January 28, 2018

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time B Deuteronomy 18: 15-20; 1 Corinthians 7: 32-35; Mark 1: 21-28 There are so many questions that I have in my life about God, and people ask me all sorts of other questions. What can I believe? I find that the bottom line is what does Jesus tell us about God. Do my feelings and opinions agree with what Jesus has said? Or do I make God the kind of god that I want him to be? Sometimes I want God to speak to me directly, and when He doesn’t I get turned off. Sometimes I just don’t want to believe that God speaks to me through people that I do not like and certainly don’t expect them to be delivering some message from God. I wonder what God’s voice is like? Psalm 95 puts this very succinctly: “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” How do I know if what I hear is really God talking to me? Or is it just myself doing all the projections? Let’s look at today’s readings for some clarification with these questions. The Book of Deuteronomy is long series of instructions given by Moses to the people as they were in their wandering years after being freed from their slavery in Egypt. Moses is preparing them for their new life, the promised land, where they will experience freedom, a place of their own. It comes with the firm assurance that God is with them and will never abandon them. They have been promised this ‘land flowing with milk and honey’ meaning that it will have fields and farm land so that they could grow their crops and live in peace. Moses’ concern is that they will become very complacent if they are filled with all he benefits of the land and will abandon God and live the good life. Why would they look back to their horrible slavery, why not be spoiled by this rich abundance? Moses thinks they will forget God and not realize that they need God every moment of every day, always. So Moses impresses on them they will need God as much as they did in their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. They must listen to God’s word. God will provide prophets for them, much like Moses; these will be their moral prophets. Human weakness will lead them astray and they need to be reminded of God’s love and the direction that God is leading them. Paul is getting very practical with the Corinthians. They have a lot of worries, worries are part of our every day life. These worries can knock us off kilter when we need to develop a balance between serving God and living in a world that wants to separate us from God. So how can they best serve the Lord while dealing with the things of the world, especially in their alluring, attractive distractions of ‘I want…I need…what about me’s? How can I best serve the Lord without being distracted by worldly concerns even within the context of marriage? In a previous verse (v 7) Paul asserts that: each person, “…Has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.” From this statement as well as Paul’s insistence on no divorce and remarriage, we can deduce that God gives the married couple the gift or grace to live marriage within the teachings of Jesus. Each state of life is a vocation from God. Am I living it the best that I can, and am I living it in charity and love, as Jesus taught and lived? So I must live my life and be concerned with things that “…please the Lord.” Live in the present moment, that is all we have and it is a gift from the Lord. Todays reading is a pivotal point in Mark’s gospel: Jesus is in Capernaum, He is both speaking and teaching as well as commanding the evil spirt and exorcising. Mark is very concerned with how the onlookers are reacting: “‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him.’ His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.” Bonnie Bowman Thurston, a Scripture scholar says, “Capernaum was at the north end of the Sea of Galilee on the highway between Ptolemais and Damascus. It was an important Galilean town, a center of customs and the location of a tax office, so it was an outpost of Roman administration.” We don’t know from Mark what Jesus spoke about but the people were astonished by his authoritative teaching. Obviously, He wasn’t quoting others as the Pharisees were so often to do, but He was using His own authority. So what was ‘different’ about Jesus’ authority? The people are seeing a different kind of ‘authority’. Today His authority is centered around empathy, compassion and respect for the man filled with an unclean spirit. His authority didn’t show fear but inspired some sort of trust. It focused on trust as being the responsibility to serve others by revealing the God who calls each person to empathy, compassion and mercy. ‘I care about you, let me help you.’ It helps each of us to see not only the value of love but also how it is like a snowball starting at the top of the hill, when it reaches the bottom it has gained much momentum and become larger and bigger. So it is with love that inspires imitation and it can only spread out if it is real and given freely. It is God’s love…God loves me so that I can see my own value and I can love others. What was it like sitting by the Sea of Galilee on the day watching the man of God caring, loving, being so compassionate and touching and then healing the possessed man. Today, Jesus interrupted human history and made us realize that life is not lived without God. God’s presence is all around, in the sad and ugly, the comfortable and uncomfortable, the fearful and the hopeful. We are the ones who are to see what Jesus did and are to pick up the call to help respond with love. Jesus is challenging perceptions we might have to sit and watch rather than be involved. The Kingdom of God is present; and it’s a Kingdom of the now. The now depends on me because I am the only person God has in this ‘now moment’ in which I am living and have a part. If not me, whom? God sends prophets, examples to us, but it is so easy to not accept these people, I’d rather hear directly from God. Then it becomes my plan and not God’s plan. God is always calling us to refresh our lives anew by challenging us to get up, get out and do…live love. So I reflect on: • Where do I hear God’s voice? • What helps me to be centered on Jesus so that I can keep calm in all life’s situations? • Who is Jesus to Me? What is my relationship with Him? • Would Jesus’ teaching have survived through the ages without the apostles as witnesses? • Do I feel that my life, words, examples and care are important tools that Jesus’ uses to touch others? • Miracles are signs of God’s love. Would people have come to listen to Jesus without the miracles? Do I realize I am a ‘miracle-worker’ when I share, care, bring love? So why do I seem to hold myself back as often as I do? Sacred Space 2018 states: “At some point in their lives people may feel themselves being brought to their knees by urges and forces that are too strong for them. They need to turn to a power above and beyond themselves. Jesus, with that power behind Him, comes close to each one of us—in His teaching, in the Christian community, in the Church.”

