THE PRESENT ATTEMPT TO HIGHJACK CHRISTIANITY

JESUS SAID THIS

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

 Luke 6:27-36

PETE HEGSETH SAID THIS

March 25, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed Wednesday to have “every round find its mark” (meaning 'every bullet will kill its victim)." He read a prayer that he said was first given by a military chaplain to the troops who captured then-President Maduro of Venezuela. “Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,” Hegseth prayed during the livestreamed service. “Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.” Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might. “I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed,” he read from the Psalms on Wednesday. During the expanding Iran war and global conflicts, Hegseth's Christian rhetoric has drawn renewed scrutiny including his past defense of the Crusades, the brutal medieval wars that pitted Christians against Muslims. 

I SAY THIS

As William Shakespeare said, "The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose." In this case, I want nothing to do with their twisted ideology of "Christian Nationalism." There is no way they will ever rob me of my Christian identity and inspire me to adopt that version of it! 

I said this on the 5th Sunday of Lent 2026. "One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a priest is to convince people of God’s unconditional love for them. Why is it that so many of us have been trained by people who have dismissed these intimate stories of God’s love and have combed through the Scriptures, piecing together condemning, judging, and damning messages that they turn into a religion? Why did they, and why do some of us, find those negative messages more believable? I have received more letters questioning my “too lenient notions of God’s love” than any other critical letters since I became a priest. I am proud of my position on this! Jesus revealed the “true God,” not this “false mean god” that some people have created since Adam and Eve. Even in that story, God says to Adam and Eve, “Who told you that you were naked?” (Genesis 3:11). In other words, “Who told you that you were bad, separated from me, and defective? I certainly didn’t!” Jesus came to talk us out of that mean vindictive God some keep creating in their own minds. I can’t imagine trying to live my religion without being in love with God! I can’t imagine practicing a religion based on fear, dread and the validation of the use of hatred and violence!"

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHES THIS

in the Documents of Vatican Council II

JEWS

As the sacred synod searches into the mystery of the Church, it remembers the bond that spiritually ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham's stock.

Thus the Church of Christ acknowledges that, according to God's saving design, the beginnings of her faith and her election are found already among the Patriarchs, Moses and the prophets. The Church, therefore, cannot forget that she received the revelation of the Old Testament through the people with whom God in His inexpressible mercy concluded the Ancient Covenant. Nor can she forget that she draws sustenance from the root of that well-cultivated olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild shoots, the Gentiles. Indeed, the Church believes that by His cross Christ, Our Peace, reconciled Jews and Gentiles. making both one in Himself.

The Church keeps ever in mind the words of the Apostle about his kinsmen: "theirs is the sonship and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises; theirs are the fathers and from them is the Christ according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:4-5), the Son of the Virgin Mary. She also recalls that the Apostles, the Church's main-stay and pillars, as well as most of the early disciples who proclaimed Christ's Gospel to the world, sprang from the Jewish people.

Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological studies as well as of fraternal dialogues.

True, the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ; still, what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today. All should see to it, then, that in catechetical work or in the preaching of the word of God they do not teach anything that does not conform to the truth of the Gospel and the spirit of Christ.

Furthermore, in her rejection of every persecution against any man, the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel's spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.

PROTESTANTS

Even in the beginnings of this one and only Church of God there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly condemned. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions made their appearance and quite large communities came to be separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame. The children who are born into these Communities and who grow up believing in Christ cannot be accused of the sin involved in the separation, and the Catholic Church embraces upon them as brothers, with respect and affection. For men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect. The differences that exist in varying degrees between them and the Catholic Church - whether in doctrine and sometimes in discipline, or concerning the structure of the Church - do indeed create many obstacles, sometimes serious ones, to full ecclesiastical communion. The ecumenical movement is striving to overcome these obstacles. But even in spite of them it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.

