tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58958458920753027332024-03-20T08:10:09.713-07:00Pastors BlogJames Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.comBlogger467125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-63934776347812562082024-03-10T14:49:00.000-07:002024-03-10T14:49:53.342-07:00God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son so that we might have eternal life.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Fourth Sunday of Lent<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>B<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2024<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">For God so
loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
might not perish but might have eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but
that the world might be saved through him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">This is a
Gospel within the Gospel…. the famous John 3/16.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The core of the Gospel’s Good News is that
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son to this real and very
imperfect world…so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might
have eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s plan for us is
not eternal death but eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is time to unleash the power of the Good News that is contained in this simple
passage and allow it change people’s lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The image of God that today’s Scripture reveal is a God who is
relentless in reaching out to lost humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God never gives up on us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">On this
Laetare Sunday, halfway through the Lenten season, the Church invites us to
reflect on God’s love for the world, and to be joyful because of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Church invites us in the middle of this
penitential season to rejoice?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because God loves each and every one so much
that he gave his only Son.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Even though
all of us know the weakness of sin in our lives, God’s love for us is without
end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Today in the
first Scripture reading we see the effects of the weakness of sin very
dramatically with the Israelites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
situation depicted is one of the darkest chapter in the history of God’s chosen
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Jews fell away from their
attachment to the Temple worship and practices, the nation suffered; the Temple
was destroyed and many were exiled into Babylon as servants and slaves in what
is called the Babylonian Exile.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">How could
lax religious practices lead to the fall of a mighty nation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply put, without meaningful prayer the
Jews lost a sense of who they were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
their behavior they compromised their way toward defeat and destruction by
letting themselves believe that their spirituality did not matter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Thankfully,
thankfully God did not give up on the Israelites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the sacred book of the
Chronicles, we hear God calling His people to put their Temple back as central
to their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Through the
Old Testament Book of the Chronicles we can visit our own faith history and
thus are challenged to examine our own “Temple practices,” our own attachment
to the center of our Faith -- The Table of the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Altar is the Christian Temple.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">We are
challenged in this Lenten season to ask ourselves if we have been faithful to
discipleship of the Lord Jesus or if we have fallen into a malaise of
half-hearted spiritual practices?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have
we polluted our Temple – our Church – by having forgotten reverence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we remember who we are, or do our
spiritual practices suggest we have forgotten?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">At this
halfway point of the Lenten season, may we do a spiritual inventory of our
Lenten spiritual disciplines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do this
inventory in the light of God’s unending love for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, the Lenten season invites to reflect on
who we are as the disciples of Jesus and the priority we place on who God is in
our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pope Francis calls us out of
a life of spiritual indifference and seeks to immerse ourselves in the joy of
the Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God so loved the world that He sent His
only-begotten Son for our salvation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">What is
going to catch our attention? What is going to shake us out of the busyness of
life that keeps us from focusing on our relationship with God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">I can be
very successful in my career, in my business, but have I lost touch with my
soul in the process?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My family may have
accomplished much in the way of achievements, but do we have time as a family
to pray together, simply to be with one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The psalmist tells us:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Be still and know that I am God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we too busy for any stillness in our lives?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">As St. Paul
tells us in his Letter to the Ephesians, “God, who is rich in mercy, because of
his great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ -- by grace you have been saved….For we are
God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works God has prepared in
advance, that we should live in them.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">St Paul was
vividly aware of grace in his own life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was in touch with his own conversion story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wanted the Ephesians to also know in the
depths of their hearts that they were God’s handiwork.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">In one way
or another, we all need to have the conversion experience of the apostle
Paul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our experience probably won’t be
