Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I am going to begin my homily with a few sayings: “A jealous ear hears everything, and discordant grumblings are no secret” (Wis 1:10). Here is another one: “A great number of wise men is the safety of the world” (Wis 6:24). One more: “Our lifetime is the passing of a shadow; and our dying cannot be deferred because it is fixed with a seal; and not one returns” (Wis 2:5). The last one: “Age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, not can it be measured in terms of years” (Wis 4:8). All these saying are from he book of Wisdom, the book from which our first reading is taken.
Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
Scripture Readings
(This reflection is based in part on the optional passage from Song of Songs for the first reading)
Today is the Memorial of Saint Mary Magdelene. Like many of the earliest disciples, little is known about the life of Mary Magdelene. There are several enduring legends about her life after the Lord’s Ascension, but we really cannot be certain about their validity. Even the widely held notion that she was a repentant sinner is not based in historical fact. What we do know for sure is truly the most important thing. As Jesus says in the gospel, she has “loved much”. When I try to imagine the way she loved Jesus, I think of the word “fierce”. This is strong and curious way to describe the way a person might love, but that is the word that comes to mind when I think of the way she loved him. Obvious negative connotations aside, I see the fierceness of loving as that aspect which grips and impassions and compels one toward a single focus—to become one with the beloved.
Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Scriptture Readings
It is interesting to have today's texts side by side. The first (Exodus 11:10-12:14) is the story of how the great feast of Passover came to be. It is one of the most important feasts of the year because it commemorates that God saves and protects the Israelites by leading them out of Egypt. God makes observing the feast a kind of law: "This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord, as a perpetual institution."
Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
We have all seen a rescue mission on a TV show, movie, or fairy tale. People get caught up in a dangerous spot, and they can’t get out with help from the outside. God has similar plans for humanity. Ever since the fall, we’ve been caught up in sin. And, ever since the fall, God has been making plans for our liberation.
Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Walking on holy ground is how I like to describe chaplaincy. But indeed it is a theological statement that can undergird all ministry, and even our life as disciples. It is in approaching a patient, a friend or a stranger with a sense of wonder and awe that we realize a sacredness in the moment. These instances have the power to transform situations and bring about conversion for all involved.
Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
A lot is going wrong as we enter the Exodus text for today. To start, Pharaoh has issued a decree demanding that all male babies born of the Hebrews be drowned in the Nile. To live amidst the darkness of such a decree, especially if you are of that ethnicity or religious identity, must be hell on earth. Not only that, Pharaoh chose to use the Nile—perhaps the most powerful source and sign of life for all the people of that region—as the instrument of death. Hell, indeed.
Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
A few days ago, a friend of mine was reading my print out of today's readings and said, "You see…this is a perfect example of why I do not understand Christianity! How can you believe in this?" Needless to say, my friend does not identify himself as a Christian. The passage from chapter 10 of Matthew's Gospel (Mt 10:34-11:1) can be easily misunderstood—even used to point out the 'defects' in the teachings of Jesus. The conversation that followed led me to relate a number personal testimonies (anonymity protected) I have heard in recent years. Yes, even now and in our own communities, belief in Jesus causes division. Yes, children and parents are set against one another and those we always saw as our enemies are now part of our own households.
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The use of parables to teach the lessons of life was one of the most brilliant strategies that Jesus used. Besides the fact that Jesus used imageries and analogies from the daily events to connect with his audience, parables by their nature are open ended. We can draw multiple meanings from parables. For that matter, a parable never runs out of meanings. The parable of the Sower and the Seed is one of the richest parables in the gospels.
Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Reflecting on today's readings, I found myself focusing on one common theme: fear. If we had to be honest with ourselves, all of us are probably afraid of something. Perhaps take a moment to reflect on what you're most afraid of. Or, in the words of one of my favorite Catholic speakers, Ennie Hickman, what's your worst case scenario? Since the time we were kids trying to determine if we should climb the tallest tree in the neighborhood or ask a certain girl or guy to the school dance, we begin our discernment by thinking to ourselves, "What's the worst thing that could happen?" Maybe we fall from the tree and break our arm. Maybe she says, "No." Sometimes our fears are unfounded, but often we do have legitimate fears and concerns. My worst case scenario is easy to pinpoint- losing my wife and son. There's a legitimate fear that I have in my worst case scenario. Initially, it can be somewhat crippling to think about, but there's also a great sense of freedom and peace in bringing my worst case scenario to God (and hopefully that's your experience as well).
Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
If you have ever packed yourself or your family for an extended trip you know that there are many things to pack that feel like necessities - those things you just can't imagine leaving home without. But in today's Gospel we are told the opposite. While this feels true for vacation or a business trip, do we approach life this same way? Are there the things we do not leave home without?
Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The readings today challenge us to look at our own short comings, yet offer us God’s mercy if we place our trust in Him. Ultimately, our openness to God’s ability deliver us from evil allows us to be summoned and then sent forth to be disciples.
In the reading from Genesis we find Joseph, who has gone from slave to second in command in Egypt. As governor, Joseph is confronted with an ironic twist of events. The very people who sold him into slavery need Joseph’s help desperately. With their awareness Joseph challenges these men, first by locking them up for three days. Then by letting all go free except one. Granting his brothers request of food he sends them forth on the condition they return with their youngest brother. The brothers realize they are reaping what they have sown. When the reality of truth confronts us, what is our reaction? Our response may be anger, denial, flight, or integration or some combination of these. Our reaction is often a metric of our humility.
Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
As a historian I have been trained to be very careful in making generalizations. Individuals are very particular – living in a very particular time and place -- and so we have to be very careful about using the word “everyone,” as in “everyone is motivated by this” or “everyone has experienced that.” (This is also why historians reject the popular notion that “history repeats itself,” but I will spare you that lecture!)
Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Above my computer in our study is a photo of the word “FAITH” spelled out in letters from pictures of objects in our everyday world. When writing this reflection, I was struck by how all of today’s readings speak about faith and our trust in God’s providence and protection. Through both the blessings and challenges of life, we are called to turn to God and believe that He is there leading us back to Him.
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We may not think too much about this, but everything we know, we act, we think, and we live is learned. Think about a new born infant. Besides breathing, hunger, sleep, wailing, and pooping, the baby knows very little. Many of these behaviors are instinctual. A new born baby has very little intentionality. What the baby learns as he or she grows up depends on the home and society. As a child grows up, he or she learns behaviors, attitudes, and perspectives. Everything we know, act, think, and live today - is learnt.
Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
I was talking with a friend recently about prayer. A formulation about prayer that I've enjoyed is ACTS: Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Reflecting on my conversation and the Psalm, I've been convicted that my prayer life tends to look more like CTS with Adoration being my weakest component.
Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
I'm finding an interesting phenomenon in social media and the papers these days. There are more and more people quite willing to say that we live in dark times, that the world is going to hell, that "stuff like this wouldn't have happened in my day."
Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Living a life of faith day after day, year after year, it's easy to feel like we know God well. We've read the Bible alone and in small groups. We've studied and referenced the catechism. We've prayed to God and thought about what the Lord wants, what our calling is in this life. We've immersed ourselves in the liturgy, and looked for Jesus among the poor and marginalized. We have committed ourselves to works of Mercy, charity, and justice. We have discussed all this with our fellow Christians. In our hearts, we know what God wants, and how the Spirit moves in the world.
Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
One of my favorite teachers in seminary, Fr. Mike Seger told us that the right answer to every question he asked was, “Do good and avoid evil.” For this moral theologian, it was important to boil it all down to this foundation. Once he had a student wake up from a dead sleep exclaiming this phrase.
Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The story that Matthew tells in the Gospel reading for today is both simple and profoundly challenging for all who live in faith, or try to anyway.