Father John's Blog

Second Sunday of Lent

2012-02-29T12:44:00.001-06:00

Genesis 22: 1-2,9,10-13,15-18

As we read the story of the sacrifice (or almost sacrifice) of Isaac by his father, Abraham, we can react with revulsion. Remember that Isaac is Abraham and Sarah’s only Son, a son conceived miraculously late in their lives. How could God take away the son he gave them? It’s not right. How could God do this to them? I am sure we have had the same reaction when something goes terribly wrong in our own lives. In the face of extreme suffering it is natural to have this type of reaction. Perhaps this reading is asking us about our willingness to sacrifice something dear to us for God’s (and our) benefit. All that we have is a generous gift from God. How do we begin to give back to God for all that we have received?

Romans 8:31-34

Continuing the theme of sacrifice in the first reading, Paul is telling us that God has sacrificed for us. He sacrificed His Son, Jesus, so that we might receive God’s great blessing. This reading is also very confident. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Paul basically says that no one can really conquer us because we have God’s power on our side. Christ intercedes for us and so we are invincible.

Meditate on Jesus’ sacrifice by thinking of sacrifices you make in your own life. Have those sacrifices been a grace for you? Or not?

Mark 9:2-10

Question: Why only Peter, James and John? Maybe if Thomas were there he would not be “doubting Thomas” after Jesus’ resurrection. Maybe Judas Iscariot would not have turned Jesus over if he had been there. Were the other disciples jealous? Who can say?

It is interesting that Moses and Elijah come and go. They converse with Jesus about His mission and then disappear after the Father speaks. Perhaps they disappear because now the disciples see the One who has replaced/fulfilled the Law (Moses) and the Old Testament Prophets (Elijah.) All is different because Jesus is the one who will stay on the mountain – Moses and Elijah leave.

Despite this grand event, they still doubt and have questions, evidenced by the last two sentences of the reading.

What do you need to transfigure in your life? Ask Jesus to help you with that. Why did Jesus tell the three disciples not to tell anyone about the Transfiguration?

I invite your comments.

First Sunday of Lent

2012-02-21T15:38:00.001-06:00

Genesis 9: 8-15

God looks upon all the destruction that the flood caused and regrets it. He created all living things but then wipes them out and he feels bad about it. I find it gratifying that God is in the same position that we sometimes are in. We do something, regret it and feel bad about it afterwards. God doesn’t undo the destruction but vows not to do it again. He puts a rainbow in the sky. He does something beautiful to atone for the destruction. We are called to do the same thing during Lent – look honestly at our actions, regret what has caused destruction and then do something so that we don’t repeat the action.

What do we regret? What can I do to atone for the hurt I cause?

1 Peter 3:18-22

It is my privilege to celebrate baptisms. It is always a joyous occasion. It is always a little crazy and noisy especially when there are a lot of kids but it is a great celebration of life and faith. Peter is telling his audience that baptism is not like washing dirt from your face but it spiritually cleanses the whole person, claiming the person for Christ. We were baptized long ago but the spiritual cleansing is still operative because Jesus continues to call us to conversion.

Have we ever given thanks for our baptism? How has baptism changed me? What does baptism call me to do or to be in this world?

Mark 1: 12-15

I have always wondered why the Spirit would drive Jesus into the desert. I assume the Spirit knows that Jesus will be tempted and will suffer. Yet, Jesus is driven out to the desert. The word “drove” makes me think that Jesus did not go willingly. Perhaps this is an indication to Jesus of the type of life he will have in this world. He will suffer. He will be tested. His life will not be easy. It also says that Jesus lived “among the wild beasts and the angels ministered to him.” No humans are mentioned. It seems to me that the temptations come when Jesus is separated from the community. He is not among those he came to save and so feels alone and tempted. For me, negative influences come when I am isolated. When I am with others, I get support, love and care.

How am I integrated with the community? Am I happy with others or do I feel alone in the crowd? Have you had a “desert experience” like Jesus – suffering, temptation, isolation? How did you get through it?

I invite your comments.