as dramatic as Paul’s, but we need to experience the love of God in our hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">As always,
Jesus, in the Gospel offers both comfort and challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus said to Nicodemus:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in
him may have eternal life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lifting
up signified not only crucifixion but also exaltation, more precisely, the
exaltation of us all to eternal life through Jesus’ death by crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus transforms a sign of condemnation for
sin into an instrument of healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
cross is both a symbol of the suffering that is part of our spiritual journey,
but it is also the symbol of the love of Jesus that brings us eternal life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">What is the
cross but the revelation of a God loving enough to suffer death without
revenge, powerful enough to overcome death.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 355.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Jesus has come into the world to reveal our sins so that they
may be forgiven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we live in the light
of Christ Jesus, we become more aware of what is not of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the light of God’s love, we all humbly, as
we do in the penitential rite and as we did in being marked with ashes at the
beginning of Lent, acknowledge that we are all sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no place for pride or arrogance or
judgmentalism in the spiritual life – we are all sinners.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 355.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">On this Laetare Sunday, we make bold to rejoice that we are
loved and forgiven sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I leave with
a suggested mantra for the day:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WE ARE
FORGIVEN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WE ARE NOT LUCKY. WE ARE
LOVED.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 355.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Have a blessed day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-38357307976734833272024-03-03T09:29:00.000-08:002024-03-03T09:29:48.297-08:00Who or what are the money changers in the temple of your heart?<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Third Sunday
of Lent<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2024<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In today’s Gospel, Jesus throws the money changers out of
the Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus literally upsets the
temple customs of his day and then invites the people around Him to change
their idea of where God’s true dwelling is soon to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than a holy place of prayerful
encounter with God, the temple precincts had begun to resemble a marketplace,
and Jesus’ actions registered loudly and clearly as a prophetic protest against
the exploitation of the temple and the people of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is clear about “His Father’s house”
being a place of prayer and covenant, a place where God dwells.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As this Gospel is proclaimed in our hearing, we are prompted
to wonder what the returning Jesus may find needs cleansing or replacing both
in our personal spirituality and in our celebration of Sunday Eucharist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First, in our personal spirituality, what attitudes,
preoccupations, or desires do you bring to your prayer and life that Christ
would “drive out” if you would let him?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In other words, what needs to be driven out of your inner
temple for you to have zeal for God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From what do you need to repent in this Lenten season?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we pray over the Gospel, can we listen to
the echo of the confrontation of Jesus that addresses the temples of our
present day lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who or what are the
moneychangers in your Temple?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it
greed, an excessive preoccupation with our possessions, is it the way we deal
with the setbacks in our life, can we let go of an anger we feel toward a
particular person, or is it our inability to focus on what is really important
in our life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This gospel
passage illustrates the anger of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most of us were taught that anger is a negative emotion and therefore
wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At our best, we are to count to
ten and hope the anger in us subsides a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus is
raising the question of justifiable anger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When is it ok to say enough is enough, and we need to stand up for what
is right.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What do we
do with our own anger?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it part of our
spirituality or is the result of a lack of spirituality?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The saying:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>he is an angry young man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
usually the person is a bit off-center.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now mind you
many times our anger throws us off center and there is nothing virtuous about
that, but on the other hand there is appropriate and justifiable anger that
should not be swept under the rug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus
purified the Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During Lent He
invites us to purify the temples of our hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In our
Lenten journey, we seek to repent and be faithful to the gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray that our spiritual disciplines lead
us to the conversion of knowing Jesus more deeply in our hearts and to glorify
the Lord in the way we live our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Secondly,
what kind of cleansing does Jesus wish in do in the celebration of our Sunday
Eucharist?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Perhaps Jesus would suggest there is room for improvement in
having more lector training, would he suggest that the homilists are a bit long
