Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
I am a bit of a news junkie. I read newspapers and watch several news channels nearly every day. Recently, I have
decided it is too much for me. I can get hooked on certain stories and events around the world and, before I know it, I feel the need to check in a little too often at the expense of my peace of mind and heart. One of the problems is that I feel the need to take sides on whatever issue is being discussed and I know I only have part of the story. When I looked at the readings today, I realized that this is where I actually live—only knowing part of the story. How can I make judgments when so much of the truth is hidden from me? I really only know part of the story.
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
I had a funeral this week that taught me some very important lessons. We buried Dino Adducio. Dino was a very faithful Catholic who for most part of his life was a regular mass goer. As Dino and his wife Carmella got older, they moved to N Carolina. But once there, Dino stopped going to church. From the notes that his family gave me, Dino got mad with God. Dino’s wife Carmella was sick most of her life and he had prayed to God for healing. Dino felt let down by God when she was not healed and stopped going to Church. I interpreted Dino’s anger and disappointment with God as an act of faith. It is like in a marriage – being mad with one another means that there still is a relationship; that people still care. In any case, it is how Dino died that is truly moving. On this particular day, Dino asked his wife to lay next to him in bed. She refused because she had things to get done in the house. He repeatedly asked her and after much insistence, she agreed. She slipped into bed with him and lay next to him. And that is how he died. Dino was mad with God, and God responded through this most beautiful parting gift for Dino and Carmella.
Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
God is not stupid. He is a great many things. He is wise, loving, truthful, merciful, and just. Actually, it is better to say that He is wisdom, love, truth, mercy, and justice. But he is not stupid. I think we know this intellectually, but sometimes we forget it internally. Because He is not stupid we can trust Him, but when we forget his wisdom, we become afraid. I want to examine this line of thinking by looking to our friend in today’s gospel, the third servant.
Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist
While we don't hear about John the Baptist very often, we actually know quite a bit about him, more than we know about many other principal people in the gospels (for example, most of the disciples): son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, slightly older cousin of Jesus, dresses and eats like the prophet Ezekiel (hair cloth and locusts), preaches to the people that they should repent and be baptized, baptizes in the Jordan River, tells a woman not to commit adultery (as in today's Gospel reading, Mark 6:17-29), admired and feared by King Herod but eventually beheaded by him. Further, one thing we don't read in scripture: John the Baptist has two feast days in the church. We celebrate both his birth and his death; the only others for whom that is the case are Mary and Jesus.
Memorial of Saint Augustine
My son loves to read Dr. Seuss’ Oh the Places You’ll Go. In this book I am always struck by the page that describes “the waiting place.” This page often makes me sad, because I have been there – I have been stuck in “the waiting place”. You know that place – it’s when you don’t want to commit to anything or do anything because you’re waiting for the next big thing to happen. It’s when you put life on hold and stop living in the moment because we are obsessed with waiting for something.
Memorial of Saint Monica
Recently, I met a man who grew up during the depression, he told me about how their families poverty worried everyone in the family, except his mother. One day there came a knock on the door from a family they had never seen before. The father of this family told my mother that they had not eaten in two days and wondered if there was any food that could be shared with his family. The son watched as the mother gave the last food they had to this poor family. It was a loaf of bread. The man shared that he had asked the mother why she shared the last loaf and the mom replied don’t worry the Lord will provide. Later that evening a group came down their street passing out bread and gave their family three loaves. For this man, it was his mother’s strength that got their family through those tough times.
Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Many people don’t like to think about religion in terms of the “Law.” I know that many of the young people I work with would rather think about religion in “softer” ways--as a comfort or a vague sense of morality or as a place to turn when things get rough. But today’s readings remind us about the Law and about its place in our relationship to God. Jesus boldly calls the leaders in the Jewish community of his time “hypocrites” in today’s gospel reading. And this isn’t the only time he does it. Jesus calls them this and other scathing things throughout the gospels. Jesus seems particularly interested in them precisely because of their hypocrisy. Today’s reading is all about following the Law, the Torah. The Pharisees are concerned with external things but Jesus challenges them on this point. It’s as if they are only doing the dishes to show off to mom and dad, not to really be clean and serve others for the next meal. They are doing “things” but they are not concerned with whether or not those things are making them holier.
Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
We live in a world where materialism and competition drive so much of our lives. Unfortunately, I find that these become underlying influences that affect many parts of my life. I even find myself at times doing things- good things- more for my own personal recognition and accomplishment and less for the service and glory of God. The reading today reminds me that Jesus wants me to not to live a life of hypocrisy like the Pharisees. If I am to live for Christ, I must be like the gift on the altar. I am called to give everything I am to God for His praise, glory and honor. Like gold, my life has value since I am God’s creation, but my true worth is found when I give my treasures to God. My life and all I have should find value in the recognition of God’s love for me, not in the praise and recognition of others and their opinions of me.
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
I have lived in the United States for fourteen years now. I am a permanent resident. Numerous people have asked me if I am ready to get citizenship. Today, nothing about this great country stops me from applying for citizenship. There is one problem, however. If I do apply for citizenship, I have to discard my Indian citizenship and surrender my Indian passport. I have to shift my allegiance to the flag that I love saluted for 48 years and pledge my allegiance to a new flag. I have not been able to bring myself to do that as yet. I wish I could be the citizen of both these countries but that is not a possibility. So I have decided that as long as my parents are alive, that I will continue to hold an Indian passport and be an Indian citizen.
Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus Christ is an intense dude. Well dude might not be the best word, but I think you catch my drift. However, we can diminish His intensity in a flurry of tweet sized one liners from the Gospels. While those one-liners are valid, I want to refocus on the intensity of Christ and why it is important.
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Having a teenage daughter, I have seen a few episodes of the television show, “Say ‘Yes’ to the Dress.” If you haven’t heard (or seen), it’s a show in which brides-to-be are brought in with their families to choose the “perfect” wedding dress. Finding the right dress to match their style, size, and budget is sometimes a challenge, and excitement ensues when the young woman finally says “yes” to a dress that the show’s hosts have found for her. Sometimes the drama surrounding the decision makes it seem as if the bride is exchanging vows with the dress rather than her groom! Granted, a wedding is a very special occasion and the couple and guests want to look their best, but sometimes the focus on appearance seems over-the-top.
Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Every time get a new political leader or a new pastor we measure said person against our idealized version of who that person should be. When it comes right down to it the real person may seem a let down, because they are not all that we hoped they would be. With reflection we realize that as human beings we are all flawed, and in general, most leaders are doing the best they can considering the circumstances. Today’s readings have an understand of an ideal leader via the eyes of Ezekiel who is describing the contrast of a good and Matthew’s gospel where we here Jesus teach a parable about the generous land owner.
Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
The words of Ezekiel are shocking. If we are listening attentively, they set us at unease. And rightly so. If you have not read the lectionary readings, please do so before continuing.
Here, Ezekiel is describing the wrath of God that will come against those who set themselves up as gods, amassing wealth and riches through clever trade and commerce. They are a people whose heart has grown arrogant in their love for riches, fine clothing, and their own false wisdom. What follows is an account of God’s wrath being poured out upon them. It is not short of terror.
Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s passage from the Gospel of Matthew relates the story of the rich young man. He asks Jesus what good he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him he must follow the commandments and love his neighbor as himself. But when the young man asks what he lacks, Jesus tells him to sell his many possessions and give to the poor and “Then come, follow me.” And the young man walked away sad. The Scripture says this young man had many possessions which leads me to believe that what Jesus was asking of him was no small request. Then I began to think about what I would do if I were that young man.
