June 26, 2016

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time C

1 Kings 19:16, 19-21; Galatians 5: 1, 13-18; Luke 9: 51-62
Matthew, Mark and Luke in their gospel accounts have Jesus going to Jerusalem only once. John
has Jesus going to Jerusalem many times. Why the difference? One Scripture Scholar told me that
Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish religion and their nation. The Great temple of Solomon was
erected there to symbolize its importance. Jesus had been preaching and teaching and now He was
beginning the final phase of His journey…He was going to His death in Jerusalem. He knew this.
He was preparing His disciples for His church, the fellowship of Love. And Jesus calls each person
every day. He is calling me to be more determined in my following His Way. He is calling me to
give up attachments that get in the way of loving each person in my life and helping those who are
hurting. He is calling me to spend time on how I have been filled with an abundance of gifts and the
sole purpose of these gifts is in ‘giving them away.’ Today’s reading calls me to action.
Being left to myself, I am very comfortable with the way things are. I don’t want to go through any
harsh change; which translates that I am reluctant to hear the words of Jesus to encounter the
unexpected and unknown. I don’t want to get out of my comfort zone and live the life of a disciple
of God’s love: reaching out and sharing and caring and giving and walking with the poor. The
readings help me to go deeper into God’s individual call for myself and each person.
In the first reading, Elijah is convinced that his time of serving the Lord has come to an end. He
pleads with God to bring him to the new life waiting him in heaven. What does God do…He tells
the prophet that there is more to do. One of his tasks is to go to Elisha, anoint him as his successor.
Elijah doesn’t say any words in this encounter, just throws his cloak over Elisha and walks away.
God is calling him. Elisha is ready and willing to follow. He makes a couple of breaks with his past.
And what Elisha does is an inspiration: he shows his care and concern for those ‘under him…below
him’…the servants and field workers. His family had property and wealth. Just needing twelve
oxen to plow the field showed this. He slaughters the oxen, uses the wood of the plowing
equipment to cook the meat, and feeds the other workers in the field. Now he will learn how to
nourish others spiritually…but he still has obligations of sharing and caring for those around him.
Do I have eyes just on the future…on what I need to do later today and not look at where I am at
now and that just maybe God has placed me there to be caring?
Paul is telling the Galatians that they are to live realizing that they are called to love…all people…all
the time, just as they love themselves. Living in the Spirit means a whole new way of acting in the
world. We are not to be simply spectators. We are not just to say, ‘Don’t worry God is with you and
cares for you…’ We are to be involved in the hard work of showing this, regardless of the cost, or
the difficulty or the sacrifice. I am called…each person is called…that’s why each person is gifted.
I’m thinking of the different missionary trips I made to South America and Haiti and how I
interacted with the people. When I came back I shared how ‘these people touched me in amazing
ways’…they just shared maybe it was only their smile or their zest for life…they shared and cared.
Do I?
Luke is filling in the demands of what it means to follow Jesus. In this long journey to Jerusalem,
Jesus is teaching His followers about the radical demands of what it means to be a disciple. Jesus is
making it very clear that being his follower does not bring with it the security of place and
permanence. This journey never ends on this side of death. Each person is ‘called’ no matter where
they are: while at home, or traveling, at work, on vacation, in school or even at fun. ‘Being called’
is not like having a job or career…it is about living as God in the now…living love. There is
nothing casual about this. Everything is now absorbed into living as a member of God’s kingdom.
Jesus uses an expression that clarifies this, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was
left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” So I ask what am I called to leave behind: My old ways of
living, unhealthy habits, unsociable attitudes, biases, bigotry, hatreds, grudges, angers and hostilities.
I am called to leave behind all that hinders my growth as being a disciple of Jesus and His love.
Connections, The newsletter of ideas, resources and information for homilists and preachers
describes this call of Jesus today in these words, “There is urgency to Jesus’ call in today’s Gospel to
follow Him in creating the Kingdom of God in our time and place…Jesus speaks bluntly of the need to act now,
to make God’s kingdom of mercy, compassion and peace a reality immediately for the good of the poor, the
lost, the forgotten, the suffering. Consciously or unconsciously, we let so many agendas, interests and activities
monopolize our days; Jesus’ call to discipleship, however, demands a total focused commitment to the Gospel
that affects every moment, every decision, every relationship of our lives. To ‘follow’Jesus is to see the true joy
and meaning of God’s gift of this life of ours is found in the hard but often hidden work of making the reign of
God a reality in our place, in our time.”
So all I have to do is to continue to say YES each day. I am never alone. God is with me every
moment. The Spirit is gracing me, helping me with an innumerable supply of gifts to handle each
encounter with God’s love and care. Do I let God be God to me? Do I feel this is just too much?
God doesn’t…that’s why He created me.
So I reflect on:
• How often is my resolve is paper thin? When this happens to I call on God for help or just
continue in my waywardness?
• Who are the people in my life I most admire and want to be like? What qualities do they have
that enables them to be ‘doers’ for God?
• What sacrifices am I making to live my life of faith?
• Do I like the idea of being a disciple but reject the reality?
• I have so many projects and I say ‘But first I have to do this…’ When do these stop me from
following Jesus today?
• I look at my past and see how I have grown in my saying ‘Yes’ to Jesus. Do any of these help me
in growing closer today?
Sacred Space 2016 shares these insights:
“Jesus asks for commitment—real commitment. The time for it is now. On our own road today we must
proclaim the kingdom of God. If we keep waiting for the right moment, the sands ofttimes will run quickly
through our fingers.
The poet Robert Browning wrote: ‘Earth is full of Heaven,/And every common bush is alive with God.’ Seeing
the world from this perspective, I daily try to serve the Lord.”