winded at times, or the choir music could be reviewed and improved? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Or would Jesus be convicted that there are bigger fish to
fry in evaluating our liturgies?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Would he point out the discrepancies between the prayers we
say and the way we live our life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we
walk our talk in witnessing to the love of the compassionate Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He might ask if we come together to be
entertained or to be edified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
sometimes hear the comment:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Father I
don’t get anything out of Mass.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we
gather at Sunday Eucharist to get or to give?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Should our focus be on our desire to give praise and thanks to our
God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if there is a direct
connection between God’s predilection for the poor and our own?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would he see us translating this concern for
the poor into generous giving and authentic service toward God’s least
ones?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This needs to be the defining
characteristic of ourselves as a Eucharistic community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But the dramatic action of Jesus – driving out the merchants
and moneychangers – is not the most shocking feature of this Sunday’s
Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only does Jesus cleanse the
Temple, he declares that he himself replaces it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place of God’s presence among His people
is not a building but ‘the temple of his body.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In Jesus, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we encounter the living God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real priority of our lives is our
covenant relationship with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
relationship with God is measured by how well we pattern our lives after Jesus
in dying to ourselves for the good of others so that we might rise with the
Risen Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As believers and followers
of Jesus our own bodies are also temples of the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God dwells not only in this building, but
also in us who are the living Temples of the Spirit of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we always reverence the presence of
Christ that we experience in our sharing with one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Have a Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-38935806905122603952024-02-25T14:11:00.000-08:002024-02-25T14:11:11.685-08:00Here I am Lord. I come to do your will.<p> <span style="font-size: 14pt;">Second Sunday
of Lent B</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">2024</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> God did the unthinkabl</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">e.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The God who
had led Abraham from his homeland, the God who had given Abraham the promise of
a land and progeny beyond counting said, “Take your son Isaac, the one you
love, and offer him up as a holocaust.”
In effect, God was saying, “You gave up everything based on my promise,
and I gave you the son who would fulfill that promise. Now, do you love me enough to give it all
back?” Unlike Job from whom God took
everything away, God asked Abraham to give it back freely, to sacrifice
everything he had hoped for and all he had received in willing obedience to
God. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Abraham’s
trust in God enabled him to walk before the Lord in the land of the
living. The land of the living for
Abraham as well for ourselves is always the concrete circumstances and
situations we experience from day to day.
Initially God told Abraham:
“Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I
will show you. I will make you a great
nation, and I will bless you.” Indeed,
Abraham was faithful to the call of God in his life. He gave up his past. In today’s account, Abraham was being asked
to give up his future as well in sacrificing his only son Isaac. What is being asked of Abraham is hard to reconcile with our notion
of a loving God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Abraham’s
response to all of this was: “<b>Here I am Lord</b>.” But we know that the near sacrifice of his
son Isaac was ultimately not asked of Abraham.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The story still
can remain an enigma and a little troubling for us, does it not.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But we know
very well this story of Abraham in the OT prefigures the death of Jesus. What God would not ultimately ask of Abraham,
God freely gives. Indeed God the Father
sacrifices His son Jesus, His only son, the one whom He loves. When we look upon the crucified Jesus, God
did the unthinkable out of love for us.
While it is almost unimaginable for us to think the God would ask
Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, may we ponder that God did the unimaginable
out of love for us and for our salvation.
He gave us His son Jesus who was to be crucified on the cross.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May we
embrace our Lenten journey in the context of God’s unconditional love for
us. In our Lenten journey and in our
life journey, can we say “<b>Here I am Lord</b>”
when we face the challenges of life that call us to give up our past and perhaps
our future as well. What is God asking
of you this Lent?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Has the Lord
ever asked the unthinkable from you? As
we reflect on the Living Word of God, may we be aware that God questions us in
the Scriptures in the same that God questioned Abraham. What is it that we are meant to see. What is it that we cannot see? At least, not yet?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In this
Lenten season as you seek to embrace the spiritual disciplines of prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving, perhaps the Lord is speaking to you about moving out
of your comfort and embrace this disciplines more significantly as your
commitment to place your relationship with Jesus as the North Star of your
life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the
Scriptures today, the story of Abraham is coupled with that of the
Transfiguration. In one way, the two accounts move in opposite directions. In the story of Abraham, the account opens in
darkness and moves to light. God tests
Abraham’s faith but stops his sacrifice.