All in the Church must preserve unity in essentials. But let all, according to the gifts they have received enjoy a proper freedom, in their various forms of spiritual life and discipline, in their different liturgical rites, and even in their theological elaborations of revealed truth. In all things let charity prevail. If they are true to this course of action, they will be giving ever better expression to the authentic catholicity and apostolicity of the Church.

On the other hand, Catholics must gladly acknowledge and esteem the truly Christian endowments from our common heritage which are to be found among our separated brethren. It is right and salutary to recognize the riches of Christ and virtuous works in the lives of others who are bearing witness to Christ, sometimes even to the shedding of their blood. For God is always wonderful in His works and worthy of all praise.

Nor should we forget that anything wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brethren can be a help to our own edification. Whatever is truly Christian is never contrary to what genuinely belongs to the faith; indeed, it can always bring a deeper realization of the mystery of Christ and the Church.

      

OTHER RELIGIONS

From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father. This perception and recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense.

In Hinduism, men contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practices or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and trust. Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination.

Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing "ways," comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites.

The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men.

The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.

The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.

DISAPPOINTED WITH THE CHURCH? NO NEED, INDEED!

 

The community of believers was of one heart and mind.

Acts 2:42-47

Hardly an Easter goes by that I don’t remember family “picture taking” from childhood, especially on Easter Sunday morning when we were all decked out in our finest new “Easter clothes.” Back then we got new clothes twice a year – when school started and Easter – so it was a big deal.

In those days, people would never think of going to church without being all dressed up. Most women wore hats and gloves and carried purses. Most men wore coats and ties. Boys wore ironed shirts, shiny shoes and even ties sometime. Girls wore dresses and hats and carried purses.

On Easter, however, we went all out. There are innumerable photos in our family album to prove it. I especially remember my brother and I all lined up, with and without our Easter baskets, looking very frozen in uncomfortable shoes, bow ties and slickly combed hair. It seemed that we took turns taking pictures of each other – often Mom and the girls in one picture and Dad and the boys in another. We were always smiling, even if it looked forced sometimes. Our clothes were always pressed with an iron. Our hair was always combed. We always stood there smiling into a blazing sun and trying to look our very best.

It is what the pictures didn’t show that is worth mentioning today. We have no shots of the screaming, yelling and name-calling that went into getting ready. We have no shots of my Dad in one of his rages. We had no shots of my mother, looking haggard and worn, late at night, ironing all those clothes by hand for six kids, herself and my Dad, who never did learn how to take care of his own clothes. We have no shots of any of the pain and struggles that we went through as a family back then. If you just look at our Easter snapshots, you would think we were the Walton’s on “crack!” Snapshots never tell the whole story! They are only “snapshots” – moments in time!

The community of believers was of one heart and mind.

Such in the case today with today's first reading! It is one snapshot of the church during its infancy. If you read only that passage, by itself, you would have to conclude that the church has "gone to hell in a hand basket" since then! In reality, it is like the “Easter pictures” of my childhood. It only tells part of the truth.

In the beginning, the church did have some days when its members seemed to be “of one heart and one mind,” some days when “many signs and wonders were done,” and some days when “they enjoyed the favor of all the people.” If we just read this one reading and looked around the church today, we would have to conclude that the church’s original luster and beauty has indeed faded. However, if you continued to read on in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, you would start reading what Paul Harvey called “the rest of the story” and the “rest of the story” would sound very much like the church today.

Thank God that "the rest of the story" stories are included in the Scriptures. It helps us not to idealize the church in its beginnings and be discouraged by its weaknesses today.

In today's gospel, we read about the doubt of Thomas who refused to believe until he saw and touched Jesus' wounds personally. We read about a bunch of people walking away from Jesus because they could not believe his teaching on being the "bread of life." We read about some of Jesus' family who showed up while he was preaching to take him home because they thought he was "out of his mind." We read about James and John, the "climbers," who made a move behind the other apostles' back to get the best positions in Jesus' new kingdom. Then there is the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter and the total abandonment by all the apostles at the crucifixion except John and some women.

                             The community of believers was of one heart and mind.

