THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

3 NOVEMBER 2024

 

In the Gospel of Saint Mark, scribes and religious leaders usually ask Jesus.  They want to trip him up and expose this self-taught rabbi from Galilee as a fraud.  However, this scribe is not hostile.  He understands that keeping the commandments shows reverence for God and involves the correct act of a believer seeking to respond to God’s covenant of love.

Knowing that the Pharisees have developed 613 different laws from the Torah, he seems genuine in asking Jesus his opinion.  Of all those laws, he wants to know which commandment is the greatest.  Jesus does not hesitate.  He quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (our first reading today) and recites the Shema, Israel, the prayer prayed by all faithful Jews every morning and evening: “Hear, O Israel!  The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Without skipping a beat, he then quotes Leviticus 91:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Neither of these commandments are original.  Both are widely known by the faithful.  However, Jesus is the first to join them in such a radical way.  They cannot be separated from one another.  It is impossible to love God (and keep the first three commandments) without loving neighbor (the last seven commandments).

The scribe confirms the correctness of Jesus’ answer.  He also adds a statement that is remarkable for a scribe: “loving God and neighbor is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”  Scribes are closely connected with the temple and temple worship.  They work with the priests who would offer the animals in sacrifice on the altar in the temple.  Animal sacrifices and the burnt offerings are part of worship in the temple.  People would bring them on a daily basis.  But the scribe understands that these offerings are merely external manifestations of an internal desire to be in union with God.  Jesus affirms his correct understanding and tells the scribe that he is not far from the kingdom of God.

We who are disciples of Jesus Christ know that his perfect sacrifice of self out of love for us has replaced the sacrifices and burnt offerings of the ancient temple in Jerusalem.  As the Letter to the Hebrews tell us, he is both priest and victim.  His once and perfect sacrifice on the altar of the cross accomplished what all the former sacrifices had hoped for.  His sacrifice has reconciled us with the Father and has opened for us the kingdom of God.

To imitate that sacrifice, we must love God and neighbor with our heart.  We must love with all our heart.  For ancient people, the heart signified the depths of the person. We must love with our soul, which signifies our whole self.  We must love with our mind, submitting our thoughts and all our intellectual efforts to the love of God.  We must love with out strength.  When we love with all our strength, we realize that love is not just a strong emotion.  It is a decision to commit all our external achievements in the service of God and neighbor. Loving neighbor is never easy, as Jesus explains in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  Neighbors are anyone we meet, including enemies and those who drive us crazy.

It is important that the Lord reminds us of these two central commandments of love on this weekend prior to the election.  No matter what happens in Tuesday’s election, and no matter which candidates will win, it is the love of God that remains at the center of our lives.  When we open ourselves to this incredible love, then we can trust more deeply in our great high priest, Jesus Christ.  He knows our fears and failings, because he shares our human nature with us.  But he is interceding for us.  Unlike us, he is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and higher than the heavens.           

 

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

20 OCTOBER 2024

 

            Along with Simon Peter, James and John form the inner circle of the disciples of Jesus. They had gone into the house with him when he raised a dead girl to life.  They were at the Transfiguration, where they caught a glimpse of the Lord’s true glory.  After the Last Supper, Jesus would take them into the Garden of Gethsemane with him.  These two members of the inner circle dare to ask an outrageous question: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” They want him to sit at his right and his left when he comes into his glory.

            They have delusions of power, honor, and prestige.  What makes their request even worse is that Jesus had just clarified his mission.  As Messiah, he would not win a glorious victory over their enemies.  Instead, the Father had sent him to be the suffering servant of the Prophet Isaiah.  He would be crushed in infirmity, crucified on a cross.  The cup he will drink will be the cup of betrayal, false accusations, and a humiliating death.  In his baptism, he will drown in the floodwaters of pain, torture, and death.  Only after drinking this cup and undergoing this baptism will he be raised from the dead.  He asks them if they can drink this cup and undergo this baptism.  Without knowing what they are saying, they agree.