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2012-02-07T11:31:00.002-06:00

Leviticus 13: 1-2, 44-46

Being a priest today can be difficult but I cannot imagine the priesthood of Aaron. He is supposed to evaluate people’s scab, pustules or blotches in order to detect leprosy. Huge “eeewww” factor. It was necessary to do this type of evaluation in order to protect the community from disease and from being ritually unclean according to the law. Nowadays, leprosy or Hansen’s disease is rare but we still have lepers in our society. I think of the poor, the immigrant, the person with AIDS or some other controversial disease. These modern day lepers can be ostracized and shunned. We must do our best to welcome, comfort and give refuge to those who find themselves on the outside.

Who are the modern day lepers we encounter? Offer a prayer for them. Ask for the grace to see and love them as God does.

1 Corinthians 10: 31-11:1

“Do everything for the glory of God.” St. Paul says that even the simple acts of eating and drinking can reflect the glory of God. Paul also calls the Corinthians to avoid offending anyone. That is not an easy task because Paul was a rather gruff person. Also people can take offense at the slightest thing. He says that he tries to please everyone. Also that is hard to do. Those difficult tasks are summed up in the last line of the text. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Just imitate Christ and all will be well. We will fall short sometimes, but try and see where it takes you.

Task: Today I will make it a point to do everything - no matter how small - for the glory of God. That can change the world.

Task: Today I will avoid offending others by thinking of them first and me second.

Task: Today I will make a conscious effort to imitate Christ. Good luck, all of you.

I think if we try these tasks with some effort, we can change ourselves, our household and world.

Mark 1: 40-45

The leper in the story disobeys Jesus. Jesus tells him not to say anything about his healing. He went away, however, “and began to publicize the whole matter.” He is only supposed to tell the priest so that the priest can document the healing. The cured man cannot keep the message to himself. We are also called to follow the example of the man and not keep the message to ourselves. If I have great news I have to share it. I want to tell others about the great thing that happened to me.

What good thing God has done for you do you want to share with the world? Who are you going to tell? Would you feel comfortable telling even one stranger?

Is there anything about ourselves that we need the Lord’s help to heal?

Next week I will not have a reflection. Sorry about that.

I invite your comments.

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2012-01-31T15:56:00.000-06:00

Job 7:1-4, 6-7

Job is not a very fun person to hang out with right now and we all know why. Everything has been taken from him – family, friends and possessions. Also, he is afflicted with sores on his body. Things were going well until recently. He had family and enough possessions to last him a few lifetimes, but the devil took away everything from him. In today’s reading, Job is lamenting the loss of everything he holds dear. Despite all his suffering, he does not curse God. In another section of this book, Job says, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the Lord.” This is a statement of great faith in the midst of suffering and trial.

We also can experience difficulty and suffering. Perhaps our health is compromised or a relationship went bad. Perhaps we can pray with our sufferings and ask God’s help. Are we thankful when all is well and when all is not so good?

1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23

Yo Yo Ma, the famous cellist, said once that if he doesn’t practice for 8 hours a day, he can sense that his skills have slipped and if he misses a full day of practice, the audience will notice that his skills have slipped. You have to keep working to keep your skills sharp. Paul has the same dedication. “Woe to me if I do not preach it!” He has to keep preaching the Gospel if he is to fulfill the call that Jesus gave to him. The Gospel now is the driving force of his life and he must serve it always.

Is there a part of our lives which needs deeper dedication to the Gospel? What is the driving force of our lives? Jesus or something else?

Mark 1: 29-39

Today’s Gospel presents the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. It says that Jesus grasped her hand and “helped her up.” Scholars say that this word is the same word that Mark will later use for “resurrection.” Jesus resurrects Simon’s mother-in-law which predicts his own resurrection. And what does she do after her “helping up?” She begins to serve the others. All of us are called to serve because of our resurrection to new life. Later, the disciples report to Jesus, “Everyone is looking for you.” It may have been true then but it is not so now. Not all are looking for Jesus. Perhaps you have family members and friends who are not in contact with their faith or with a church.

