Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
"Hate evil and love good." (Amos 5:15) Most everyone believes this conventional wisdom. When we hear such words we often nod our heads in agreement. We agree so instinctively to this that these words often wash over us like a swiftly flowing stream. Yet, do the waters soak in below the surface? If we all really lived our belief in living for good, would not our homes, workplaces and communities be more peaceful places.
Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
The prophet Amos offers us a scathing account of God’s power in today’s first reading. The major plotline of the Old Testament is that Israel is called by God, sometimes obeys and often disobeys. Many of the stories are about Israel’s failures. The reading from Amos is a prophecy about God’s response to those failures. It begins with a reminder that God has called Israel as a special people from among all the peoples of the earth. God has a special relationship with Israel, marked by the covenant and sustained by the Law. Even in the midst of great trial, the Israelites still did not return to God. They are elsewhere described as a “stiff-necked people” for this recurring theme!
Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
When I was growing up, I spent a great deal of time longing for “someday”. I was looking forward to the day when I would have what I thought would make me happy- a husband, family, job etc. As I have grown older, (and hopefully wiser), I recognize that living your life in the “someday” mode detracts a great deal from all that God wants to share with me in the here and now. I also recognize that I am a person who loves routine and not venturing beyond my comfortable boundaries. Again, I am beginning to learn that God wants me to look beyond the security of what I know and where I feel at home to live out my faith. Today’s gospel reading remind us that Jesus calls each of us to follow Him in the here and now as we are on the go in all parts of our lives. When we live out our faith in the present and accept His challenge to follow Him wherever He calls us to go, then we can begin to understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
I want to share two stories with you. When I was at home last month was also the time when Pope Francis was also returning from his trip to the Middle East. On the flight he gave an interview to reporters and one of the topics that came up was clerical celibacy. The media in India reported the Pope’s response widely. When I came down for breakfast that morning, my father said to me, “Pope Francis says that priests can get married.” I was very measured in my response lest my father think that I have a secret girlfriend in distant America. I learnt later that the Pope had said, “It [celibacy] is a rule of life that I appreciate very much, and I think it is a gift for the church, but since it is not a dogma, the door is always open." The Pope was merely reiterating the well-known Catholic position that clerical celibacy is not divine law. It was promulgated after the 10th Century and Church could change that law if that is where she discerned the Holy Spirit was guiding her. If she wants to do that she has the depth of history, theology and tradition to make a sound decision.
Here is my second story.
Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today’s gospel reminded me of our prayer life. So, I want to take a little pilgrimage through the Gospel and our hearts to take a look at our prayer lives.
Often we can mislead ourselves into believing that prayer is a primarily human endeavor. It isn’t though, prayer is the action of both God and humanity. “Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him” (CCC 2560). In forgetting this we can erroneously “view prayer as a simple psychological activity … an effort of concentration to reach a mental void … [or] reduce prayer to ritual words and postures” (CCC 2726). When we have these false perceptions of prayer we can leave God behind in the disillusion that we are in charge. We can leave Jesus behind in Jerusalem despite His desire to stay there with us. God invites us to pray in accord with His will, but we can lose that through our distractions.
Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
The last time my family and I were vacationing at the beach, I watched my son build structures in the sand that would later be washed away as the tide came in. Sometimes my husband would help, but even when they built the walls higher and thicker, the water would eventually wash over and it would collapse.
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Recently, I was sitting in a room at a hospital and the person who brought the food in knocked on the door, asked permission to enter, set the food up, helped get it just the right place for the patient and when they were ready to leave the room they said I hope you feel better soon. They also said God bless you to the patient, perhaps because there was a faith conversation going on in the room. I was struck in this Catholic hospital how all the employees I had encountered were mission focused in the way they spoke and acted. Imagine this whole group of hundreds of people working together united by a mission founded on faith. They were united by the mission even though there are from diverse faiths.
Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
“He must increase, I must decrease.” John: 3:30
Today we observe the birth of St. John the Baptist, who according to tradition was the cousin of Jesus and herald to his ministry. It is no accident that our observation of John the Baptist traditionally coincides with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Just as John the Baptist announced of himself, in anticipation of Christ, the days from this point begin to decrease. On the other side, we traditionally celebrate the birth of Jesus around the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Thus, the days begin to increase. I find this to be one of the most beautiful examples of how scripture informs the liturgical calendar. Even time and the seasons are redeemed. The rhythms of everyday life elevated by the Gospel.
Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
There is a Disney movie made in the 1960’s based on a book by Eleanor H. Porter named Pollyanna. The story is about a young orphan girl who is reluctantly taken in and mistreated by her aunt. Pollyanna’s favorite thing to do is to play the ‘glad game’ which basically consists of finding the silver lining in everything and the good in everyone. Eventually her infectious optimism changes the attitude of the all the people in whole town, including her pernicious aunt. One of the best lines from the movie is, “When you look for the bad, expecting it, you will get it. When you know you will find the good—you will get that…” I remembered this while reading today’s Gospel and thought about how different things are when I live my life looking only for the good in others.
