Breaking In The Habit

He’s Come for the Lost

This weekend at Mass, we heard the familiar story of Zacchaeus. We heard how he ran to climb a tree to see Jesus, how we promised to sell half his possessions, how he committed himself to repaying anyone he extorted four times over. An amazing turn around for the chief tax collector, a wealthy man.

But this story isn’t about what Zacchaeus does. It’s not about him seeking Jesus. It’s about Jesus seeking him. It’s about God’s mercy.

Think about how Jesus has talked about the rich throughout this Gospel! He has just finished saying that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter heaven. He says “Woe to you rich” in the beatitudes. Over and over we see examples of rich people being condemned for their selfishness and injustice, and here was a chief tax collector, a rich man. Is there anyone in the ancient world more hated, farther from the Kingdom of Heaven? If you didn’t know how this story ended, you would expect Pharisee-level condemnations.

But he doesn’t. He welcomes him. He proclaims salvation on his house. Why? Because all throughout the Gospel of Luke we have seen that Jesus has come for the lost, and there is no one more lost that Zacchaeus. What this story shows is that no one is outside of God’s reach.

Watch Something Else This Halloween

Admittedly, I love thrillers. I’m not a huge fan of horror movies, but there’s something about suspense, about movies that make you scream, that I love to watch. This week, Fr. Patrick and I review one such movie… that we highly recommend you don’t see. Watch our video and skip the movie itself.

https://youtu.be/RUFc7IIcsiE

I’m a Mouse. Duh!

On Friday, the high school where I’m chaplain allowed students and faculty to dress up for Halloween. Wanting to take part but not wanting to put in a lot of effort, I picked a costume from one of my favorite movies: Mean Girls. (In case you’re worried, I wore my habit as normal and just put on a mouse ears headband.) Also, I love this movie and you should listen to Fr. Tito and I talk about it. It’s actually a really good movie.

It was a TikTok sort of week

It seems that kids these days are spending their time on TikTok more than anything else. It’s not my favorite place to make content, but I guess I have to try, right? I thought these videos were helpful, if nothing else.

We should be stewards, not “owners” of God’s creation:

@caseyofm

Let’s be better stewards of the things we use. #CatholicSocialTeaching #CareForCreation #theology #Catholic

♬ original sound – caseyofm

Some didn’t understand, so here are the receipts:

@caseyofm

Replying to @carrom48 communism in the Church? #catholicsocialteaching #communism #privateproperty

♬ original sound – caseyofm

And, are sins subjective? Yes. And no.

@caseyofm

#stitch with @jegaysus is sin subjective? Yes and no.

♬ original sound – caseyofm

Trying to Keep Up…

Yeah, that is a lot of content for one week. Oh, and I have a daily reflection podcast. And I’m releasing two videos at the same time tomorrow. It’s been a tight schedule and I happy to make it all, but man… it’s frustrating when I find myself up at 9:30 writing this because I’ve been working all day on a project that’s not going to work (at least not on time.) All is grace.

Peace and good this week,

Fr. Casey

Can We Hear Their Cries?

Today we have to ask ourselves an uncomfortable question.

If you remember last week, Jesus told us that we were to pray without growing weary, that, like the widow, like Moses against the great army, it doesn’t matter how impossible the task is, we are to have faith… and Jesus will provide. 

This week, we are shown another example of prayer—that we must be humble like the tax collector, truly contrite, truly dependent on God, and we will be justified. We read that God hears the cry of the poor, that the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds.

And so here’s our question: why is there still suffering then? Why is there still poverty and racism and war? If God hears our prayers in our suffering, if some of us, we know, are praying correctly, why do these things still happen?

I’d like to suggest that, at least part of the answer, and the truly uncomfortable question for us today, is this: “Do we hear the cry of the poor?”

76 Questions

Believe it or not, I do a lot more than just make videos. This week, I decided to highlight one of the ministries I serve by answering questions while walking around school.