How has Jesus helped us up to a new life? Have we had resurrections in our own life? Also, let’s pray for those who are looking for Jesus and those who are not. May God touch their hearts and minds.

I invite your comments.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2012-01-25T14:17:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Moses is considered the greatest prophet of Israel because he spoke with God face to face. He was able to go into the cloud surrounding the ark of the covenant and talk directly to him. I wonder what those conversations were like. “Hey, how you doin’ today?” “Not so good, God. This desert sand gets everywhere.” In this reading God shows a desire to maintain conversation and communication with His people after Moses is gone. God will give prophets to Israel so that he can maintain communication with Israel. Israel, however, will reject these prophets over the years. They will persecute them and even kill them. We pray that God will communicate with us through the words of others.

How has God communicated with you recently? Homily? Song? Book of reflections? Friend’s touch or presence? Remember that communication with God does not have to be verbal. Maybe you just had a feeling of God’s presence.

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

This reading once again shows that Paul is very concerned about being prepared for Jesus’ second coming. Just like the reading from Paul two weeks ago, he says that people should remain focused on the Lord and not on their human relationships. Because we are in a very different time from Paul’s time, it seems to me that our faith is expressed in our human relationships and not hindered by them. In waiting for the Lord, be a better husband or better wife. Attend to your spouse’s needs as if attending to the needs of the Lord.

Paul also presumes that an unmarried person is not anxious about the things of the world. We are now preparing our budget for 2012-13. I am unmarried, however, I am anxious about the budget and many other things – definite things of the world.

What preoccupies you now? Hand that over to God in prayer. What about your life “pleases the Lord?” What doesn’t?

Mark 1: 21-28

I am noticing that people nowadays are obsessed with demons and other supernatural things. The kids in our Confirmation class have asked me a lot of questions about that stuff due to the many recent movies about the demonic. People have asked me to bless their houses because they hear unexplained noises. In my 20 years as a priest, I have never heard or seen anything “demonic” when blessing a house, but I am not in that house all the time. Demons know not to mess with me.

Today Jesus encounters an “unclean spirit.” Jesus reacts quickly, telling the spirit to come out of him. I have never had any experience with phenomena such as this but it is easy to see in our world that evil exists. We encounter it every day. Evil is very often not expressed in possessed people who shriek and spit green pea soup like Linda Blair, but is expressed in the wrong choices we sometimes make. We take the easy way or the more profitable way, which then affects adversely our brothers and sisters.

Is there any evil you must repent of? What is the sinful thing you struggle with most – lack of patience, stealing, lying, etc.? Ask God’s forgiveness and help.

I invite your comments.

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

2012-01-16T12:09:00.000-06:00

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Jonah goes to the great city of Nineveh to tell them that God is angry and they will be destroyed if they don’t mend their ways. They believe him and everyone repents. Pretty amazing.

Jonah’s journey to Nineveh takes a few twists and turns. If you remember, God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh and he decides to run away because he does not want to do this work. When Jonah tries to escape by ship, God sends a storm that is swamping the ship. Jonah is thrown into the sea by the sailors and everything quiets down. Jonah, however, is swallowed by a whale and remains in the whale for three days. Nineveh’s story is Jonah’s story. They have run away/turned away from the Lord. They have to make a radical shift back to the Lord just like Jonah did when he splashed into the sea. Jonah is a sign that all can be well again with God. Nineveh sees the sign and turns its’ life around. All is well between the city and God.

Have you ever felt separated from God? What do you need to turn around in order to be closer to God?

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Many scholars believe that St. Paul believed that Jesus would return very soon to earth for His Second Coming. This short reading presents that belief very clearly. He tells people to give up everything in order to receive Jesus well. This reading surprises me to a certain extent. “let those having wives, act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, etc.” He is telling people to detach from everything so that you can meet Jesus without distraction. I don’t want to criticize St. Paul, however, it would seem to me, if you have a wife, you should be a better husband. If you weep, ask Jesus to comfort you. If you rejoice, thank Him for the rejoicing. The world may be passing away, but let’s pass away well.

