Twenty-second Sunday - 2020

We know that Jesus came into the world for one thing - he came to engage his HOUR. It was not a measure of minutes, rather a point in all time, with eternal dimensions. It is an expression unique to John's gospel. It first appears in John's account of the wedding feast at Cana.   When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why does this concern us? Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” Jo. 2:4 Jesus came to engage Death, not merely as a loss of human life but Death as a Being, once an angelic Being of unimaginable glory, but now a Being emptied of all truth, existing for only one purpose, to destroy. Death is Satan, the bringer of death, by seducing people into rejecting the TRUTH given by God.  From his infancy, Jesus has been pursued by Death. Already as a young boy Jesus knew of his destiny when he stayed behind behind in the temple, learning and teaching, while his parents searched for him. Jesus engaging with DEATH is first seen during his retreat in the wilderness, when Death makes it's face known and engages Jesus in the seduction of untruth. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Mtt. 4:1  Luke's account ends with - "When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time." Lk. 4:13 The HOUR Throughout his ministry, we see Jesus engaging Death with it legions of evil spirits. Always the threat of Death lurked near by gathering its storm for the HOUR. From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Mtt. 16:21  In today's gospel passage, when Jesus says to Peter, "... get behind me Satan", he is seeing through Peter to the one sowing this deception in Peter's mind. He knows that Peter is no match for Satan. Even though Jesus has referred to his HOUR, his disciples do not comprehend what it means. They will begin to gasp it when in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus' passion becomes evident. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the HOUR is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Peter will try to defend Jesus with a sword, but Jesus stays his hand. The sword is not the weapon of victory in this HOUR.  Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled. Mtt. 26:45 If the weapon of DEATH is "Lies", then the weapon against "Lies" is TRUTH. God alone is the author of truth - not man, in spite of all man's wit-and-wisdom. Jesus does not withdraw from  threat of Death, but enters into it and in so doing brings redemption to all who are embraced by DEATH, by revealing God's TRUTH. So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jo. 8:31 Who is teaching this generation TRUTH?

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Twenty-first Sunday - 2020

Of all the questions, you may ever be asked – this question is the most important – “Who do you say I am?” It is THE question that runs throughout the gospels. It begins with the boy Jesus sitting among the teachers in the temple. Luke tells us that they were amazed at Jesus, at how much he knew and understood – Lk. 2:46 In John, when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him he said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." Jo.1:29 In Mark, when Jesus calms the storm at sea, his disciples question – “Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mk. 4:41 When Jesus comes to Nazareth, his home, again the questioning - “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been given? And how can He perform such miracles? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” Mk. 6:2 So when Jesus asks his disciples in today's gospel passage – “But you, who do you say I am?”, their answer will determine the whole of the rest of their lives. When Peter responds with the only true answer, Jesus points out that coming to this understanding is a work of grace, a deep personal gift of faith. Christianity has had a long history now, of dealing with this question, and yet we find that there are as many conflicting answers given today as there was when Jesus first asked the question. We in the church have the distinct advantage of our Church’s long history of dealing with the question; its doctrines and traditions. But for each generation, doctrine and tradition only serve to intensify the question. The answer to the question still comes down to me, one-on-one; what do I say – say in my heart? The integrity of what I say will shape my life, revealing who I really believe Jesus truly is? The great St. Paul, who’s epistles do so much to shape our faith, began at "ground zero" with the question, “… who are you Lord?” Later he shows the integrity of his answer, "I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:19b-20 I think one of the best examples of the encounter with this question, is that of the apostle Thomas. He starts with the mentality similar to so many in this “scientific” age. “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.” "Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.” Jo. 20:26 Don’t ask science to answer the question for you – ask the Holy Spirit.  "Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. Mtt. 16:17 Praying For the GRACE of RENEWAL - Link

