August 27, 2017

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time A Isaiah 22: 19-23; Romans 11: 33-36; Matthew 16: 13-20 I’m sure most of us have been in a classroom where the teacher asked difficult questions. Maybe we were afraid or embarrassed to volunteer responses. Probably most were afraid that we would respond incorrectly and have to face perhaps the ‘barbs’ from the instructor. We all like to be complimented…we like to be affirmed when we respond correctly to questions asked of us. Today we are challenged with a question from Jesus in the Gospel and from the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul. In Isaiah we are use to hearing of grand visions and oracles. Today’s reading is an exception. Since the thirteenth chapter Isaiah has been turning his attention away from his own people and dealing with the nine surrounding sinful Gentile nations and cities around Judah. The Hebrew word for oracle is related to a saying meaning to lift up or carry…either lifting up one’s voice or carrying a burden. Isaiah’s oracles often contain a message of doom for these nations prideful ways. Today’s reading begins with a judgement against an official name Shebna who has a big position as ‘master of the palace.’ He seems to be totally concerned with himself and is living a luxurious lifestyle. He even has constructed an elaborate tomb for himself. Isaiah says that God “will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station.” Shebna is concerned with himself and not the concerns of the king. Eliakim is his replacement and Isaiah refers to him as a faithful servant because he looks after others rather than himself. Because Eliakim is concerned with serving others, he will have a secure place within the royal house of David. Later on, Eliakim will prove to be a disappointing replacement (Isaiah 22: 24-25). But until that time, he had mastered what Paul describes that he had the “depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.” Today’s reading from Paul is his concluding passage which looks at the rejection of Israel in God’s plan of salvation. Both Israel and the Gentiles were engrossed in their sins, they had failed to obey God. Two previous verses show this: “Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of mercy shown to you, they too may (now) receive mercy For God delivered all to disobedience that He might have mercy upon all.” Paul then shares this beautiful hymn that was used in the early church showing that all we can do is to give thanks to God for all we have. Our wisdom cannot compare in any way to the wisdom of God and His love for us. So Paul is calling us to look at God’s care for each of us. We so often feel that we know what is the right way and we know how God wants us to live. Do we? What is our vision of God: one who totally agrees with us? Do we feel that we have the upper hand in determining who God is and what His plan is for us? The Gospel begins with Jesus asking His disciples what people are saying about Him and His identity. The Teacher is asking them just what they are hearing, the latest rumors. This is easy for them: they have heard that He is John the Baptist reincarnated or Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Then Jesus asks the question they do not want to hear. He is asking each one of them directly who they think He is. I have asked myself that question frequently, and I continue to do so. I find the responses help me to keep my focus of God’s plan not my interpretation of God’s plan. Here the disciples have been with Jesus for quite a time but they have shown that they were confused, to put it mildly, concerning His identity. It is Peter who comes right out, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” What a response! This so impressed Jesus that He told Peter his response came from a revelation from God and not from Peter’s human knowledge. I’m sure we’ve had ‘divine moments’ like this. Times when we came out with some helpful guidance for a person that had stumped us and the words that came were totally from God. We had never heard, or read about these words. They were the absolutely right words at the right time. All we can say is , Praise God…Thank you Lord! Moments like these should be reflected on. They give us hints of God’s total presence and care for everyone. In these, we catch a glimmer of how each person is important and special. Jesus declared that Peter was the rock on which the Church was built. He was not the Church itself. The Church in the early times was never a perfect body of people nor is it today. The Church is always made up of saints (none of them thinking they were saints) and sinners (and most of these not thinking that they are sinners). The Church has always been watched over by the Holy Spirit. In my school days, I always had in my wallet a card saying ‘I am a Catholic, in time of an accident, please call a priest.’ People referred to this as saying ‘I was a card carrying Catholic’. But the question Jesus asks me today challenges me to decide exactly what I believe. It makes me understand that not only have I been created out of love, I have also been called for what God has made me for. Do I realize this? Do I realize that Jesus is asking me today what exactly it means when I say that I am a Christian? Do I believe that Jesus is my Lord and God and that the Holy Spirit is constantly with me leading me to realize God’s love and to be a person of love myself? Do I realize that this identifies me as a member of God’s family of faith? And that this obligates me to be a person of love all the time? Do I realize that this means I should take the first step toward reconciliation and forgiveness? Do I realize that I am called to continually do acts of kindness and generosity and this is how people recognize that I am living as Jesus taught? This is what it means to live the Kingdom of God here and how it prepares me to be with God in His kingdom of love forever. So I reflect on: • How do I answer Jesus’ question, ‘Who do you say that I am.’ • What difference does my answer make in how I live each day? • What is my ‘leadership style as being a Christian’? Is it as a servant? As a leader? As a forgiver? As a person of joy and kindness? • Have I reflected on why I think God has created me? Can I take time to do this now? Does this have anything to do with my being made in God’s image and likeness? Sacred Space 2017 states “Jesus could trust Peter to be honest—he would say what was on his mind and in his heart. As Jesus asks me the same question, I answer honestly, knowing that nothing I say will alienate Jesus. Am I open to Jesus’ question, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ This test has been used so often for apologetic purposes that it is hard to recapture the drama, the uncertain silence, that must have followed Jesus' question. He wondered what they would say and wonders what I say to the same question. Lord, I linger with this question: What are You to me?”