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
About four weeks back, I received a call from a parishioner after the 11 am mass that a family with two small kids was in church seeking financial help. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I have been taken for a ride numerous times with similar stories. Sadly, I have become immune when people come to me for financial help. I always carry gift cards from local restaurants with me so that I do not send anyone away hungry. Back to the story, I was at mass at St Helen that week and was not going to return to IC till about 2pm. So I asked this parishioner to ask the family to wait till I got back. My reasoning was that if their need is genuine, they will probably wait. Sure enough when I got back around 2:30 they were parked in front of the rectory. I had sure that they were genuinely in need. As soon as I came out of the rectory door, the man came out of the car. When his wife joined him, he made her go back to the car and get the kids as well. There were two adorably cute kids perhaps 5 and 1 1/2 year olds. This made me sad. I felt that the children were being publicly displayed to gain sympathy. These cute kids certainly deserve better. I still decided not to judge them and entered into a conversation with them. They said that they were on the way from New Jersey to California and that they need $200 and some gas money. I do not carry cash with me and offered to help them with food, which the man promptly refused. So I asked a simple question – if you do not have money, why would you go from one end of the country to another with children? I did not get an answer and that was when I decided to request and ID. Honestly, in asking for an ID I had the children’s wellbeing in my mind. The man gave me a Romanian ID and I realized that the family was Romanian. When I asked for a local ID he informed that he did not have a local ID. But then, the family had a car with American license plates. I asked how he drove if he did not have a license. He said that the car was rented. I know better that car rentals do not sign out a car without insurance or a photo ID. At this point, the man got rather upset saying that someone in the parish had said that they should wait for me and that he had waited for two-and-a-half hours and that I was being unhelpful. I offered them food again. He said that he would come to the office on Monday. But that is not what happened. That evening after the 6pm mass I heard that the same couple was outside the church, once again, with their kids. Many people gave then cash and someone even drove them to the gas station and filled their gas tank. After talking to some people, I have figured out that they left our church parking lot with a full tank of gas and over $300. I have mixed emotions when I think of this incident. First, I feel guilty for not giving them the money. Then I feel I did the right thing to ask for the ID because I wanted to make sure the children were safe. Third, I was angry because their entire story was fabricated and I felt lied to and many people were manipulated by then outside the church.
Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Sometimes it feels like “sorry” is a really sorry word. When there is something that I have done wrong, I know I can feel sorry. That makes it a feeling. Something that can be fleeting and utterly subjective. I can say sorry. That makes it a word that can be said without substance. And sometimes I can just be sorry. Making it a state of being. But in the moments when I’m regretting a choice of words, an action, or an inaction, sorry can just seem so insufficient. I think that is because it seems difficult to act sorry. This is where repentance comes into the picture.
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Along with the other Marian feasts, the Feast of the Assumption was one of the celebrations I wrestled with quite a bit when I was considering converting to Catholicism. One of the things that helped was a novel called Our Lady of the Lost and Found by Diane Schomperlein, which is a fictional story about an author who has Mary come to stay with her for a week. Schomperlein skillfully weaves true stories the Church has told about Mary, from the very beginning to the present, in with a story about Mary vacationing with the author. Among the many points the author makes about Mary is that, unlike with other early saints and martyrs, there is no church or altar Christians have built to honor her place of death. There are plenty of churches that honor Mary, of course. But unlike St. Peter's Basilica, which lays claims to the site of St. Peter's bones, or the Basilica of Saint Paul's Outside the Walls, where St. Paul is buried, Mary has no such dedication.
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe
Today is the feast day of St. Maximillian Kolbe, whom Saint Pope John Paul II named the “patron saint of our difficult century”. St. Maximillian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar, volunteered to die in place of a stranger in a Nazi concentration camp. He chose to put his life and his needs last, to allow another, a complete stranger, the chance at life.
Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
A quick look at the news on the world stage causes me to take pause and wonder “why can’t we get along peacefully with one another?” The challenge of looking out reminds of the polarization in our government, in our churches, in our workplaces and even at times in our families. Peace fails when we think we are the only ones who are right and this moral superiority allows us to worship false idols that that empower us to sin against God and one another. The readings today remind us that ultimately God will keep calling us back to the faith no matter who or how right we think we are. We are all different and each of us is created by God for some special purpose. We are challenged to understand and practice or faith authentically, while using discretion to invite others to keep the faith.