Christ the King Sunday - 2018

No doubt, everyone has faced that dreaded “0-hour”. Usually our first experience with “0-hour” is exam time in school. And finally, the teacher says, “children, put down your pens, time is up”. Some of you may have done so with a confident smile, but the rest of us where in a panic. “Oh no! Why did I not take more time to study? I knew better, but just had to go out and party the night before”. And so it goes, many, many time through life. Even when you finally become seniors you have to pass that testing to renew your drivers licence. Well the liturgy, today is meant to be a day of examination; not a final exam however, more like a midterm – thank God. Matthew’s gospel Ch. 25:35, presents us with an image of Judgement Day. We hear Jesus describing how the standard of our accounting is to be measured by the Works of Mercy. o   “For I was hungry and you gave me food, <> I was thirsty and you gave me drink, <> a stranger and you welcomed me, <> naked and you clothed me, <> ill and you cared for me, <> in prison and you visited me”. From this the Church has derive the Corporal Works of Mercy and with these we are most familiar. But to these has been added the Spiritual Works of Mercy, also seven in number, compiled from Jesus teachings found throughout the gospels. They are no less important: o    <> counsel the doubtful <> instruct the ignorant <> admonish the sinner<> comfort the afflicted <> forgive offences willingly <> bear wrongs patiently <> pray for the living and the dead. In Matthew’s account of the Corporal Works, we see how people are surprised by how they are judged, asking: “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?” It is even more surprising when we are held up to the standard of the Spiritual Works. But these are no less important. Our Holy Father, in Misericordiae Vultus, the Vatican document which announced the Year of Mercy, described the Spiritual Works this way: o   Our Holy Father writes, “We will be asked if we have helped others to escape the doubt that causes them to fall into despair and which is often a source of loneliness; if we have helped to overcome the ignorance in which millions of people live, especially children deprived of the necessary means to free them from the bonds of poverty; if we have been close to the lonely and afflicted; if we have forgiven those who have offended us and have rejected all forms of anger and hate that lead to violence; if we have had the kind of patience shown by God, who is so patient with us; and if we have commended our brothers and sisters to the Lord in prayer. Holy Father ends with: Let us not forget the words of St. John of the Cross: ‘As we prepare to leave this life, we will be judged on the basis of love,’ on how concretely we showed love to others — both those in need spiritually and those with physical needs”. Advent begins next Sunday – a new gift of time, a time to prepare, a time to examine our lives, a time to resolve to get down to work in all seriousness. Yes, there really is a day of accounting – and the standard is the standard of love.

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Thirty-third Sunday - 2018

We are coming to the end of this present liturgical year. Next Sunday is Christ the King, followed by the first Sunday of Advent and the beginning of a new year. This year we are now completing is year B in the three-year cycle of Sundays and the gospel of Mark has been the principal source for our gospel readings. Next year is year C and the gospel of Luke will be our gospel source. The gospel readings of late have included references to end times, as we see in today’s gospel. In these days we are reminded that God’s salvific plan for us is contained in a framework of time, as is the whole of creation. It begins in time, unfolds for a time, and when completed the end time arrives. That there is to be an end time we know for certain. What we don’t know is when the end of time will come. The first generation of the Church for the most part believed that the second coming of Christ would be in their time. But this seemed not to be happening and some began scoff at the idea all together. St. Peter addresses this in his Second Letter to the churches. Know this, that in the last days scoffers will come to scoff, living according to their own desires and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? From the time when our ancestors fell asleep, everything has remained as it was from the beginning of creation.” The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out. 2 Pt. 3: Down through the ages there have been predictions of the imminent end of the world which aroused many people with fear. Some of you may remember the Cuban missal crisis of 1962. For 13 days, from October 16–28, Russia and the United States stared down the barrels of their atomic bombs at each other. Fear of Armageddon was real and palpable. I was in the seminary at the time and some America students studying with us were notified to be ready to be called home for military duty at any moment. Today a new doomsday warning is being issued to the world from the environmental scientist – that we may be destroying the planet we live on. But aside from the question of end times, each of us knows well that our own lives are governed by time and like sands in the hourglass time is passing. For the spiritual direction of these days the Church is counselling us to take to heart the many texts of scripture that exhort us to use wisely our God-given days of time and to live holy lives. “Be ready for whatever comes, dressed for action and with your lamps lit, like servants who are waiting for their master to come back from a wedding feast . . . How happy they are if he finds them ready, even if he should come at midnight or even later . . . you, must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.” Lk. 12:35 Take some time during these next couple of weeks to check the progress of your spiritual life. How am I doing? What needs to change? What might I do better? Am I ready for that knock at my door?

