Our All Saints Blog

What Then Will He Be?

What, then, will this child be? Fear came upon the neighbors of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” The answer would be made clear in God’s time. John would become the greatest prophet of all time. He would become the herald of the Son of God.

We all need an introduction. We all need a cheerleader. John was both herald and cheerleader to the Lord. He introduced Him to his very own disciples. He said to them, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Follow Him.

Today, we celebrate the nativity of John the Baptist, the last of the great prophets who ushered in the Messiah. We need to learn from him. We need to imitate him. For what he did, we must do. We too must usher in the Lord in our world. We too must be His cheerleaders and heralds.

What a tremendous responsibility Christians have in the world today! If we do not sing of His praises, then who will?

I’m not exaggerating when I say the name of Jesus should come up in our conversations at least once a day. Why not? What’s wrong with that? His name should be as familiar to us (and to our friends) as our children! His name should be at the tip of our tongue. Why not? Why not bring up His name in a cheerful way? Why not even in a boastful way? After all, if His name is used daily in a blasphemous way, then why not in a loving way???

There is always something to give thanks to the Lord for. Let’s not forget the obvious! Everything we are is due to Him. “I praise you Lord, for I am wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14).

We must give thanks to God at all times and in all places.  Have we forgotten that our purpose in life is to serve Jesus Christ? And that a very big part of our joy comes from bearing witness to the Good News?  I hope not, for almost everything else about life is simply dust in the wind.

Father's Day

Did you ever feel like everyone has the right to share their opinion except for you? Well, I’m here to tell you that you have every right to share God’s love and Commandments with others; and you can do that all the time!

Say what you need to say. Throughout the whole week I was trying to figure out what I was going say for this Sunday’s homily. It’s Father’s Day and the readings just didn’t seem to coincide with such a special event. However, throughout the week, I began to notice a sign from God. Every time I turned on the radio, I heard this one particular song entitled, “Say what you need to say” by John Mayer.

"That’s it!" I said to myself. “Say what you need to say.”

Simon, I have something to say to you. Simon only knew one side of God’s face. He only knew The Commandments side. He only knew “Thou shalt not… Thou shalt not…Thou shalt not…” Christ showed him the other side of God’s face: His compassionate side. “Simon, I have something to say to you…the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

My dear dads! One of the gravest sins we commit in our lives is the sin of omission. We don’t say what we need to say. We don’t tell our children what they need to hear. We must. They need it.

Even the Universal Church is cautious as to what it says. And the media is thrilled, for it loves to attack us as much as it loves to revive us. It’s almost as if the media has the Roman Catholic Church in America on an artificial respirator. They control our preaching as much as they control our breathing! They won’t kill us, but they will definitely keep us highly sedated. In other words, they hate us when we go too far with the truth but love us when we preach what they like to hear. Typically, they hate “Commandments” but love “Compassion.”

As a spiritual Father, I know that it isn’t always easy to watch an adult walk out during a homily, but when I see it, it reminds me of a teen walking away from their mom or dad; walking away from someone who loves them. Well, to all my brothers in Christ, I say take courage and say what you need to say.

Men of steel. The prophet Nathan took courage when he confronted King David (cf. Sam 12:7-10, 13). Jesus took courage when he confronted his host, a Pharisee. Both men took courage because they knew God had their back. Fathers, you must do the same as well. Be men of steel. Be men of God.

Teach your children well. Do not allow them to repeat the same mistakes you made. Teach them the Commandments and be compassionate.

Complement each other.   My dear fathers, when you got married, you married your wife for a simple reason: they made you a better man. In other words, they complemented you. Your strengths were her weaknesses, and her strengths were your weaknesses. Now teach your children well, for they can perfectly relate to the two of you, and not just physically, but also emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.

In many families, mom may be spontaneous while dad is a programmer. Mom may be more comfortable serving others while dad is more comfortable being served. A mom may be affectionate while dad is more reserved. Mom may be easily pleased while dad may be much more demanding. So which one is it? Which one is most beneficial? Which one is most needed? Both! For we do not want our children growing up thinking that people will be serving us always, and that we do not have to serve anyone. We don’t want them to live their lives “spontaneously,” without ever planning the future.

We need both. Our children need both.

Dear Fathers. Be faithful to your calling! Say what you need to say. Be clear. Be honest. Be wise. Be heavenly. Be a father in the image and likeness of God the Father.

Happy Father’s Day!