August 20, 2017

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time A Isaiah 56: 1, 67; Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15: 21-28 I grew up in a largely Catholic community in Syracuse, New York. Our parish church, St. Anthony of Padua, was huge and all the weekend masses were crowded. There were 1200 students grades K - 12; 800 in the Grammar School and 400 in the High School. Families for generations had attended the school and we knew each other. Every Tuesday afternoon Religious Education classes were held for those who went to public schools. For some reason, I just didn’t think that they were ‘full Catholics.’ We knew everyone in our neighborhood. I was never really exposed to people of other faiths, except on the sports fields. I would sum up that I just felt that the ‘Catholic way’ was the ‘right way’; no question about it. One of the remarkable teachings of Jesus was that God loves all people. God loves them and cares for them. All are God's children…with no exceptions. The readings today show the tensions our ancestors in faith had with this and how petty and useless many of our squabbles can be. The first reading is taken from the prophet Isaiah who is considered the greatest of the prophets. He wrote at the second half of the eighth century BC at a critical time in Israel’s history. The northern kingdom had collapsed to Assyria (722) and the southern kingdom would be under intermittent attacks. Isaiah received his call to the prophetic office in the Temple of Jerusalem. His constant teaching was for the people to embrace God’s saving plan. Sincere service to God leads to the prosperity and peace only God can give. The people must step away from their own pride and the way they see things and recognize that their true purpose is to serve the interest of God. I wonder how present this is today, I know I struggle with this. Isaiah sets the theme immediately today, “Observe what is right, do what is just.” They are to “Make justice your aim….” as Isaiah started out. (Is 1:17). What is remarkable here is that all nations are invited to join God’s people in serving the Lord. Already in the Book of Leviticus (22: 18-25) the sacrifices of foreigners were acceptable to God. Now Isaiah teaches that foreigners were invited to ‘join themselves to the Lord.’ Anyone is welcome to become a member of the people of God. This got lost through the centuries leading up to Jesus. Paul is sharing in his letter to the Romans that his concern is not with ‘foreigners’, it was his own people. He hopes that his being the ‘Apostle to Gentiles’ will make his fellow Israelites so jealous that they will also embrace the Gospel of Jesus. He shares how the Gentiles received God’s gift of mercy even though they were once unbelievers. Will the people of Israel also experience God’s mercy too? God did choose them…have they chosen God or the God that they want to believe in and accept? We all have a tendency to pigeon hole God into the God that we want Him to be. Paul Coutinho S.J. is a theologian, spiritual director, lecturer has written a marvelous book, How Big is Your God? I totally recommend this book. He shows how God is constantly calling us into deeper union and communion. How big is my God? Does my God have limits as to who He likes or is willing to help? Do I have the will to experience God who cares for each person, even my ‘enemy’, as deeply as He cares for me? Paul sums up today’s reading to the Romans, “…for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?” Do I believe and live this? A very heated debate was going on in Matthew’s community at the time of this Gospel. It focused on whether Gentiles and the Jewish converts could coexist in the same community. So Matthew edits Mark’s original story about a Syro-Phoenician mother so that the woman is now a Canaanite, Israel’s dreaded enemy. This woman comes out to meet Jesus in Gentile territory and petitions Him to heal her daughter who is tormented by a demon. Jesus was Jewish and He assumes the role expected of a Jew by ignoring the woman, thus affirming His own Jewish mission. Notice that Jesus’ disciples as would many of the Jewish Christians in Matthew’s community want the woman sent away. The woman will not leave even when Jesus says, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” She comes right back with a clever response “Lord, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Jesus remarks, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” She is convinced that Jesus, the Lord and the Son of David, is the one who can help her. The lesson: Faith crosses all barriers, embracing all peoples. The woman came and was rejected even by Jesus’ disciples. The people in Matthew’s community felt that they were in the right…they had the pure form of Christianity, they were the true followers of Jesus. The Jewish community felt that they were the Promised people in the Promised land. They knew the right way to God. In our society there are countless people who are rejected because of poverty, age, illness, race, nationality, beliefs, religion, sexual preference. People divide themselves into the ‘in group’ and they place whomever they disagree with into the ‘out group.’ So I reflect on: • Do I find myself judging the faith of others, trying to determine how worthy they are of heaven? Can I ever really know the depth of another’s faith? • What is my response to those in my parish, school, work site, community who have had abortions, are ex-convicts, have AIDS, are Muslims, or are ‘different,' or others whom some people deem unacceptable? • Who do I feel are the ‘lost sheep’ in my area? Do I reach out to them? • What experiences have I had living in another culture? How have these experiences influenced my understanding of the richness in diversity? • Street people are not the only outcasts in society. Who would I label in this category? • Who is the ‘Hatfield to your McCoy’ or the enemy with whom I can’t imagine reconciling? Can I envision them in heaven? • Do I look to where God has surprised me and brought healing where I least expected? Sacred Space 2017 states: “This is an extraordinary story. While the woman stands her ground, Jesus changes His position. Perhaps He Himself comes to a fuller understanding of His own mission as He watches and listens to the Canaanite woman. Is there anyone I judge too hastily? He did not answer her at all. It would have been easy for this woman to give up in bitterness. She feels terribly handicapped: a woman alone in a man’s world; a Gentile and therefore unclean; and with an afflicted daughter. But in spite of Jesus’ silence she trusts Him, Keeps at Him, and bests Him in debate. Lord, may I never be discouraged by Your silence.”

