Thirtieth Sunday - 2021

"What do you want me to do for you?" "Teacher, let me see again."

We are all familiar with the physical condition of blindness. Today we have many medical treatments that in some cases are able to restore full vision or at least help a patient gain partial sight which enables them to have self independence.  We can hardly imagine the hardship and suffering blindness brought upon persons so afflicted in Jesus time. To end up a beggar on the street, like the man in today's gospel, was not uncommon.  It is also not uncommon to use the term blindness in a metaphorical sense. You often hear people say, "... what, are you blind, don't you see ..." Today our technological-scientific world has been turn upside down by a little microscopic virus. Thousands of lives have been lost and everyone's life has been altered in various ways. Of all the lessons this pandemic is teaching us there is one we must not fail to see - it is that we do not rule - we are not the masters of God's creation. We can alter and manipulate things but to change the original design of creation is not ours do. With increasing frequency in our society today we see the role of religion being marinized or abandoned altogether. Yes there are prophets warning us that we are mismanaging this creation we have taken control over; assigning to it a design and purpose of our own making. They warn us of dyer consequence if we are unwilling to see the evidence before our eyes.  "... what, are you blind, don't you see ..." The blind man in today's gospel is quite aware of his condition. Spiritual blindness is much more difficult to comprehend. Spiritual blindness is most often the last thing sufferers attribute to their troubled life. How ironic it is that a man with physical blindness is the one teaching us today about the need for healing of spiritual blindness.  The blind man in today's gospel did not find Jesus on his own. He may have heard about him but in fact it was Jesus who found him. There are evangelist today who know well Jesus the spiritual healer, often because they themselves were healed. The spiritually blind hear this testimony but dismiss it.  People of  a true living faith are today's evangelist. Their lives of peacefulness and confident trust pointing to Jesus as the source are well known to the spiritually blind. The hope is that there will come a time when their blindness becomes clear to them, and with it the day when Jesus comes bye asking " what is it you want me to do for you?" And they will say . . . .  ". . . let me see again ..."

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Twenty-ninth Sunday - 2021

It seems so long ago that parishioners were able to receive Communion from the chalice as well as the Host. Thank God we are once again able to to receive Communion at all. Communion from the Host is to fully receive communion but the privilege of taking both the Host and Chalice further enhances our grasp of Jesus' words describing what we are doing when we take Communion. The following is a post from the Twenty-ninth Sunday 2018 where Jesus uses the word cup or chalice to guide us to understand what is that we are doing when we come forward to take Holy Communion. Mark 10:25-35: 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, pictured above, 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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Thanksgiving - 2021

The Second Reading: St. Paul to the Colossians 3:12-17 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. As the pandemic rages around us leaving our patience in spreads, as every effort to have a happy life meets with one obsticle after another - even gathering for a Thanksgiving family dinner is complicated. As people are becoming more and more divided we might well ask, thankful for what?  In this Second Reading in today's liturgy of the Word for Thanksgiving we hear St. Paul exhorting us to be thankful. In our complaining question, thankful for what, perhaps we are missing something. Taking these words of St. Paul as a guide take a second look around you. They do exist, reasons to be thankful. Thank God for all the people who looked upon us with compassion when our lives were coming apart. Thank God for all the people who treat us with kindness even as we bristle with anger. Thank God for all the humble people who treat us as more deserving than they when the accolades are being handed out . Thank God for all the people who embrace meekness rather than violence in times of confrontation. Thank God for all the people who's patience gives us time to get over ourselves. Thank God for all the people who have forgiven us our transgressions against them. Thank God for all the people motivated by love, working to bring harmony to our world. Thank God for all the people of peace in who's hearts lives the imitation of Christ bringing healing and reconciliation to our divided and broken world. For all these beautiful people dwelling amongst us be thankful!

Twenty-eighth Sunday - 2021

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.’”  He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Mk 10:17-22 We might rephrase this last statement this way, "... for there were many things that possessed his heart". And we remember these words of Jesus, "... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth and possessions).” Mtt 6:21,24   Each person has been measured out a portion of time for their life, with the freedom to decide how it will be spent. It is the free will that makes the choice, but it is the heart that evaluates the choices. The heart is the eyes of the soul, surveying  what lies before it, assigning values to what is seen. Once the choices have been made and the expenditure of time assigned, all other choices are excluded. Should a new choice arise with competing value, the soul finds itself in conflict, facing a real challenge of choice. Something will have to go. In story of the rich man, it tells us that, "... his face fell, and he went away sad."   The question to ask is "why sad"? Clearly, he is not a bad person since he wants to enter eternal life. He knows he must keep the commandments, so does that grantee he has it? The story continues. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Mk 10:23-27 The disciples are astonished because people believed that wealth was God's way of showing favour and imparting his blessing. It is not that wealth and possessions are evil in themselves. It is what possessing them can do to the person. Each possession that you have requires your time and attention; to acquire it, to manage it, take care of it, protect it, service it, expand it, and to indulge in it. The greater your possessions, the greater these demands, thus consuming all your precious time. When the Lord comes to invite you into the many experiences of his kingdom and the spiritual life, do you have time for them? Where will it fit? What must go in order to make space, and are you willing to let them go?  In the Church, those wishing to enter the Religious Life, must take a vow of poverty. Freed of all processions, they are made ready, in a structured way, for a life of exclusive service to the Lord. But what of the lay person? Are they excluded from a true spiritual life? Not at all. However, the spiritual life is something living and real, requiring of us our time and attention and devotion. It is a real relationship with another person, Jesus. Like all relationships, it will require our time and attention- what the Lord will ask of us, and what we are willing to give. In the graphic for this posts, we see a staircase rising before us, wide and open, with no barriers to anyone, accept that they be willing to undertake the accent. Each step will bring us deeper into the experience of God's love for us, with the joys and consolations that are given. Our part is letting go of what binds us and then to begin. And so: Am I interested at all? Do I realize this invite is meant for me? Can I understand and can I name those things that hold me back? Have I once started and given up; will I begin again?