To Find Christ is to Find the Meaning of Life

When Pope Benedict was asked if people of other religions should be given the opportunity to know Christ, he responded:

There are those who say that non-Christians should be "left in peace" out of respect for their own "authentic" beliefs, whatever that may be. But how can this be the case if the true authenticity of every person is found in communion with Christ and not without him? Isn't it our duty to offer them this essential reality?

There is a popular notion going around (among some theologians and those who should know better) that there is no need to teach about Christ in lands where he is not known because he is already there and his spirit is working among all peoples whether they know it or not. And if we do teach them about Christ, it is merely revealing him to people who already possess him.

Oh, is that so? I am reminded of a couple of young women from Texas who were working in Afghanistan a few years ago when the Taliban was still in control there. They were sentenced to death because they were attempting to teach about Jesus. Fortunately they were rescued by American soldiers who had moved in as the Taliban was being chased out. In most Moslem countries it is not only forbidden to proselytize, but also to worship publicly in any religion that is not Moslem. If these people possess Christ, they certainly don't show it. Jesus said that we should love one another as he has loved us and that no one has greater love than to give up ones life for others. This is a far cry from those going around killing others for the glory of and in the name of Allah. Pope Benedict wrote his first encyclical, "God is Love" for that very reason, that to do such things is contrary to the very nature of God.

Many years ago St. Augustine said that ignorance of the gospels is ignorance of Christ. How can we love someone whom we don't know or have never heard of? Jesus is not an abstraction. He, although God, is a real live human being. No non-Christian religion accepts the fact that Jesus is God or the son of God. At most he was a good man and a good teacher, but in no way a redeemer and a Savior who is the only way to eternal life and happiness.

We see in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 4, that when Peter and John were told by the Sanhedrin that they should no longer teach about Jesus, Peter responded that we must speak about him because there is no other name under heaven given to us by which we might be saved. St. Paul states in 1 Timothy 2:4-6 that it is God's will that all men be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth; and the truth is that there is but one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said that I am the way, the truth and the life and that no one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14) Jesus also said, "He who finds his life will loose it and he who losses his life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel will find it."(Matt. 10:39). In other words that person will discover who he is and will come to know the meaning of life.

And so should the gospel be made known to every person in the world? Even though in our present age, teaching about him is forbidden in many parts of the world, we must continually pray for the time when this will be possible. After all, it is for everyone's supreme good. No one can achieve eternal life without Jesus and in the next life everyone who is saved and in God's kingdom will know and love Christ for who his is - the universal Savior of all mankind. And so, if true and necessary in the future, why not now?

Fr. Marvin Deutsch, M.M.

The Extended Family of Jesus Luke 8:19-21

The Mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they hear the word of God and act on it."

The gospel for today, as simple as it is, has far reaching significance. It speaks to the unity of the human race under the one God through the unifying power of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten son.

In God's plan, is the human race supposed to be one family? In 1950, Pope Pius XII issued and encyclical entitled Humani Generis, which among other things spoke about the origin and unity of human life and other issues relevant to our times. It decried the opinion that our human species came about through an evolution which was a mindless random selection without the supreme intelligence of the creating God.; also the view that there was no common ancestry - our first parents, Adam and Eve, as scripture tells us, but rather, because of seeming diversity in race, a multiple ancestry springing up in various places of the world. In our schools today, under the name of science, evolution with out God is strongly emphasized.

The Catholic Church has always taught that Adam and Eve were the sole source of human life, and that all men are united in this common ancestry. Then, if we have a common ancestry, why has there been so much strife and disunity among the various people of the world? According to Jewish and Christian tradition, the answer is not that complicated. It is simply sin. Right from the beginning, Cain slew his brother Abel out of jealousy. We have the allegory of the tower of Babel - men trying to build a tower to the heavens without God, resulting in a confusion of speech and the dispersion of peoples to various parts of the world.