Need a Little Joy?

There’s a lot of trash on the internet. We all know that. But did you know that there’s also a lot of wholesome, fun content as well? This week, Fr. Patrick and I review the “Media Nuns” and their great work of evangelization.

https://youtu.be/vH7ttmVkipM

When Rumors Get Out of Hand

High school is tough for a lot of people. It’s hard enough finding out who you are without bullies and cliques forcing you to be something you’re not. Sometimes, it can be a lonely place where no one knows you. Some will do anything to be popular. In the case of Easy A, that can be a recipe for disaster.

Let’s Pray with Mark

Every day, I post a reading of scripture to allow you to pray with the Gospels. Have you listened yet? Made it a part of your routine?

Have a great week!

Don’t Give Up

In our day, it is not uncommon to see protests and demonstrations for a cause. Some are worthwhile, others involve throwing tomato soup at a Van Gough painting. In general, protesting does not necessitate courage.

This was not the case for those in the Civil Rights Movement of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. One needs only to remember what happened to Emmitt Till—the 14-year-old who was killed for allegedly speaking to a white woman— to know that the stakes were high if protests didn’t go well. To stand up for justice in this time must have seemed like an impossible task. But they persisted. They did not grow weary.

What an example for this week’s readings. Moses must lead untrained, recently freed slaves in battle against a warring nation; Jesus speaks of a widow standing up to a judge. These are impossible tasks. Who would think that success is possible? And yet, both prevail. They prevail because of their persistence, because they trusted in God.

Today, we face impossible tasks all around us. Will we easily give up, believing that there is no hope? Or will we trust in God and keep going, knowing that he is with us?

Is There Any More Impossible an Issue?

In our political world today, nothing is more polarizing than abortion. It’s always been a difficult issue to navigate, but it’s certainly reached a fever pitch of late. In this week’s Upon Friar Review, Fr. Patrick and I watch an episode of Scrubs attempting to tackle this prickly issue.

https://youtu.be/ij3iS0i_V3E

Don’t Quit Until Your Name is Cleared

What would you do if the CIA blamed you for something you didn’t do? What if they were out to kill you? If you’re Bruce Willis in the movie Red, you do everything in your power… which apparently includes infiltrating the top secrete area of the CIA, attempting to kill the Vice President, sneaking into the Russian consulate to work with a Russian spy, beating up people half your age, impersonating a fire fighter, impersonating a police officer, impersonating a 3rd world weapons dealer, and impersonating a top level military general. You know, really believable stuff! Switch your brain off, suspend your disbelief, and have fun with this movie.

Great Time, Place for a Retreat

The priests of the Diocese of Savannah spent four days in St. Johns, FL for a retreat this past week. You can’t beat a setting like this to reflect on God’s presence in your life!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Casey Cole, OFM (@caseyofm)

You are Special

Many find such a statement trite. How can everyone be special, they ask. Because God created you, that’s how.

@caseyofm

If everybody’s special then nobody’s special, right?

♬ original sound – caseyofm

Exciting Things Coming Up!

Happy to say that a number of videos are in the works and I’m looking forward to some new projects! Hope to share one on Wednesday!

Have a great week!

Fr. Casey

More than a Wish

When I was a kid, I saw a shooting start and my parents told me to make a wish. Not understanding exactly how wishes worked, I woke up the next morning disappointed that my wish had not immediately come true.

Sadly, I believe many of our prayer lives are like this. We offer a petition to God then go about our ways expecting it to magically come true. Our readings this Sunday show that miracles are sometimes a bit more complicated than this. In the case of Naaman and the Samaritan leper, petition was the first step, but this was followed by two additional steps: trusting God when something peculiar was asked of them, and showing thanks for answering the prayer.

So it should be with us. When we ask God for help, the first thing we should do is listen for God’s answer. Where is he guiding us? How is he showing us the answer? It may seem peculiar or difficult, but faith leads us to trust that God knows how to answer our prayers and that we might have to make some sacrifices to see them fulfilled.