August 13, 2013

August 13, 2017
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time A
1 Kings 19: 9, 11-13; Romans 9: 1-5;  Matthew 14: 22-33

What is the main reason people have a hard time in being aware that God is always with them?  Thy are certainly many reasons.  One reason some share is that they do not feel they are that important to God.  They look at their life and realize that they have a lot of warts and pitfalls that have led them into not being people who are Christ-centered.  Why should God like them when they do not like all of the people in their life?  They say, ‘If God is love and I am not, why would God care about me?’  It seems to be a constant battle with a poor image of themselves as Christians.  Today’s readings present situations where this lack of self respect is addressed.

In today’s reading from the first book of Kings, the prophet Elijah is convinced there  is nothing more he can do for the Lord.  What had happened —  Ahab had become king of Israel and reigned for twenty-two years.  …”Ahab, son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord more than any of his predecessors.  It was not enough for him to imitate the sins of Jeroboam, son Nebat.  He even married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and went over to the veneration and worship of Baal.”   Jezebel also took it upon herself to murder the prophets of the Lord.  Elijah was commissioned to be God’s spokesperson or prophet.  Elijah calls for a showdown between the 450 pagan prophets of the pagan god, Baal versus himself and God.  Whichever god sent fire to ignite a sacrifice would be the real ‘god.’  The Lord sent fire down to consume Elijah’s bull.  Then the people followed the Lord God and Elijah slit the throats of all these false prophets.  Then Elijah ran, knowing Jezebel’s fury was coming.   Elijah had lost faith in his mission and in God’s protection.  We do the same.  He even prayed for God to take his life.  We wonder where God is and we feel alone and neglected.  The story is found in Chapter 18 of the first book of Kings. (Please take time to read this exciting passage).

God has different plans.  The prophet makes a forty day journey to Horeb, we know it as Mount Sinai, where God will speak to him.  How, he didn’t know.  Today’s reading recounts what happened:  First there was a strong and heavy wind, maybe like a hurricane; then an earthquake, and then fire and God wasn’t in them.  “After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.  When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.”  God was associated with a ‘tiny whispering sound.’  These suggest that God can be present in quiet and peaceful ways too.  Elijah is now back working for the Lord and his first assignment is to appoint his successor, Elisha.

Paul is experiencing problems too.  He is worried and anxious over the resistance that he sees in the hearts of so many of his Israelites.  How could they possibly reject Jesus?  All the prophesies point to the Messiah and what He will be.  He sees a serious problem for his readers in view of God’s specific preparation of Israel for the advent of the Messiah  Paul points to what the essential question is:  how the divine plan is being  frustrated by Israel’s unbelief.  Paul is even discouraging both complacency and anxiety on the part of the Gentiles.  His conclusion is that only unbelief can deprive one of salvation.  Do I trust God?  Do I trust  in God’s plan for all creation?  Do I think that I could do better?  Where is this all heading?  Paul continues to remind the people that God has chosen them.  God has chosen each us by our Baptism.  Do we doubt God?  If He has chosen us, aren’t we special and important?