Is there any unity among peoples today? Yes there is, often based on family, race, country, religion , common interests, etc. We have the so called nuclear family in the West, where unity of the family is minimal, in contradistinction to the extended family, common in Africa and the East Some years ago, Fr. Del Goodmen (God rest his soul) and I were having dinner at Vietnamese restaurant in Minneapolis. It was a family operation. The father told us he was afraid that his children would become Americanized and would no longer be interested in working his family restaurant which would make it very difficult to continue on and make ends meet. In Africa, because of the extended family, if parents died, the children were absorbed and taken care of by the extended family. Before the AIDS pandemic, there was no need for orphanages… In Africa, just as today's gospel story infers, cousins are called brothers and sisters and are like members of the immediate family. But the extended family only goes so far and usually stays within the tribe. And of course, tribal conflicts often result in power struggles that can even bring down a nation such as took place in Rwanda between the Tutsies and the Hutus.

But there is an answer to the need for unity within the human race which surpasses the boundaries of race and tribe - Jesus and his grace is the answer. St. Paul says in Colossians I: 10, that all things are united in him. He calls all to be one just as he is in the Father and the Father is in him (John 17:21) He calls all to be members of his extended family. As the gospel tells us today, it is just a matter of listening to his word and doing his Fathers will. All those who do so are his mother, his sisters and his brothers. And that is how it will be with the communion of saints in the kingdom of God where there will be but one fold and one shepherd.

Father Marvin Deutsch, M.M.

In Search of the One, the True and the Beautiful

Does Hell Exist?

Mark 9:42-48 Gospel for 26h Sunday of the year, year B

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna., where 'the worm does not die, and fire is not quenched.'

In the majority of recent polls, most people are of the opinion that Hell does not exist, or if it does there are very few people who go there. They say that if God exists and he is a good and loving God, how could he send anyone into perpetual misery. The question I ask is - when it comes to what is true and what is false or what exists and does not exist, upon what do we base our judgment? Do we base it upon wishful thinking, on our likes and dislikes, upon opinion polls, or do we base it upon solid evidence either from reason, experiment, the teaching authority of the Church, or revealed truth (Sacred Scripture) ?

Relatively speaking, not many years ago - about the time that Christopher Columbus discovered America, many people in the world believed that the world was flat. Eventually when sailors sailed around the world, they realized that it was not flat all , but round. However, just because people believed that the world was flat did not make it any less round. Public opinion had nothing to do with what was true or false.

And so we cannot place our credence on any issue like "does hell exist?" on public opinion. We believe in it because it is what the Church teaches based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who cannot deceive or be deceived. As the gospel for today reveals, Jesus speaks about avoiding the fires of Gehenna at all costs for it there that the "worm does not die and the fire is not quenched." It is interesting to note the origin of the word "Gehenna". Webster's dictionary says that Gehenna refers to hell, and the origin of the word refers to the valley of Hinnom not far from Jerusalem where refuse was burned. When Jesus referred to avoiding the fires of Gehenna, it must have conjured up a vivid picture in the peoples' minds…in our times - like a dump where all unwanted things and everything under the sun is gotten rid of.

Should it worry us, the fact that hell exists? I think it should - if we are not living a life pleasing o God. St. Ignatius, in his Spiritual Exercises, insists that a meditation on hell be part of the early meditations in a retreat. He says that this is important because if we are not ready to give up our evil practices out of love, fear of punishment will motivate us. When people have strong temptations to do wrong because of the delusive pleasures of the flesh which appear so attractive, fear of hell is an excellent deterrent.

But if we are living consistently in God's grace and friendship, then hell should not frighten us… There is an excellent prayer called the "Miracle Prayer" which helps us always to be repentant and in God's grace. This can be said on a daily basis by anyone of any religion and helps to keep us in a continual state of repentance and trust in Jesus our merciful Lord and Savior. It is called the "Miracle Prayer" because saying this prayer with sincerity and fervor can change our lives and out relationship with God. I would like to close this short meditation with this prayer:

The Miracle Prayer

Lord Jesus, I come before you just as I am. I am sorry for my sins. I repent of my sins. Please forgive me. In your name I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce Satan, the evil spirits and all their works. I give you my entire self, Lord Jesus, now and forever. I invite you into my life, Jesus. I accept you as my Lord, God and savior. Heal me, change me, strengthen me in body, soul and spirit.

