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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - (8/24/08)

The main thrust of this Sunday’s readings is to confirm the authority of God’s choice of leaders. Isaiah tells of God correcting a bad leader and replacing him with good leadership, giving him the “key of the house of David.” This is the role of the chief Steward who is charge of the house/
palace. Jesus continues this symbol with the giving to Peter of the “keys to the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 16:19). Peter becomes the leader with stewardship responsibilities (after the resurrection and Pentecost). That is the source of our recognition of papal authority. Most Protestants don’t accept this authority, although it is clear what Jesus was doing based on the Isaihan precedent. Matthew 23:2-3 is another instance where Jesus accepts the teaching authority of the Pharisees even though He criticized how they acted in public. It was understood after the Resurrection that this teaching authority had passed to Peter and the Apostles, and continues to this day through the pope and college of Bishops.

Stewardship is also the responsibility of each of us in the faith community. Please take the opportunity this week to think and pray about how you will choose to use the gifts entrusted to you for the building up of God’s Kingdom, beginning here and now. May God bless us even more in our generous sharing of God’s grace. Amen!

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (8/17/08)

There’s an old saying, “Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Last week we talked about the need to continue to trust in God even when it seems that He is not listening. St. Theresa of Avila suggests that God pulls back from us a little to remind us of the limitations of our human condition and to remind us that humility is the basic virtue
necessary for communication with God. I trust her experience, though I might wish that God was my own private wishing well. This week’s readings remind us again of the necessity to persevere in prayer. When at first God doesn’t seem to answer our prayer, it is important to have enough faith to persevere, believing with all our heart that what we are asking is in God’s will.

Do we believe that God’s “No” could actually be a “ Yes?” I am absolutely certain God can use a “no” to help us become better. Our responsibility is to trust in God enough that we can accept a “no” and turn it into a “yes” in our own life. That means we might need to change our vision of how what we want could fit into God’s greater plan for all humanity as well as for ourselves. It is a mystery how it all works out.

If we believe that what we are praying for is good for us and for humanity, we should be willing to pray for it, even if it takes the rest of our lives. That perseverance shows true trust in God’s plan for us to know the fruits of His love. May God bless us in our prayers. Amen!

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (8/10/08)

Elijah experiences a feeling that may be familiar to many of us: he feels he is a failure. He has just defeated the 400 prophets of the false god Baal, and as a consequence Queen Jezebel has put a bounty on his head. He is tired of doing good, he wants to run away and die. He goes to a mountain alone to find some peace and quiet. God comes to him there but not as Elijah expected. God comes in the “tiny whispering sound” instead of the power of fire, wind, or earthquake.

In the gospel, Jesus too is tired (though He doesn’t think He is a failure). The crowds have worn Him out and He needs quiet prayer with His Father. He sends his disciples on ahead. When He comes to them in the night walking on the water his disciples are terrified. But Jesus reassures them. Then Peter asks to come to the Lord over the water. Jesus commands him, and Peter begins his journey to the Lord. But he becomes frightened when he recognizes all the difficulties of the journey and begins to lose faith. Jesus has to save him from his fear. That is what Jesus does for us. When we are frightened or tired of the journey of faith, Jesus will come to strengthen us, perhaps not walking on water, but perhaps in the grace of the sacraments or the prayers of friends. We are called to trust in the Lord and help strengthen one another on our journey of life. May we always be open to the grace of our Lord’s presence with us. Amen!

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (8/03/08)

Many modern “theologians” attempt to explain away the miracle of the feeding of the multitude by claiming that the people already had the food and just needed to be convinced to share it with those around them. This is part of the secular humanist view of Christ as a “nice guy” who would never say a cross word to anyone except the religious
authorities, and who is not really God but is good at convincing people to share their food. We must be careful not to fall into this false teaching. Jesus is the God-man who loves us so much that He is willing to suffer and die so that we can be saved. That salvation is the purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world. Sin has incredibly dreadful consequences for us. And only God-man is able to offer the grace for our redemption from sin.

One of the key points of the gospel passage is the concern of Jesus: “…his heart is moved with pity for them…” Because God/Jesus cares about us He wants to nourish us. The feeding of the multitude is a foretaste of the feeding of all God’s people in the Eucharist. Jesus wants us to have all the grace we need to be “His heart and hands and feet” in our day-to-day lives. Let us be thankful for our fulfillment at the Eucharistic table by helping to nurture others with the same care that Jesus gives to us. Amen.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (7/27/08)

Would you recognize a treasure if you saw it? If I told you there was a treasure in the church building, would you look for it? Two of the parables in today’s gospel speak of people finding a treasure that others don’t see. What makes them able to see when others can’t? Of course, a buried treasure is out of sight. In the parable, it just seems to appear by good luck, maybe after a storm has washed away loose dirt around it. With the pearl, the merchant is trained and can recognize the value of a fine pearl when he sees it. In both cases, the finding is an unforeseen blessing.

