November 20 - Solemnity of Christ the King

This is the last Sunday in the Liturgical Year and we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The proclamation of Jesus Kingship is dominated in the preaching and teaching of Jesus. “To the other towns also I must proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God because for this purpose I have been sent.” (Luke 4:44) He taught his disciples to pray, “Thy Kingdom come.” (Matt. 6: 10) He told them to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.” (Matt. 6: 33)  “Jesus said to his apostles: ‘as you go make this proclamation: The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 10:7)

The story of the crucifixion, proclaimed on the Feast of Christ the King, reminds us that the Reign of Jesus isn’t a reign of glory and power, but of service, love, and complete self-giving in order to rescue human beings from evil, sin, and death. Instituting this Feast of Christ the King, Pope Pius XI declared: the peace of Christ in the reign of Christ. This means that we live in the peace of Christ when we surrender our lives to him every day, accept him as our Savior and King and allow him to rule our lives.

Caring King. Jesus does care for His people. Ezekiel 34 speaks of the Lord in terms of a shepherd who cares for his flock. It summarize His care, I myself will look after my sheep … I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered … I myself will give them rest … The lost I will seek out … The injured I will bind up. The sick I will heal. So Jesus is a caring King. He’s been good to us. He has led us, rescued us, purified us, instructed us, and graced us.

Conquering King. Jesus has destroyed the power of many sins. He cleanses the temple of our soul. He has conquered so much of our pride. And one by one, He is diminishing lust, greed, anger, envy, and replacing them with greater love, compassion, and kindness.

Concealed King. He is the newest King of all. He is a King who is hungry, thirsty, sick, and lonely, a foreigner, in prison, and a stranger. He is in the needy. He is in the discouraged ones who cannot find a job; He is in our children who need to be taught and encouraged; he is in the co-worker who just lost some body; he is in the friend who was diagnosed with cancer. He is in the lost youth or family member who needs instruction and needs to be drawn back to the Sacraments. He’s in us, in our struggles and needs.

Yes, Jesus is our King, a caring and intimate King, a conquering King who never forces, a King who is hungry and thirsty, a King who washes our feet, a King who comes to serve rather than to be served. He is a King, one who rules with love. We meet Him every day: in the Eucharist, in the poor, in His Word, in the events of our day and in our very self. He is just one prayer away.”  So let the devotion to Christ the King brings peace and reconciliation in our society, with love and justice and peace.

So this feast is an invitation to all those who have power or authority of any kind to compare their use of power or authority with Jesus. They have to use their power to serve others and building up of a more just society.  Never use the power in any way that might cause pain to others and it should help to alleviate pain. Jesus as the King of love has anew commandment of “Love one another as I have loved you,” and we love others as Jesus loved, unconditionally and sacrificially. During this Holy Mass let us pray that nations and individuals will be humble enough to look at how Jesus used His power and bring about the kingdom of God. Let us always remain loyal to Christ the King who is the Head of the Body, the Church.

~Fr. George Munjanattu

November 13 - 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Mal 3:19-20a // II Thes 3:7-12 // Lk 21:5-19

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

We all are well aware that Halloween is over a couple of weeks before and yet I feel like this Weekend is a scary weekend/Sunday. Why do I say? The readings we just heard are not pleasant; it speaks about judgment and punishment. It is simply in black and white; it reminds us about the end of everything.

So, let me tell you a story:

Once upon a time, a poor woman with her infant child lived in a remote village who struggled to find her daily living. Her poverty was so intense and she was even afraid that her only child would die deprived of nutritious food. She cried to God to open some ways so that she and her child will live happily. God heard her prayer, of course, God hears any intense prayer, and sent an angel to her. The angel appeared to the woman, consoled her, and told her God heard her prayers and wanted to give her enough wealth so that she and her child can live safely the rest of their life. In a short span of time, the angel led the woman and her child to a cave. The cave was closed and at the entrance of the cave the angel gave some direction to the woman.