June 19, 2016

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Zechariah 12: 10-11; 13:1; Galatians 3: 26-29; Luke 9: 18-24
Imagine a person from a distant planet arrives in our area. This individual looks just like us ‘earth
creatures’ and speaks perfect English. This individual asks you/me one question: Who are you? How
would we respond? I imagine that I would say my name…where I am from…what I do. This
individual asks if you/me could go more into detail…how would we respond? I imagine I would talk
more about my family…what the region is like where I am from…talk about what I do and what I like about it. If this individual said this is just what is on the outside of you, what are you like on the inside? How would I respond to this? How long would it be before I begin to express my religion, its beliefs and my faith? Would I include how important God is in my life? Would I explain what it means to be a living witness to Jesus?
It might be far-fetched to open ourselves this far but isn’t this who we are? Jesus is asking the disciples today as to who the people say that He is? Then He asks each one of them individually who they think that He is…and today He is asking each of us to reflect on this too. So how would we respond? The disciples had real strong ideas, hopes and dreams as to WHAT they wanted Jesus to be…the Messiah of God. Most of them would agree exactly HOW Jesus was to exercise this ministry as Messiah. He would free them from the horrible enslavement to Rome and reestablish the great years of the Kingship of Israel as evidenced in David and his son, King Solomon. THEN Israel would be a great nation again and the people and the country would be respected and recognized as a world power. Their dreams were for their own security and prosperity as were those of the vast majority of the Jewish people at that time.
The people wanted a Messiah…they needed a Messiah. Those in positions of authority liked the way
things were going and didn’t want to change—this is the normal reaction of those who have ‘the power and influence’. Don’t rock the boat is the theme of this last group. The group before said but we’re hurting and not cared for; aren’t we important people? So the question is where is our importance?Where does it come from? What does our importance mean? Jesus came to tell us that each person is a child of God…is lovable and He promised that each one has a place in heaven forever. Am I living this?
The first reading is from the prophet Zechariah. Actually this book is a collection of oracles from
several prophets written over a period of time describing the coming of the Messiah. The opening lines of the book set the theme: “In the second year of Darius (520 BC)…the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah…The Lord was indeed angry with your fathers…and say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts….turn from your evil ways and from your wicked deeds.” Today’s reading shows how God prepares to ‘pour out’ over the house of David and all the people of Jerusalem, a spirit that will motivate them to become the ideal nation God has always wanted them to be. They will be able to do this ONLY with the grace and gifts that God will provide. The Messiah was coming because God promised. The Messiah would lead all to God. Now what would the Messiah be like…the people’s imagination ran wild…so much so that they could never recognize Jesus as fitting their mold. Do we feel that Jesus fits the mold of God?
Paul uses a very striking image to the Galatians when he says that when God looks at the Christian, God sees Christ. He tells them that all the baptized have “clothed yourselves with Christ.” This means that clothes only cover the outside. It is what is inside that is the source of all. It is our Faith and Baptism that transforms us. We are ‘new creations’ we are Christ’s, we are people and a community of love.
