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Month: November 2013

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Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the 1st Sunday of Advent – A – 2013

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Yesterday, Today,
and Always

“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

In the Holy Mass we participate in doing something extraordinary. When Jesus left us the gift of His body and blood and said, do this in memory of Me He gave us an explicit command to do what He had done that night.

Each of us has a special role in carrying out the Eucharist. Our gifts and sacrifice in the form of the bread and wine we offer is changed into Jesus’ body and blood by what the priest does during the Eucharistic prayer. Jesus’ role as servant is exemplified in the work of the deacon who serves at the altar. Each of our roles is essential. Jesus didn’t do any of what He did alone, but in the midst of community.

Jesus didn’t want us to just remember what He had done. Memory is fleeting and can fade with time. Rather, in asking us to carry out the same action as a family, to live the roles He exemplified, we are part of Jesus’ yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

In the Eucharistic moment we are at once transformed and present with Jesus at His birth and in His ministry. We are there at the Last Supper, at the foot of the Cross, His burial, His resurrection, His Ascension, and at His return.

How amazing it is that we are there with Him, that we can be so very close to Him.

We might think that this is enough. Certainly Jesus’ coming was that moment in time where our redemption occurred. We, who have accepted Jesus into our lives, have received His assurance of salvation. We have been justified. Yes, but greater things are yet to come.

This Advent, this day, is the moment we must be awake and ready for that greater thing. Those greater things are the miracles we bring to the lives of others by our ministry and by the proclamation of Jesus’ word. Faith and salvation will come to them through us as St. Paul tells us: [by] what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.

The greatest thing yet to come, our greatest hope, is that day of Jesus’ return in glory. We cannot know, or even predict when that day will be, but it will come. We are already part of that always and this season of preparation is our moment to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for the Solemnity of Christ the King

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My Lord and King
remember me

Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

It is said that there are 3 kinds of people: Those who MAKE things happen; Those who WATCH what happens; and Those who WONDER what happened.

In today’s Gospel we read of these three sorts of people.

The Roman soldiers, the Chief Priests, the Pharisees, and the other leaders thought they had all the power. They could MAKE anyone die on the cross, and today it is Jesus along with two thieves. They considered themselves as the powerful movers and shakers. They were wrong.

Others stood by to WATCH. There was Mary, the other women who supported Jesus, and John. And, there were the thieves hanging there with Jesus. We could say that they were watching too – they had little choice.

One thief thought he could MAKE things happen. If he could mock and taunt Jesus enough, maybe there would be a grand miracle and he could go on his merry way freed from certain death. He too was wrong.

The other thief wasn’t going to stand by and just WATCH. He was not going to MAKE things happen either, at least not of his own accord. He reached into himself and found the exact kind of humility that REALLY MAKES things happen. He found the strength to place his trust in this Man, hanging next to him, badly beaten, bloody, humiliated, and dying. He saw through the blood and gore to the right and true. He saw that this Man was not just a man; rather He was God’s Son, the Messiah, who MAKES everything happen, Who will save him completely and forever.

That thief reached out in humility. He saw Jesus as the promised King whose power would free Him from death in sin to eternal life. “he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”

People have stood by for centuries WONDERING what happened. Caught up in sin and hopelessness they have looked at this scene and have failed to trust or find humility before their King Who MAKES all things possible. They have failed to ask Jesus to remember them.

We renew our assurance that Jesus will MAKE things happen in our lives, things that bring us goodness, rest, peace, and freedom from sin. We cannot just WATCH, nor should we WONDER. We must be that 4th kind of person – the men, women, and children of FAITH who ask and are assured.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.

Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for the arrival of someone, named Godot. Godot’s absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, has led to many different interpretations. Mary Bryden observed, “The … God who emerges from Beckett’s texts is one who is both cursed for His perverse absence and cursed for His surveillant presence. He is by turns dismissed, satirized, or ignored, but He, and His tortured Son, are never definitively discarded.”

Malachi prophesied that the day of the Lord was coming. He lived about 445 years before Jesus was born. Thirty more years would go by before Jesus began His public ministry. Today’s gospel shows Jesus to be 33, in Jerusalem, and days away from His sacrificial death on the cross.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry many who followed Him had a level of self-assurance that He would free Israel from earthly captivity. When Jesus refused to be proclaimed an earthly king many lost faith in Him. They never saw that He was there to free them from a much greater captivity. They missed the day of the Lord. They deceived themselves.

Jesus said that no matter what: “See that you not be deceived.” Complacency is the way we deceive ourselves. Waiting in vain is deception. Waiting and missing “it” is deception.

We deceive ourselves when we sit around speculating on the “last day.” Rather than waiting for God we have to go out and seek Him. We have to follow His word, walk in His path, and bring others to share in fellowship with Him. We must live in Him and proclaim with the wisdom He gives us through His teaching: His day is today!!!

