January 27, 2019

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Nehemiah 8: 2-4, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 12-30; Luke 1: 1-4, 4: 14-21
Do I consider myself to always be right? I try to be open in listening to people and their thoughts
and ideas, but I have definite feelings on many topics. Am I always right in these—no—but I feel
pretty good about my choices for the most part. Do I consider myself a sinner? I do, there is no
question about that. My monthly reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation constantly reminds
me that I am in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. It also reminds me and gives me a fresh
insight into the fact, that yes, we are all indeed sinners. Most importantly it reminds me of the truth
of our faith: I am a sinner…I am a loved sinner…I am a redeemed loved sinner; along with
everyone God has created. How am I living in God’s love? How am I living love to every person
who comes into my life? How am I loving all my brothers and sisters, every person God has
created?
In the first reading we hear what happened when the exiles returned from Babylon. Nehemiah had
been appointed the governor and Ezra had been appointed the priest by the Persian overlords. They
were given the task of rebuilding the Jewish community of faith. Nehemiah went about rebuilding
the city walls of Jerusalem for safety and security. Ezra was a “…scribe well versed in the law of Moses,
the Torah, {the first five books of the OT} which he sought to make the basic rule of life in the restored
community.” (From Introduction to the Book of Ezra in the Catholic Study Bible.) Ezra realized more had to be
done besides rebuilding Jerusalem, because true security for Judah requires faithful service to the
Lord God. So today Nehemiah assembles all the people and Ezra reads the law of Moses. We see a
very emotional response from the people. God hasn’t rejected them. God loves them and is helping
them live the life of being God’s people. This law that God gave to Moses is as important as
water…it is a source of life. Why did the people weep after hearing God’s law? No reason is given.
It seems that as they were listening they realized how far they had drifted away from God. These
spiritual failures in the past led to the collapse of the kingdom and to exile in Babylon. This is
serious stuff; they have fallen far from where they should be. They cried. Ezra and Nehemiah tell
the people to stop…they are to realize that God loves them…forgives them…is leading them closer
to Himself…and in Jesus, they will be redeemed. Some scholars describe this as an AHA moment.
There are times in each of our lives where we get unexpected revelations through unpleasant
moments about our sins. WOW moments to say that we are loved, we are important, we are special.
Almost anything can trigger these moments: past failure and their seriousness becomes disturbingly
clear. Maybe we’ve asked God, or a special person to let us know where we have failed, been
wrong, and our request has been frankly given in great detail. The bottom of the world? No! Has
our world collapsed? No! Maybe it has become the moment, the God moment, that we discover we
are loved…a loved, redeemed, sinner!
The Corinthians realized that they have been tremendously gifted by God. Unfortunately this made
them feel special, too special, putting them above those who received lesser spiritual gifts or no gifts.
I read in Living the Word that Paul may be “…drawing on a story of an elderly Roman senator who
was sent out to pacify the angry plebeians. The senator told the rioters a fable. Once upon a time
all the limbs of a body became disgusted with the service they had to render to the belly, so they
stopped feeding it. But soon all found themselves growing weak, and were obliged to own that all
would perish unless they cared for the belly. The senator told them that all ranks and stages depend
on one another, and unless they all worked together, they all would fall to confusion and decay.”
How apt this fable is for our modern times! Each Church member has some special gift from God.
All our gifts contribute to the unity of the Church because its members have been baptized into the
one Body of Christ. Am I living this? Am I respecting this?
Only Luke’s gospel opens with a introduction that clearly gives his motive for writing and he
addresses this to Theophilus, perhaps his patron. Then we jump to the fourth chapter where Luke is
giving a summary of what Jesus has been doing. Now He is in His home town and has been invited
to teach in the synagogue in Nazareth. Jesus opens the scroll of the Book of Isaiah the prophet and
reads a portion describing His mission, Isaiah 61. Usually what happened is that the ‘guest’ rabbi
would quote some famous rabbi who had interpreted this passage. This would highlight the rich
rabbinic tradition of Judaism. Jesus doesn’t do this. “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your
hearing.” Jesus is definitively asserting that He is the prophet that Isaiah is proclaiming in this
chapter. He is the one who is to come…He is the Messiah. This certainly was an AHA moment for
some in the crowd. I’m sure that His apostles understood this but they had a lot more to learn. They
had to refine their opinion of who and what the Messiah would be. It would not have anything to do
with restoring the kingship of Israel. It was about restoring the Kingship of God. God is the creator.
