Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week
Recently, a neighbor came home after being gone a week. It was neat to witness his children run to lovingly greet their father. The hugs were heartfelt even at a distance. His children’s hugs without using words state, I love you, I missed you and now we are one again. For the parent, the genuine embrace of their child transforms the moment into one that feels like an encounter with the transcendent.
Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week
In the reading for today Jesus addresses the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These are towns where Jesus has preached, performed miracles, and done healings. The basic message to them is that the people in these towns have heard him preach and have been impressed by his miracles, but many people there still have not believed in him. Jesus prophesies that they will ultimately be judged harshly for their lack of faith. Despite these severe words, it seems to me that Jesus does not want to see them condemned. Rather he wants them to accept his message, repent of their sins, and follow a new way of life. So it is with a sense of urgency that Jesus seems to call out to them. His words are not just a warning but also a spur to them finally to do what they are supposed to be doing.
Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot
In the past few weeks, we have been following various stories in the book of Genesis. This week, we begin reading from the book of Exodus. The set-up for today’s passage comes in the figure of Joseph, who, you might recall, became a trusted advisor of Pharaoh, able to save many lives through his judicious economy with grain. The Egyptian king of Joseph’s time was grateful for his contributions and allowed for Joseph’s family to take up residence in Egypt. Now, however, the current Pharaoh has started to question the worth of Joseph’s descendants. He finds their great number threatening, and he clearly still regards them as foreigners. Hence the Pharaoh makes a plan to decrease the perceived threat; he will make the Hebrew people work hard and he will kill all their infant boys.
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
All of last week, the entire nation has been glued to the Casey Antony case. Not that there are other things to worry about like the debt ceiling of the nation, but the public likes mystery and intrigue. When Casey was acquitted, there was public outrage at the verdict. Somehow, there are so many questions left unanswered. And then there is the child who never got to live. But, look also at the effect that one person and her life can have on not just the family, but rather, all of society. The Casey Antony case made me think of my own life and actions and the impact they can have on other people. I could not help but think of this as I read today’s readings.
Saturday of the Fourteenth Week
Today’s gospel continues with the instructions that Jesus gives to His disciples precisely about how to be disciples. He knows that proclaiming the Kingdom of God, with its challenging message of exalting the lowly over the powerful and living in selfless love of God and one another, will be met with some resistance (particularly from the rich and powerful!). Yet, Jesus assures his disciples that we are worthy in God’s eyes and therefore should not be afraid. Rather we should be courageous to live as disciples precisely because, like Isaiah, God has chosen us. This charge from God comes with the assurance that He deals with us most intimately and most carefully, counting even the hairs on our head!
Friday of the Fourteenth Week
One summer, when I was about fourteen or so, I had the chance to go to a music camp and learn to play the clarinet better. The camp was with a lot of people I'd never met before, but who all knew each other: they played in area orchestras together and had a good rapport. I approached it with a mixture of fear and hope, because on the one hand, I worried that I wouldn't fit in or that they wouldn't like me; on the other hand, I was hoping that learning to play the clarinet better might mean I could play in the youth orchestra for my state.
Thursday of the Fourteenth Week
During these past few weeks we have been following the exciting narratives in the book of Genesis. Today’s passage about Joseph is a particularly poignant story. You may recall that Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Joseph underwent great hardship, only to later rise to a position of power within the household of Pharaoh. Now he is in a position to help his family, along with all the people in that region.
Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week
There may be no “I” in team, but there are many among us who function as lone rangers. Lone rangers may be acceptable in some places but being part of the body of Christ demands teamwork. Teamwork demands trust. The trouble is when we do not trust our team to do their share we lose our ability to be a team. At work when one part of a department is carrying the rest, a lack of respect can lead to resentment or perhaps hostility. In a marriage, when spouses mistrust or covetous feelings can create an imbalance that stress’s their relationship beyond healing. Even sporting teams and siblings can lose their focus when a perceived inequity leads to jealousy or even hostility.
Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week
I used to think that to see God acting in the world I would have to see something out of the ordinary or spectacular happening—something miraculous or at least very contrary to what normally happens in daily life. But most of the time this is not how God seems to act. Things are much more ordinary. God uses ordinary people and ordinary situations to accomplish his will.
Monday of the Fourteenth Week
Today our country celebrates its “Independence Day,” the day that marks the American break with British rule in the 18th century. Our readings, however, turn our attention to trust in God, and not trust in our country. While empires come and go, God’s kingdom is everlasting. Our first reading continues the patriarchal narratives from the book of Genesis. Today we hear about Jacob, the son of Isaac who so desired his father’s blessing that he deceived him in order to get it. When the Lord appears to Jacob in the famous dream of a ladder or stairway to heaven with angels (messengers) ascending and descending, Jacob responds with wonder and awe. He even confirms his experience of God by making a memorial to God and taking a vow.
