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Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Fr. Joseph Gifford, Associate Pastor November 3, 2019

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in college I had a friend him and I were very close part of it had to do with the fact that we are roommates and we have the same majors which meant that we shared a lot of the same classes so as we got to know each other better studied together things like that we became really good friends until we weren't in my senior year in college we had a falling out we didn't talk to each other the last 6 months there's a lot of pain there there is a loss that happened it was grief and at this time looking with just human eyes it was hard to take hard to understand and hard to live with but then I had a friend who told me Joe you need to look with the eyes of God and I was reminded then of an exercise that Saint Ignatius would do every day before he really started to pray he would take some time at the beginning of the prayer about the length of an Our Father to see himself how God CSUN and so I was reminded of this and begin doing it I took time each day to just stop imagine myself where I was at that moment with all of the pain and wasp but also with all of the good things all of the other friends that I had all of the promises hopes and opportunities that were coming my way and then take a step back imagine how God saw that Joe and see how God still was there looking with the eyes of God I was able to see all of these other things and to realize that this moment of loss wasn't simply a moment of suffering and pain Trail and betrayed trust it was in fact a moment of growth a moment's to grow in my understanding of who I am am I understanding of my relationship with other people and with God ain't you even be thankful for the suffering because the suffering was an opportunity for but this was only possible by looking with the eyes of God and it is exactly this same look of God that Christ gave to Zacchaeus in Our Gospel today Zacchaeus had this desire late ambiguous but he's still had it and so he did everything he could to see God but that's not what mattered What mattered with God's look and seeing zaccheaus because when Christ Sasuke's he said I want you I'm coming to your house I'm coming to stay with you because I love you God didn't simply look he looked with love in our first reading the book of wisdom tells us how God created everything the entire universe just a grain of sand in his sight a drop of water but still he looks upon it with mercy and love with kindness and understanding not only at that macroscopic bubble but even the microscopic level of our souls so when we take that moment to step back and look with the eyes of God in our lives we can see that he is looking with love he looks at each and every one of us and says you are my beloved Son my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased this is what should the finest not our Earthly friendships not the well or the status that the key sad even though too often we try to let those to find us know what should Define us is the identity and relationship we receive from God we receive this beloved childhood from God it's love that no matter if we are in pain suffering or sin we know that he loves us but see the book of wisdom doesn't stop there the reading keeps going yes God looks at us with love but not a love that wants us to stay where we are at he doesn't want us to stay in our sinfulness in pain no he wants us to grow to move Beyond this grow closer to him grow in our capacity to love him and others and so frequently we here in the scriptures of God being angry God punishment on people and we here in the book of wisdom the same thing but it is not done out of hatred for us done out of love very similar to how our parents will discipline a child that apparent only does this out of love because his mother and father wants to see their children grow to become good people to draw closer to God themselves and to learn to love others well this is what God wants for each and every one of us it's only Facebook to see that effect in our lives when we reflect upon it when we take that step back to recognize the pain the suffering the loss of the following this that we are in right now but then take that step back and look with the eyes of God The Eyes Of Love forgiveness and encouraged mint but again we're not called to stop there we are called to move Beyond ourselves do not simply look at ourselves with the eyes of God what to look at everyone around us in the same lights take for example all of us gathered here this morning for Mass with just merely nice we can see our neighbors and our friends those people we like those people we may not and those people that we do not know that's with just humans when we take a step back and look at all of us gathered Through The Eyes Of God we see that we are all United in our baptism we moved from being simply a community to a kimono a true United body the body of Christ that have come here to worship God listen to the Holy Spirit and follow his will to come together and sing God's praises we are afforded a special opportunity to do this week from Friday we will have the opportunity to come together again and look with the eyes of God not simply at how are Parish can move forward but how are archdiocese can move forward Hear It All Saints a week from Friday we will be hosting a prayer and listening session for upcoming Arch Diocesan synod it is at this time Archbishop hebda will be here in this room leading us in prayer leading Us in this exercise of taking a step back ugly looking eyes of God at our Parish in at our diocese I'm truly praying to God asking for his guidance and love to show us where he wants us to take a step forward and the Archbishop is coming here because he wants to hear each and everyone of you and how the holy spirit is guiding you prayer he wants to see how you have taken this step back and looked at your lives at the life of the church Through The Eyes Of God this is so importance in our local church in our diocese I would encourage each and every one of you to come the evening of the 15th to be here to share in this deeply spirit experience and to share with the Archbishop what you hear from the Holy Spirit and so as we take a moment to reflect imagine ourselves in our own sinfulness and loss in our own pain and suffering in the joists in the gifts God has given us that we may be able to take a step back and look with the eyes of God to realize we are beloved sons and daughters that even in our pain and sinfulness God loves us and calls us on two more that he calls us to not simply look at ourselves but to look what others and see how they are sons and daughters and see how God guides us on take a step forward inspired by the Holy Spirit so look the eyes of God

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