Cycle C 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wisdom 9:13-18b and Luke 14:25-33
September 4-5, 2010
It almost sounds like the author of today’s First Reading was having a bad day. Perhaps it was a very bad day.
He lamented the fact that our plans are so unsure.
He was concerned about the fact that we humans have so many limitations. Even what we learn doesn’t come easily.
We all have choices, we all have problems. What are we to do?
Several years ago when we had some difficult decisions to make as a parish, I published the “Serenity Prayer” in the bulletin for a number of weeks in a row. Some people criticized that. Others were thankful for the prayer. I published the prayer because I figured we needed all the help we could get.
You’ve heard the Serenity Prayer. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Ponder that prayer. It tells us to be exactly who we are – no more, no less. We trust in God for everything we cannot do. We let go and let God.
So, once again, the Scriptures tell us what they told us last weekend. They tell us how important it is to be humble. And perhaps we are reminded once again that the world is filled with all too much pride. It isn’t always a humble place.
Part of humility tells us to get our values straight. Jesus told us this in today’s Gospel. Listen carefully to what He says:
- Hate your father, mother, children, siblings, and your own life.
- Renounce all your possessions.
- Carry your cross just as Christ carries His.
These sound unreasonable. But hang on and do NOT panic. Examine them in their proper context and in a spirit of prayer. What do they tell us?
- The word “hate” is probably a fancy way of saying “love them in proportion.” If we love God first in our lives, our beloved families (and at times, not so beloved) will come right along with this love. If we don’t love God properly we’ll lose our families. Hate in this context means not having them overboard in their importance to us.
- “Renounce your possessions.” If we give in to the temptation to love material things above all else, our things own us and we don’t own our things. We must love God above all else, and everything else in proportion.
- What about this teaching that we must carry a cross? I believe that the author Lindy Black sheds light on this best of all. She says: “You don’t have to look for ways to carry the cross. Just choose love, truth, and justice and the cross will come.”
Ponder that: “You don’t have to look for ways to carry the cross. Just choose love, truth, and justice and the cross will come.”
Was the author of our First Reading just having a bad day? Or when we combine what he said with what Jesus teaches in today’s Gospel, might we realize there is a much deeper question being considered here?
The question is: What is life all about?
It is about being humble, about loving others truly, and about loving God above all things especially in the face of the truth that we humans have many limitations.
That author Lindy Black sums it up best of all by telling us: “Religion is easy. It is not difficult to go to church, come to a Bible study, and serve on a committee. Living one’s faith is much more difficult.”
So, might we remember that living our faith demands plenty of humility. God constantly asks if we are humble enough to trust in who God is, and humble enough to accept who we are.
God is all-knowing. Our plans are unsure.
God is all-wise. All too often, we botch things up.
God is all-powerful. Just when we think we can do so much, we find out how little we can do compared to God.
But as people of faith, we are called to be living reflections of God’s love in all we do.
Are we?
Cycle C 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 14:1-14
August 28-29, 2010
So much of our time and energy is wasted on trying to convince others of our own importance.
Today’s Gospel certainly focuses on this. It deals with the need to be humble. Humility is such an important virtue. The opposite of humility is pride. We may have learned a long time ago that pride is one of the seven deadly sins. In fact, pride is the sin out of which other sins arise. It brings out excessive love of oneself. (By the way, in case your mind has drifted and you are trying to think of the other deadly sins besides pride, they are: anger, lust, sloth, greed, envy, and gluttony.)
Think about some of the most admirable people in our lives. What do we discover? Chances are, we find that they are among the most humble people. We admire them because they are “so down to earth.” (And don’t we find that life has a way of making us humble if we are lacking in this quality? It will sooner or later! )
We admire humble people because they are either genuinely humble to begin with, or we respect the truth that they have come to terms with the deck of cards life has dealt to them.
Our Readings this weekend certainly have a theme of humility. Ponder today’s Gospel. Jesus shows us what true humility is all about. He does not cut off those who think and act differently than He does. He eats with them!
This very same Christ chooses to eat with us, despite our pride, despite the truth that too often we either have too much pride in and we try to convince others of our own importance, or we fail to be humble enough to acknowledge the gifts God gives us and in this failure we don’t use these gifts to serve the way God intends for us to serve.
Certainly, this is something about which we are called to pray. I found a reflection that
seems especially appropriate. It should assist our efforts to ponder and pray. So, as all of us pray for the grace to be humble, let’s take the time to consider a reflection. It is from the Prayer Path Link of the St. Louis University Center for Liturgy Website. I have received permission to reprint an adapted version of it in the bulletin. You’ll find it under my Pastor’s Column. Before you read it at home, let’s allow it to guide our prayer here and now. Here it is:
Humility.
It means “of the earth.”
We come from it, and back to it we go.
Naked we are when we get here;
naked we are when we go.
Nothing stays with us
but love.
Then why do we cast off humbleness?
Everything comes from you.
Your love, O Lord, is everything,
the only thing
we need.
(From the Prayer Path Link of the St. Louis University Center for Liturgy website)
Cycle C 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 21-22, 2010
Luke 13:22-30
Sometimes we’d love to get straight answers to questions. But maybe it’s best that we are challenged to do some deeper thinking about some things and realize how much the Lord entrusts us with responsibilities in providing some of the answers.
Take today’s Gospel. Someone asks Jesus: “Lord, are they few in number who will be saved?” Was the person asking this seeking an approximate number? And how did Jesus reply?
Jesus perceived that the questioner and others being taught by Him were not so much concerned with sheer numbers. They were more concerned about whether or not they would be included among those to be saved.
At least the one asking the question got something right. He realized that salvation was God’s work. The whole notion of “being saved” tells us it is something God does for people, and that people don’t save themselves. At the same time, the reply Jesus gave makes it very clear that a person must undergo rigorous training to accept the gift. It does not happen automatically. One must strive to enter the narrow gate. Just as football players strive to get stronger by lifting weights and cross country runners strive to build up endurance by running, followers of Jesus must “work out” in the spiritual sense.
The part of the Gospel that tells us what happens to those who don’t undergo this kind of training is very thought provoking. When the Day of Judgment comes, some people will be on the outside pleading to get in, thinking it was good enough simply to be present when Jesus taught. The author Barbara Reid makes an interesting analogy in her article entitled “Spiritual Training” published on page 30 of the August 16-23, 2010 issue of America magazine. She said this is “like someone who goes to the gym but only watches other people train. Such a person is not considered a member of the company of athletes who prepared to make it to the finish line, the “narrow gate,” and it will be too late then to start training.
The words of the Franciscan author Donald Reeves also caught my attention in relation to this. He says that “Jesus teaches that getting through to narrow minds is as difficult as getting through narrow gates.” It is very interesting that in the Gospel, Jesus said that “some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.” Many who think they will be included among the saved won’t be, and many judged by people to be unfit to be saved will be saved. This is yet another reminder that only God is the final judge.
God warns us not to take our faith for granted. I wrote all about this in today’s Pastor’s Column.
Even though God wants all of us to be saved, we all need to work at it. We cannot presume that we’ll enter the Kingdom of God . We must personally and sincerely respond to the many ways God invites us to participate with Him in building a better world. And we must realize that the number of people to be saved is
ultimately God’s decision, not ours.
Jesus tells us to give Him our heart and mind and soul. Give Him your whole life, one hundred per cent of it. For a person who finds his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for Christ’s sake will find it.
Yes, give Jesus your whole life. Give Him your family. Give Him your children. Give Him your job. Give Him your wealth. Give Him your health. Give Him your intelligence. Give Him all of you. Surrender it all. Jesus told us to go to the poor. He taught us to help the hungry. He implored us to help all those who are needy. Most of all, respond to His love in everything we think, everything we dream, everything we do. By this and by means of His grace we strive to enter the Kingdom of God through the narrow gate much as athletes strive to become better at what they do.
Cycle C Homily Assumption of Mary
August 14-15, 2010
1 Corinthians 15:20-27 Luke 1:39-56
It is not very often that we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption on a Sunday. It so happens that August 15th falls on a Sunday this year. Perhaps one of the good things about this is that more people can come to understand what this is all about, because recent trends show that more Catholics come to Mass on a weekend than on many of our Holy Days.
Everybody wonders what happens to us after we die. Some people bury favorite food items with their deceased, believing that their loved ones will need such things in the next life.
Some people believe that those who die are reincarnated. As Catholics, we DO NOT share this belief. Instead, we put our faith in a resurrected Christ. Jesus rose from the dead. He made it possible for people of faith to rise, too. As our Second Reading brings out today, we will have a transformed, glorious, spiritual body that cannot be done away with. It will be along the same pattern of the way Jesus walked among people after His resurrection.
Many different legends were told about what happened to Mary the Mother of Jesus after the course of her earthly life was completed. It wasn’t until 1950 that Pope Pius XII declared infallibly that she was assumed body and soul into heaven.
Sometimes, we tend too take a view of our human bodies that is too negative. We think it is just a shell. But the truth is, when we talk about how God brings us the fullness of life, our bodies are very important entities.
Consider today’s Gospel. Mary and Elizabeth were expecting babies when they encountered each other. Luke the Gospel writer tells how John the Baptist, the baby within Elizabeth, leaped for joy when his cousin Jesus was within the womb of Mary.
Then Mary goes on to proclaim God’s greatness with her whole being. The Greek word psyche is used here. It means soul. But it does not mean that the soul is a separate part of the human. Rather, it means the entire self in all its vitality! Mary proclaims that God will be able to prepare a time when there will be no more hungry or exploited bodies. She sings of a time when all who are poor will be filled with the good things of God. God will lift up to dignity all the “lowly.”
The way God took care of Mary is a sign of hope and comfort for all of us who journey through life.
We can draw inspiration from the Franciscan author Pat McCloskey when pondering this Feast of the Assumption. McCloskey says that we all hit some bumps and bruises on the road in our journey of faith: “No one gets a detailed AAA trip-tik that points out road construction, detours, etc. Mary did not get a trip-tik for her journey.”
Mary grew in faith and helped the disciples grow in faith until she was taken up in glory.
Her prayers help us when we hit the bumps in the road and when our bodies get bruised in the battles of life.
Mary speaks powerfully to all followers of Jesus, including us today, who find that life’s twists and turns can be challenging. She helps us recognize Jesus in the Scriptures and in the events of our everyday lives.
May we always be mindful that her prayers accompany us each step of the way.
What happens to us after we die? Look to Mary. God fully redeemed her. May our faith in His ability to fully redeem us be constant and true.
19th Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 7-8, 2010
Luke 12:32-48
Some experiences cause feelings we never forget.
We always remember how we felt when:
- We learned of the unexpected death of someone close to us.
- We were told by someone that we were no longer needed in their life.
- We were informed that our place of employment was shutting down.
- OR - We returned home to find that thieves were there while we were away. The thieves kicked the door in, took the TV set, invaded the drawers in the bedrooms, and left everything in shambles.
If we listened to today’s Gospel we find that thieves in the night are nothing new.
In the ancient near east homes were made of mud brick. Thieves back then would go so far as to dig through the brick walls to get into the house if they could not get through the door.
Consider how the image comes through in today’s Gospel:
“Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
That’s an interesting image to keep in mind – Jesus the thief! We tend to think of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Jesus the Light of the World, Jesus the Lamb of God, Jesus the Way, Truth, and Life. That image of Jesus the thief makes us feel uncomfortable. But it leads us to think.
We’d rather think of Jesus in calming and endearing terms. And we won’t ever see stained glass windows showing Jesus wearing a ski cap and carrying a crow bar as He tries to force His way into a house.
But let’s give some attention to that image of Jesus as a thief alluded to in today’s Gospel.
Think about how He was executed like a criminal, though we know how innocent He was. Jesus was crucified between two thieves.
Why compare Jesus to a thief? And can we do so respectfully?
We compare Jesus to a thief because He sneaks into our lives when we least expect it, and we make this comparison with the highest respect.
Jesus won’t kick the door in. But He’ll stand knocking when we least expect it, hoping to break into our hardened hearts.
He wants into not only our hearts, but also our minds, our souls, our everything.
Just when we are comfortable nurturing a grudge Jesus sneaks into our hearts and reminds us how He prayed for those who crucified Him, how He said: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”
Just when we judge the motives of other people and condemn them, Jesus enters our minds and says: “Judge lest ye be judged. There is only one judge, your Father in heaven, who sends rain upon the good and the bad.”
Just when we put so much trust in what we have, Jesus sneaks into our souls and says: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people that you do unto me. For when I was hungry, you gave me food.”
Just when our sinfulness and selfishness get the best of us, Jesus finds His way in and says: “Now who or what can give you life the way I give life? Can anyone? Can anything?”
Yes, Jesus constantly wants to find His way in.
Yes, He is still our Good Shepherd who guides and protects us.
Yes, He is still the Light of the World who casts out the darkness of sin and death.
Yes, He is still the Lamb of God who takes away our sins.
Yes, He will always be the Way, the Truth, and the Life like no one else can be.
But He sure has a way of sneaking into our lives. What does He want to take away? He wants to take away our sinfulness, our selfishness, our fears, our greed, and our tendencies to forget that ultimately we belong to God so our hearts and minds and deeds should be Godly hearts, Godly minds, and Godly deeds.
