Fr Larry's Homilies

 

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 12-13, 2011

Matthew 25:14-30


Sometimes, we can learn much about ourselves when we listen to the Gospel and identify with one of the person featured in it.

 

We can ask ourselves, which person in the Gospel could I be compared to most of all?


In today’s Gospel, am I more like the first two servants who were praised for their choices?  Or am I more like the third servant who was admonished for refusing to use what he had been given, choosing instead to simply bury it in the ground.

 

The point of today’s parable is about seizing the moment.  How important it is to take advantage of opportunities to use what we have given for the purpose of glorifying God.


Every time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, we are given an opportunity to praise and glorify God and to bless and comfort one another.

 

The high point of our gathering continues to be the sharing of our common union with each other.  Think about that -- our common union.  The word Communion relates so well to this. Our sharing in the Body & Blood of Jesus is intended to make us all one in the Lord!

 

For several months, we’ve been talking about some of the changes in some of the prayer-words we’ll be using at Mass.  The changes will begin in two weeks and continue afterwards.  Some of the words we pray immediately before Communion will be different.

 

The priest will invite people to Communion by saying:  “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.  Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”

 

The people will reply by saying:  “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

 

We seize the moment to welcome the Lord in such a special way.

 

We take the time to ponder what Jesus did for us. He is the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for our sins, and we are mindful of how He blesses people us by choosing to feed us.

 

We take the time to realize that Jesus heals our broken lives so that our lives of loving service, nourished by His goodness, might nourish the world around us by His ongoing presence.

 

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 5-6, 2011

Matthew 25:1-13

 

I hope you noticed all the changes that have taken place in the last few weeks.

 

The bright colors of the leaves have turned and fallen away.  The days are shorter.  Blue skies happen less frequently.  The regular season has ended for high school football teams.  The ghosts and goblins at Halloween time have come and gone. Reluctantly we are saying goodbye to the sunshine & warm weather and slipping into another cold and gray winter season.  And last weekend I announced that there will be a change for you and for me.  (If you missed the news, please read about it in my Pastor’s Column in today’s bulletin. Please read the column anyway even if you were here last weekend.  It may clear up a few things for you. I will be going to St. Louis Parish in Louisville, Ohio.  We are still waiting to learn who your next pastor will be.)

 

On a happy note, Thanksgiving Day is only a few weeks away and Christmas is not far behind.  There is so much to get ready for!

 

It is wise to prepare for what lies ahead.  Certainly, being prepared is a theme in today’s Gospel.

 

The Gospel illustrates the importance of being prepared for the coming of God’s Kingdom. 

 

You know, we anticipate the coming of God’s Kingdom every time we pray together at Mass.

 

And it is important to get ready for some of the changes in the prayer-words we’ll use at Mass.

 

We told you last weekend we will no longer reply “And also with you” when the priest says “The Lord be with you.”  Instead, we will say……what was that again?  “And with your spirit?”  Very good. 

 

There will be some different words in the GLORIA and in the CREED.  Don’t worry.  There will be cards in the benches to help you with the new words.

 

 Let’s talk about the GLORIA first.  You’ve been practicing this before Mass if you came early. It has been a part of the Mass since the 11th century.  Last weekend, I asked how many of you remember when we said “et cum spiritu tuo?”   Don’t worry.  I’m not going to ask if anyone remembers the 11th century.

 

Some people call the GLORIA the angel’s hymn because it is taken from the angel’s greeting to the shepherds at Bethlehem from Luke 2:14.  The most significant change in the GLORIA will be the addition of the phrases:  “We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.”

 

Why?  We can never give too much praise to God!

 

Now let’s consider the CREED.  What is a CREED? It is a statement concerning what we believe.  OUR BELIEFS HAVE NOT CHANGED!  We’re going to say “I believe” throughout the prayer instead of “We believe.” 

 

Why?  This provides each person an opportunity, as we all pray together, to make this statement of belief his own or her own.  It’s like when people say The Pledge of Allegiance.  People don’t say “We pledge allegiance. ”  People say “I pledge allegiance.”

 

The second noticeable change will be the phrase “consubstantial with the father” instead of “one in being with the Father.”

 

Why?  It’s a stronger way to express the relationship between God the Father and God the Son (or Jesus).  It refers to the core substance of who Jesus is; this core substance is the same core substance of which God the Father and Spirit is as well.  Thus, the Father, Son and Spirit are of the same substance, that is, they are only one God.  And don’t worry if that gets too deep.  It will all work out. God knows more than we could ever begin to grasp.

 

The final noticeable change in the words we pray in the CREED will be the new phrase, “was incarnate of the Virgin Mary” that replaces “He was born of the Virgin Mary.”

 

To be incarnate means “to take flesh.”  Jesus became a human being, not at His birth but within the womb of Mary.

 

To change the words both in the GLORIA and the CREED serve as a way for us to better understand what we are praying together at Mass.

 

It might seem strange at first.  Changes always seem strange.  But we trust that the Lord will help us through them.

 

All God asks us to do is make some effort to understand what we are praying. If you listened to this Homily, you made some effort.  If you missed some of the things that were said, relax, for there will be other opportunities to learn. This helps us face life’s changes in such a way that we are able to prepare for God’s Kingdom, to be ready for Jesus when He comes again.

 

Let’s pray for each other in every change, and in every opportunity to prepare for Jesus when He comes in glory.

 

All Saints Day

November 1, 2011
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

 

It may seem strange, but we can learn so much from the scientific experiments that seem to be so simple.

 

I read about two fish in a fish tank. A scientist conducted an experiment by placing a clear sheet of glass standing up right in the center of the fish tank with one fish on each side.

 

He observed for a few days after putting the partition there. The fish would swim up to the partition, then turn away, swim as far as they could to the other side, then swim back to the partition again. The cycle kept repeating.

 

Then the scientist removed the partition. Guess what happened? The fish kept doing what they were doing when the partition was there. The fish would swim up to where the partition used to be, then turn away, swim as far as they could to the other side, then swim back to where the partition used to be again. The cycle kept repeating, even though the partition was gone!

 

The fish had gotten so much into the habit of this behavior that they did not even consider changing once the glass was removed.

 

Now, this might seem silly to us. But, think about it. Are not people very much like this? We set up barriers between ourselves and other people, like hatred, greed, violence, and gossip. We set up barriers between ourselves and God, like ingratitude, excessive pride in our own efforts, living as if the thing of this passing world were God.

 

The truth is, we know better than the fish. Or, at least we should.

 

Think about those barriers between ourselves and other people. Think, too, about those barriers between ourselves and God. How do we take them out of the tank we know as life in this world?

 

That’s where we turn to today’s Gospel. What does Jesus tell us? He taught us lessons known as The Beatitudes. He tells us to break down those barriers by living as He taught.

 

He kept using the word blessed. Some people say blessed means happy, but it means much more than that. Blessed means to be in a truly privileged, fortunate circumstance.


It means truly happy, totally fulfilled, exactly the very best situation one can know.

 

We break down those barriers if we acknowledge our dependence on God.

 

We don’t just do that once in life. We do that day by day, even many times over in a day. Totally depending on God means totally relying on His love.

 

How often do we fool ourselves into thinking anything other than love can make us fully happy?

 

That very first Beatitude says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” It is the key to all the teachings that follow. If we don’t listen to it, we won’t hear anything else God teaches. It means we are truly happy when we fully open our hearts to however God wants to fill us with His love, and we embrace the truth that with this love nothing can conquer us.

 

We honor all the saints today. Why? Does this honor we give to them mean anything to those who have completed life’s journey and are now with God? Does it make them any greater?

 

Saint Bernard preached a sermon about this. He tells us that saints have no need of our honor. Our admiration for them does not make them greater.

 

So why honor the saints? We honor them because they teach us so much about breaking down the barriers people make between people, and they teach us so much about breaking down the barriers people make between themselves and God. In other words, the saints were poor in spirit. They opened their hearts and asked God to fill them with His love. They knew their own imperfections.

 

On a very basic level, the saints listened to Jesus. They followed Him without losing heart, or at least they did their very best more often than not.

 

Their lives teach us to experience being blessed, the true joy of trusting in God day by day and many times a day.

 

The wise author Teilhard de Chardin wrote that someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity, we will harness for God the energies of love. And it will be then that for the second time in the history of the world people will have discovered fire!

 

Let me close by leading us to think one more time about that experiment involving the two fish with the glass wall between them. Even after the wall was removed, they imagined it was still there.

 

Saints are people who know that Jesus took away the wall we built between ourselves and God, and this should help us see the Christ in all people.

 

Master the waves if we can, learn more about the winds, the waves, the tides, and gravity. But most of all discover many times over the love of the Lord. Let Him take the barriers away.

 

 Then we’ll know what it means to be blessed.

 

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 29-30, 2011
Mal. 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10      1 Thess. 2:7b-9, 13     Matthew 23:1-12

 

There is a common thread in today’s Readings.

 

The Readings all challenge us to be true to what we believe, to be true to what we profess in faith.

 

In other words, be true to who and what we are as Catholic-Christians.

 

We have heard that in a few weeks we will be changing some of the prayer-words we will be using at Mass. 

 

We are hoping that these changes will help us appreciate the need to be true to who we are as Catholic-Christian believers.

 

One of the most noticeable changes will be the words in the greetings and dialogs of the Mass.

 

The priest says, “The Lord be with you” more times during Mass than he says any other phrase.  It happens five times!  (At the beginning, before the Gospel, before the Eucharistic Prayer, before the Sign of Peace, and before the Final Blessing. )

 

That will not change.

 

What will change?  Our response will change.  Currently we say “And also with you.”

 

Once Advent begins a few weeks from now, we will be responding “And with your spirit.” 

 

So let’s practice briefly:  The Lord be with you”  “And with your spirit.”

 

Okay, very good.  That wasn’t difficult.  But it will take a while to get used to.  I know.  Priests and people will need to be patient with each other.

 

This line is often used in the Bible as a greeting or as words of encouragement.  It is especially used in the writings of St. Paul.

 

The response “And with your spirit” is a more literal translation of the Latin phrase “Et cum spiritu tuo.”  How many of you remember that?  Okay.

 

More importantly than the fact that it more closely corresponds to the Latin is the fact that it reflects the understanding that, through Baptism, the Spirit of God dwells in all of us and unites us as one body in Christ.

 

This exchange of words, “The Lord be with you”  --  “And with your spirit” – brings about the teaching that we are a community worshipping one God as baptized believers, brothers and sisters in the Lord.

 

These words foster communion with one another as we gather, as we listen to the Gospel, as we are prepare to do what Jesus did at the Last Supper, as we exchange the Sign of Peace, and as we are sent into the world to be Christ for each other.

 

While this change will be a little awkward at first, it will, in time, foster a greater sense of unity and worship among us – if we pray for the grace to let it do exactly that.

 

Be sure to read the insert in today’s bulletin.  It really helps us understand not only what we are doing, but more importantly, why we are doing it.

 

In the end, it will lead to a greater understanding of what we believe as we worship.  And remember the challenge and message of our Readings today – to be true to what we believe.

 

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 22-23, 2011

Matthew 22:34-40


Perhaps you have noticed that in the Gospel stories last weekend and today, Jesus has been in the middle of controversy.  Opponents of Jesus have tried to trap Him in His speech.

 

Last weekend, the Pharisees and Herodians tried to trap Him concerning the question of whether or not people should pay the census tax to the Roman government. Jesus avoided the trap by saying:  “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.”  In saying this, Jesus pointed out the reality that everyone & everything falls under God’s domain.   And how can we possibly repay God?  All that we have, all that we are comes from God.  The only way to repay God is to live as though we really believe this.

 

In today’s Gospel, a scholar of the law tested Jesus by asking Him which commandment is the greatest.    Now there were some 613 commands in the law.  Of these, 248 were stated in a positive way, that is, with the command “You shall.”  The other 365 commands were stated in a negative way, that is, “You shall not.” It should not surprise us that nearly 60% of the commands were stated in a “You shall not” fashion.  But to show us that religion really should be seen a positive light, Jesus combines the “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” with the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself.  You cannot have love for God without loving your neighbor.  There is no doubt that some of the very people (the Pharisees) who were asking the question left plenty to be desired as far as the quality of their love for people was concerned.

 

Think about the command to love God.  Isn’t it strange that this is formulated as a command, when love is meant to be spontaneous and free?  Perhaps as a command it is a reminder that we are not the center of the universe, we are accountable to the one whose love puts us here.  Does God really need our service?  No.  Is God really changed by our love as people are changed by our love for them and we are changed by love shown to us?  No, God does not change. 

 

This all leads us to a much deeper question.  Isn’t God absolute mystery?  Yes.  We cannot fully explain God.  Therefore, isn’t it difficult to love what we cannot fully know?  Yes, it is difficult.

 

Usually, we don’t think so much of loving God as we think in terms of serving God instead of serving ourselves, fulfilling God’s will, and praying to Him in a spirit of hope and faith.

 

Maybe we should internalize the truth that love for God means all these things along with much gratitude for what God has done.

 

Maybe we should internalize the truth that love of God involves remembering and realizing that God has been a partner in every aspect of life that is aimed toward an admirable goal.

 

Maybe we should internalize the truth that love of God is our resolve to express time and time again that we need this power, this support, and this presence in our lives that often eludes our ability to describe.

 

And maybe it means taking to heart what the Gospel of John tells us (not in a passage we heard today, but expressed elsewhere) that people will know that we are followers of Jesus best of all by how we love one another, and by taking to heart what Jesus says in yet another place that we are called to pray for our persecutors and even love our enemies.

 

Any time we discuss love, we realize how important it is to renew it.  The Mass is the best way we renew our love for God and our awareness of God’s love for us.

 

I’d like to conclude with thoughts provided by the Franciscan author David Kobak.  He wrote that love of God and love of neighbor are two great hinges on the doors of Mother Church.

 

May we come into these doors ever grateful for God’s love, and may we exit these doors as people whose primary purpose in life is to make this love known by means of our love for people. 

