THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH

26 DECEMBER 2021

 

            Saint Luke gives us the only account in the Gospels of Jesus growing up as a child.  At one level, all families today can identify with the predicament of Mary and Joseph.  Even in a family where two of the members are without sin, there are difficulties because of confusion and lack of communication.  Most families can tell a story of a similar in losing track of a child, even for a short time.  All families with preteen boys can identify with Mary’s question:  “Son, why have you done this to us?”  Families today can take consolation in this story.

            Like your family, the Holy Family has religious customs to help their child grow in an understanding of the faith.  Like your family, the Holy Family has the support of their religious community.  Joseph and Mary rely on their family and friends to learn that their child must be back in Jerusalem and not in the caravan on the way home to Nazareth.  With the support of their community, they have the courage to take the risk of returning on a dangerous journey alone, making them vulnerable to thieves and villains.

            However, this story also gives us a preview of the Gospel of Luke which we will hear on most Sundays of this new Liturgical Year.  Once in Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph spend three agonizing days searching for their son.  When they find him, they are amazed at the response of the teachers.  These learned adults are impressed with his knowledge, much as the crowds would be amazed at the depth of his teaching as an adult.  When Jesus asks them why they were looking for him, he tells them that he must be in his Father’s house, a response that baffles them.  Their lack of understanding foreshadows the many ways in which his disciples could not understand the mission given to him by his Father.  However, he remains obedient to them as they return to Nazareth.  Mary keeps all these things in her heart, indicating her complete openness to God’s plan for her and for her son.  

Years later, Mary would spend three days grieving over her crucified son buried in a tomb.  Just as finding her son alive and well brought relief and joy, she would experience the incredible joy of his resurrection on the third day.  Mary never doubts the goodness and love of the Father.  That faith is rewarded with her own assumption into heaven as the first person to share fully in the bodily resurrection of her son.

The question which the adolescent Jesus asks of Mary and Joseph is the same he asks of us:  “Why were you looking for me?”  On this day after Christmas, we can understand better his response:  “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”  Just as he needs to be in his Father’s house, we need to be here in his Father’s house with our families. 

I’ve often told stories about my human family gathered for Christmas on this Feast.  It is important that you know that my human family shares many of the same quirks as yours.  Today, I want to focus today on the family that is our parish gathered in our Father’s house.  I am truly humbled that you come here to find a home.  I am a sinner, and we who form this parish family are also sinners.  But this is your home.  As Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, he did what the religious authorities at the time considered unthinkable.  He dined with sinners!  That is what happens in this temple, in this house.  Pope Francis has shared that the Eucharist “…is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.”  As the parish family of Saint Pius, we know that we will never meet the level of the holiness of the Holy Family.  Unworthy as we are, we celebrate the Lord’s presence here in our midst.  Saint Augustine reminds us that we become what we receive:  the Body of Christ.  We need each other, as the Holy Family needed the support of their community to be the Body of Christ in our world. 

 

THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD

25 DECEMBER 2021

 

          There are four different sets of readings assigned to the Solemnity of Christmas.  The Gospel determines the tone for each one.  For those who participate at the 4:00 or 6:30 Masses, the Gospel is from Matthew.  Saint Matthew tells the Christmas story from the perspective of Saint Joseph.  When Joseph learns in a dream that Mary has conceived a child through the Holy Spirit, he welcomes Mary as his wife.  If you come to Midnight Mass, Saint Luke tells the story of Joseph and Mary arriving in Bethlehem, where they find no room in the Inn.  The child is born in a stable, and angels proclaim to lowly shepherds the Good News.  At the 9:00 Mass on Christmas Day, Saint Luke relates what happens after the shepherds have left. Mary reflects in her heart all that has happened.  At the 11:00 Mass, we hear the magnificent prologue of the Gospel of Saint John.  He speaks of Jesus as the eternal Word of God without any beginning.  In the Christmas Miracle, the Word took on human flesh and dwells among us.

            Centuries ago, Saint Francis of Assisi realized that it is important to approach the Mystery of the Incarnation with a childlike faith.  For that reason, he established the first crèche.  He built a stable and brought in farm animals.  He invited the local community to play the roles of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi.  To this day, our children gaze on the crèche in the Parish Life Center.  They use their imaginations to put themselves into the drama of that first Christmas Night.  It makes the birth of Christ real to them.  The crèche invites those of us who are adults to reflect on this incredible Mystery with childlike faith.

            Saint John describes the birth of Jesus in his Gospel from a very different perspective.  Instead of picturing the events of the birth, he approaches the Mystery in a philosophical way.  However, Saint John also invites us to use our imagination and reflect on the Mystery of the Incarnation with childlike simplicity.  He tells us that the eternal Word has become flesh and made his dwelling among us.  In other words, Jesus Christ has pitched his tent and dwells among us.  The Word may have become flesh two millennia ago.  But John says that the Incarnation is not just a past event, but is a present reality.  At that time, people of faith saw his glory, the glory of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.  He invites people of faith today to use our eyes of faith and our childlike imagination to see that same glory dwelling among us.

