Friday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
I cannot remember how many times I have said to myself, “How could I be so foolish?” The latest was when I asked a rather “well-rounded” lady if she was pregnant. To my total embarrassment, she was not. But, how could I, who has a Masters in Communication and Doctorate in Theology, be so stupid? Well, today’s scriptures may have some answers.
Thursday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
I have to choose my words carefully when I speak now. My 4 year-old who is a sponge for words and language will stop me whenever I use a word he does not know the meaning of and insist I define it for him. When I read through today's readings I felt called to the word perseverance. When I stepped back to think about perseverance I realized this is a word we reflect on often but one I have never taken the time to clearly define. How would I define this for Owen?
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
There is a lot of discussion about lying lately. Whether it be in presidential politics or the public forum in general it is almost alarming. Consider the Olympic swimmer who over exaggerated a situation in order to make the spotlight shine upon him. For Ryan Lochte, the sun did shine upon him in that he won twelve Olympic medals, however the truth illuminated his untruths. These lies are offered as to invite us into a controverted reality. As a whole they are creating a great distrust of those in the public spotlight.
Tuesday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s first reading, Paul writes to the Thessalonians telling them to neither believe nor be concerned with what some people are claiming; the day of the Lord is upon them. Paul tells them, “Let no one deceive you in any way” and to “Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught”. I think his advice to the Thessalonians is applicable to us today even if the overall circumstances are different.
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
I was recently going through old pictures when I came across pictures from 1999 when our son Dan was diagnosed with leukemia. Needless to say, these were very difficult times. And yet, I would say that everyone in our family in retrospect would be able to say that there was significant growth and even blessings in the midst of these challenges. Although suffering is not something that we welcome, it is something that each of us faces. If we can turn and trust in God during the darkest of these times, not only will our faith be strengthened, but we develop a greater capacity to share and support others in their sufferings and grief.
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
If salvation or heaven was not integral to our faith, how many of us would still be religious? For intensity sake, let me reframe the question. If at the end of our lives, our virtuous living could not guarantee us heaven, would we still be believers? Christianity, in particular, is a very demanding religious tradition. It invites us to take up our cross, to be humble, to die to ourself, to give beyond measure, to be poor in spirit, to forgive our enemies us and to sacrifice our life for our faith . After fulfilling these expectations if all we could expect was some earthly reward, would you and I still be Christian? The human heart longs for immortality and salvation. Without the assurance of salvation, religion would lose its purpose. In fact, religion IS the quest for salvation.
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
If salvation or heaven was not integral to our faith, how many of us would be religious? For intensity sake, let me reframe the question. If at the end of our lives, our virtuous living could not guarantee us heaven, would we still be believers? Christianity, in particular, is a very demanding religious tradition. It invites us to take up our cross, to be humble, to die to ourself, to give beyond measure, to be poor in spirit, to forgive our enemies us and to sacrifice our life for our faith . After fulfilling these expectations if all we could expect was some earthly reward, would you and I still be Christian? The human heart longs for immortality and salvation. Without the assurance of salvation, religion would lose its purpose. In fact, religion IS the quest for salvation.
Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
The series of three “do nots” in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew is pretty well known. The middle one, “Call no man on earth father,” is likely the most familiar. That one catches our ear the most and is sometimes leveled against Catholics as evidence that we violate scripture. The first and third might be less familiar, “Do not be called rabbi,” and “Do not be called master.” Shall we completely reinvent our language because of these three passages? I will venture to say no, but I think Christ does challenge us to not let these words sideline God.
Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
I find myself slightly fascinated by the fact that vampires are a "craze" these days, especially for teens and young adults. I don't find much of anything interesting about vampires, "the living dead," myself but I am very interested in why vampires provide such a cultural hold on others, in books, movies and video games. Strangely enough, I wonder if part of the answer might come from today's scriptures.
Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s readings, we see a theme of sin and redemption with God’s love shining throughout. The passage from the prophet Ezekiel is a well-known one: here God reveals his dedication to the people of Israel who have turned away from him. The Lord speaks of bringing the people back, cleansing them from their false worship, and giving them a “new heart” and a “new spirit” (Ez. 36:26). Even though the people have deserted God and worshiped other gods, the Lord remains faithful, and in this fidelity to his sinful people, God is willing to do the cleansing, to give the people another chance.
Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
The theme of the good shepherd is a common thread for today’s readings. We come across Ezekiel just after he learns of Jerusalem’s fall. Ezekiel had already been in exile for twelve years. Ezekiel’s prophecy against the shepherds of Israel reads like a job description of a bad shepherd: you feed yourself instead of your sheep, you do not search for those who have strayed or are lost, and you do not strengthen the weak or heal the sick. The prophet is challenging the leaders of the faith, who have failed to hear the word of the Lord. The story does not end here. The Lord, the Good Shepherd, promises to search for the lost sheep and gather them back into their land.
Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings have been a source of astonishment for many generations of Christians. In today's first reading from Ezekiel, the wise and prudent ruler of the great city of Tyre is proud. When he reflects on his many successes, he can only conclude that he has divine power. How else could he be so good at everything? But Ezekiel’s message to him is simple: ‘Prince, you are a mortal man, you and will die soon at the hands of murderers.’
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On this Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we can sing with our Holy Mother “…He has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”
(Lk 1:54-55) Mary sings in gratitude and praise for the long awaited Messiah and, on this day, we sing in gratitude and praise for the gift of Mary as well. Though we can never fully comprehend the depth of God’s mercy for us, God’s gift to us in the Blessed Mother is a most splendid expression of the vastness of this mercy.
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Do you think I have come to bring peace? No, I tell you, bur rather division.” Division, violence, and wars remain the uppermost concern in the minds of many of us. Terrorism is sweeping the globe. There is not one country that can rest secure. In our own country, political discourse is bordering the extreme. Racial violence has claimed many lives. Fear is crippling our normal lives. As if this were not enough, we come to church and we hear Jesus saying, “Do you think I have come to bring peace? No, I tell you, bur rather division.” I have read this passage many times. I even know how to interpret it correctly. Yet, when I read it at face value, my heart sank a little. And then we have the words, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing.” What shall we do with Jesus’ words?
Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
My wife and I have the great pleasure of watching our daughter, Hosanna, become more and more interactive every day. She is no longer just smiling and giggling, but waving and pointing. One of her cutest interactions is when you tell her “no”. She looks at you smiles and shakes her head. She may have no idea what no means but she is so busy showing you that you shake your head when you say no that she stops what she was doing. Just as my wife and I sometimes tell Hosanna no, like when she is breaking Olympic records trying to touch Iggy’s potty before we pick it up off the floor, God tells us no too.
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
When I teach my undergraduate Christian Marriage course, I always have students asking why the Catholic Church prohibits divorce - and what's up with annulment anyway? Isn't it just a Catholic form of divorce? Today's scriptures point toward some of the whys and the complexities of Catholic teaching about marriage and divorce.
Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin
Each time we pray the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father…”), which is at least each Sunday at mass, perhaps more often if we pray it on our own or with our children during the week, we are asking God to “forgive us our trespasses (or debts) as we forgive those who trespass against us (our debtors).” (taken from Matthew 6:12) Today’s gospel reading (Matthew 18: 21-19:1) is about just that. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant is a somewhat jarring parable intended to bring home Jesus’ important message of forgiveness.
Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr
Recently, we called to a situation in the hospital to which our police department also responded. As I stood there with the officer I realized that we were both there for the same reason, to care for the patient. Yet each our badges, his as police and mine as chaplain connoted a different type of help we might provide. While waiting outside the patients room we remarked about this reality. Realizing that for each of us that our badge and our service with the patient would likely reap different responses. For all of us our badge of disciple connotes that we will be joyful servants, but this is not all always the reality we sow. Why is there a disconnect in our understanding the correlation between our actions and attitudes and the fruit they bare?
Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Our first reading today is Ezekial’s call by God to become a prophet. If you have felt God calling you to do something in your life you know it is not always easy. God calls us to serve in the uncomfortable places of this earth. God is asking Ezekial to share the writings of the scroll to the Israelites that entail “Lamentations, dirges and cries of grief”. I don’t know about you but that does not sound appetizing to swallow.
Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest
In this day and age, it is not difficult to become overwhelmed with the depressing events of our world. When you watch or read the news, the stories tell of violence, hatred, poverty, and greed. Although there are many evils of this world, we lose sight of the glory of God which is alive and vibrant in our world if we remain open to God’s revelation. As disciples of Christ, we are called to seek and recognize the many ways that Christ’s grace and glory is present in the world around us. When we name this glory and share it with others, we become lights in the darkness as we follow the Son.