The Transfiguration satrs in light but points to darkness. Christ is transfigured on Mount Tabor, but
only to prepare to go down the mountain for his coming sacrifice on Calvary.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In
the Gospel account, Jesus led the apostles Peter, James, and John up a high
mountain apart by themselves He then was
transfigured before them and his clothes became dazzling white…from the cloud
came a voice, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In
the experience of the Transfiguration, the apostles were given a glimpse of the
risen Lord in his transfigured glory.
Then came the voice of God the Father, “This is my beloved Son, listen
to him.” In our own journey of faith,
and we each have a unique journey. My
journey is not yours and your journey is unique to you, but the common
denominator we all have is the words spoken by God the Father at the
Transfiguration: “Listen to him.” Our journey begins and ends with Jesus. We are to listen and to respond to His call
in our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the
Transfiguration account, Peter wanted to stay up on the mountain. He said to the Lord: ‘Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents.” But the Lord had other plans for Peter,
James, and John. They were to come down
the mountain and journey to Jerusalem where Jesus was to suffer and to die. They were called to be the disciples of the
crucified Christ as well as the risen Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Gospel
invites us to reflect on how are we being called to see with new eyes? What is clouding our view of the transfigured
Christ? How does the world look
different through Jesus’s vision? Does
our identity and our purpose need to be transformed? Most importantly, what is the cross in your
life that identifies you as a disciple of the crucified Christ as well as a
disciple of the Risen Christ?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Spiritually
speaking, I need some speed bumps in my Lenten journey to slow me down and to
make me more conscious of my need for conversion and more radically trusting in
God as Abraham did. Perhaps this
describes your Lenten journey as well.
For sure we have our own plans for the Lenten season, but the question
is how can the Lord catch our attention and invite us to ‘Listen to Him’ and His plans for our Lenten
journey?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sometimes
the spiritual speed bump given to us is not of our own choosing – when you are
confronted with the unthinkable in your life.
Perhaps, just perhaps, the Lord is calling you to a deeper relationship
with Him as was the case of Abraham, our father in faith.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We need to
speak to the Lord in prayer and then to listen to the Lord in prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">St Paul in
the second Scripture reading says: “If
God is for us, who can be against us?”
Paul ends this beautiful meditation with the words: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities…nor any other creature will be able to
separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> May our Lenten journey confirm us in our
conviction of faith that there is nothing that will separate us from the love
of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Have a
Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Aptos",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Aptos; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-79651736713600325032024-02-18T15:06:00.000-08:002024-02-18T15:06:28.085-08:00Into what desert is the Spirit of God leading you in this lenten season?<p> </p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">First Sunday of Lent<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2024</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">We have entered into another Lenten
season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were marked with ashes this
past Wednesday as Lent formally began. These ashes acknowledge that we all
belong to the order of penitents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all
confess that we are sinners, and we stand in need of the Lord’s healing
forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The light of Christ that is
within us has been dimmed by the darkness of our sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We acknowledge this reality with these
ashes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were given the mantra to:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repent and believe in the Gospel. </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">In the words of Pope Francis, the
ashes invite us to rediscover the secret of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are dust, loved by God. We are ashes on which
God has breathed the breath of life.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The first Scripture reading today is
from the Book of Genesis and recounts the establishment of the Covenant with
Noah and his descendants. </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">God said to Noah and to his sons
with him: “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your
descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you. I
will establish my covenant with you.”</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Lent is deepening our awareness that
we are people who have a Covenant with the Living God. We are not just
people who believe in God. We are a people sought out by God, a people
formed by God and a people with a special love relationship with God.