January 21, 2018

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time B Jonah 3: 1-5, 10; 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31; Mark 1: 14-20 How active is God in my life? How much do I depend on God? Am I preoccupied with my own things? Am I aware of God calling me to help in saving His world? Do I feel important enough to help God in this? Mark is sharing Jesus’ words, “ The Kingdom of God is at hand.” Do I avoid these words because I don’t understand them? Do I have the attitude that these don’t refer to me since I am a good Christian/ Catholic? Do I just avoid them because I don’t want to think about the end times of my own life or the end times of the world? What really does God want me to do? Isn’t life about enjoying life? Is it about my likes and ways or is it about God’s ways? Today’s readings help us with a proper attitude and direction. Often in the Old Testament God is portrayed as a loving God concerned with His people. He sends prophets warning the people to change their ways. Their lives have wandered away from the direction of God’s plan and the commandments. They are to turn back and focus their lives once again on God which puts them on the God path…the way leading to heaven with God forever…this was Jonah’s specific mission. He was sent by God to Nineveh, an important city, an Assyrian City located near the present day Mosul in modern-day Iraq. It was located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River. It was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and one of the oldest and greatest cities in ancient times. It had become an important religious center for the worship of the goddess Ishtar. Like any capital city, the palaces, libraries and government buildings were surrounded with statues. Jonah estimated that it would take three days to make his way through the squares and plazas preaching God’s message. He thought these important people would never listen, yet it took less than a day for them to respond positively by changing their lives with fasting and wearing sackcloth as a sign of repentance. In a verse omitted from the reading, even the royal palace issued a decree mandating a sincere response to God’s word. The amazing point of the story was that this response was from a pagan culture. Never had the prophets in Jerusalem witnessed such a response even from God’s people. Long before the timetable of forty days that Jonah had threatened, the Lord has forgiven the people of Nineveh. They choose life with God. The irony is that in the last chapter of his work, Jonah is very upset that the people of Nineveh had repented and God had not punished them. He expected that God would not forgive this one time enemy nation. God’s ways are not our ways. Life is about God’s plans and how we are living in keeping with that plan; not about how I want to live. Paul is writing the Corinthians with the same urgency. He expects Jesus’ return at any minute. God is going to usher in the end of the world very soon. When He comes He will sit in judgment and decide who will be eligible to enter the kingdom of heaven. So Paul is urging the people to focus on the big picture, God’s picture. The concern is no longer the daily living with its trials, weeping or rejoicing or buying property or selling or trading; these are worldly concerns. The world is ending, the people’s ultimate destiny is to be with the Lord. Get working…reset your priorities. What are my priorities? I do not know when the world is ending. I do not know when or how the Lord is calling me to Himself. Am I ready? Do I live as if I have time or am I in-tuned with the Lord? Mark’s gospel does not contain an infancy narrative. He starts out saying: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God].” The footnote in The Catholic Study Bible explains this sentence: “the ‘good news’ of salvation in and through Jesus, crucified and risen, acknowledged by the Christian community as Messiah.” Then Mark talks about the Preaching of John the Baptist. In verse 9 he gives a verbal portrait of Jesus by summarizing His preaching. He emphasizes that Jesus doesn’t speak about Himself but the ‘good news of God.’ He summarizes the content indicating two points: ‘the time is fulfilled…and ‘the kingdom of God is at hand.’ Do I realize the seriousness of Jesus’ message? Then Mark gives two vitally important messages: ‘Repent…and believe in the gospel.’ What does this mean to me and each one of us? These are the FACTS - what I am to believe and the ACTS - what I am to do with my Christianity, what I am to do to follow Jesus and live my life as a true Christian. These are not ‘thoughts for my consideration’…this is ‘my assignment from Jesus.’ “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Every one of these words are loaded. God’s time has arrived. God’s plan is now in the completing stage. It is now made visible in its total content on the way to its completion. The new reality is called the kingdom of God and has been initiated with the words and actions of Jesus. Radical change is not only expected but demanded. Each of these actions will be unfolded chapter by chapter in Mark’s gospel. Do I read this, the shortest of the gospels, with this intent? Mark then explains Jesus’ call of two sets of brothers: Simon and Andrew and then James and John. Their call to discipleship is a summons to change their occupation from fishing to ‘catching people.’ THIS IS AN IMMEDIATE INVITATION! They respond in a remarkable positive way. They left their family business to follow a total stranger. They had no idea where they were going or what they would be doing. How would they be able to pay the bills, raise their families, etc? WHY does Mark tell such a story? Sunday Homily Helps shares this response, “He wants to show that the motive for following Jesus is not based on knowledge, information, or discernment. It does not make any sense. There is a deeper reality at work here. These men are attracted to Jesus as if His heart and theirs were magnets. Discipleship is a matter of the heart which works by faith and not by reason. Eventually these disciples will struggle greatly as Jesus teaches them the real meaning of discipleship. It is all about service and not about power and prestige. It is about healing, that I am loved and I am needed to be love so people can know that they are loved. Am I doing this? Am I living in this way? This is God’s call. So I reflect on: • God calls me each day to discipleship and service. • He calls me to be His presence in the world in which I live and work. • Am I ready to make an immediate and positive response? • This involves my changing. Do I change? • What has helped me reorient my life to live the gospel message of Jesus/ Sacred Space 2018 shares: Had Simon and Andrew, James and John already been in the audience — in the synagogue, or at their mooring by the lakeshore—when Jesus first preached the coming of God’s kingdom? Had they already in some way sensed what Jesus was about? Did they already realize that in His work He was going to need followers? Whatever the case, when Jesus called them, they needed no second invitation. Is there something prompting me, telling me how I too could do more for Christ’s kingdom?

January 14, 2018

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time B 1 Samuel 3: 3-10, 19; 1 Corinthians 6: 1-15, 17-20; John 1: 35-42 Did Christmas and the surroundings, customs and festivities bring me closer to the Lord? Did I realize that God was with me in a special way? Did I somehow feel that I was important to God and He’s calling me to ‘come higher?’ Did I realize my importance to God? Did the Christmas season keep me excited about my faith? The first reading describes the call of the prophet Samuel. He also was considered the last ‘judge’ of Israel. The Judges reminded the people of the necessity to follow God’s laws as given in the Ten Commandments and to keep justice among the tribes of Israel before the establishment of the monarchy. Samuel also anointed Saul as King and then anointed David as king. Today’s passage sounds like a cute little story, but it is not. It is a powerful story describing Samuels’ call as a prophet and refers to the call that each of us received in Baptism and Confirmation where we were anointed with sacred oil and became ‘anointed ones’ for God with a special mission. Today’s passage shows how long it took Eli to recognize the call of Samuel by God. Perhaps this is because Samuel was sent by God to condemn the house of Eli because his sons had committed sacrilege. Today’s passage ends with verse 10, the following verses describe God’s call to Samuel: “The Lord said to Samuel: ‘I am about to do something in Israel that will cause the ears of everyone who hears it to ring. On that day I will carry out in full against Eli everything I threatened against his family. I announce to him that I am condemning his family once and for all, because of this crime: though he knew his sons were blaspheming God, he did not reprove them. Therefore, I swear to the family of Eli that no sacrifice or offering will ever expiate its crime. “ Then Samuel sleeps until morning and was afraid to tell Eli the vision. He finally did and Eli said, “He is the Lord. He will do what He judges best.” Then today’s passage ends with, “Samuel grew up, and Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.” The people accepted Samuel as an accredited prophet of the Lord. Samuel was called; each of us are called to be Christ’s to our world. Each of our calls is unique corresponding to the gifts and abilities given us by the Holy Spirit to touch others He places in our lives, to touch them with love, care, hope and an awareness of God’s love. How am I doing with the call I received from God? Paul reminds the faithful in Corinth of the great privilege they enjoy: Jesus redeemed them through His Death and Resurrection. Jesus has redeemed each of us. Do we act and live as if we have been redeemed? Jesus’ name means ‘God saves’. Jesus came to rescue us from all those evil forces within and outside us that keep us from being the kind of people that God wants and needs us to be. Jesus came to reconcile us to the God and heal our brokenness and thus renew all creation. Salvation entails the healing of broken relationships that keep us alienated from God and the people in our lives. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection have won eternal life for us: our sins are forgiven and eternal life has been promised if we follow the commandments and live our life of faith in God, trusting in His grace to be people of love. Jesus’ resurrection is the promise of our own eternal life with God. The Gospel presents John’s story of the call of the first disciples. It is very different from the synoptic writers. One different aspect is that it directs John the Baptist’s followers to now follow after Jesus since He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Today John is standing with two of his disciples and points to Jesus as the ‘lamb of God.’ This title describes the image of the paschal lamb whose blood was placed on the door posts in Egypt thus the lamb’s death and blood saved the Israelites. These two followed Jesus and asked a somewhat simple question, “Where are You staying?” This question has a literal side — exactly where are you spending the night? It also has a deeper level concerning the theological level — which reflects the deeper meaning of what discipleship really entails. Putting this together…a real follower of Jesus seeks God by following Jesus. Jesus goes from place to place preaching so the invitation involves always being ready to ‘be Jesus’ everyplace we go. In responding ‘Yes’ as Mary did we will see what it means to follow Jesus with God’s love. Andrew shows us how far we need to go: we cannot keep hidden the life of Jesus, we must exemplify it in our lives and also encourage others to follow the Jesus Way with their lives. The call to discipleship is the faith conviction that Jesus is the Messiah; faith is the key component. Do I trust God? Do I have faith? The readings bring out some salient points that can help us in our faith journey. Samuel hears a voice in the night calling his name and he thinks it is the old priest Eli. It takes him three times to recognize that it is God calling. Why didn’t Eli realize this? Maybe he was so disappointed with his sons disregard for God that he was doubting his own example and faith. When the disciples first saw Jesus walking along the shore they were somehow drawn to Him…they wanted to get to know Him more. The invitation, “Come and see” opened up new horizons and wonders and excitement galore. This is like our lives: we have excitements then we have the normal ho-hum of an ordinary and sometimes boring life. We have moments of closeness to God and moments that we can’t find Him. We have moving sacramental experiences and then we question so much. It’s the day-to-day living out our promises as husband and wife, priest, deacon or religious or single in the different relationships of our daily lives that shapes our vocation to and with God. Following Jesus means that we have love for one another and live differently because we strive to live the life of Jesus. Living the Word summed it up this way: According to St. Francis de Sales, we carry the Lord on our tongues, recounting His deeds and praising Him. We carry Him in our hearts with tender love and affection. But these two ways do not amount to much unless we carry the Lord in our arms by living the ways of God clearly and concretely. Listen for God’s voice. Contemplate what you hear. Then share the fruits of your contemplation by living Jesus so clearly that others point to you and say, ‘Behold, a follower of Christ, the Lamb of God!’” So I reflect on: • How do I listen for and reflect on God’s will in my life? • What in my life leads others to point and say, ‘Behold, a follower of Jesus Christ?’ • Every vocation is a call to the fullness of love. Am I living in this way? • How do I carry out my Baptismal promises? My Confirmation promises? • How often do I invite others to join me in the Eucharist, prayer group, scripture sharing? An invitation costs us nothing. • Do I live in such a way that people recognize the Spirit moving within me? Sacred Space 2018 says: “Andrew and his companion set aside their day to be in Jesus’ company. Impressed, they decided to be HIs followers. When we meet a new person, we must first give ourselves a chance to get to know them. Then, if we like what we see, we are attracted by everything they stand for. Do we give Jesus a chance in our busy lives so that the attraction of His person can work on us?”