Can I be noticed as Christ’s? When people see how I act and how I live do they see in me Christ? Do I hide what Jesus lived and taught?
And Jesus asks each of us in the Gospel, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter responds immediately. Alice Camille in Exploring the Sunday Readings says, “Peter chooses to name Jesus as the Christ of God.It’s interesting that Mathew says Jesus congratulates Peter for this answer: Bingo! (See Matthew 16). But in Mark’s version of the story (chapter 8), Jesus simply shushes them to silence, and according to Luke, this same answer earns them all a rebuke. Is ‘Christ of God’ the right answer or not? Or is too vague, too partial, too open to misinterpretations? In every account Jesus Himself prefers to be known as the one who suffers and seeks companions willing to suffer in His name. Is this a name of Jesus we’re willing to embrace?”
I asked again and reflect on my opening questions: how important is God in my life and what does it
mean to be a living witness to Jesus? Am I becoming each day what the Lord intends for me to be? The disciples thought they knew it all. They had been with Jesus for close to three years and they knew all about Him. How often I slip into that mold…I have been a Christian since my baptism, forty-one days after my birth, I know what Jesus is all about and what I am to be. Do I? Jesus told the disciples today that they would only understand AFTER He suffered, died and rose. They somehow were thinking about glory, fame, honor and power. Jesus is teaching them and me and all of us today about rejection, suffering, death and resurrection. Discipleship isn’t about what am I going to get out of it…but it’s about IMITATING Jesus. The world defines life by accomplishments, possessions, being rewarded and looked up to. Jesus is leading us to places we never dreamed of and if we’re honest, never really hoped for. Fr. John Petrikovic, OFM Cap describes it in this way, “The Messiah leads us to self-denial. Rather than a simple denial of certain things in our lives, the Messiah mandates a rejection of a life based on self-interest and self-fulfillment. The Messiah leads us to the cross. Struggling to love and serve our communities and our families can be a heavy burden to bear. Caring for an imperfect Church a love done in difficulty, or the sick and mentally challenged who have nothing to offer us in return is a yeoman’s task. The Messiah asks us to follow Him. Our job
is not to manipulate God into doing what we want. As Christians, we cannot believe that things happen by mere chance, each moment of conflict and of compassion is the place where Christ invites us to die and rise with Him for the cost of love. He goes before us.”
So I reflect on:
• I name the ways in which I believe I clearly live Jesus.
• Who are the people who formed me in my identity as a man or woman?
• Which faces of Jesus do I seek?
• If I was completely confident that I would receive eternal life with God, would my life be any
different?
Sacred Space 2016 states, “When questioned, Peter gives the right answer: ‘You are the Messiah of God.’ But this is mainly head knowledge as yet. He will later deny that he even knows Jesus. But at the lake he shows that his heart is at last fully engaged: ‘You know I love you!’”
Note that this event emerges from Jesus’ prayer. Luke thus gives us a hint that what Jesus says is of critical importance. Do I pray before important events, asking that I may be in tune with what God would wish?”

