Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Years ago when I read the Gospel, I often found myself getting frustrated. Why don’t those Pharisees and the other people who encounter Jesus get it? Why don’t they just listen to him and change their lives? Do they not know who they are talking to? Oddly enough, as I grow older I find myself identifying with them in their resistance to Jesus. I understand why they did not want to change in the way Jesus demanded. The weaknesses and temptations of being human are always there and the challenge of following Jesus is formidable. And I find myself resisting him. Intellectualizing or rationalizing no longer works. It’s as though being on this journey of discipleship is the problem; not being able to just stay at one place for a while causes anxiety and uncertainty. On the other hand, resisting Jesus causes considerable discomfort as well. It can seem like a ‘no win’ situation.
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
I was watching a show on the Hadron collider, the most expensive scientific experiment ever done. The collider conducts experiments in particle physics to recreate the same condition that existed when the Big Bang occurred. How much do you think has been spent on this experiment? Thus far $ 6 billion has been spent and another 5 billion has been dedicated to it. This makes experiment controversial. Is this experiment really worth it? Should we not be spending this money on other urgent human needs? Particle physicists justify the experiment by saying that the more we discover about the origin of the world the more we can say about ourselves and build a better future. I personally think that it is important that we know about ourselves, but there is another significant question. If our experimentation is only going to tell us about the origin of the world and how the world is held together, how much should we spend for knowing the meaning of life? If we take today’s scripture seriously the most significant question about the meaning of life does not cost us money, but rather, it sets us on a life-long quest.
For us today, the 'meaning of life question' is connected with the person of Jesus Christ. More particularly, the question of the meaning of life is integrally connected to the call that Jesus gave to those whom he called. This is further emphasized by the story of Samuel in today’s first reading, where he was called by God. I do not want to labor the point. At our baptism we received our basic call. However, sometimes our lives can be like the Hadron Collider. We buy homes and invest money to make our lives secure; we have children and educate them to further our families; we exercise and eat right to be healthy. But that is only part of the answer. What about meaning? What brings meaning to our lives?
The answer that today’s scripture suggests is that to live meaningful lives we must in some way find connection with the call of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the answer. Here are my three points for today.
- Don’t be Caught Sleeping
The call of Samuel is a very powerful story of God calling a mere youth to accomplish God’s purpose. Samuel must be commended for his sensitivity to God. However, allow me to use an analogy in this story to make a point. Samuel was asleep when God called him the first and second time. In other words, may we never be caught sleeping by God. More than anything else this sleep is a numbing of our internal sense to the spiritual and mystical in us. Think about it! Between making ends meet, paying our bills, keeping up with sports, social media, and other consumeristic pursuits, unless a person trains to be very sensitive to God it is very easy to miss God completely. Also, simply because we are church-going people does not mean that we are necessarily sensitive to God. Church-going people must guard themselves against complacency. Perhaps that is why Jesus did not go the temple or the synagogues to call his disciples, but rather, he went to the sea shore. Often complacency can dull the inner senses of church going people. Let me repeat my point once more. Let us not be caught sleeping least we miss the call.
- Asking the Correct Question
Often, discerning the call takes the right question. For the longest time the question I asked God, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” I never got an answer. In today’s gospel, Andrew, the very first disciple asks the correct question. He says, “Lord, where are you staying?” Jesus answered, “Come and see.” Folks, our call is not a one-line answer. Rather, our call is a process. It is a process because discovering our call is not about finding Christ in our life, but rather, finding our life in Christ. That is why the right question is not, “Lord, do you want me to do?” but rather “Lord, who do you want me to be?” It took Andrew, Peter, James and John a life-time of learning and following to finally know that they had lived up to their call. Asking the right question is only the first step. Then we must very consciously and deliberately strive to follow the words, the life, and the example of Christ. This takes spiritual discipline of prayer, of reflection on God’s word and being part of a community of disciples. And yes, there are times we will ask the wrong question, or fail, or even sin seriously on our way to answering the call or even lose focus. It happened to Andrew, Peter, James and John. As long as we never give up our search, we are on the right track.
