in remembrance of me.”

We also hear of Jesus stooping down to wash the feet of each Apostle. He tells them “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another‘s feet.” Jesus is reminding his followers that a master always puts his servants first. We too must take on the role of servant to those who God loves the most; the poor and downtrodden.

On Good Friday the Church takes us again to the Passion of Christ, but now it will have a new meaning. We see it through the eyes of having experienced the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. Good Friday also gives us the opportunity to venerate the cross. In the cross we will see the sacrifice of Jesus that reconciles us to God. We see how the Master has become the suffering servant. We will see Jesus as both the Priest and the sacrifice as he offers himself for our salvation.

The Triduum ends with the greatest celebration in the Church’s liturgical year, the Easter Vigil. On this day we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and the completion of God’s plan of salvation. We will hold candles to experience in both a physical and spiritual way the burning away of the darkness of sin as we hear the chant “The light of Christ.” The elect in RCIA will share in the beauty of our faith as they join the Catholic Church and receive the Sacraments of Initiation. We will receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in thanksgiving that comes from the knowledge and understanding of the sacrifice that is the passion of Christ.

This is just a short overview of some of the celebrations that take place during Holy Week. We have not even the mentioned the Chrism Mass where the sacred oils are blessed and the Priest express their unity with our Bishop. Holy Week can be a powerful liturgical and spiritual event in our life. In this one holy week we experience the culmination of the earthly ministry of Jesus. Please plan to attend the Holy Week celebrations at the Cathedral. May this week give you many blessings and deepen your love of Jesus Christ our Savior.

Death with Dignity

A few days ago I read an article on the Internet about a young lady dying from a brain tumor. She lives in the state of Oregon that has a dying with dignity law.  This law allows a physician to prescribe drugs that will end someone’s life.  The young lady is planning to commit suicide under Oregon’s death with dignity law.  The lady desires this type of death so much that she and her husband moved from California to Oregon to be able to do this.


In the CNN article I read the lady writes about dying with dignity, not putting her family through the ordeal of seeing her physically deteriorate, and that she has a safety net if the end of life experience becomes unbearable. The lady wishes to die on her own terms.

Death is sad and tragic. It is an ordeal each of us will experience.  I can only relate to it by the experiences I had from watching my parents and sister die.  There can be dignity in death even if it lengthy and painful.  Dignity springs forth from hope.  The one subject I did not read about in the article was anything about a God or the hopes of an after-life except the words “as I pass into whatever's next.”

If you have no hope there is no reason to wait for death.  There is no reason to pray for a miracle. There is no hope that God will work through your sufferings to strengthen those who love you. Ending your life unnaturally takes away the graces your family may receive through the sacrifices they will make for you.

Dignity is the product of hope that comes from the belief that there is a God.  Through our belief in God life becomes important and how we live our life even more important.  When we live our life with the knowledge and belief in an eternal salvation then death becomes a doorway.  We do not need a safety net.  God will be there to walk us through the door.