 

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 15-16, 2011
Matthew 22:11-21

 

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.  It seemed that no matter what Jesus would say in response to the question “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”, He’d be trapped.

 

At least the Herodians thought Jesus would be trapped.  The Herodians agreed with paying the tax.  If Jesus would say “YES!” He’d be on their side and make their opponents the Pharisees look bad.  And the Herodians did not really care what kind of punishment the Pharisees would enforce against Jesus for saying that He supported the state against the Jewish religion.  The Herodians did not need Him.  They would still get their taxes, but they’d also be able to say that Jesus – a Jew – paid tribute to Caesar as a god!  After all, Caesar’s image was on that coin and Caesar considered himself to be divine.  No wonder the Jews were so appalled by the Roman occupation of their land!

 

The Pharisees were convinced that Jesus was trapped.  They were so adamantly opposed to the tax.  If Jesus agreed with them and said “Don’t pay it!” they knew the Herodians would kill Jesus for going against the government.

 

The remarkable thing is that Jesus was wise to their attempt to trap Him.  He did not answer their question.  He asked whose image was on the coin.  Like we said, it was Caesar’s image.  And as we said, Caesar claimed to be a god.  Then Jesus told them that famous phrase:  “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

 

So may people hear this story and conclude:  “There are things that belong to Caesar and things that belong to God.”  Hmm.  Interesting.  Can anyone name what does NOT belong to God?

 

We all like to compartmentalize things.  Like this file holds letters and that file holds unpaid bills while that other file holds paid bills.

 

But think about that question one more time:  Can anyone name what is in the compartment that does NOT belong to God?

 

            This God of Jesus has a claim on all that is!

            The image of Caesar is imprinted only on coins.

            The image of God is imprinted on every human life.

 

In fact, nothing belongs to Caesar.  Anything Caesar has is on loan to him from  God, and if Caesar doesn’t know this he will know it some day.  And just like Jesus, I’m not going to tell you not to pay your taxes but I am going to say that it’s for all of us to say the following things:

  • God made everyone in His image.
  • God owns everything,
  • Anything we have and anything any government has is on loan from God.

 

Ponder the things of God.  It’s sad when we think God only has a claim on an hour of our time per week, if we even give that to Him.

 

Ponder the things of God.  It’s sad when we think God has a claim on only a percentage of our income, when everything we have should be very carefully and very  prayerfully directed to giving thanks for God’s generosity and doing God’s work.

 

Ponder the things of God.  It’s sad when we think God has a claim on only some of our talents.  Do we realize that any talent we have is intended to make people more aware of God’s generous love and care?

 

Our time, our treasures, our talents  --- from whom do they come?  They come from God.  They are being loaned to us. To whom should they be repaid in loving service?  That would be God, too!

 

The question should not be how much we give to God.  The question is how much we can afford to keep for ourselves. 

 

All that we have and all that we are belongs to God.  And we belong to Him not as slaves or members of some lunatic cult that reacts in fear, but as God’s dear children.  He only wants us to freely use our time, our treasures, and our talents to serve Him in a spirit of love – joyfully!

 

So many people experience so many claims on their time, treasures and talents. It seems like we are often stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to satisfy all of these claims.

 

But remember—there is only one owner of these calendars, treasures, and talents.  God is the owner.  Everything is on loan to us from God.  We cannot divide our lives between what belongs to God and what belongs to Caesar, or what belongs to God and what does not.

 

God’s mark is upon all that we have and all that we are. It is up to us to live like we really believe this.

 

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Larry was on some R & R

 

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 1-2, 2011

Isaiah 5:1-7 and Matthew 21:33-43


I read the story about a government surveyor who showed up one day on a farmer’s property.  The farmer did not want the government surveyor there at all.  The farmer was afraid the surveyor might mark some of the property for a highway and ruin his farm.  After the farmer told the government surveyor to leave, the government surveyor showed him an official document giving him the legal right to be on the farmer’s property.  “I HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BE HERE!” said the government surveyor in a  most arrogant tone. So, the farmer opened a gate to let the government surveyor in.  While the government surveyor was setting up his equipment, the farmer drove to the far end of the field and opened another gate.  Opening this gate enabled a very fierce bull to charge toward the government surveyor.  Seeing the bull, the government surveyor dropped his equipment and ran for his life!  And the farmer yelled toward the government surveyor:  “Show the bull the document!  You have the authority!  You have the authority!  Show him the document!”

 

Our Gospel stories are translated from the Greek language.  There are two different words for authority and power.  Authority is exousia in Greek.  Power is dunamis in Greek.  The government surveyor in the story I just told discovered there was a big difference between authority and power when he saw that bull charging toward him!

 

The great thing about the Gospel lesson today is that Jesus speaks to us with authority AND He empowers us to do God’s work.

 

We heard the Gospel story known as The Parable of the Tenants.  The vineyard stands for God’s Chosen People the Israelites.  The tenant farmers stand for Israel’s leaders.  The householder is God.  The earlier servants were the prophets who tried to preach God’s ways but were killed by the tenants.  And the son is Jesus.

 

Matthew the Gospel writer presents Jesus telling this parable perhaps just a few weeks before He was crucified.  Jesus claimed the right to exercise His Father’s authority over His people.  The leaders of Israel viewed Jesus as one who would take away their power over the people, so they wanted to dispose of Him.

 

The Parable of the Tenants is one way Jesus is telling those leaders:  “You may think you can get rid of me.  You may think that getting rid of Me will enable you to hold onto your power over the people.  But getting rid of Me will only bring ruin to yourselves.  There will always be people who will produce the fruit of my Father’s kingdom.”

 

 I’m sure that many of us have heard Jesus tell us in John’s Gospel :  “I am the vine and you are the branches.  Apart from Me you can do nothing.  Those who abide in Me will bear much fruit!”

 

 All of us know that we are the ones who depend on Jesus to enable us to bear fruit.  And just what do we mean by bearing fruit? We live out the message of Jesus in our everyday lives, the message planted with seeds of His love in our hearts, the seeds that the Lord Himself nurtures to grow.

 

We come to know Jesus as the cornerstone of our faith. 

 

We live in a world where the Gospel of Christ is mocked, ignored, and as in danger of being trampled down to nothing by so many hostile forces.

 

How important it is to keep in mind that here at Mass Jesus wants to cultivate the seeds of His teachings and enable faith, hope, and love to grow among us.

 

Not only does Jesus have the authority to teach the ways of His father, He empowers our lives to bear fruit.

 

Think of our surroundings as God’s vineyard where there is plenty of good work to be done.  We are truly God’s People.

 

Pray that the ways we live might answer God’s desire to see a vineyard that produces plentiful and beautiful fruit.

 

And remember that when we look to Jesus at Mass, new life is planted within us.  The Lord is here in the vineyard with us.

 

His authority is rooted in love, and His power forever saves us from the hostile forces that try in so many ways to trample us down.

 

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 24-25, 2011

Philippians 2:1-11 & Matthew 21:28-32

 

A father had two sons….There are several places in the Bible where a story begins with these or similar words.

 

There is the story in the Book of Genesis concerning Jacob and Esau.  They were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah.  They were wrestling with each other within their mother even before they were born!  Read about them sometime if you get the chance.  There are some interesting stories associated with them.

 

Probably much more familiar to us is the story in Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 15.  It is the story of the Prodigal Son.  Sometimes, we call it the story of the Forgiving Father.  It features one of the sons demanding his father’s share of the estate while the father was still alive.  How this son squandered the money!  How surprising it was that this father forgave this son, welcomed this son home, and even had a party for him! 

 

Now we have today’s Gospel about a father who had two sons.  He says to one of them:  “Go and work in the vineyard today.”  The son answers, “I will not.”  But later, this son changes his mind about doing his father’s will and goes and does the work in the vineyard.

 

Then the father says the same thing to the second son. This son answers:  “Yes, sir!”  But he never goes to work.

 

Jesus asked the chief priests and the elders of the people to give their opinion concerning which of the two sons did his father’s will.

 

The chief priests and the elders of the people rightly realize that the first one did.

 

Then Jesus surprises them by telling them that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering God’s kingdom before the chief priests and elders.  Why?  The tax collectors and prostitutes reformed their lives after listening to John the Baptist urge them to repent.  But the chief priests and elders still did not change their lives and believe him.

 

What does this mean to us?

 

Doesn’t it mean that the Lord is constantly calling us to change our hearts?  It does.

 

How true it is that actions speak louder than words, but attitudes speak louder than actions.  Attitudes ultimately lead to what does and does not happen!

 

We have been telling you in many ways about the upcoming changes in some of the prayer-words we’ll be using at Mass.  The changes will happen beginning with the First Sunday of Advent, the very last weekend in November.

 

I’m wondering if maybe the changes in some of the wording might be an occasion for us to change some of our attitudes.  What do I mean by this?  Might we have to pay more attention to the words we are saying?

 

When I was at the Priests’ Convocation recently, I heard one priest who was ordained nearly fifty years ago say that when he first heard about the upcoming changes he was angry.  But after he prayed about it and thought about it for a while, he said that the changes could be a way God calls him to avoid merely going through the motions at Mass and to appreciate the fullness of what we are praying.

 

Might we follow this priest’s lead?  After all, attitudes ultimately lead to what does and does not happen!

 

The son in today’s Gospel who said “I will not go!”, but later changed his mind, was able to make a very necessary adjustment in attitude.God fills our lives with opportunities to adjust our attitudes, too.

 

One’s attitude is something one carries everywhere one goes and in everything one does and fails to do.

 

Ponder the talk about attitude in today’s 2nd Reading.  We are reminded that our attitude should be like Christ’s attitude.  Jesus emptied Himself for us.

 

When we say that Jesus is Lord, as our Reading proclaimed, we say that He is the Master of our lives.

 

What does our attitude about the Mass say about our belief that Jesus is the Master of our lives? 

 

What would the Lord like our attitude to be? 

 

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 17-18, 2011
Isaiah 55:6-9 and Matthew 20:1-16a

 

The author Anthony De Mello told some rather unusual stories. They always challenge listeners to think.

 

Just recently, I heard a preacher tell the Anthony De Mello story about a church where the rumor was spreading that Jesus would definitely be coming next Sunday. I have adapted the story for our purposes and will share it at this time.

 

Curiosity of the townsfolk led to a much bigger crowd than usual. And yes, Jesus showed up.

 

People were almost fighting as they competed for His attention, begging Jesus to come to their homes and stay with them.

 

Instead of accepting their offer, Jesus said: “I’ll stay with all of you. But tonight, I’m simply going to stay here in the church. Don’t look for me until tomorrow.

 

Jesus insisted that they leave Him alone that night and not look for Him until the next day.

 

When morning came, the people came to the church in search of Jesus. “Jesus!”, they called out…….But there was no answer. Only the sounds of silence.

 

When they looked through the church, they found dozens and dozens of signs that boldly said one word: “BEWARE!”

 

“BEWARE.” They wondered. Did Jesus leave these signs here? BEWARE of what?

 

The people thought it would be best to take the dozens and dozens of signs down. But as they removed the signs, they kept asking themselves: What does BEWARE mean?

 

As time passed, they listened more intently to the Gospel. After all, did not Jesus say He’d stay with everyone? Was Jesus telling them to be aware of what He was telling them in the Scriptures? Like in today’s Gospel, was Jesus telling them that God’s mercy and His generosity is far greater than the limitations we put on God? And how true it is that our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, and our ways are not God’s ways.

 

The people kept thinking: BEWARE. Be aware. Seek the Lord while He may be found, call Him while He is near.

 

And they came to realize that Jesus never really left them as long as they themselves became signs of His presence. (P A U S E )

 

So ends our variation of the story told by Anthony De Mello, but it leads us to ponder some things……….

 

Like: Just recently, I heard the story about a religious education teacher who asked her second grade students what is the most important sign of God’s presence in the church.

 

She expected them to say the altar, or the tabernacle, or maybe the cross.

 

Instead, one little girl said: “The exit sign.”

 

Wasn’t she on to something? When we go out from here, are we the signs of the presence of Jesus?

 

How important it is to gather here in His name. This weekend we begin a whole new religious education school year. Today (This Sunday) is “Catechetical Sunday.” The word “catechetical” comes from the verb “to catechize” which “to echo the message.” – we echo the message Jesus taught us long ago.

 

The theme for this religious education year is “Do This in Memory of Me.” I wrote about this in my Pastor’s Column in today’s bulletin. For 2000 years we have been doing what Jesus asked us to do in His memory – gathering to be fed by His love.

 

We do this in memory of Jesus when we are AWARE of His love for us, learn more about His love, are fed by this love, and nourish each other with this love in all that we do after we exit these doors.

 

All of us are teachers of God’s ways and students of Jesus Christ all our lives long.

 

May we BE AWARE of this every day God gives us.

 

Seek the Lord while He may be found, call Him while He is near.

 

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 10-11, 2011
Sirach 27:30 – 28:9; Psalm 103; Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35

 

Last weekend, we talked about the importance of our participation at Mass. We were reminded that all of us are participants at Mass, we are not merely spectators.

 

We also talked about the importance of preparation for Mass. We told you that we have begun publishing the Readings in the bulletin that will be proclaimed at next weekend’s Masses. This gives everyone a chance to preview the Readings and pray about them, with the hopes of getting more out of Mass when we gather.

 

Today we should remind each other that the Mass is not only the center of the Church’s life, but also the center of our own lives.

 

There is constantly a challenge to make the connection between the Mass and everyday life.

 

Simply stated, we bring our lives to Mass with the hope of bringing God to our everyday lives.

 

The Scripture Readings are important parts of making the connection each weekend.

 

Today’s Gospel reminds us of the importance of forgiveness. So does the reading we heard from the Book of Sirach. So many people are remembering the events of September 11th, 2001. We are reminded in so many ways that our troubled world lacks peace and truly needs Christian values.

 

On other Sundays, we learn from the readings how to love and serve our neighbor, how to care for those in need, how to rely on God’s unconditional love and mercy.