God rules. Am I listening? Am I following what God is teaching? Am I listening too much to
myself? Am I doing my part to share my Spirit-given gifts with those in my life? Am I a hoarder or
a believer and sharer? Am I a sinner who loves or am I looking at what I love to do for me?
Sunday Homily Helps shares these conclusions: “a) Are we sinners or saints? Answer: Yes b) when
we see how badly we’ve messed up, the occasion is holy, and we should celebrate. c) The kingdom
of God is at hand, right here, right now—but not yet.
d) Christ has conquered sin and death, yet the world is full of sin and spiritual death.
e) Three Persons in one God. A fully human man who was also God and who was born of a virgin
mother. A king who stumbled to His throne, a Savior who died but lives. When we are weak, we are
strong (2 Corinthians 12:12) When we are persecuted, we are blessed (1 Peter 4:14 and Matthew 5:10). f)
In faith, many things which ‘logically’ appear to be either/or turn out to be both/and.”
So I reflect on:
• What makes it difficult for me to see someone or some group as children of God?
• How do I continue to live Jesus’ words in concrete ways?
• When has my ministry resulted in repentance or a change? Was it hard?
• How do I experience Christ calling me now?
Sacred Space 2019 states:
“ A ‘year of favor’ was a season when God would visit His people; God would come and overturn a situation in
which His people had been at the mercy of enemies. He would relieve the oppressed, set free the imprisoned,
cure the disabled and those who had succumbed to illness. It would be a whole new age: God would lift His
people out of their distress.
Jesus tells His hearers that, with His own coming, God is visiting His people right now. And He’s visiting
every single one of His people, from that day to this.”

January 20, 2019

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Isaiah 62: 1-5; 1 Corinthians 12; 4-1; John 2: 1-11
Have I ever seen a miracle? Have you ever seen a miracle? Do miracles change people? Can I do
miracles? Can you do miracles? I would answer in the affirmative to all these questions. Now what is a
miracle like…I would say it’s the presence of God, loving caring, healing, letting a person know that
they are lovable and precious to Him. There are a number of different types of miracles. For the most
part when a person uses the word ‘miracle’ one believes that it is a ‘healing’ miracle. There also is a
‘transformation miracle’…one’s way of life and living has been radically changed somehow
encompassing love. There are Biblical miracles…apparitions…messages from God or a saint…
miraculous images. Eucharistic miracles…sacramental miracles and stigmata miracles. This is a long
list and definitely not complete. Add to this list is over twenty-five hundred claims of Marian
apparitions throughout history. I have visited a few of these. In my role as a priest I’ve witnessed
healing miracles. A few of these miracles are similar: I visited the ‘dying’ person in the hospital. From
my experience I did not believe they would live another day; they seemed to be in a comatose state.
After administering the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and praying, I tried to comfort the family
and be present to them. Within a short amount of time, no longer than a day, I received a call that the
patient was sitting up, alert and interacting with those present. A miracle…It’s all about God, not about
me.
We hear from Isaiah today sharing oracles from the Lord celebrating the wonderful transformation
within God’s holy people. Previously, they had been spiritually weak and as a result, the kingdom
collapsed. Now they are spiritually strong again. Isaiah is pointing out that this all comes from the
Lord. They always had the potential to do great things, but this potential was obscured by crazy
thinking and bad choices. Finally, they have broken away from their sins and ignorance and returned to
the Lord. It seems to me that so often we have negative thinking when we are with the Lord. We put
ourselves down as unimportant or incapable of being ‘worthy’ to be in the same room with God. We
have a difficult time realizing that we are loved…every day…every moment. God wants us to know this,
another form of a miracle…changing the way we were to a person loved and trying to love.