He comes only to take what is bad and to fill us with what is good. He comes to bring us the Kingdom of God and does so in some very surprising ways.
He says:
“Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Where is our treasure? Where is our heart? With Jesus? He is asking us all of the time! Let Him in!
18th Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 31-August 1, 2010
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23 Luke 12:13-21
Stories from Luke’s Gospel have a way of putting life in perspective.
Think about the lessons that have been taught the past few weeks.
Three weeks ago, the question was raised: Who is my neighbor? Luke told the story of the Good Samaritan. Treating others with compassion was the most neighborly thing to do, even if the one giving the compassion is someone who was considered inferior.
Two weeks ago the question was raised: Is life really a matter of doing, doing, doing? Or might it involve taking the time to listen carefully to the Lord to see where He might be leading us. Luke told the story of Martha and Mary. While doing is important, our activity must always be directed by the Lord and not be aimless. That’s why Jesus said Mary has chosen the better portion and she should not be deprived of it.
What did we hear about last weekend? The disciples wanted Jesus to teach them to pray. Luke emphasized that prayer is more than just asking to receive what we want, but involves openness to what the Holy Spirit believes we should have.
Today’s lesson is about putting material things in perspective. It can be summed up in a few words. Avoid greed in all its forms.
Ponder how different this is than the dominant philosophy of our times. Materialism is emphasized so often and in so many ways. Bumper stickers say: “The one with the most toys wins.” Shopping mall billboards proclaim: “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!” It is so addictive. The more you get the more you want. Or, as a Roman motto expressed it: “Money is like sea water. The more you drink, the thirstier you get.”
What led Jesus to teach the way He did in today’s Gospel? Someone in a crowd asked Jesus to mediate a controversy about an inheritance. I remember so well how a friend of mine who was an attorney (who died about ten years ago) said the disputes people have about inheritances are among the worst disputes of all.
Jesus refused to mediate the dispute. Some scholars point out that Jesus must have detected a motive of greed rather than justice on the part of the one asking Him to decide the matter. Jesus did not believe wealth in itself was evil. Whenever we talk about greed today, money is involved. But….understand carefully. No where in the Bible does it say that money is the root of all evil. No, it says THE LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil. (See 1 Timothy 6:10.) Money itself can be used for very good purposes. It’s when money is misused that evil enters the picture.
Jesus put wealth in perspective by telling the story about the rich man who was foolish. He built more grain bins to hoard his wealth. The man was not foolish because of his wealth. For this rich man, his wealth was not measured by money. It was measured by the amount of grain he owned. He was foolish because he thought he could guarantee his own personal security through the hoarding of his own abundant harvests. Was there any consideration on his part of sharing his abundance with the less fortunate? No, there was no such consideration at all! He failed to realize that his real dependence should be related to God and not to what he accumulated. He became totally absorbed by greed.
All of us can think of people in the news who have become totally absorbed by greed. Maybe we know some people who are owned by their things when it should be the other way around – they should own their things and see how their things might enable them to serve God most effectively. Instead, their things have such power over them.
In the Gospel, none of the rich man’s efforts can save his life. Only God has the power to save him. And the lesson is clear for all of us – only God has the power to save us.
Greed and selfishness are always powerfully tempting to people. Greed has been around for a long time, as have been all the other kinds of sins. They are always very deceptive in that they promise far more than they can deliver.
Barbara Reid summarizes this so well when she writes: “Everything belongs to God; even life itself is given us on loan. In the end the greedy man has no benefit from all he has acquired, and his heirs will be left haggling over it.”
If we listened carefully to the reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes, we heard a word of caution. All our worldly pursuits are subject to the influence of time. Don’t be obsessed in them. How should we live? Be profoundly thankful to God for blessings. Enjoy the gifts of life as they come to us from God. Add to this the Gospel wisdom of unmasking the kind of greed that becomes a false god in and of itself and we are more likely to be on the right track.
Clearly, the only way we can discover the true measure of security for our lives is through the love of God and our willingness to share this love.
May we pray for the wisdom to know and share this love wisely.
17th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Luke 11:1-13
July 24-25, 2010
I’m sure that many of us can identify with the disciples who came to Jesus and asked Him to teach them to pray.
What was their motive? Did they want to pray well so that God would do as they asked? Or did they want to pray well so that they might be more in tune with God’s will?
I suppose the same thing could be asked about our motives. Wouldn’t all of us like to pray better? And why? To have God at our beck and call? Or to respond better to how God is leading us?
By the way, speaking of prayer: I read the story about three preachers who were having a discussion about the best position in which to pray. A billboard painter was working nearby, listening to their conversation.
One preacher said: “The best position in which to pray is standing with your arms outstretched to heaven.”
Another preacher said: “No, it is best to pray kneeling down.”
A third preacher said: “Kneeling isn’t good enough. You have to lie down prostrate with your face to the floor as a sign of humility.”
The billboard painter interrupted and said: “You guys have it all wrong. The best position in which to pray is when this scaffolding folds and you’re hanging on to the billboard for dear life.”
Reading today’s Gospel about prayer led me to think about a passage in the Bible we did not hear today but certainly ties in. In one of Saint Paul’s earliest writings, his First Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul gives the advice to pray without ceasing.
Pray without ceasing? Aren’t many of us so busy that we are lucky to spend a few minutes in prayer every day?
The context of this passage doesn’t mean we must be standing with our arms outstretched to heaven, or kneeling down, or lying face down, or heaven forbid always in trouble like the billboard painter.
Rather, the context means having an attitude that is always open to God. Remember, God lives in us. He wants to be in our thoughts, in our voices, and in our hearts.
One of our basic gestures of prayer comes every time we prepare to listen to the Gospel. We make a cross over our forehead, our mouth, and our heart. It means we want to think about God, speak about God, and live as God wants us to live.
Most of all, prayer is a relationship. And what do relationships always require? They always require communication. Someone said our minds and hearts should always be on line, so to speak, with God so that when the Holy Spirit moves us to pray we can always be in agreement with Him.
So the basic question today is : Do we pray without ceasing? The way we pray directs how we live. The way we live directs the way we pray.
Let me close with something from one of those delightful books featuring children’s letters to God. One letter went like this:
Dear God,
Is it okay to talk to you even when I don’t want anything?
Signed,
Eric.The truth is, it is not only okay, it is the best kind of prayer.
May Jesus teach us to pray as He prayed, always in tune with the Father’s will.
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 17-18, 2010
Luke 10:38-42It is safe to say just about everyone is very, very tired. Even if you have not been working the festival, you may be tired because you had to walk farther from where you parked today. The festival may have taken your favorite parking spot. Don’t worry. You will get it back soon.
We wind up our 77th annual parish festival this weekend. I’m very proud of so many people who have worked so hard. God bless you! I encourage us all to encourage each other as the festival ends at 11:00 (Sunday) night. It (opens) (opened) at 3:00 PM.
It is very fitting that we heard the story of Martha and Mary today. This story was told over and over in the early church because it was so down to earth, so ordinary, so common.
Jesus visits the home of some very close friends.
Martha is very busy preparing food.
Mary sits at His feet and listens to Jesus.
Martha wants Jesus to insist that Mary stop listening and get to work by helping her.
Jesus knows there is a time and a place for everything.
Perhaps the main lesson of the story is this: WHEN THERE IS TOO MUCH BUSY-NESS IN OUR LIVES, WE LOSE SIGHT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS.
Let me repeat that: WHEN THERE IS TOO MUCH BUSY-NESS IN OUR LIVES, WE LOSE SIGHT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS.
From this comes a question: Will we make the time to sit at the Lord’s feet and listen to what He tries to tell us?
Perhaps the Lord will tell us to be thankful for the friends who visited us at the festival.
Maybe He will lead us to open our eyes to the wonderful gifts of some new friendships we formed with people who worked with us.
Perhaps the Lord will remind us of the wonderful ways He has blessed our parish, carrying us through some very difficult challenges.
Or maybe the Lord will give us a renewed sense of strength in facing our new challenges in a spirit of faith.
Just listen. The Lord speaks to us.
May we never forget to make the time to listen to the Lord prayerfully.
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 10-11, 2010
Luke 10:25-37Did you ever hear the story of Catherine Genovese? Her family and friends nicknamed her Kitty. The New York Times published a story that went something like this:
“At approximately 3:20 on the morning of March 13, 1964, twenty-eight-year-old Kitty Genovese was returning to her home in a nice middle-class area of Queens, New York. She parked her car in a nearby parking lot, turned-off the lights and started the walk to her second floor apartment some 35 yards away. She got as far as a streetlight when a man grabbed her. She screamed. Lights went on in the 10-floor apartment building nearby. She yelled, "Oh, my God, he stabbed me! Please help me!" Windows opened in the apartment building and a man’s voice shouted, "Let that girl alone." The attacker looked up, shrugged and walked-off down the street. Miss Genovese struggled to get to her feet. Lights went back off in the apartments. The attacker came back and stabbed her again. She again cried out, "I’m dying! I’m dying!" And again the lights came on and windows opened in many of the nearby apartments. The assailant again left and got into his car and drove away. Miss Genovese staggered to her feet as a city bus drove by. It was now 3:35 a.m. The attacker returned once again. He found her in a doorway at the foot of the stairs and he stabbed her a third time -- this time with a fatal consequence. It was 3:50 when the police received the first call. They responded quickly and within two minutes were at the scene. Kitty Genovese was already dead…. " [published on March 27, 1964, p. 38.]
Detectives investigating the murder discovered that no fewer than 38 of her neighbors had witnessed at least one of her killer’s three attacks but not a single one had come to her aid nor called the police. The one call made to the police came after Kitty Genovese was already dead. Some people dispute the accuracy of some of the facts in this story, but it certainly captured much attention.
Why tell that story today? I told it because it led many people to ask the question: “What is wrong with those people who did not help?”Were they too indifferent?
Were they too afraid?
Were they too self-absorbed?
Were they too alienated?
The story of Kitty Genovese compares well to today’s Gospel with the exception of the fact that there was no “Good Samaritan” to help her.
The story in today’s Gospel features that man on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. It is a seventeen mile stretch known to be bleak, rugged, rocky, and notably dangerous. Few people traveled it alone.
So when the man fell victim to robbers and was left-half dead, who would help him?
The whole context of the story is set in a way to answer the question asked to Jesus by the lawyer: “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus reminds us all that we humans have a tendency to think that God was created in our own image and likeness, not the truth that we are all created in God’s image and likeness. Jesus rejects the deep hatred Jews and Samaritans had for each other by telling this parable.
By telling this story, Jesus reminds us that no one can control the avenues of grace.
We begin to find God when we start seeing who our neighbors are.
Any time a person is in need is a sacred time.
Any place a person is in need is a sacred place.
When we were baptized, not only were we sprinkled or immersed with water, but we were also anointed with oil. Remember, during biblical times, oil was a symbol of healing and a symbol of being strengthened. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan who rescued the victim used oil to soothe the victim’s wounds. Let’s never forget that Christ makes us whole so that we might listen to our hearts and make others whole.
When we share the Eucharist, we drink Sacred Wine as a way of letting the very life of Jesus flow in our veins. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan who rescued the victim also used wine to dress his wounds. Let us never forget that the very life of Christ enlivens us time and time again to give others a share in this life.
Yes, our hearts tell us we begin to find God when we start seeing who our neighbors are.
We keep seeing God all the more when we follow the call of our hearts to start doing something about it.
How well do we listen to our hearts?
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 3-4, 2010
Luke 10:1-9“Land where our fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside…..” DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE NEXT WORDS ARE? That’s right. “Let freedom ring.”
I just quoted from the song America , popularly known as My Country ‘Tis of Thee. We believe that freedom is so very important. In fact, this weekend we celebrate Independence Day, a time to give thanks for the freedom with which we have been blessed.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds His earliest followers that there was plenty of work for them to do. He urged them to proclaim God’s Kingdom by being instruments of healing. He assured them of God’s protection and guidance along the way.
As we ponder the many freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America , it is certainly true that God calls us to continue to do His work, protects us, guides us along the way.
To bring attention to these important thoughts, I’d like to use a very simple visual aide this weekend. In fact you probably have one with you. WOULD YOU PLEASE TAKE OUT A ONE DOLLAR BILL? Not a five, not a ten, not a twenty. It has to be a one dollar bill. And don’t worry. I won’t take it from you. It is yours to keep. If the person next to you does not have a dollar bill, please lend that person one or let him or her look on with you.
Our dollar bill has many symbols that remind us of the freedom God gives us and remind us of the work God calls us to do. There are various interpretations of the symbols. But let me call your attention to some that may lead us to appreciate our freedoms all the more.
Okay, look closely at the front of the dollar bill. (I refer to the side with George Washington’s picture on it.)
To the right of George Washington ’s picture you will see the Seal of the Department of the Treasury. It is superimposed over the word ONE. Look at it closely.
Do you see the scales? The scales represent justice. We are free to pray that all people might be treated equally under just laws intended to protect the rights of all people.
Underneath the scales is a carpenter’s square indicating exactness. We enjoy the freedom to pray that all of our attempts to exercise justice be measured not according to our whims and desires, but conform to the standards set by Almighty God.
The key under the square represents authority, and we are free to recall that the Ultimate Authority is Almighty God.