The parables remind us that the kingdom of heaven is not something that we earn but rather that falls into our lap as a gift from God. All we need is a humble heart with wise
eyes to recognize the value of the gift in order to receive it. One of my favorite phases from a teacher in the seminary is, “ God’s grace is always already there.” God’s grace is all
around us like buried treasure, and all we have to do is accept it humbly. Or to put it another way, we need the wisdom of a trained and obedient heart to recognize God’s gifts all around us. In the middle of summer, let us open our eyes to look for God’s great gifts all around us, in our families, friends, church, work, supermarket, etc. Then amazed by what we rediscover, let us praise the Lord with joyful hearts! Amen!

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (7/20/08)

Since it is summer, I guess it is appropriate to hear parables about growing. Jesus was very aware of how to use the everyday experiences of the people to try to explain the
invisible God at work in a visible world. Most of have some experience of plants and weeds. Jesus points out God’s patience in allowing the weeds and the good seed to grow together. This is where the metaphor breaks down. Seed and weeds don’t have free will, they will become what they are programmed to become by their genetic makeup. But humans have free will, and therefore “weeds” can become good plants (and sadly, vice versa) through acceptance of God’s grace.

The important thing to remember about God’s plan for humanity is that our time is limited. God gives us only so much time and we need to use that time to become fruitful in
the garden of the Lord. In Time, all things are constantly changing. The only thing that is certain is God’s love for us. Let us make sure this summer is a time for us to grow closer to God’s love and be fruitful witnesses for our neighbors. Amen!

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (7/13/08)

John’s gospel begins with the familiar words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” These words give us the background for calling Jesus the “Word of God.” Isaiah tells us that God’s Word is effective and accomplishes what it was sent for. It is doubtful that Isaiah was thinking about Jesus but rather the will of God. As Genesis tells us, God spoke and creation came into existence. The coming of Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for humanity. Now it only remains for humanity to accept or reject.

The parable of the Sower and the Seed (or more appropriately The Soil) is about the different reactions to God’s offer of salvation. Some don’t accept, some hear and accept temporarily, and some accept and become extremely fruitful in responding to God’s offer in overwhelming joy. The soil also reminds us of humanity’s relationship with nature (creation). Paul reminds us that just as creation suffers as a result of the sin of humanity (Genesis 3:17), it also awaits the fullness of redemption that comes after humanity’s redemption.

Jesus uses parables to explain the teachings of His Father but only the humble of heart can learn from them. Those who are too busy with their lives to contemplate the mystery of God at work in time will lose out. Let us be attentive this summer, this time of growth for creation, that it may be a time of growth in the Lord for us also. Amen!

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (7/6/08)

Happy 4th of July Weekend! I hope everyone is able to enjoy some relaxation. I guess it is most appropriate that Jesus speaks of giving rest to those who are burdened. Many of us have felt an overwhelming burden at some point in our life. For most, time passes and the burden eases. But some people carry heavy burdens for a long time. Jesus reminds us that God does not wish us to carry some of these horrible burdens but to trust in His love and healing power to help us lighten our burdens.

As we enjoy this holiday weekend let us also remember all the people who have helped make this country and who are serving today in some capacity to help us live just lives. May God bless us in our continuing efforts to make this a country that respects and protects all human life and promotes equality and justice for all. May we learn to submit ourselves to God’s will and truly be one nation under God. Amen.

Solemnity of Peter and Paul, Apostles - (6/29/08)

The feast of Sts. Peter and Paul remind us of the trials and triumphs of these two foundational figures of the early church. These two people were apparently very different in character and educational background, yet come together in Christ to preach God’s intervention into human
history. We may not grasp how difficult it was for the people of Jesus’ time to believe that God had taken a direct hand into their history, much less the history of all humanity, and especially to believe that God would do this in complete humility. Yet there is real grace in realizing that our lives lived in the day-to-day activities of human existence is valuable enough that our God would spend so much time with us.

Each disciple, in fact every person in the world, at some time will have to answer the question posed by Jesus, “Who do you say that I am?” For most of us that means Jesus becomes real, perhaps for the first time in our lives. Who is Jesus and what does He mean to ME? If you haven’t thought about it before now, please take some time to ponder this all important question. When we realize that Jesus lived and died for us, our lives take on new importance and will become a shining light for the world to see.

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time - (6/22/08)

This week we officially began summer. Although we may have different routines from the rest of the year, our readings remind us of the one eternal truth of our God’s Love for us. The Lord asks us not to be afraid even when we face difficulties in living our faith. Our God will always be with us, not necessarily to do away with our troubles but to help us face them and eventually overcome them with God’s grace. Nothing happens to us that God doesn’t know about. Even the hairs of our heads are counted by God (Some of us make it easy on God in this category)!!

Jesus tells us that everyone who acknowledges Him before others He will acknowledge before His heavenly Father. So it is important that we not be afraid to witness to Christ in the world. We don’t have to stand on a soapbox on the street corner to do so, but to be ready to ask the gentle question, “Do you think that’s what Jesus would do?” Sometimes we just need to remind people that God is watching with anticipation for the good we will do with our lives. As we prepare to enjoy the summer season, let us not forget our daily companion! Amen.

  

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