Thirty-second Sunday - 2018

For these Sundays of October and November, the 2nd Reading in the Liturgy of the Word is taken from the Letter to the Hebrews. The author’s main theme is the priesthood and sacrifice of Jesus; it is meant as a means of restoring the lost fervor happening among the Hebrew Christians at that time and of strengthening them in their faith. Another important theme of the letter is that of the pilgrimage of the people of God to the heavenly Jerusalem. This theme is intimately connected with that of Jesus’ ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. The new temple, the new sanctuary is now in heaven and Jesus is the High Priest. Ancient peoples believed that the gods dwelt out of sight somewhere up in the heavens. Although indifferent to humans on earth, these gods could at times become annoyed and angry with humans and would hurl down from the ski all manner of punishment; storms, lightning, floods, earthquakes, famines and all manner of catastrophe. Humans in turn, would try to appease the anger of the gods by offering sacrifices; gifts of all kinds, even sacrificing human life. The ancient Hebrews also were affected by this world view, but through the prophets were beginning to get a clearer idea of what was really true. Yet, they still had the temple, and altars of sacrifice, and priest making offerings with which they continued to believe they could appease God’s anger – manifested when bad things would happen. Jesus comes with an entirely new understanding; a new understanding of who God really is, of who we are in God’s eyes, and why God created us in the first place, placing us here on this earth . Jesus reveals to us that God is a loving God, and he has a very particular plan for us humans. God wants to share His divine life with us; literally making us divine child of God, clothing us with the glory that is God’s glory. But before this can happen, we must be made capable of receiving such glory. The angels were given a share in God’s glory before us, but some of them, when they saw how glorious they were, began to think and act as if they too were gods. It was necessary for God to strip them of the glory he had given them and expel them from heaven. Not wanting this fate to happen to humans when they receive glory, God starts us off here on this remote planet earth, in the school of "humbling reality". Once humans are convinced of the truth of their humble state, it is safe to cloth them in glory. A quick look of human history makes it abundantly clear that we are very slow learners. True religion happens when we enter the school of holiness by attaching ourselves to Jesus in a personal relationship. True relationship is not simply knowing about Jesus – the devil knows all about Jesus, true relationship happens when we enter into a spiritual communion with the Spirit of Jesus. I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 And who is our teacher in the school of holiness – it is the Holy Spirit, and the school complex wherein we study is the Church.

Office of Readings for Monday of the 31st Week

Wisdom for this Generation

From the pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world of the Second Vatican Council Reeducation for peace Men must not be content simply to support the efforts of others in the work for peace; they must also scrutinize their own attitudes. Statesmen, responsible as they are for the common good of their own nation and at the same time for the well-being of the whole world, are very much dependent on the opinions and convictions of the general public. Their efforts to secure peace are of no avail as long as men are divided or set against each other by feelings of hostility, contempt and distrust, by racial hatred or by inflexible ideologies. There is then a very great and urgent need to reeducate men and to provide fresh inspiration in the field of public opinion. Those engaged in education, especially among young people, and those who influence public opinion, should consider it a very serious responsibility to work for the reeducation of mankind to a new attitude toward peace. We must all undergo a change of heart. We must look out on the whole world and see the tasks that we can all do together to promote the well-being of the family of man. We must not be misled by a false sense of hope. Unless antagonism and hatred are abandoned, unless binding and honest agreements are concluded, safeguarding universal peace in the future, mankind, already in grave peril, may well face in spite of its marvelous advance in knowledge that day of disaster when it knows no other peace than the awful peace of death. In saying this, however, the Church of Christ, living as it does in the midst of these anxious times, continues unwaveringly in hope. Time and again, in season and out of season, it seeks to proclaim to our age the message of the Apostle: Now is the hour of God’s favor, the hour for change of heart; now is the day of salvation. To build peace, the causes of human discord which feed the fires of war must first be eliminated, and among these especially the violations of justice. Many of these causes are due to gross economic inequality and delay in providing necessary remedies. Others arise from a spirit of domination and from a contempt for others, and, among more fundamental causes, from human envy, distrust, pride and other forms of selfishness. Since man cannot bear so many violations of due order, the result is that, even where war does not rage, the world is constantly plagued by human conflict and acts of violence. The same evils are also found in relations between nations. It is therefore absolutely necessary that international institutions should cooperate more effectively, more resolutely and with greater coordination of effort, in order to overcome or prevent these evils, and to check unbridled acts of violence. There must also be constant encouragement for the creation of organizations designed to promote peace.