Within that carpenter’s square you will see thirteen stars representing the original thirteen colonies. May we exercise the freedom to appreciate the sacrifices of those made before us.Turn the dollar bill over. Directly under the phrase “The United States of America” we see the motto “In God We Trust.” May we exercise the freedom to put our primary trust in God and not in the many people and things that could lead us astray.
To the left of the word ONE we see a circle. It represents the Great Seal of the United States . In that circle are two Latin phrases. The first phrase is “Annuit Coeptis. “ It means “He has favored our undertaking.” May we exercise our freedom responsibly so that the Lord may truly favor all that we do.
Under the pyramid is another Latin phrase. You have to look carefully to see it. It says “Novus Ordo Seclorum.” What does that mean? It means “A new order of the ages.” May we always keep in mind that we are free to be renewed by the Spirit of Almighty God as we continue to move forward.Within the Great Seal is a pyramid. Notice that it is unfinished. May we remember that we are free to rely on the guidance of God in completing our work. The eye above the pyramid might stand for the watchfulness of God. We are free to do as we please but we should never forget that God is watching us.
To the right of the word ONE is another circle. There are thirteen stars above the eagle. They remind us once again that we’ve come a long way since the original thirteen colonies, but how important it is to exercise freedom wisely.
The eagle represents courage and victory. He looks at an olive branch in his right talon which symbolizes peace. In the eagle’s left talon are arrows representing war. We are free to pray for peace, free to pray that war can be avoided in resolving every conflict.
In very fine letters in the banner the eagle carries in his mouth is the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum.” It means “Out of many we have one.” We are free to pray for the unity of all people in the things that truly matter despite the reality that there are so many different cultures and customs.
The shield in front of the eagle has thirteen stripes, yet again representing the original thirteen colonies. The solid bar on top of these stripes represents Congress, which brings all the states together. We are free to pray for our leaders in all the decisions they make.
As I mentioned, it is true that some people interpret the symbols on the dollar to mean various things.
But if we remember to appreciate our freedom, we will have taken an important step in the right direction.
And that symbol of the unfinished pyramid keeps reminding us that there is plenty of unfinished work. It leads us to appreciate the freedom God gives us in choosing to be instruments of healing, how we should strive to bring others closer to the Lord in all things.
Have a safe holiday weekend. Be mindful of God’s watchfulness. Give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy. And pray that the Lord might strengthen us in doing His work.
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 19-20, 2010
Luke 9:18-24There is no shortage of opinions.
Listen to the radio or watch television. People voice their opinions whether or not they really know the facts. Their opinions are made known about politics, sports, or just about anything having to do with the world, our country, or this particular area.
You don’t have to listen to the radio or watch television to find out opinions. These days there are plenty of computer blogs where people comment about just about anything. The way people speak their mind can be hilarious. But sometimes, it is absolutely disgusting how some people can just type in what is on their mind and maybe even ruin a reputation or two along the way without even caring.
Opinions. Everyone has one. And in the Gospel today we find that Jesus was interested in the opinions of His closest followers. Jesus had sent them off to do His work and now they were back with Him for a short time before He would journey to Jerusalem to give His life for us.
First, Jesus wanted to know what the crowds were saying about Him. Who did people believe He was? The disciples told Jesus that some people said He was John the Baptist, others said He was Elijah or one of the prophets of old raised from the dead. It’s easy to tell someone what other people have been saying.
Then came the bigger challenge. Jesus wanted to know what they themselves were saying. Maybe there was some hemming and hawing along the way. Peter came through with the answer. By saying that Jesus was the Christ Peter was not giving a last name to Jesus . Sometimes, we misunderstand that word Christ. Think of it in terms of Jesus is THE CHRIST. The word means Messiah. It is about power and victory and glory. But there is nothing in that title that indicates what Jesus will have to endure to be victorious. So, Jesus offers a corrective. He sets forth what will happen to Him. He will suffer greatly. He will be rejected by the elders, chief priests ands scribes. He will be killed. Then on the third day He will rise. The victory won’t come easily or cheaply. It will only come about when Jesus stops at nothing to show His love for us.
What did Jesus accomplish by asking the disciples “Who do you say that I am?” He gave them the opportunity to join their lives to His. In other words, would they love so strongly that they would devote every aspect of their lives to living according to the example of the Master?
And what does this mean to us? Jesus asks this same question to us so many times per day in so many different ways. He asks who we say that He is. But that is not all. He asks what we are going to do about it.
When we sense in our hearts that Jesus asks us to tell Him who He is, we do well by responding with one word. He is love. And Saint Augustine put it so well. “Love has the hands to help…the feet to hasten to the poor and needy…the eyes to see misery…the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of all. That is what love looks like.”We celebrate Father’s Day this weekend. So many fathers have helped us see the face of Christ so very well through the years. As time goes on, it becomes all the more important for us to pray that the Lord might enable all fathers to help us answer that question: “Who do we say that Jesus is?” And there is no doubt that fathers help us answer that question best of all by their examples.
In today’s bulletin, I provide a little history about Father’s Day.
On that same page in the bulletin, I also share with you a prayer for all fathers adapted from the work of Father Rick Morley.
May God fill all fathers with His love so that we might see the face of Christ in all.
Then we’ll see the difference between merely stating an opinion (which anyone can do), and making the Word of God come alive (which Jesus hopes we’ll always make our number one priority.)
ABOUT Father's Day (IN bulletin on June 19-20, 2010)
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father's birthday. She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father's Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." Since then, fathers had been honored and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June. In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day and put the official stamp on a celebration that was going on for almost half a century.A Litany for Father's Day
(Adapted with the permission of Fr. Rick Morley)
- On this day when we remember fathers, let us offer our prayers to God, who has adopted us as sons and daughters through the waters of baptism. O God, you formed your son Adam from the dust of the ground, and breathed your holy breath into his lungs, breathe again your Life into us, your children. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- Lord of all, you formed great nations out of great families, bless our nation, and all the nations of the world, with your wisdom and peace. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- We pray for the poor, the hungry, the imprisoned, and the victims of war and all who live in terror’s wake. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- Your Son, Jesus, was raised by Joseph the carpenter, who saw him grow year by year in strength and wisdom. We pray for all in our family of faith, and especially those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this week . . . Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- Your Son, Jesus, neither married nor raised children of his own, but he helped countless people come and mature to fullness of life and to Life Everlasting; and so we pray for all who nurture others with love and patience, as spiritual parents. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- Jacob's son, Joseph, to whom he gave the radiant coat, was beaten, betrayed, and sold into a life of hardship before rising to greatness; and so we pray for all who are injured, hurt, sick, lonely, or live in fear, Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
- Gracious God, as our Heavenly Father, you gave us the gift of your own Son, and out of our human blindness the crowds called for him to die on a cross; we pray for the dying and the dead. Bring all your children home. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Our Father, we pray for all fathers. Strengthen and bless fathers to be faithful, loving and present; and for those fathers who you have brought into your Kingdom ahead of their children, and children ahead of their fathers, enfold them with your Holy Light and enfold us with your comfort. Now and forever, Abba, we pray. Amen.
Here is a great Scripture passage to enhance our prayer this week:
Because you are God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
clothe yourselves with heartfelt mercy,
with kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.Bear with one another; forgive whatever grievances you have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.
Over all these virtues put on love, which binds the rest together and makes them perfect.
Christ’s peace must reign in your hearts, since as members of the one body you have been called to that peace.Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness.
Let the word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you.
In wisdom made perfect instruct and admonish one another.
Sing gratefully to God in psalms, hymns, and inspired songs.
Whatever you do, whether in speech or in action, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Give thanks to God the Father through Him.From Colossians 3:12-17
11th Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 12-13, 2010
2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13 Galatians 2:16, 19-21 Luke 7:36 -8:3
Some people enjoy reading epitaphs on tombstones. Epitaphs are catchy little phrases that lead us to think.
Some epitaphs are very philosophical. Consider one on a tombstone in Rootstown, Ohio: “Friend, look on me as you pass by, as you are now so once was I, as I am now some day you’ll be, prepare for death and follow me.”
Other epitaphs are very short but have a way of making sure the deceased person forever gets the last word. Consider this one in a Georgia cemetery: “I told you I was sick!”
Some epitaphs feature creative uses of everyday sayings. Consider this one from Thurmount, Maryland: “Here lies an atheist -- all dressed up and no place to go!”
Others feature clever plays on words, like this one from Ruidoso, New Mexico: “Here lies Johnny Yeast, pardon me for not rising.” (Get it? Yeast? Not rising? Hey, don’t blame me for what had written on his tombstone. I did not make that one up).
Then there is the one on Mel Blanc’s gravestone. Remember, Mel Blanc did the voice of the cartoon character Porky Pig: “That’s all, folks!”
One that caught my attention as I was reading this week is the epitaph on the grave of Nicolaus Copernicus. He was the famous astronomer who lived from 1473-1543. His work was responsible for leading people to a whole new way of thinking about the universe. He correctly concluded that the earth was not the center of the universe, and that in reality, the earth and the other planets revolve around the sun.
Before his death, Copernicus requested an epitaph that can be translated to read something like this:
“I do not seek a kindness equal to that given to Saint Paul, nor do I ask the grace granted to Saint Peter. But I seek that forgiveness granted to the repentant thief on the cross next to Christ.”
Just a few weeks ago, Copernicus was reburied following a special Mass at Frombork Cathedral in Poland. This came 467 years after he was buried in an unmarked grave.
I mentioned the epitaph Copernicus requested because it certainly sheds light on the Gospel story we heard today.
Here was this very learned man who humbly sought the forgiveness of God before all else.
In today’s Gospel, a penitent woman sought the forgiveness of Jesus . We heard how she came to Jesus, cried over his feet, wipes them with her hair, then kisses them and anoints them with oil.
Our church building is blessed with a wonderful stained glass window depicting this story. Be sure to take a look at that window after Mass if you cannot see it now. It is the last one on the east wall (to my right, to your left.)
Today’s readings are all about such humility. And their lessons are timely.
Why are they timely? We live in a world where so many people blame everyone but themselves for things gone wrong. Today’s readings remind us that is not the best way to live.
Today’s First Reading features David admitting to the prophet Nathan that he has sinned.
Isn’t that an important first step for all of us – to admit our sinfulness and allow God to transform our lives?
Our Second Reading features Saint Paul saying that his faith in Christ leads him to realize that the life he lives is not his own but rather Christ living in him.
What would happen if we prayerfully decided not to live according to our own desires but to let the Lord truly be Master of our lives?
If only our faith were as humble, if only our faith were as strong.
As the author Joseph Pellegrino writes, may we remember that just as Jesus forgave this woman her sins, He does the same for us. He does the same for those who have hurt us, and He does the same for those whom, in our arrogance, we would rather avoid.
Just as Jesus wants us to admit our sinfulness, He does not want us to dwell on our pasts. He wants us to be receivers of His mercy, and channels of the same.
Among the most difficult things in life are being forgiven and forgiving others. May He fill us with grace to rejoice in His wonderful love.
<>Then a one- word epitaph could be plenty to write on our tombstones when our time comes. And that word would simply be: “FORGIVEN.”Body and Blood of Christ
June 5-6, 2010
Genesis 14:18-20 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Luke 9:11-17
The Church has celebrated some very important feasts these past few weeks.
Three weeks ago we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension.
The very next week we celebrated Pentecost.
Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday.
Today, we celebrate a feast that dates back to the Middle Ages. Some have called it Corpus Christi. We call it the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.
If we ponder the readings from Scripture that were proclaimed a few moments ago, we find three themes about this feast.
The first theme about the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ reminds us that the Eucharist is celebrated to bless and praise God. Do we remember what the word Eucharist means? It means to give thanks. In our First Reading from the Book of Genesis, a priest named Melchizedek gives thanks to God for God’s saving activity. A major reason we gather here today is to give thanks to God for His saving activity in our lives.
A second theme connected with this Feast comes out so clearly in the Second Reading. We celebrate the Eucharist as a memorial of what Jesus did at the Last Supper. In the Bible, to remember did not mean merely to call something to mind. It meant to make present here and now the depth of what was done long ago. Jews remember the Passover to give thanks to God for saving His People long ago, and in doing so, they believe God saves them now. We follow the command of Jesus to share this meal in memory of Him so that His saving love demonstrated so vividly on the Cross might permeate our lives here and now.
The third theme concerning this Feast is told in the story from Luke’s Gospel. Jesus feeds a multitude of people even though there was only a small supply of food available (five loaves and two fish). The command of Jesus is so very clear: “Give them some food yourselves.” Just as Jesus told the Twelve to use their own resources, Chris tells us to give to others not from the deserted places of our hearts but from our realization that God feeds us abundantly. In the Gospel story, there were fragments of food remaining even after the many people were fed.
The Scripture scholar Barbara Reid directs us to ask the most important question based on this story: How we can replicate this giving of our whole selves – body, mind, and spirit – to the God who is the source of all nourishment? In other words, how might we be broken open in love for the life of the world?
I believe that the reflection of the author Charles Irvin helps us deal with this question. He writes:
“God calls us to Himself not in some remote and distant heaven, but here on earth.
His call is to us now; His call is present.
Our response is not some future response; our response is now, here on earth.
