Wednesday of the First Week in Lent
After returning home from a mission trip (where I volunteered to work with children who had been removed from their homes as a result of the situations there), I was seriously angry at God. Realizing the anger was something that I needed to deal with I sought the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Growing up, my family rarely went to church. I think that was because my mother was raised Catholic, and my father grew up in a Methodist home. I think they just didn’t know how to resolve that difference. As a result, I had very little in the way of religious education. For reasons I cannot explain, I was still very interested in the Bible, and I prayed a lot. But because I didn’t have much of an idea about how to be a Christian, I also didn’t know how to pray. So, my prayers consisted mostly of me pleading to God for this or that. And my pleas were generally pretty selfish. I recall a prayer I sent up a number of times when I was in the eighth grade—that a cute boy who sat near me in the marching band would take notice of me.
Monday of the First Week of Lent
We recently hosted a gathering of friends at our home. In the course of the evening, our conversation turned to religion. One guest shared that the thing that makes our Catholic faith so amazing is the fact that it has a 2000 year old track record upon which we can build our lives. Although I agreed with him, I commented that I believe that my faith (and I think our church) continues to evolve as we become more open and aware of God’s presence and grace in our lives and the world. I think that the readings today help illustrate this concept. The laws are not thrown away, but these precepts evolve into a pathway to direct us to live compassionately and with great love.
First Sunday of Lent
There is a ninety year old parishioner whom I visit every so often. She takes Lent very seriously. The other day when I visited her she winked at me and said, “I am giving you up for Lent!” It was one of those rare times when I did not have a comeback. I said to her that I was going to tell on to the entire parish. She smiled. Humor aside, I think the story highlights our obsession with “giving up” during Lent. Often, Lent becomes all about giving up. Sometimes, the very thing that is integral to the Lenten spirit is also the cause of its demeaning. Equating Lent with “giving up” or penance-for-penance-sake destroys the spirit of Lent.
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Being a jerk is easy. I'm serious. It often seems far easier to be a jerk than to live according to the commands and models we find in today's readings.
Friday after Ash Wednesday
This winter has been a tough one for me. I don't know if it's the cold, or the dark, or just the plain old unrelenting busy-ness of my days - but some days I have had a hard time just wanting to keep going through the day and do the work that needs doing! For me, it's not really despair so much as a very great desire to hole up under a quilt, drink hot tea, and read good books till, well, till I don't know when. Till the tough times pass....
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Today’s readings show us the type of life we can expect to live if we place our trust in God’s providence. In Deuteronomy we read the original life-or-death question from Moses: Follow God to life and prosperity, or do it yourself and face certain death. With a choice so plain, it’s surprising that anyone would choose not to follow the Lord. Yet so many people do not follow. Why?
Ash Wednesday
At home, there is a shamrock plant that sits on the kitchen window sill. It is an old plant and almost died. This past summer I carefully planted it with all new soil. It has become stronger than ever before. Also, I have been more intentional about the caring for it. I water it every other day and I turn it one hundred eighty degrees once a week. A few days later, the leaves move from the shadows back to the light. They look as if they're straining to be as close to the light of the sun as they can.
Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Poor Jesus. You’d think that the disciples would know by this point in his ministry who he is and what sort of kingdom he is bringing forth. But they don’t. And so in this text from Mark they are fretting over the fact that they did not bring enough bread (or perhaps they brought none at all). And Jesus is frustrated—not because they forgot the bread but because they don’t understand that it doesn’t matter. It is not the forgetting of the bread that is the problem. It’s the fact that they still don’t get the economy of the Kingdom.
Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Trials and testing produce perseverance. Afflictions invite joy and gratitude. And, regardless of 'signs' or objective evidence, personal faith grows. Today's Scriptures, so closely interwoven with similar themes, challenge us to reflect upon our present spiritual circumstances. With only a few days before the season of Lent begins, it's the perfect time to 'get back to basics', especially when it comes to prayer.