- The Catholic Answer
As Catholics, there is an added dimension in discerning and living out our call – the concept of the Body of Christ. We Catholics believe that we not only receive the body of Christ but that we “become” the body of Christ. This is a Catholic’s most basic call – the call to be a disciple of Christ by being the real presence of Christ in the world. As a spouse, as a teenager, as a student, as an engineer, or accountant or a housecleaner or a priest – we have a common call – to be the body of Christ. Whether I am watching the Ohio State game, having a drink with friends, on a vacation or simply paying our bills – we Catholics have a common call – to be the real presence of Christ in the world. Whether we are in conflict in our relationships, trying to work out the marriage, trying to get a promotion, taking care of aging parents or an ill spouse, or simply living a retired life – we Catholics have a common call – being the body of Christ.
I said earlier that scientists are willing to spend $ 11 billion to discover the answer to our origins. What about you and me? Are we willing sharpen our inner senses? Are we willing to ask the right questions? Are we willing to be disciples by bring the body of Christ in the world?
Fr. Satish Joseph
Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot
Where are you has only become an everyday question in our modern technological era. For thousands of years you couldn’t communicate with someone without first know where they are. But now I can communicate with nearly anyone without the faintest clue where they are. That is not to say that the question was non-existent in the past. If you were shouting to someone who was lost in the woods or a large building it would make perfect sense. It also was a deeply spiritual question as you implored the Invisible God for some concrete sign that He was near. Today, though, I want to turn that question towards us as we look at the gospel passage.
Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
While shopping at Ace Hardware right before Christmas my 3 year old son, Owen, saw something he wanted to get for his dad for Christmas. He was so excited to get him a present and for it to be a surprise, that I bought it. I told him on the drive home how we should not tell daddy what it is until Christmas morning. I instructed him that we would take it home, wrap it and keep it a secret until it was time to open presents. He was on board with the plan and repeated it back to me. We arrived home, got out of the car and walked in the house when I immediately hear, “Daddy, we got you a red flashlight for Christmas! But you can’t have it until Christmas morning!” So much for subtlety and surprise. I feel like Christ must have felt in some ways like he was talking to a 3 year old when he instructed this man, “See that you tell no one anything” and then saw the results of this man telling everyone he knew.
Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
The readings today fit well in this first week after Christmas season as they still speak loudly of the incarnation. As attested by the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus “had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way,” in order to be tested, so that he could help us who are tested. He became human in order to free us from that our slavery to sin. Christ came to minister to the people of the covenant, so that he could feel their pain and then in order to ultimately alleviate it.
Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s first reading is from the Letter to the Hebrews. Scholars debate over whether or not this letter was actually written by Paul or by someone else, mainly because it seems so different from the other letters we are used to reading and hearing. Today’s excerpt is a bit complicated but it is rich and actually quite beautiful in its message. It asks the question about the difference between humans and angels, saying that it was humans to whom God “crowned with glory and honor.” The is an old Jewish story that when God made Adam, he presented his creation to the angels, telling them to bow down in worship of the image of God Adam bore. This letter evokes the same feeling of the absolute dignity and worth of the human being.
Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
I recently returned from a mission trip with a group of UD students. Many of them were upperclassmen in the throes of discerning what they were going to do when they finished college. During one of our times of group reflection, one of the young men of the group astutely commented about the importance of living in the present moment instead of being so consumed by future planning.
The Baptism of the Lord
Most of you know that I am home in India this week. When I first told my parents about my trip, my only intention was to spend time with them. But then, they had begun to make plans to visit even the pets of my relatives. I even said to my self that if my parents were not so dear to me there would be some not so nice conversations. Because my parents mean so much to me I would to do anything for them. But when I got home and I saw how proud they were of me, and when I realized why they wanted to show me off to the entire nation, I gave in. The real question I said to myself was not what my parents mean to me. The real question was what I mean to my parents. What does it mean for me to be a son? That was the real question.