Mark 1:14-20

I was pointing out the other day to the weekday Mass crowd that this Gospel is an interesting one. We are reading from the first chapter of Mark. Jesus is just new on the scene and he says, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Since it is so early, the people who hear him are probably saying, “Hey, what’s a Gospel.” Jesus is preaching something entirely new. The people probably don’t have vocabulary to understand the message. Still there is something about Jesus that makes Simon and Andrew, James and John follow him. He himself is the Gospel. “Repent and believe in me,” he is saying.

What is it about Jesus and His message that attracts you? Repels you? Would you be ready, like Simon and Andrew, to risk everything for someone you haven’t seen before?

I invite your comments.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

2012-01-10T14:33:00.001-06:00

1 Samuel 3:3-10;19

I always find this story to be funny. Samuel is sleeping in the temple in front of the ark. Eli, the priest, is sleeping in another location. God calls Samuel’s name and he runs off because he mistakenly thought Eli was calling to him. God never tells Samuel to stop. He lets the boy go to Eli and wake him up. God calls us and sometimes we are unclear about what we are called to do. We might even not recognize the presence of God calling to us. Our challenge is to stop, open our ears and respond as Samuel does, “Speak, Lord, your servant I listening.” Those words are powerful. In my prayer, I am usually doing most of the talking. I am worried about this and that. I want this and that. Perhaps God is calling all of us to keep quiet and listen rather than talk.

Has God ever called you to anything? Were you listening? Was the task to be done easy or difficult? What blessing came to you as a result of this call/invitation?

1 Corinthians 6:13-20

If anyone has ever accused the Catholic Church of worrying a lot about sexual morality, welcome to this reading. Notice, however, that not even one time is the word “sex” ever mentioned. This reading calls us to use the gift of our bodies for one thing only – serving the Lord. That can be done in many ways – giving yourself to another in marriage, giving yourself to many in holy orders or religious life, or giving yourself to others as a chaste Christian. Remember that God looked upon the creation of humans and found them “very good.” Our bodies despite all their frailties mirror the goodness of God and are made in God’s image and likeness. Even if you are older and your body is not functioning like it used to, it is still a body that God loves.

Do you see your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit? If so, does the way you live reflect that belief? Do you take care of your body as you should?

John 1: 35-42

I find it interesting that the apostles of John ask Jesus “Where are you staying?” They do not ask him where are you going? I am not sure why that jumps out at me. Perhaps they want to know if he is just a transient or will he stay with the Jewish people. Remember that Jesus does not stay. After his Resurrection, he ascends back to His Father. Stay also indicates permanence. Perhaps there are asking, “Jesus, John told us you were coming. Can we stay with you? Can we be part of your plan?” The Gospel says that “they stayed with him that day.” Before they stayed with John and left when John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Now they stayed with Jesus one day. Will they stay tomorrow or will they leave? We don’t know.

Have we asked Jesus to stay with us? What would that “staying” look like? Do we live differently as a result?

I invite your comments.

The Magi

2012-01-03T11:42:00.000-06:00

Please forgive me for not writing a blog for the last two weeks. I took a little vacation for Christmas and New Year’s.

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany also known as the day when the Magi bring gifts to Jesus. Who are the magi (or kings or wise men or astrologers)? How many were there? Why are they important? I just want to offer some reflections about the Epiphany.

“Now, after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the East came to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? For we have seen his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.”

Herodotus, the famous historian, had said that in the 6^th century before Jesus there was a caste of priests in Mede who had the ability to interpret dreams. They were priests of the Persian religion, Zoroastrianism. In the following centuries, anyone who could interpret dreams was known as a Magi. The term was used very loosely. Most scholars see the Magi as astrologers who had the ability to read the stars in the heavens as signs from God.