The angel told her, “Look, this is a cave full of wealth. You are given an hour of time and you are free to take as much treasures from here within this time. After an hour you have to come out of the cave and the doors of the cave will be closed; it will never be opened for you. So be sure that you don’t forget to take the most valuable treasure of your life.”

The woman went inside the cave with her child. You can imagine she was stunned by the enormous wealth stored in the cave. Then coming back to her senses, she laid aside her baby and began to grab gold and precious stones. Time to time, the angel reminded about the time and told her don’t forget to grab the precious one. Finally, the time arrived, she has to get out of the cave. She worked until the last minute and managed to get out. The doors of the cave was closed forever. The woman was so happy that she has collected the wealth for generations. She looked at everything once again and began to hold it with pride. Then she remembered about her child and realized that she forgot to take the baby from the cave. The Baby is inside and the doors are closed. The woman cried out to God again with great pain. The angel came back. And told her: Honey, I told you each time don’t forget the most precious one; but you didn’t get me. We have no way to get into the cave. What is the worth of the wealth if she loses the child for whom she collected the wealth?
We heard in the opening of the gospel that the people of Jesus’ time were so proud to say about the beauty of their only Temple. They were so admired about the beauty and riches and they thought that the beauty will be there eternally. Just as the people in the Gospel, we tend to admire the beauty and riches of the Temple which means the beautiful reality of this world or the firmness of our human institutions, as if they were permanent, eternal and able to offer a solid foundation for our hope. However, on the other hand, just as Qoheleth says (Ecclesiastes 1:2-4), "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!" No human reality can stand firm, all is mere appearance, all these things we experience (again, even our solid institutions) will disappear.[1] This is a contrasting situation in which we tempt to think transitory objects are real and the Real are momentary.
What is the attitude of people that we meet in today’s Gospel?
The people of Jerusalem praised the temple for its permanence and they placed their confidence in the transitory things. They were glorifying momentary and perishable things as if they were perpetual and eternal. Here, Jesus message is clear: none of the things that could offer security and firmness to their lives (including the most important religious reality, the Temple), would stand for a long time.[2] It is true in our life too none of the things that we are holding now including our wealth can offer security in our life. These are transitory which may lead us to God if we make good use of them.
This is the question, then we are asking today?
Where am I clinging to? Am I holding on God or things that have only momentary values?

St. Augustine raises a wonderful question. When soul depart from one’s body, we say the person is dead? What happen to a person if his / her soul loses God? St. Augustine Says the person is spiritually dead. Because, just as the soul, itself, is the life of the body, in the same way, God is the life of the Soul.[3] So if God is absent, away from one’s soul, how we can say that a person has life in its fullness. For that person it is the end of everything.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I encourage you all to listen to the Spirit and ask yourself whether you are experiencing the presence of God in your life and in your family. You may have a God problem in which you find some difficulty to believe something, something that is not meaningful to your rational mind. That is ok. But i am asking you keep looking for God who is missing from your soul. Because, If God is away from your center of life, your soul, what is the worth to say that you have a life and you have everything else? So don’t forget to hold on to the most precious thing in your life.

Friar Tony Vattaparambil

---

[1] http://www.frnick.com/homilies/american_bible_society

[2] Bonventure, Commentary on Luke( Franciscan Institute Publication, NY:1969-1970.)

[3] Arthur A. Just, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament III, Luke (Inter Varsity Press, IL: 321)

November 6 - 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Mass of Remembrance

Luke 20:27, 34-38

As we near the end of the Church's liturgical year, the readings become more eschatological -- having to do with the end times, its more about our life after death.  In today's readings, we look briefly the question of the resurrection and the character of the life we are to live in anticipation of it.  A common question that people 2000 years ago and now are still asking, "is there life after death?". In today's gospel, the Sadducees who did not believe in resurrection confront Jesus with their ridiculous story of an unfortunate woman who had married and then lost seven husbands. They did not start with the real issue, namely belief in life after death and the consequences of our daily decisions in determining life after death. They were trying to fool Jesus but Jesus was very clear about his teachings.  Jesus reply was very direct, he said "there is life after death and God is the God, not of the dead but of the living." In the first reading we see a mother and her sons die for what they believed and they believed that God will rise them up. They were ready to bear any suffering for their faith because they knew their life is safe in the hands of God.