            In a world filled with so much darkness, so much strife, in a world divided among so many different issues, it takes childlike faith to see this reality.  With our ears, we have just heard the Good News proclaimed in the Word of Good.   With our eyes, we see bread and wine transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ.  Much like children yearning to hold the newborn Christ in their arms when they look on the crèche, we actually hold his real presence in our hands when we receive Communion.  We recall his words that where two or three are gathered, he is present in our midst.  There are many more than two or three here!  Nourished by this Real Presence, we leave this Church to recognize how the Lord dwells in our midst. 

            The Word of God and the carols we sing at Christmas suggest the image of marriage.  God, our faithful spouse, has wedded heaven with earth.  God enters into this marital union, not because we are perfect, but because God loves us in all our sins and imperfections.  In this marriage, we can recognize the Lord’s presence in our ordinary lives and interactions with others.  We can recognize him in ways that are completely surprising and unexpected.  We can recognize him today in the places where we gather.  God has taken on our humanity, so that God can gradually transform us into his divinity.  When that happens, the true light of the world shines more brightly in the darkness of our world.  Merry Christmas.

 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

19 DECEMBER 2021

 

          We hear the story of two incredible women of faith embracing one another.  Elizabeth is pregnant in her old age.  She had endured the pain of infertility for many years.  Now she is expecting a child so long desired.  We can only imagine how happy and exuberant she is.  Mary is young and unmarried.  She has only recently been told about a child she did not expect.  We can only imagine that she is frightened and unsure of what will happen. 

            In the midst of these contrasts, both mothers demonstrate that they are open to God’s work through them in a beautiful and profound way.  Elizabeth is from the priestly class of the Temple in Jerusalem.  Mary is a humble peasant from Nazareth, a backwater village in the north.  Despite being in a higher socioeconomic class, Elizabeth bows to the presence of the gift in Mary’s womb.  She points to the relationship of the child leaping for joy in her womb with the Son of God present in the womb of Mary.  Both of these women model a gift of faith that will literally nurture God’s presence on earth.  In ways that they may not understand in this moment, their children will alter the course of human history.  The Baptist will be the precursor, the one pointing to the Lamb of God.  Jesus will be the One named in the Letter to the Hebrews:  the Savior who will sacrifice his life out of love for all of us.

            In Elizabeth, we see the example of faith through long suffering.  How many of us can identify with her?  Perhaps you have suffered from an inability to conceive children.  Or maybe you have suffered from economic disappointment, or some kind of affliction.  Some may have struggled for years in vain trying to bring sobriety to a loved one who is suffering from a terrible addiction.  These difficulties can bring us near the brink of despair.  It is very easy to be angry in these situations, because it seems that God has not responded to our urgent appeals for help.

            In Mary, we see the example of faith in unexpected hardship.  Certainly, children are always a gift.  But, there are always difficulties, as any parent can testify.  All of us know what it is like to experience hardship that we could never have anticipated.  In the moment, we find it difficult to see that hardship as a gift.  We also know the fear of taking a step into the unknown and trusting God’s presence when we decide to leave our place of comfort and safety.

            That is why Mary goes in haste to the hill country to meet her cousin Elizabeth.  In their different situations, each of these women can teach us how to be open to God’s gift and trust that the Lord is present in that gift.  Each of these women, in her own way, can show us how to be open to how God can work in our lives, especially in unexpected and difficult situations.  Each of them shows us a deep faith that God can turn a hardship into a gift.

            That is the real Mystery we are preparing to celebrate later this week at Christmas.  God has become present to the world in a way that no one could have expected.  The prophets may have given hope to their people that God would send a messiah.  But they could not have imagined that God would actually take flesh and make his dwelling among us.

            Mary provides both a gift and a model for us.  On this last Sunday of Advent, she invites us to imitate her example.  Like Mary, we have listened carefully to the Word just proclaimed to us.  Like Mary, we can give praise and thanks for that Word, whether we receive it within the context of long suffering or unexpected hardship.  We can ask her intercession to find ways to respond in faith to God’s Word.  Then, like Mary, we can go in haste.  We go in haste to gather together with family and loved ones to celebrate the incredible Mystery of the Incarnation, embracing the Christ born in our midst today.

 

 

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

12 DECEMBER 2021

 

          Saint Paul tells the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always.  In case they miss his message, he says it again.  In telling them to rejoice, he does not pretend that everything is in perfect order.  He writes from his prison cell in Rome, where he is awaiting execution for the crime of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  As much as he loves the Church of Philippi, he knows that they are dealing with difficult issues.  Some had come into the community to inform the Philippians that they are not worshipping God as well as other communities.  He also knows that two of the women in church leadership are engaged in a public quarrel.  That quarrel has caused painful divisions in the community they had helped Paul to establish.