The bread and wine we offer at Mass symbolize the sacrifices of ourselves.
Our giving thanks in the Eucharistic Prayer is our surrendering ourselves to God in Christ’s surrendering of Himself to His Father.We should never simply “get” or “receive” Holy Communion.
We enter into Holy Communion;
we enter into the totality of Christ’s (incarnate) life among us….
we receive Christ and in so doing,
Christ receives us, and by the power of the Holy Spirit presents us to the Father.”Let me close with a story told by Father John Donahue in America magazine some time ago. He was traveling from Germany to Israel. On the way, he stopped in Lebanon. While in Lebanon, he enjoyed a conversation with a young Muslim student. The young Muslim student asked Father Donahue to explain Catholic teaching on the Eucharist. None of Father Donahue’s answers seemed to address the deepest concerns the young Muslim student had. So Father Donahue asked him: “What is your most basic problem with what Catholics believe about the Eucharist?” The young Muslim student thought for a moment and then said: “Well, if Catholics really believed they were receiving the Body and Blood of Christ together when they go to Mass, would they treat each other the way they do?”
I’ve been thinking about that response ever since I read it.
It leads me to believe all of us should not only think about it, but also give it plenty of prayerful attention.
What do you think? Does it give all of us something about which to pray?
Fr. Larry's Baccalaureate Address for the Class of 2010
Somebody somewhere asked what a Baccalaureate service is all about. And someone gave the answer: “Oh, it is long, boring, and irrelevant.”
Long, boring, and irrelevant? Give me a chance. I’ll try to be brief, interesting, and relevant. I hope I’ll hit at least two out of three.
My friends, you heard the message from a book that has a quality that withstands the test of time, the Book of Ecclesiastes. It tells us that there is a time for just about everything. And now, the time has come for you, the members of the Class of 2010, to venture from Niles McKinley High School to a whole new world of possibilities.
Let me briefly say it is time to give thanks to many, many people.
And certainly, it is time to give thanks to the Lord for the many good experiences you have had leading up to this day, and to thank God for enabling you to make it through the difficult experiences. Life is filled with opportunities for growth. Never forget that truth. Be grateful as time goes on not only for the people who support you, but also for those who challenge you to move beyond your comfort zone to be better people.
Let me also say it is time to realize who we are called to be. When all is said and done, our willingness to live our lives for God will outlast everything else we set out to do. You heard the words of Jesus in the Gospel that were chosen for this service. He told His disciples they were the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
In biblical times, salt was used as a seasoning and as a preservative. By telling them they were the salt of the earth, Jesus was telling them to spice things up to bring the best out of life. How is this relevant to us? He is telling you and all of us the same. Preserve the qualities that really need to be kept in a world that so often emphasizes the wrong things. Enable the qualities of truthfulness, dependability, kindness, and a willingness to serve others highlight your lives no matter what the rest of the world is doing or failing to do.
By telling them they were the light of the world, Jesus encouraged them to be the best they could be. Certainly, He tells you and all of us to be the same. Many of you have achieved considerable success in accomplishing many things during your high school years. As you go from here, pray for the grace to let your gifts serve your communities, churches, and families in ways that truly make a difference and lead others to the goodness of the Lord.
Dear members of the Class of 2010, we congratulate you and assure you of our prayers and support. Your time has come to strive to be the salt of the earth and light for the world. May God bless you with much success, loads of love, and abiding peace.
Trinity Sunday
May 29-30, 2010
The author Richard Fairchild told the story about a young medical student spent his summer vacation working as a butcher in a large supermarket during the daytime. At night, he worked as an orderly at the local community hospital.
Both jobs involved his wearing a white smock. One evening he was instructed to wheel a woman from her room down into surgery. He entered the patient's room and said, "Mrs. Jones, I have come to take you to surgery." The woman, who was already frightened turned to her husband and said, "Harry, don't let him take me. It's the butcher!"
Mistaken identity can be a real problem.
That is why we as Christians believe in the teaching about the Trinity. It helps us to identify God correctly.And today, we celebrate Trinity Sunday.
The doctrine of the Trinity is not a mathematical puzzle. It isn’t merely a mind game for deep-thinking theologians and philosophers to debate. It is much closer to what our lives are all about than that.
Our teaching about the Trinity it is a belief born out of the experience of ordinary Christians as a real life answer to the question, "Where do we find God?"We cannot fully define God, but the teaching about the Trinity reminds us that we have a God who joins His life to our life from the very beginning of our lives. And God is with us through the very end of our lives.
When we are baptized, we are baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This God takes up residence in us.
Think about God the Father. The teaching about the Trinity tells us we have a God who can be far more creative and far more powerful than we can ever imagine, despite the fact that we’ve made so many scientific advances through the years.
Think about God the Son. The teaching about the Trinity tells us we have a God who loves us so much that He became one of us. What’s more, He even gave His life for us to save us from the terrible choices we make.
Think about God the Holy Spirit. The teaching about the Trinity tells us that God continues to comfort us, strengthen us, and guide us as we continue God’s work among us.
When Christians reach the end-stages of life, we pray these or similar words: “Depart, Christian soul, in the Name of the Father who created you, in the Name of the Son who suffered for you, and in the Name of the Holy Spirit who descended upon you.”
I believe that the words of the author David Shea help us put in perspective all of our thinking about the teaching concerning the Trinity:
“We will never stop yearning to learn more about God, but, for now it’s probably best to simply live the (mystery of the ) Trinity rather than trying to understand it. Welcome each of God’s persons into our lives—find our belonging in the Father, see Him in sunsets, in the miracles that surround us; walk with our Jesus our brother who embraces us and understands our successes and our failures; and allow the Spirit to freshen our memories about all that is good in God, and nurture His presence in us.”
Feast of Pentecost
John 20:19-23
May 22-23, 2010An old Indian reflection says that everyone is like a house with four rooms.
There is the physical room, where we use our senses to perceive the realities around us.
There is the spiritual room, where we interact with a deeper reality that we cannot control but nevertheless wants to be very close to us.
There is the mental room where our minds try to sort things out.
And there is the emotional reality where our feelings color or sometimes discolor the scene. We’re dealing here with the joy, curiosity, guilt, anger, fear, disgust, and sadness that come our way.
We tend to live in one room more often than the other ones.
The truth is we need to live in all of the rooms or something tends to go awry.
I was intrigued by this idea. Four rooms: Physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. We tend to live in one room. But we need to live in all four rooms.
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Pentecost. Jesus kept the promise to send the Holy Spirit. His work would continue. He would always be with them even after His ascension to His Father.
And if we really stop to think about it, the Holy Spirit helps us live in all four of those rooms most effectively if we tend to pay attention to the Spirit as we should.
I’d like to talk about three ways the Holy Spirit intends to help us live better lives.
The first way is: The Holy Spirit comforts us. Do we sometimes try to face our sadness all by ourselves? The Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus knew what it was like to have friends turn against Him. Remember how Peter denied Him? Remember how Judas betrayed Him? Remember how the apostles fell asleep when Jesus wanted them to stay awake with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane? The Holy Spirit also reminds us that Jesus knew what it was like when someone close died. His friend Lazarus died. Jesus cried. The Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus knew what it was like to face His own impending death. He faced this with prayer, but it was still a difficult experience for Him as it is for us.
The second way the Holy Spirit helps us live better lives is by giving us strength. I read about how Martin Luther King Jr. received a very frightening telephone call when he was preaching his message of justice. The anonymous caller threatened his life. King was about to give up his ministry but something deep within him told him that as long as he was fighting for justice he would never be alone. This same Spirit strengthens us when we feel all alone in our attempts to stand up for what is right. May we listen to this voice within us and be strengthened by the Holy Spirit often.
strong>The Holy Spirit also helps us continue God’s work.
To probe how we continue God’s work with the help of the Spirit, think about those four rooms again.
There is the physical. We relate to it most easily. Don’t eat and we get hungry. Bump your arm against a table and you feel pain. Jesus told us we feed Him when we feed each other, we clothe Him when we clothe each other, we give Him something to drink when we quench each other’s thirst and we welcome Him when we welcome the stranger. The Holy Spirit is God telling us there is plenty of work to do in the physical realm, that the work of the church doesn’t take place only inside this building but also in the communities where we live and work.
There is the spiritual. How we need to pray individually and collectively to interact with that abiding presence of God. The Spirit is a voice that isn’t merely the voice of politicians, newscasters, and naysayers, but the voice of the Lord prompting us to be His Body in our times and places.
There is the mental. How we think so often determines what we will or will not do next. St. Augustine wrote a beautiful prayer to the Holy Spirit. I published it in today’s bulletin. Its first line says: “Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.” What would happen if only we would set our minds on thinking as God wants us to think?
There is the emotional. Can our joy lead us to give thanks for how God has blessed us? Can our curiosity help us make real a world where the Gospel’s values are truly lived? Can our guilt lead us to the truth that we have a forgiving God who only wants us to learn from our past bad choices. Can our God alleviate the worst of our fears? I like the old saying: “Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there!” Can our disgust with injustice lead us to be a voice for those whose voices often get ignored? Can our sadness remind us that only God fills us with what we truly need?
If time and again we pray “Come, Holy Spirit” we’ll live in a house accepting the reality of all of these rooms. And we won’t live in it alone. The Spirit of God will dwell with us in every aspect of life.
Feast of the Ascension
Acts 1:1-11 Luke 24:46-53
May 15-16, 2010Perhaps it takes a lot of imagination for us to picture in our minds the appearances of Jesus in some of the Gospel stories we’ve heard. Think of the story featuring Jesus coming into the upper room through the closed doors. Think also about when He stood on the beach, encountering the disciples as they were fishing but they did not recognize Him at first.
Today’s Gospel story is easier for us to imagine. It tells us not about appearances of Jesus, but about the disappearance of Jesus. At least it seems that we don’t reach out and touch the living Christ exactly the same way the disciples did. So it is relatively easy to imagine Jesus discontinuing to share their company, no longer eating meals with them, no longer walking the dusty roads of Galilee with them. Hold that thought about disappearance. I’ll say more about this a little later.
Maybe we wonder why there is a joyful spirit among the disciples after Jesus returned to His Father. What is so joyful about a friend departing from those closest to Him?
The cause for joy is the fact that Christ’s Ascension is kind of like a homecoming. Instead of being at home with the apostles, He becomes their home. Jesus used to be their Body. Now they are becoming the Body of Christ, just as we are called to be the Body of Christ each day of our lives.
It is the opposite of what things are like when we are born. Think of how we lose the cozy warmth of being at home within our mother. We lose that particular comfort so that we can see our mother face to face. With the Ascension, the opposite happens. The disciples lose their face to face contact with Jesus so as to find Him as the very one in whom they can be at home.
My friends, the Feast of the Ascension reminds us God is closer to us than we are to ourselves.
The words the Great Saint Augustine wrote when he turned to the Lord from his sinful ways are ever so true: “For behold… you (O Lord) were with me, and I was not with you.”
Maybe there are times in our lives when God is ever so close to us but our hearts and our minds are set on other matters. It’s great that God keeps giving us chances to refocus on Him!
Yes, life constantly calls us to realize how very close the Lord is to us now that He has completed His death, resurrection, and ascension to a realm we can only imagine!
Thomas Merton wrote that we lose God as an object so as to find God as a subject, the core of everything we are all about.
>Later in this Mass, during the prayer known as the Preface for the Feast of the Ascension, we will hear the beautiful words:
“Christ, the Mediator between God and man, Judge of the world and Lord of all,
has passed beyond our sight, not to abandon us but to be our hope. Christ is the beginning, the Head of the Church; where He has gone, we hope to follow.”
This is all part of our journey home to God. Yes, where Jesus has gone, we hope to follow.
Earlier in this homily, I promised to say more about one of the points I made. I said: At least it seems that we don’t reach out and touch the living Christ exactly the same way the disciples did. So it is relatively easy to imagine Jesus discontinuing to share their company, no longer eating meals with them, no longer walking the dusty roads of Galilee with them.”
At least in some ways this is true. After His ascension Jesus did not eat on the beach with them or break bread in tangible ways like He did in some of the stories about His appearances after He had risen from the dead. But it is vital to remember that we encounter Christ closely in sharing this Sacred Meal known as the Eucharist. And this sharing isn’t totally separated from life. Our celebration should highlight the ways Christ has wanted to walk with us all week long leading up to this meal. It also should strengthen us in our journeys as we go forth from here.
May the Lord firmly and gently keep us on His path. It is a path of hope. He has prepared it for us. Not only does He lead us home, but as we journey there, He seeks to become our home.
Cycle C Sixth Sunday of Easter
John 14:23-29
May 8-9, 2010I’d like to begin by calling our attention to something that has been a part of our Catholic tradition for a long time. In particular, I speak of dedicating the entire month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
You have noticed that we have a statue of Mary here in the sanctuary to remind us that the Mother of Jesus cares for us deeply and prays with us and for us. Before the 9:30 AM Mass this weekend we (have) (had) a special ceremony crowning Our Blessed Mother. Some historians tell us this custom of crowning Mary dates back to the sixteenth century beginning in Italy and then it spread to central Europe and eventually to many other places. The reason for it is very simple. May is a time when so much new life enters the scene. We thank and crown Mary for her role in brining new life to us in Jesus Christ.