Saturday after Epiphany
As I was reading today’s scripture, I was reminded that John the Baptist is awesome. Sure, camel hair shirts and a diet consisting primarily of bugs doesn’t sound like the most appealing way to spend your earthly existence. Though in light of all this snow and cold that we’ve experienced in Dayton, I’m sure a few of us would welcome the desert heat. So while I wouldn’t want to walk a mile in his shoes, or sandals rather, I really aspire to his sense of humility.
Friday after Epiphany
Thursday after Epiphany
Reflecting on today’s readings, I found myself especially focused on the passage from today’s first reading found in 1 John 4: 19-5:4, “…for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” And I ask myself, why does it seem to be more difficult to love our “brothers and sisters,” other people with whom we share our planet, than it is to love God? I think the answer, at least in part, is that we imagine God as we prefer, rather than as God truly is. Don’t we sometimes deceive ourselves and believe that God is what we want God to be; whereas we can’t as easily change our perception of someone we encounter face to face and are uncomfortable with or disagree with or are afraid of?
Wednesday after Epiphany
The First letter from John reminds us that in loving one another, God lives in us. In loving one another we acknowledge “the love God has for us.” Sometimes loving ourselves, let alone others is itself a challenge. Still loving one another is not optional, if we are to remain in God. In living faithfully the call to love one another, we grow closer to God and love itself is brought more into perfection in us.
Tuesday after Epiphany
Love is a word often used, one we associate with our families and kin; it is inscribed on t-shirts and painted on decorative plaques hung on the wall.
Memorial of St. John Neumann
It is still early. There is still time to make those New Year’s resolutions I have not made. I have never been very good at making New Year’s resolutions because I always seem to run out of steam by end of January. It isn’t that I don’t have plenty in my life that needs changing but rather thinking about the whole year ahead sometimes overwhelms me. Today’s readings struck me with an idea as to what I can concentrate on in the coming year. Considering that our parish theme is ‘Encountering Christ Every Day’, it seems fitting to resolve to do something each day rather than taking the whole year on at once!
The Epiphany of the Lord
“Where is God?” Perhaps you have heard this question numerous times. It is not a faithless question. It is a question that people with faith ask when life becomes extraordinarily burdensome - a child’s death, a horrible accident, devastating natural disasters, poverty and suffering. People have tried to answer the question in many ways. Fredrich Nietzsche, the famous philosopher said, “God is dead.” Others are unsure. And then there are the crazy Catholics. We say, “God is here!” We point toward a child in a manger or a mangled body on a cross and say, “God is here!”
Christmas Weekday
Looks can be deceiving. We know this not only because we are told, but because our experiences confirm it. We have all seen the warning on the side mirror that says, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” Or maybe you have witnessed the way that objects can be distorted underwater. Whatever your experiences are, on a daily basis we are reminded that things might not be what they seem at first glance. This transcends just the way that our senses can be fooled, but also relates to the way that God interacts with the world. Looks can be deceiving, and we should remember that God doesn't always work in bright beams of light and little gold halos.
Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Today is the feast day for two theologians, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus. The two were friends, along with Basil’s brother Gregory of Nyssa (whose feast day we observe on March 9th). These are saints that are more familiar to our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters, but they are very important for both Eastern and Western Christianity. Saints Basil and Gregory are particularly remembered for the ways they helped develop Trinitarian doctrine so that we could understand it better.
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
So often at the new year, we reflect back on what has happened over the past 365 days – we remember the joys, the sorrows, the struggles and challenges that we have journeyed through in the past year. We remember those we spent time with and those whose absence was notably felt. We recall, we reflect, we remember.
The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
It was early afternoon on December 25th and we were driving to our relative’s house. On the way there, we noticed a Christmas tree wrapped up on the curb for the garbage men. My children noted, “Christmas is already over for that family, but we still have two weeks of Christmas.” The readings today might best be understood in connection with the New Year beginning tomorrow; however the understanding of Christmas is still relevant here as well. For the much of the world, Christmas is over; therefore the tree goes out after the presents have been opened. The radio stations that have played Christmas music for nearly two months stopped on December 26. Yet, for Catholic Christians, we are not yet half way through the Christmas season. With this in mind let us examine what todays readings are meant to teach us.