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
As powerful as the story of the healing of the leper is in today’s gospel reading, I want to begin with Paul in the second reading. Pauls says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ!” (1 Cor 11:1). Paul makes this statement as a conclusion to the question of believers eating food offered to idols by an unbeliever. This was a complex issue for the early Christians and it will long to explain it in this homily. The point I am trying to make is that Paul refuses a black and white answer. Rather, he says that he’d rather eat the food placed before him by an unbeliever so that he does not displease the unbeliever. On the other hand, if a believer would be scandalized by Paul’s behavior, he would rather not eat it. Thus he concludes, “… I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved” (1 Cor 10:34). Paul imitation of Christ lies in this - that he does not seek his own benefit but of others, so that they might be saved. His imitation of Christ is not about saving himself. His imitation of Christ is that they might be saved!
Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin
Why is the ocean near the shore? That seems like an easy question, but that little puzzle comes from the Wizard of Oz. Remember the three-part song by the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion about wanting a brain, a heart, and some nerve, respectively. That songs came back to me as a I read today’s gospel and experienced conviction (also, if you get a minute, spend some time understanding the context of what is happening in the first reading because it is interesting history).
Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Most of you probably know that the Catholic Church has been focused on "the New Evangelization" for a couple years now. The New Evangelization is meant to encourage people to spread the Good News of Jesus (as Christians have done for centuries) but with an eye to our particular contemporary needs. For example, the New Evangelization emphasizes a need to be present online and to witness to Jesus in relation to all our technology. The New Evangelization also recognizes that people today often wonder about the relationship between science and God, and whether our views of science mean that belief in God is false - and so we are asked to consider these real concerns of people and address them.
Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Persistence, grit, perseverance - as a school counselor, these are buzz words of my profession. There is a lot of time and energy and research put into the question of how do you teach these qualities to kids? How do we instill these character traits in today's youth? The question has become even more relevant as we see the impact of our society's need for selfish, immediate-gratification.
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Good Samaritan hospital, in Dayton, OH, is closing its doors at the end of this year. Uncertainty and anxiety can be difficult to manage. We do not know what is going to happen but we do know that the goal is to get us all jobs. In the same way we do not always know how a health care crisis will go, but we do know that the care team is always doing their best to help someone heal. In both of these examples what is required it a trust that God is there and a hope for the positive.
Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs
This Easter, my husband (Bill) and I will celebrate our second anniversary as Catholics. As we awaken again at the Easter vigil to the truth of the resurrected Christ, we will also remember so vividly the first time we received the Eucharist.
Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
Most Sundays my husband and I attend Mass with our daughter, her husband and our two grandchildren. Trying to help these children (3 years old and 18 month old) be attentive to what is occurring on the altar is a challenge. One way that often catches their interest is when we direct them to see “Papa Tish” (Fr. Satish) or Pops (my husband) when he serves, lectors or is a Eucharistic Minister up on the altar. When they recognize someone as familiar they are more likely to want to pay attention and learn more about what is happening during the service.
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Of all the weeks, this was not the week that I wanted to deal with a scripture reading from Job. In today’s first reading Job reflects on life and says, “Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?” (Job 7:1). Drudgery is a very distressing word. It is an immensely burdensome state of being. I have just returned from home seeing the drudgery of my ninety year old father. My heart breaks to see him this way. He sleeps almost all day, wakes up to eat, use the the bathroom, pray a little and then back to bed again. All the medication he takes to stay alive… it is depressing for him and my family. My eighty year old mother said to me the other day, “Does this have to be how our last days are? Dad sleeps most of the time and I walk about the house like a ghost.” Its called drudgery. As I left home this time, I did not feel that I was merely leaving home. I felt that I was abandoning my parents. My life still has meaning. My ministry is still my life. I am surrounded by very some supportive people and a lovely puppy. But to me life seems like drudgery right now. I won’t be surprised if there are people in this church who feel like my father, my mother or I feel at the moment. Drudgery is real.
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
My wife and I are blessed to be friends with a couple who serve as youth ministers for a non-denominational church community in northern Ohio. They shared with us the story of a young girl who had been bringing her Catholic friend to their youth group.
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
In today’s gospel, in the midst of Simeon’s prophecy, Mary gets some bad news. In what should have been a moment every bit as joyful as our tradition of baptizing our children, she hears that she is going to be run through by a sword! ‘Have a nice day!’