Come Lord Jesus, cover me with your precious blood, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I love you Lord Jesus. I praise you Jesus. I thank you Jesus. I shall follow you every day of my life. Amen.

Mary, my mother, Queen of Peace, all you angels and saints, please pray for me. Amen.

(Pray this prayer every day and it will change your life.)

Father Marvin Deutsch, M.M.As sons of Adam and Eve and as human beings, we find ourselves with the problem of concupiscence which simply means we have an inclination to evil which we must resist and counteract. But it is also true that on the positive side that we have an inclination and are attracted to the good, that is the one, the true and the beautiful. But to fulfill this attraction we must be searchers. In other words, we do not come to know the truth all at once. We often learn it step by step, by trial and error. In fact, it is a life time search.

One of the things that surprises me, is that so few people are searchers. Most seem perfectly content to believe what they have always believed, or to accept whatever they have grown up with whether this be true or false. For me, it has been quite different. Although, I was born a Catholic, I am a Catholic today, or as a matter of fact, a Catholic priest, not only because of the fact that I was born into the faith, but also because I became totally convinced of the truth of the Catholic Church. In my youth I went through a period of darkness in which I had many doubts about the Church and God. But the more I studied, the more I searched, and the more I prayed, the more I became convinced that the Catholic faith was the true faith and the only one that made perfect sense leading us to our destiny, eternal life with God.. .

Not so long ago, I was talking to a very well educated Chinese man in California. We got on to the subject of Father Mateo Richi, an Italian Jesuit who worked in China around the year 1600. My Chinese friend was an expert on the subject and a professor and librarian at a University. In our discussion we talked about Mateo who was trying to convince well educated Buddhists Chinese, that the Catholic Church was the true Church of God. He was a master in the Chinese language and also the Chinese way of writing using picture characters. Mateo Richi was highly respected by the Chinese and his arguments were very convincing. However, he had little success in converting the Chinese. Were they searchers? It seems that they were very hesitant to accept something new.

In my discussion with my well educated Chinese friend, I found out that he was a convert to the Catholic Church, and so I asked him why he had become a Catholic, expecting him to say that he was convinced that having read all about Mateo Richi, he was convinced of the truthfulness of what the Church was teaching, especially about Jesus Christ as the son of God and Redeemer and Savior of the world. But he didn't say any of these things. He said he became a Catholic because his wife was Catholic and he wanted to be more closely united to her. And so there went my theory right out the window, that all people are inclined to be searchers. Even though all human beings have an attraction to the one, the true and the beautiful, it does not mean that all carry out this attraction.

At the present time I am reading the autobiography of Father Richard, John Neuhaus, (book title - Catholic Matters) who unfortunately died not too long ago. Fr. Neuhaus was a Lutheran pastor for 30 years, all of which time he was searching for the truth. He was received into the Catholic Church on Sept 8th, 1990 by Cardinal John O' Connor, who was then Archbishop of New York. A few years later, Fr. Neuhaus was ordained a Catholic priest and became a wonderful advocate of the truth of the Catholic faith, something he had been searching for all his life. He was a searcher and had to follow that wherever it led him. And so that brings up the question - why are there so few who are searchers of the truth?

Today, the popular notion in our confusing world of ideas is that there is no objective truth, that all truth is subjective, which means that what is true for you is not necessarily true for me. Even though our ideas are contradictory, we both have the truth. Pope Benedict XVI calls this "the dictatorship of relativism". The problem seems to stem from the strong desire to protect ones own lifestyle. If there is something that I am doing and which I do not want to give up, then I have to defend it by any means possible, and of course the best means is to say that what I am doing is perfectly all right and true for me. Thus you have people who believe that abortion is perfectly o.k. even though it is obviously killing a child in the womb of its mother. Yet, people who refuse to believe that this is wrong, will use euphemisms in an effort to cover up and hide behind an evil act. They will call abortion "reproductive health care", Since they don't want the child, they must find a way to make it look all right to do what they want to do.

