A Biblical Lesson On Marriage

Without making a judgment or even sharing my opinion at this point, let’s read the Gospel conversation between Jesus, the Pharisee’s and His disciples in Matthew 19:3-12 …

Pharisees: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?”

Jesus: “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”

Pharisees: “Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?”

Jesus: “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery.”

Disciples: “If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”

Jesus: “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”

My opinion is not worth two cents. I have been married 43 years and was unfaithful about 9 years into our marriage, breaking our vow. Yes, we are still hanging in there but there is still a great need for healing. What I will say is that I believe society does not know or has lost sight of the purpose of marriage. A healthy society depends on marriage to build a family structure that will add to the common good of society. Simply put, we need husbands and wives, mothers and fathers to love each other, be open to life and raise children. Oh, and I forgot the most important part of a marriage. A marriage is three; husband, God and wife with God in the center. End of less than 2 cent opinion.

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Mike Burke; Friday, August 12, 2016

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Father, Forgive Us

There was a part of the Our Father prayer that I was told to reflect on a long time ago. It is the part when we say “forgive us our trespasses.” I was asked to think about these words, “forgive me my trespasses to the same extent that I forgive other’s trespasses.”

Today’s Gospel from Matthew 18:21-19:1 talks about a master forgiving entirely the gigantic debt of his servant. God’s mercy is awesome! Then that same forgiven servant finds a servant of his that owes him a small amount and demands him to pay it all back. When the servant cannot pay it back, instead of showing mercy, he beats the servant and puts him in prison until he pays the whole debt back.

The master in today’s Gospel was not happy when he heard about what happened and you can read about the punishment but the quote that I think we should take to heart is … “Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” We know the answer is yes and we are called to be merciful as our God is merciful. We really have no excuses because if we truly look at ourselves honestly, we are not worthy of God’s mercy at all and deserve a terrible punishment for our sins. No matter how difficult it is, I must forgive and love my neighbor and even my enemies. Our own sins put us at enmity with God so if we desire mercy, we must show mercy.

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Mike Burke; Thursday, August 11, 2016

A Distant Shout-Out To My Brother

Today, August 10, would have been my brother Bob Dofflow’s birthday. On a special day like today and I read scripture, I hope for an inspiring Word from the Holy Spirit to remind me of times spent with my brother. My brother and I did not grow up together as he was quite older than me. He was my mom’s only child from her first marriage and I was her only child from her second marriage. My earliest recollection of my brother was that he was married and in the Sheriff’s Department and a great car enthusiast.

Bob passed away in 2005. He had a beautiful family of six, 3 wonderful boys and 3 beautiful girls. The Responsorial Psalm 112 today says … “Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.” This response has Bob written in it. He was a giver and concerned about whomever he was with. He loved. He left the Sheriff’s Department and then owned and operated his catering truck business. I was blessed to ride with him one day and I saw his love and generosity in action.

I pray today for Bob and all the faithful departed. May they reside in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father and may we all one day unite in the glory of God in heaven. Amen.

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Mike Burke; Wednesday, August 10, 2016

What Is Your Opinion?

Jesus asks us for our opinion today. Here is his question:

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?”

Matthew 18:12

What say you? When I read this Gospel passage today, I understand so much better the power of the Holy Spirit living in me. I think years ago I would have honestly answered that question with a probably not. I have 99 and I would have seen that as having an abundance and why risk my abundance to find one sheep.

At the time I thought that way, I was that one sheep who was lost. My Lord searched for me, found me and brought me back to His flock. One measly sheep, one hungry person, one homeless person, one lost soul and all the likes are worth searching for. It is our call to love the Lord and our neighbor.

Jesus concludes with the wisdom it has taken me a very long time to understand:

“And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”

Matthew 18:13-14

Those words speak volumes to me that we have a loving and merciful Father who wants us to be with Him for eternity. I am a living example of His love and mercy. Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Mike Burke; Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Grief and Joy

The Gospel of Matthew 17:22-27 begins today with words from Jesus to His disciples that bring them much grief. Jesus says … “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” We know the whole story and have heard it many times, but imagine if we took a beloved family member to the doctor and was told that he or she was filled with cancer and had only a few days to live. I think we might be better able to understand what the disciples felt when hearing these words.

I guess my thoughts today are again on having faith and trust in the Lord. The disciples spent so much time with Jesus. They experienced His teachings and His miracles. They were around the most awesome man and now He tells them He is going to be killed! They seemed to have missed the end of what Jesus said or maybe didn’t understand about being raised on the third day. They would come to understand when Jesus arose from the dead and appeared to them.

Going back to the doctor analogy, if I have faith and trust in the Lord, and believe as I do in the mercy of God, I should also be rejoicing in my grief. That might seem strange but I would be joy filled in faith that my loved one is now with the Lord. My grief would be that I would miss seeing my loved one in the tangible ways I experienced when my loved one was alive.

Another reminder for me is that life is short and we do not know what will happen to any of us. Relationships are important and need continuous nurturing. That goes the same for me in my relationship with Jesus. Well, it is the start of a new week and I pray for blessings on all who take the time to read and write about their love for God. God bless you all.

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Mike Burke; Monday, August 8, 2016

The Best Is Yet To Come

The title for my blog today was from a homily by Deacon Pat Martinez at Mass who reminded me that there is much more to look forward to than my life here on this earth.

I was thinking about obedience today. In prayer, I was thinking about The Virgin Mary and her obedience to God to accept the words of the Angel Gabriel to be the Mother of God. I began thinking about St. Joseph and his obedience to God as protector of Mary and Jesus.

