Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church

I am convinced that our
small worshiping community really makes a difference in today’s society because
of two great powers: The power within and the “power of one.”
The philosophical and theological approach to both powers is that “I am
only one, but I am one.  There is little I can do , but what I can do do,
I will do.”  In a day-to-day’s experience, it means that breakdowns
become learning experiences.   Just one person…you ….can bring
new life into a stress-filled-world.  Did you ever notice that a tiny drop
of water will make the majestic ocean bigger and the absence of it will make it
smaller?  Did you ever notice that an almost invisible grain of sand will
make the miles-long beach bigger or the absence of it will make it smaller? You
may have read the story of the little boy who was throwing star fish into the
sea.  A lady passed by and said, “Little boy, there are millions of
star fish on this beach, after the high tide.  It will take many years for
you to throw all the star fish into the sea, so you really don’t make a
difference.  The boy holding a tiny star fish, said, “It will make a
difference for this tiny star fish, who will certainly be alive and
thankful,” and he threw it into the sea. You also make a difference for
the power within you.  Nobody makes you happy, nobody makes you sad, you
do.  The truth is that the trouble with the world we run away from is not
“other people”, but it is simply you.  Peace and happiness are
not somewhere…out there.  They are within you, ready to be used and enjoyed,
if you simply allow them to unfold.  Saint Catherine of Siena, doctor of
the church, used to say, ” the trouble with the world is me.”
The evils of the world are but the outward expression of the evil that is
within us all (Our Sunday Visitor, 7/5/98,p.14)  The Homo Sapiens will not
win the battle of life unless he becomes the Homo Religiosus.  Our wisdom
has to become holiness to make sense of our failure and success.  All the
great mystics have discovered the hard way what Job meant when he said that
human life on earth is a continuous war, a war that has to be waged
within.  It is only after losing battle after battle in the spiritual
combat that a person finally learns that conflicts are not obstacles after all,
but opportunities to make us stronger and better.  This was the lesson
that Saint Paul of Tarsus learned.  He actually thanked God for his
weakness, because it enabled him to realize that without God he could not win a
single battle with himself, therefore, sinfulness can become a stepping stone
to sanctity.  The way to inner peace and joy is paved with spiritual
failures and dogged by defeat after defeat, just as hell is paved with good
intentions never implemented.

The notion of authority is very important in our relationship with God and one another. The Holy Scripture is literally overspread with the authority syndrome. The prophet Isaiah describes in details the transfer of authority from Shebna to Eliakin (Is, 22:16-21). Saint Paul bows before the authority of God whose ways are unsearchable and full of wisdom ( Rm. 11:33-36) Saint Matthew gives
a new twist to the concept of authority connected with law and identity. About 20 centuries ago, Jesus asked a question, which was answered properly and correctly. That’s fine and dandy! The point is that Jesus asks that question today, to you and me, personally. Actually, you are the Peter of the Gospel. Do we really know Jesus? Here is a soliloquy, which may help our understanding:

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