Only when we are deeply aware of His love for us can we truly accept that
the cross is going to be a part of our spiritual journey.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Unless we firmly in a God who will
never abandon us, it will be very challenging to make any sense out of the
crosses of life.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">In today’s Gospel, the evangelist
Mark says: “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the
desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was among the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.” </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Jesus finding himself in the desert
being tempted by the devil was not the result of bad luck or being at the wrong
place at the wrong time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, this
was by divine design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus was led by
the Spirit into the desert.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Now this isn’t always true for
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes we can find
ourselves in the desert of disappointment or failure, not led by the Spirit of
God’s love but rather they are the result of bad choices we have made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our desire for pleasure, power, or greed can
sometimes get the best of us and lead us into the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">But with Jesus, he is being led by
the Spirit of God’s love into the desert to be tempted by the devil to use his
power in ways that are not in God’s plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The devil was tempting Jesus to become the Messiah without the
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The devil was tempting Jesus to
take the short cut to achieve his power as the Messiah.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
desert to be humbled, to be tested and tempted, to struggle with the forces of
evil and thereby fully trust in God’s plan for His life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">My question for you and for me is
what desert are we now being let into by the Spirit of God’s love to be
humbled, to be tested and tempted to validate our faith and trust in Jesus as
the Lord and Savior of our lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are
you aware that you are being led by the Spirit of God in the ways you
experience your Lenten journey today?</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">As you try to make sense out of the
wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and in the senseless violence in the
streets of our cities, as you have grieved the loss of someone you dearly love,
as you have dealt with illness in your life and the in the life of a dear
family member, as you have been hurt and your confidence has been betrayed, as
you struggle with the temptation of pornography, as you have had to deal with
more than your fair share of challenges, can you see these experiences as being
led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can these life wrenching experiences be
example of how you are being led by the Spirit into the desert?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we pray over the crosses of our lives, may
you be assured that God never abandons us.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The Stations of the Cross describe
the stages of the suffering and death of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we experience the stations of the cross of illness, of death, of
brokenness in our own stories, may we too get the help of Simon of Cyrene and
be strengthened by the love of Mary our mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As for Jesus, our own stations of the cross are our way of discipleship.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Back to today’s Gospel:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He was among wild beasts, and the angels
ministered to him.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wild beasts tell
us that life is fragile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no
escaping the fragileness of the wild beasts in society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also demons within ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we have a side within us that focuses only
on our own pleasure instead of service of others.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Yes, there are demons; there is
sinfulness in our lives that we seek to turn away from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we encounter Satan in the desert of our
inner wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that is not the
end of our Lenten journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real
purpose of our Lenten spiritual disciplines is that we are to encounter God in
the desert of Lent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we allow
ourselves to believe in His love.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The Lenten desert is about wrestling
with the demons of our life; but the Lenten season is also about conversion; it
is our retreat in which we encounter God with blessed and grateful hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We embrace the spiritual disciplines of lent
– we embrace prayer, fasting, almsgiving – so that we are clearly place God as
first in our lives.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">As the angels ministered to Jesus in
the desert, thanks be to God we also have angels that minister to us, that are
looking after us – renewing us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
angels are the graces of our lives – human and divine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thank you Lord for all the people of our
lives who are God’s messengers, God’s angels to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We give thanks for all the people who love us
and reveal the face of God to us.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">May your Lenten journey be very much
blessed.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 11.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-23316683345351015822024-01-28T09:29:00.000-08:002024-01-28T09:29:18.886-08:00What authority does Jesus have over your life?<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">FOURTH SUNDAY IN OT B 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Scriptures invite us to
reflect on prophecies and what makes a prophet a prophet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The OT prophets pointed to
the coming of Jesus:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In the first scripture
reading from the OT Book of Deuteronomy, Moses in his final address to the
Israelites said:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“The Lord your God will raise
up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a
prophet.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I wonder if you would
consider me a prophet if I could predict which of the four remaining teams is
going to win the super bowl?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would I be
a prophet if I could tell you who is going to the November presidential
elections?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The scriptures invite us to
think about prophets not so much predicting the future but rather as one who
speaks God’s word in the present moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus spoke with authority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus
spoke the voice of God to those gathered at the synagogue.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Jesus then put that authority
into action by expelling the demon from the man who was possessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The those who were present for this miracle
were astonished and commented that this new teaching of Jesus was a teaching
that spoke with authority unlike the scribes and pharisees.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">As we pray over today’s
Gospel, we pray that the Lord will cast out the demons of our society – racism,
inequality among the various classes of people, discrimination against the
disadvantaged.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">How much authority does Jesus
have in your life?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The line that is often part
of my prayer life – If you can’t make it through the storm, don’t tell Jesus is
the captain of your ship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">What keeps us from placing
first in our lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a meeting