June 12, 2016

June 12, 2016
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
2 Samuel 12: 7-10, 13; Galatians 2: 16, 19-21; Luke 7: 36 - 8: 3
What is the hardest thing for me to do? Looking back at my life I would say that it has to do with my
judging others…also in forgiving what I felt were injustices to me…and probably most importantly
forgiving myself when I continue to find myself lost in my own patterns of sin. Today’s readings and
especially the Gospel help me with these and most of all the amazing discovery in the Gospel
concerning my own tendency of ‘assuming.’
King David and Nathan are the central figures in the first reading. God has made David the king of
Israel. God has rescued him from King Saul’s schemes to kill him. God has made it possible for David to have an elaborate royal place plus all the gifts and privileges that come with his position as king. By bringing about the death of his officer Uriah and claiming Uriah’s wife as his own David has shown a total lack of gratitude for all God has done for him. Just before today’s passage Nathan told David of his sins by giving him a ‘story’ to solve. He said there were two men, one very rich and the other totally poor. The rich man had a great number of flocks and herds. However he had quests coming and went to the poor man and took his one little ewe lamb to feed his guests. David was furious and said, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this merits death! He shall restore their ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this and has had no pity. Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man.” God gave you all and you have done evil and David admitted his sins and God forgave him. Just as God forgives me each time I sin.
Do I not trust that God can do this? Why do I hold on to my sins and feel that I’m so horrible I cannot
forgive myself…yet God forgives me. Living the Word, Scripture Reflections and Commentaries for
Sundays and Holy Days says, “Have you seen the bumper sticker ‘Christians aren’t perfect, they’re forgiven’?

Jesus’ death and resurrection have opened the door to God’s forgiveness, whether our sin is great or small. Yet,we spend so much time living as if we are unforgiveable. What a difference it makes to admit that we are sinners, turn to God, name our sin, and receive that mercy.”

Why do I do this? Why do I get caught in the same feeing that I’m so horrible and unloveable because of my sins? Is this how the devil keeps me from realizing that I am loved just the way I am…even in my sins? We return to the text and see that David readily admitted his sin. He didn’t make excuses, he didn’t look out for his own interests, he didn’t try to cover up his guilt. He admitted he was a sinner. Msgr Eugene Lauer in Sunday Morning Insights says this, “In the face of this overwhelming human tendency, King David’s behavior in the first reading this Sunday from the Second Book of Samuel is extraordinary, indeed singular. To the charges made against him by the prophet Nathan, David does not hedge. He offers no excuses, makes no attempt to down play the grievousness of what he had done. ‘I have sinned against God’ is his simple reply. There is
something terribly courageous about such an admission. There is something wonderfully cleansing about it too. To be able to confess responsibility for an evil action is to taste reality without an anesthetic—painful but usually healing. Note the conclusion to the reading. After David’s admirable confession, the prophet responds without hesitation: ‘God…has forgiven your sins…’ God admires authentic people. God wants to forgive us, but our excuses often block the way for the divine healing presence. “
So why do I block God’s healing graces?
Maybe it’s because I want to point the finger and somehow convince myself or others that ‘I’m not that bad… OR is it maybe that I just don’t want to forgive…I want to ‘hang on’ to how I have been
mistreated and ‘lay a heavy’ on someone else. Jesus directly responds to this in the Gospel today and
helps me see the ‘light’. We have heard this story many times and we have a great deal of admiration for the courageousness of the woman to barge in and confront Jesus with her sorrow by washing His feet with expensive ointment and her tears. We listen to Jesus words and see how observant He was and how He encountered the Pharisee on his lack of hospitality. Even more Jesus directly concluded that “So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love. Bu the one to whom little is forgiven,loves little.” And Jesus concludes, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Now we have all read this and should realize that the message Jesus delivers is for each of us. But the passage continues…
Luke continues on with the three more verses that begin chapter eight. Why did he do this? It’s another chapter, and a totally different topic, which I originally felt had no significance with today’s gospel. But it does. WHEN Luke and the evangelists wrote their gospels they had no division into chapters andverses….They just wrote….So one verse followed right on to the one before. Now these next verses continues on with Jesus journeying to other places. He shares with us, his readers the people who came with Jesus, more than likely women who were ‘of mean’s who could pay for many of the bills that came up concerning maybe lodging and most definitely food, etc. The very first woman that he names is “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out…” NOW for years I identified this ‘MARY’ with the one who had washed Jesus feet. THIS IS NOT TRUE. As Living the Word states.“The Gospel passage requires careful and attentive reading. First, the story of the woman who anoints Jesus is told in slightly different ways in the other Gospels. Luke places the story during the Galilean ministry of Jesus, while Mathew, Mark and John set the encounter in Bethany during Jesus’ time in Jerusalem. (Matthew 26; 6-13; Mark 14: 3-9; John 12: 1-8) . Immediately after the anointing episode, Luke recounts that several women travelled with
Jesus and provided for them out of their resources’ Luke 8:3). In other words, these women bankrolled the itinerant preaching ministry of Jesus and the disciples. Because of the proximity of the anointing episode with the depiction of the women who accompany Jesus, the woman known in the city to be a sinner was confused with Mary Magdalene. However, Luke clearly distinguishes the episodes, so the later depictions of Mary Magdalene as a sinner (i.e., a prostitute) are inaccurate.” I HAD ASSUMED that the woman who washed the feet was Mary Magdalene. I had even judged her to be a sinner and her sin was prostitution. So long ago they told me ASSUME means I make a ‘Ass of U and Me’. Why do I have a need to judge? Don’t I realize that God judges me on love which is the way I want to be judged? So I reflect on:
• A time when I have experienced God’s forgiveness as clearly as did the woman in today’s Gospel.
• What helps me accept God’s mercy and share it with others?
• As I look back over my life, what has been my greatest sin? What helped move me to repentance?