This doubt is graphically brought out in Jesus’ encounter with Peter.  He had heard of the beheading of John the Baptist by Herod.  Jesus went by Himself in a boat across the Sea of Galilee.  The crowds followed Him and wanted attention.  He cured their sick.  They were hungry after a day catching up with Jesus and Jesus fed them with five loaves and two fish, five thousand were fed and satisfied.  Then Jesus sent the apostles away in a boat and dismissed the crowds and went up the mountain to pray.  During the fourth watch, between 3 am and 6 am, Jesus came walking on the water. The apostles on seeing Him were terrified.  Matthew inserts in Mark’s version Peter’s attempt to walk on the water.  Jesus said, “Take courage it is I; do not be afraid…Come…”  Peter attempted to but because of the strong wind and waves, he was afraid and fell into the water.  He cried out, “‘Lord, save me!’  Immediately,  Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter , and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt.’”  Why did Peter doubt?  Many say that Peter was overwhelmed by the force of the rough sea.  They say that Peter lost his focus on Jesus and began to sink.  One commentator said that maybe Peter’s real mistake was just getting out of the boat.  Who really did he think that he was.  He knew this lake.  He was well aware of the fierce storms that came up suddenly. Did he think that He could do what only God could do?  Jesus is coming to the boat, so the boat will be safe.  Real faith demands that one stays in the boat.  Peter failed to realize that Jesus was God.  His trust learned a tremendous lesson today.  It is not about him, it is about God.  Do I believe God, do I trust God?  Connections, The newsletter of ideas, resources and information for homilist and preachers states today, “We panic.  We don’t trust ourselves to know what the right thing is or our ability to do it.  But, somehow, God reaches out and catches us - if we’re willing to put aside our fears and try to do as Jesus would do, trusting in God’s grace to realize that good.  Today’s Gospel challenges us to trust our understanding of discipleship and our ability to live our baptism.  Christ, in turn, promises to make His presence known to us, to hold us up and support us as we make our way through life’s most turbulent waters and ‘walk on water’ for the good of the Kingdom of God.”

So I reflect on:
It’s good look to look back on my life - when have I experienced Jesus presence during the really tough times?  In the not so tough times?
How did I meet God in prayer this week and how did God speak to me?
At what times do I especially feel that God is with me? What makes those times different?
Have there been times in my life that God has encouraged me to do rather risky things?  Was my faith strong enough to help me?
Sacred Space 2017 says:
   “I pray for a deeper trust as I hear His words:  ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’  I can rely too much on myself and, like Peter, lose sight of where I am going.  Help me. Jesus to keep my eyes fixed on You and to trust that You reach out to me.
   I’m fascinated by that first step of Peter as he climbed over the side of the boat.  He was looking at Jesus, not at the water.  His mind was charged with Jesus’ invitation:  Come.  So often the way out of depression, fear, or anxiety is not a thought or a consideration but a physical step.  I take a risk and find myself strong enough to walk forward, keeping my eyes on the Lord."

August 6/ 2017

 August 6, 2017
Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord.
Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1: 16-19; Matthew 17: 1-9;

There’s a story that has been passed down through the years about a little boy who was terrified during a thunder and lightning storm.  He screamed, ‘Daddy, I’m scared!’  His father, I wanting to stay in bed, replied ‘Don’t worry, God loves you and will take care of you.’  After a bit of silence the son replied, ‘I know God loves me, but right now I need somebody with skin on.’

It is interesting to see the placement of today’s feast.  In the sixteenth chapter, St. Matthew starts out with the Pharisees and Sadducees demanding Jesus for a sign from Heaven.  Jesus said, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”  Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days.  Then Jesus told the apostle to beware of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. After this, Jesus asked the Apostles, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is? They gave the various responses and Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter responded, “You are the Messiah the Son of the living God.”  Then Jesus gave the first prediction of His passion followed by the conditions of discipleship: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”   Scripture scholars say that Jesus was preparing the disciples for His passion and death.  Just like the little boy in the story above, they needed some sort of physical assurance that God would not abandon them when His physical death occurred.  This is why He  showed them a glimpse of His divinity so that they would remember this when they experienced the trauma of His passion and death.  It also prepared them for the persecutions and sufferings they would go through.  They just needed to know that God would always be with them.