I was 11 when cancer took my mum's life. My brother was 5 years old. I thought life is ended and my family felt emptiness for the first time, we felt darkness inside us, we felt silence in our home. I remember that night when everyone left after funeral, my father, brother and myself sat in the porch looking at the stars believing that one of it must be our mother. I know it's not only my experience, it's the experience of many of you who are hearing me today. You might have felt or still feeling the same pain, emptiness and darkness after the death of your beloved one or ones.  

But in all these emptiness, darkness something gave us hope that was our faith, our faith in resurrection, our faith on life after death and our belief that we all will meet all again. I remember I asked my aunt, what happened to my mum? Did she become dust and gone forever? She told me that, be strong John, do good things, one day, we would meet again and she's alive with our Lord. This gave me hope to live and live a good life. Pope Francis says, it is beautiful “to think of Heaven, all of us will meet there, everyone. It is beautiful; it gives strength to the soul.

Why we have gathered today around this altar, it’s because we believe in life after death and we believe that we are making preparation to heaven by celebrating and leading a good life. And if we believe in life after death church would like us to reflect how much preparations we are making in our lives? How mindful we are about our life after death.

one of my friends shared how her dad became catholic: her dad was not a believer and his actions she thought will not take him to heaven. On a thanksgiving day when everyone was around the dining table,  she asked him, dad if one day we all die and go to heaven and if you are not there what will be our feeling. He had a realization that he was not making steps by doing good things to be in heaven with his family. The next Sunday he went to the church, received baptism and started a good life.

The thought about life after death inspires us to lead a good life. Many people have changed their bad life just thinking of their death and life after death.  Since there is life after death and we believe so, we seriously need to think of the character of life we are to live in anticipation of the life after death. In the 1st reading, the moral messages it contained is that the brothers would rather die than to sin. They believe that after Death, God will raise them up. We learn from the 2nd reading, "May God strengthen you in everything good that you do or say. This is how we should prepare our character of life. Do good in what you do and say and eternal life is waiting for you.

Franciscan spirituality is a spirituality which preaches joy of resurrection and life after death. I remember a story from St. Francis, one day, friars prepared a delicious meal. And Francis asked one of the friars to bring some ashes. He poured in his food and started eating food. One of the friars asked Francis, we prepared delicious food and you are spoiling it with ashes. Francis said if I enjoy this food, my body will be happy but my soul will be week. Even in eating St. Francis was mindful about his life after death and cautiously taking each actions in preparations for it.

Pope Francis said "the Good News of the Resurrection should shine on our face, in our feelings and in our behavior, in the way in which we treat others.” Let us be people of resurrection and be mindful each day about our actions which will lead to life eternal.

Related with today’s readings, I am giving you two questions:

 How mindful we are about our life after death? How much preparations we are making to join our family members in heaven?

Fr. John Pozhathuparambil OFMConv.

October 30 - 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

THIRTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Wisdom 11: 22-12:2|Thessalonians 1: 11-2: 2|Luke 19:1-10

“And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature” (19:3)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

Once upon a time, there existed a few bugs at the bottom of a pond and they used to crawl around the pond. They wonder what happens to their members who climb up the stem of the lily; they never come back. “They wondered what it’s like up there.” Once, they agree among themselves that the next one who is called to the surface will come back. The next little larva that finds itself drawn to the surface by nature, crawls up the stem and out on the surface on the lily leaf. It was really bright up there. It had been so dark and muddy down below. They won’t believe this. Suddenly something begins to happen. The larva begins to open out. The grub spreads out two huge beautiful colored wings and becomes a beautiful dragonfly. It never imagines that this could have happened. It thought it would remain a grub forever.

