Thirtieth Sunday - 2018

In chapter 9 of Genesis we read: "After the great flood that reset the destiny of the world, we read: God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: Be fertile and multiply and fill t he earth. God said: The rainbow in the sky is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come. The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated." People spread out through all the earth, searching for suitable places to settle and make their homes. To be a migrant was a natural part of being a human on this planet. Abraham, the father of the faith, was called by God to be a immigrant; “The LORD said to Abram: Go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. Abram went as the LORD directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran”. In today’s first reading, Jeramiah the prophet is telling God’s people living in exile that soon they will be on the road home. “See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here”. In the early chapters of the gospels we see three people forced to flee for their lives and become exiles and refugees. Their names, Joseph, and Mary, and Jesus. Back in the 7th century BC, the people of China, fearing invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe with an eye to expansion, built several walls to keep out these intruders. Later these walls were joined together and made bigger and stronger; today they are collectively referred to as the Great Wall. Today, fear of migrants is causing another great wall to be built on the southern border of the U.S. The media is tracing this migration, with pictures and stories of these migrants as they travel north in search of a better life. How are we as Christians to look on the phenomena of refugee and immigrant migration? In January 22, 2003, the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States issued a Pastoral Letter concerning migration. Its title is: . . . LINK Strangers No Longer Together on the Journey of Hope In paragraph #28, we read; "Catholic teaching has a long and rich tradition in defending the right to migrate. Based on the life and teachings of Jesus, the Church's teaching has provided the basis for the development of basic principles regarding the right to migrate for those attempting to exercise their God-given human rights. Catholic teaching also states that the root causes of migration – poverty, injustice, religious intolerance, armed conflicts – must be addressed so that migrants can remain in their homeland and support their families”.  I encourage you to read this this document. It is an excellent presentation of Catholic thought on the subject. Our world today is experiencing a renewed move toward globalization, and some see this as a threat to their nationalism and their right to self determination; they see walls as a way of protecting their rights and securing their sovereignty. In their pastoral letter, the US and Mexican bishops recognized such rights but not as absolutes. In paragraph # 35 they state: "The Church recognizes that all the goods of the earth belong to all people. When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right." Rather than being caught in the trap of taking sides in the global/nationalist debate, we need to rise above it, working and praying that all peoples recognize that we are all pilgrims on this earth and that our true home is in heaven. While on this pilgrimage we are intent on helping each other make it home.

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Twenty-ninth Sunday - 2018

In many parishes today, people coming forward to receive Holy Communion are given the option of receiving also from the Cup. Imagine that after receiving the host you move to the station where the minister of the Eucharist is and they present to you this chalice for communion. What would you do? Jesus' words to his disciples and to us in today's gospel: "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?" The disciples are excited about the Kingdom of which Jesus is speaking, (all be it they likely thought he was describing an earthly kingdom. These lowly men could imagine themselves occupying seats of power and glory. Here, Jesus begins to correct their misconception with: "You do not know what you are asking." Glory awaits true, but the way to that glory is the Cross - a concept quite foreign to their thinking. "Can you drink this cup?" To be a true follower of Christ, a true Christians, means you choose to live by a whole new set of values, values that will set you at odds with the values of this world in which you now live. To remain true to your commitment to Christ you must often make sacrifices, to detach yourself from the pursuit of the life of pleasure that so marks this age we live in. Sometimes these sacrifices will be greatly challenging. How easy it is for us to come forward and take communion and return to a comfortable pew. But will I come forward, as I leave the church, and take on the tough choices I must face if I am to be true to the way of holiness which my baptism in Christ expects of me?

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Twenty-eighth Sunday - 2018

Last weekend Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving – featured of course on this weekend is one or more turkey dinners. That’s the time when the recipe books come out with those special ones that mother used to make. But try as you might, they never quite taste like hers did. That’s because there is more than just following a recipe that makes a meal great – it’s all those special touches that mother instinctively knew to add – things not mentioned in the recipe. What mother had was not just the recipe, she had the wisdom of a cook acquired over many years. I think that this makes for a useful metaphor for what is wrong with this generation we now live in. Science and technology have given us an abundance of recipes for how the natural world works. We have this wonderful scientific and technological information – but do we know how to use it? Today’s first reading is from the Book of Wisdom, part of the O.T. writings that were written after Israel had returned from some sixty years of exile and slavery in Babylon. They realized that to merit God’s protection would take more than just following the Law like a recipe book. What they had been missing was the holy wisdom found hidden in the Law. St. Paul is talking about the need to delve deeper into God’s word in order to learn the wisdom of holiness.  “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” There is more to holiness of life than claiming to know that there is a God. (The Devil knows that better than anyone). Holiness is a matter of the heart – it is three things: 1. Knowing <> 2. Loving <> 3. Fulfilling the will of God. In todays gospel, the rich young man is intrigued by Jesus teaching about eternal life. He asks Jesus for the recipe, what more he needed to do to secure this eternal life. He is shocked and dismayed by Jesus’ answer. Jesus tells him that he has the recipe, all the things he reads in the law and the prophets. What is missing is his heart. His heart is devoted to his own self-interests, his life is all about loving “me”, not God. Perhaps we could say that our generation is all about “skip the dishes” – forget the recipe, worry about religion if you want, I’m all about me and the good life. The question asked of us today; “where is my heart, what is my treasure”, and “is this wise”?

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Thanksgiving - 2018

This is Thanksgiving weekend – not specifically a holy day as such – but many observe this day by attending worship services to give thanks to God. But these days, as we look out on the world around us – many troubling and disturbing realities rise up before us. So much discontent everywhere, so much acrimony, harsh judging, and condemnation, so much that seems to be dividing peoples and groups and even nations. But as I was thinking of these things, trying to reconcile them with Thanksgiving, the words of St. Paul in the Letter to the Philippians came to mind. They seem to address how we should approach all these paradoxes to a peaceful heart on Thanksgiving. Remember, Paul is writing these words from prison – his very life hangs in the balance. Yet out of this ominous darkness, he sends this remedy, this recipe for dealing with darkness. Listen again to his words; Brothers and sisters: Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,  will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Worry leading to panic, leading to loss of peace cannot lead to solutions to the darkness. So how then should we deal with the threats that surround us and trouble us? Paul goes on to offer this thanksgiving recipe: Whatever is true: “only Truth can make you free” – Jesus’ words. We must find truth and listen for those voices who speak real truth, not fake truth.   Whatever is honourable: look to those who rise above the chaos, those who’s words and deeds have bourn the test of time; who by their legacy of goodness have given us an example to follow. Whatever is just: which works that people undertake bring suffering, which bring peace? Blessed are the peacemakers. Whatever is pure: can a bad tree produce good fruit - by their fruits you know them. Whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness - Blessed are the merciful - Blessed are the pure of heart - Finally Paul concludes: If there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise: Think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. There will be many gatherings this weekend, of family and friends. And no doubt, there will be many special recipes shared. May this recipe of St. Paul’s be one of them.