A definition of truth which I learned in the seminary many years ago which is not a popular notion today is - "Truth is the conformity of the mind to reality." The truth does not begin in the mind, but outside the mind, and unless the mind sees it the way it is, it does not have the truth. For example, there was a time when most of the people of the world believed that the world was flat. This did nothing to make the world less round. The simple fact was that these people just did not know the truth. Aristotle, the great philosopher who lived about 300 years before Christ, coined the definition of man as a rational animal. Rational means that we, through a process of thinking called logic, come to know the truth. It is not rational to think that 2 plus 2 is 5. It just isn't, and there is no way we can defend that false conclusion.

And so we are rational by nature. Also St. Paul says in Romans chapter 2, that the law of God is written in our hearts, which means that we are inclined to seek the true good and to avoid the evil. When Pontius Pilate asked Jesus if he was king of the Jews, Jesus replied that his kingdom was not of this world, that the reason he came into the world was to bear witness to the truth, and those who were of the truth would hear his voice. Pilate responded, "What is the truth" (John 18:37-38). Pilate probably was a fore-runner of the thinking of relativists today. Actually the answer is quite clear in the gospel of John, Chapter 8. Jesus says that his word is the truth and if his word is in us we will have the truth and the truth will make us free. We just have to be seekers and searchers, that's all, and be willing to give up a life-style that is contrary to the truth. Remember, Jesus has promised: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7-8)

Fr. Marvin Deutsch, M.M.

And Mary pondered all these things in her heart

Before beginning our first conference this evening, I would like to begin by dedicating this retreat to our Blessed Mother, under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. As Carmelites we love Mary. She is always with us in all of our thoughts, words and actions.

If we could look at her early years when she was visited by the Angel Gabriel, when perhaps she was about 16 years old, we would see a young girl who was totally open to whatever God would ask of her in the future. She said to God and the angel, be it done to me according to thy word. The future was only revealed to her a little at a time, piece meal. Her understanding of her role as mother of the Savior of all mankind grew through the years. There were periods of light, but also periods of darkness in which she had to totally trust.

As soon as she got the good news that Elizabeth, her kinswoman was pregnant, Mary left immediately to visit her. The trip of over a hundred miles was not easy for a young girl . Mary wanted to help Elizabeth, but I think that she also wanted to confide her own secret to an older woman with whom she felt comfortable and could trust. According to Luke's gospel, Elizabeth needed no explanation from Mary. Upon being greeted, she exclaimed, "Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me." The Holy Spirit took care of everything. Also Mary's role as Mediatrix became apparent, for the child in Elizabeth's womb leapt for joy. Jesus in embryo purifies and cleanses the infant in Elizabeth's womb from sin, the future John the Baptist.

When we pray the Joyful mysteries we realize that all was not joy and happiness for Mary. In the temple when Jesus was only 40 days old, Simeon predicted that this child would be rejected and a sign of contradiction and also that the heart of Mary would be pierced with a sword of sorrow. Soon after, Joseph had to take the child and his mother into Egypt - to flee into a foreign land where the future and their livelihood was uncertain. When Jesus was 12 years old and left behind in the temple, Mary and Joseph were filled with anxiety about what might have happened to him. Mary, even asks the question of Jesus why he did this to them. She doesn't understand the answer right away, but ponders all these happenings and words in her heart.

And that is the point I would like to emphasize tonight - that Mary pondered all these things in her heart. To ponder means to meditate upon and to pray over in order to come to a deeper meaning.. When Mary did this, it was slowly revealed to her the deeper meaning of God's word to her. We are here for retreat for the next couple of days. Let us unite our hearts with Mary's, imitating her trust in the Lord. Let us also ponder over God's word and what it means to us as pilgrims on the way to our destiny, the kingdom of God. Every life is filled with mystery. There are periods of light and periods of darkness when we have to trust in the goodness of God, when uncertainties and troubles abound. The Holy Spirit was always there with Mary to instruct her when she needed to know. So we pray for God's light in this retreat, and just as Mary went to Elizabeth to help her, we also ask her this evening to help each one of us. Mary help us to grow in trust and in love…and so we say, Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, etc……amen….

Fr. Marvin Deutsch, M.M.