Some refer to these magi as “Kings.” Were they eastern kings? In Psalm 72, the text reads, “May the kings of Sheba and Saba bring gifts; may all kings pay him homage.” Over the first five centuries of Christianity, many people considered the magi to have some type of earthly power based on the psalm above. This is a case of popular culture, ascribing to the magi more than their due. But it does bring up an interesting point for reflection. Here are kings with much power and influence and wealth, yet they come to the King of kings, Jesus, to offer homage. They are the opposite of Herod who will never bow to a new king.

Also the magi/kings are numbered in popular tradition. We say that there are only three of them. We say that because they offer three gifts. Three gifts, three magi. Yes, but there could have been more. The gospel, however, does not tell us how many magi came. There could be 10, 1000, or a million, right? How many came to adore Jesus? We really do not know.

Do they have names? The Bible does not offer names for the magi. Our popular tradition tells us that they were named Caspar, Melchior and Baltasar. In the calendar of saints, listed at the Cathedral of Cologne in Germany, there is an obituary for the kings. It says, “having undergone many trials and fatigues for the Gospel, the three wise men met at Sewa (Armenia) in A.D. 54 to celebrate the feast of Christmas. Thereupon, after celebration of Mass, they died.” You can judge for yourself if that is true or not.

The presence of the magi in Matthew’s Gospel is very interesting. Matthew is writing to a Jewish community but tells them that the first people to recognize Jesus are people from the East – unclean, non-Jewish people. That is a challenge to Matthew’s people. These Magi, schooled to read the stars, see Jesus for who he truly was. Yet, the Jewish people waiting for the Messiah could not see him.

The magi put their lives on hold and travel a long time to find Jesus, enduring many hardships. They sacrifice much for their faith. Would we be willing to do the same?

I invite your comments.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

2011-12-13T14:29:00.001-06:00

Approximately three weeks ago, I received an internet message from a woman who had a concern about Christmas decorations at the White House. She reported to me that the White House was not going to have a Christmas tree this year. She told her audience that the “White House is our house too.” She wanted the White House to have at least one Christmas tree to show the Christian roots of our nation.

This past week, I saw a TV news show that showed the Christmas trees that had been set up in the White House. Obviously, the woman who sent me the message was mistaken. She should have done her homework before sending out such a false report. However, the internet is chock full of false reports. Just check out the Snopes.com website. Perhaps this false message was politically motivated to fan the flames of discontent against the President. We will never know.

One issue, however, concerns me as a pastor. This lady expects the government to spend money on decorations for Christmas. I have no such expectations. I do not expect the government to live my faith for me. I do not expect the government to validate my faith either. That responsibility falls to me and me alone. It does not matter to me if the Village of Schaumburg puts up a Christmas crèche or the White House has a Christmas tree. I can live my faith without worrying whether the civil government is living the faith.

Consider this possibility. Mitt Romney, a Mormon, is running for President. If he wins, his religion would prohibit him from setting up a Christmas tree. The Mormons deny Dec. 25 as the birthday for Jesus because it is not scripturally based. Would we force Mr. Romney to have a Christmas tree and violate his freedom of religion? I hope not. If he wins the Presidency, it would be his house and he can decorate as he wishes.

The other day on the Daily Show, hosted by Jon Stewart, I heard that the Pilgrims outlawed Christmas trees, judging them to be “satanic.” If the founders of our nation were opposed to Christmas trees, perhaps we should think again about having them in the White House (or any civic building.)

Folks, I have my Christmas tree in my front window, shining brightly at night. I am proud of my Charlie Brown-esque tree. I am not opposed to them. However, we can’t put up a tree and say we are keeping Christmas. If you really want to keep Christmas, go to church, live peacefully with all people, and be generous with your gifts. In short, be Christ for others. Merry Christmas to all!

I invite your comments.

Third Sunday of Advent

2011-12-07T14:36:00.000-06:00

First Reading - Isaiah 61: 1-2, 10-11 The church refers to the Third Sunday of Advent as Gaudete Sunday, which means “Rejoice” Sunday. This reading from Isaiah is cause for rejoicing. Isaiah is called to bring glad tidings to the poor and announce a year of favor from the Lord. He tells his people that the past year with its trials and tribulations is coming to an end and all things will be renewed.