So, with this in mind, we are very thankful to the Mother of Christ and we trust in her prayers for us and with us.
This weekend we honor all mothers as we celebrate Mother’s Day. Have you ever heard of Anna Jarvis? She was from Grafton , West Virginia . In 1908 she pushed for a day to honor one’s own mother. She kept publicizing this practice every year and with the help of some very influential people President Woodrow Wilson singed a law in 1914 that proclaimed the second Sunday of May every year from that point on to be a special day to honor all mothers.
I believe that the practice of honoring the Mother of Jesus during May, as well as the practice of honoring all mothers on Mother’s Day can lead us to grow from hearing this weekend’s Gospel.
How is that?
Consider what the disciples of Jesus were about to face as He spoke to them shortly before He was betrayed and crucified. He was going to be with them for only a little while longer. They were about to face changes. Big changes! It’s never easy to face changes. When Jesus would die, rise again, and eventually ascend into heaven they would have to be ready to carry on.
How did Jesus equip them for changes? Jesus wished them His peace, the kind of peace the world cannot give. Also, He would send His Holy Spirit (translated as Advocate) to remind them of all of the things He taught them.
Think about the changes we face in life. We’re told that God is unchanging. But we are not God. We realize that people change so much, and so many changes happen around us whether or not we like this.
Who can teach us about changes better than mothers can?
Think about the changes mothers face in their lifetime. They change from girls to young ladies expecting to bring new life into the world.
They change from one who carries this new life for nine months to one who welcomes this child to a world filled with possibilities.
They watch the child grow from infants to toddlers, to young boys and girls to adolescents, to adults.
Their support is there for their sons and daughters through each and every change, and they experience indescribable pain knowing that sometimes the only way their children can learn is by growing through their own bumps and bruises.
In Mary’s case, the most painful experience of all was holding the lifeless body of her Son after He was taken down from the cross, and yet her faith that He would rise again must have been very strong.
We celebrate Mother’s Day.
We honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus also known as the Mother of the Church because she was the first Christian.
We anticipate celebrating the Feast of the Ascension next weekend (when Jesus was lifted from the sight of His disciples to fill them with hope.)
In two weeks we will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost when the Gift of the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church to help believers of every era remain faithful to the Gospel Christ preached while facing the challenges of our own times and places.
May the peace of Christ give us what we need to face the world of changes that come our way in life.
May we be confident that the prayers of a Mother Mary who embraces all of us as her children are with us in every challenge along the way.
5th Sunday of Easter
May 1-2, 2010
John 13:31-33a, 34-35What work is most stressful?
I read a news story recently that told us about the five most stressful jobs. You may or may not agree with the report. The story said these are the five most stressful jobs:
1. Firefighter
2. Corporate Executive
3. Taxi Driver
4. Surgeon
5. Police OfficerThe story described what made each job so very stressful.
If we stop and think about it, all of us face some difficult work day after day regardless of our occupation. Do you know what task takes up so much of our energy? There is a hint of it in today’s Gospel. It was a command Jesus gave. It takes a lot of work to love others as Jesus loved us.
Yes, it takes plenty of help from God to follow this command, to do this work.
It is not easy to love. Some people don’t make it easy to love them. How often we find it most difficult of all to love those who are supposed to be closest to us.
They get on our nerves. They break promises. They do not always meet our expectations.
But we dare not forget: We get on their nerves. We break promises. We do not always meet their expectations.
Our Gospel today is relatively short.
It reminds us that Jesus glorified His Father by giving His life so unselfishly. Yes, Jesus is God’s best example of love.
The Gospel reminds us that Jesus gave us a new commandment to love one another.
And we should keep in mind that His love is renewed each and every time we choose to love instead of hate.
This reminds us that His love is renewed each and every time we choose to forgive instead of remaining bogged down in bitterness.
This reminds us that His love is renewed each and every time we go the extra mile, reach out to those who are different, and start over in a relationship that has been strained due to carelessness or misunderstandings.
Love requires hard work.
And love is the common task God expects us all to do in the big things in life, but most especially in the little things that come our way every day.
Jesus said that all will know that we are His disciples by our love for one another.
Some have said that the strongest link in the chain of our love for God is only as strong as our weakest link in the chain of our love for others. Ponder that: Some have said that the strongest link in the chain of our love for God is only as strong as our weakest link in the chain of our love for others.
Loving as Jesus taught is a job we never lose. God’s factory of love never shuts down. We cannot retire from it. We’re on call 365 days per year, 7 days per week, 24 hours per day, every moment of our lives.
May God graciously be with us in our efforts to love others.
May all who know us know the Lord because our love is so strong the love of Christ shines through us.
They will know we are Christians by our love!
4th Sunday of Easter
April 24-25, 2010
John 10:27-30The excitement of Easter Sunday may be a thing of the past for many people. After all, Easter was three weeks ago. Most of the world doesn’t know or doesn’t care that we still have a few more weeks remaining in the Easter Season. It takes us all the way through Pentecost Sunday, which is May 23rd this year.
On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, we hear from the Gospel of John. Today we heard from chapter 10. Not only in today’s selection, but also in other parts of the Book of John, we hear many ways to imagine who Jesus is for us.
In chapter 6, Jesus tells us that He is the Bread of Life. That’s a great image to keep in mind as next Sunday at the 11:30 AM Mass (May 2nd) a group of youngsters from this parish will share in Holy Communion for the first time. Keep them in your prayers. And realize that everyone is welcome to come to that Mass to celebrate with us. We hope it leads us all to appreciate the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist in a renewed way.
In verses that appear shortly before the verses we heard today, Jesus tells us He is the door. It is through Him that He brings us where we could not otherwise go. Thank God He cares that much for us!
In chapter 11, Jesus tells us He is the resurrection and the life. Whenever we remember our loved ones who have gone before us and miss them so much (there have been so many funerals at this parish already this year), it is good to know that Jesus wants them to be safe with Him forever.
In chapter 14, Jesus tells us that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There are so many wrong routes, half-truths, and dangerous forces competing for us to follow them. Thank God Jesus leads us through all of life’s difficulties!
In chapter 15, Jesus tells us that He is the True Vine. Our lives can be productive if we keep on drawing our life from Him.And today, in chapter 10, Jesus reminds us that He knows His sheep, His sheep hear His voice, and they follow Him. Even though we did not hear the title “Good Shepherd” applied to Jesus in the Gospel read today, we know that Jesus refers to Himself as “The Good Shepherd” and it brings us comfort.
As this Easter Season continues, it is good for us to keep at least one of these images concerning Jesus from the Gospel of John in mind and let it guide us along the way.
I find that image of “Good Shepherd” so very meaningful. Yes, we have this Lord who is like the shepherd who has 100 sheep, one of them goes astray, and He seeks after the lost one and after finding it carries it home ever so joyfully.
St. Louis University publishes a web site called The Center for Liturgy. It provides helpful things to ponder about the readings we hear at Mass each weekend and the good people there are kind enough to give permission to share these reflections.
In the reflection for this weekend, there is a meditation about the Good Shepherd in the form of a prayer.
I published an adapted version of this prayer in the bulletin. Let me conclude this homily by sharing it:
PRAYER TO THE GOOD SHEPHERD
“Good Shepherd, our paths are rocky for sure.
Find us when we trip and fall.
Bear us up when we are too weak to walk.
Pull us from the brambles when we are tangled.
Hold us, Good Shepherd, in your arms,
close to your heart.”
~ Permission from Center For Liturgy web site St. Louis University
3rd Sunday of Easter
April 17-18, 2010
John 21:1-19Is religion connected to everyday life?
Some people would say very much so.
Others would say that religion is very disconnected with everyday life, that it is more like an escape from life.
Perhaps we can shed some truth on this question by considering what the word religion means. It comes from the Latin word religare. That word means to tie, to fasten, to bind.
Think of the word ligament. It is related to the word religion, too. Think about what a ligament does in one’s body – it connects one bone to another. And if a ligament breaks, say, in your knee, you discover how disconnected you become with something you took for granted before, like walking.
So, religion connects us with God. And it is intended to connect us with life by how we relate with other people and even by how we relate to ourselves.
I say all these things because I believe today’s Gospel is a wonderful example of how religion connects us with God, with people, and with our very selves.
To understand today’s Gospel, we need to think about a story we heard about the apostle Peter during Holy Week. Remember how Peter said he would be ever so loyal to Jesus? Remember how Jesus predicted that before the rooster would crow Peter would deny Jesus three times? Remember what happened? Jesus was inside facing the high priest, Peter was in the courtyard. Three times people in the courtyard tried to associate Peter with Jesus, and three times Peter denied knowing Jesus. Then the rooster crowed. And Peter wept bitterly.
So we see how Peter related with Jesus. Peter wasn’t a very loyal friend at that point.
And we see how Peter related with the people who approached him. Peter was dishonest. He lied to them.
We certainly see how Peter related with himself. He saw his own disloyalty, and was very uncomfortable with it.
Okay, with that background, we can look at today’s Gospel and how it shows us how religion relates to life.
After someone does the kind of thing Peter did, what do they need most of all? They need forgiveness. They need another chance. They need to be lifted up in a way more than they can lift themselves up.
In other words, they need to be rehabilitated.
And that’s what religion is all about. It rehabilitates us, builds us back up if we use it properly.
Think about it. How many times did Peter deny Jesus? Three.
And how many times in today’s Gospel does Jesus ask Peter about Peter’s love for Him? Three. This was all about balancing things out!
Rehabilitation is a big part of life. People need to be built back up from operations, from illnesses, from addictions, from mental health problems, from broken relationships.
And today’s Gospel shows us that God is willing to help with the rehabilitation process just as Jesus helped Peter get up from having fallen down.
Jesus saw Peter as someone who needed another chance, someone who could be led back to the path of following the Lord.
With God’s help, we are able to see ourselves as God sees us. We are loved by the Lord. He constantly asks us about our love for Him. He always wants to pick us back up.
Last Sunday evening, the guest speaker at the Interfaith Banquet was Lutheran Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. Her message reminded us that sometimes we need a much higher power than our own pride to pick us up after we’ve been down.
And that, my friends, is what religion is all about. It connects us with God. It connects us with the people we’ve hurt. It connects us with those who have hurt us. It helps us rediscover our true selves, people who are loved so deeply by God and are made in God’s image and likeness.
We give thanks for a God who can fix what has been broken. Sometimes we find some aspects of life to be unfixable, and we give thanks for a Lord who gently but firmly lifts us up, rehabilitates us, and says: “Come on! Give it another try! Follow me!”
2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)
April 10-11, 2010
Psalm 118 & John 20:19-31Imagine that you are one of the ten apostles gathered in that room behind locked doors the first day the story began to spread about Jesus rising from the dead. Yes, there are ten of you there. There were twelve apostles. But Judas took his own life. Thomas was away, and we don’t know why.
You were so afraid. Would the Romans crucify you, too? Unexpectedly, the Risen Jesus appears to you. When Jesus comes in, He does not chastise you for your lack of faith. No, He wishes you peace. You know it is Jesus. Your heart is filled with joy.
A full week later, Thomas is with you. The Risen Jesus appears again. Thomas doubts, even though Jesus is standing right in front of Thomas. This Thomas is like many of us. Show us, and then we’ll believe. Come to think of it, some of the people who frustrate us the most are those who have been shown the facts time and again but still refuse to believe! What can you do for them – just keep on praying that some how, some way, they will be led to believe? Maybe that’s the best we can do for them. We can do so many things for other people, but we cannot actually believe for them! That’s a choice they need to make.
Jesus teaches Thomas and everyone else that they should persist not in unbelief, but in belief.
The earliest followers of Jesus must have taken this message to heart. And look at how their faith still influences our lives! The church still exists all these years after Christ rose from the dead, even after many people within the Church and those outside it have tried to bring harm to it.
These earliest followers of Christ believed that God was at work in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
They believed they could trust that the Holy Spirit was leading them.
The resurrection explains why the early church succeeded.
The success of the early church is proof of how powerful is the resurrection of Jesus!
Ponder one of the earliest messages this Risen Christ preached to His followers. It was a message of forgiveness. Any time we talk about forgiveness, we talk about mercy. Our Responsorial Psalm (sung earlier) assures us that God’s mercy endures forever. Mercy means that God does not give us what we truly deserve, but let’s His loving-kindness shine through.
That’s the message I believe God calls us to direct our attention to this weekend. Our previous pope, John Paul II, encouraged many people to consider this Second Sunday of Easter to be “Divine Mercy Sunday.” Sister Mary Faustina Kowalski, who lived from 1905-1938, was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000. Her diary sheds light on her prayerful experiences emphasizing the mercy of God.
As we journey through life, we find that mercy is something that is sorely needed.
Somewhere I read the ABC’s of appreciating God’s mercy.
“A” simply means to ask for God’s mercy. Time and again we sin, we miss the mark. But Jesus wants to show us that He gave His life for us and that His resurrection gives us new life. He keeps repeating this message to us in so many ways.
“B” means we should be willing to be merciful. We’ve heard it many times before, but it is true. God gives us as much mercy as we are willing to give to others. The measure with which we measure will be measured back to us. Pray for the grace to be merciful.