            In the midst of these difficulties, Paul insists that they can rejoice, because the Lord is near.  The nearness of the Lord has the power to bring a peace that surpasses all understanding.  It is not the peace imposed by the forces of imperial Rome.  It is a peace too great for their minds to comprehend.  It is a peace that accomplishes more than they could imagine.

            In the desert, John the Baptist also announces that the Lord is near.  He tells those who have been waiting for the promised Messiah to prepare by repenting and changing their lives.  Three different groups ask him for specific examples of what they should do.  He tells the crowds that they should share one of their cloaks with someone who has none.  He tells the tax collectors not to collect more than what the Romans prescribed.  He tells the soldiers to avoid extortion, falsely accusing anyone, and complaining about their wages.

            These three groups are open to hearing the Baptist’s call to conversion, because all three groups recognize their weaknesses.  The religious authorities consider the crowds to be ignorant and lax.  They criticize the tax collectors, because their corrupt system allows them to keep for themselves more than the Romans demand.  They denounce soldiers as agents of Roman control who can take advantage of their power.  The Baptist invites us to recognize our weaknesses as we prepare to celebrate the first coming of the Lord at Christmas.  With the crowds, we can resist the temptation to regard Christmas as an excuse for accumulating more stuff and give away what we do not need to the poor.  With the tax collectors, we can resist the temptation of getting ahead of our neighbors by cheating or putting our needs first.  With the soldiers, we can resist the temptation to use whatever power we have to control or dominate other people.

            Like Saint Paul and the Philippians, we live in a world that is far from perfect.  The scars of war, racism, hatred, and greed surround us.  There is no need to prove the existence of Original Sin.  It is all around us.  We continue to quarrel about our political divisions and bring those divisions into our parish and school community.  We are tempted to reinforce our own views instead of honestly seeking what is true from objective sources.  We are too intolerant of those with whom we disagree.

            For that reason, we must remember that the Lord is in our midst.  We too can rejoice.  When the Baptist immersed repentant sinners in the waters of the Jordan, they emerged the same people, cleansed of their sins.  Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire.  After being buried, he was transformed by the fire of the resurrection.  We who have been baptized into Christ Jesus can trust that same transformation and embrace a peace that the world cannot give.  Please come to the Advent Penance Service on Tuesday.  Allow the fire of the Lord’s mercy to burn away whatever separates us from him and one another.  Then we can more confidently believe that the Lord is near, and that we can rejoice in the Lord always as we prepare to celebrate the Lord’s first coming at Christmas.

 

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

5 DECEMBER 2021

 

          Saint Luke makes it clear that something is happening that will become a turning point in human history.  But, it does not happen in the palaces of the prominent people: not in Caesar’s palace in Rome, and not in the Roman governor’s or any of the powerful tetrarchs around the region.  It does not even happen in the Temple in the presence of the “holy” high priests.  The Word of God skips all these people and goes to an unlikely character in an unlikely place.  The Word of God goes to a wandering preacher, the son of a high priest.  The unlikely place is the desert on the banks of the Jordan River.  The desert has stripped John the Baptist of all comforts.

            And that is what the Baptist is calling people to do.  He tells people to strip themselves of all what they are clinging to and be vigilant for the coming of the long awaited Messiah.  In pointing beyond himself, he points to the Lord who is coming.  As a way of being vigilant, John people to strip themselves of their physical clothing, enter into the waters of the Jordan, and be immersed in a baptism of repentance.  He defines “repentance” as more than regretting the sins and failures of the past.  He defines “repentance” with the Greek word metanoia, which means a complete change of heart and mind.

            Last Sunday, Toni Medaglia told us in her witness talk about how she had been stripped away.  First, she was stripped of living a comfortable life in Ohio.  She was not kidding when she said that Indiana was the last place where she wanted to live.  Then, she was stripped of her loving husband when he died in her arms of cancer.  She did not choose to live in Indiana or to live as a widow.  In the midst of her pain and grief, she turned to the Lord in prayer.  She opened herself to new possibilities.  She continues in her ministry as a Pediatrician and her role as a mother.  She is grateful for the support she has received from the parishioners of Saint Pius.  She has started a new ministry here – Seasons of Hope – in an effort to help others who are grieving to work through their pain and recognize the Lord’s consoling love in their lives.  She has shown us an example of what metanoia means – a change in her heart and mind.

