Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
I’ve noticed something about my kids’ interactions over the years that I suspect is not uncommon among siblings, close cousins, and even classmates as they spend a lot of time together. I’ve noticed that one of them will say or do something that is insulting or aggravating to the other until the recipient finally retaliates by hitting or yelling, getting themselves in trouble while the instigator appears innocent and victimized by the lashing out (and is usually the one that ends up “tattling”!). Thankfully, I caught on to this pretty quickly (as do astute teachers) and learned to discipline both of the kids in this scenario so as not to inadvertently encourage the one doing the provoking.
Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostles
Scripture Readings
Why are so many people interested in obituaries in the newspaper or online? Do we want to see if we know anyone listed? Or might we be curious to read about a life well lived?
Obituaries often cover the names of the survivors, and many times refer to the deceased as a loving wife or loving husband, a loving sister or loving brother. Is this then the definition of a life well lived? Families left behind struggle with the cost and limitations of a newspaper obituary. They try to capture the life of their loved one in a few words. When reading obituaries, we often glean little about the person and they lived a good life.
Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
In contemporary usage, the term faith is often used to describe a state of mind. For example, critics of religion often point to “faith” as belief without evidence. However, from the Christian view, this assessment is not quite accurate. Not to mix up the scriptural basis for this reflection, the classic scriptural understanding of faith derives from Hebrews 11:1,
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
Faith, so understood, is not simply a matter of what one believes in their mind. Instead, it is the “realization” of hope and the “evidence” of things not seen. The point here is not to quibble with the inaccuracies of critics, but to suggest that the realization- the making real of hope- is the evidence of faith. Both of today’s readings suggest this realization, this evidence, of faith.
Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
I cannot imagine how many books have been written on the Sermon on the Mount. Today’s Gospel passage is the very beginning and possibly the most familiar, if not beloved, verses of the Sermon. It also poses, if taken seriously, the highest challenge to a maturing Christian disciple and requires the ‘leaving behind’ all things temporal. A few years ago I was searching for homilies by the Church Fathers dealing with the Beatitudes and was very struck by what St. Augustine wrote. His thoughts still hold great value for me and I would like to share some of his writing on the Beatitudes.
Pentecost Sunday
Every Catholic knows that the Feast of the Pentecost is crucial in the Church’s calendar. This is the day the Church born, this was the day the Church was empowered and this was the day the church began its Christ-given mission to go and make disciples of all nations. In spite of the centrality of the Pentecost and the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church, there seems to be much ambiguity about the role of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives. There is also ambiguity about how the Holy Spirit is active in the church today. Perhaps, that is the reason we pray more easily to Mary and the saints than to the Holy Spirit.
Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Have you ever sat around with friends and reminisced about someone? It usually starts with, “Hey, do you remember the time that so & so did this?” An hour later you all have smiles on your faces as you’ve relived every positive memory. Then it comes to a close as someone asks, “Whatever happened to him/her?” Maybe there are vague guesses as to their marital state, the possibility of children, or which “M” state they live in now. I wonder if this scenario ever occurred with Paul and his Roman guard.
Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter
So many people do not REALLY have faith in Christ or in his resurrection. They see Jesus as a nice guy who said good things like "Love each other" but the idea that Jesus rose bodily from the dead seems both a figment of imagination as well as an unnecessary part of the gospel story. Today's scriptures ask us to reconsider the significance of Jesus' bodily resurrection.
Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
Teaching Children’s Liturgy this past Sunday, one of the children made a very human comment when she shared that if she were one of Jesus’ disciples when he was alive, she would be really sad when he died because he did not get to live his full human life. I was struck by that comment because of its truth. So often we get wrapped up in the later outcome, in the resurrection, that we forget Christ’s humanness and all that accompanies that. There is a sadness that accompanies death, all death.
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
In the story of Peter and the Wolf, Peter is a little boy who seems a bit naïve, perhaps like a sheep. Beyond the wall of his grandparents yard is a beautiful garden with the pond, but there are hidden dangers, the grandfather warns. Despite his grandparents wishes Peter goes and plays beyond the gate. This story which is wonderfully woven with classical music by Sergei Prokofiev, reminds us that even serene setting can be laden with awaiting traps.
Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
St. Charles Lwanga was burned alive for his faith. He is a Christian martyr. The word martyr means “witness,” and there is a saying that goes, “The Church was built on the blood of the martyrs.” Martyrdom is a difficult topic for us modern people because it deals with death and it is relatively foreign to us. Most of us will never even come close to the experience of martyrdom. But it is deeply imbedded in our lives as members of the Church. St. Charles’ remarkable witness and conviction is a good reminder of this.
Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
I oftentimes find myself saying “everything will work out just fine” when I am faced with a difficult or uncertain situation. Although this is what I say, I recognize that I don’t always really believe what I am saying, since my actions show otherwise. If I truly believed that things were going to work out, then I would not spend hours and days of needless worrying, and I would have peace about the outcome- whatever happens. Today’s gospel reading shows that the apostles also had similar experiences. Jesus reassures both the disciples (and us) that He knows we are human and therefore we will experience difficulties and worries. Jesus reminds us that although we will have struggles in this life, true peace comes from Him. If we both know and believe in our hearts that Jesus has conquered the world then we can lead faith filled lives that remain steadfast and calm even in the face of adversity. Jesus is the source of peace, and His peace is His gift to us. All we need to do is ask Him for this peace and believe in His promises.
The Ascension of the Lord
(Fr. Satish is on vacation visiting his parents in India. This homily was written three years back for the feast of the Ascension).