It seems to me that the story of Zacchaeus almost like the story of the bugs. He was a publican, the chief of the tax collector, a man entirely abandoned to greed, whose only goal was the increase of his gain.[1]    But he longed to see Jesus, a mere curiosity like ours to see a Hollywood star. But   that eagerness to see Jesus changed his life totally.  

The Story of Zacchaeus, what does it teach us?

First of all, the life Zacchaeus teaches that whoever longs, genuinely, to see God or God’s interventions in their life, God also take that longings so seriously. And God takes initiatives to visit him/her and receives him/her as His own.

Secondly, whoever takes God seriously, has to face the obstacles in their life to attain their goal. In the Gospel, we hear   Zacchaeus desired to see Jesus but the crowd prevented him to see Jesus. In the Gospel tradition, the crowd is always a hindrance to people who want to come to Jesus.[2] We have number of examples in the Gospels: the blind man in the Gospel of Luke chapter 18; the Paralytic in the Gospel of Mark chapter 2; the deaf and dump in the same Gospel chapter 7. The Crowd which is inclined to evil, repels people from Jesus rather than leading them to Him.[3] So, getting away from the crowd is so important in our spiritual progress.

Do I have the desire to see Jesus or His interventions in my life? If so, what kind of crowd that preventing me to see Him?  These are the questions that Gospel raises to us today. Each one of us may have different crowd that hinder us to see God. For some of us may be some addictions, for some others may be the social Medias; may be our wrong relationships. Each one of us has to identify from one’s life- what kind of crowd that block one’s vision to see God.

What Good news that we can take into our heart today?

I think this is the Good news that we can take to our heart. We can see God like Zacchaeus in the Gospel. In order to see Him, we must model Zacchaeus spiritually. Instead of giving the power to the crowd to control our life, we must control our crowd in which we have the possibility to go beyond the crowd like Zacchaeus did. St. Augustine, while commenting this passage make an observation. He says, “The reason you cannot see Jesus is that you are ashamed to climb the sycamore tree”.[4] Climbing a sycamore tree for Zacchaeus was really foolishness. Because if he cared people over Jesus, then he would never attempt to climb up the sycamore because people would mock at him. But he cared Jesus over the people and ignored what his fellow citizens would say. I think it is clearer if we put it in the words of St. Bonaventure: “Zacchaeus realized that the foolishness of faith leads to the height of wisdom of Christ.”[5]

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I understand the peer pressures and mocking comments from your friends when you take religion/ faith seriously. I also understand that practicing faith in our society is a real challenge. But I recommend you to reflect this question tonight: When you stand at the cross road of faith to make a decision to step, would you listen to your crowd or would you go beyond the crowd like Zacchaeus?

May our Merciful Lord bless you
Friar Tony vattaparambil Ofmconv

January 10 - Baptism of the Lord

Bellarmine University

“Baptized and Sent”

Rev. Ronald Knott

January 10, 2016

You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.

Luke 3

I don't actually know how many people I have baptized over the last 46 years, but I do know that there have been several hundred for sure! Every once in a while, one of them will show up here in this very chapel, reminding me just how old I am getting! Are any of you here today? If so, raise your hand!

The pouring of, or immersion in, water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the essence of the baptismal ritual. Every time you enter a Catholic Church, from then on, you are invited to dip your hand into baptismal water and cross yourself to remind you that you are forever an adopted child of God and to remind you of your mission to the world.  Just as God's voice from heaven said to Jesus "You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," at  your baptism the Church said to you, "Your are, from this day forward, God's adopted son or daughter, in whom He is well pleased."  After the water is poured over you, the priest or deacon anoints you on the top of the head with chrism - the oil used in the Bible to anoint priests, prophets and kings - and says that you and Christ are bound together, from now on and forever!