The Baptist invites us to use this Season of Advent as a time to be stripped of what we are clinging to.  We may have been stripped in very painful ways like Toni was:  stripped of our health, our income, our loved ones, or any number of losses.  Advent becomes a time to enter more deeply into prayer and open ourselves to a change of heart and mind in these situations.  In entering into a more intense spirit of prayer, we can use Advent as a time to strip ourselves of habits or attitudes that prevent us from preparing for coming of the Lord.  We can level the mountains of our pride and acknowledge that we are not self-sufficient.  We embrace more fully our need to engage in the partnership of this community, as Saint Paul recommends to the Philippians.  Or maybe we need to fill in the valleys of our desire to exercise our personal freedoms and accept our responsibility to contribute to the common good.

            Pope Francis said this about Advent:  “Advent invites us to a commitment to vigilance, looking beyond ourselves, expanding our mind and heart in order to open ourselves up to the needs of people, or brothers and sisters, and to the desire for a new world.”  That new world began with the Mystery of the Incarnation, the first coming that we will celebrate at Christmas.  That new world will be fulfilled when the Lord comes again, either at the end of our lives or at the end of the world.  We remain vigilant for the coming of the Lord when we are willing to allow the Lord to give us a change of heart and mind.

 

Stewardship of prayer

Toni Medaglia

 

Thank you Father. My name is Toni Medaglia, and I have been here at St Pius as a parishioner for nearly 10 years. I will be witnessing to you today about the stewardship of prayer in my own life.

 

We moved here in 2012 with my husband Tim Fuerst and our 4 wonderful children:  Megan, Nathan, Katelyn, and Ben.  We moved here for my husband’s dream job at the University of Notre Dame, so he could be a tenured faculty member in the Economics department.

I did not adjust well to the move and spent many months crying out to God in distress, often praying in anguish about living in Indiana. I took comfort in the  words:

 

 “ The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot sustain you.” 

 

It was God’s grace that sustained me during that time of transition and uncertainty . 

I have also been a pediatrician for over 30 years and eventually was able to find a job that I love as a doctor at the Notre Dame Wellness Center.

Like so many of you, I constantly struggle with balancing my family life, work and my faith. 

My prayers were often very  short at that time in my life, usually desperate Hail Mary’s between patients or a few decades of the rosary on the ride home from work.

 

As I learned more at St. Pius about the stewardship of prayer and giving God the first fruits of  our time,  I became more active in the different opportunities available here at  parish life.  Prayer became a priority in my life.

 

When I think about  the stewardship of prayer that we are called to,  I turn to the true definition of prayer captured so beautifully by St. Therese of Lisieux:

 

          “ Prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look toward heaven,

            it is a cry of recognition and of love , embracing both trial and joy.”

 

Like so many of you, life has a way of blindsiding us with unexpected pain and grief. Early in 2016, my perfectly healthy wonderful faithful husband, Tim, was diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer, and he died just 10 months later.

 

Being a widow has been the hardest ,most painful thing I have ever been called to do.  It is my prayer life and relationship with God that has sustained me. So many people prayed and helped us at that horrible time, and we were so  blessed by their Christian kindness and outreach.  And honestly, so many of them were St Pius parishioners. I truly felt carried by the hand of God. Since this time, I have prayed more deeply and often, and even felt called by God to start a Catholic grief support group here at St Pius, called Seasons of Hope which meets monthly to help those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

 

  “ Rejoice always,

    Pray without ceasing,

    In all circumstances, give thanks for this is 

    the will of God for you in Christ Jesus,’

    1 Thess 5 16-18

 

God is with us every second of every day, and he wants us to remember that the Lord is near, and we are all only one last breath away from meeting the face of God.

 

St Pius offers so many opportunities for us to grow as a person of faith who places prayer as a priority in our lives.  The stewardship of prayer should become a way of life where our relationship with God is an investment in our future of eternity with him.

 

We simply spend more time with the people we love.

As my husband lay dying in my arms, some of the very last words I said to him were

I adore you, 

Please forgive me

I am so grateful for you,

I need you to pray for me.

 

We can use these exact same words to start a conversation with our Lord, who suffered and died to save us for all eternity. Prayer is simply saying to God every day in our own way;

 

I adore you, 

Please forgive me,

I am so grateful to you,

I need you ……

 

Now, my Italian grandmother used to say “people don't remember what you say they remember how you make them feel,”

So today at the end of my witness,

may you feel loved by God,

May you feel inspired by the Holy Spirit 

And may you feel motivated to pray.

 

May Christ lead us all to a life in prayer as we place our trust in Him. Amen

 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

28 NOVEMBER 2021

 

            The Season of Advent is designed to be a time of preparation.  This Season enables us to prepare to celebrate the first coming of the Lord at Christmas.  We need this time to make spiritual preparations to celebrate this Mystery of the Incarnation, because our culture defines Christmas as a time to buy lots of stuff to boost our economy.