Paul wants the Corinthian community to understand that God keeps them together. Each member has a
special gift from the Holy Spirit. Paul entitles his twelfth chapter from the first letter to the Corinthians,
’Spiritual Gifts.’ All spiritual gifts are from God…God loves us this much…and uses these gifts in us to
touch those in need. Msgr. Chet Michael was a brilliant and holy man who did so much for the Diocese
of Richmond. I was honored to have him as my Spiritual Director for twelve years. He started a
Spiritual Direction Institute to teach others how to identify God’s love and to bring people closer to the
Lord. Msgr. continually taught that God GIVES HIS gifts to ALL to bring ALL people closer to
Himself. He used so frequently The New Testament in Modern Modern English by J.B.Phillips which he
said translated all the Letters in the New Testament more accurately than other translations. This is J.B.
Phillips rendition of today’s text: “Chapter 12: The Holy Spirit inspires men’s faith and imparts spiritual gifts.
“Now, my brothers, I want to give you some further information in spiritual matters. … Men have different gifts, but it
is the same Spirit who gives them. There are different ways of serving God but it is the same Lord who is served.
God works though different men in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves His purposes through them
all. The Spirit openly makes His gift to each man, so that he may use if for the common good.
One man’s gift by the Spirit is to speak with wisdom, another’s to speak with knowledge. The same Spirit gives to
another man faith, to another the ability to heal, to another the use of spiritual powers. The same Spirit gives to
another man the gift of preaching the word of God, to another the ability to discriminate in spiritual matters, to
another speech in different tongues and to yet another the power to interpret the tongues. Behind all these gifts is
the operation of the same Spirit, who distributes to each individual man as He wills.” Paul is telling us that the
Spirit is responsible for gifting so loving can take place. These are miracles really, gifts from God to
open up hearts to be receptive to God’s love. I have seen this in so many different ways in my life;
really starting with me. Paul cautions his people that these ‘gifts’ from the Spirit are for the building up
of the community not for personal gain.
John’s Gospel is structured around seven so-called ‘signs’. Sunday Homily Helps states:
“On the surface a sign is another term for miracle, except in John’s gospel where a sign points to a
deeper reality than the surface meaning of a miracle. Here, a sign reveals the presence of God in the
words and deeds of Jesus. For those who witness a sign, the response may be acceptance or rejection.
Acceptance leads to salvation, but rejection leads to self-condemnation.” The miracle at Cana is the
first sign Jesus performed in John’s Gospel, ‘They have no wine.’ We know this miracle well. Sunday
Homily Helps shares these three conclusions:
“a) At Cana, Jesus publicly began along with His disciples, to alter the face of religion in
Galilee and later, the whole world-by changing people’s hearts.
b) Yet even in the face of this great ‘sign’ there were those who remained skeptical and would
not believe.
c) St. Augustine once said, ‘I never have any difficulty believing in miracles, for I experienced
the miracle of change in my own heart.”
I reflect on:
• A wonderful reflection is to begin a litany of thanksgiving by naming my own gifts. Have a close
friend help. We are not good at looking at our good points alone.
• How can I use one of the gifts to manifest the Spirit’s presence in loving others?
• How is God’s generosity revealed by my service to others?
• Am I jealous of another’s gifts. What can I do to appreciate the diversity of gifts and the generosity
of God who dispenses the gifts?
• What a powerful reflection, ‘For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe, the horse was
lost; for want of a horse, the soldier was lost; for want of a soldier, the battle was lost. No talent is
insignificant in the eyes of God.’
Sacred Space 2019 states:
“In some incidents of the written narrative about Jesus we find signals and unmistakable gestures that indicate
who He really is. We see magi and shepherds recognizing His lordship at his birth. We see the heavenly
manifestations at His baptism in the Jordan. And here in John’s Gospel we see a signal from Jesus Himself: the
replenishment of the wine for the large crowd of wedding guests.