Of all the feasts in the church, Ascension is my least favorite feast. After all, I am not very fond of goodbyes. It could be because my first real goodbye was also the hardest. I left home when I was barely seventeen. Leaving one’s family to join the seminary is unlike going away to college. There is a finality to that leaving. Ascension reminds me of that finality. No wonder, then, that the excitement that characteristic of the resurrection of Jesus is missing from the disciples at ascension. In fact, they are portrayed staring at the sky, in doubt and questioning. So for me, the meaning of the feast of the Ascension rests less in the fact that Jesus went out of the sight of the world and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. For me, the meaning of Easter comes from this one statement, “You will be my witnesses….” In the gospel reading this command reads, “Go and make disciples.” Here lies the meaning of the feast of the ascension. The ascension of Jesus opens a new horizon for those who follow the path laid out by Jesus. The ascension of Jesus offers new possibilities for his disciples. Today I want to explore these new horizons and these new possibilities.
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
I used to work in a bookstore. It was an awesome job that enabled me to be surrounded by both my favorite hobby (reading, organizing, and even smelling old books) and my favorite collectible (Shelves! Well, rather the books that filled the shelves). As I read today’s first reading I was taken back to my bookstore days as I would organize the Self-Help, Relationship, Pets, or many other sections where you could find an unreal number of books claiming to have the 3 easy steps to this, 5 easy steps to that, or 6 Easy Steps to World Peace and Getting your Baby to Sleep Through the Night (those two topics might be more related than I first thought). As I read Paul’s words I first thought, “Wow, this is like Practical Christian Living for Dummies or something.” Then I realized Paul writes about rejoicing in this passage, but says little about joy explicitly. That is when I decided this is Paul’s 20 Impossible Steps, Without the Grace of God, to Joy. This wordy title will be our outline today as we briefly discuss these 20 steps, facing impossibility, and recognizing our Joy.
Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
The Ascension of the Lord
As I reflect on the reading from Acts (1: 1-11) in which we hear about Jesus being taken up into the clouds as the disciples look on, I wonder what the experience was like for them. Jesus promised the disciples he would send the Holy Spirit soon to strengthen them to carry on the work that he has begun in them and has instructed them to continue. But, I wonder what it was like for them to see Jesus leave again after the excitement of him being in their presence post- resurrection. Were they afraid? Were they confused? The author of Acts tells us that at least some of the disciples were still anticipating Jesus taking some political action, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” It seems that they still didn’t quite “get”what Jesus was all about. Were they feeling disappointed or abandoned? Were they hopeful or doubtful of the promise of the Holy Spirit? And what would that be like?
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Today’s readings are pretty intense for significantly different reasons. On one hand, there is the persecution, imprisonment, and liberation of Paul and Silas. On the other hand, there is Christ’s departure and assurance to his disciples. Both attest to the power and presence of God in times of trouble and uncertainty.
Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest
When I was growing up I knew a woman who came to our house to help my mother clean once a week. Her name was Shirley and we all loved her. Shirley always lived on the edge of poverty. She did not have a car and relied on the bus for transportation. She was a single mother providing for four children and faced many serious challenges while they were growing up. But Shirley had a way about her that I had never seen in anyone before. She was always happy, full of joy, and had a radiance that filled the room. “As clear, transparent substances become very bright when sunlight falls on them and shine with a new radiance, so also souls in whom the Spirit dwells, and who are enlightened by the Spirit, become spiritual themselves and a source of grace for others.” This is a quote by St Basil the Great and explains exactly what it was about Shirley that so attracted me to her. She was full of the Holy Spirit. It was nothing specific that she said or did but I knew she loved Jesus with all her heart and her radiance was because of the Spirit of Love. Her very presence was a powerful testament to the Risen Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit
Sixth Sunday of Easter
During the early years of my spiritual journey, I used a very simple analogy to help me grow in my God-experience. I would often think my heart as my house. Like every other home, I would think of my heart as having a living room, a dining, a kitchen, bedrooms, a basement and even an attic. And in each of these rooms were closets where I stored things and sometimes even hide things that I did not want other people to see or know about. Talking about my heart as my house, it was easy to let Jesus into my living room and I would be happy if he just stayed there. But initially I had restrictions. It was as if I was saying, “Lord, please do not come into my bedroom. It is not always made up and clean. And for heaven’s sake, do not open the closets. You do not want to see the thing I collect. Of all things, do not turn on the channels on TV that I turn on, do not look around the room, or lift the mattress to see what is underneath.” It was as if the Lord and I could live under one roof but lead pretty independent lives. But sooner than later I realized that I couldn’t do that. Can’t mess with Jesus! Gradually I let him into my bedroom, into all the closets of my life. Felt much better because my life was much cleaner. But the Lord seemed dissatisfied even with that. “Lord what more can I do? Is there something more?” There came a day when I wrote my house to his name. My house, my home, my heart, my life was no longer mine but the Lord’s. This analogy helped me take my relationship with God to the next level.
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
“How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?” That is a question we are familiar with, but I want to ask “How many reflections can one draw from one passage?” My guess; far more than the number of licks it takes. That is what I want to do today, I want to provide three mini-reflections; reflection pops, if you will. All three are brought together in how we view others, ourselves, and both together. Also, all three come from our first reading from Acts.
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete” (Jn. 15:11). We hear this verse from John’s gospel today and we must admit an earthly truth – we are not complete on our own. We are not enough by ourselves. We need friends, family and the support of others. We need God in our lives.