            Jesus makes it clear to his inner circle that leadership is not about power, honor, or prestige.  Leadership is about humble service, which includes dying to self and carrying the cross of being a humble servant, a slave.  Jesus speaks these words today to all who form the inner circle of leadership, especially in the Church.  Pope Francis has the Cardinals in his inner circle to serve the universal Church.  Father Andrew has his inner circle of advisors to serve this parish.  Those in the inner circle of leadership cannot lord their positions over those they serve.  They must drink the cup of dying to self and be immersed in the baptism of carrying heavy crosses for the sake of those whom they serve.

            When the other ten hear this request, they become indignant.  They are not upset with the sons of thunder because they made this outrageous request.  They are upset because James and John had beaten them to ask what they wanted.  So, Jesus addresses all of them.  He addresses all of us.  Whether we are in an inner circle or not, disciples must drink the cup of self-denial and be immersed in the baptism of putting ourselves last.  As James and John will eventually learn, authentic disciples cannot share in the rising of Jesus Christ unless we share in his dying.

            As we hear this Gospel, we have an advantage which the original apostles did not have.  We know the end of the story.  We know that drinking the painful cup and being drowned in the baptism of death was not the end for Jesus.  But, we must listen carefully to his words.  We may want to have really good seats in the Kingdom of Heaven.  But, we too have to drink of the cup of suffering and be drowned in the waters of death on a daily basis.  Each of us must share in the cross of Christ in our own way.  At this time of heightened division in both our country and in our Church, perhaps there is a common call for all of us.  The Lord challenges us to drink the cup of humility and recognize his presence in everyone, especially in those with whom we disagree the most or those who rub us the wrong way.  We don’t have to agree or give up our convictions.  But we can treat them with respect and courtesy.  We can die to our dependence on social media, which tends to further divide and encourage hate and anger.  As much as we may disagree with one another, we must remember our original baptism.  We were drowned in the waters of baptism and raised to new life in Christ and in communion with his Church.  At this Eucharist, we share much more than what may divide us.  We share the cross, and the hope of resurrection.

 

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 OCTOBER 2024

 

            The Pharisees ask Jesus a loaded question, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?”  They know the answer to that question.  Moses allowed a husband to divorce his wife.  However, they want to draw Jesus into the current argument:  What constitutes the reasons for a husband’s decision to divorce his wife.  The stricter rabbis insist that a husband could file for a divorce only on the strictest grounds, such as infidelity.  However, the more lenient ones argue that any reason would suffice.  A man can divorce his wife if he does not like her cooking, or if he cannot get along with her family.

            Jesus avoids that trap.  He knows that a wife has absolutely no recourse in a divorce proceeding.  She can do nothing to defend herself and no option other than to accept the husband’s decision and moving on to a very uncertain future.  Divorced women are driven into poverty and the shame of being an outcast without a family.  As always, Jesus has compassion for the poor and the vulnerable.  So, he argues that Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of people’s hearts.  He refuses to be drawn into the arguments of the day and responds by going to the heart of what God intends for marriage.  He quotes the second chapter of Genesis and insists that God created marriage as a permanent institution.  He argues that when a man and a woman become one flesh, that union cannot be separated.  What God has joined together, no human being can separate.  According to Genesis, which the Pharisees would understand as Moses speaking, God instituted marriage as a mutual love and harmony that cannot be broken.

            His disciples have difficulty with this radical teaching.  Even though they accept Jesus as the Messiah, they have not yet realized what he means by the kingdom of God.  That kingdom, won by his death and resurrection, will restore humanity to the original intimacy and love of Genesis.  That is why Jesus wants children to come to him.  Children have a remarkable ability to embrace the present moment without question.  The disciples musty learn that same lesson.  They will need to embrace his message of love and permanence with simplicity and trust.

            Jesus invites us to embrace this very difficult teaching about marriage with simplicity and trust.  As Catholics, we accept his teaching that marriage is a permanent institution that can be ended only in death.  We are part of the kingdom of God begun with his death and resurrection.  As all of you who married couples know, marriage is not an easy vocation.  It is very demanding.  I argue that married couples face greater challenges than we who live the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  The Church has clearly defined what constitutes a valid bond of marriage that can only end in death.  We embrace the teaching of Jesus and know that civil divorce does not end a valid bond of marriage.  That is why we have a Marriage Tribunal in our Diocese.  Those whose marriages have ended in divorce can approach the Tribunal to decide about the truth of that bond.  Most Catholics do not understand what an annulment means.  If you find yourself in this difficult situation, do not hesitate to approach Father Andrew.

