I am heading off on a spiritual journey which I believe is the Lord’s Will. I ask for your prayers and thank you for your support.

Pax Christi,

KR

To sustain our spiritual life, we eat the Bread of Life – Christ Himself. It is interesting that the first food which comes to the apostles’ minds is bread. I bet you have used the word “bread” today, or at least have heard it used. It is a food so fundamental to our bodily diet. The same is true for our spiritual diet. We receive the Body and Blood of Christ every time we attend Holy Mass. His very Life in us allows us to grow closer to Him. This is a miracle in itself, which is why the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves is such a fitting one. God uses what is most essential and simple to sustain us both physically and spiritually, everyday bread, and the Bread which came down from Heaven. The nourishment of the latter is our means to holiness, perfection, and eternal life. Let us remember how important our communion with God is, and prepare solidly before we receive Him, that He may have all the room we have to work in us.

It is important to approach the banquet table with utter humility. We are lowly creatures receiving the Creator God. Therefore, our souls must be disposed and directed towards God, and Him alone. Being reconciled with all our neighbors is a necessity, as our souls cannot be divided if we want to receive the many graces present in the Eucharist. Let us do our best before Holy Mass to have God alone as the object of our desire, and heal any wounds that we may have with our neighbors.

We know that the scribes and Pharisees were very well versed in Scripture, and followed the Torah, the Law, to the letter, but is that enough? Our Lord clearly states that we must go beyond that. How well do we know Scripture? How precise is our knowledge of the Catechism? If we are to follow Christ in charity, we must have a supreme knowledge of both. We need to know Our Lord intimately in order to imitate Him and exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. They acted righteously for the wrong reasons, and did not act out of love. This is the most important element of the Christian life. We are to act out of charity, for the goodness of another, forgetting about ourselves and our needs. God will provide for us; we need not worry. Nevertheless, to develop our charity so it may mirror that of Christ’s, we need to read Scripture and know our Catechsim. We will then act righteously and place all into the hands of God.

Jesus tightens the Old Law and ups the ante. We hear it said often that the New Testament is hidden in the Old, and that the Old is fulfilled in the New. This fulfillment involves changes, or better-yet, it involves adjustments. “Thou shall not kill” is a commandment which encapsulates many sins. It is often heard, “I have never murdered anyone, so I don’t have to concern myself with that commandment.” But it is clear from this passage in Matthew, that there is a lot more to this commandment than we think. One can murder with words, says Our Lord. Anger (if it leads to action), and insult are forms of murder. This was not revealed in the Old Testament, yet the Pharisees thought they were following the fifth commandment to the tee. Jesus fulfills the Old Law by tightening it up, but for good reason: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” This is all the motivation we need in order to love our brothers, and hurl nothing by charity upon them. Amen.

Priestly fraternity is one of the most imporant elements of the priesthood of Christ. We see in this passage from Luke, that a partnership is required to haul all the fish out from the sea; Peter cannot do it alone. Many hands are working together in order to complete the task of catching fish. And men are even heavier and more “slippery” than fish. Therefore, it will take a true fraternity of priests to bring men to the gates of heaven.

But Christ is with us; so “do not be afraid.” The fear-factor hinders us in leading a true Christian life. Little acts set opposite to our fears must be done to destroy it. If we are shy, we can go to stores and chat with salesmen; they are always wanting to talk. They think you are shopping, but you are actually working at building up the virtue of fortitude. Priests especially, need not have any fear whatever. They are the spiritual doctors that are instruements in the salvation of souls. Nothing can hinder the work of salvation. Let us pray for our priests that fear may never affect their actions or cause non-action. May they thrive in holiness and follow Christ to the end.

Jesus points out the importance of the apostle Peter, and gives us a lesson in humility. Was it an accident that Jesus chose to sit in Peter’s boat? He could have chosen another, but He did not. From the beginning, Christ deliberately distinguishes Peter from the rest of the apostles that will follow Him. He also gives Peter the example of the teaching authority that will accompany his office. “[Jesus] sat down and taught the people from the boat.” Peter, and all those men who will succeed him, will sit on the throne and teach the people with the authority of Christ. But there is also a lesson in humility here.

Humility is a virtue in which one realizes his true role in the scheme of things, and abides in that role. This is a definition given to us by Fr. Edward Leen in his wonderful book on suffering entitled Why the Cross? If you are a Rhode Scholar, then do not pretend that you are not a Rhode Scholar; but if you are not, then do not pretend that you are. Humility is an understanding of one’s role assigned to us by Christ. We are to abide in it for the greater good. Christ assigned the papacy to Peter, who clearly acknowledged it, sooner or later, because we see the many fruits which are borne as a result.

Let us pray for Pope Benedict XVI, that he may always abide in his role as the successor of Peter. Also, let us pray for ourselves, that we may find our true role in the scheme of things, and abide in that role for the sake of the Gospel of Christ and His kingdom.

In order for the apostle of Christ on earth, to touch the soul of man, he must possess a deep faith in Christ. “Put out into the deep,” says Jesus. This is required because man is a complex being; and no man has experienced the same things. Therefore, to reach the faithful, the servant of the Lord must reach the core of the human soul that is common to all men who are created in the image of God. The only power which will penetrate the vastly different experiences of men, and reach the core of the human soul, is the supernatural virtue of charity.

“Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” If Peter only left out that first sentence, that questioning of Christ’s most holy will. If he said immediately, “at your word I will let down the nets,” then that cooperation, that love of abandonment to God’s will, would be present. He can then share that love with those he “catches.” However, he first questions Christ, but quickly realizes his foolishness and repents shortly after. After all, it is clear that love is alive deep in him.

Let us not question the will of God but surrender to it. “Ask for nothing and refuse nothing,” said St. Francis de Sales. A lively charity will result from this mantra, if it is acted out. This is a lesson for all God-fearing men, not only the ordained.