“C” means we should completely trust in Jesus. We put our trust in so many other people and so many other things. But when all is said and done, we’ll need to rely on His mercy more than anyone or anything else. Persist not in our unbelief, but believe in Him.
Here’s a quick review:
“A” – Ask for mercy.
“B” – Be willing to show mercy.
“C” – Completely trust in Jesus.
How might we live the ABC’s of Divine Mercy this week?
Easter Sunday
April 4, 2010
Luke 24:1-12Expectations are so very prominent in our lives.
I read the story about a little boy who really wanted a hundred dollars. So, he decided to write a letter to God. On the front of the envelope was simply the boy’s return address in the upper left hand corner his return address, and in the middle of the envelope was written the word GOD in capital letters.
The people at the post office were unsure what to do with the letter, but decided to send it to The White House.
When the White House staff read the boy’s request for a hundred dollars, they decided to send him five dollars. They figured that would make the lad happy and would be plenty of money for him. What did the boy really expect, anyway?
When the boy received the five dollars, he wrote a thank you letter: “Dear God, I expected a hundred dollars, but I thank you for the five dollars! I saw the postmark. You decided to send the hundred through Washington, DC, and they took out ninety-five dollars in taxes!”
Expectations. How expectations have such a great bearing on our lives!
Think about the expectations the women featured in today’s Gospel had . They expected to anoint the body of their crucified friend in that tomb.
In the story told in Luke’s Gospel, the word but is used four times. It emphasizes how their expectations were so very different from what really happened.
The expected to see the stone rolled across the entrance to the tomb, BUT when they arrived and the tomb was open they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus there.
They were told by the angels: “He is not here, BUT has been raised!” They were reminded how Jesus Himself predicted His rising from the dead even though they must have not paid attention to that along the way or refused to believe it.
They left the tomb, returned from the tomb, and told the story to the eleven and the others BUT the story seemed like nonsense.
BUT Peter ran to the tomb, bent down, looked in, saw the burial clothes and went home amazed.
So, all told, they expected a body of a brutally executed friend, BUT got an empty tomb.
They expected to bring closure to the story of His death, BUT got a fresh beginning to what His new life for them would mean.
My friends, that is what Easter is for us.
We expect a beautiful church (and we have it), BUT God gives us much more. He gives us new life. We welcome Sue Pappada to the fullness of membership in the Church and we find that the Risen Christ asks each and every one of us to examine our hearts to see how He leads us to deeper faith.
In the early Church, people would say to one another: “Christ is risen!” And those who would hear it would reply: “He is risen indeed!”
The Risen Christ reminds us of how He wants to fill us with life always, BUT too often we are frightened, perplexed, busy, bewildered, or distracted to let the beauty of this resound in our hearts.
May we remember that Christ is risen indeed at every moment of our lives.
May His hope fill us up wherever we are.
May we believe in His new life when we are sad. May we believe in His new life when we are sick.
May we believe in His new life when we are hurting. May we believe in His new life when we are happy.May we believe in His new life when we are healthy. May we believe in His new life when we are at church, and may God give us the grace to be here as often as we know the Lord invites and expects us to be here to give Him praise and thanks.
May we believe in His new life when we are in the hospital. May we believe in His new life when we are at the funeral home.May we believe in His new life when we are at work. May we believe in His new life when we are recreating.
May we believe in His new life when we are unemployed. May we believe in His new life when we are working hard.May we believe in His new life when we are in a crowd. May we believe in His new life when we are all alone. Yes, may we see the Risen Christ in the gift of each other, in the gift of our faith, and in the joys and challenges of life. Christ is risen indeed! Happy Easter!
Good Friday
April 2, 2010
So many images come to mind when we think about Good Friday.
We think of a crown of thorns, a terrible scourging, a heavy cross, and the merciless shouts of the crowd.
But Good Friday is more than the crown of thorns, more than the terrible scourging, more than the heavy cross, much more than the merciless shouts of the crowd.
We think of Christ’s terrible thirst, His shedding of blood, a soldier piercing the Lord’s side with a lance, the most innocent man who ever lived handing over His spirit and being placed in a tomb close by.
But Good Friday is more than the shedding of blood, more than a soldier’s piercing thrust, and so much more than the innocent Lord of Life handing over His spirit then being placed in a tomb.
We come to know that Christ opened His arms on the cross wide enough to embrace you and me and all humanity.
We come to know that Good Friday is all about the love of God.
Nothing could stop this love.
Not the evil intentions some had.
Not the ignorance that was evident in the lives of others.
Not the sinfulness and sorrows that trouble humanity due to the bad choices we all make.
Good Friday reminds us that we have an opportunity to choose to accept the love that God chose to give us then and gives us time and again.
Good Friday reminds us that He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins.
Good Friday invites us, as the words of the author Carol Luebering state so well, to “lean into Christ’s outstretched arms and place all our sorrows in those wounded, healing hands” of Christ. For there, “we can begin to see ourselves as He does: strongest and most loving in those broken places His healing love touches.”
Holy Thursday Cycle C
April 1, 2010
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-15So many things we see and do stand for something much deeper than what we see and do.
Think about a wedding ring. It is a piece of jewelry, but it stands for promises of love intended to last forever.
Think about a championship trophy a sports team wins. It is expensive hardware, but it stands for hours of hard work that led to being successful enough to be the very best.
Think about a red traffic light. It hangs in the middle of an intersection giving off a beautiful color, but it means somebody better stop or there will be a tragedy in that intersection.
Tonight we begin Holy Week. And we heard stories that mean much more than just what they seem.
In our First Reading, we heard about the saving deeds God did for His Chosen People. They were told to prepare for the journey that lies ahead of them. But we know that our journey in trying to be faithful to God it is about more than just roast lamb with bread and herbs. We know it is about Jesus, the Lamb of God who gave His life so that we might live.
In our Second Reading, Jesus gives His disciples bread and wine. But we know it is about more than just bread and wine. It is about His Body broken for us, His Blood poured out to give us life. It is about Jesus feeding us time and time again so that we might remember His love in our hearts.
Now think about the Gospel we just heard. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. When guests would arrive in someone’s home during biblical times, someone would what the feet of the guests. If it was in a wealthy house, a servant would do this. If it was in a modest house, the homeowner himself would do this.
But it seems so out of place for Jesus to be washing the feet of His disciples. He was the Master! Should they not be washing His feet?
In this story, we find that it is not all about water and the feet.
It is about a sacred relationship with Jesus.
It is about service, love, and following an example.
In just a few minutes, we will re-enact what Jesus did at the Last Supper.
We remember the ways Jesus taught His followers to love and to serve 2000 years ago.
But it is more than just that. We remember that Christ teaches us to love and to serve in the course of our everyday lives.
I will wash the feet of people belonging to our parish from various age groups and backgrounds.
As I do so, may all of us prayerfully remember the call of the Master to serve in all we do.
May Christ strengthen us in His service and love one another as He loves us.
Palm Sunday
March 27-28, 2010
For Palm Sunday Weekend, March 27-28, 2010
We begin Holy Week
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.
Don’t forget : The Niles Clergy Association invites everyone to participate in Outdoor Stations of the Cross at 12:00 Noon on Good Friday, April 2. We will begin and end at the McKinley Memorial. We will process to various stations in the area of the Memorial, First Christian Church, St. Stephen Church, and Trinity Lutheran Church . If the weather is inclement the entire service will be held inside the McKinley Memorial Auditorium. Dress appropriately for weather conditions. I hope to see you there!
We hope you will join us in prayer often this week. Be sure to consult the schedule carefully
Holy Week Schedule
PALM SUNDAY VIGIL
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010
5:00PM- Mass
PALM SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010
9:30AM- Mass Procession
11:30AM-Mass
MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010
12:05PM- Communion Service
12:30-3:00PM- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
3:00PM-Divine Mercy Chaplet, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Devotion and Benediction
TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2010
12:05PM - Mass
7:00PM- Communal Reconciliation Service- All are welcome!
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2010
12:05PM- Mass
HOLY THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010 -“Mass of the Lord’s Supper”
**No 12:05PM Mass, 10:00AM Chrism Mass at the Diocese
7:00PM- Mass of the Lord’s Supper
GOOD FRIDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION, APRIL 2, 2010
12:00 Noon at McKinley Memorial Stations of the Cross
3:00PM- Good Friday Service (in church)
7:00PM- Good Friday Service (in church)
EASTER VIGIL - SATURDAY, APRIL 3, 2010
10:00AM- Blessing of Easter foods
No Confessions
No 5:00PM Mass
8:30PM- Easter Vigil Mass
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 4, 2010
9:30AM- Mass of the Resurrection
11:30AM- Mass of the ResurrectionCONFESSIONS THIS LENT: A Communal Reconciliation Service will be held on Tuesday, March 30 at 7:00PM at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Niles. Extra priests will be available. All are welcome!
On Good Friday, our parish will take up the annual Good Friday collection for the Holy Land. Your financial contribution helps to support the struggling Christian community and to protect Christianity’s holiest places. Please be generous.
The Parish Office will be closed on Good Friday, April 2 and Monday, April 5 for Easter. We will reopen on Tuesday, April 6 at 9:00AM.
Cycle C Fifth Sunday of Lent
John 8:1-11
March 20-21, 2010We know the first day of Spring is March 20th this year. We still see the snow pile just south of the parking lot near Jackson Alley but we are hoping for better days ahead.
Don’t forget what lent means. It comes from an old English word lencten which means “lengthening”. Yes, the days are getting longer. Most importantly, we think of Lent as springtime for the soul.
As we draw closer and closer to Easter, we ponder some of the more important lessons the Lord is trying to teach us.
Before we go into detail about these lessons, I’d like to share a story. It has been entitled “Wrong Way Riegels.” On New Year’s Day of 1929 Georgia Tech played UCLA in the Rose Bowl. In that game a young man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for UCLA. Picking up the loose football, he lost his direction and ran sixty-five yards toward the wrong goal line. (Now, doesn’t this sound like the kind of guy the Cleveland Browns would be interested in?) One of his teammates, Benny Lom, ran him down and tackled him before he could cost his team two points due to a safety if he had run through the wrong end zone and before he could cost his team a touchdown should he have dropped the ball in celebration and a Georgia Tech player recover it. Several plays later, his team had to punt. Georgia Tech blocked the punt and ended up scoring a safety anyway, which demoralized the UCLA team.
That strange play came in the first half. At halftime the UCLA players filed off the field into the locker room. Players sate on benches but poor Riegles put a blanket around his shoulders and sat in a corner, burying his face in his hands. Coach Price was unusually quiet. No doubt he was deciding what to do with Riegals. Just before halftime ended Coach Price announced that the same men who started the first half would start the second half.
The players got up and started to proceed toward the field. Not Riegals. He did not budge. Coach Price went over to him and said: “Roy, didn’t you hear me? You’re in there.” Roy Rieglas looked up, cried, and said: “Coach, I can’t do it. I’ve ruined you. I’ve ruined the university’s reputation. I cannot face that crowd out there.”
That strange play came in the first half. At halftime the UCLA players filed off the field into the locker room. Players sate on benches but poor Riegles put a blanket around his shoulders and sat in a corner, burying his face in his hands. Coach Price was unusually quiet. No doubt he was deciding what to do with Riegals. Just before halftime ended Coach Price announced that the same men who started the first half would start the second half.
The players got up and started to proceed toward the field. Not Riegals. He did not budge. Coach Price went over to him and said: “Roy, didn’t you hear me? You’re in there.” Roy Rieglas looked up, cried, and said: “Coach, I can’t do it. I’ve ruined you. I’ve ruined the university’s reputation. I cannot face that crowd out there.”
Coach Price put his hand on Riegels’ shoulder and said: “ Roy , get up. Get in there. The game is only halfway over.”
He played hard and well the rest of the game even though his team lost. He went on to have a successful life. In fact, in 1957, Roy wrote a letter to a Paraomunt High School player named Jan Bandringa. That player had intercepted a pass and ran 55 yards the wrong way through his own end zone resulting in a safety against his own team.
Roy wrote: "For many years I've had to go along and laugh whenever my wrong-way run was brought up, even though I've grown tired listening and reading about it. But it certainly wasn't the most serious thing in the world. I regretted doing it, even as you do, but you'll get over it."
Roy lived until 1993 when he died at the age of 84.
Okay, what does this have to do with Lent?
Lent reminds us that it is springtime for the soul that God wants to give second chances.
Two weeks ago the Gospel was about a fig tree that some wanted to cut down but was given another season to grow fruit.
Last weekend the Gospel was about the young man (the prodigal son) who squandered his share of the estate then came to his senses and was welcomed back by his forgiving father.
Today’s Gospel is about the woman caught in the very act of sin. How does Jesus deal with those who want to stone her? He says the famous words: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.” And her accusers drifted away one by one, beginning with the elders.
There is a man who keeps by his desk a fairly large stone on which is lettered one word: FIRST. It is a constant reminder of these words from Jesus. “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.” It helps the man remember his own shortcomings when he is tempted to be hasty in condemning others. The remarkable paperweight also serves another purpose. When people come into his office ready to tear someone else to shreds, he hands them the stone. Surprised, they ask what the word FIRST means. Then he explains. Though some wrongs still have to be made right, a new spirit of charity is generated.