 

The Sacred Meal we share transforms our lives. We truly share in the presence of Jesus Christ so that we may become the Body of Christ for each other.

 

Our Reading from Romans (the 2nd reading today) reminds us that we are not the master of our own lives; God is the Master of our lives! We are called to turn over our entire life to God! Mass is not an occasion when we simply take a “time-out” for God! Sometimes, we hear people say: “Can’t you give one hour to God? Is that too much to ask?” Rather, gathering at Mass gives us a chance to be renewed with each other in our awareness of who we are (brothers and sisters in Christ) and who we should be (Christians).

 

It has been rightly said that what we pray is what we believe. Other prayers in the Mass help us make the connection between Liturgy and life. Oh, there is that word again: Liturgy. What does Liturgy mean? It means “people in action”, “people working together for a common purpose.”

 

A great example of making that connection is the Opening Prayer we prayed today. “Bring us to the dignity which distinguishes the poor in spirit and shows us how great is the call to serve.”

 

Who are the poor in spirit? They are those whose primary trust is in God. Isn’t that who we want to be?

 

And what about the greatness of the call to serve? Isn’t that the opposite of what the world thinks? It is! The world focuses on being served. But as followers of Jesus, we pray for the grace to view things as Jesus does.

 

Another example of making the connection between Liturgy and life is the word AMEN. It actually means: “I agree so strongly, I’d stake my life on it!” AMEN is a Hebrew word with an interesting background. So many people traveled so much and did not trust the ground where they would stay. AMEN literally meant “I’d pitch my tent on this ground and keep it here, actually build my life right here!” So if we say AMEN, we are saying much more than “I believe” or “Thank you.” We are saying that we so strongly believe in what has been said that we’d stake our lives on it!

 

I’d like to close with a reminder that we say AMEN after so many prayers. We sing THE GREAT AMEN when the priest holds up the Body and Blood of Christ concluding the Eucharistic prayer. We say AMEN as we receive Communion.

 

Think about what AMEN means. “I’d stake my life on it.” We should mean what we say and say what we mean with enthusiasm.

 

Think about AMEN often all week. It will help us make the connection between the Mass and everyday life.

 

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 3-4, 2011
Matthew 18:15-20

 

In many ways, we have been telling you about some of the changes coming to the prayer-words we say at Mass beginning in Advent. That’s still a few months away, but it is good to be prepared.

 

Remember, the changes will not be difficult for you. Most of the changes will involve what the priest says.

 

Today, I’d like to talk about our participation at Mass and our preparation for Mass.

 

I’d like to point out that our participation at Mass is very different than some other events so common to life.

 

In many events in life, we are merely observers.

 

Consider sporting events. We can cheer and cheer our favorite team but it may still lose.

 

Consider political rallies. We can listen to the promises candidates make and rally around a certain candidate. We can vote for him or her. But the promises often seem to mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING after the election is over.

 

How different it is with our participation at the Mass! Participating at Mass is NOT something we are merely spectators at!

 

It’s true that some people have special roles in ministry at Mass, like the priest, lector, Eucharistic Ministers, ushers, and altar servers. We’ve talked about this and published in the bulletin the fact we are wanting to get more people involved.

 

But still, it is so important to realize that ALL of us participate in the Mass! In fact, you often hear the word LITURGY. It means “people in action!”

 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that where two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there among them.

 

How vital it is to appreciate that Jesus is present among us when we gather at Mass!

 

We are actively listening to Jesus and speaking to Jesus in such a special way by gathering here.

 

This gives us an opportunity to lovingly remind us all that our participation is so important.

 

It is our duty to be here. God expects it.

 

But much more, it is a privilege. God gives us the chance to come together as His People in ways that we sometimes might take for granted. Just think about our Freedom of Religion, and how some people in some places wish they could gather to pray but are not allowed to.

 

Because we are Baptized as members of God’s Family (The Church), it is also our right to gather in prayer. The Church’s leaders have the obligation to give opportunities to people to come to Mass. Even with the many changes in some places due to church closings and mergers and collaborations between parishes, every effort is still made to make celebrating the Mass easily accessible for people. You don’t have to drive very far. There are still different Mass times from which to choose in a relatively small geographical radius. And here at our parish, the schedule was unchanged recently. You still have a Saturday evening Mass and two Sunday Masses from which to choose.

 

When Church leaders talk about what it is we should do at Mass, they talk about full, active, and conscious participation.

 

We are to engage our body, mind, and heart in the Mass, intent on growing in faith. What is faith? Simply put, it is our belief in God’s saving activity in our lives.

 

We are to engage our body, mind, and heart in the Mass, intent on growing in hope. What is hope? It involves aiming our lives toward the fulfillment of God’s promises.

 

We are to engage our body, mind, and heart in the Mass, intent on growing in charity. Our love for God and other people should be at the root of everything we do.

 

It is time for us to ask two questions:

1. How important is participating in the Mass for you?

2. How important does God want participating in the Mass to be for you?

 

Let us pray for each other as we ponder these questions. They are:

1. How important is participating in the Mass for you?

2. How important does God want participating in the Mass to be for you?

 

Participation is so very important ! We are going to begin publishing in the bulletin the readings for the following Sunday’s Masses. That way, you may take the time to read the readings and pray about them at home from your own Bible. You may be amazed at how much more meaningful Mass can be with a little preparation.

 

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 27-28, 2011
Jeremiah 20:7-9 and Matthew 16:21-27

 

One of the emotions that can really drain us is anger. Oddly enough, anger can teach us plenty if we are willing to listen very carefully to it! Think about how angry you’d be if you were at the airport and your flight got canceled, and then you were put on another plane and sent to another city completely out of the way to catch a connecting flight. Once you arrive in that distant city, your second plane is delayed for four and a half hours.

 

Think about the constant anger one spouse has toward another in so many families where there is no affirmation, no support, only second-guessing and sarcastic criticism.

 

Think about the anger we sometimes harbor against ourselves. Maybe we’ve done something astonishingly stupid. Maybe we find out that one of the most difficult things to do in life is to forgive ourselves.

 

Anger is so real. Stories from the Bible remind us that anger has been around for a very long time. There are some very angry people in today’s readings. And at whom is their anger directed? It almost makes us cringe when we realize the answer – they are angry at God!

 

In our First Reading, Jeremiah is angry at God. This prophet believes God has misled him. Jeremiah believes God has given him a message that nobody wants to hear. Jeremiah has faced persecution for speaking God’s Word.

 

In our Gospel, Peter is angry at Jesus. Peter has left everything to follow Jesus. Now, Jesus is saying that there will be suffering and death involved in saving the people. What! Here Peter thought Jesus would simply wallop the enemy and all would be well, not be crucified in a supreme act of love.

 

At one point or another in life, all of us get angry at God. We may not want to admit it out loud. But something happens that triggers it deep within us. A best friend dies. A divorce happens. A job is lost. We believe we have to blame somebody.

 

Admit it! Sometimes we are angry at God. Jeremiah was. Peter was.

 

But remember, what happened when Jeremiah and Peter listened carefully to their anger? Didn’t they learn from it?

 

They learned that they had to listen even more closely to God in their hearts.

 

Jeremiah listened. He came to discover that there was true joy in speaking God’s Word, even if it was the unpopular thing to do. He knew deep within himself that as a prophet, he could not possibly be happy if he’d forever turn his own back against the task God gave him to do. If you were to read the rest of the chapter today’s First Reading came from, some verses not included in the part we heard today, you’d find Jeremiah praising God for enabling him to be victorious.

 

Peter listened. The past few weeks, we have heard Gospel stories reminding us that peter is very connected to us in both his failures and his faith. Peter went on to be an excellent preacher for Christ, giving his own life in the process. (Peter was eventually crucified upside down.) All of us should hope to meet Peter at heaven’s gate when our lives end, and along the way there, remind ourselves that Peter’s humanity teaches us that the road of faith is often a very bumpy road. It’s a path that often calls for much forgiveness, and sometimes the one most difficult to forgive is one’s self!

 

Jeremiah and Peter listened to their anger and learned from it.

 

Do we listen to our own anger and learn from it? Jesus tells us that if we are to come after Him we must deny ourselves take up our crosses.

 

Yes, even if these crosses come in the form of dealing with our own anger. Listen very carefully to it and learn from it. We are never expected to carry these crosses alone. NEVER!

 

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 20-21, 2011
Matthew 16:13-20

 

School begins very soon for many students.

 

This leads us to consider one of the most dreaded things a teacher can say: “Class, put away your books and notes. Get out a paper and a pen. Write your name and date on the paper. We are going to have a surprise test!”

 

Today’s Gospel is like a surprise test for the disciples. Jesus asked two questions:

 

1. Who do people say the Son of Man is?

2. Who do you say that I am?

 

Maybe some of the disciples said to themselves: “I’ll just keep quiet and hope somebody else speaks up.”

 

Of course, the first question was much easier to answer. People were buzzing about who Jesus was. Some said Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead, others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets from of old.

 

To answer the first question, all the disciples had to do was repeat the rumors.

 

Then came the second question. It was clearly more difficult. WHO DO YOU SAY JESUS IS?

 

The disciples had to take a stand based on their own personal experience.

 

We don’t know how long the silence lasted after that question was asked. Whichever disciple would answer that question took a risk of being either the valedictorian of the class or the class dunce.

 

Who spoke up? Simon Peter. His mouth was often in gear before his mind or his heart had a chance to catch up.

 

When most people don’t know what to say, they keep quiet. Not Simon Peter. He spoke anyway.

 

Remember how Simon Peter said he would never deny Jesus?

 

Remember what happened in reality? Simon Peter denied Jesus not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES!

 

But at least in today’s Gospel, speaking up as Simon Peter did, led to a shining moment. (Come back next weekend and you’ll hear how he went on to goof this up, too.) In today’s Gospel, by saying “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”, he was right on target. Jesus praises the answer, describing it as heavenly.

 

Jesus gives the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter, and uses a clever play on words in describing what his nickname is all about.

 

The Greek word petros means “pebble” or “little rock.” The Greek word petra means “boulder”, a very important stone.

 

With all due respect, in other words, Jesus was saying that Peter is simply a chip off the old block, a pebble taken from The Rock of Ages.

 

What comfort is there in this for us? Remember that Jesus gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom. Peter’s failings and his faith connect with us!

 

Yes, ponder that again: Peter’s failings and his faith connect with us!

 

All of us tend to make wonderful statements of faith! Yet, we stumble and fall as did Peter. We learn that we are ever so dependent on Jesus to catch us and build us back up.

 

Peter’s life is not defined by his failures, but his failures remind him and all of us how truly dependent on Jesus we are.

 

By God’s mercy, we are able to get up one more time than we fall. And when we do, we are like chips off the old block, God’s little stones.

 

And the doors of the Kingdom of God swing wide open with grace for such little pebbles as this!

 

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 13-14, 2011
Matthew 15:21-28

 

Last weekend’s Gospel led us to ask: Who is your favorite saint? We learned all about St. Peter. We were invited to take a closer look at Peter’s faith, a faith that was often tested by struggle and doubt, a faith that was always rescued and strengthened by Jesus.

 

Today’s Gospel challenges us to ask: What is our faith like? Is our faith strong? Is our faith strong enough to persevere despite obstacles? Does our faith easily give up?

 

Asking what our faith is like can be worded another way: How do we view God? Do we view God as the Scriptures often present Him to be – rich in mercy, abounding in grace, ready and willing to help?

 

A very unlikely person in today’s Gospel teaches us about persevering in faith. She teaches us that God is indeed rich in mercy, abounding in grace, ready and willing to help.

 

This Canaanite woman pleads to Jesus for her daughter who is troubled by a demon. The prayer she uses is very ancient, very simple, and very powerful. In the story she said: “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David.” In the Mass and in other forms of prayer we simply say, “Lord, have mercy.”

 

One of my longtime friends says “Lord, have mercy” so very often. Every time he says it within earshot of his mother she interjects: “He does.” That might not seem like much, but when you consider that she has been afflicted by Multiple Sclerosis for thirty years and she still believes that God has mercy, that leads us to stop and think.

 

So many stories in the Bible begin with some variation of that prayer, “Lord, have mercy.” A blind man asking for his sight asks for God’s mercy. A father asking help for his troubled son pleads for Jesus to graciously hear him.

 

Such is the prayer of the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel whose daughter was troubled by a demon. It’s a variation of “Lord, have mercy.”

 

Such is the prayer expressed in so many ways any time there is suffering.

 

Certainly it is not for us to try to fully explain suffering. How could we?

 

But we do know that suffering always calls for a response -- we either move closer to God or farther away from him when troubled by suffering.

 

How often, and in so many ways, the Scriptures tell us to call upon God in times of trouble.

 

This Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel did exactly that. She called upon Jesus.

 

And maybe it is surprising to us that the first reaction Jesus gave to her request was no answer at all. The story says: “But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.”

 

Sure, we know the rest of the story. We heard how the disciples asked Jesus to send her away. We even heard how Jesus then said that His mission was only to the lost sheep of Israel. How could Jesus help her – she was a pagan woman?

 

We also heard about her homage to Jesus and her persistence.

 

Most of all, we heard about how Jesus praised her strong faith and healed her daughter.

 

Even after hearing the rest of the story, I believe there is a challenge early in the Gospel that demands our attention, and if we are not careful, we miss the challenge. It involves the silence of God, the part where Jesus did not say a word to answer her plea for help.

 

You and I encounter that silence at times.

 

We wonder why a troubled friend died instead of seeing her life improve.

 

We wonder why so many things happen as they do, and certainly the best answers to the question “WHY?” are not the awkward answers we try to give. No answers at all are better than our attempts to play God.

 

The challenge is always there to articulate within our hearts and as a community how strong our faith is.

 

The challenge is always there to articulate what we really believe about our God.

 

Is our faith strong enough to persevere despite obstacles? Lord, have mercy. He does!

 

Does our faith easily give up? Lord, have mercy. He does!