Research has shown that, when a fire alarm rings, people do not act immediately. They talk to each other, and they try to work out what is going on. They stand around – waiting. Do you remember your last fire drill? Instead of leaving fast, people wait. They wait for more clues – the smell of smoke, or advice from someone they trust. So often those who wait end up dead.

We can trust Jesus. The fire alarm is going off every day. We needn’t worry about the fire itself, but rather whether we have listened to Him in the midst of the fire and are on the path to life. Walk toward life, do not sit and wait. Recognize today as the day of the Lord.

Christian Witness, Homilies, Political, ,

Reflection for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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We often wonder
what if?

But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you are doing and will continue to do. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

The Sadducees confronted Jesus intent on embarrassing Him so they could prove their political point of view. The party of the Sadducees believed that there would be no resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection.

The conflict over the resurrection was one of several between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They had a conflict of class, wealthy versus the poor, priests and aristocrats versus ordinary people. Another conflict was cultural, between those who favored Hellenization and those who resisted it. The Pharisees emphasized the importance of the Second Temple with its rites and services, while the Sadducees emphasized the importance of other Mosaic laws. They differed too on the Torah and how to apply it to Jewish life, with the Sadducees recognizing only the written Torah and rejecting oral tradition. The historian Josephus tells us that the Pharisees had the backing of the common people.

The problem of political and philosophical conflicts – as we know – aren’t limited to the times of Jesus. It even rears its ugliness in conflicts between Christians. When will the end come, what will it be like, how should the Church be organized, who should lead, how should we worship…? It goes on and on.

Each political point of view tries to provide the answer to “what if.” They try to ease our wondering and our wandering, but their answers are not the truth. Jesus is the truth. Unfortunately neither the Pharisees nor Sadducees saw that – their politics got in the way. We still fail when we seek answers to “what if” from politicians and the world even though the answer of Jesus is within our grasp.

The Maccabees were certain. They knew that surety in God was more important than the “what ifs” of today. They suffered and died, not asking “what if,” but saying, “I know.” the mother who, seeing her seven sons perish in a single day, bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord.

For us there can be no reliance on politics. We needn’t question “what if,” but rather need to stand strong and sure. Jesus never promised more questions but promised absolute certainty to His faithful – life everlasting.

Take confidence in the way of the Lord. Do not wonder “what if.” Be sure only in Him Who guides us, is faithful, and gives us the answer we need.

Christian Witness, PNCC

Reaching Out and Serving

From the Tribune-Review: Crafton shelter continues to deal with plight of homeless

The IHN Second Circle Shelter, 7 Oregon Ave., Crafton, opened in 2007 and immediately doubled the capacity of the shelter program that originated in Washington, Pa., in 1993.

Both sites are operated by the former Interfaith Hospitality Network, now affiliated with and known as Family Promises of Southwestern Pennsylvania, an interdenominational program linking local churches that offer round-the-clock shelter, meals and social services to homeless families in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Family Promises has more than 180 affiliates in 41 states involving 6,000 churches and nearly 136,000 volunteers nationwide.

Local churches that are host congregations include All Saints Polish National Catholic Church and St. John Evangelical Lutheran in Carnegie and Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bridgeville.

Support churches include First Baptist Church in Crafton and First Baptist Church and Zion Lutheran Church in Bridgeville, with additional support or hosting duties coming from churches in Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon, Castle Shannon, McMurray, Pleasant Hills, Upper St. Clair and Washington.

Homeless or displaced families can include husband and wife with or without children, a single parent with children, or a legal guardian or custodial guardian with children. The families are screened, and no current drug and alcohol users are accepted, nor are those with severe mental health issues, a criminal background or single men.

Dinner is provided by volunteers from area churches. During the day, guests are transported back to the Family Center in Crafton. Volunteers from the host congregations also talk and listen to the guests, which enables families to maintain their dignity and regain independence.

The families, through the shelter, can take advantage of personal counseling, assistance in securing training and employment, help with enrolling children in appropriate schools, arranging medical or dental care, and referral information to other programs and agencies. Also offered is life skills training in financial management, homemaking and family relationships.

Services also include assisting families in finding homes, providing home furnishings and distributing donated supplies to help families set up housekeeping.

This past summer, Family Promise partnered with the Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF) to provide an exciting eight-week program that gave educational workshops and activities to the children right at the shelter where they lived. Every Friday there was a field trip to places like the National Aviary, Moraine State Park or Idlewild Park, all underwritten by the HCEF and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

Family Promise of Southwestern Pennsylvania is a nonprofit charitable organization and all contributions are tax-deductible. Monetary donations are accepted as well as vehicle donations, “home again” donations of furniture and household goods, and wish list donations of gift cards, paper towels, soap and body wash, shampoo, razors, toothpaste, gently used baking pans, sheets and towels, blankets, children’s toys, family DVDs and more. Volunteers always are welcome at the host churches, or to mentor, or provide transportation, childcare, fund development, or to read and help with homework, as well as other assignments as the need arises.

For more details on donating or to volunteer call 724-229-1129.