A banquet—including the free flow of wine—was always, for the people of God, a figure of the total fulfillment and
happiness that would mark the Lord’s final future coming. His overflowing generosity is always available to us. Can
I image myself at the Lord’s banquet feast?”

January 13, 2019

Baptism of the Lord
Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11; Titus 2: 11-14; 3:4-7; Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22
Have you ever been forgiven for a huge mistake? How did it make you feel? I can remember a
number of times in my life that I asked for forgiveness. None of them were easy. I had to swallow
my pride and admit that all the blame was on me. I had no idea what would happen next. Would I
be scolded? Would my apology be accepted? Would these ‘severed relationships’ be restored? In all
these ‘cases’ I did quite a lot of praying. In fact it was in listening to the Lord inside that I was able
to see I was to blame for so many of these incidents because of my pride and selfishness. Would the
Lord have compassion on me? The Lord consistently came to my rescue. I noticed that it was God’s
help that brought me through these moments and planted in me His peace. I’ve heard this same
scenario repeated very often by people who have come to me sharing their encounters with the Lord.
God just plain loves us. God has total compassion on us. God forgives us all the time. Do we
listen? Are we grateful? Do we learn from these tragic encounters? What is the Lord telling us?
The readings put this in perspective with God’s plan for salvation for all people.
The book of Isaiah is divided into two parts: Chapters 1-39 are entitled ‘The Book of Judgment’;
Chapters 40-66 are entitled, ’The Book of Consolation’. Today’s reading begins the second section
and these contain some of the most poetic and powerful images of God’s compassion. Today God
instructs the anonymous prophet known as ‘Second Isaiah’ to inform the exiles to let go of their
illusions and embrace the truth. For too long they have embraced the fact that they are God’s holy
people but did not live accordingly. When they attach themselves to anyone or anything other than
God, they will be thoroughly disappointed. This is why they now find themselves in exile. Today
the prophet presents a special servant who will make things right. After years of exile, the people are
not ready to take hold of the plan God has for them. The ‘servant’ will teach by his example, not by
shouting ‘in the street.’ With God’s ever-present love the servant will become a beacon of light for
the whole world. “Like a shepherd He feeds His flock; in His arms He gathers the lambs, carrying them in
His bosom, and leading the ewes with care.” This is Jesus, Emmanuel, God is with us, always.
Paul is writing to a disciple who is in charge of developing the Church on Crete, the large island in
the Mediterranean that Paul had never visited. Paul is sharing with this Gentile Christian that God’s
plan for salvation extends to all the nations, everyone is eligible, no one is excluded. Some scholars
say that verses 4-7 today appears to be citing an early Christian hymn that would have been used
during baptisms. The instruction is that they and us must “…reject godless ways and worldly desires and
to live temperately, justly and devoutly in this age…so that each person is prepared “…for the appearance of
the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ…”
In our present Baptismal rite the candidate is clothed with the white baptismal garment using these
words, “You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white
garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word
and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.” (Rite of Baptism for
Children, 99.) Everything goes back to our Baptism, our own saying ‘Yes’ to accepting and living
God’s plan for salvation. We are called to be a light for our world.
Luke today shares his version of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. He focuses on two points:
Jesus is the Messiah, and John the Baptist is not and secondly, Jesus is God’s beloved Son, which is
affirmed by a Divine Voice from heaven. Luke describes the ministry of John the Baptist. He must
have been something to look at: ascetically dressed and a powerful and persuasive preacher. People
came from all over to listen to him, thinking that John was the Messiah. John said emphatically, I
am not the Messiah! Yet even as the Gospels were being written, there was still some of John’s
disciples actively proclaiming that John was the Messiah. That is why the Gospel writers make a
special effort to say and prove through the prophets that Jesus is the Messiah and superior to John
the Baptist. Jesus is God.