I am sure that we can resonate with these words. This year – indeed the past few years – have been hard for everyone. What kind of “favor” are you hoping for this year? What “glad tidings” do you want to hear? Think about this and hand them over to Jesus.

Second Reading - 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24. Paul first came to Thessalonica in 50AD, after being expelled from Philippi. Paul preached in the synagogue there but his preaching started a riot among the people. Paul was not able to return to Thessalonica so he wrote two letters to the people there. This reading is from the first letter.

Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks. That sounds easy, yes? Isn’t Christianity supposed to be more complicated? Is there anything else we are supposed to do? No. Paul’s mandates are rather simple, but incredibly difficult at the same time. Paul suffered terribly in Thessalonica but could still praise God for His blessings.

Have you suffered as Paul did? Have you ever been misunderstood? Persecuted? Criticized? Were you still able to rejoice and give thanks? I struggle with that in my own life. For what are you thankful? What causes you to rejoice?

Gospel - John 1:6-8, 19-28. John. Best name in the world. Oh, sorry! On to other matters. John testified to the light. That was his entire mission. He did not focus on his own needs, wants and desires, rather he focused on God’s will – to preach a new kingdom. He also makes an interesting response when the priests and Levites ask “Who are you then?” “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, make way the way of the Lord,” he says. He defines himself by the task that God gave him. Interesting.

What are the needs and desires of our heart? Can we put those aside and put God’s needs there? Remember Jesus’ words: Not my will but yours be done. What is the task God gives me today? Ask God what that task is and be open to being his instrument throughout our day.

I invite your comments.

A First Time for the New Roman Missal

2011-11-29T10:37:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday, we used the new translation of the Roman Missal for the first time. For many months, we have been preparing to celebrate well with this new text. Most people reacted positively to the new translation, and made earnest attempts to learn the prayer responses. Father George Kane, Father Scott, and I met long ago to discuss how we could implement the new texts in the best way. I would like to thank them for their expertise and their pastoral sensibility. We all tried to be as positive as possible about the translation and did our best to present these new texts and prayers to you. That does not mean that the new missal is without problems. I do have some serious reservations about the texts on a number of different levels.

First of all, reading the texts is not easy when the major concern of the translations was fidelity to Latin syntax and sentence structure. The awkwardness of the text became clear to me when I read the opening prayer for the First Sunday of Advent: “Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming, so that, gathered at his right hand, they (I am not sure if this refers to the faithful or the prayers) may be worthy to possess the heavenly kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God, forever and ever.” The nuns who taught me in grade school would have probably given me an F if I turned in a run-on sentence like that one.

The Opening Prayer or Collect for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ reads: “O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament, have left us a memorial….” When you read this passage, you will notice that God and have do not agree in number. Once again the nuns who taught me would have circled this grammar error in red. In the new Roman Missal, sentence structure like this example is intentional if you can believe it. Rome thought adherence to the Latin syntax of the sentence was more important than using correct English sentence structure. That is really awful. Please understand that this type of mistake is plentiful in the new translation. I told Fr. George that we have to adopt a new English concept – the concept of the understood “you.” When the presider adds “you” before the verb “have,” the English is now supposedly correct. I am saddened over the fact that a correct grammatical translation was not done the first time.

The Prayer over the People for Ash Wednesday reads: “Pour out a spirit of compunction, O God…” I had to look that one up in the dictionary and I have been speaking English for a long time. Compunction means sorrow or guilt.

The missal also eliminates some of the inclusive language we previously had, but we can fix that on our own. The very formal language will be hard for us to utilize.

Don’t get me wrong, the text is not all bad. Some of the language is beautiful and much more scripturally accurate.

The new Missal is not a very good prayer text. A prayer text should be understandable and accessible to the people who are using the text as prayer. It should allow people to voice praise and thanksgiving to God in an easy and conversational. A better translation of the missal could have made our formal conversations with God much more accessible.

We will continue to struggle with this text, as imperfect as it may be, as we use it to show our unity with Catholics all over the world.

