Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin
Have you ever had the experience where you saw or met a famous person-maybe a famous sports star, movie star or some important political figure? My niece who lives in NYC said that one time at a spinning class, Kelly Ripa was on the bike right next to her. When I think about these possible chance meetings, I wonder if I would actually recognize these famous personalities. The fact that I probably have seen their pictures on the TV, movie screen, magazines or newspaper makes it easier, and I probably may even recognize their voice from hearing them speak on one of the many mediums that news is shared. This idea was brought to mind when I read today’s gospel reading and was struck by the phrase the people “immediately recognized” Jesus. Without TV, internet, movies, books, newspapers or any other form of technology these people who never had seen Jesus before recognized Him. This reading helps me to reflect on the importance of “recognizing” Christ in my life. When I recognize Him, I can go to Him and experience His love and mercy. I can also bring others to Christ, so they too may know His healing presence.
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I grew up India. American sports like football and baseball have been alien to me the fourteen years I have been in America. I am getting am too tired of being embarrassed at not knowing the difference between the Bengals and the Reds. The other day, Fr. Dave wanted to know if I would like to go with him to a Reds game and I said to him that I did not like football. So this Super Bowl, I decided to make a heroic effort to get into the great American sports tradition. I watched most of the Super Bowl. After the game, I pondered that I must continue to live in my blissful ignorance. I even watched the ads and the half-time show just as I was told. Even that hat did not do it for me. The only ad I really like was for alcohol and that made me cringe. I thought that Super Bowl LXVIII was boring, disappointing and over rated. I have the funny feeling that I will continue to embarrass myself for quite some time more.
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
My wife and I are blessed to be friends with a couple who serve as youth ministers for a non-denominational church community in northern Ohio. Recently they shared with us the story of a young girl who had been bringing her Catholic friend to their youth group. According to our friends, the Catholic girl, although described as “very Catholic”, seemed to not understand what it meant to have a “personal relationship” with Jesus. Looking for advice from a Catholic perspective, our friends reached out to us in an effort to better communicate with this girl and bridge the apparent language divide. With many experiential, catechetical, family, and social factors still unknown, I found myself offering broad, general advice. This is a portion of the message with which I replied:
Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs
You’ve heard the saying, “It’s better to give than to receive,” but I would like to argue that sometimes the opposite is true and harder to do. When we give to someone, especially if that person is in need, we can have a sense of having some power over that person, or of being somehow better, or in control of the situation. To receive, however, requires an openness, a humility, an acknowledgement that I am in need of something that the other person is offering, whether it be something tangible like a meal or place to stay or money, or something intangible like their listening ear, their service or assistance with something, or simply their love. I, at least, find that it is sometimes harder to let myself be vulnerable and graciously receive.
Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
Recently, I misplaced something that I needed. In looking for it everywhere I grew more frantic. I was sure I had put it in a safe place where I could find it. Throughout the process of looking, I forgot to pray and I blamed myself for being so careless. Finally as a last resort, I sat down giving up, and I realized that I had place my hand on top of the book for which I was looking. I realized almost immediately that this experience was a spiritual lesson. The book represented God for me, and it was as close as the palm of my hand. If only I had trusted better in myself and the Lord I would have spared myself extra grief.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
It is sometimes said that human beings take a leap of faith in order to believe in God or to practice their religion. Faith does not always have a great reputation. It is sometimes considered irrational since the things of faith cannot be seen. In addition, it is sometimes awkward to talk of faith to others in a public setting, because we realize that many others do not share our faith. Despite the questions that can be raised about faith, nevertheless the gospel reading for today speaks of the importance of faith, even for our lives today.
Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
I met a young man several years ago who was an alcoholic and drug addict. His life was in shambles because of his addictions. This young man had recently been released from prison for drug charges and attempting to kill his wife. He had lost everything. After his release from prison, he was placed on a waiting list for admission to a treatment facility and, in the meantime, attended meetings several times a day trying to get sober. When he finally got admitted as an inpatient he was still drinking heavily and using other substances. One day several months later, I ran into him and was startled by his appearance. Initially, I did not recognize him. He told me he had been clean and sober for 5 months and that it was truly an act of God that had saved him.
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
In some ways we are making a retreat back to the Christmas season. Feb 2nd is the feast of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. This year Feb 2nd happens to fall on a Sunday. So here we are once again back to the childhood of Jesus, when just last week we heard about the call of the disciples.
I want to approach the feast of the presentation of Jesus in the temple as an extension of the feast of the Epiphany. The difference between the two feasts is that whereas at the Epiphany Jesus is manifested to the whole world, at his presentation in the temple, he is manifested to his own people. Simeon’s prophecy in today’s gospel foretells what Christ will accomplish for Israel as a nation. Simeon’s prophecies suggest that Jesus will be glory to the people Israel, and that he will be responsible for the rise and fall of many in Israel. Simeon also has a very different prophecy for Mary as opposed to what the angel has told her at the annunciation. He says to her, “… And you yourself a sword will pierce— so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Anna, the prophetess also focuses on the internal ministry of Jesus. She “spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Many of the prophets we can immediately think of in the Old Testament are rather fiery and often dramatic. They challenge apathetic authority and call the people back to their covenant with God. As they delivered the message of God, prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah and especially Ezekiel engaged in many public displays that must have been something like street theatre, all with the intention of drawing the Israelites back to God.
Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest
Today's saint, John Bosco, worked with poor and outcast youth in the 19th century. Reading some of the accounts of his life, I'm struck by how similar some of his concerns were in comparison to our own these days when it comes to disadvantaged youth, as well as how often working with youth is not seen in very positive tones. Youth often get dismissed in our culture because we see teenage years as years of rebellion. Youth also have the disadvantage of not yet having or making much money or other such contributions to society. And very unfortunately, youth still face some of the same concerns that youth in the nineteenth century did: they are trafficked for slavery, even here in the US. And youth continue to face job insecurity, both now and in future potential work, and mistreatment at the hands of employers.
Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
“Take care what you hear,” Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel. To “take care” of something means to put time, energy and attention into it. The term “take care” often makes me think of taking care of a garden. Tending a garden involves giving it daily attention and focusing our energies on it. We must provide fruitful soil, remove the weeds and be attentive to its needs. A garden that is ill-planned and ignored will die. When we “take care” of something we are vowing to commit our time and energy into it, because we value it and find it important, which will then produce results, much like a bountiful harvest.
Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
For those of us in the Northern Midwest of the United States we have come to understand cold in a way that is perhaps new: wind that is biting, fingers numbing at shocking speeds, and a chill that seems to take twice as long to leave as it did to acquire. It is at times like these that we need to be grateful for the houses in which we live, especially when warmth is not found easily for everyone.
Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Today is the memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the most important thinkers in all of church history. St. Thomas wrote one of the first works of theology to attempt a systematic treatment of all kinds of questions, like Who is God?, What is evil? and What are the sacraments? He is widely considered the go-to source for Christian theologians wrestling with all kinds of topics. Sometimes he appears, as saints often do, as larger than life, as almost too smart and too influential to be just a man who lived a daily life like you and I.
Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Although I am not a huge sports fan, I have seen plenty of sports teams and have a fairly good idea of which teams are good and why they are successful. In many cases there is one or maybe 2 star players who possess a talent that is very remarkable. But it is only through the support of the entire team working together that the team is able to rise above the rest to consistently win. If a player attempts to go alone, unsupported by the rest of the team, even if he is a star player, this will often times result in defeat. In the gospel reading today, Jesus tells the Scribes that He cannot be Satan as He casts out demons, since this would lead to the defeat of Satan and his work. Jesus however explains the power of the Holy Spirit is essential in the work of His kingdom. It is through the teamwork of the Trinity, the Father sending the Son, the Son doing the work of the Father, and the Spirit working through Jesus, that God’s love, mercy, healing and glory is displayed.
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
During my last visit to India, I had the most amazing experience. Perhaps you remember that last Lent, our parish raised funds for Mercy Home in my hometown in India. We were able to donate $15,000 for renovation and some new construction for the severely handicapped residents. I visited Mercy Home to see the progress they had made. I had barely stepped into the main campus building when out of nowhere there appeared the most angelic looking face. At first glance no one would think that three year old Sowmya was in need of special attention. And so it was only when she began to walk awkwardly toward me that I realized that she was a resident at Mercy Home. Slowly, she walked toward me, clasped my legs and for a moment just stood there motionless. I was taken aback. She had never seen me before. And then she gestured with her little fingers. It looked as if she was waving at me. The sister superior told me that she was asking me to bend down. As I did, she planted the gentlest kiss on my cheeks. A kiss has never felt more angelic. And then she whispered, “Eesho Mishiyaek stuthi aieyrekette.” into my ears. It translates, “To Jesus Christ be praise!” For a moment I froze in heavenly bliss. For me, this was not just an experience; it was a God-experience!
Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle
Today is the feast of the conversion of St. Paul. It is hard to think of St. Paul without first thinking of him lying flat on his back after the Lord decided it was time to talk some sense into him. Arguably, he has one of the most intense conversion experiences of anyone in Scripture. We see that there is power in it too. He uses the radical change that Christ wrought in his life to make clear that Christ is the Son of God. However, I think most of us have a decent level of familiarity with Paul's part in his conversion, let's turn our eyes instead to Ananias.
Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Thursday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
I admit that I have been guilty of envy. I have been jealous of other people who seem to have what I want for myself or my family. And I have been envious of other people’s children when they seem to have it all together with almost no effort or struggle. Granted, what the outside world sees is usually not the whole picture. Except with the closest of friends and family, we often don’t see the true struggles that others are going through. And who doesn’t like to be admired and praised and thought highly of? I know it’s a real temptation to want to “look good” to others and to be envious of those who seem to have what we don’t. It can be a poison in our lives if it goes unchecked.
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Serving God faithfully is at the heart of what it means to be a disciple. This is not always an easy task as it seems we regularly encounter obstacles to our service. These situations or people may seem to us as impediments or challenges, and on one level this is true. However, there is another level that lies below the surface that suggests we look inward more deeply. The stories in our today’s readings leave us amazed as to the depth of courage needed to serve the Lord.