Luke tells us that John forcefully announces without any doubt that, “…one mightier than I is coming. I
am not worthy to loosen the thongs of His scandals.” John’s mission is to prepare his listeners, the world
and each of us that we have to do important things. Each of us have a need to repent. We are
living in God’s world and we each have a mission from God to live in right relationship with God
and with one another. How is God present in my life and those of my family and friends? Am I
aware that the Holy Spirit is gently leading me each day to be a person of love, compassion and
forgiveness? How committed am I as a Catholic Christian to be Jesus each day? Am I a person of
prayer?
Fr. David Kobak in Sunday Homily Helps shares thoughts on prayer: “a) After His baptism by John and
before His public ministry begins Jesus retires alone to a private place for sincere prayer. He prepares Himself for what
is to come. b) How many of us pray before we begin something new and life-changing, such as a new job, starting a
new home, beginning a new family? Our baptismal promises urge us to nurture our sacramental lives. c) Prayer has the
power to transform our lives. How much time we spend and where we choose to be when we pray is always up to us.
For some, sitting in a quiet church or chapel is ideal. For others, the kitchen table, the garden, or a quiet place in the
woods—even your car on the way to or from work. Every place and time can be a good place to pray. d) Jesus is fully
human and fully divine. He knows our wants and needs before we can even ask. Jesus knows our hurts trials and
tribulations. Take a bit of time to be ‘graced in’ this winter. Create time simply to ‘be’ with God.” WHY NOT…
Have I tried…Every time I do, it works and is so peaceful; why am I choosy when I do this?
I reflect on:
• What difference does putting on Christ in Baptism really make in my life?
• How do I live temperately, justly and devoutly in practical ways?
• How conscious am I of the power of the Spirit acting in and through me How do I nurture my
relationship with the Spirit?
• When am I conscious of being a beloved child of God? I am you know! Right?
Sacred Space 2019 states:
“Over the ages, the people of God had been waiting for the one who was to come. They sensed that right
now was the eve of the great Savior’s dawn. And their anticipation was not disappointed. At the baptism of
Jesus, the Father in heaven’s voice was heard—and the Holy Spirit appeared, too, ready to be poured out into
the hearts of all who approached for purification.
A new force was at large in the world, changing our hearts and filling our spirits with the life of heaven. May I
remember, Lord, that this life is in me right now.”

January 6, 2019

Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2: 1-12
It is an interesting adventure to ask ourselves: ‘Right now, am I in a positive mode or a negative
mode? Am I optimistic or pessimistic about the world and me in it? Am I feeling joined to or
separated from my faith and my church? Do I find myself living in joy and happiness or do I give in
to woe and gloom?’ Do I try to be a disciple of God’s peace and love or do I view that the world and
me are going to hell? Often we can find ourselves not being positive people. Often too, we can find
ourselves being people who want to help people and fill them with the joy of living in the now. So
where am I at today? Do I fluctuate? When I look at Jesus, His life and teaching and more
importantly His daily living we have to say that He was a totally positive person. He constantly
showed the people who were living in fear caused by horrendous living and working conditions
coupled with authoritarian strict laws that God is with them each day and God loves each person
each moment of each day. This again is the message of the readings today. We take a few moments
to gain insight into God’s message of love, peace and right living.
Isaiah is recognized as the greatest of the prophets and he appeared at a critical moment in Israel’s
history. The later part of the eighth century BC saw the collapse of the northern kingdom.
Jerusalem was surrounded by invading armies and when Uzziah, the king of Judah, died, Isaiah
received his prophetic call. He was granted a vision of the Lord enthroned in glory and Isaiah says,
“Woe is me, I am doomed! I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have
seen the King, the Lord of hosts…Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying ‘Whom shall I send Who will go
for us?’ Here I am, I said, send me! And He replied ‘GO’…’” (Isaiah 6: 5=8) Today’s passage contains
oracles from a later period which were composed by disciples who inherited the spirit of Isaiah and
continued his work. They are addressing the fact that wickedness still is rampant and justice and
honesty are not around. They are expounding a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65). Jerusalem is
to be a beacon for nations. They have been blessed by God…others are to see how God cares for all
people and loves them and is constantly renewing them closer to Himself. Light has come to lessen
the darkness. This light is not generated from any human source, it comes from God. Isaiah’s
disciples are telling Jerusalem and its people that they serve God’s purpose without compromise…
this is God’s plan. Do I realize that God has touched me as a result of my baptism to continue to let
‘my light shine’? It’s not really my light, but the light and love of God living within me.