There is another powerful fact about the Transfiguration, we have the account of eyewitnesses.  Peter spells this out in the second reading, “Beloved:  We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of His majesty.  For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the unique declaration came to Him from the majestic glory, ‘This is My Son, My beloved, with whom I am well pleaded.’  We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain.”
I look back and see how important it has been for me to hear from witnesses.  I remember the horrible day of 9/11.  I was glued to the newscasters retelling the collapse of the World Trade Center towers and the TV reporters asking the brave rescue workers and courageous people from the fire departments going ‘into hell’ and going back and back because, ‘these are our friends and neighbors in there’.  I cried along with everyone else.

I just finished an article from the Franciscan magazine, The Holy Land Review on the completion of the restoration work on the Edicule that encloses the remains of the Tomb of the Risen Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  For the first time in more than 200 years the ancient stones were visible to a very small group who were able to enter and view the original stone.  Here they found themselves face-to-face with he mystery of Jesus’ Resurrection.  One said, “When we speak about the Resurrection of Christ, we relate how the women went to see the Sepulchre or that the Apostles saw the tomb empty; but none of them was a witness to the Resurrection.  The only witness of the Resurrection was just this Sepulchre, which we venerate as empty..”  One said, “It was like entering into a mystery and one could touch it - at least a little, with one’s finger.”  Another, “But it’s as if we needed to have even more certitude and, there, something made me perceive that, yes, it’s really true.  I was overwhelmed when I left.”   I saw the stone then I experienced a long silence.  The silence deeply moved me and I experienced a great joy.”  A Franciscan Sister who works at the shrine said  “To begin with.  I didn’t know what to do.  You don’t know if your should cry or just look at the tomb.  You feel something in yourself something that is pushing you to say ‘it’s beautiful’ and then something which makes you think:  ‘It’s true!  Jesus was really there, on a piece of rock.’  It’s a feeling that stays with you and you don’t know how to explain it.  You have to experience it to believe it.”

In the first reading we hear about Daniel who has successfully interpreted visions received by kings.  Now he receives a vision himself of the heavenly court.  In this vision, God is identified as the Ancient One showing God’s eternal existence.  Daniel sees one like the Son of Man coming among the clouds with the promise that this King brings the promise of lasting peace and joy.  Here we have another eyewitness.  The Sacred Scriptures are loaded with story upon story of people’s faith journeys.  God has created the human race showing His eternal love for each and every one.  In realizing that we are loved, we know that it entails a commission by God for us to be love.  We do this so that those we come in contact with know that God is love.  We touch others with our own stories, our own eyewitness.

Today we hear from Matthew who was not an eyewitness.  He was not one of the apostles who witnessed the Transfiguration.  He tells us that Jesus took Peter, James and John up a mountain.  Matthew heard this story from them.  He was excited about it and had to share it to help each person believe that God is God and God cares about us with His deep forever love.  God spoke on the mountain, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.”  This is our role - to listen and to act on the mission that we have received in Baptism.  Living the Word, Scripture Reflections and Commentaries for Sandy’s and Holy Days gives a wonderful reflection today.  “We put on Christ in baptism.  We became adopted daughters and sons of God, called to be God’s beloved and give dominion, glory and power to the Transfigured Christ.  We promised to listen to Him and rise up out of any fear that our own sin makes us inadequate to the task of living Jesus and shining with the light of God.  We can live in ways that are pleasing to God or that are not because they reveal our preference for darkness to the light of the Transfigured One. Like Peter, James, and John, we are witnesses to Jesus’ transforming power.  While challenging, that good news can make our faces shine like the sun and fill the world with the light of the Son.”    So I reflect on:

If I diagram my faith journey, it has mountains and valleys, and low points.  Have I shared my faith at the high points?  What has the response been?  During the low points, what memories or high points have sustained me?  Was there a person or people who touched me?
The birth of a child, falling in love, realizing that a friendship is special…where and how do I see God present in these?  What helps me keep my eyes fixed on Jesus?
The road of discipleship stretches from Transfiguration Mountain to Calvary hill; the joys and sufferings; both show God’s love and presence.  Do I celebrate these?  

Sacred Space 2007 states:
   “Transfiguration is about Jesus and about us.  When we are with Him, we are with the divine.  When He is with us, He is with the human.  His love, grace, sacraments, peace and compassion can transfigure us.  May I be present in prayer to this light.
   The voice from the cloud had a simple message for Jesus and for us.  Jesus saw that there was a time for silence and a time to speak.  I ask God to help me to know what is appropriate—and when.  I may draw strength from considering how I have been able to show restraint in the past.”