Married couples need to do everything possible to cooperate with the grace given by the Sacrament to be faithful to their commitment.  When you experience difficulties, do not hesitate to seek professional help.  There are other movements today which support married couples.  The Bible begins with a wedding in Genesis.  It ends with a marriage feast in the Book of Revelation.  We are painfully aware that we do not live in a world of perfect love and intimacy.  But in a world of sin and division, we are invited to embrace the Kingdom of God like little children.  That means that married couples in a valid bond of marriage need the faith to enter into the dying of Jesus Christ, trusting that together, they can share in his rising.   

 

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

15 SEPTEMBER 2024

 

            Ever since leaving the Easter Season and returning to Ordinary Time, we have been listening to the Gospel according to Saint Mark.  He has been telling us about the early ministry of Jesus in Galilee.  In his hometown of Nazareth, Jesus had read from the Prophet Isaiah and announced that he was the promised and long-awaited Messiah.  Even though the locals could not believe in him, he called others who left everything and became his disciples.  They heard his teaching and witnessed his miracles to verify his identity.  He then chose twelve of them and sent them in pairs on a mission.  They accomplished miracles in his name and returned in triumph.  As their faith in him deepened, the opposition to him increased.  The religious leaders were beginning to plot against him and exploring ways to eliminate him.

            Today, Jesus leads his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, an area named for a local governor and his patron, Caesar.  They gather near the shrine dedicated to Pan, the pagan god of agricultural growth and fertility.  He asks his disciples to tell him the gossip about his identity.  They respond that some claim that he is John the Baptist.  Others claim that he is Elijah or one of the prophets.  Then he asks the key question: “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter responds with the correct answer: “You are the Christ.” 

            Then he tells them not to tell anyone, because he needs to clarify his role as the Messiah. He will not be a messiah who defeats the Romans.   He confirms that the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes will win the battle and have him executed.  He will be the suffering servant who will defeat the power of sin and death by entering into death itself.  Peter takes him aside and rebukes him, because Peter cannot imagine that his trusted friend and mentor would have to undergo such a horrible fate.  Jesus strongly rebukes him and calls him “Satan,” the one who tempted him in the desert to depart from the will of his Father.  Jesus then tells them that if they want to be his authentic followers, they must accept the same fate.  They have accepted the gift of faith that he has offered.  Now, they must live that faith by surrendering themselves to the incredible love that Jesus will embrace.  As authentic followers, they too must deny themselves and take up the cross of putting others and needs of others first.  They had not earned the gift of faith.  They had received it feely and without pay.  Now, they must embrace the implications of living that faith and spreading it to others.

            That is exactly what Saint James is saying in the second reading.  He acknowledges that faith is a free and unearned gift.  Like the other disciples of Jesus Christ, he is grateful for that gift and has openly accepted it.  But then he spells out the implications of living that faith.  An authentic faith in Jesus Christ involves embracing the cross and putting the needs of others first.  He gives a specific example.  If a disciple sees a brother or sister who has no clothing and no food and simply wishes them well, then that disciple is not carrying a cross or entering into self-denial.  Saint James points out that this faith is dead without the good works that would allow them to provide clothing and food to the poor person.

            This is the message for every one of us, who are disciples of Jesus Christ. Like Peter, we know that we are not following the teachings of a great human leader or prophet.  We are disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who has defeated the power of sin and death by embracing his cross and giving his life completely to us.  When we are dismissed from this Mass, we are challenged to display our faith in very definite works of mercy and compassion.  Peter may have balked at first.  But he will eventually understand and embrace the dying of Jesus Christ and to share in his rising.  He challenges us to do the same.

 

TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

18 AUGUST 2024

 

          In our modern age, we are blessed with technologies to help us get around.  Last year, I bought a car that included “driver assistance technology.”  There are blind spot warnings in the side mirrors.  When I back out of the rectory parking place, a backup camera warns me if there are any cars coming on Dubail Street.  It has adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts the speed when approaching a car in front of me on the highway.  They make driving safer.