I invite your comments.

First Sunday of Advent

2011-11-23T08:55:00.000-06:00

This Sunday, we have the First Sunday of Advent, a beautiful time of preparation for Christmas. Rather than focusing on presents, trees and holiday parties, the Church asks us to reflect on the goodness of God. The readings for the First Sunday of Advent invite us to think about how we have been living the faith.

First Reading – Isaiah 63. This reading is a cry for help and a history of Israel wrapped up into one. The people feel abandoned by God and pray for a remedy to their suffering. The second sentence is funny to me. “Why do you let us wander, O Lord…,” which blames God for their wandering. “God let us get off track; it’s his fault.” Then at the end the tone changes. “Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the works of your hands.” God will mold us if we let ourselves be pliable to His touch. We are works in progress and God is working hard on us.

Reflection questions: If God can mold us when we are pliable, what are the parts of our lives that resist God’s touch? How has God molded you or made you change throughout your life? How are you the work of God’s hands? What work still needs to be done for you?

Second Reading – 1Cor 1:3-9. This is just a simple greeting from the first part of one of Paul’s letters. Notice how positive and confident the tone is. He is sure that we are “enriched in every way.” Read this letter OUT LOUD a couple of times. How does it sound to you?

Reflection questions: Can you resonate with Paul’s confidence and hope? Are there any spiritual gifts that you are lacking? How have you been “enriched in every way?”

Gospel – Mk 13:33-37 In this short gospel reading the word “watch” is used four times. This gospel comes just before Jesus is taken into custody by the soldiers. It is odd that we begin a new year with this gospel that is “late” in Jesus’ life but it foreshadows the kind of life and death Jesus will have. Scholars say that the first “ watch” refers to the people in the story – man traveling abroad, the servants and the gatekeeper. The second and third “watch”es are written in the second person plural – addressed to the reader/listener of the Gospel.

Reflection questions: How watchful are you? Will you set aside time to “watch” (pray and reflect) with Jesus in Advent? What should we watch out for?

I invite your comments.

Christ The King

2011-11-15T13:45:00.000-06:00

When I met with the young people of that parish, they asked me to use this blog as a way to share ideas about the readings at Mass. Many of them said they did not understand what the readings were about. My homily is supposed to explain the readings. Sorry if I have not done that well enough. I offer now a few thoughts about the Feast of Christ the King coming up on November 20.

First reading – Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel criticizes constantly the leadership of the Israelite people. In Ezekiel’s estimation they have been bad shepherds for their people Israel. The “I” in the reading is God saying that He will gather everyone together, will bind their wounds and take care of them.

Prayer questions: Have you ever felt really cared for by God? When? What was that like? OR have you ever felt forgotten by God? Or felt God doesn’t care for you? Jesus felt that way once so it is ok to feel that way.

Second reading – 1 Cor 15. Paul is talking to the people in Corinth who question the resurrection from the dead. They believed in Jesus’ resurrection but could not understand their own resurrection. Christ is referred to as the “firstfruits” of the harvest. That word refers to the first part of the harvest which is dedicated to God. When the farmers harvested the crop, the first part was donated to the poor or to the synagogue as a sign that all good gifts come from God and return to him. This reading says that Jesus rises first (firstfruits) then we rise after Him whenever our time may come. All belongs to God, including us and the power of death does not change that.

Prayer questions: Do we give part of our “harvest” to God? What can I give to God to show my appreciation for all I have? What do I think about the resurrection of the dead? What will that be like?

Gospel – Matthew 25. This Gospel passage comes after two parables that tell us to be prepared for Jesus’ coming. This passage tells us that we will be judged by the actions we have done for those less fortunate than ourselves – the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, etc. This passage calls us to be people for others.

Prayer questions: What can I do to fulfill this passage in my own life? When I see the stranger (someone different from me) what do I do? How do I treat that person? What have you done when you have seen the hungry, thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the prisoner? This week, perhaps seek out one person who fits that category and strike up a conversation. I can imagine that there is at least one person who fits that category in your school or work.

I invite your comments.