Ah, is that where God leads us at this point in Lent? Might He lead us to a new spirit of charity? To give thanks for people in our lives who are like Coach Nibs Price? To imitate the man who keeps that stone with the word FIRST inscribed on it in his office?
It’s springtime for the soul.
At the very least, be careful before we cast a first stone.Cycle C Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 13-14, 2010
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32I believe that during Lent, many of us remember significant people who helped us grow stronger in faith when we were young.
I’ve been thinking about my Grandmother on my mother’s side of the family. Grandma lived to be 84. She died when I was 12.
I remember going to church with her when I was very small, maybe 5 years old. There was a litany being prayed in church. It was moving along at a fast pace. The priest would say something very fast, then the people would answer with a phrase they repeated time and again throughout the litany.
The only problem was I thought it was one word, not a phrase. And that’s why Grandma gave me the evil eye. I kept repeating “himersimus.” I had no idea what it meant.
After the litany, I asked Grandma what “himersimus” meant. She wondered what on earth I was talking about. I said: You know, that word people kept saying after the priest talked. You gave me the evil eye for saying it, but you said it yourself and you didn’t seem too upset with everyone else saying it.
Grandma paused, thought about it, then started to laugh. She said: “Do you mean “Have mercy on us?” It’s not “himersimus.” It’s “Have mercy on us!” ”
So, I learned something that day. So did Grandma!
Lent is a wonderful season during which God hopes we will learn about His mercy toward us. And He hopes we learn more about His invitation to us to show mercy to those who have wronged us.
I’d imagine all of us can think of people we believe really need the mercy of God. And it is great to pray for them. But we must never forget that we, the very vessels that carry these prayers to God, must begin by acknowledging our own need for mercy. Otherwise we become as self-righteous as the elder brother in the story from the Gospel we just heard.
Lent calls us to come to our senses as did the prodigal son, to realize our deep dependence on the mercy of God.
Lent calls us to extend this merciful love to the very people who have hurt us by our sins. Sometimes, some very painful circumstances in life make it impossible to be close to some people to whom we used to be close; don’t deny that. Instead, pray for the grace to see them as God does. That’s a process. And we learn time and again that some of the heaviest crosses we carry are the grudges we refuse to hand over to God. Pray about that as I say it once more: some of the heaviest crosses we carry are the grudges we refuse to hand over to God.
We’ve reached the Fourth Sunday in Lent. You may notice the rose colored vestments. Rose is a symbol of joy in the middle of a season that is penitential or full of sorrow. We are more than halfway through Lent. Palm Sunday is two weeks away. Easter is three weeks away. We rejoice because the Gospel tells us about a God who really desires to show us His mercy. And He really wants us to learn to be merciful people.
Time and again, God wants us to know that He gives us not what we deserve, but what we really need. That’s what mercy is all about. And it takes a long time to learn that, and perhaps a lifetime to be gracious receivers and gracious givers of God’s mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord. Help us to hear it carefully, to get it right, and to mean what we say and say what we mean in a spirit of love.
Cycle C Third Sunday of Lent
Luke 13:1-9
March 6-7, 2010Merle Shain wrote a book entitled Hearts We Broke Long Ago. In it, he tells about a middle-aged man who tried to manipulate a woman into thinking he was humble. The man went on to tell her his life’s story:
He said that he was brought up by middle class parents who wanted him to excel at all costs. He tried to be #1 in many areas, but claimed to have failed in all of them
He said he could speak six languages, but only three of them fluently, so he failed as a linguist.
He said he could play eight musical instruments, but only three of them well, so he failed as a musician.
He described himself as a only a mediocre writer. He was hoping she’d be impressed by how he veiled all his accomplishments in his speech about himself.
How did she react? She wasn’t going to be fooled by his attempts to be modest.
She told him that they were coming at life from opposite ends.
She said that her parents thought she over-achieved when she sucked her thumb.
She told him that she could speak only one language and could not even play chopsticks on the piano.
She said that she wasn’t even a mediocre writer.
But then, she surprised him by telling him that none of this bothered her. Why? It did not bother her because she was still able to like herself.
As Lent continues, we find that our sins are often rooted either in liking ourselves too much (the sin of pride) or not respecting ourselves as people truly loved by God (the sin of despair.)
We learn time and again that we come to truly like ourselves if our lives bear fruit.
We are all works in progress. We’re only fooling ourselves if we think we are finished products. That’s why today’s Gospel about the fig tree teaches us so much. God spares us again and again hoping we might grow, but ultimately, our opportunities for growth will end and we will be held accountable.
We bear fruit when we forgive the many ways people have trespassed against us. Lord, forgive us who find it difficult to forgive.
We bear fruit when we show compassion as did Christ. Lord, be compassionate toward us who often ignore the misfortunes of others.
We bear fruit when we strive to be peacemakers. Lord, help us to be channels of peace in a world torn by so much division.
Lent should lead us to Jesus, who finds us loveable in spite of our sinfulness.
Lent should lead us to Jesus, who gave His life at the hands of those who considered Him to be an enemy so that we could all be friends with God.
Lent should lead us to Jesus, who is patient with us and at the same time reminds us how important it is that we change, and this change cannot be mastered by our own efforts but only by letting His Spirit grow in our hearts.
One interesting note about this Gospel is that it has no ending. Did the fig tree eventually bear fruit? Or did it remain barren and get cut down and destroyed? We don’t know.
So it is with our lives. Will we grow in God’s grace or will we be rooted in our own selfishness and sin?
The story leads us to a patient and merciful God who has, as we said, spared us many times.
Our parish is hosting Tetelestai this weekend. It is all about the life of Jesus and how He wants to touch our hearts. Let me tell you when the prayerful presentation continues (Saturday at 8 PM, Sunday at 2 PM.)
Tetelestai is meant to enable us to discover the Lord’s encouragement to live as Jesus taught, in ways that bear fruit.
With God’s help, may He touch our lives in special ways as this Lenten season continues.
Cycle C Second Sunday in Lent
Luke 9:28b-36
February 27-28, 2010I read the story about some college students who were in a philosophy class. They said they were doing everything they could do to find God, but they realized this was a difficult task. One student compared trying to find God in life to trying to find a needle in a haystack.
When the professor heard this, he agreed. Then he gave the class an assignment. He told the students that at the next class, he would expect each student to articulate a way he or she would go about finding a needle in a haystack.
When the next class session began, a various thoughts were shared. How should one go about finding a needle in a haystack?
One student said she would burn down the entire haystack. Everyone laughed. The professor pointed out that doing so would be a terrible waste of good hay. There could be better ways.
The next student said she would sift through every strand of hay until he would find the needle. The professor wondered if anyone would have that much patience.
The third student said she would organize a whole group of people to divide up the hay and sort through it. That way, the needle would be found in less time than having one person sort through the hay by himself. The professor complimented the team approach but wondered who would get credit for finding the needle. Who would get to keep the prize? Would too much credit be given to the one lucky person who would find the needle? Would the efforts of those who searched but did not find it be unappreciated?
The next student said he would jump into the haystack barefooted. That way, he’d be sure to find the needle! Everyone laughed. But the professor said: “Be careful about that. If you compare finding a needle in a haystack to finding God mainly in pain, you may feel like avoiding encounters with God. Besides, some people could jump on that haystack for a lifetime and still not find the needle, just as some people seem to search and search and never seem to find peace.”
Finally, the professor suggested a better way. Take a magnet. Tie it on a string. Move slowly around the haystack. Watch for the slightest quivering of the magnet. You won’t see the needle right away, but it is quivering, too, especially if your magnet is strong enough. In its own way, that needle wants the magnet to come close enough so that it can jump onto the magnet, just as God draws us and wants to be joined to us.
So it is in our search for God. What are we using as a magnet?
We have reached the Second Sunday in Lent. We know that one very important Lenten practice is prayer. It is a magnet that draws God into our spiritual lives. If only we could realize how important prayer truly is!
What did that voice from the cloud say in today’s Gospel? God the Father told peter, James, and John that Jesus was His chosen Son. He told them to listen to Jesus.
We draw God into our lives in such a beautiful way when prayer includes not just the words we speak to the Lord, but also listening to Him speak within our hearts.
If we listen carefully, we’ll find Him telling us that He forgives every sin of our past lives. No matter what our past has been, we can begin anew.
If we listen carefully, we’ll find Him telling us to reach out to those less fortunate. Consider doing so quietly, anonymously, in ways that call no attention to ourselves.
If we listen carefully, He just might encourage us to be sure to come to the special presentation at our parish called Tetelestai. What is Tetelestai? It is a prayerful musical presentation about Jesus Christ. It will be here in this church next weekend! The dates and times are in my Pastor’s Column in today’s bulletin. Come to this in a spirit of prayer and relaxation with your friends and I believe God will draw very close to us.
Listen to Jesus. That is the magnet that draws God into our lives.
He tells us to share every fear with Him.
He tells us that He loves us so much He died for us.
He tells us our true citizenship is in heaven and we can live for the sake of His Kingdom even now.
He tells us He will transform us and glorify us if we follow Him very closely.
May lent find us listening to Jesus closely, carefully, and constantly.
Cycle C First Sunday in Lent
Luke 4:1-13
February 20-21, 2010It is always easier to be people of faith when things go well and when there are few distractions.
It is always more difficult to be people of faith when life challenges us and various things tend to try to divert our attention.
Perhaps this is why on this First Sunday in Lent we hear a Gospel story about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness.
Consider the context of this story. Things had just gone well for Jesus. At His baptism, Jesus was affirmed that He was God’s beloved Son. The Spirit made a home within Jesus.
But now, as Jesus prepares for His ministry, so many doubts enter the scene. It became very lonely in the desert. Was Jesus truly loved by God? Was that experience at the Jordon River real or just a nice thought?
The same kinds of thoughts can trouble our minds. If God is so loving why does He allow good people to go hungry? Why does an all-powerful God let rulers of the world become so powerful that they ignore the best interests of the people? Why doesn’t God save people we love from disasters? All of these thoughts challenge us to ask, “Where is God?” And they challenge us as we listen to today’s Gospel to prayerfully ask, “Who is Jesus?”
Just as Jesus was tempted by Satan time and again with the words, “If you are the Son of God,” so it is with us, as life challenges us in so many ways that begs for an answer to the question: “Are you really faithful in the midst of adversity? Do doubts have more power over us than our faith?
Today’s Gospel does not answer every question we presented about God, like why God allows people to go hungry, or why rulers become so powerful and uncaring, etc.. But it does show us a way to deal with our struggles. It provides Jesus as an example.
Jesus won’t let Satan deceive Him. Would a good parent give in to a child’s every desire? Jesus knows better so He won’t ignore the opportunity for growth in the desert. He won’t use divine power to change a stone into bread.
Jesus won’t be fooled into exchanging the very depth of His being for power Satan has no right to give anyway. This illusion of power will eventually fade as God’s plan unfold anyway.
Jesus won’t try to manipulate God by testing the laws of nature to prove who He is.
If we think about these temptations Jesus faced, they remind us that God draws us closer to Christ.Does God give everything we want? No. Lent invites us to realize that God gives what we truly need, and that matters even more.
Does God want us to get carried away with how important we are? No. Lent reminds us that we are keepers for our brothers and sisters in need.
Does God want us to jeopardize our physical and spiritual health as we demand some signs from God to prove that He cares for us? No. Lent reminds us that being people of faith means we respond to what God calls us to be. He calls us to be people who believe in God’s grace even during the darkest of times.
Our Gospel teaches us that it is not for us to try to paint God into a corner. Trying to paint God into a corner is a false notion of faith. If His Son, Jesus Christ, knew how true this is, we should know the same. It is for us to follow the example Jesus gave in the desert. It is also for us to follow His example in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus faced His last test. At the time, Jesus prayed that God’s will be done.
Our Lenten journeys just might produce more questions than they answer. That is true if we enter this season prayerfully and full of faith.
When our questioning is strong, remember the power of the Holy Spirit given to us at Baptism.
Remember that God gives what we truly need.
Remember His call to reach out to those less fortunate.
Remember to trust in God’s grace. Let the Spirit lead us this Lent.
C Ash Wednesday 2010
February 17, 2010
Every year, the Pope writes a Lenten Message for the entire world.
This year, his message focuses on the concept of justice.
Humanly speaking, justice involves giving what is due to each person.
Pope Benedict speaks of justice in much broader terms. He quotes from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, chapter 3, verses 21-22: “The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ.”
I encourage you to read the Pope’s message (click here to read the Pope's message). It is posted on our parish web site. Also, it will be summarized in my Pastor’s Column in the bulletin that will be distributed this coming weekend.
Lent is a great time to realize the merciful way God shows justice to us.
By His grace, we are healed by accepting God’s friendship in Jesus Christ.
In just a few minutes, we will receive the Sign of the Cross with blessed ashes on our foreheads. We will be encouraged to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.
May we know the merciful justice of God by having deep faith in Jesus Christ throughout Lent and always.
C Homily 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 13-14, 2010
It is challenging to narrow down our list of things we could talk about today.
After all, it is Valentine’s Day weekend. We praise the wonderful love that unites so many people and continues to express the love of God among us. So I do extend Happy Valentine’s Day wishes to everyone and I wish the fullness of God’s love to each and every one of you.