            But the Season of Advent is also designed to be a time to prepare for the second coming of the Lord.  This preparation is more difficult.  Instead of focusing on the new life of a baby in a manger, we are invited to focus on the end of our individual lives, or at the end of time.  Jesus speaks of this ending in today’s Gospel, when he points to the destruction of the Temple.  By the time the Gospel of Luke had been written, the Romans had demolished this beautiful structure and center of worship in Jerusalem.  In much the same way, our lives and our world will sooner or later be destroyed in ways that we cannot predict.           

            Jesus does not tell us to make these preparations to make us any more fearful than we already are.  In preparing for the end, we need to live in the present, confident of the Lord’s risen presence.  In the present, we can more readily give witness to Christ, especially in these dark days of division and conflict.  We can be vigilant in waiting for his coming by persevering.  The best way to persevere is to renew our commitment to be a faithful disciple.  Being a faithful disciple does not mean that we engage in periodic volunteer work on our own terms and at our own convenience.  Being a faithful disciple means a consistent and faithful gift of ourselves on God’s terms, even when it might be inconvenient to do so.

            We can give of ourselves only if we regard all that we are and have as gifts from God.  That is why prayer is the most important component of the three legs of stewardship.  The Season of Advent encourages us to use the time we have been given between the first coming of the Lord and his second coming to enter more deeply into a commitment to deepen our lives of prayer.  We do that not only when we gather at Mass as a community, but also when we gather in our homes with our families and friends.  Please listen to Toni Medaglia, as she speaks of her own prayer life and how it has affected her life as a disciple.

 

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE

21 NOVEMBER 2021

 

          Pontius Pilate asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews.  The religious authorities had accused Jesus of making that claim.  They know that this accusation gives Pilate an open and shut case.  Any subversive action against Caesar is punishable by death.  If Jesus has been working against Caesar by proclaiming himself king of the Jews, Pilate can easily condemn him to a horrible death on the cross.

            However, the religious authorities are fully aware that Jesus has not been making this claim.  They have not given Pilate their real reasons for wanting to get rid of Jesus.  First, the teachings of Jesus have been undermining theirs all along.  Second, people have been drawn to him because of his integrity.  He has been completely transparent in everything he has done.  That has not been true with them.  They have imposed heavy burdens in their laws and enriched themselves.  Third, he has claimed to be God’s Son.  They regard this claim as blasphemy.  Their real reasons would not have been grounds for a Roman governor to give the death sentence.

            Pilate thinks that he has the ultimate authority over Jesus Christ.  His kingdom involves dominion, privilege, power, and prestige.  His kingdom is imposed by force and violence.  He has no understanding whatsoever of the Kingdom which Jesus describes.  His kingdom does not belong to this world.  His kingdom involves love, justice, and service.  Pilate cannot understand this Kingdom.  As a result, he has no idea that the one standing before him had been part of creation from the very beginning.  In truth, Pilate is on trial. Not Jesus.   

            Jesus stands in a truth that contradicts all the allegations of the religious authorities.  His kingdom is very different from the kingdom protected by Pilate and the other Roman governors.   Jesus comes to testify to the truth.  The Semitic word for truth is ‘met.  It can be translated into English as reliable, faithful, constant, permanent, and honest.  We use a variation of that word when we respond amen at the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer.  We use the same word when the Body and Blood of Christ are given to us in Communion.

            The passage from the Book of Revelation in our second reading is like a Eucharistic Prayer.  It reveals the truth about the kingdom of God already in our midst.  It reminds us that Jesus loves everyone in an unconditional way.  It tells us that Jesus has freed us from those sins which have separated us from the Father’s love.  It states that Jesus reigns from the throne of a cross and is crowned with a crown of thorns.  As a result of his redemption, we are part of a community that continues the priestly and kingly functions of Jesus Christ.  Through Baptism, we are priests, prophets, and kings.

            As members of this community, the Lord calls us as his Mystical Body to bear witness to the truth for which Jesus died.  He died to demonstrate that God loves all peoples.  He seeks our common good.  He was raised from the dead to live with us forever.

            We live in a divided culture in which people argue about what is true.  Through social media and the news networks, we are offered “truths” that compete with one another.  We tend to support our version of truth by viewing YouTube and 24-hour news channels that reinforce what we think should be true.  But through our faith in Jesus Christ, we can recognize what is truth.  It endures through all time, regardless of differing viewpoints.  It is faithful and true.  The truth offered by Jesus Christ provides a lens through which we view all our petty differences.  Jesus Christ, the King, the First and Last, the Alpha and Omega, invites us to turn to him as the Truth.  He is the one who was, who is, and who is to come.  The risen Lord is in our midst.