If we kept reading on past the Acts of the Apostles reading today, we would quickly read about Ananias, and his wife Sapphira, who made a pledge to give the proceeds of the sale of some of their property to the church. Later, with his wife knowledge, they held back part of the pledge and even lied about it. Caught in the lie, they both dropped dead. If we kept reading, we would read about the future Saint Paul hunting down Christians and having them killed and even holding the coats of those who stoned St. Stephen to death. If we kept reading, we would read about Paul and Barnabas having such a falling out that they could not work together and having to go their separate ways. If we kept reading, we would read about Peter acting one way around Jewish believers and another way around Gentile believers, resulting in his being called “two-faced” by Paul. If we kept reading, we would hear about Greek and Jewish widows arguing over their fair share and apostles with “too much to do.”

The community of believers was of one heart and mind.

There are many beautiful snapshots of the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles, but they are balanced by some snapshots of the ugly side of the early church as well. Just as Jesus was fully human and fully divine at the same time, his body, the church, may be of divine origin, but it is also full of real human beings and human weaknesses! In spite of this, Jesus has promised to be with the church till the end of time and has promised that even the power of hell shall not prevail against it. Therefore, hang in there and hang on! If the church was supposed to be perfect, we would never have been invited to join - and, with us in it, it would no longer be perfect!

CHURCH CHAT #23

I'M NOT MUCH OF A DRINKER, BUT WHEN I DO DRINK...

....WE ENGLISH AGREE 

SETTLING THE UNSETTLED & UNSETTLING THE SETTLED

 

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free” is from the Gospel of John 8:32. “The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable” is often credited to U.S. President John A. Garfield (1831-1881), but he never said it. Others credit  Mark Twain (1835-1910). Still others credit Gestalt therapist Barry Stevens (1902-1985) in 1977.

Prophets are sometimes presented to us as people able to predict the future. In fact, they are more known for telling the truth to people who do not want to hear it, which is why they are often killed. Truth demands change, so it is often assiduously avoided by people who are quite satisfied with the status quo.

The Truth Will Set You Free - The Truth Can Settle the Unsettled

This part of the quote highlights the power of truth to liberate us. When we face the truth—whether about ourselves, others or situations—we are no longer trapped by lies, denial, or confusion. Truth can free us from self-deception, guilt, fear, or even toxic situations. It allows for personal growth and healing, which ultimately leads to freedom. Think of it as the freedom that comes from no longer hiding from reality. It’s empowering and brings clarity.

But First It Will Make You Miserable - The Truth Can Unsettle the Settled

The second part of the quote acknowledges that facing the truth can be incredibly painful at first. Because it demands change, it is not gentle and and thereby destabilizes the establishment and its institutions. It may force us to confront uncomfortable realities about ourselves or the world around us. For example, we may have to face mistakes we’ve made, the consequences of our actions, or difficult situations that we’ve been avoiding. The “misery” comes from the emotional discomfort of confronting these hard truths. It may involve feelings of regret, guilt, sadness, or disappointment.

However, this initial discomfort is seen as a necessary part of the process. In order to move forward and be truly free, we must go through the difficult experience of acknowledging what is true, no matter how painful it may be.

In essence, The quote speaks to the paradox of truth. While the truth is ultimately a source of liberation, it often requires us to go through discomfort, challenge, or hardship before we can fully embrace it. The “miserable” phase is temporary, and once we have processed the truth, we can experience emotional freedom and growth. It’s an empowering reminder that facing difficult truths is essential for long-term healing and freedom, even though the journey may be tough at first.

 

A BREAKDOWN BEFORE A BREAKTHROUGH

 

They have taken the Lord from the tomb and

we don’t know where they put him.

John 20:9

Obviously, none of Jesus’ friends expected him to rise from the dead. In fact, they all assumed the grave had been robbed and the body had been snatched. Once the news gets out that the body was missing, everybody in today’s gospel runs around like chickens with their heads cut off! The word “ran” is used three times in this one story. It sounds like a typical Easter Sunday morning at our small house when I was growing up in a family of eight - chaos as far as the eye could see! If you are here with a bunch of kids you got ready for church today, you know what I mean! 