 

Is our God rich in mercy, abounding in grace, ready and willing to help? Sometimes, the answers only come after long periods of silence.

 

Life presents its share of times when we can only ponder the depth of these questions. Those times come when it seems like God is most silent of all.

 

When those times come, may we say time and again: “Lord, have mercy.” And may an ever-present voice of faith within us say: “He does!”

 

 

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 6-7, 2011
Matthew 14:22-33

 

Do you have a favorite saint? I imagine that if everyone listening to this question would answer me, we’d hear names of many different saints.

 

One of my favorite saints is Lawrence. His Feast Day is coming up on August 10th. My mother’s father’s name was Lawrence. He was born on August 10th. Officially, my first name is Lawrence but I usually go by the less formal version of it, that is, Larry.

No matter who your favorite saint happens to be, we’ll find that Saint Peter is featured in Matthew’s Gospel in some rather remarkable stories.

 

In the 16th chapter of Matthew, Jesus promises Peter that He would build the Church on Peter’s faith, and the gates of the netherworld would not prevail against the Church.

 

Matthew’s Gospel features Peter’s faith as a gift from God. But this faith Peter received is a very intriguing gift. It is a gift that is tested by suffering and doubt. And the gift of faith Peter received was always strengthened by Jesus.

 

In today’s Gospel, we encounter the power of Jesus as the power of God. God the Father was perceived as able to control the power of the raging sea and the chaos monsters that lurk there. In several places in the Old Testament, God the Father is presented in this way, with the sea being a place where so much evil takes place.

 

When the storm on the sea erupted in today’s Gospel, we heard the words Jesus said to His disciples: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” How important it was for Peter and the other disciples to hear these words. And when the “storms” of our lives tend to toss us about, how important it is that we know in our hearts that Jesus says the same words to us – “Take courage; it is I; be not afraid.”

 

Perhaps the most striking part of the story is the cockiness Peter shows. Peter tries to test Jesus. Peter says: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Leaving the boat, Peter immediately sinks, only to cry out: "Lord, save me!" And we heard how immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" After they got into the boat, the wind died down.

 

It was because of experience like this one that Peter was able to declare that Jesus was the Son of God, as Peter declared two chapters after this story.

 

As Catholics, you and I naturally think of Peter as the “first bishop of Rome” and one known to be “the first pope.”

 

The Gospel writer Matthew invites us to take a close look at the faith of this man named Peter. What does the Gospel writer named Matthew try to teach us when he tells stories about Peter? Matthew presents Peter as a model for all of Christ’s followers.

 

That means that Peter is a model for the people in the first century who first heard or read Matthew’s Gospel, for everyone who tried to follow Jesus century after century after the first followers of Jesus died, and for all of us who hear Matthew’s Gospel today.

 

Peter was certainly called by Christ, but he suffered from uncertainty and doubt throughout his life. Peter even denied that He knew Jesus during Our Lord’s Passion.

 

Yet at each failure of Peter, what happens? Jesus rescues him. Jesus strengthens Peter’s faith.

 

Think about Peter as Matthew’s Gospel presents him. Does Peter always demonstrate certainty? No. Does Peter always demonstrate unyielding faithfulness? No.

 

Peter is a symbol for all of Christ’s followers. We sometimes misunderstand Jesus. We sometimes struggle with doubts. You and I sometimes don’t show much more than a little faith. Do we sometimes abandon Jesus during times of trial? Yet, Jesus comes to us in our hearts and in the act of gathering as a community, and he says to us: “Fear not.”

 

When we are overwhelmed and it seems like we are about to sink, we can recall the words Jesus spoke to Peter: “Take courage; it is I; be not afraid.”

 

And we can remember that no matter what our past has been, the Lord gives us another chance to begin anew.

 

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 30-31, 2011
Romans 8:35, 37-39 and Matthew 14:13-21

 

            Sometimes, certain stories from the Bible are so familiar to us.  We’ve heard them so many times that we might say to ourselves, “I’ve heard this one before.  What can possibly be said about it that hasn’t already been said?” 

 

Maybe that’s our first reaction to Matthew’s story about Jesus feeding five thousand men.  We’ve heard it before.  We’ve heard it many times.  And don’t forget, there are various versions of this story told by the Gospel writers Mark, Luke, and John. Many of the details are the same in each version, but there are a few differences. Yet, there is always something new God wants to teach us every time we hear any Gospel.

     

  1. A good starting point would be to place ourselves in the shoes of Jesus at the beginning of the Gospel.  What did we hear?  Jesus had just heard about the death of his cousin, John the Baptist. John was beheaded by King Herod’s executioner after Herod had a banquet at the royal palace. Herod was convinced he didn’t want the kind of truth John was preaching to continue. And we can be sure this caused Jesus to be concerned because He withdrew to a deserted place to reflect about it. Yes, Jesus could have been worried that John would try to do away with Him and His followers because of what they stood for.

     

                This raises a question for us:  Do we prayerfully support those who continue to stand up for what is honorable and true despite the opposition they face?  Do we vocalize our support for people who take the risk of pointing out injustice instead of going along with what is most popular?  God constantly gives us chances to stand up for what is honorable and true.

    2.  

  2. The next thing this Gospel teaches us is that Jesus is full of surprises.One surprise is that He reached out with compassion despite the fact He needed to get away from it all having learned of John the Baptist’s death.  He also surprises His Apostles by telling them that instead of sending the crowd away, they should feed the crowd themselves.  The Apostles certainly wondered, “You want us to do what?”  But Jesus surprised them.  Yes, He wanted them to feed the crowds themselves instead of turning the crowd away.

     

    Does this raise questions for us:  How does the Lord surprise us? How is He calling us to go the extra mile?  How is He compelling us to make sure that certain needs are being met? 

  3. The third thing this Gospel teaches us is that the Lord usually starts with something and someone.  Think about the story.  Jesus said, “You feed this crowd!”  The Apostles were the “someone.”  All the Apostles could find was five barley loaves and two fish.  That was the “something”.  Jesus said, “Bring them to me.” 

What question does this raise for us?  Are we the “someones” through whom the Lord wants His work to be accomplished?  Do we have “something” that He wants us to hand over to Him so that He can bring about some wonderful work?  We may not have the answers right now.  But these questions are worth praying about. 

     

  1. Finally, it is when we are closest to Jesus that the Lord’s work gets accomplished; when we are farthest away from Him, we tend to stray off in our own directions and chase after what may not be what the Lord really had in mind.  Think about the Gospel one more time.  The Apostles stayed close enough to Jesus to follow the directions He gave when Jesus said the blessing, broke the loaves, gave them to the Apostles and the Apostles followed through by giving them to the crowds. 

     

    What does this say to us?  Does it lead us to ask if we are close enough to Jesus to sense deep in our hearts that He knows what is best, and He wants us to play a role in getting this done?

     

    St. Paul reminds us in our Second Reading that if God is for us, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.  That’s how close God promises to be to us. The Lord calls us to be His People, to be the Body of Christ. 

     

    We are called to support those who stand for what is honorable and true.

     

    We are called to demonstrate His compassion.

     

    We are invited to carefully discern God’s surprising calls.

     

     We are the ones who should offer God the “somethings” we have and be willing to be the “someones” through whom God works.

     

    May the Lord nourish us in His love and keep us ever close to Him.

     

    17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    July 23-24, 2011
    Romans 8:28-30 and Matthew 13:44-46 (short form)

     

    In everyday life, just about everyone has what they might call “a pearl of great price.”  It’s something for which we would sacrifice much to obtain.

     

    Think about the pearls of great price at the Festival.  Some twenty-five thousand cheese puffs were made.  Sometimes, the lines stretched for more than thirty yards!  Every year, we hear people say they are so glad it’s cheese puff time again.

     

    I am very grateful to everyone, who worked in so many ways not just at the cheese puffs but throughout the Festival to make this year’s Festival successful.  Thanks for your labor of love.  It was a busy time for all of us.  Our parish had an unusually high number of funerals before, during, and after the festival that kept me busy.  I’m glad to say that family members and friends who visited our Festival were very impressed by everything you do to make it successful.

     

    Think about pearls of great price in the world of sports.  It’s amazing how many dollars some people will pay for a big event like the Super Bowl, or how much money they’ll part with to obtain a very rare baseball card.

     

    Think about the world of advertising.  Products like beer, cars, high speed computers are all presented as pearls of great price, that is, things you’d sacrifice much for to have as your own.  The list can go on and on.

     

    Now consider today’s Gospel.  What does Jesus say?  What is the most important pearl of great price?

     

    The answer is simple.  Jesus says the most important pearl of great price is the kingdom of heaven.

     

    And just what is the kingdom of heaven?

     

    In the Book of Matthew, the kingdom of heaven is mentioned at least twenty-three times.

     

    We are told that the kingdom of heaven is near.  We need to change our lives radically (at the very root of our lives) to let it enter in.  That’s a fancy way of saying we must repent to enter the kingdom of heaven.

     

    We are told that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit (those whose ultimate trust is in God), and to those who are persecuted for the sake of justice.

     

    We are told that the kingdom of heaven is like a buried treasure, it’s like a field in which someone plants good seed, it is like the yeast a woman puts into dough.

     

    What is the kingdom of heaven?  It is the values Jesus taught and lived, the values that He and others put into practice.

              

      For followers of Jesus, the kingdom of heaven is the pearl of great price.  Perhaps this is expressed best of all by Paul in today’s 2nd Reading from his Letter to the Romans:  The call to be who we are truly created to be, that is, images of Jesus in all the thoughts, words, and actions of our lives.

              

      Only Christ is the pearl of great price.

              

      I’m looking at the stained glass window of St. Augustine, which is just to the right of the depiction of the Last Supper.  Augustine was the one who taught us that our hearts are restless until they rest in God.  He expressed this as a beautiful prayer:

      

              “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O Lord.”

      

              Truly, these words remind us that Christ is everything to us and we are everything to Christ. 

      

              Ponder that:  Christ is everything to us and we are everything to Christ. 

      

              As the summer moves along and our Festival has ended, may we keep this in mind.  Christ iseverything to us, and we are everything to Him.

               Christ is the reason this parish exists (or should be.)

      

              Christ is the reason we gather here (or should be).  We come to worship the One to whom we bring our lives; we go from here bringing Him to life.

                Jesus is our pearl of great price!

     

     

    Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

    Matthew 13:24-33
    July 16-17, 2011

     

                There is a story about a little guy named Larry who played baseball with his friends in the twenty-five foot wide yard between his house and the one next door.  The very first pitch of the season was hit by Larry down the third base line directly toward the house belonging to Mrs. G. The baseball went into and through Mrs. G’s dining room window.  It did not break the outer window, but the storm window fell quickly to pieces.  Little Larry thought for sure that season was going to be a short one, just one pitch long.

              Mrs. G appeared behind her inner window seemingly not injured and Little Larry thought his life was going to be a short one, too.  She opened her window and invited Little Larry, his two teammates, and the three members of the other team into her house.  The five boys other than Little Larry were ready for punishment.  Little Larry was not.

              Mrs. G patted five of the boys on the head as they were led by her to the living room.  When Little Larry arrived, what did she do?  She put both of her hands on his shoulders and smiled.  That’s all she did.  She smiled and held him for the longest time, maybe it was actually five seconds, but it seemed so much longer.  The rest of the story is predictable enough.  Sure, it would cost money to fix the window.  But it could be worked out.  Little Larry says these days he doesn’t remember much more about it than Mrs. G’s serene smile and the silence of soft forgiveness.

              Larry compares the experience to today’s Gospel from Matthew. Remember how Jesus spoke of comparisons for the growing of God’s Kingdom, using wheat, weeds, mustard seeds, and yeast as comparisons? The smile and the silence demonstrated by Mrs. G were mustard seeds and yeast for the growing awareness of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.  We live that Kingdom in the ways we allow the wheat of God’s grace to outgrow the weeds of fear and hard punishing.  That window was soon repaired and through it now Larry sees a face of God, softly smiling when he breaks something anew.

             

              We will conclude our Festival this (Sunday) evening. Some conflict of some kind or another during the Festival usually challenges us to remember the kind of forgiveness God calls us to receive and to give.  There are plenty of opportunities to smile, to fix things, to speak soft words of forgiveness with the help of God’s grace, yes, to try to start anew.

              And by the way – the story of Little Larry focuses on a man presently known as Father Larry Gillick, a member of the Jesuit (Society of Jesus) order.  He wrote the story based on a childhood experience of his own.  You can read his columns at the web site for the Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality.  They are refreshing!

              In my Pastor’s Column in today’s bulletin, I give you information concerning how to access Sunday reflections by Father Larry Gillick, S.J..

              You didn’t think Father Larry Frient broke that window, did you?  No, not that one! I usually didn’t drive baseballs down the left field line.

     

    15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

    July 9-10, 2011,
    Matthew 13:1-23

     

    There is so much cynicism, so much bitterness in the world these days.  If we are not careful, we can let pessimistic attitudes infect our souls.  This strangles the very spirit of our living.

     

    A seminary professor somewhere wrote “Nine Rules Followed by People Who Insist on Being Miserable.”  Listen carefully to them.  There is one request I have as you listen:  If you happen to think of someone who matches a description of one of the rules, don’t say any names out loud.  Don’t elbow anyone or give anyone a nudge.  Simply say a silent prayer for that person.

    1. First -- feel sorry for yourself! What a terrific place to start! Nothing is more certain to make you miserable than self pity!
    2. Second -- worry about things that might happen but probably won't. This is nearly as effective as self pity!
    3. Third -- complain. Find fault with everything. Many people cultivate this into a fine art form.
    4. Fourth -- insist on always having your own way. After all, you know it all, don't you?
    5. Fifth -- ridicule. What good is life if you can't embarrass and hurt other people?
    6. Six -- overreact! Make a mountain out of a mole hill.
    7. Seven -- be self-centered! Don't give a thought to others. Don't help the needy, be sure not to support your Church.
    8. Eight -- ignore the moral teachings of your Religious Tradition, as well as the lessons of history. Disregard ethical principles.
    9. Nine -- do nothing to develop your spirituality. In other words, convince yourself that you are entirely self-sufficient. After all, who needs anyone else, who needs prayer, who needs God?