 

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

14 NOVEMBER 2021

 

          We are coming to the end of this current Liturgical Year.  Next Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, last Sunday of Cycle B.  Then we will begin a new liturgical year as we enter the Season of Advent on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  These days, the farmers remind us that this growing season has come to an end as they harvest what they had sown last spring.  In a similar way, our Scripture readings remind us that life as we know it will also come to an end.  These readings remind us that there is a final stage to the development of humankind.  These readings can be frightening.  However, we need to hear the readings from the perspective of those to whom they were originally intended.

            The Book of Daniel describes the signs that mark the end of time as we know it.  To be honest, those signs are hopeful to his Jewish contemporaries.  They are being persecuted and sidelined in every way possible.  They are living through incredibly dark times.  Daniel promises that the wise will shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament.  He assures those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.  He is giving hope and a vision of promise to the downtrodden.  In a time unsurpassed in distress, they will be vindicated for their faith in God.

            Jesus addresses a similar hope to those who have become his disciples.  As they stand on the Mount of Olives, his disciples marvel at the beauty and majesty of the Temple across the Kidron Valley on Mount Zion.  However, he warns that this magnificent structure will be destroyed.  He says that this generation (usually defined as forty years) will not pass away until they see this happen.  By the time Saint Mark wrote his Gospel, the Romans had completely destroyed this most important symbol of their faith.  Led by Titus forty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Romans tore down the Temple, with its images of the sun and the moon and the stars embellished on its stately walls.  They undermined its foundations and left everything in chaos.  What had been the center of their faith was completely gone, and those few who survived the dreadful assault were scattered to the four winds.

            The author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes to Jewish Christians after the Temple had been destroyed.  The author recalls the sacrifices offered by the Levitical priests in the Temple.  They did not offer animal sacrifices like the pagans, who had hoped that their sacrifices would appease their fickle gods.  The Levitical priests offered animal sacrifices in thanksgiving to a God who loved them and to express their confidence that God would continue to provide for them.  However, now the Temple was destroyed and the service of the Levitical priests was ended.  So, the author assures believers that Jesus Christ has offered the ultimate sacrifice, once and for all, giving himself totally out of love and reconciling us to the Father who loves us.

            It is from this perspective that we need to hear these readings about the end of time for our individual lives and the life of our world.  We have been living in the end times since Jesus Christ died on the cross, was raised from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and sent the Holy Spirit to dwell with us.  Over the past centuries, our ancestors have seen violent and cosmic upheavals.  In truth, we are experiencing some of those upheavals in the anger and divisions that are tearing us apart and making honest and loving communication difficult.  We cannot know when our lives and the life of our world will end.  Jesus tells us not speculate about the timing of these events.  Instead, he tells us to turn ourselves more completely toward him and embrace his kingdom.  We need not live in fear.  We need to live in a spirit of conversion.  We need to live day to day, aware that an end will come, and confident that the Lord will not abandon those who turn toward him.

 

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

7 NOVEMBER 2021

 

            In the ancient world, widows and orphans were at the fringes of society.  Without a male to protect and provide for them, they were destitute.  That is particularly true of the widow of Zarephath, a village near the center of the cult of the pagan gods.  Like all vulnerable people, this widow has been most affected by the years-long drought that had been blamed on God by King Ahab and his pagan Queen Jezebel.  God sends the prophet Elijah into this center of pagan religion.  Elijah goes, trusting that God will be with him.  Even though he is considered an enemy, the widow welcomes him with a cupful of water.  Then she trusts his word that God will protect her and her son by giving him a first portion of what both of them need.

            There are many commandments in the Law of Moses which require special care for vulnerable people, especially widows and orphans.  The scribes in today’s Gospel know these commandments.  They are the learned theologians well versed in the Law of Moses.  Instead of investing in the care of widows and orphans, they spend their resources on lavish wardrobes and places of honor.  They are too busy taking care of themselves.

            Jesus and his disciples are finally in the Temple after their long journey to Jerusalem.  He sits in front of one of the thirteen trumpet shaped containers and invites his disciples to observe what is happening.  Those with more resources throw in their large coins, making loud noises as the coins roll down the trumpet shaped containers.  But he draws the attention of his disciples to a poor widow, whose small coins bring no attention from anyone else.  Instead of keeping one small coin for herself, she places both small coins, trusting that God will provide for her. 

            Jesus does not condemn those who have greater resources and who have donated large amounts of money.  He knows that the Temple would not have been restored without their generosity.  The same is true of our parish.  During the last twenty years, faithful members of our parish have donated 32 million dollars to build the facilities which we now enjoy.  We could not have accomplished these projects without the sacrifices of those who have been blessed with more resources.  But Jesus reminds us, his disciples today, that God rewards the sacrifice of everyone.  That is why we have spoken of equal sacrifice, not equal gifts, when running our capital campaigns.  That is why we list the names of people who have donated by alphabetical order, and not by the size of their gifts.  God recognizes the sacrifice, not the amount.