Just as Jesus' baptism marked the beginning of his ministry of love and service to the world, as his adopted children and heirs, our baptisms marked the beginning of our commission to carry on that ministry of love and service to the world until he returns in glory.  Our baptisms, not just ordinations, are initiations into ministry.  In a certain sense, we all become priests at baptism, all off us were given some share of Christ's ministry to the world.

After a lifetime of being his ambassadors, representing Christ in the world, when we have drawn our last breath and have been prepared for burial, our family and friends will bring our bodies back into the church one last time. Our baptisms and our funerals are two bookends to our lives. Just as was done at our baptism, the priest will meet your casket at the door, sprinkle it with baptismal water and dress your casket in a white pall reminiscent of that little white dress they put on you at your baptism so many years before.  This moment at the door of the church is especially poignant for me on those occasions when I can remember baptizing the deceased many years before, as I have actually done on occasion.

Students! Today is the day we remember the baptism of Jesus, the day he officially began his public ministry. Today is also one of those days when we are asked to remember our own baptisms, the day we were officially charged with carrying on his ministry. In a few minutes, we will again renew our profession of faith in the Trinity and repeat again the vows that made for us our baptisms and vows we confirmed at our Confirmations - vows to be a force for good in the world.  To seal the deal on this renewal, I will sprinkle you again with the water used for baptisms to remind you once again that you are indeed a child of God, with whom he is well pleased!

  

Students! In the next several years, many of you will get married and have children. One of the things I try to do in here is to help you start getting ready for that - help you  to make remote preparation to become serious marriage partners and parents - so that you will be ready when that time comes!  To do that, you need to be serious spiritual seekers now!   Now is the time to begin preparing yourselves for marriage and parenting. That is why renewing your own baptismal vows is so important!

Since this is the week we pray for vocations in general - vocations to carry on some part of Christ's ministry - hopefully some of you will search your hearts to see if God is calling you to lead others to holiness as a priest, deacon or religious brother or sister - to assist and support those who have been called to marriage and parenting and to bring the gospel to those who do not believe or whose faith is in crisis!   If you are called to ministry, respond like Isaiah, "Here I am, Lord, send me! I will hold your people in my heart," rather than try to run from it like Jonah! 

If you are called to marriage and parenting, decide today that you will break that cycle of going through a showy Catholic wedding with no intention of practicing that Catholic faith afterwards that is so common these days! Decide today that you will break that cycle of demanding the baptisms of your children with no intention of bringing those children up in the practice of the faith that is all to common today! Nemo dat quod non habet. If you don't have it yourself, you cannot give it!  Repeating the vows of your baptism and sprinkling you with the water of baptism today is just a hollow ritual if there is no intention in the heart  to renew your commitment to be a serious follow of Christ! If you are not a serious disciple yourself, going into it, there is no way you can be a serious partner in a Christian marriage, no way can you be a serious Christian parent, no way can you answer a call to ministry!  Decide today to be who you really are - a child of God, with whom he is well pleased!

   

November 29 - 1st Sunday of Advent

Bellarmine University

“How to Conduct Yourself as You Wait”

Rev. Ronald Knott

November 29, 2015

                          When  you  see  these  signs  begin  to happen,

                           stand  erect   and  raise   your  heads   because

                           your  redemption  is  at  hand. Do  not let your

                           hearts  become  drowsy  and   that   day  catch

                           you by  surprise. Be vigilant  at  all  times and

                           pray that you have the strength to stand before

                           the Son of Man.                                    Luke 21

Advent is a lot like driving a car. We look back through our rear view mirror to where we have been and we look forward through our windshield to what is coming toward us.  We look back by re-reading the old stories about how our spiritual ancestors waited for the coming of the Messiah.  We look forward by re-reading the gospels so that we can be reminded of where we are heading. We wait in joyful hope between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ. We not only wait in joyful hope, we are told to stand erect, with heads raised, We are warned not to take our eyes off the wonderful things Go has in store for us, not to doze off and miss the boat. We are told to pray always so as to have the strength necessary to stand face to face before God. 