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
A grandmother was talking to me about her grandchildren whom she loves very dearly and lavishes them with gifts. She would do anything for them. She has only one regret. Some of her young grandchildren who now have jobs, own homes and live with their girl-friends say to her, “Why do ask us to go to church and pray grandma? We have everything we need. It was not God who gave them to us. We have worked hard for it. We do not need God.” I know these young people. They were baptized. They made their first communion in this very church. They made their confirmation too.
If they could talk to you, what would you say to them?
Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
Today’s gospel reminded me of William Butler Yeats’ poem, The Second Coming. As I read through this climatic part of the Sermon on the Mount, I was reminded of the lines, “Turning and turning in the widening gyre/ the falcon cannot hear the falconer” (The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 8th Ed. Vol. 2, 2036). This image fits perfectly into the warning that Christ is giving us and to illustrate this I want to present three parallels.
Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
One of the things I like to show students in my ethics courses is optical illusions: the picture of the bunny (or is it a duck?); the old woman (or is she young?). There are many others. Part of the reason I show my students these optical illusions is to press home the point that seeing - whether with biological eyes, or when looking at the moral problems they are presented with on a daily basis - isn't a simple matter. HOW you see is crucial to your sense of right and wrong and to the decisions you decide to make.
Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
“Your father knows what you need before you ask him.” What a comforting thought – there is someone who knows our deepest desires and needs before we can even express them. How well do you need to know someone to be able to know their needs before they are voiced? This kind of knowing can only come from a relationship of vulnerability, openness and trust. That is the kind of relationship God wants us to have with him.
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
It seems nothing is hidden today. With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the myriad of other social media platforms available, people proclaim how they are feeling, issues at work and even sometimes share details about arguments with spouses and friends. We post pictures of kids, events, our latest family photos, and vacation pictures. For some, nothing seems to be off limits. They place the mystery of their lives on display for all to see.
Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Many folks want to make a strong distinction between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. It is a familiar argument: the God of the Old Testament is ruthless, permitting and even commanding killing; the God of the New Testament, incarnate in Jesus Christ, is a God of love and forgiveness. The perceived difference is so great in some people’s minds that is leads to a crisis of faith, a crisis from which some never recover. The God of the Old Testament, thus described, becomes irreconcilable with Jesus Christ and the whole of Scripture is thrown into question.
Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Times
Being a follower of Jesus requires a radical approach to life. Some of the teachings that Jesus shares are so challenging that they are unattainable without help- His help. The reading today from the Sermon on the Mount is one of those passages. In today’s scripture Jesus calls us beyond revenge and to a life of selfless giving. Jesus does not expect us to easily understand and apply these teachings. He recognizes that because of our human weakness we are unable to live in this way unless we have received His Spirit. Jesus shows us the way, but the Spirit gives us the power to live a life very different from what the world considers the norm. To live radically, the Holy Spirit must be alive in our lives. It is the Spirit that allows us to follow Christ and share His kingdom with the world.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
My last day at home in India before I leave for Dayton is always a very emotional day for all of us. But the last few minutes before I leave the house is even more intense. My parents and I spend these last few minutes together in prayer. The scene is the same each time. We huddle together, with my dad seated on the sofa and my mother standing next to him. My mother is only as tall as my father sitting down. I stand over them, lay my hands on them and pray over them. And then, they place their hands on me and bless me with the sign of the cross. By this time, tears are flowing down our cheeks. We try to smile through the tears suppressing any possibility of simply breaking down. On this last visit, particularly, as we huddled together in prayer, I remember becoming aware of how much love there was as we stood there together. I simply cannot put into words the power of that love. That love gives me the strength to finally walk out of the house and to my parents to anticipate the next visit.
Saturday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
I recall that during my senior year of high school one of the most popular and influential albums was 50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Tryin.'" I know, that's a fairly odd antidote by which to begin today's reflection, but hear me out. Selling over 9 million copies to date, it seemed like everyone I knew had a copy of this seemingly must-have hip hop album. And if you didn't have a copy, not to worry, because it was likely that you still knew the words (or at least the edited version of those words) due to its frequent plays on the radio and its quick infiltration into mainstream pop culture. The high degree of profanity found throughout the entire album seemed to be a fair price to pay for impressive rhyming schemes, borderline poetic lyrics, and strong percussion. I even remember one of my close friends getting in trouble for listening to the album at home. Upon hearing some of the album's profanity, his father interjected, asking simply, "How can you listen to that?!" My friend responded by saying, "Dad, yes, I don't appreciate the vulgarity, BUT..." I don't recall if it was the "poetry" or the "beat" that my friend appealed to in order to offset the admitted vulgarity, but I remember agreeing wholeheartedly with my friend's defense.
Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua
We probably know Saint Anthony of Padua best as the patron saint of lost things. He's probably the first saint I encountered as a non-Catholic, when I was working in a biology lab and my (Catholic) lab partner and I had misplaced a set of important petri dishes. After turning over the lab several times, my lab partner finally said, "Well, we have to pray to Saint Anthony." I was verrry skeptical, but thought, "Hey, we have nothing to lose." The next day, the missing petri dishes were sitting on the top shelf with the rest of the dishes, right where they belonged - a place that we had, of course, looked at numerous times.