January 7, 2018

 Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2: 1-12 Today is the feast of the Epiphany. I read recently of the funeral of one of the European monarchs. Listed in the article were the number of royalty who would be in attendance. I am sure when this monarch was born, news spread not only to his own subjects but also to royalty everywhere. It is shocking that the first people to recognize Jesus, the newborn King of the Jewish people, the long waited for Messiah, were local shepherds summoned by the announcement of the angels. Then Magi from the East came for this world shattering event. They were definite outsiders, followers of Zoroaster. They had followed a star believing that great people at their birth often were said to have their own star designating their importance. Jesus was born in humble surroundings. Herod the Great lived in luxury; the magi came to him but he was afraid of anyone usurping his crown. Scripture says that Herod was greatly disturbed. This was definitely not a good sign to those in his court and his subjects. Beware! With this much drama am I caught up in the God events? The shepherds and magi were excited to say the least, how excited am I at the birth of Jesus? If I’m not excited each year am I missing something? What do I look forward to when Christmas comes: the gifts…family gatherings…special meal…? What is the importance of this day to me? Mary and Joesph had no idea of how these days would progress. Joseph just wants to find a peaceful place so that Mary could deliver her miracle baby. They were writing the narrative as they went along. All they had to go on was their faith and the trust they had in God and in each other. These events were different. Mary delivered in some sort of cave or shelter for animals. Joseph tried to make it as comfortable and warm as possible. They were alone. It seems that sometime after the birth and the people from the tribe of David had gone to their homes, there was lodging available. Mary and Joseph found a suitable house. I imagine there was a knock on the door, and Joseph opened it in amazement, maybe in horror, maybe even in fear. Here was an intimidating sign of strangely dressed upper class individuals with their advisors and servants. They probably spoke Hebrew and Aramaic but with a heavy accent. They had camels, horses, carriages, whatever they needed for the large group traveling with them. How many were they: we imagine there were three because Matthew lists three gifts. An Eastern tradition said the number was twelve. Let’s say there was a number of them, all at the door wanting to worship, adore, pay tribute to, look at, hopefully even touch this newborn king. They came and presented their gifts and left. The total price of these gifts were astonishing to Joseph and Mary. They had never seen anything more beautiful and definitely more expensive. What to do? Trust in God and in each other. After the Magi left King Herod, the royal court did not return to normal. Who is this newborn king? What does this seeing his star in the heavens mean? What am I dealing with? Do the people think that this person will replace me? I have bribed my way into this great ‘king’ position by paying off Rome. Do you think that some ‘nobody’ is going to take this away from me? FIND OUT all the information you can…and assemble the guards and troops…there is big trouble brewing. I am King…no one else. Has the story begun to grip me? Am I excited yet…am I seeing what all this means to me? Could part of the message from God to us involve the gifts the magi brought? Gold is a precious metal, frankincense was a rich perfume, and myrrh was an oil for anointing. These gifts are hugely valuable. They didn’t give the gifts to Mary or to Joseph but to the baby, the newborn Savior of the World. A wonderful reflection is to take time and look at myself and especially at the gifts that the Holy Spirit has blessed me and what am I doing with these gifts? - What is special in my eyes—are they gentle and caring? Are they alert to what is going on? Can they see problems before they even surface? Can they imagine helpful healing? - What is special about my hands? Are they capable of helping and gently caring for people in need? Are they able to fix things? Can they bring comfort with a gentle touch or a caring, forgiving hug? - What is special about my ears? Am I gifted in hearing the whole story rather than what I want to hear? Can I tell a cry for help from a plea of mercy? Can I hear someone hurting in a noisy room or among non-caring people? Can I hear the call for help, companionship, friendship, love? Do I find it easy to respond when I am aware? - What is special about my mouth? How often does a smile surface on my face? Do my eyes light up when I smile, making my whole face alive with goodness? Do my words concentrate on me or do I respond to the hurt I see and hear from people I’m with? Can I call back the venom that comes when things are wrong within me, in order to see a person in need in front of me? Are my words kind, is care in them? - What is special about my heart? Do I have a ‘heart of gold’ or a ‘heart of stone’? When I see pain, suffering, violence in real life or on TV or in at the movies am I drawn to be a healer? A listener? A responder? Do I have the heart of Jesus? Am I the light of Christ? The problem and the message in the feast of the Epiphany is found in the example of Herod. His response to the threat the Magi presented of this ‘rival king’ was automatic. This child must be done away with. Herod seems to have no interest in finding out the truth of the child…is this child the Messiah? If he is the Messiah could he be of help to the nation and the world? Herod would not go there. This child is a threat to my rule, nothing comes in my way. He must have known of all the great things that were anticipated to come to the Jewish nation from the Messiah. He must have been aware of the hope for a great spiritual revival the prophets foretold, yet this was a threat to his power, his rule. NOW is my life about me or is it about God? IT is remarkable how easily we can manufacture reasons to justify me. A total self interest can blind me, even to God. AGAIN, is it about me or about God? Is it about me knowing I am loved and needed by God to be an example of love or is it about loving me? My gifts are meant for others to see God and know they are loved. Help Me Lord. Sacred Space 2018 says: “There is a Bavarian custom of chalking G M B (Gaspar, Melchior, Balthasar) on the wall of each room of the house on Epiphany morning. These are the names that tradition assigns to the Magi, representing all the nations of the world. More and more, the nations of the world move to our shores and come into our homes. If the Magi arrived here today, would they be welcome? When people come to my home, Lord, do they discover You there? If justice and love are to be found in my home, then visitors, like the Magi, will be overwhelmed with joy, and they will pay You homage.”