Am I In A Cult?

At first glance, it’s a ridiculous question. Obviously no. But what is a cult, and how is it different from a religion? It’s not such an easy question to answer. Further, once we do, it becomes apparent that the difference between the two isn’t so black and white: there can be cult-like aspects to religions. This is something to beware of.

Such as… Biblical Fundamentalism

One of the most common aspects of a cult is the lack of intellectual questioning or rigor. Adherents are told to obey without understanding, even when the information they’ve been given doesn’t make much sense. This week, Fr. Patrick and I review one such example of that: a children’s representation of the Genesis story packed full of biblical fundamentalism.

https://youtu.be/Pt1MnyR2epM

Or Organized Crime

The same can be said about organized crime families, on display in the movie Lucky Number Slevin. Not exactly the most wholesome movie Fr. Tito and I have ever reviewed, it is a look into what hatred, resentment, and fear will do to people, including the “heroes” of the movie. It’s a clever, well-written movie, but not one we’d recommend for all audiences.

Can “good people” get to heaven?

The only way to heaven is through Jesus, but that doesn’t mean that even people in cults can’t be saved. We believe in a merciful God, as I discuss in this TikTok.

@caseyofm

#stitch with @violinrobin Can non-Christians go to heaven?

♬ original sound – caseyofm

Keep us in your prayers

Starting tomorrow, the priests of the Diocese of Savannah will on retreat. I would appreciate your prayers for all these men that it may be a rejuvenating and inspiring week.

Peace and good to everyone!

Fr. Casey

Sunday Newsletter

So, the Saturday morning newsletter just isn’t working out for me, I guess. Let’s try something new: Sunday newsletter, complete with a few words on the weekly readings.

You Don’t Deserve Anything

“How long, O LORD?  I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not intervene.” The words of the prophet Habakkuk ring true for me regularly. How does God let this happen?! I deserve better. It’s easy to look at our lives and all the good things we do in them—going to mass, working hard, being a good person—and believe that we deserve something. We’ve earned a good life, have we not?

According to Jesus, no. He reminds his disciples that the very opportunity to serve God is reward in itself. We should not expect to be showered with gifts simply because we did what we were asked to do. That’s foolish.

And yet, this does not mean that we’re mistreated, either. We may not receive special treatment from God because of our good works, but we most certainly receive special treatment. God fills us with his presence, giving us life. We did not earn this. What we receive is not a salary, it’s a major downpayment for this life. We have been loved despite not doing anything to earn it. For this reason, we serve him.

A Man Who Knew That Grace. Sort of.

It’s hard to imagine a historical figure more aware of how blessed he was than St. Francis. A glorious sinner early in life, he turned from his selfish ways because God loved him even in his sinfulness. He wanted to devote his entire life to imitating Christ.

In Brother Sun, Sister Moon, you get a version of that. It hasn’t aged well, but some say it was influential in their vocation. We try to point out the good things.

https://youtu.be/dpsUKO4n_fo

Everyone Deserves A Second Chance?

There are few movies in this world that get to me quite like Shutter Island. It’s just a masterpiece of telling everyone one story while they think you’re telling them another. A thriller like no other, I highly recommend it for those who aren’t afraid to be freaked out, unsettled, and flipped upside down. For everyone else, might I recommend a different movie.

Who Are You Serving?

As we hear today Jesus tell his disciples that they should be happy simply to serve their master, it’s worth asking the question: which master are we serving? For this reason, I invite you to go back and watch this video from November 2020.

More Ways to Pray

Looking for a way to grow closer to Jesus? You could always meditate with the Bible. If you don’t know how to get started or are looking for a guide, why not check out my new podcast, The Word Became Flesh.

https://sites.libsyn.com/433737/mark-521-43

Have a great week!

Hope everyone is doing well. Peace and good to you!

Fr. Casey