Reading some really good blogs today that talked about doing what is right and not necessarily following the law, prompted me to reflect just how important it is to follow God’s ways and His teachings no matter how difficult they might be for me. Being obedient to God and following the law often coincide with each other but when they do not, being obedient to God wins out.

Being a catholic in faith, I am called to be obedient to God’s revelation to His church through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Teaching Authority of the Church. In today’s second reading from Hebrews 11, St. Paul talked about the obedience of Abraham. The faith and trust in God that Abraham exhibited is truly amazing. We know through his obedience to God that he became the father of all nations and had “descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.” But the real test of faith and trust was that when Abraham was so old and finally granted the grace of God to have his son Isaac, he was told to offer him as a sacrifice to God. Abraham would have completed the task had it not been for God stopping him at the last moment.

Why obedience, faith and trust in God? My answer is that I know that the best is yet to come. The promise of eternal life in heaven is the best to come. Do what is right, be obedient to God, trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, love your neighbor and have complete faith in God because He is trustworthy. St. Paul also said in Hebrews, “faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Our God is a merciful Lord and patiently calls for our repentant return to His loving arms. We are reminded today in the Gospel of Luke 12:32-48 that we must not delay. Jesus says … “You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Let us all be courageous and take that leap of faith and trust to be obedient to the will of God in our lives. The best is yet to come.

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Mike Burke; Sunday, August 7, 2016

The Transfiguration of the Lord

Today in the church is the celebration of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. All the readings today are about God’s glory. In the Gospel, I read the words “dazzling white” and my mind wanders to holiness and purity. Jesus is perfect in every way and He loves the imperfect me well beyond my own belief. Can you imagine what it will be like when we are called home to see Jesus in His full glory? Peter, John and James received just a glimpse of God’s glory and they seemed quite overwhelmed. It also reminds me again not to hold onto life and things of the world. I have this great promise waiting for me. May God’s will be done! I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

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Mike Burke; Saturday, August 6, 2016

The World or My Cross?

“What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit your life?” Matthew 16:26

I am told that living in the world is good and being of the world is not. Our Lord has given us this beautiful world and every provision for our benefit. Yet, when I replace worldly things for Godly things, I sin.

Am I willing to pick up my cross and follow Jesus? My Spirit is usually willing but my flesh, my desires and my sins can lead me into being of the world. The world can be so enjoyable that the enjoyment becomes more important than the cross of loving God and neighbor above me. I have gotten caught up in living the worldly “good life” but in the same Gospel today, Jesus says … “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

If I believe in heaven and eternal life, which I do, these passages make it clear to me to keep striving to love God, His will and my neighbor above all things of the world. I usually sound hard on myself when I write because I am vividly aware of my past sins that God, in His mercy, has forgiven me. But, remembering those worldly times are great reminders to choose more wisely.

A good example I can share is on my long, late night, drive home, I have a bad habit of pulling off the freeway for a large amount of fast food. I do this more often than I want to admit. The temptation is great, the food is great but I know the way I feel when I get home and try to sleep and how I feel when I wake up in the morning. It is not good and I think to myself, why do I do this over and over again?

Last night as I was deciding which fast food joint would get my business, I was prompted to deny myself the food and offer that sacrifice for a friend who is in pain and a friend of hers that just passed away last weekend. The peace I received of offering a prayer of love and sacrifice for others was a great blessing. In this case, the Spirit wins and the flesh loses. Praise God.

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Mike Burke; Friday, August 5, 2016

From Penthouse To Basement

I am reminded today how easy it is to seek God, find God and lose God within moments. Maybe it is just me, and not something that others experience, but I often am a little like St. Peter from today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16:13-23. Jesus asks His disciples what the lowdown is about Him. What are people saying? They tell Him but then Jesus asks what they think. St. Peter (Simon at the time) gets it right when he answers that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Jesus tells him that was revealed to him from His Heavenly Father. Jesus then names Simon, “Peter”, and blesses him with the grace of leadership and authority.

Jesus begins to reveal to His disciples about His suffering and crucifixion that is to come. The powerful Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes Him by telling our Lord that God forbid, this is not going to happen. Wow, from the penthouse to the basement. Jesus tells Peter … “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

That’s me! I can be so in tune with my Lord, loving Him, loving everyone, praising God and thanking God for every breath and gift I am given. Then temptations of all kind come and I want things my way, just like Peter. Thinking like God and not as human beings do will be a daily challenge for me. When I win the battle by cooperating with the grace of God, I am at great peace. Today, I would rather not talk about my way. It doesn’t work.

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Mike Burke; Thursday, August 4, 2016

“Lord, Help Me”

Today from Matthew 15:21-28, we hear the plea for help from a non-Jewish Canaanite woman to heal her daughter who was tormented by a demon. Jesus tells her the He was sent for the Jews that were lost and that it is “not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Did Jesus just call non-Jewish people dogs? He did. We can learn much from the wisdom of this Canaanite woman who replied with great faith in Jesus saying, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

How did Jesus respond? “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour. We know Jesus loves all of His children, even us Gentiles! A reminder for us to seek Jesus with great faith. And, right before she made her plea of “Lord, help me,” she did Him homage. Another reminder that God is to be given all praise and glory.

I have been blessed to be on vacation for a few days with my wife and 2 grandchildren so I have missed reading your blogs and social media posts. Up early and home late, I have much to catch up with at week’s end. May God in His infinite glory, bless each and every one of you. Amen.

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Mike Burke; Wednesday, August 3, 2016