Mary Magdalen got there first, not because she expected Jesus to rise and wanted to be there when it happened, but because she wanted to do what was traditional to do after the burial of a loved one. It was customary to visit the tomb of loved ones for three days after the body had been laid to rest. It was believed that for three days the spirit of the dead person hovered around the tomb, but then it departed because the body had become unrecognizable through decay in that hot climate. 

Jesus had died on Friday. By religious law, Mary Magdalen would not have been allowed to travel on Saturday, the Sabbath. That meant she had to wait till Sunday morning before she could make her first visit. She couldn’t wait till the sun came up so she got there before dawn. When she arrived at the tomb, she was shocked to find that the stone had been rolled back and the body was missing! She concluded that the grave had been robbed so she ran back to town and got Peter and John out of bed. All three ran back to the tomb together. John, being younger, outran Peter and got there first, with Peter soon following out of breath.  Before Mary Magdalen could catch up with them on her way back to the empty tomb, Peter and John ran past her on their way back to town to tell the others.

One by one, his disciples began to believe that Jesus had indeed been raised from the dead, beginning with John and ending with Thomas. From their mouths to others’ ears, from their mouths to others’ ears, from their mouths to others’ ears, this story has been passed down to us some 2,000 years later and here we are gathered today to celebrate what we have just heard in St. John's account of the resurrection!

Yes, this is the Easter story, but what does it mean and what does it have to do with us?

The point of Easter is not simply that life is sometimes troubling and difficult but that, by its very design, it needs to be troubling and difficult. This is because it is not ease but affliction that enables us to develop our very best. Those who grow the most are simply the ones who have weathered the most, endured the most, and struggled the most. Because such trials have been borne in the right spirit, they have been strengthened, enriched, and deepened the most by it. Think about any of the heroes and heroines of the faith, and one will always identify persons for whom hardship, sacrifice, and pain are no strangers. All breakthroughs are usually proceeded by a big breakdown. No pain, no gain! No cross, no crown! 

In short, we must view this death and resurrection not merely as just another historical event from the distant past, but as a life-giving way of living today. We are not here today to celebrate this death and resurrection as an event that just happened once in history, but death and resurrection as a way of living our lives today.

People in recovery programs understand death and resurrection as a way of life. People who have unilaterally forgiven their enemies understand death and resurrection as a way of life. Parents who have had to let go of their children and see them thrive, understand death and resurrection as a way of life. Anybody who has lost a job, only to find a better one understands death and resurrection as a way of life. Anyone who has lost a spouse, only to find another chance at love, understands death and resurrection as a way of life.

This Easter is special to me personally. Several times in the last 56 years of priesthood, I have gone from one of the worst years of priesthood to one of the best. The year I retired, I was in the pits. I knew I was in the pits, but I also knew in my guts that, if I would just hang in there, things would get better – and they did, in spades! It has happened at least three times just since I retired. For me, my breakdowns have always preceded the beginning of yet another amazing breakthrough! I am not that special! Whatever breakdown you are going through right now, with an Easter faith, could be a breakthrough for you as well! You can bet on it!

I always remember that engineer in Switzerland who designed a great tunnel between Switzerland and Austria. I have told the story often because it is so appropriate for today. He proposed they dig from both ends and meet in the middle, a risky method. When the day came when diggers were supposed to meet but didn’t, he killed himself thinking that he had made a great mistake. On the very day of his funeral, the workers broke through and the connection was perfect! He gave up one day too soon! An “Easter faith” means that you don’t give up, no matter how hopeless things seem to be at the moment.

In a nutshell, we are here to celebrate a way-of-living, not just an historic event! By embracing difficulty, we can overcome it. After a lifetime of embracing difficulties and overcoming them, we can finally embrace our own deaths knowing that there is eternal life on the other side of that!  Just as Jesus was raised, we who believe in him will also be raised - to live with him and each other forever!