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
As I was returning after Good Friday services at St. Helen, a middle aged woman pulled right beside me at the red light on Woodman, and flipped me off. Then, to avoid any reaction from me she avoided any eye contact. If she looked in my direction I would have blessed her with the sign of the cross, but she would not. The best part of it is that I do not even know why she was mad. Another time, my friend was driving me to a funeral visitation and a young guy in a bright yellow car passed us by with his finger in the air. Once again, neither of us knew why! This time, I was very, very angry and wanted to confront him. My friend convinced me to let it go. Or, let me just talk about life in the parish. Keeping a parish this size well managed and focused is a very complex task. In the process, the possibility of being totally misunderstood, of being disliked, maligned, opposed and even hated is real. What is true for me, I know, is equally true for you at home or at your work place.
Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of The Blessed Virgin Mary
Today we celebrate the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We commonly associate the physical heart of a person with love, as in “I love you with all of my heart.” We also associate the heart with the very essence of a person, the deeper place where the most real aspect of a person resides as in, “in my heart of hearts I know…” Both of these aspects come together in this memorial, which directs our attention to Mary’s joys and sorrows, her virtues, and, above all, her love—for God, for her Son, Jesus, and for all people.
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Every year, we observe the solemnity of the most sacred heart of Jesus. This is ultimately a feast about Jesus' love for us, as Father John Croiset writes in his book on the devotion, because the human heart is a symbol of love. God asks us to return love for love, as John writes in today's second reading (1 John 4:7-16): "God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him."
Thursday of the Thirteenth Week
Our first reading for today is one of the most misused and least understood passages in the Old Testament. Perhaps you have heard someone question how God could ask Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Perhaps someone has explained that he dislikes the Old Testament precisely because of this awful story or that she disagrees with any God that could call for the sacrifice of a child. And, indeed, if what we take from this story is that God might at any time ask us to kill one of our kids in order to test our faith, then it is a scary story.
Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Chains that bind us are all around us. Many of the chains we create or get into intentionally. Some we slide into slowly without almost realizing the danger in which we have put ourselves. What holds some bound to others might not be seen as chains at all. For some, marriage may feel like chains, while for others it may be the most liberating institution. A troubling situation at work may feel like chains to one person while the same situation may not be worrisome to another. In today’s readings, the chains that held Peter and Paul did not bind them.
Memorial of Saint Irenaeus
The gospel reading for today tells the story of Jesus calming the storm. Jesus and the disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a great storm arises that rocks the boat and creates great waves. Jesus happens to be asleep at the time. In their fear the disciples wake Jesus up and tell him what is going on. Jesus responds to this by saying that the disciples are afraid because they do not have enough faith. What kind of faith could Jesus be talking about here? According to the notes to the New American Bible, the word translated in the passage as ‘of little faith’ is used only by Matthew, among Biblical writers. Matthew uses it to indicate the situation where the faith of those who are following Jesus is not as great as it should be. Although they have faith, that faith could be stronger.
Monday of the Thirteenth Week
“Sometimes, when someone has something that’s nicer than mine or clothes that look prettier than mine, I like to insult them, to make them feel bad and ugly, so that I won’t feel so bad about myself.” This, in essence, is what my older daughter told me after I asked her to stop picking on her younger sister. And while these words seem childish, immature, and even selfish and hurtful, in some ways the expression is not far removed from the way that adults often act as well. We may think that we are far above such base treatment, but at times we also feel like the best way to make ourselves feel better is to make others look or feel bad.
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Normally, I read through all the three readings once early Monday morning to prepare for the upcoming Sunday. Only last week, I picked up the readings and got stuck on the very first word – “Remember.” May be because the mother of one of my friend has dementia, or because I have been in touch with another parishioner whose father has Alzheimer, I have just been a little more conscious how important memory is. Those who take care of people with decreasing memory say that it is like dying a little every day.
Saturday of the Twelfth Week
It’s hard not to be sympathetic with Sarah’s incredulity in today’s reading. Abraham meets a few men by a tree and one of them tells the aged Sarah that she will bear a child by the next year. Now, we have to remember that Abraham already knows that the Lord made this promise as part of the covenant between them storied in Genesis 17. Obviously, he hasn’t talked this over with his wife! When one of the men predicts that Sarah will have a son, Abraham clearly recognizes the Lord in the men. Therefore, his hospitality, performed before he knew it was the Lord, is all the more remarkable. [As a side note, many throughout the history of the Church have seen a type (or image) of the Trinity in the three angels; Andrei Rublev’s (c. 1365– c. 1427) icon is a famous example. You can see a representation of it here: http://www.olgachristine.com/ikons/trinity.JPG.]
Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John
I'm driving home from work; it's a hot day, my kids are in the back seat, and we're longing to get home to the cool of our house, to supper, to spending time with each other after not seeing each other all day. At the next stop light, there's a man waving a sign, wanting money or food. The light turns green just in time for me to "safely" keep driving through the light, to not have to worry about him or find coins in the car to give or think about what it might mean to be homeless on a hot day.