     

    The professor guarantees that if you really want to be miserable, it isn't difficult. These nine rules have been followed by many people for years, and they are truly miserable.

    Of course, the Gospel calls us to a better way.  We can listen to the Word of Christ.  We can let the Lord take root in our hearts, and pray that His Word might grow and bear great fruit.

     

    We heard the Parable of the Sower.  How vital it is to sow the seeds of the Word of God.  Of course, we don’t have the power to make the seeds grow.  Only God does.  But how vital it is to sow the seeds, and we can only sow the seeds if we have allowed God’s Word to take root within us first.

     

    The Gospel this weekend was a story known as a parable.  Parables are stories that always use a familiar image.  Certainly, sowing seeds and seeing them fall on a hard path, on rocky ground, on thorny ground, or on good soil was something easy for Matthew’s original listeners and readers to imagine.

     

    Parables always take a sudden turn that surprises the audience.  I read that perhaps only one out of every ten seeds sown in Palestine back when Matthew wrote would actually bear fruit.  So what is the big surprise It would have surprised them that their efforts to spread the Gospel, with God’s help, could actually yield a rich harvest of 30 or 60 or 100 fold!

     

    Parables would always lead listeners to re-think some things. 

     

    Maybe for us, we are called to re-think how cynical and bitter we can be and how cynical and bitter we may be tempted to become.  Contrast this to just how loving, faith-filled, and hopeful Jesus Christ invites us to be.

     

    As we anticipate thousands of people walking our grounds at the Festival here this week, do we realize the opportunities we have to sow seeds of God’s Word?

    Maybe we can surprise ourselves by simply remembering that the Festival began way back in the 1930’s as primarily a religious celebration.  Yes, it was a chance to reflect deeper on our faith and celebrate God’s activity in our lives.

     

    Can our knowledge of this lead us to pray for the grace to sow the seeds of God’s love the best we can, especially when we are tempted the most to do the very opposite? 

     

    Can we pray not to let cynicism and bitterness strangle God’s goodness within us and around us?

     

    We must not anticipate this week without embracing the truth of the primary importance that of we have some praying to do.

     

    The Body and Blood of Christ

    June 25-26, 2011

              We celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ this weekend.  It gives all of us a golden opportunity to do some reflecting about celebrating the Mass. Our celebration of the Mass is one of the most important things we do as Catholics.  It is essential that we make every reasonable effort to be present at and participate in the worship at our weekend Masses. The Church continues to teach that this should be our priority every weekend; we should miss Mass only if extreme circumstances (like illness or caring for the sick) prevent us from coming to church.

                    By now you may have heard that some neighboring parishes have changed or soon will adjust their Mass schedules due to the Diocesan Reconfiguration Process.  We already announced the fact that our weekend Mass schedule remains unchanged:  5:00 PM on Saturdays, 9:30 and 11:30 AM on Sundays.  Please consult the bulletins each week to verify the weekday, Holy Day, and holiday schedules. 

                    For years, we have been counting the people coming to Mass at our parish and we’ve been reporting our attendance each weekend.  This practice will continue, as it is a very important factor in making future decisions.

                    By now you may also be aware that there are some changes coming to the words we pray in our worship at Mass. Some of the words and prayers you hear and say at Mass will be a little different. These changes won’t just be happening here at our parish; they will happen everywhere the Mass is celebrated in the English language.  Beginning with the 1st Sunday of Advent, which is the weekend of November 26-27, 2011, the entire English-speaking world will be using a revised Roman Missal. (The Roman Missal is the large red book that the priest prays from at Mass.)

                    In addition to the prayers of the priest, some of the verbal responses you make, and the words of the Glory to God, the Creed, the Holy, Holy, Holy, and the Lamb of God will change. Know that most of the changes will have bearing on what the priest says, not the people. Nevertheless, there will be some adjustments all of us will need to make. I’m confident all of us can adjust.

              Later this summer and throughout the months of September, October and November we will be explaining, teaching, and elaborating on the changes and the reasons for the changes.

              Did these changes just fall out of the sky last night? No. Most Catholic periodicals have been writing about the revision for at least the past several months. Our diocesan paper, The Catholic Exponent has published articles in just about every recent issue.  Undoubtedly, many more articles about these changes will be published in many different sources.

             Several of our parish staff members and other members of the parish have been meeting to plan how our parish will be informed before the changes begin. We will provide you with printed materials, with opportunities to come to information meetings and classes, and with pulpit announcements and homilies.
    We are making every effort to help you know and understand the changes, so please work with us positively and prayerfully in this process. Contact Dave at the rectory for more information.

             The diocese has held meetings for clergy, religious, lay ministers, musicians, and others to assist in the process.

              It is important to remember that our Catholic beliefs that are NOT changing, nor is the way we celebrate Mass. Only some of the prayer-words we use to express our faith will be changing. The revised words will make the statements of our belief scripturally and liturgically more accurate.  Please pray for our parish and all whose lives will be touched by the changes.  It’s always tempting to moan about changes. Let’s try a better approach together. I encourage all of us to prayerfully embrace this as a great opportunity for us to enrich our understanding of something so very important.

             Truly, the Mass is very important.  Can you help promote this belief?

     

    Feast of The Holy Trinity

    Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-8 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 John 3:16-18
    June 18-19, 2011

    I’ve been reflecting very often about my younger days. I suppose that’s a very common thing people do when life has changed for them. I’ve been thinking about when I was growing up, and how my immediate family attended Immaculate Conception Church in Ravenna, Ohio. It was an impressive church then and it is an impressive church now. Our church here at Our Lady of Mount Carmel is nicer, though.

    I mention it because that was the place where I first heard some of the hymns that first called my attention to the whole idea of the Trinity.

    I am sure most of you are familiar with the hymn “Sing Praise to Our Creator.” Its refrain sounds like this:

    “Praise the Holy Trinity, undivided unity,
    Holy God, Mighty God, God Immortal be adored.”

    Yes, that song is a lesson in itself. It tells us about the unity of the three distinct Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – but only one God who is “holy”, “mighty”, and “immortal.”

    By saying that God is ‘holy”, we are saying that He is set apart. For what is God set apart? God is set apart for love, He is set apart against sin.

    By saying that God “mighty”, we are speaking about His power. We’re kidding ourselves if we think anyone is more powerful than God!

    By saying that God is “immortal”, we are saying that He lives forever. Who among us can add a moment to our lifespan? We cannot. Only God can.

    Another song from my childhood days comes to mind. I am sure that most of you are familiar with “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.” Its third verse really tells us plenty about today’s Feast of the Holy Trinity, too:

    “Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee
    While in essence only One, undivided God we claim Thee.
    And adoring bend the knee, while we own the Mystery.
    And adoring bend the knee, while we own the Mystery.”

    What do we mean by saying that we own the Mystery? We’re saying that we believe in One God, Three Persons, equal but distinct Persons who are united.

    Okay, enough about the songs that echo in my mind that helped formulate my earliest beliefs.

    What does the Holy trinity mean to you? What does it mean to all of us? Just think how many times you echo your own belief in the Trinity. Every time you make the Sign of the Cross you are reaffirming your belief in this Mystery!

    The Trinity is perfectly united. And we believe that when we are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, this Trinity is invited to take up residence in us so that as a member of God’s family, the baptized person can live this faith and be united with God.

    Ponder that for a moment: the Trinity is invited to take up residence in us so that as a member of God’s family, the baptized person can live this faith and be united with God. IN OTHER WORDS, GOD LIVES IN US!

    Certainly, the Scriptures remind us of the many ways the Trinity is significant in our lives.

    What did Moses learn in today’s Today’s First Reading? We have a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in compassion.

    How did God continue to express this compassion in an even more wonderful way? Today’s Gospel sheds light on this. God demonstrated this great mercy, this great compassion for us by giving us Jesus so that we might share eternal life.

    In today’s Second reading, St. Paul bid farewell in such a beautiful way to the believers who lived in the city of Corinth. He wrote: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Paul’s wish is the best wish we could have for each other – to be united to the Trinity so that we may strive to imitate the unity God has within Himself.

    Trinity Sunday invites us to reflect about the very roots of our own faith. Remember that the Trinity is a wonderful expression of God’s unity within Himself, and that this love of God expressed in the Trinity seeks to live in us.

    Being mindful of the unchanging love of God is a great way to let God carry us through life’s changes.

    In my Pastor’s Column in today’s bulletin, I quoted the author Murray Bodo. This Franciscan author wrote: “I have a Father who loves me, a Brother who died for me, and a Spirit within me who is pledge and proof of their love.”

    May all of us remember that we have a Father who loves us, a Brother who died for us, and a Spirit within us who is pledge and proof of their love.”

    In so remembering, may we respond well to God’s love & never take our faith for granted.

    Feast of Pentecost

    Acts 2:1-11
    June 11-12, 2011

    Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. You heard a description in today’s First Reading of how the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles so that the work of Jesus might continue and the work of the Church (God’s Family) might begin.

    I’d like to invite everyone to ponder this Feast in the context of the word SPIRIT. Let each letter of the word SPIRIT stand for something related to this coming of the Holy Spirit. The S will stand for SURPRISE, the P will stand for PENTECOST, the I will stand for INSPIRE, the R will stand for the color RED, the next I will stand for INDWELLING, and the T will stand for TOGETHERNESS.

    Let’s begin with the S representing SURPRISE. How often the way God works is a surprise! Think about it. One of the most noteworthy examples is when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary was surprised! Think of the surprise involved when Jesus actually died to save us from our sins! Think all the more about the surprise when Jesus rose from the dead!

    The Holy Spirit continues to SURPRISE us by how God works. Might we pray for the grace to realize that God often works in mysterious ways, surprising ways, all with our ultimate good in mind.

    We said that the P can represent PENTECOST. For the Jewish people, Pentecost refers to a harvest feast that commemorates when God gave the Law to Moses fifty days after God led His Chosen People out of Egypt. For Christians, Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Church to continue the work of Jesus.

    Might we give thanks that of all the Laws God gives, the Law of Jesus is to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves? Might we pray for the grace to be living examples of this Law of Love?

    The first I stands for INSPIRE. That word actually means “breathed on.” In the very first book of the Bible (Genesis) the story is told that God created the first human being by breathing life into him. Our First Reading today describes the work of the Spirit as a mighty wind. In today’s Gospel, Jesus breathed on His apostles and filled them with the Holy Spirit.

    Might we pray for the grace to remember that the Spirit of God breathes on us so that we might be more like the Lord?

    The R stands for the color RED. In the bulletin last weekend and on the parish web site, we asked people to wear red today (if they wanted to) as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. In the First Reading, the Spirit appeared over the Apostles and Mary as tongues of fire. In the Bible, fire can remind us of the love of God that warms our hearts and casts out sin. It can also stand for the guiding light of Christ that shows us where to go.

    Might we pray for the warmth and brightness of this light in our heart always?

    The second I stands for INDWELLING. When Jesus told His disciples in last Sunday’s Gospel to baptize in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, He wanted the disciples to teach members of His family the Church that God dwells in them. The Trinity dwells in each one of us.

    Might we pray for the grace to respect all life, for truly each and every person is made in the image and likeness of God, and God wants to dwell in each and every person.

    Finally, we have the letter T. It stands for togetherness. Notice that the Holy Spirit was bestowed when the disciples gathered together in prayer. Jesus promised that wherever two or more are gathered, He is among them.

    As time goes on, might we pray for the grace to realize that God calls us to unity on the most important things. He calls us to respect each other’s liberty when it comes to matters that are not essential and may be viewed in various ways by various people. He calls us to be charitable in all things.

    May the Holy Spirit guide our Church, our parish, our community, the lives of each of us and of all of us so that we may continue to bring Jesus to all we encounter.

    Feast of the Ascension

    Acts 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:17-23 Matthew 28:16-20
    June 4-5, 2011

    Today’s Feast of the Ascension can kind of get lost in the scheme of things as we reflect on the importance of the Easter Season.

    What do I mean by that? At the beginning of the Easter Season you have Easter itself, the celebration of Christ rising from the dead. Next weekend you have Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit was given to the followers of Jesus to carry on the work of the Risen Christ.

    Maybe for some people, it seems like there is no important reason to celebrate the Ascension. Jesus rose from the dead – that’s Easter! Jesus sent His Holy Spirit – that’s Pentecost! Why bother with the Ascension?

    We need to realize why this feast is important. It should not be ignored.

    Why is the Ascension important?

    It reminds us that Jesus is the King of Glory. He conquered sin and death. Now, as we profess in the Creed, He is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will judge us. He has not left us to abandon us but He has gone to His Father to be our hope. Where He has gone, we hope to follow.

    We are reminded that Jesus shows us the way to true humanity. The Feast of the Ascension reminds us that Jesus is not yet all in all, that you and I still have to complete our journeys, and that we have not yet arrived at our final destination. And we will face the judge of all, the judge whose judgment is absolute love.

    Perhaps the Dominican author Allan White sums this up best of all. He tells us: “If we forget the Ascension, if we try to forget that we stand under judgment then we can believe too little and too much about the Church.”

    What does Father White mean here?

    If we believe too much about the Church, we make the mistake of forgetting that our systems, our structures, and our concerns are only temporary and in effect replace the Lord. What is the truth about the Church? The Church only exists to lead us to Jesus. The Church’s only mission is to guide us to the one who has completed His journey, the Judge of all, the one who awaits us.

    If we make too little of the Church, we forget that we live during a time when the work of the Church is so important. Jesus told us to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our work for Jesus must fill the gap between the time Jesus walked among us and the time He will judge each and every person. Otherwise, we lose sight of what matters most of all.

    Jesus has entered God’s space. It is different than our space. Jesus has entered God’s time, which is a different kind of time. We are being drawn to Him even now. We believe that some day Jesus will be present to us in a radically different way than He is present to us now.