June 12, 2009

Homily for all seasons: Bonding with Jesus

I think the most exciting and encouraging aspect of Christianity is the possibility of bonding with Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, in a loving relationship. Who would think that our God who is so powerful and magnificent and totally happy in his own right, would want to be in an intimate relationship with us, insignificant and often rebellious human beings. There are many and varied religions in the world, but none of them measure up to Christianity. The Jews were the first to know the one true God, but, for the most part they feared to approach him on an individual level. Moslems claim to know the one true God, but they see him as a vindictive God who is intent on punishing everyone who is not on board and agreeing with what Mohamed wrote in the Koran. Buddhists do not seem to need a personal relationship with God or even that he is necessary since by their own cognitive and willful powers they can reach a stage of peace without him. Hindus have so many Gods that we can't count them all. But not all Christians understand their potential to establish that personal intimate relationship with the God who made them, the son who redeemed them and the Holy Spirit who lives within, sustains, leads and sanctifies them.

In studying the lives of the Saints a discovery is made. They realized this potential, pursued and followed it. And that is the reason they became what they sought out to be - saints and wonderfully fulfilled people. I would like to quote a few of them here:

Oct 15 is the feast day of St. Teresa. In the office of the readings, St. Teresa explains the importance of a strong personal relationship and friendship with Jesus Christ.

If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. And I clearly see that if we expect to please him and receive an abundance of his graces, God desires that these graces must come to us from the hands of Christ, through his most sacred humanity in which God takes delight.

Many, many times I have perceived this through experience. The Lord as told it to me. I have definitely seen that we must enter by this gate if we wish his Sovereign Majesty to reveal to us great and hidden mysteries. A person should desire no other path, even if he is at the summit of contemplation; on this road he walks safely. All blessings come to us through our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding his life we find that he is the best example.

What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side? Unlike our friends in the world, he will never abandon us when we are troubled or distressed. Blessed is the one who truly loves him and always keep him near. Let us consider the glorious St. Paul: it seems that no other name fell from his lips than that of Jesus, because the name of Jesus was fixed and embedded in his heart. Once I had come to understand this truth, I carefully considered the lives of some of the saints, the great contemplatives, and found they took no other path: Francis, Anthony of Padua, Catherine of Siena. A person must walk along this path in freedom, placing himself in God's hands. If God should desire to raise us to this position of one who is intimate and shares his secrets, we ought to accept this gladly.

Whenever we think of Christ we should recall the love that led him to bestow on us so many graces and favors, and also the great love God showed in giving us in Christ a pledge of his love; for love calls for love in return. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to rouse our selves to love him. For if at some time the Lord should grant us the grace of impressing his love on our hearts, all will become easy for us and we shall accomplish great things quickly and without effort.

Mother Theresa of Calcutta said:

To be able to become truly consecrated women we must more and more fall in love with Jesus and love him with all the powers of body and soul. As missionaries and consecrated women, we must give love the first place in our lives. Our vows, our apostolate, our community life are all the fruit of our love-union with Jesus.

The Cure of Ars - St. John Vianney wrote:

I love you, O my God, and my only desire is to love you until the last breath of my life. I love you O infinitely loveable God, and I would rather die loving you than live without loving you. I love you Lord, and the only grace I ask is to love you eternally…My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love you, I want my heart to repeat to you as often as I draw breath. (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2658)

Pope John Paul II (Crossing the Threshold of Hope)

It is necessary that the young know the Church, that they perceive Christ in the Church, Christ who walks through the centuries alongside each generation alongside every person. He walks alongside each person as a friend. An important day in a young person's life is the day on which he becomes convinced that this is the only friend who will not disappoint him, on whom he can always depend.

Chapter 14 of St. John's gospel gives us Jesus' own words of his desire of intimate union with his followers. If you love me you will keep my commandments and my Father will love you and I will love you. We will come and make our dwelling place within you and will send you the Holy Spirit who will teach you….In John's first letter, chapter 3 we come to understand that this union is meant to be permanent…We are God's children now, but we will be has not yet come to light. When it comes to light we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is. Therefore we keep ourselves pure even as he is pure.

We know that the only thing that can separate us from this union is sin. When two people love each other, they never want to do anything that would harm that relationship. And so it is with our relationship with Jesus Christ…He always welcomes us. In his own words: Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and you will find rest for your soul. (Matt 11:28) ………Fr. Marvin Deutsch, M.M.