this past week with families who will be having their son or daughter making
their First Communion this May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a
precious moment in the lives of our First Communicants and thus a precious moment
in the lives of the families or our First Communicants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The time of preparation is a time to reflect
on the priority of the Eucharist in the weekly lives of all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much authority does the opportunity of
receiving the Eucharistic life of Christ have on us not only on the day of our
First Communion but on our weekly lifestyle as the disciples of Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What keeps us from placing God first in our
lives?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The authority of Jesus in our
lives refers not just to the times we are in Church but also to all the ways we
are to the reality of the sacred into every sphere of our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">For example, who are the
people in our lives whom we are unable to forgive?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who do we too easily make judgments about the
way they live their lives?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Our society is in desperate
need of peacemakers or people who seek to bring unity to a culture in which
there are too many divisions and polarizations. Do we have the courage in the
name of God to live in the lane of love and forgiveness and healing?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">What do I need to let go of
so that Jesus has more authority in my life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How can we better walk in the footsteps of Jesus to wash the feet of
God’s poor, be a good Samaritan to a person in need, to forgive the Prodigal
Son, to welcome the sinner and the excluded into experiencing the love and
forgiveness of our healing God?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">This week we celebrate
Catholic Schools’ Week in our parish and in the diocese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At St. Joseph’s School, we are missioned to
fashion our students after the mind and heart of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We seek to challenge our students academically
but even more we seek to touch their hearts so that they know the love of Jesus
deep in their heart and spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Know the
love of God in their DNA, our students will then be motivated to share what
they have been given to one and all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
St Joseph’s School, we seek to teach with authority – the authority that comes
from Jesus Himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In the Gospel, there was in
the synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out: What have you to
do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow
this man was possessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evil came into
him and maybe it was not his fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
left clean and whole, with a kindness in his heart he would never forget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people were amazed not just at Jesus but
at the change in the man who had been possessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">What are the evil desires in
myself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For control of others, for
greed, for whatever leads me away from love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Imagine the light of Christ filling the darkness in me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lead us not into temptation but deliver us
from evil.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In your life what demons do
you wish the Lord to cast out?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In the penitential rite and
in the words we speak before receiving Communion “Lord I am not worthy,” we
confess that there are demons within us, there are areas of our life that Jesus
is not yet Lord, but we come before the Lord confident in the mercy and
forgiveness of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Who of us doesn’t have to
confess that too often we are more self-centered that God-centered and other-centered?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who among us doesn’t have to confess that we
haven’t shared the blessings of our life with others in greater need?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody owns anyone in this earth, and we
belong only to God in a free way. Who of us doesn’t have to confess that we
called to a greater awareness of being good stewards of all of God’s creation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The environment is not ours, but for us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Getting some grasp of who we
encounter in Jesus the Christ is the work of a lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, many people think they know all about
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please God, we recognize that we
have just begun in living under the authority of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our reflections merely attune us to being aware
of the Holy One who encounters us in our loves, our trials, our fears, our
talents, our demons, and right now in our gathering, and our sharing in His
banquet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Have a Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-26140939432499315882024-01-08T13:39:00.000-08:002024-01-08T13:39:01.921-08:00May the story of the Epiphany be our story as well.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 97%; margin-bottom: 9.05pt; margin-left: 2.15pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .45pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 97%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">EPIPHANY 2024</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 96%; margin-bottom: 9.05pt; margin-left: -.75pt; margin-right: 11.25pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .2pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 96%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">"When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the
days of King Herod, behold magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
'Where is the newborn king of the Jews saying, 'we saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."'</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 94%; margin-bottom: 8.8pt; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 26.4pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .45pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 94%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany, may the story
of the Epiphany be our story as well. We are today's magi who come to discover
and encounter the Christ child.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 97%; margin-bottom: 7.1pt; margin-left: 2.15pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .45pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 97%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The magic symbolizes what is
restless in the human spirt seeking for a greater depth of meaning and purpose
in life. They left behind what was comfortable and safe and took considerable
risks in traveling to another country in search of the Lord. The magi speak to
our restless human spirit seeking to discover the spiritual meaning and longing
for that which ultimately satisfies us. The magi were people open and
inquisitive to discover a God bigger than their imagination — a God who
delighted in their seeking and finding.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 94%; margin-bottom: 8.8pt; margin-left: 2.4pt; margin-right: 20.15pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -1.7pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
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<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/JIM~1.SCH/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img height="1" src="file:///C:/Users/JIM~1.SCH/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2293" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 94%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">May each of us be in touch with our
restless human spirit that is looking for something more in our spiritual
journey. How is the Lord calling us to move beyond our comfort zone and follow
a star that will lead us to that deeper relationship with Jesus that we seek?