Students! Here is the bottom line today. No matter how old we are or young we are, our days are numbered and the clock is winding down. We have no idea how much longer we will be here. It has nothing to do with age. Many young people your age and younger die every day through accidents, disease and violence. It is a sobering thought to know that death is always a possibility, no matter how young we are. All we have to do is think back a few short weeks ago. One of our students, Tylar Misbach, was here one day and gone the next! All I have to do is think of two of my students from St. Meinrad a couple of years ago. Fr. Jorge Gomez, age 32, ordained eight weeks, and Seminarian Stanley Kartiuki, age 32, were killed instantly in an intersection in Tulsa by a car that sped through a red light. They were students of mine just eight weeks early and a promising olife ahead of them. 

Even old people don’t always know when they are going to die. We have a monk at Saint Meinrad who is 105 and from the way he looks, he could be around for a while!  I recently anointed three people, one 86, one 96 and one 98. In all three cases, I left their beds thinking they would die quickly. I was convinced that the 86 year old would not last the night. He has been spotted at several social functions recently. One was taken off her respirator to die naturally. She was spotted downtown recently, in a beaded cocktail dress, to receive an award from the Center for Interfaith Dialogue. One I kissed good-bye, thinking I would see her, next time, in heaven. I called the next day and she was up drinking coffee and laughing on the phone. If you want to die, don’t call me to anoint you! 

It was this last one who really taught me what these reading today want us to know. As I said, she is 98. We were talking one day about death and I asked her if she was worried about her future. She answered, in a matter-of-fact way, “God has always taken care of me and I suspect he always will.” She really put me in my place on another occasion when we were again talking about dying. I started telling her all the stuff I was going to say at her funeral. After I finished, she looked me right in the eyes and laughed, “I hope you live long enough to be there!” She has a point! It’s just like her to outlive me! Truly, we know not the day or the hour.

Students! A good disciple, and I know many of you are seriously trying to be good disciples, a good disciple does not presume he has plenty of time. A good disciple always lives with the end in mind - not in a morose kind of way, but with the idea always tucked in the back of his/her mind. The best thing you can do to prepare to die is to live well now, each and every day, with all the deliberateness that you can muster.  Be “vigilant” and “alert” as the first reading tells us! That means to live “on purpose” and “with purpose.” If you live well, standing erect and your head up, then you will be able to stand confidently before God whenever the end does comes! The great American poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., put it: “Death tugs at my ear and says, 'Live. I am coming.”

How are we to wait?  (1) A good disciple loves God enough to want what God wants! (2) A good disciple never forgets who he is – a child of God. He respects himself and all others, without compromise. (3) A good disciple lives as close to the way Jesus lived that he can! (4) A good disciple is in command of himself. He stands up to his addictions and passions. (5) A good disciple never forgets that, in the end, good will triumph over evil. It’s not up for grabs. It has already been decided. For that reason, a good disciple never gives up. (6) A good disciple lives with the end in mind and knows for certain that it will be glorious. Therefore, he lives “in joyful hope for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Students! Many of the thoughts in today’s readings were also in our readings from two weeks ago. I have tried not to repeat myself, but I do want you to remember this! God has given you the precious gift of life. Take charge of it and care for it! Never forget who you are! You are a child of God. Respect yourself and all the children of God around you. Don’t worry about dying. Worry about living! Live well, one day at a time, and wallow in the peace of knowing that, in the end, everything will be OK!  Last of all, under no circumstances forget that death is simply the doorway to eternal life. This, my friends, is how we “wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”       

     

September 6 - 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Bellarmine University                                            

Don’t Be Limited By Fear

Rev. Ronald Knott

September 6, 2015

Say to those whose hearts are frightened: “Be strong! Fear not!”

Isaiah 35:4-7a

I have spoken these words from Isaiah the prophet to myself for most of my life because fear has had a tendency to be a ruling force throughout my life. Battling fear is still part of my everyday life! The world can be a scary place sometimes. The words of Isaiah are, for that reason, words we all need to take to heart and reflect on seriously. 