            In the end, today’s readings from the Word of God are not about money at all.  They are about trust.  Elijah trusts that God will care for him, even when God sends him into hostile territory, where he would be blamed for the terrible drought.  The widow of Zarephath trusts God’s Word, even if it comes to her through an enemy of her people.  The widow in the Gospel trusts that God will provide for her, even when the scholars of the Law ignore her and spend their energies taking care of themselves.  In giving from her substance, she points to Jesus, who will give completely from his substance a few days later on the cross. 

We are the disciples of Jesus today.  He invites us to give a first portion of our substance in prayer, service, and sacrificial giving.  He promises that our generosity will come back to us in more ways than we can ever imagine.  He trusted his Father and conformed himself to his will.  In return, the Father raised him from the dead.  We can be assured that he will keep his promise to us every time we choose to die to ourselves and our own selfish interests.

 

 

 

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

31 OCTOBER 2021

 

          This scribe knows that the Pharisees have listed 613 commandments drawn from the Law of Moses.  Instead of being hostile and trying to trap Jesus, he is asking an honest question.  He wants to know:  of all of these many commandments, which is the first? Jesus cuts through all the complications and quotes Deuteronomy 6:6.  It is the Shema Israel prayed by every faithful Jew several times a day:  “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 hesitating, he quotes Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  He joins two existing commandments in such a radical way that they can never be separated.  If we love God, then we must love our neighbor.  If we love our neighbor, then we must love God.

            In the Gospel of Luke, a scribe asks the same question.  But he is trying to trap Jesus and wants to know who his neighbor is.  In response, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. He makes it clear that anyone whom we encounter and needs our help is our neighbor.  At one level, we define “encountering” in terms of physical contact.  In this era of mass communication, we can encounter neighbors in need from around the world.  Those in developing nations know that we are blessed with more material goods and live more comfortably in our first world country.  We can be inundated with requests for aid from around the world. 

            That is why we have a Diocesan Office of the Propagation of the Faith.  Individual parishes cannot possibly respond to those who seek their help.  They are invited to apply to the Propagation of the Faith to assign them to one parish in our Diocese.  That parish invites the mission speaker to make an appeal at Mass and take up a collection to respond as a neighbor.

            The Office has assigned Father Larry Kanyike’s parish in Uganda as our “neighbor” this year.  We pray for his parish every Sunday.  Father Larry himself had planned to be with us to make his appeal in person.  However, the COVID situation in Uganda has presented him from coming.  Since we have been friends since our ordination in 1974, I can speak confidently about his needs.  In the past, we have helped him to build a new church, a new school, a new convent, and provide upgrades to Saint Monica Health Clinic (the only source of health care in the area).  We have also helped him to pave the road in front of his school, protecting the children from breathing in dust every day.

            I traveled to Uganda for the dedication of his new church and can assure you that 100% of our donations go directly to the good of his people.  There are no administrative costs.  He keeps nothing for himself.  In fact, he made the front page of the local paper on the Sunday of the dedication.  He was contrasted with so many “prominent” people in the area who buy themselves fancy cars, new shoes, and expensive suits from the donations they have received.

            Father Larry tells me that his parishioners have been devastated by the pandemic, which is still raging beyond control in Uganda.  Many of his parishioners have become sick, and too many have died.  People have lost their jobs and cannot support their families.  The pandemic is wreaking much more havoc in his parish than what we have experienced here.  He cannot serve his parish without our help.

            In his name, I thank you for being a good neighbor in this particular situation.  There are envelopes in all the pews for your contribution.  You can take one home and bring it back next week.  I witnessed the intense gratitude of his parishioners myself a few years ago.  As our assigned neighbors, they continue to be grateful today.

 

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

24 OCTOBER 2021

 

          On most Sundays in this liturgical year, we have been hearing from the Gospel of Saint Mark.  He begins his Gospel with these simple words:  “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”  Having revealed this truth, he chronicles how Jesus slowly reveals the truth about himself to his contemporaries.  After being baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist and tempted in the desert by Satan, Jesus begins his Galilean ministry by calling people to follow him.  Those first disciples saw people drawn to Jesus in large numbers, because he proclaimed that the kingdom of God was in their midst.  As they walked with him on his way to Jerusalem, the saw him revealing his identity as the Son of God by working many miracles:  curing the sick, healing lepers, driving out demons, feeding thousands of people with five loaves and two fish, and calming a dangerous storm on the Sea of Galilee.  They even witnessed Simon Peter identify him as the Christ, the long awaited Messiah.

            But they were so focused on seeing Jesus as a conquering hero that they could not see their beloved teacher as a suffering servant who would be crucified at the end of their way to Jerusalem.  Even though Jesus has clearly told them this truth three times, their eyes were blinded.  Last week, James and John revealed their blindness by asking Jesus for positions of power, authority, and fame.  They were unable to “see” that true disciples are humble servants.