Was I in touch with the enormity of God’s love?
Sacred Space 2016 helps me today:“Simon had life mapped out: he had decided who deserved his attention and how they might be honored. He invited Jesus as guest but withheld courtesy; he was prepared to listen to the words of Jesus but not ready to receive them in his heart. I ask God to help me, as I review my life, to recognize and remove any ways in which I resist God’s Word.
The Pharisee is surprised and shocked when Jesus allows a sinner to touch Him. He has yet to understand that Jesus welcomes and heals sinners. But he does not think of himself as in need of healing. Did he perhaps reflect later over this incident and learn something? All sinners have a future—Lord, let me never despair of myself, since you do not do so. Forgiveness is for all, and the greater the need the more generous is God’s response.”

June 5, 2016

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 17:17-24; Galatians 1: 11-19; Luke 7: 11-17
Elijah is an interesting life story for me today. King Ahab was offending God because he married a
foreign princess and like Solomon began to worship false gods. The Book of Kings describes this,
“Ahab…did evil in the sight of the Lord more than any of his predecessors…he even married Jezebel… and
went over to the veneration and worship of Baal.” Then Elijah appears on the scene suddenly,
unannounced, and declares that there will be a severe drought and no more rain will come until Ahab
repents. Elijah was living by a stream and ravens brought him bread and meat. When the stream
dried up, God sent him to Sidon where a widow took him in. She was about to cook the last meal for
her son and herself and Elijah asked her to share this…she did and the prophet promised that her oil
jug and supply of flour would not run dry until the Lord sends rain. We begin today’s reading. Elijah
prays for and brings the widow’s son back to life. She now declares Elijah to be a true man of God.
And Elijah must understand that a man of God is an agent of life.
Each of us is called to go outside of ourselves…to realize that the purpose of our existence is to
praise God and care and help others. Before we can do that we have to be aware of others and their
need. Did Elijah have any indication that he would be placed in these situations? No. He made
himself open by being an agent of God. What does this mean? An agent of God is one who realizes
that life is a gift and is precious. It is one who lives his/her life by being aware of where others are
hurting and in need. It is one who realizes that responding to needs and others is God’s call and part
of God’s plan for each of us. Elijah paid attention to the widow and her son and to the need that the
people had for leadership.
We hear the story of Paul. He was a student, a scholar who was focused on God’s word. It’s one
thing to read and study Scripture
but scripture is a living testament of God’s care and love. It shows His plan for each person and
how each one is to be a living instrument of His love. Paul realized this and accepted the call to
proclaim Jesus to the Gentiles. Paul had been so stuck in his ways and his beliefs that it was all
about him. But God’s encounter with him showed that it was not about him but about God and
living a life according to His plan. This means ‘not my way but God’s way’ through the gifts and
grace that He bestows on each person. I find that I have to be constantly examining myself and see if
I am concentrating on my way or on God’s way. The book, Compassion, A Reflection on the
Christian Life puts it this way: “A vocation is not the exclusive privilege of monks, priests, religious sisters,
or a few heroic laypersons. God calls everyone who is listening; there is not an individual or group for whom
God’s call is reserved. But to be effective, a call must be heard, and to hear it we must continually discern our
vocation amidst the escalating demands of our career.”