Christian Witness, Homilies,

Reflection for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Doing whatever
it takes

Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.

Zacchaeus was not a good person. As we learned last week, people despised tax collectors. Zacchaeus was not just a tax collector – but was the chief tax collector!

Zacchaeus may likely have suffered from what we might call a Napoleon complex (although he lived long before Napoleon). A Napoleon complex is an informal term describing a psychology that is said to exist in persons, usually men, of short stature. People with a Napoleon complex compensate for their short stature by being overly aggressive and domineering.

So here you have Zacchaeus, short, the chief of the thieves, living the high life – nice house, great food, all the luxuries who is also aggressive and domineering.

We consider what may have motivated Zacchaeus to see Jesus. He certainly heard of Jesus, and likely knew Jesus’ reputation – He was a healer, a prophet, and was known to have broken the rules by spending time with sinners. Jesus invited a tax collector to follow Him (Luke 5), His feet were bathed by the tears of a prostitute (Luke 7), He healed those possessed by evil (Luke 8, 9, 11), tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him (Luke 15:1).

The power of grace moved Zacchaeus to see Jesus. He was moved to do whatever it took to see Him. He was moved by the possibility of Jesus, the remote chance that Jesus might notice him and heal the smallness of his soul.

Zacchaeus’ hopes were met when Jesus stopped, looked up, and said “Zacchae’us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”

Grace motivated Zacchaeus to seek the Lord, and the Lord replied to Zacchaeus’ response, not just by saying ‘you are forgiven,’ but by emphatically stating that He MUST stay with Him. Zacchaeus did whatever it took and Jesus answered. Zacchaeus was raised up out of sin and into new life – repenting and doing whatever it took to make his life right before God: And Zacchae’us stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

We are given grace every day, called to do whatever it takes to be raised from smallness of life to greatness of life in Christ. Jesus notices when we respond, and He responds by staying with us, healing us, freeing us, and making us great in the kingdom of heaven.

Christian Witness, Events, PNCC, , ,

A decade of faith

From the Tribune-Review: Transfiguration of Our Lord Church celebrates a decade

Parishioners of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Polish National Catholic Church on Saturday will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the place of worship.

The date will be marked with a Mass, followed by a dinner in honor of the work accomplished by the congregation over the past decade.

“We’ve come a long way,” said Ann Rosky, a member of the church’s board of directors and council secretary.

“We’re proud of our accomplishments these last 10 years,” she said.

The Transfiguration Roman Catholic Church in Mt. Pleasant Borough was demolished in 2002 after it was deemed unsafe due to structural damage.

At that time, the church’s parish was dissolved, leaving its 1,500 parishioners without a place of worship.

When a number of members began attending Mass at the McKeesport Holy Family Polish National Catholic Church, part of the Pittsburgh-Buffalo Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church, the parish decided to resurrect Transfiguration as an independent Polish National Church.

In October 2003, the parish was declared an official member of the church by the Rev. Thaddeus Peplowski, bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo-Pittsburgh.

“We said we were going to start a church, and we did,” Rosky said.

To stay local, the new parish began holding services at First United Church of Christ in Mt. Pleasant on Saturday evenings.

“We’re grateful to this day to the Rev. Paul Sarver and the First United Church of Christ congregation,” Rosky said. “They welcomed us with open arms.”

After leasing the space for four years, members set out to find a church they could call their own.

Parishioners purchased the building formerly occupied by Rainbow Gardens — a bar and banquet hall.

“We wanted a place to call home,” said Daniel Levendusky, chairman of the church’s council.

The renovation process was slow and steady, with parish members completing much of the work.

“We were fortunate to have parishioners who had the skill to do the work,” Levendusky said.

The building was gutted and remodeled, the bathrooms were moved and an entrance way was constructed.

Parishioners refinished donated pews and held fundraisers to purchase supplies and kitchen equipment.

“We didn’t have a penny to start with,” Levendusky said. “But with Christ’s guidance look what we did. It’s a true testament of where your faith can take you.”

More recently, a new roof and an addition that will become an office have been added. Plans to construct a new sidewalk are in the works.

“It’s been an uphill battle, but we are just so proud of all the work we’ve done,” Rosky said.

“We’re one big, happy family and everyone contributes. When we have a fundraiser dinner, the president is there peeling potatoes just like everyone else,” she said.

In addition to the hard work church members have done to secure their own place of worship, they also strive to work hard serving the community.

They regularly contribute to care packages distributed to the needy, help the Salvation Army by ringing bells during the Christmas season, and buy gifts for local children who might otherwise do without, and they collect for local food banks.

The church has a rotating schedule of four different priests who conduct Mass.

Rosky said the parishioners enjoy having the different priests, as it accommodates all the different personalities of the congregation.

“I’m proud of them,” said the Rev. Bruce Sleczkowski, the church’s administrator and one of the priests who regularly hold services at the church. “I see their Catholic faith and witness them demonstrating Christian love to each other and their community. It’s a joy to be with them,” he said.

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