When Isaiah first spoke these words to the people of tiny kingdom of Judah, they were basically surrounded by the powerful Assyrian empire which was swallowing up all their towns surrounding Jerusalem. Even in the face of imminent destruction, the prophet calls the people to face their fears and to know that, in the end, God’s faithfulness to them would triumph, even in the face of collapse and captivity by their enemies.  With all that going on around them, he says to them, “Be strong! Fear not!”  

It still happens after all these years. I get on a plane by myself heading out to some far-flung diocese to face hundreds of priests and realize that I am overcome with fear and doubt – fear of rejection and doubt about my capabilities.

Even though I haven’t had a disaster yet, on the contrary appreciative acceptance, I have to talk myself up and my demons down every time I take off on another speaking trip.  I can still remember being paralyzed by that same fear and doubt before opening the box my first published book arrived in – fear of rejection and doubt about my ability.

I have come to believe that many of us never become all we could become because of two things. (1) We are intimidated by the judging voices of others we can't, we shouldn't and we mustn't. (2) We are intimidated by our own criticizing, self-doubting voice.  Both voices say basically the same thing. “Who are you to do such and such? Who do you think you are, anyway? These demons must be slain or we will end up “settling” for a life marked by dullness, quiet desperation, resentment or even rage. Angelina Jolie said this, “If you ask people what they've always wanted to do, most people haven't done it. That breaks my heart.”

The secret to true personal freedom is the ability to face our fears, to stand up to our own cowardice and to do hard things for our own good. What I have learned from years of doing those things is that you end up amazed at the great things that will come to you, if you do!

Another thing I have learned is that it takes an amazing amount of concentration of the will to overcome the embedded negative messages we carry from childhood The good news is that with dedicated practice it is indeed possible to silence those messages and rob them of their power. I believe I am where I am today, able to do what I do,  because of my determination to not allow fear and doubt to control me. I am very happy that, with God's help and my willingness to keep trying, I was able to overpower my own crippling messages!  

The third thing I have learned is that there is wisdom out there that is available to us about overcoming fear and self-doubt that others can share with us. As you know, I collect motivational quotes and I regularly share some of my favorites on this subject in hopes that you can learn from them as well.

Fear probably defeats more people than any other one thing in the world. I once read that F-E-A-R stands for “fantasy events appearing real.” I read somewhere else that, statistically, about 90% of the things we worry about never happen, so Jesus was right, "fear is useless, what is needed is trust." How we handle fear determines whether we experience adventure or whether we are limited by the fear of it. Without scary, we don’t get to be brave!

I would say that my life has been enriched every time I have gotten up the guts to look fear in the face and say “No, you are not going to run my life! I may fail, I may get hurt, I may be laughed at, but again I might not, so once and for all be gone!” I had to stand down fear when I left home to go to the seminary at fourteen.I had to wrestle fear all throughout seminary so that I could stay in. I refused to be ruled by fear when I decided to be ordained, when I got my first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth assignment. I have had to deal with fear when I decided to retire and, because I refuse to stop growing and changing, I still have to deal with it. I deal with it by saying "no" to it in the most firm voice I can!  "What do you mean, I can't do it? Watch me!"  

Students! The words of Isaiah today are spoke to you as well! ‘Be strong! Fear not!”  Do not listen to the discounting voices of those who do not believe in you! Do not listen to that discounting voice in your own head that does not believe in you! Tell them both to shut up and listen instead to God’s voice in your own heart – that tiny whispering voice that gets drowned out in the noise of the world – that tiny whispering voice that you may not be able to hear because of the noisy, negative self-talk that comes out of other people's mouths or goes on in your own head – that tiny whispering voice of God who is telling you not to fear, but to be strong! 

Take it from one who has been there! God has great plans for you – he wants to take you to places who cannot even imagine for yourself! Do not let fear hold you back, wherever its source, from becoming who you really are and who you can become - your true self! Henry Ford may have said it best when he said, “Those who think they can and those who think they can’t are both right!