    In the meantime, we remember His promise. It was articulated so well in Matthew’s Gospel. In Chapter 1 of Matthews’s Gospel, when it was announced that Mary would conceive a child, He was to be named Emmanuel, a name which means “God is with us.”

    Ponder the Great Commission Jesus gave in today’s Gospel. It comes at the very end of the Book of Matthew. He tells us to make disciples, baptize, and share His teachings. He also reminds us that He is with us always. That phrase, “I am with you always”, echoes what the angel said in Chapter 1: “Emmanuel, a name which means God is with us.”

    May we trust in His presence with us now, and look forward to being with Him for all eternity.

    That’s what the Ascension is all about!

     

    Sixth Sunday of Easter

    May 28-29, 2011
    John 14:15-21

     

    The Easter Season is winding down.  Next Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension.

     

    Two weeks from now Pentecost Sunday will bring the Easter Season to its end.

     

    Remember the message that began the Easter Season?  The words “Christ is Risen!” remind us that the very Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead empowers us as people of faith to bring Jesus to the world around us.

     

    Prayerfully think about the Gospel stories that have been proclaimed on the Sundays of this Easter Season.

     

    A week after hearing about how the empty tomb was discovered, we heard the story about the Risen Jesus appearing to the disciples in the Upper Room. He gave them His peace.  He calmed their fears.  He showed them His wounded hands and pierced side.  He told them not to persist in unbelief, but to believe. 

     

    Have we learned to recognize Jesus in the wounds and brokenness of
    ourselves and those around us?  Have we let Him calm our fears, give us His peace, and strengthen our faith?

     

    Three weeks ago, our Gospel story featured two disciples
    encountering Jesus as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  They came to recognize Him in the breaking of bread.

     

    Have we come to realize that this same Jesus walks with us and feeds us as we journey through life?

     

    In the Gospel story of two Sundays ago, Jesus told us that He is the gate who leads us to refreshment and rest, and He is the gate who leads us out into the world to do God’s work.

     

    Have we taken our lives to the Good Shepherd who refreshes and strengthens us?

     

    In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus told us that He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.

     

    Have we let this message give direction when we are lost, clear up the confusion of our doubts, and fill us with hope when the world around us tempts us to be hopeless and cynical?

     

    Today’s Gospel features Jesus continuing His farewell discourse to His disciples the night before He was crucified.  He tells them to demonstrate their love by keeping His commandments.  We remember that Jesus commanded us to love God and to love one another.  Jesus also promised His followers that He will not leave them orphaned.  He assures us that His Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will continue to guide us and sustain us.  He will continue to dwell with in within His people.

     

    At its most basic level, the Gospel reminds us of two things:

    • God will never abandon us.
    • Jesus remains present wherever there is love.

     

    As we pray this coming week, might we consider doing two things:

    1. Give thanks to God for never abandoning us.
    2. Pray for the strength to love as He teaches us to love. It is Memorial Day Weekend. Just think of the supreme sacrifice of love so many veterans gave in protecting our freedoms!

     

    We may be surprised when we search our hearts and realize the many ways God stays with us.

    We may be even more surprised when we realize that God’s love continues to be made known in such real ways by how we choose to be channels of His love in these times and places.

     

    Fifth Sunday of Easter

    John 14:1-12
    May 21-22, 2011

     

    Have you ever had a conversation with someone that you knew would be your last conversation with them?

     

    Memories of that conversation have a way of staying with you.

     

    Our Gospel this weekend is that type of a conversation. Even though we are
    celebrating the Fifth Sunday of Easter, this Gospel brings us back to the conversation Jesus had with those closest to Him before He was crucified.

     

    Jesus knew that His friends were frightened. He knew that they were feeling sad, and that they believed they were all alone.

     

    So Jesus told them that even though He will soon be gone from their side, He’d prepare a place for them and return to take them home.

    Think about how Jesus answers the question Thomas asked. Thomas wondered, “How can we know the way?”

     

    Jesus tells Thomas as He tells all of us: “I am the

    Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

     

    Think about Jesus as the Way. He is the way to the Father. He obeyed His Father’s will perfectly.

     

    How well do we obey God’s will? Are we sharing our sufferings with the Lord? Are we embracing His will to work through other people to lift us up? Are we willing to share the suffering of others and thus lead them to Christ?

     

    Think about Jesus as the Truth. Cardinal Joseph Bernardin expressed it this way: “Jesus has revealed the Father to us in His very being and life. He not only taught about a loving and forgiving Father. He loved and forgave. He taught in a simple, down to earth way…people were excited to hear what Jesus had to say…at the same time, He called them to a way of life that was not always to their liking.”

     

    How important it is to prayerfully ask: What about the Truth Jesus teaches us do we find most appealing? What do we find most challenging?

     

    Finally, remember that Jesus told us that He is the Life. It was almost as if Jesus had said to them: “Friends, even after I’m gone, remember the way I lived life. I offer you the possibilities of that kind of life, too. That’s the way God intended life to be. Eternal Life is not something reserved to the afterlife. The Gospel writer John understood it to begin here and now, and continue into the future.

     

    Does that understanding of Jesus as the Life help us? Remember, a life of faith in Him now begins the kind of thinking, relating, and dealing with life that make a big difference.

    I want to close with a brief story. There was a little girl who was eight years old. One summer day, she wandered around in the big city where she lived and became lost. She was unable to recognize any of the streets where she was, could not recognize even one landmark, and became more and more lost.

     

    Finally, a policeman stopped to help her. He was going to drive her to the station and have her parents come and get her. All of a sudden, the little girl smiled and pointed at the church steeple. She exclaimed: “There’s my church! I can find the way home now!”

     

    My friends, if we believe in Jesus as our Way, Truth, and Life, we can always find our way home.

     

    That’s a big part of what it means to us to realize that we are the Church, we are to be the Body of Christ for each other. We lead each other back to the Lord when we feel lost most of all.

     

    May His words stay with us: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”


    And may He give us the grace to lead each other home.

     

    Fourth Sunday of Easter

    John 10:1-10 

    May 14-15, 2011

     

    Will it be Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3?  You hear those words, and you can easily imagine a talk show host presenting that question to a game show contestant.  The contestant has been given a chance to exchange a modest prize for a chance at a grand prize.  Suspense builds as the contestant tries to make up her mind as the audience shouts advice. Two doors hide gag prizes or the word “ZONK!” meaning:  “You lose!”  Behind one of the doors is the grand prize.  It is something very valuable, like a vacation, a car, or a large amount of cash.    The contestant has a one in three chance to choose correctly.

              Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3?  Is there a trick involved in choosing, or is it simply a matter of chance?

              Now shift your attention from the game show scenario to what Jesus says in this weekend’s Gospel.  Jesus describes Himself as the door. He is the door that leads to the most desirable gift.  And choosing Jesus is different than the game show procedure.  The ones who designed the game show tried to mask the grand prize.  Jesus declares His desire for everyone to choose Him, and He does nothing to conceal Himself as the gateway to the grandest prize of all:  Eternal life with God.

              We also heard Jesus describe Himself as the shepherd of those who enter the sheepfold properly. They are the ones who enter through the gate.   He points out how different He is than the thief or robber who try to steal the sheep.

              When considering how Jesus describes Himself as the door or the gate, we need to realize He is a gate who swings out and is able to swing in.  Not only do the followers of Christ come into the sheepfold through Him, they are also led out by Him. 

              As the author Barbara Reid describes so well (on p. 30 of the May 2-9 issue of America magazine): “All who are led in by Him find in the embrace of a believing community a place of refreshment and rest, a space where wounds can be healed and where all can be nourished by God’s Word and at God’s table.” 

              We don’t just remain in that sheepfold and rest, though.  We are also led out to find pasture.  That’s where the work of God gets done.  That pasture is where you and I are called by God to spend most of our time. Truly, Christ is the gate who opens in and out.  He leads us in to refreshment, and out to do God’s work.

              We’ve reached the Fourth Sunday of Easter.  For many people, Easter was simply a Sunday three weeks ago.  It is important to remember that the Easter Season continues all the way through Pentecost Sunday, which is the weekend of June 11-12. 

              More important than how long the Easter Season lasts is the fact that the Risen Christ calls us to remember Him as the one who broke down the gates of death by conquering death and sin by His resurrection.  The open tomb is truly a reminder of this ultimate victory, a victory no prize on earth could ever match.

              As we pray this week, simply remember this week that the Lord invites us to let Him be the gate that leads us to refreshment, and to remember that He is the gate that leads us out to do the work of God.

              With Jesus, there is no trick to choosing the right door. The world and its ways will constantly try to trick us. But Jesus stands wide open before us.   He constantly calls us to come in by means of the right door, and that door is Jesus Himself.  May we follow Him attentively.

     

     

     

    Please note:  Father Larry Frient prepared this Homily on May 2, 2011.  On May 4, shortly after noon, his mother Adeline Frient went into a coma.  She died on May 6 at 2:10 PM. She was 93. Due to the need for Father to be with his family during this difficult time, he was not able to be with the people of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish during the weekend of May 7-8.  Therefore, he did not get the chance to preach this homily at the parish, but he wanted you to have a chance to read it anyway.  Thank you.

     

     

    Third Sunday of Easter

    Mother’s Day and Luke 24:13-35
    May 7-8, 2011

     

    Think about some of the best storytellers you have ever encountered.

     

    I remember my Grandmother, my Mom’s mom.  She lived to be eighty-five.  She died when I was twelve.  Grandma lived about five miles away from us.

     

    My goodness, could Grandma ever tell a story.

    There were stories about her growing up on a farm in the Dover, Ohio area as the youngest of twelve children.

     

    There were stories about her suffering an eye injury as she played with a button on a string in a failed attempt to fashion a home-made yo-yo.  Somehow, the button flew off the string and hit Grandma in the eye as Grandma was watching her teacher work at her desk.  Grandma was lucky she could still see out of that eye.

     

    There were stories about giving birth to five children, three of them (only the girls) surviving, two sons dying as infants back in the 1920’s because their hearts just couldn’t pump blood adequately.  They’d have been saved these days.

     

    There were stories about her marriage to my grandfather, and how he died of pneumonia when he was relatively young more than two decades before I was born.

     

    There were stories about after she was widowed, she married again.  Unfortunately, their house burned down and her second husband died not long after that so unexpectedly of a heart attack as she and he were conversing.

     

    There were stories after stories about relatives who were real characters, about priests she knew, about happy times and some very challenging ones.

     

    And as we celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, I am sure that many of us realize that many mothers and their stories are like glue – glue that bonds families together.  When the stories stop, the glue tends to fade away, and unfortunately, families don’t tend to stick together as well as they did when Grandma was sharing her stories with us long ago.

     

    Today, we wish all Mothers a Happy Mothers Day and thank God for the ways they hold families together.

     

    We also ponder a Gospel on this Third Sunday of Easter that features storytelling at its best.  The narrative is filled with deep emotion and drama. 

     

    It was a seven mile journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  (That would be like walking from this church to beautiful downtown Vienna, Ohio.) Jesus encountered the two disciples who were walking that journey, and at the beginning of the story, they don’t recognize Jesus.  They consider Him to be a stranger.

    They think it is odd that He does not seem to know the dramatic events that have led them to leave Jerusalem.  The irony is that Jesus is that dramatic event!

     

    The disciples believe all their hope has vanished with the death of Jesus.  Not only did they think that they lost a very dear friend, their faith was badly shaken.

     

    Then, Jesus reveals who He is.  Their confusion and sadness is transformed to joy when He explains how His rising from the dead brings such great new hope and new life!

     

    You heard how the story ended on such a joyful note.  Jesus clarified all the places in the Bible that refereed to Him, and He acted as if He intended to keep walking.  But they begged Him to stay with them.  He did. And they came to recognize Him when they broke bread together.

     

    Remember how I talked about the way stories are like glue that keep families together?  How very true it is that the earliest stories about Jesus rising from the dead are like glue that keeps the Church, the body of believers together.  Maybe sometimes, we forget this or take it for granted.

     

    Jesus told the disciples on the road to Emmaus that His suffering, death, and rising fulfilled God’s plan.  When we listen to God’s Word expressed in the Bible, we get in touch with the living stories of how Christ enables us to be victorious if we share our setbacks, disappointments, successes, and joys with Him.

     

    Jesus is present in the journeys of our lives.  Do we sometimes prevent ourselves from recognizing Him as He walks right beside us?  What would enable us to recognize Him more clearly and more often?  Perhaps we could take the time to ponder the many ways He seeks to speak within our hearts, especially when we believe we are  most alone?

     

    Jesus is present in other members of His Body, the Church.  Notice that there were several people conversing with Jesus in today’s Gospel story.  After their conversation, what did these people do?  They compared their experiences of their encounter with Christ.  Our Church is very much alive when we share with each other how the Lord walks with us, inspires us, teaches us, and tries to remind us that we never journey alone. In fact, this is why we have a Church – to keep on telling the stories of Jesus so that these stories might stay alive and influence how we live!

     

    Jesus is present when Bread is broken together.  Our parish celebrated First Communion last weekend.  How important it is for us to be fed by the Lord.  He told us to do this in memory of Him.  We become what we eat – The Body of Christ working together to build a better world.  We become what we drink – The Blood of Christ outpoured in loving service for others.

     

    Maybe we’ll take the time to remember some special stories about mothers and grandmothers this weekend.  If so, that’s great!

     

    Just remember that in so many ways, Jesus was present in them as they walked with us, taught, us, let us share our experiences with them, shared bread with us, and as they tried to show us where we should go.

    In fact, the Lord does the Lord ever stops speaking in our hearts through the examples of their love?  No, the message continues.  Share our joys and sorrows with the Lord, and He will give us strength for the journey.

     

     

    Second Sunday of Easter Homily

    April 30-May 1, 2011
    John 20:19-31

     

                Throughout Lent, we hosted Friday fish dinners downstairs.  It gave me the chance to talk with a number of people. 