            Saint Paul lived at a time before technology.  But when he writes to the Ephesians, he provides “living assistance training,” which can be helpful for all who have chosen to become disciples of Jesus Christ.  First, he tells us to watch carefully how we live.  The Greek word he uses for “live” is better translated “to walk.”  As disciples, we need to walk together in a way that we have as our goal a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ.  We need to be aware of what lies before us, but we also need to be open to the advice of those who are wiser.  If we keep our eyes firmly on the goal of the new and eternal Jerusalem, then we will be less likely to make impulsive and foolish decisions about what is important in our walking pilgrimage.

            Second, he tells us to make the most of the time God has given us.  Like the Ephesians, we live at a time where there is plenty of turmoil and lots of disagreements.  There are so many things that are totally out of our control.  Instead of wasting time worrying about what cannot be changed, we disciples need to get involved in some kind of humble service.  Even small acts of kindness can make a difference in an angry world.

            Third, he tells us that we must avoid being foolish.  The Book of Proverbs speaks about avoiding what is foolish and embracing what is wise.  In his letter last Sunday, Saint Paul urged disciples to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit helps us to avoid all bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, reviling, along with all malice.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can replace these foolish attitudes with kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

            Finally, he tells us to avoid being drunk.  There is nothing wrong with disciples drinking in moderation.  However, wise disciples do not drink and drive.  wise disciples do not spend inordinate amounts of time being fed by social media and those things that distract us.  Instead, disciples need to be drunk on the Holy Spirit.  Then we can sign psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to one another giving thanks to the Lord in our hearts.

That is why it is so important to continue to reflect with Jesus on the importance of the Eucharist as we continue our journey of faith together.  Jesus reminds us that God had fed his ancestors in the desert with manna during their journey in the desert as they walked together to the Promised Land.  Even though they had been fed by God, they still died.  Jesus invites his disciples to believe that he is the Eternal Word of God who has come from heaven and dwells in our midst.  We feed on God himself, eating his Body and drinking his Blood.  He gives himself as food and drink.  Those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will never die.

            We who share in this Eucharist trust his promise.  We know that eating his flesh and drinking his blood strengthens us to give of ourselves totally as he has given himself to us.  As we heard from Saint Paul last Thursday on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ is the first fruits of all who have died with him.  Fed by the Eucharist, we too can die to ourselves and trust his promise to follow where he has gone.

             

 

 

 

NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

11 AUGUST 2024

 

            The prophet Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal to a duel on Mount Carmel in the northern kingdom of Israel.  Most of his fellow Israelites had abandoned the Covenant with God.  Instead, they had chosen to put their faith in the Baals, the gods of fertility.  After the prophets of Baal had failed to demonstrate that their gods existed, Elijah called on God to demonstrate his power and presence.  Lightning came from the sky and consumed the sacrifice on the altar. Elijah had slain the prophets of Baal and restored the faith of the people.

            Today, we find Elijah running for his life.  Queen Jezebel has sent her troops to kill him.  Completely discouraged, he has entered the desert and wants to die.  But God sends him food in the form of a hearth cake and jar of water and commands him to continue his journey in the desert to Mount Horeb, the northern kingdom’s name for Mount Sinai.  There, he would encounter God and receive the strength to continue his mission.

            Many years earlier, his ancestors had entered the same desert.  They had won a victory against their Egyptian captors when Moses led them through the waters of the Red Sea.  But, like Elijah, they were discouraged and wanted to die.  In this deserted place, they had no food.  So, through the intercession of Moses, God gave them food in the form of manna from heaven.  Nourished by this food, they continued their journey to Mount Sinai.  There, they would encounter God and receive his covenant and eventually enter the Promised Land.

            Many centuries later, Jesus had fed a crowd of thousands with five loaves of barley and two fish in a deserted place.  They were so taken by this miracle that they wanted to make him king.  He withdrew from the crowd, because he had not worked this miracle to give them free meals.  He did it to be a sign of something much greater.

            Today, he continues to explain the significance of this sign.  He wants the crowd to know what we know:  that he is the eternal Word come down from heaven to remain with us.  We heard this the Gospel of Saint John proclaimed on Christmas day.  That is what Jesus is trying to tell the crowds.  He had been present at the creation of the world, and now he intends that this sign might deepen their faith in him.  He is the living bread come down from heaven.  He gives himself to those who believe that they might have eternal life in him.

