Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
Today's gospel reading gives us a vivid description of what is to happen at the end time. Wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues, persecutions, and betrayals will characterize the end times. This scene can be very frightening. But these things do happen. Even in these days, terrible floods, tornadoes, volcanoes, tsunami and forest fires to cause huge destruction. Certainly, none of us thinks that this time, for sure, it will be the end of the world. At the same time, we know that our personal world can end at any time. This can be, for some people, a frightening thought.
Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today’s gospel reading made me stop and reflect on what it means to be generous. Living a life of generosity involves not holding back but instead giving abundantly of that which is important to us- our time, our talent, and our possessions. In order to be able to freely give in this way, an individual needs to be able to step out in faith believing that God will provide for them and their future needs.
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Over the last two years, the Vatican has been in secret meetings. As intriguing this may sound, the purpose was reconciliation. The Vatican hosted meeting between the United States and Cuba to end five decades of political enmity. Finally on July 1, 2015, US and Cuba reestablished diplomatic relationship after more than fifty years. Just this week, news also broke that Cuba pardoned 787 prisoners in response to a call by Pope Francis to consider granting amnesty to prisoners. As usual, the entire issue has supporters and opposers. Most people had admired the Pope’s role but others have criticized him, saying, that the Church should stay out of politics.
Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel passage is a good one. Jesus deftly outmaneuvers the wily Sadducees, juking at the last second to deliver a slam dunk answer. Jesus’ answer was so good that “they no longer dared to ask him anything”… wait, what?
Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The words from today’s first reading (Revelation 10:8-11) are a bit of a puzzle: how is it that God’s words can taste sweet but yet make John’s stomach sour? It is perplexing, too, to turn from that reading to the Psalm (119), which proclaims that God’s promises are sweet to the taste! Surely, if God’s promises and God’s words are sweet, won’t the effect be sweet as well?
Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
"If this day you only knew what makes for peace." I feel like this quote from Luke's gospel is speaking to our nation and our world today. If we knew today what would bring about peace - would we be willing to do it? Would we be willing to set aside our agendas, our personal interests and our desires if it meant that we could bring about peace? I hope and pray that we would, but I am not so sure.
Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
This messy election, for some in our country, has been a sign of the beginning of the end.
As the liturgical year comes to a literal end, the readings push us toward an eschatological view of the world. This is important, not that the end of the World is imminent, yet the end of days, especially for us personally. It is the circle of life. The first reading describes John’s vision of heaven. The imagery of this vision describes the scene in a trumpet like voice. The picture portrayed is one where an angel takes the visionary through a large door revealing a stunning scene with it heavenly court and all its attendants.
Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The readings for this week look forward to the Solemnity of Christ the King, this coming Sunday. The theme expressed in them is repentance at the expectation of Christ’s coming. In the first reading, the writer of Revelation warns the churches not to be lukewarm but rather to remain steadfast in faith. The metaphor of the undesirability of what is lukewarm is one that most people can appreciate. In warm weather it is natural for people to drink cold beverages to slake their thirst. And conversely, in cold weather people drink warm beverages to warm them from the inside after they’ve come in from the cold. The problem with lukewarm beverages is that people do not find them to be refreshing either on cold or warm days. No one wants to drink lukewarm soda, or coffee once it has cooled off.
Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
I recently read the book Taste and See: Experiencing the Goodness of God with Our Five Senses by Ginny Kubitz Moyer. In the book, the author explores the idea of using our everyday experiences to seek and find God in our lives. Today’s gospel reading reminded me of the importance of using our senses to hear and see God, so we can follow Him as a disciple. By deepening our awareness of the world around us through our senses, we can become aware of God’s presence in the smallest details of our lives. Through these experiences we can come to know His love and compassion, and we are then empowered- by His grace- to go forth and share this love with others.
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last week, the title for my homily was the “The Art of Dying Well.” The theme revolved around one thought - that the art of dying well is really about the art of living well. So this week I decided to focus in the “art of living well.” The focus of last week’s readings was death and dying. This week’s focus is on the end times and when that actually happens how might be we be found living well. The irony is that we have no insight into when these cataclysmic events might occur. The only thing we can do is to make sure that when these things do happen, we are found living well. Really! That is all we can do!
Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
While reading the passage from 3 John I wondered what that could mean for us today. How do we, the church of modern America, love so faithfully that it is testified to others? Who are our strangers that have set out for the sake of the name? Who, today, are the pagans from whom they accept nothing? I think there are many answers to these questions. Some of these answers could vary depending on the mission of a particular parish and the demographics it serves. Some answers could change based on the religious climate in a particular region. I want to look at these questions from the perspective of serving those in the midst of conversion.
Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
Intuitively, we believe that it is important for the church, and especially for our witness to Christ, that we make use of contemporary culture for witnessing to Christ. We know that different people like different kinds of music, for example, and so our parish has masses that make use of a variety of musical styles in order to help people worship. Other, more controversial topics relate to this too: use of medical technology at the end of life, birth control, gay marriage.
Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Today is the Feast of Pope St. Leo the Great. After this contentious election, he is a great saint for us to remember. In his time, the Church had been divided for centuries over whether Jesus was truly God and truly Human, or just one of the two. Leo found a way of explaining how Jesus is one person with both a divine and human nature; this teaching unified the divided Church at the counsel of Chalcedon. We need a unifying spirit right now in our society. Saint Leo, Pray for Us!
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
We know Jesus got angry because of what we hear in today’s gospel as he formed a whip and drove of the money changers. More often than not when I hear this story the focus seems drawn to the anger. Especially in that people use it to justify their own anger. Certainly Jesus’ actions reflect an anger that we should name as righteous. Or as the scripture points out the action of driving out the money changers came out of a zeal that consumed Jesus. Jesus’ desire was that disruption of the marketplace be removed from the temple. Jesus still desires that everything within each of us, that leads us away from deeply practicing our faith, must be driven out.
Tuesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Jesus provides the apostles with an instruction that I often need to be reminded of – serve God and never allow yourself to feel as if God owes you something in return. As someone whose profession is ministry I often find myself pleading with God, “I have given so much” or “I am on my last thread” can I not get just some time to rest and recharge?
Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Like all of us, I have had my share of opportunities to forgive others in my life. I have also given the people in my life plenty of opportunities to forgive me! But I always find today’s Gospel reading particularly challenging. How often and when am I expected to forgive? Jesus essentially tells me I must always forgive. Jesus tells me to choose the way of inner peace and freedom.
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
There is a new Catholic website. It is launched by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and it is called artofdyingwell.org - Yes, “the art of dying well.” As my own father approaches the later years of his life, I found it very helpful to visit this website. The website explains its purpose this way: “In the Catholic faith it is believed that life is a precious gift from God and death simply opens the way to new life. Planning ahead can help to overcome fear and anxiety. Perhaps it is possible to take the sting out of death and encourage acceptance of it as a part of life itself.” Then the website gives the readers various resources for life and death.
Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
There are certain moments in the gospels that Jesus lays down the law. They might not be frequent or at the forefront of our minds but they are there. For some you can imagine people telling their friends that Jesus let those Pharisees have it. Maybe something like, “Get this, he told the Pharisees, ‘You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.’ Can you believe he said that to them! It’s about time somebody called it like it is.” These passages are like BB guns. You know, they are all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Well these passages are great until they convict me of my own sins and shortcomings.
Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
What is the difference between Christians and non-Christians? It is not that Christians are any less sinful, any less capable of committing crimes, any more likely to get to heaven. Today’s scriptures make that quite clear.
The gospel (Luke 16:1-8) features Jesus’ parable of the dishonest steward (familiar because we last heard it at Sunday Mass in September). This parable has often perplexed me, because I find myself wondering why the master commends the steward for reducing his (the master’s) tenants’ debts. After all, it is the master’s money and now the master will get less in repayment while the steward has protected himself. The steward’s hope is that the people whose debts he’s forgiven will likewise find themselves generous when the steward no longer has a job.
Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Today's gospel is one many of us know well. We have heard this teaching often - that there is more rejoicing for a sinner who has repented and enters heaven than for a righteous man who enters heaven. And yet we are also taught that we are all sinners. Some sins are more public than others - but we are ALL sinners. When the two truths are factored together it changes the way we understand this gospel.