            Today, Jesus begins his final ascent to Jerusalem.  He and his disciples are part of a large group of pilgrims on their way to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem.  They are in Jericho, the oldest and lowest city on the earth at 850 feet below sea level.  A blind man begging for scraps of bread “sees” the truth about Jesus that had eluded the disciples with good physical eyesight.  He cries out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”  Even though other people in the crowd try to silence him, he calls even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me.”  Jesus calls him to come to him.  Unlike the rich young man who could not give away his many possessions to follow Jesus, Bartimaeus leaves behind his only possession – the cloak that would keep him from freezing at night.  Jesus asks him the same question he had asked James and John, “What do you want me to do for you?”  Bartimaeus states, “Master, I want to see.”  Jesus is impressed with his deep faith.  He grants his request and tells him to go his way.

            Grateful for the gift of physical eyesight, Bartimaeus does not go his own way.  Having “seen” the truth about Jesus instead of imitating the blind ambition of the disciples, he follows him along the way.  He will enter Jerusalem to see crowds welcoming Jesus with shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David.”  Later in the week, he will see him betrayed, tortured, and crucified.  He would see him raised from the dead three days later.  Some have suggested that the name of this blind man is remembered, because he became one of the earliest disciples who embraced the message of sharing in the Lord’s cross and his call to humble service.

            We too are disciples walking on the way to the new and eternal Jerusalem.  We can be blinded by our desires for honor and power and fame.  The Lord can open our eyes to see him in the poor and those who reach out to us in need.  He can open our eyes to see his presence in this Body of Christ in the midst of anger and political divisions.  He helps us to see that we share in his redemptive work when we bear our crosses and endure those sufferings that are thrust upon us.  We too can see the truth as Bartimaeus saw it and follow him on the way. 

 

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

17 OCTOBER 2021

 

          As we continue to reflect on the Gospel of Mark again this Sunday, we know that Jesus is walking on the way with his disciples to Jerusalem.  He has made it clear that he is the Christ, the Messiah.  But he has also made it clear that his mission is not what they had hoped for.  He is not a conquering hero like King David, driving out their enemies to establish an earthly kingdom.  He will be the suffering servant of the Prophet Isaiah.  In his suffering, he will justify all and bear their guilt.  Their way will end in Jerusalem, where he will die on a cross like a common criminal.  He has just told them this truth for the third time prior to today’s Gospel.

            The disciples either do not hear what he is saying or they cannot imagine that this man whom they love could possibly be a crucified Messiah.  James and John, the sons of thunder, have not listened.  They express their stark ambition by insisting that Jesus do for them whatever they ask of him.  They want to share in his glory by sitting at his right and left sides, places of power, honor, and prestige in the royal courts of their time.  Jesus clearly loves them, just as he had loved the rich young man in last Sunday’s Gospel.  He does not yell at them or chastise them for their clueless request.  He calmly informs them that they do not know what they are asking.

            He asks them if they can drink of his cup.  They understand his question.  They know that God gives everyone a cup to drink from, a cup that would represent God’s fate for their lives.  However, they do not understand that the cup from which Jesus drinks is the work of suffering given to him by his Father.  In fact, he will beg the Father to take that cup from him when he is in agony in the Garden of Gethsemani.  He also asks if they can be baptized in the baptism with which he is baptized.  They insist that they can, not knowing that Jesus will be drowned in the floodwaters of pain, torture, and death.

            Jesus tells them that they will eventually drink from his cup and be drowned in the baptism of his death.  On Calvary, they will see that those on his right and his left will be the two thieves dying on the cross with him.  But those seats on either side of him in glory can only be given by the Father, who gives both the cup and the baptism to Jesus and his faithful disciples. 

            When the other ten hear about the brothers’ request, they become indignant.  They are indignant, not because they are shocked at their request, but because the sons of thunder got to Jesus before they did to ask the question.  So, Jesus explains his role and their participation in that role.  He tells them that if they want to be authentic leaders in his kingdom, they too must drink his cup and be drowned in his baptism of suffering.  The hallmark of true leadership is humble service.  If they want glory, they must imitate his humbling, self-emptying love.

            Saint Vincent de Paul understood this when he told his followers:  “Let us work with a new love in service of the poor, looking for the most destitute and abandoned among them.  Let us recognize that that before God they are our Lords and masters, and we are unworthy to render them our small services.”  The members of our parish Saint Vincent de Paul Society model the same truth for us.  They stand at the right and left of Christ to have their hands full of food for the hungry, medicines for the ill, holding neglected children, and giving support to the infirm.  They invite the rest of us to be grateful for the gifts of time, talent, and treasure that each of us has received from God.  They encourage us to embrace stewardship as a way of life.  As good stewards, we lead best by being humble servants to those we are called to serve.