We could talk about the fact that Lent begins this coming Wednesday. But I know we’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk about Lent when that season arrives. Also, I wrote in today’s Pastor’s Column all about how the Church calculates when Lent begins in relationship to how we calculate the date for Easter each year, so you can read about that when you get home. Most of all, pray that we might have a very meaningful Lent from spiritual perspective. You’ll see that we will be hosting a number of speakers and the prayerful production known as Tetelestai here at this parish this Lent. Read all about it and make plans to be with us as often as you can.
What else might we talk about? Consider today’s Gospel.It seems strange to us that Jesus says blessed are those who are poor, but woe to those who are rich.
It seems strange to us that Jesus says blessed are those who are hungry but woe to those who are filled.
It seems strange to us that Jesus says blessed are those who weep now but woe to those who laugh..
And it seems strange to us that Jesus says that those who are persecuted are blessed while those who are praised by people are the cursed.
How can we make sense of all of these blessings and curses, which seem to be the very opposite of how the world looks at things?
This part of Luke’s Gospel is known as “The Sermon on the Plain.” Jesus speaks to His followers, not just the twelve apostles but to all who wish to follow Him, on a stretch of level ground. He is right there in the midst of people. He is reachable and touchable.
And yes, this is a different way of thinking than the world promotes. This is very intentional.
The poor and hungry during the time Luke wrote His Gospel may have wondered if God hated them and loved the rich, but Luke features Jesus telling them that the poor can be people of even deeper faith and sometimes are poor because the rich create oppressive structures.
Luke features Jesus telling the wealthy who laugh smugly and care only about them selves to realize that God will bring joy to those who don’t fill up with things but fill up with God. After all, Jesus was born in such humble circumstances.
People who were persecuted for their faith during Luke’s time may have wondered if it was worthwhile being people of faith. Luke features Jesus telling them that God praises true goodness even if the world tries to sets its own standards for what is acceptable and what is not.
All of this ties in with what Jeremiah told us in the First Reading. We are blessed if we put the fullness of our trust in God. We are cursed if we put the fullness of our trust in people and in the things of this world.
Jesus is not saying that the poor or the hungry or the weeping should be satisfied with their condition in life because some day a great pie in the sky awaits them.
No, Jesus is saying that the values and customs of what God expects conflict with what society expects. And He is saying that all of us who wish to follow Him must constantly be mindful of this.
Our readings today simply invite us to step back from the hustle and bustle of life and evaluate what is most important from how Jesus looks at things.
As we thank God for His love, and as we prepare for Lent, may we pray for the grace to do exactly what these readings challenge us to do. May we step back from the hustle and bustle of life and evaluate what is most important from how Jesus looks at things.C Homily 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Luke 5:1-11
February 6-7, 2010Millions of dollars are being spent for advertisements to be televised during this year’s Super Bowl. Many of the ads feature a great deal of creativity and humor. Some articles I’ve read tell us that many people are at least as interested in the advertisements as they are in the football game itself.
Think for just a few moments about one thing the ads all have in common. All of them try to tell us about our needs, our emptiness. They try to convince us to fill us with things that will somehow alleviate these needs.
There has been much discussion about one particular advertisement scheduled to be aired during the game that is considerably different than the rest. Oh, it still tries to point us to what we need. But it isn’t advertising a drinks, food, a car, or some product that will make us look younger or appear more beautiful. There has been a lot of talk about plans for Tim Tebow and his mother to be featured in an advertisement that encourages people to respect life. Discussion about this ad has gathered a considerable amount of attention. Some people are in favor of such an ad, some are not. Nevertheless, it points to a deeper need people have, a need for God that is deep within us whether or not we acknowledge it.
Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus called His first followers. People were pressing against in on Jesus, wanting to hear what He had to say. After He had finished speaking he told Simon Peter to encourage his fellow fishermen to put their nets into deep water and lower their nets for a catch. You heard the story how they fished all night long without any measure of success. They must have been surprised by the request Jesus made. After all, they had worked hard all night and had caught nothing.
Some people who are knowledgeable about the Scriptures tell us the emptiness of Simon Peter’s nets reminds us that we can seek and search for so many things but all these things are in vain if we aren’t seeking and searching for God to fill our lives. Our nets will always be empty if they are not filled with the love of our Lord.
Someone suggested that we count how many needs the commercials during the Super Bowl are trying to convince us that we have.
When Simon Peter realized how earnestly Jesus wanted to work in his life, he proclaimed his unworthiness. Simon Peter admitted his own sinfulness and asked Jesus to depart from him. Instead of departing, Jesus assured Simon Peter He would be with him all the more.
Perhaps this is the message we should take home with us. Our deepest need is for God. Instead of abandoning us sinners, He wants to be with us all the more.
We can fool ourselves into thinking we don’t need God, as much of the world fools itself about this all too often.
We can go the other extreme of telling God to leave us, just as Simon Peter tried to tell Jesus to depart. But if we listen, we will find God telling us in our hearts that our past sins are not important to Him but His plans for Him to work through us are so very important.
God does not want us to be so proud that we think we can live without Him.
And God does not want us to try to limit His plans for us by letting ourselves stay mired in the mud of our own unworthiness.
What is important is God’s grace, God’s desire to unite the world to Himself, God’s desire to calm our fears and enable us to lead each other closer to Him.In a sense, we are God’s advertising agents today. If we accept the grace to embrace this truth, we and those around us win. We’ll be victorious in ways that cannot be limited to just the score on the scoreboard.
Homily 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Focus on Luke 4:21-30 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-13
January 30-31, 2010Several thoughts come to mind when we hear this story about how quickly the people of Jesus’ home town turned against Him.
The first thought is an old saying. I don’t know who first came up with it. The saying tells us that our true friends are those who give us the truth even when we least want to hear it. Ponder that. Our true friends are those who give us the truth even when we least want to hear it.
The second thought came from an article about criticism. I don’t know just where or when it was published. The article said that if we face criticism, step back and discern if there is any truth in it at all. If there is no truth, the ones doing the criticizing need to change. But if there is any truth whatsoever in the criticism, even if it wasn’t directed in a courteous way we’d have the right to expect, it’s up to us to learn from it.
Hearing the truth when we least want to hear it. Dealing with criticism along the way. These thoughts certainly relate to this weekend’s Gospel.
Recall last Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus told the people in His home town why He came. Jesus came to bring glad tidings to the poor, bring liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to set free the oppressed.
In last Sunday’s Gospel, the people of Nazareth simply listened intently. But in today’s Gospel, they became upset.
Why?
Jesus was critical of their expectation that God’s favors be restricted only to the people of Israel.
He touched a nerve when He told stories about foreigners, people not of the same kind as those in His home town, being blessed by God.
Jesus told about the prophet Elijah. There were many Jewish widows in need of assistance but God saw fit to let Elijah help a Lebanese widow. Although the people already knew the story, the fact that Jesus gave attention to it would have shocked those who were listening to Jesus!
Jesus also told about the prophet Elisha. There were many Jewish people afflicted with leprosy but God saw fit to let Elisha help a Syrian leper named Naaman. Although the people also knew this story, the fact that Jesus gave attention to it would have shocked those listening to Him.
The people of Nazareth were hoping that if Jesus was the one who fulfilled the promises made long ago, He’d save His miracles for them and them alone. That was their attitude.
They didn’t realize that Jesus was the true friend sent by God who said not merely what they wanted to hear but what they truly needed to hear.
Their response to criticism was a response of rage, trying to throw Jesus over a hill, not an attitude of searching their hearts to see what justifiable criticism He was giving to them because their hearts were so hardened.
The people Elijah and Elisha helped were nothing more than human trash as far as the people of Nazareth were concerned.
Jesus was telling them they better think about that much more carefully.
True friends are those who give us the truth even when we least want to hear it.
Criticism that comes our way must be carefully discerned. If it has any elements of truth, how might God be inviting us to change?
We are told that ultimately, three gifts from God last forever. Faith, hope, and love don’t come to an end. Disbelief, hopelessness, and certainly hatred, prejudice, and narrowness of thought will only bring about the ruin of those so inclined.
What might our friend Jesus be telling us today, why, and what do we intend to do about it?
C Homily 3nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 23-24, 2010
1 Corinthians 12:12-30 Luke 1:1-4 and Lk. 4:14-21Sometimes during this time of year, people talk about presidential inauguration speeches. Of course, that’s every four years and more than a year has passed since we’ve elected a president and there won’t be another presidential election until 2012.
Three famous quotations from presidential inauguration speeches come to mind. Can you identify which president said them, and what was going on in our country at the time?
The first quotation: “With malice toward none, with charity for all.” (Abe Lincoln spoke these words at his second inauguration. The year was 1865. The Civil War just ended.)
The second quotation: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself…” (Franklin Roosevelt, This was in 1933. His first inauguration speech that took place in the middle of a bank panic.)
The third quotation: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” (John F. Kennedy in 1961.)
I mention inauguration speeches because the context of the speech Jesus gave at the synagogue in today’s Gospel is kind of like that. He tells us what He came to do. He reads from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and tells the congregation these words are fulfilled in their hearing.
Yes, Jesus was filled with God’s Spirit.
Yes, Jesus was anointed by God to bring glad tidings to the poor.
Yes, Jesus came to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free……..
At first, everyone just listened to this. In next weekend’s Gospel, we’ll see that when Jesus made some more comments about this some people became rather upset and He ran into some trouble. But we’ll hear that next week.
Right now, we need to understand a very basic thing the Gospel writer Luke teaches us. And what does Luke teach us?
Luke teaches us that there are three periods of history.
The first period is known as the period of Israel. That’s when the Jewish people waited for a Messiah to set them free.
The second period was the period of Jesus. The Lord arrived and by His teaching, preaching, deeds, death, and resurrection, He set us free from what harms us most of all.
The third period is the period of the Church. That is when God’s People live as the Body of Christ to set the world free from what ails it by continuing the work of Jesus.
After this third period ends – and we don’t know when or how – God’s Kingdom will last forever.
So, keeping this in mind, we live in that third period – the period of the Church. And there is plenty of work to do.
God’s Spirit is upon us, enabling us to be the Body of Christ. Can we remember that when it seems like we’ve lost our purpose in life?
This Spirit sends us to bring glad tidings to the poor. I know we’ve seen so many pictures of Haiti since the earthquake. Our youth ministry is raising funds through a bowling event to help Catholic Relief Services there. Can we respond?
The Spirit sends us to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to God. How is that? There are people held captive by the guilt of terrible choices they’ve made. Can we show them forgiveness and a fresh beginning? There are people blind to God’s goodness. How might we reflect the goodness of God? There are people oppressed by a sense of hopelessness. Can we show that Christ is our true hope?
May our awareness that God’s Spirit calls us to be the Body of Christ enable us to have malice toward none, charity for all, be freed from useless fear, and ask not what our church can do for us but what we can do for God’s Church.
C Homily 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 16-17, 2010
Focus: John 2:1-11It’s never easy to imagine that we are actually someone else, using their eyes, their thoughts, their hearts to take in life along the way.
But sometimes, that kind of imagination really helps us see things a little clearer.
Imagine that you are a young girl and an angel tells you that you will conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Imagine that nine months later, you give birth to that child in the most humble circumstances.
Imagine the joy you experience when you dedicate this child at the Temple, and at the same time, the twinge of sadness you feel when you are told that the way some people will reject this child when He grows up will break your heart.
Imagine the many meals you prepared for this child as he grew, the many times you came to His assistance when He fell down, the times you sang to Him when He was frightened, and the times you laughed with Him when you told Him funny stories.
Imagine how proud you were when He learned to be a carpenter like your husband.
Imagine now, you are Mary, and you are at this wedding feast described in today’s Gospel.
The people hosting the party ran out of wine! How embarrassing this could be for them. As the mother of someone you knew to be so special, you believed it to be so important to ask Him to do something about it.
And what does He tell you? “Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.”Step back from pretending you are Mary, and consider what was said.
When you and I hear those words, we think they sound so rude. But the reality is that they are not rude. In this story, Jesus addressed Mary by the term woman. In biblical times the word used by Jesus was a term which would be addressed to a queen or a woman of high rank. It was a term of great respect.
What do you do if you are Mary at that point? You tell the waiters to do whatever Jesus tells you, because you have faith that He will do the right thing.
This story reveals the first public miracle worked by Jesus. He changed water into wine. And the wine He gave was better than the wine that was served earlier.In the Bible, wine is a sign of celebration. Even though Jesus’ hour had not yet come – that is, the hour of His death that saved us all – He works a miracle to demonstrate that God is at work in the everyday lives of people.
Do we realize there is one other time when Jesus Christ addresses His mother by
the term woman ? It happened not only in this story (where He worked His first public miracle), it also happened at His Crucifixion on the Cross. As Jesus was dying, He said to Mary: "Woman, behold, your son." Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
So imagine you are Mary one more time.
This son you conceived, gave birth to, nourished, taught, and nurtured was sent by God to give new life to people.He forgives our sins, and blesses us like nobody else can.
He offers His gifts publicly to bring the marriage between humanity and divinity to consummation.
If you are Mary, the best gift you can give all of us is to tell us to do whatever Jesus tells us.
Today, and always, we are grateful for the teaching of such a great mother.
Now, if only we can do what Jesus tells us.