Paul is sharing with the Ephesians his profound gratitude for the wonderful privilege that God has
entrusted to him to reveal more of God’s plan of salvation. The people of Isaiah’s time did not
understand this nor did the people of the OT period. They realized that God had ‘chosen them’ and
they were ‘God’s people’. But they did not realize that all people have been created by God. All
have been created in love. All have been promised Eternal life. Everyone has been called, chosen
in God’s plan: “…that the Gentiles are co heirs, members of the same body and copartners in the
promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” A Jewish person listening to Paul would find this
unimaginable but they are not to the God whom Jesus revealed. These words…these commands
challenge our world which often wants to exclude some of God’s children. The Second Vatican
Council in The Church in the Modern World #27 states, “In our times a special obligation binds us
to make ourselves the neighbor of absolutely every person, and of actively helping him when he
comes across our path, whether he be an old person abandoned by all, a foreign laborer unjustly
looked down upon, a refugee, a child born of an unlawful union and wrongly suffering for sin he did
not commit, or a hungry person who disturbs our conscience by recalling the voice of the Lord: ‘As
often as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me.’” (Matthew 25: 40) THESE
words make it our daily task to be aware…to care…to respond…to love as Jesus loves. These are
God’s commands! How am I doing?
We come to the gospel on this feast of the Epiphany. This feast identifies Jesus as the newborn king
of the Jews. Yet He will be rejected by His own people, the Jews, and He will be accepted by
foreigners and gentiles. Matthew, who is Jewish, points his readers back to the intrigue of the
Exodus story modeling the birth of Moses. Everything is connected and pointing to Jesus being the
Messiah. Persian astrologers arrive from the East having followed a mysterious star and were
seeking this newborn king. They knew who Jesus is and want to do Him respect and reverence.
Herod is totally caught off guard, and doesn’t want anyone taking his authority and comfortable
living away. The magi come, offer their gifts and leave. The REAL identity of Jesus has been made
clear. The Jews rejected this, the gentiles will accept it. God reaches out to each and every person
revealing Himself and His love. I reflect on how God has reached out to me. Reflect on how God
has reached out to you. Mary Ann Nicholls in Sunday Homily helps says” “How has God reached
out to each of us, revealing Himself in and through Humanity in the flesh? Perhaps it was the day
you bathed your first grandchild or the day you said, ’I love you’ and knew that it was about more
than romance and physical attraction— or the time you sat vigil with a dying loved one and knew
that you were on holy ground.” Just like Isaiah, God has called me and you to respond to each and
every one of His loved children. Am I aware that they are my brothers and sisters? Am I aware that
I have been created to be Jesus? Am I living as a person of love? I am never called to be passive but
to be a person of love. A person of love is never to be hidden or afraid because we are about God’s
call to be Jesus and His love at every moment.
I reflect on:
• In what places do darkness, fear, or our worlds’ division seem overwhelming to me?
• How do I find the hope that the Epiphany invites me to have?
• With what kinds of people have I been in contact: people of different races, religious traditions,
or nationalities? If so, how has my life been enriched by these encounters, and what has been
difficult?
• When have I had to confront a personal prejudice? Who has helped me confront it? How did it
happen? Was the person an insider or outsider to my particular group?
• When have I felt like an outsider or been treated like one? What did that feel like?
Sacred Space 2019 shares:
“The story told in today’s Gospel is about people being called to follow their stars to find the fullness of life
only Jesus can give. ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10)
You may not have thought much about the nature of the star you follow. With a view to clarifying this, it may
be worthwhile to ask yourself what you want for your children, your family, or your friends. Having done this,
you might talk to Jesus about whether this is what He wants for you—if this is the star He wishes you to follow