Office of Readings for Tuesday of the 31st Week

Wisdom for Our Generation

From the pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world of the Second Vatican Council The Christian duty of working for peace Christians should cooperate, willingly and wholeheartedly, in building an international order based on genuine respect for legitimate freedom and on a brotherhood of universal friendship. This is all the more urgent because the greater part of the world still experiences such poverty that in the voices of the poor Christ himself can be heard, crying out for charity from his followers. There are nations – many of them with a majority of Christians – which enjoy an abundance of goods, while others are deprived of the necessities of life, and suffer from hunger, disease and all kinds of afflictions. This scandal must be removed from among men, for the glory of Christ’s Church and its testimony to the world are the spirit of poverty and the spirit of love. Christians, especially young Christians, deserve praise and support when they offer themselves voluntarily in the service of other people, with bishops giving a lead by word and example, to do all in their power to relieve the sufferings of our times, following the age-old custom of the Church in giving not only what they can spare but also what they need for themselves. Without being uniform or inflexible, a method of collecting and distributing contributions should be established in each diocese and nation and on a world-wide level. Whenever it seems appropriate, there should be joint action between Catholics and other Christians. The spirit of Charity, far from forbidding prudence and orderliness in social and charitable action, in fact demands them. Those intending to serve the developing countries must therefore undergo appropriate and systematic training. In order to foster and encourage cooperation among men, the Church must be present and active in the community of nations. It must work through its own public organizations with the full and sincere cooperation of all Christians in their one desire to serve all mankind. This end will be more effectively achieved if the faithful are themselves conscious of their human and Christian responsibilities and seek to awaken among those in their own walk of life a readiness to cooperate with the international community. Special care should be taken to give this kind of formation to young people in their religious and secular education. Finally, it is to be hoped that, in carrying out their responsibilities in the international community, Catholics will seek to cooperate actively and constructively with other Christians, who profess the same Gospel of love, and with all men who hunger and thirst for true peace.

Office of Readings for 31st Sunday

Wisdom For This Generation

From the pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world  of the Second Vatican Council Reeducation for peace Men must not be content simply to support the efforts of others in the work for peace; they must also scrutinize their own attitudes. Statesmen, responsible as they are for the common good of their own nation and at the same time for the well-being of the whole world, are very much dependent on the opinions and convictions of the general public. Their efforts to secure peace are of no avail as long as men are divided or set against each other by feelings of hostility, contempt and distrust, by racial hatred or by inflexible ideologies. There is then a very great and urgent need to reeducate men and to provide fresh inspiration in the field of public opinion. Those engaged in education, especially among young people, and those who influence public opinion, should consider it a very serious responsibility to work for the reeducation of mankind to a new attitude toward peace. We must all undergo a change of heart. We must look out on the whole world and see the tasks that we can all do together to promote the well-being of the family of man. We must not be misled by a false sense of hope. Unless antagonism and hatred are abandoned, unless binding and honest agreements are concluded, safeguarding universal peace in the future, mankind, already in grave peril, may well face in spite of its marvelous advance in knowledge that day of disaster when it knows no other peace than the awful peace of death. In saying this, however, the Church of Christ, living as it does in the midst of these anxious times, continues unwaveringly in hope. Time and again, in season and out of season, it seeks to proclaim to our age the message of the Apostle: Now is the hour of God’s favor, the hour for change of heart; now is the day of salvation. To build peace, the causes of human discord which feed the fires of war must first be eliminated, and among these especially the violations of justice. Many of these causes are due to gross economic inequality and delay in providing necessary remedies. Others arise from a spirit of domination and from a contempt for others, and, among more fundamental causes, from human envy, distrust, pride and other forms of selfishness. Since man cannot bear so many violations of due order, the result is that, even where war does not rage, the world is constantly plagued by human conflict and acts of violence. The same evils are also found in relations between nations. It is therefore absolutely necessary that international institutions should cooperate more effectively, more resolutely and with greater coordination of effort, in order to overcome or prevent these evils, and to check unbridled acts of violence. There must also be constant encouragement for the creation of organizations designed to promote peace.

Thirty-first Sunday - 2018

He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. Heb. 7 What exactly do we mean when we use the word “sacrifice”?  Definition: an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. Synonyms: give up, abandon, surrender, forgo, renounce, forfeit, relinquish, resign, abdicate; We are on this planet for one reason; to prepare to receive a share in the very life of God; to be clothed in glory. The angels before us were created already in glory, but some, when they saw themselves so glorious, thought that they too were gods. So, God stripped them of their glory and banished them from his presence. To prevent this from happening to us humans, God started us off on this planet, clothed in mud and destined for decay and death. This humbling experience was meant to convince us that we are not gods nor shall we ever be. Once convinced, God can safely cloth us in glory – thus protecting us from the error of the fallen angels. The life of self sacrifice which Jesus models for us is a life of purification; purging out of our minds and hearts every pride-of-self, now capable of receiving a share in the divine life. For more in the meaning of sacrifice, type in the word [ sacrifice ] in the search app on the side panel.

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