                I was especially glad to talk with one lady who said she was coming back to the Church after being away for a long time.  She said it was more important to let God lift her up instead of staying beaten down. She believed gathering with others in Church could help lift her up.

                It was a simple point.  But it is worth repeating:  She said it was more important to let God lift her up instead of staying beaten down, and she believed gathering with others in Church could help lift her up.

                That’s what today’s Gospel is all about.  You heard how beaten down the apostles were.  They ran away when Jesus was crucified.  Now they were afraid that they might be put to death by the enemies of Jesus, too.  They locked themselves in a room, hoping to be spared. 

                They were so shocked and amazed when the Risen Jesus appeared among them.  He gave them His peace. He proved to them that it was really the same Jesus who had been put to death, showing them the wounds of His crucifixion where the nails had pierced Him and the spear had been thrust through His side.  Their fears were transformed into joy!

                What was the very first thing this Risen Jesus did after giving the gift of peace and assuring the apostles He was truly with them?  He commissioned them to continue the work he had begun.  He gave them the Holy Spirit.  He told them to forgive others and to tell others all about Him.

                Every year, we hear this Gospel story on the Second Sunday of Easter.  It is important because Jesus wants us to continue His work, too.  He wants to pick us up when we are down.  He wants to fill us with His peace.  He wants us to pick up others who are down, too.

                Today we think about one of the wonderful gifts He gave us to strengthen us in doing His work.  He gave us spiritual food known as the Eucharist, His Body broken for us, His Blood poured out for us. 

                This weekend a number of children share for their very first time in the meal known as the Eucharist.  You can see signs of this here, like the special candles their parents light for them and the special way they imprinted their hands on the cloth covering this table. How lovingly Jesus wants to fill them with His presence!  He fills them and all of us with great joy.

                Think about our journeys in life.  Some days are filled with great joy.  At other times, we are like the apostles were at the beginning of the Gospel story we heard. We all face times when we are uncertain and afraid.  There are times when we are hurting and feel like hiding the way they hid.

                Let’s pray for these children and for each other.  May all of us know the fullness of joy involved in realizing that Jesus feeds us with His presence.

                Let’s pray that when life brings us low,  Jesus may give peace the way the world cannot give peace.

                Let’s pray that all of us will be strengthened by Jesus in doing God’s work.  We do many important things in life.  No work is more important than bringing Jesus to each other.

                Let’s pray that when any of us are wounded in life, the Lord will bring us healing. Think of how Jesus lovingly suffered many wounds for us.

                Finally, let’s pray that all of us might bring God’s love, peace, and healing all who have been brought low.  May we always remember that Jesus depends on us to lift each other up.  That is why He feeds us with the gift of Himself – not just for our own sake, but so that we might continue His work of love!

     

    Easter Sunday

    April 23-24, 2011
    Matthew 28:1

     

    How many times in the Bible the  Lord says to people:  “Do not be afraid!”

     

    And how fitting it is that we have a Gospel story this Easter that echoes this very same message:  “Do not be afraid!”

     

    It is the core of the Easter message.  The angel said to the women at the tomb:  “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus the Crucified.  He is not here.  He has been raised exactly as He promised.”

     

    The message was clear.  Jesus was not in the tomb.  The Risen Lord is with us now.  He is in you and in me.  He is here in our assembly, present in our community. And He wants us to be ever mindful that He continues to be with us when we go forth from here.

     

    Better than all the new clothes, new flowers, new beautiful sights, new fragrances that adorn our surroundings and new sounds of “Alleluia!” is the promise of new life Christ gives us.  It is a promise that we need not remain enclosed in the tombs of our fears, but instead be filled with new hope because He is truly with us. 

     

    The Risen Christ is with the people who have been diligently preparing to be welcomed as full members of our Catholic community.  How we thank God for them! We pray that the hope of new life made known in their faith will strengthen our faith as we strive to continue to help them strengthen their faith.

     

    Easter reminds us that our God knows us and our frail natures so very well.  All through our lives we are challenged by fears.

     

    When we are children we are afraid of being lost or forgotten.

     

    When we are adolescents we are afraid of being unaccepted or not liked.

     

    Still later, we are afraid of losing those we love and we are afraid of losing what is so important in our everyday lives – our things, our jobs, our sense of purpose.

     

    We never totally escape our fears.  They are part of what it means to be human.

     

    But the Risen Lord tells us in so many ways:   I am here. Do not be afraid.  I have chosen you.  Do not be afraid.  I am leading you.  Do not be afraid.

     

    For the Gospel writer Matthew, belief in the resurrection is not caused by seeing, touching, and hearing.  It comes about by believing that God works some wonderful deeds.  Matthew wrote to Jewish people who believed in a God who created everything out of nothing.  This same God delivered His people at the Red Sea.  He led His people into a land flowing with milk and honey.  He raised up kings like David to lead God’s people, and prophets to speak God’s ways so they’d never get lost. 

     

    NOW MATTHEW IS SAYING, LOOK AT JESUS, HE DOES THESE MIGHTY ACTS OF GOD. 

     

    Yes, Jesus gives new life because He who died for you is raised from the dead.

     

     He who died for you will never abandon you.

     

    He who died for you lives for you and calls you to live for Him.

     

    When Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary there is both a message and a mission.

    It comes in the form of “Go and tell…”

     

    The resurrection is not a private vision merely for the women who were there at the tomb.  The angel told the women to go quickly and tell the disciples.

     

    Then the Lord repeated that message that said not to be afraid, that message that said to go to spread the joyful news.

    Our lives give thanks and praise for the new life God gives us.

     

    He calms our fears.  He tells us to spread His joy by how we live.

     

    May His promise of new life touch us deeply so that we might touch others with His joy all our days.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Good Friday

    April 22, 2011

     

    How often we think of the hymn “Were You There?” when we make our way through Lent and up to this celebration of the Lord’s death on the cross.  Yes, we are here. And we don’t make this journey by ourselves.  We make it with Jesus, the one who suffered betrayals, rejections, and the denials of those close to Him.

              

    We make this journey as we prayerfully ask:  “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?”

     

    Yes, we are there.  Every time another person suffers, Jesus suffers. 

     

    And we are there to be Christ for those whose lives and bodies are broken.

     

    We are there to let our life-blood circulate with the ability to empower our love to mend wounds.

     

    We are there to lovingly receive Christ as He is taken down from the cross.

     

     We are there to marvel at the love He has for us, for even while we are still sinners He gives His life for us.

     

    If we look at the cross in the light of its historical setting we see what appears to be a lack of power, and we see what appears to be defeat. For in the minds of first century Jews and non-Jews alike, crucifixion meant only one thing: utter, total, complete failure.  To be crucified was to be rejected by God and by humans in utter defeat.

     

    And yet, as the hymn so delicately asks us:  Were you there? 

     

    Yes, we are here.  We have come to celebrate the victory of the cross and the power of Christ crucified. 

     

    We have come to renew our faith in a Lord who stops at nothing to show His love for us.

     

    We have come to thank Him for enabling us to be Christ for those in need.

     

    We have come to ask for His grace to enable us to love our enemies, to triumph over suffering, to help us look beyond

    what appears to be a lack of power and utter defeat.

     

    We have come because we know He is true to His promises and we trust that He will raise us up to new life.

     

     

    Holy Thursday

    April 21, 2011
    1 Corinthians 11:23-26 & John 13:1-15

     

    We have begun the most meaningful, most important, and arguably the most beautiful celebrations of the entire Church Year. 

    We have gathered to give thanks for the sacrifice of love Jesus offered and continues to offer for us.  We are grateful to God for His Son’s life-giving resurrection and for how the meaning of all of this touches our lives so intimately whenever we gather to celebrate the Eucharist.

    Jesus told us to do this in remembrance of Him.  We are reminded that Jesus is more than a reality of the past.  The Eucharist makes the past event a present reality and is to touch the hearts of all who follow the Lord whenever this sacred meal is celebrated.

    The Gospel writer named John narrates an event associated with the Last Supper that is packed with symbolism.  He tells us the story of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples.  It includes the humble service of a Master reversing roles with his servants.  Servants often washed the dirty, dusty, disgusting feet of their masters when they would come home and the feet of their master’s visiting guests doing biblical times.  It was unheard of for a Master to wash the feet of his servants.  Yet, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.  In so doing, Jesus gave His followers a model for following Him.

    Tonight, we prayerfully remember what Jesus did.  When He washed the feet of His disciples, He gave them an example of loving service.  He reminded them that they were to reach out in loving service if they were to be true to His word.

    We have chosen a variety of people from our parish who will participate in the washing of feet ritual.  We only do this ritual one time per year. And yet, in many, many ways, Jesus reminds us to live His example of loving service.

    As we listen to the music and watch the washing of feet, let us ask the Lord to strengthen us in His service all our days.

     

     

    Palm Sunday

    April 16-17, 2011

     

        We begin Holy Week.  It is remarkable that Palm Sunday has arrived.  Even though Easter is so much later this year than it usually is, it seems like we just celebrated Christmas, doesn’t it?  Maybe our tough winter has something to do with this.

     

    In the bulletin of March 5-6, 2011, my Pastor’s Column explained why Lent began so late this year and the article explained how we calculate the date of Easter each year.  You can access this by visiting our parish web site.  Go to mountcarmelniles.org and visit the bulletin page.  Look for the bulletin of March 5-6, 2011 in the bulletins link.

    As Holy Week starts, we hope that all of us might pray for a deeper appreciation for who Jesus is and what He continues to do in our everyday lives. Holy Week is a great opportunity to remember that Christ lived and died to teach us to love one another and to live for one another.


    We hope you will join us in prayer often this week.  The schedule of prayer services is provided in this bulletin. 

     

    Please note: The Niles Clergy Association invites everyone to participate in Outdoor Stations of the Cross at 12:00 Noon on Good Friday, April 22.  We will begin and end at the McKinley Memorial.  We will process to various stations in the area of the McKinley Memorial, First Christian Church, St. Stephen Church, the Edison Place Senior Living Apartments, and Trinity Lutheran Church.  We will pray and sing hymns together with followers of Jesus from our community belonging to various denominations. We hope that our participation of parishioners from this parish makes us proud.  If the weather is inclement the entire service will be held inside the McKinley Memorial Auditorium. Dress appropriately for weather conditions.  This is the third consecutive year our churches are working together for this special testimony of our appreciation for the love of the Lord.  Participation grew last year compared to 2009 and we are hoping it will grow this year. I hope to see you there!


    We also hope that you will note that the Easter Vigil Mass begins at 8:45 PM on Holy Saturday, April 23.  Our parish is following the expectation of the Church that the service should not start until after civil twilight ends.  My research reveals that the sun sets at 8:11 PM in Niles that night and civil twilight ends that night at 8:41 PM. The Easter Vigil Mass features a beautiful candlelight service, the welcoming of new members, and the highlight of the Church Year.  There is no 5:00 PM Mass that evening.  Be sure to pray with us at the Easter Vigil.  Be proud to welcome new members.  The Lord will reward you for it.  Although the Easter Vigil Mass is longer than most Masses, it is a very enriching spiritual experience.  I hope to see your radiant face glowing in the candlelight that Holy Night!


    Cycle A Fifth Sunday of Lent

    April 9-10, 2011
    John 11:1-45

     

    You’ve probably heard the saying that sometimes people don’t see the forest because the trees are in the way.  Yes, it is possible to focus on so many things than what is most obvious somehow eludes us.

     

    Maybe that’s the case with today’s Gospel.  We tend to think of it as a story about Lazarus.

     

    And maybe that’s the case with last Sunday’s Gospel.  We tend to think of it as a story about a man born blind.

     

    If we think back to the Gospel of two weeks ago, perhaps we tend to think about it as a story about a woman from Samaria at Jacob’s well.

     

    Perhaps everyone is aware that today’s Gospel, last Sunday’s Gospel, and the Gospel read two weeks ago were rather long stories.

     

    But what is most obvious about these Gospels?  Were they merely stories about Lazarus being raised, about a man who was born blind, about a woman from Samaria at Jacob’s well?

     

    What is most obvious may have somehow eluded us.  These stories are mainly stories about who Jesus is and what Jesus does.

     

    That Gospel proclaimed two weeks ago was really all about Jesus.  In the story, the Lord Himself said that He gives the kind of water that brings total and lasting refreshment to those seeking the gift of faith.

     

    With Palm Sunday merely coming next weekend, have we asked Jesus to refresh our souls and fill us with the kind of refreshment no person and no thing can fill us?

     

    The Gospel proclaimed last weekend was also really all about Jesus.  In the story, Jesus gave sight to the man born blind and reminded us that He is the Light of the World. 

     

    With Palm Sunday coming next weekend, have we looked to Jesus to be our Light in a world that is too often filled with the darkness of evil, broken relationships, and falsehood?

     

    Today’s Gospel is also really all about Jesus.  It teaches us about the kind of God we tend to want and the kind of God we really have.

     

    We tend to want a God who will cut our losses and cushion our failures, a God who will grant us a life free from pain, one who will rescue us from death by making sure we never have to die.  Simply consider the kinds of things the people in today’s Gospel were saying to Jesus on the occasion of Lazarus’ death and this becomes so very clear.

    In reality, we have a God who creates life in the midst of grief, one who creates love in the midst of loss, and creates faith in the midst of despair.

     

    Jesus tells us that He is the Resurrection and the Life.  And as He asked Martha in today’s Gospel, He asks us if we believe this.

     

    He show us by His own example that the road to Easter runs directly through all the events we’re going to hear about beginning on Palm Sunday, and taking us through Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
     There are still so many opportunities to draw closer to the Lord, no matter what your Lent has been or has not been thus far.


    May the remainder of this Lenten Season find us lifting our hearts to Him, sharing our pain with Him, placing our faith in Him; may we be transformed by His constant presence.
    May we know that His love never fails in the very midst of the big and small “deaths” we encounter in our everyday journeys.