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Twentieth Sunday - 2020

Not feeding the dog at table may be a rule at your home. Lucky for dogs there are a few young folks who aren’t getting the message. Lucky too for the Canaanite Woman in today's gospel text. Here we find that Jesus has moved into the northern regions, predominately occupied by the pagan Canaanite people. (Today Lebanon and Syria). The Jews despised these people, they considered them as cursed by God with no hope of redemption. Both Matthew (15:21) and Mark (7:24) have this account. Mark says that Jesus did not want people to know he was in the region. Matthew recounts Jesus asserting that his mission is only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus may have withdrawn to this region for a time to avoid the growing hostility toward him by the Jewish leaders.  There appears a Canaanite woman who has a daughter possessed by a demon. She has heard of Jesus' reputation in such matters and has discovered where he is staying.  She came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Mtt: She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, "Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Mk: Jesus enters into a little role playing with the woman. He plays the part of his antagonists with their misconception of God's plan of Mercy. She is given the role of true faith - faith that Jesus is revealing by his gospel.  Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. The subject of God's mercy has been once again brought into focus for us by Pope Francis and the Year of Mercy he established. Once again we see there is a right and a left side to the way it is approached. On the right, like the Pharisees of old, God's mercy is seen as something earned, a reward for the righteous efforts made by one who judges themselves as righteous. On the left are those influenced by a secular humanist view, dominant in our day, that mercy is an automatic. Since any fault must lie within the limits of human nature and not the person, God does not hold anything against us. The woman in today's gospel becomes a model for us to contemplate. The direction and remedy for our lives is not found in the solutions we create, whether by our designing or our doing. It is found in the TRUTH we discover when we come to Jesus in humble faith, in person-on-person encounter. Only God's Truth can make us free. Mercy releases us from the folly of our lives and opens a path to a truly holy life.  Mercy resides in in the heart. The Divine Mercy of God is found in the heart of Jesus. The heart of Jesus is found only in the communion of deep and personal prayer. It is there that we too will hear these words,  "O my child, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire."

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Assumption of Mary

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Nineteenth Sunday - 2020

We know that among ancient peoples, they believed the gods lived in the high heavens. So, to communicate with the gods one must climb a high mountain to get close to them in hopes of getting a hearing. Throughout the scriptures mountains and high places became the favored places to hear God’s voice. Moses received the Ten Commandments on mount Sinai, and it was a fearsome, awesome experience. On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud blast of the trumpet, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Ex. 19:16 No doubt this sight got the people’s attention. They must understand, the commandments are not just a bunch of nice suggestion. Clearly, God means business – these commandments must be obeyed. But the people eventually fell back into worshiping false gods. In today’s reading, the prophet Elijah ascends a mountain to tell God the bad news. “I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant. They have destroyed your altars and murdered your prophets by the sword. I alone remain, and they seek to take my life.” 1 Kings 19:10 But now a different manifestation of God is experienced. Not in wind and fire and earthquake, but in a sheer whisper – a gentle breeze – a foretelling of a voice of mercy to come.    This past Thursday, August 6th. we saw the God of Mercy revealed in the transfigured Jesus, with Peter, James and John – an image of the Church, gathered in worship on the mountain of the Lord.  In today’s gospel the merciful Redeemer Jesus, after feeding the multitudes, returns to the mountain and to union with the Father in prayer. His prayer is a prayer for the world in peril, represented by the disciple caught up in the stormy sea. For us the mountain is a metaphor, not only for this sanctuary of worship, but also that place where we go in private, in personal prayer. We are surrounded every day by a world caught up in a stormy sea of confusion and loss of faith, and at times, in our own lives, we find ourselves floundering. Today, Jesus shows us where to begin. We too must have the practice of prayer, daily prayer, person-to-person prayer with the Father, on our mountain place of prayer. It should be like this: o   Appoint a time and place for this encounter in prayer. If you are willing to meet, the Lord will be there. It is His desire that we grow in the knowledge of His love for us and the plans He has for our life. o  Have a scripture passage chosen. There are many approaches to choosing scripture for prayer. A scripture passage from the liturgy is a good place to start. The gospels, especially those passages that tell of Jesus encounter with others, are especially good for beginning this approach to prayer. When a particular passage stands out for you, returning to it several times gives more time for its message to unfold. Sometimes we come across a passage in an unexpected way. We might say such spontaneity is the Lord's way of leading us to a text. o   In John Ch. 14:23 Jesus promises, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him". We can be certain that if we sincerely make this appointment for prayer the Lord will be present. He is surely there with you. Look, listen and respond, be yourself. The Lord will take care of His part. Link to the Page: Praying On a Passage of Scripture

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Eighteenth Sunday - 2020

Are you saved? Are you sure? This question is addressed by St. Paul in the 2nd Reading in today's Liturgy of the Word. But not everyone is interpreting Paul's teaching correctly. Dr. Brant Pitre of Catholic Productions lays out clearly the Catholic commentary on this passage. [ . . . LINK . . . ]  “Some Christians will argue that what Paul means by that is, once a person believes and confesses, that they can’t do anything to lose salvation. There’s an absolute assurance of salvation or absolute certitude about salvation . . . teaching a kind of absolute assurance of salvation—that nothing we can do can make us lose it once we truly believe in Jesus. And many people will point to the reading for today, Romans 8:35 and following, which says: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” “And the answer is nothing. So I’m going to read through the text. I’m putting that idea first, because in my experience, that’s the most common interpretation of the passage we’re about to read. But I’m going to argue that it’s totally wrong, and so I want you to have that in mind as we read through the text itself. So let’s look at Romans 8:35 and following. Paul says this . . . . . .” Brant Pitre.

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