We come to a tragic situation in the Gospel. Jesus is ‘walking along’ and encounters a funeral
procession of a man who had recently died. His mother was a widow and this was her only son.
This means that she will be in a precarious situation without anyone to protect and care for her. She
would be forced to be a beggar to survive. Jesus stops the procession…the widow did not ask for
Jesus’ help. This is one of the very few times in Scripture that Jesus heals without being asked.
Luke shares this important line for me today, “When the Lord saw her, He was moved with pity for her and
said to her, ‘Do not weep.” Then he touched the coffin and the dead son got up and began to speak and
Jesus gave him to his mother.
Jesus and Elijah paid attention to people in need. Paul was sent to pay attention to the Gentiles
completing the Gospel plan that all are called. Another word for ‘pity’ is ‘compassion.’ This
beautiful expression “to be moved with pity” or “ to be moved with compassion” appears only
twelve times in the Gospels and is used exclusively in reference to Jesus or His Father. The Greek
word used is very deep and powerful. It means the ‘entrails of the body’ today we would say ‘the
guts’. This is where our most sensitive and intense emotions are located. ‘We spill out guts’…’it
came from my very guts.’ This phrase used in Scripture tells me the depth of the intimacy that God
has for me and for every person. This includes the people I love and those I really can’t seem to
love…it includes those I know and do not know…it includes everyone. AND I am called as each
person is to be an ‘agent of God.’ Jesus showed us that He chose in total freedom to suffer fully our
pains and thereby let us discover the true nature of our own passions. So the question and the
reflection that is prime for me this weekend is to look at myself and those God has placed in my life:
am I compassionate? Do I treat them with the respect and love that Jesus showed to each person He
encountered especially those displaced, smelly, diseased, forgotten, despised people that He touched
with healing and love?
I will share some ‘one-liners’ from the book Compassion, A reflection on the Christian Life, that
continue to help me in my journey.
“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion,
and anguish.”
“Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with
those in tears.”
“Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the
powerless.”
“Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.”
“Compassion is more than a general kindness or tenderheartedness.”
“Compassion is not among our most natural responses. We are pain-avoiders and we consider anyone who
feels saturated to suffering abnormal, or at least very unusual.”
And the big one for me: “National and international events, deeper study of the Scriptures and the many
critical responses of friends, have made us less confident about our ‘compassionate tendencies’ and more
aware of the radical quality of Jesus’ command: ‘Be compassionate as your Father is
compassionate.’ This command does not restate the obvious, something we already wanted but had
forgotten, an idea in line with our natural aspirations. On the contrary it is a CALL that goes right against the
grain; that turns us completely around and requires a total conversion of heart and mind. It is indeed a radical
call, a call that goes to the roots of our lives.” So I reflect on:
• In what ways have I felt God’s compassion in my life?
• Who is in need around me at this time? What can I offer?
• When have I felt as if all is lost, as if nothing or no one could help me? Where did I receive the
help I needed, despite the desperate circumstances? Stay with the gratitude that this elicits now.
And I next reflect what this has taught me on how I express my gratitude to God.
• “In prayer we meet Christ, and in Him all human suffering. In service we meet people, and in them the
suffering Christ.” Where is this leading me?