            However, the crowds cannot believe in him.  He is too ordinary for them.  They know his humble origins in Nazareth. They are not interested in his invitation to imitate his example of giving of himself.  They do not want to give.  They want to get.  They want free meals for the rest of their lives. 

            These readings speak to us today.  Like the Israelites and Elijah, we too have experienced the presence and power of God in our lives.  But like them, we have known times of failure and rejection.  In those times when God seems far from our lives, we find ourselves in deserts and are tempted to give up.  But the Lord feeds us with his Body and Blood to increase our faith and strengthen us to continue our own journeys through life.  He gives himself to us as food, so that we can give of ourselves to others.

            In this Bread of Life discourse, he wants to deepen our faith in this central Mystery of our faith.  He invites us to enter into communion with him and his Father.  In this Eucharist, he shares a life that is already eternal.  We recognize his real presence.  Sent from this Mass, we open our eyes to the ways he is present in those we encounter – especially those on the margins and those we do not like.  We imitate him by giving, and thus receiving life that cannot end.

 

 

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

28 JULY 2024

 

          Ever since we returned to the Scripture readings assigned on Sundays in Ordinary Time, we have been hearing from Mark’s Gospel about the early ministry of Jesus in Galilee.  He has announced that he is the promised Messiah and has taught that the kingdom of God is at hand.  He has worked miracles to show people the beginnings of that kingdom.  He has been rejected by his hometown folks in Nazareth and worried his blood family about his behavior.  However, he has broadened the definition of family and has invited anyone who is willing to do the will of the Father to become part of a new family.  Many have accepted his invitation and joined that new family.  He has chosen twelve of those disciples and sent them out on mission.

            Last Sunday, he tried to take his apostles to a deserted place to allow them to rest.  However, the vast crowd had gathered there, and his heart was filled with pity for them.  He knew that they are hungering for the truth.  Instead of sending them away, he took time to nourish their hunger for the truth by teaching them.

            Today, we depart from the Gospel of Mark and listen to the Gospel of John.  John picks up where Mark left off.  John is very careful to connect what Jesus is about to do with what Moses had done many centuries before.  Moses had led the large crowd of people through the waters of the Red Sea.  Jesus has just crossed the waters of the Sea of Galilee.  Moses led his people to a deserted place and had gone up the mountain to commune with God.  Jesus finds a large crowd in a deserted place, and goes up a mountain to sit down and teach his disciples.  The large crowd who had followed Moses were hungry and needed food.  There was no food in the desert. Jesus realizes that his crowd is hungry and needs to eat.  He asks Philip, who is from nearby Bethsaida, if he knows a place where they can buy food.  Moses then announces that the Lord will feed them with manna, so they will not starve.

            Jesus chooses to work this most remarkable of all his miracles at Passover, when his contemporaries would celebrate the miracle of the Exodus from Egypt.  Philip replies that they do not have enough money to buy food for such a huge crowd in Bethsaida.  Andrew points out that there is a boy here who have five barley loaves and two fish, not enough to feed so many.  Just as Elisha defies the obstacles in the first reading by feeding 100 people from 20 loaves of bread, Jesus takes the loaves, gives thanks, and distributes the loaves and fish to everyone.  There are twelve baskets left over.  Jesus withdraws when they want to make him king.  He does not work this miracle to get their attention.  He works it to help them understand that he is the bread come down from heaven to feed everyone.  We will hear his Eucharistic theology at Mass during the next few Sundays.

            The Lord feeds us today with the miracle of his real presence in the Eucharist.  But, as we are nourished and sent from this church to do the Lord’s work in our day, we tend to have the same obstacles.  Like Philip, we wonder if we are in the right place.  Like Andrew, we worry that we don’t have enough money to meet so many needs.  We cannot imagine how we can meet the needs of so many with what we have.  But Jesus can change our hearts.  He will take care of the feeding.  We just have to do the preparation.  The word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving”.  As we express our gratitude for the Lord’s real presence, we can take another look at what we have been given and express a deeper gratitude by sharing our many gifts with others.

            Saint Paul says it all when he writes to the Ephesians.  In celebrating this Eucharist, we can be more intent on practicing the virtues of humility, gentleness, and patience.  We become what we consume:  The Body of Christ committed to gratitude and humble service.