Twenty-fourth Sunday of the Year - 2023

For a link to Dr. Brant Pitre's Commentary - LINK

Twenty-third Sunday of the Year - 2023

This year the gospel readings are taken from Matthew’s gospel. It was first addressed to Jewish people who had become converts to Christianity. But they were still shaped by many of the traditions found in Jewish law. Earlier in Matthew we hear Jesus say; Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Mtt. 5:17 As Christian communities grew, forming the early Churches, how members were expected to conduct their lives began to take shape, and especially how the Church was to deal with one who sinned in a way that harmed or scandalized the Church members and yet remained within the community. The basic formula for establishing these laws of discipline we find laid out by Jesus in today’s gospel text.  First there is to be private correction (Mt 18:15); if this is unsuccessful, further correction before two or three witnesses (Mt 18:16); if this fails, the matter is to be brought before the assembled community (the Church), and if the sinner refuses to attend to the correction of the Church, he is to be expelled. [18:15–20]  Of special note is the third one – tell the Church and if he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector – in Jewish practice that was to have no dealings whatever with that person. This gave shape to the Church’s practice of excommunication. Throughout the  Church’s history, the practice of excommunication continued to develop. Basically, to be excommunicated is to be excluded from participation in the sacramental life of the Church. The purpose for imposing such disciplines is to encourage the sinner to repent and return to right living. Over the years, laws of excommunication took many forms and covered many different sinful practices. But in resent times, it was felt that Code Canon Law had become too encumbered with an excessive number of laws and needed to be updated and simplified. In the 1983 a revised Code of Canon Law was issued. In it there were simply nine sins carrying the penalty of automatic excommunication: abortion, apostasy, heresy, schism, violating the sacred species, physically attacking the pope, sacramental absolving an accomplice in a sexual sin, consecrating a bishop without authorization, and directly violating the seal of confession. In the case of abortion, priests needed to be specially authorized to absolve, but Pope Francis, for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, extended to all priest this jurisdiction, and now has made it permanent. We live in a pluralistic, liberal society that has a broad tolerance for all manner of human behavior. But the Church continues to hold many, many things as sinful which society considers amoral and a matter of personal choice. Some things the Church considered so serious and intolerable as to require excommunication.  We are called to a higher standard then our society promulgates. We must form our conscience and structure our lives on the wisdom and truth taught to us through the gospel and the magisterium of the Church. Therefore, it is essential that we structure a plan of personal Christian formation whereby we maintain that vital connection with God’s Word of life – that we continue to be attentive to the VOICE of GOD.

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Twenty-second Sunday of the Year - 2023

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 of the Year - 2023

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