     

     

    Cycle A Fourth Sunday of Lent

    Ephesians 5:8-14 & John 9:1-41
    April 2-3, 2011

     

    Last Sunday, the Gospel story featured Jesus awakening the gift of faith in the heart of the woman from Samaria.  He recognized that her deepest thirst was a desire for God in her life. 

     

    How the Lord wants to awaken faith in people!  Today’s Gospel also features Jesus leading people to what truly matters.  The people who criticized Jesus in today’s story were blind to the fact that God was so very active in Jesus.  The man who was born blind was given sight by Jesus.  More importantly, He accepted a vision of faith in Jesus while some other people in the story remained spiritually blind.

     

    Lent is a great time to reflect about what matters most of all.  It is a great season during which to thank Jesus for giving us the eyes of faith.

     

    Think about why Jesus came. The Lord wants to lead us from the darkness of sin to the light of faith.

     

    All of us were slaves of sin when our first parents chose their ways over God’s ways.

     

    Lent is a time to reflect on the truth that our Baptism enables us, as members of God’s family, to live as adopted sons and daughters of God who need not remain lost in the darkness of sin.

     

    Our Second Reading today from the Letter to the Ephesians reminds us of the choices we have.  We can choose to remain lost in the darkness of sin by forgetting we belong to Christ.  Or, we can choose to remember that we belong to the Lord and are to live as children of His light. 

     

    Just what does it mean to live as children of the light of the Lord?

     

    It means we are to live in goodness, righteousness, and truth.

    Goodness?  There is so much ugliness in the world.  What if we were to do random acts of kindness without calling attention to ourselves?

     

    Righteousness?  It means living for God’s kingdom.  A big part of living for God’s kingdom means asking God to enable us to live at peace with God, with others, and with our deepest selves.

     

    Truth?  The world is filled with deception and half-truths.  An old saying tells us if we stay on the path we are on, it will take us where it is bound to go.  Our hearts know that Christ alone is the very Truth of God.  He never leads us astray.  Are we praying to stay on His path?  

     

    Palm Sunday is just two weeks away.  Easter is only three weeks from now.  We have reached the Fourth Sunday in Lent.  It is a Sunday of joy.  The rose-colored vestments and altar cloth remind us that this journey is bringing us closer to a realization of God’s promises.

     

    Can we prayerfully as what would bring the most joy to God as we continue this journey through Lent?

     

    We can be sure that praying to see with the eyes of faith brings joy to the Lord.  It also helps us appreciate what Lent is all about and be grateful for what truly matters as we journey toward Easter with the Lord guiding the way.

     

    Cycle A Third Sunday of Lent

    John 4:5-42
    March 26-27, 2011

     

               Jesus often used very common things to teach His lessons. 

              Water is so common.  We cannot live without it.  People say, “I’m dying of thirst.”  The availability of water often determines the locations of cities.  The water supply influences strategies in battles.  It also is one factor in predicting if factories will be successful.

              Here in the United States, water is so readily available with the turn of a faucet.  Sometimes we tend to take for granted how blessed we are by this.  We really notice it when the water is shut off, even if for a little while.

              Jesus refers to water so often in the Scriptures.

              When Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize Him, water was a ritual cleansing.  The Lord wanted to show us the way to forgiveness.

    Perhaps we can ponder how when we are baptized, we share the very life of Jesus
    Christ.

              In John’s Gospel, the very first miracle Jesus worked was at the wedding feast in Cana.  He transformed water into wine.

              Perhaps we can ponder our need to be transformed by the Lord so that we might become more like Christ.

              The Scriptures tell the story of a woman who was so contrite for her sins that she bathed Christ’s feet with perfume and dried them with her tears.

              Perhaps we can ponder that no sin of ours is greater than God’s love.  No matter what our past has been, we can begin anew.

              The Gospel of John tells us that when Jesus was crucified, a soldier pierced the Lord’s side with a lance and blood and water flowed out.  This shows us that Jesus gave everything He had to give.

              Perhaps we can ponder how Christ gave us all that He had.  He still does!

              Today’s Gospel certainly highlights the importance of water.  Jesus meets a woman from Samaria at a very significant well.  People went to the well often.  It was not only where they obtained their water supply.  It was also where many conversations took place about everyday life.

              The story reminds us that Samaritans were enemies of Jews.  Jesus was a Jew.  He violated what would have been expected of Him by talking with her.  But He used this opportunity to teach her that He is the life-giving water who quenches our spiritual thirst.    In His conversation with her, Jesus did not merely promise her water from that well.  He promised much more!  He promised to quench her thirst for God.  He spoke of quenching thirst in its highest meaning.  He alone could quench her thirst for truth, goodness, and beauty.  The Spirit of Jesus could irrigate the desert of her restlessness and unsatisfied soul.

              Lent is called the springtime of the soul.  This is a great time to let the Lord quench our thirst for what truly matters. 

              May we come to know Jesus more and more as Lent continues.

             

     

    Cycle A Second Sunday of Lent

    Matthew 17:1-9
    March 19-20, 2011

     

                There are so many things people talk about when you mention the word Lent.

                Some talk about giving things up.

                Others discuss something extra they are going to do.

                We hear some people talk about going to Stations of the Cross, attending Masses they would not usually attend when it is not Lent, or volunteering to help where help is especially needed.

                Now that we’ve reached the Second Sunday of Lent, it is a good time to ask that old, old question.  What am I doing about Lent?

                In his parish newsletter, one of our neighboring clergymen took a deeper look at this.  Father Don Hall is the Rector of St. Luke Episcopal Church, our neighboring church just west of us on Robbins Avenue.  He wrote: 

                The old, old Lenten question was, “What are you giving up for Lent?” 

         Father Hall continues:  “I would like to ask a different question, “What are you planting for Lent, Easter, and beyond?”

    *If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
    *If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
    *If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
    *If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.
    *If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
    *If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
    *If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
    *If you plant love, you will reap love in return.
    *If you have planted a deep relationship with Christ, you will reap love for eternity and being with all of those whom you have loved forever.
    “What are you giving up for Lent?” 
    I ask a different question, “What are you planting for Lent, Easter, and beyond?”
    (We thank Father Donald Hall of St. Luke Episcopal Church in Niles , Ohio , for contributing to this reflection.)

          Certainly, the question raised in the article encompasses much more than the question we asked as Lent began.  So, might we prayerfully consider:  What are we planting as Lent continues, as Easter draws closer, and beyond these sacred seasons?  

                This Second Sunday of Lent features Matthew’s Gospel account of the Transfiguration of Jesus.  The author Patricia Farris wrote so beautifully about this (in an article published in 2002 in a magazine known as The Christian Century.)  The Gospel focuses on the face of Jesus.  Patricia Farris helps ponder this face in such a practical way when she wrote: 

  2. "In the transfigured face of Christ, God's light shines in our lives as well. Through grief and fear, doubt and cynicism, violence and war, suffering and death, our way is illumined by the holy light of God's presence and love."

    3. Think about that.  In the very face of Jesus, God’s light shines in our lives as well.
    Are we grieving the loss of a loved one?  Are we afraid of what the future holds in store?  Let the holy light of God’s presence and love shine on us, as we let this holy light and presence shine on others who are grieving and on others who are afraid.
    Do we have doubts and are we cynical about the world around us?  Let the holy light of God’s presence and love shine on us, as we let this light shine through us on others who have doubts and others who don’t trust the world around them.
    Are we suffering, or close to those whose loved ones are in pain and whose quality of life is rapidly diminishing?  Let the holy light of God’s presence and love shine on us, as we let this light shine through us on others whose loved ones are suffering and others who experience the nearness of death.
    The voice from the cloud in today’s Gospel told us to listen to Jesus.
    As Lent continues, we’ll perceive this voice in our own hearts.  It will invite us to look at the face of Jesus.  And it will remind us to listen to Jesus.  If we take the time to let this voice resound in our hearts, it will keep asking us to tell the Lord what we are planting as Lent continues, as Easter draws closer, and beyond these sacred seasons! 

     

    Cycle A First Sunday of Lent

    Matthew 4:1-11
    March 12-13, 2011

     

    A Lent 1 Homily
    March 12-13, 2011
    Matthew 4:1-11

                Maybe we’ve heard somebody question why Lent is forty days long.

                Do we realize how often the number forty is used in the Bible and what it means? 

    • It rained for forty days and forty nights when Noah and company were in the Ark.

     

    • Moses spent forty days and forty nights with God on Mt. Sinai when the Covenant of the Ten Commandments was established.
    • When scouts were sent to survey the Promised Land, they stayed there forty days and forty nights.

     

    • When the Chosen People demonstrated a gross lack of trust in God before they entered that Promised Land, they wandered in the desert for forty years.
    • In the First Book of Kings, following a battle with very hostile people, the Prophet Elijah was strengthened by God to embark on a walk forty days and forty nights from the desert to Mount Horeb where God instructed him for the re-establishment of faith in the true God.
    • After being baptized, as we heard in today’s Gospel, Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days and forty nights to prepare for His ministry.
    • After Jesus rose from the dead, He ascended into Heaven forty days later.

     

    It is important to realize that numbers in the Bible serve a symbolic function.   
    They are not to be taken literally. The number forty represents a time of need, struggle, and testing in preparation for a new relationship with God.

                Let me repeat that, for it is very important:  The number forty represents a time of need, struggle, and testing in preparation for a new relationship with God.

                Lent lasts forty days if we begin with Ash Wednesday and go all the way through the day before Easter not counting Sundays because all Sundays are not days of Penance but days of joyfully recalling Christ’s resurrection.  (If you count the Sundays, Lent is forty-six days long.) Most experts in this area will advise to continue to celebrate Lent all the way from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday until the Easter Vigil begins, even though liturgically speaking, Lent actually ends just before the Mass of the Supper begins on Holy Thursday.  That is because beginning Holy Thursday evening through Easter Sunday, we celebrate  the days known as the Sacred Triduum, a Church Season in and of itself. So we can make a case for saying that Lent is approximately forty days long.

                Rather than get bogged down in the numbers,  I’d like to invite us to prayerfully approach Lent as a season for recognizing our need for God, our struggle to embrace Him, and our testing in preparation for a new relationship with God.

                Jesus set the pattern for us in today’s Gospel.  The three temptations Christ faced in Matthew’s Gospel are temptations that confront all of us.  Jesus was tempted to be self-centered, to ignore God, and to sacrifice His faith in God to power and authority.  He overcame these temptations by drawing closer to God and unmasking these temptations as misleading.

                First, Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread.  Jesus reminds us that we don’t live on bread alone.  Our lives are empty when we are self-centered.  What will remain of us five hundred years from now?  We’ll be gone and most likely forgotten.  But the part of us that is the presence of the Lord that we have tried to make real in the world will remain.  There is nothing self-centered in living for the Lord.

                This Lent, can we ask the Lord to help us overcome our own self-centeredness?  Perhaps if we think about those whose lives were shattered by the terrible natural disasters this past week (the earthquake, aftershocks, tsunamis, meltdowns), we’ll focus less on our own needs.

                Second, Jesus was tempted to leap from the Temple and show His power over God.  None of us is tempted in exactly that way.  But all of us are tempted to tell God what God must do and how God must do it.  Who are we to try to tell God to accept our choices?

                This Lent, can we ask the Lord to help us embrace His will, instead of ignoring God and wrangling over why God does not accept our will? 

                Third, Jesus was tempted to sacrifice His faith for power and authority.  How often do we allow so many things in our lives wedge their ways between us and our fai th in God?  In other words, do we tend to make gods out of people, things, habits, and various goals we have in life?

                This Lent, can we ask the Lord to realize that He alone is our source of power, and we’ll only be victorious if we let Him rule in our hearts?

                Lent must be a time for us to recognize our need for God, our struggle to embrace Him, and our testing in preparation for a new relationship with God. Think about Jesus often.  Think about His name.  The name Jesus means “Our God saves.” 

    Our Lenten Parish Mission leads us to His saving grace. It begins this Sunday night. Its theme is “Real Life Holiness:  Stories of Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Prayer.”  The details are in the bulletin. It’s a golden opportunity to draw closer to the Lord.

     

     

     

    Cycle A Epiphany

    Matthew 2:1-12
    January 1-2, 2011

     

      I am sure that if you took a few moments within the past few days to review the happenings of 2010, you’ll find that some things went exactly as planned.  Other things did not.

                This is true on the world level, national level, in our communities, in our families, and in our own personal lives.

                Some things went exactly as planned. Some took us by surprise.

                Some things filled us with joy.  Others were very disappointing or perhaps very sad.

                We have begun a whole new year.  So much of 2011 is ahead of us! And I am sure that as we look ahead to the many days, weeks, and months of 2011, some things will go exactly as we plan them to go.  Others will go very differently.

                Some things will fill us with joy.  Others will disappoint us or leave us very sad.

                How might we add to the beautiful promise of a New Year in a context of prayer guided by God’s Word? We celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. Our Gospel today leads us to prayerfully consider life’s experiences through the eyes of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was the very first Christian, the very first to follow Jesus.  In the story proclaimed this weekend, Mary and the Christ Child receive visitors.  The Magi bring gifts. 

                There is no doubt that some events in Mary’s life, like this visit from the Magi to the Christ Child, must have made her very happy. 

    Other events in her life, especially concerning how some people eventually mistreated her Son, disappointed her and left her very sad.

                Mary’s life teaches us how to handle both the expected things and the unexpected.  We’ll understand this better if we ponder Mary’s path through the Scriptures.  What do we find?  We discover that Mary constantly approaches life in a spirit of hope and faith.

                In 2011, may we approach life as did Mary.  May we be filled with hope.  May we be filled with faith.  May these virtues guide us in facing the things we expect.  May they guide us in taking on the challenges that catch us off guard.  May we realize that God is always in our hearts. May we search these hearts of ours carefully and prayerfully.  What will we find? We’ll discover that the Lord is often present in the gifts of divine love personified in the actions and presence of good people around us.

                May God bless your journeys of faith throughout 2011.