The grace of Epiphany invites to come to know Jesus in a deeper relationship.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 94%; margin-bottom: 8.8pt; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 9.55pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .45pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 94%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The magi come to the Lord bearing gifts. In our
epiphany story, what gifts do we bring to the Lord? Much more than gold,
frankincense, and myrrh, do we bring and give and share the best instincts of
the human spirit: do we give our love to the Lord, our joy, our compassion? Do
we give our very lives over the Lord? Is it more important for us to give,
rather than to take in our day-to-day living?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 98%; margin-bottom: 7.75pt; margin-left: 4.75pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 98%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">My hunch is that the Lord is placing a star in our life
on this Epiphany Day that we are to follow. That star may not be in the sky but
possibly be the star that is in the heart of someone you are called to love and
to help and to serve. That star may be in the hearts of the poor who we are
called to reach out to.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 98%; margin-bottom: 7.75pt; margin-left: 4.75pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 98%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The star in our life, strange as it may seem, may be a
struggle, a loss, a disappointment we have experienced. The grace of this
experience may make us realize that we are not fully in control of our lives;
this star event may lead us to trust more fully in the hand of God for our
lives.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 94%; margin-bottom: 8.8pt; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 9.55pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .45pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 94%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Please note the sharp contrast between the Magi and
King Herod in the Epiphany Gospel. Herod sees the promised child as a threat.
He is afraid the coming baby will crimp his style, will challenge his power and
lower his status.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 96%; margin-bottom: 7.25pt; margin-left: -.75pt; margin-right: 17.5pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .2pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 96%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Magi see the promised child as a wonderful gift.
They have humbled themselves to travel a great distance to a strange culture
that speaks a different language, in order to embrace this baby who fulfills
God's love.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 94%; margin-bottom: 8.8pt; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 4.55pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .45pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 94%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Herod's selfishness fueled by his fears leads to his downfall.
The Magi's worship of the Christ child leads to the salvation of all the
nations. Today more than two billion people call themselves Christians, in some
way the result of the humility and the seeking spirit of the Magi.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 94%; margin-bottom: 8.8pt; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 9.55pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .45pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 94%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We see the hostility of King Herod to the notion that
he would have a rival to his kingship. Moved by jealousy, he hatched a
murderous plot that was foiled by the non-cooperation of the magi.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 94%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 4.1pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .45pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 94%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Before we simply reject the treachery of Herod, we need to
acknowledge that there is a Herod within each of us that keeps from following
Christ more fully. What are the demons within us that make more self-centered
than Christcentered? How radically do I share with those in need? What keeps me
from listening more fully to another's point of view? Do I make time for God in
the way that I live?</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 96%; margin-bottom: 8.8pt; margin-left: .05pt; margin-right: 4.1pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: -.05pt;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 96%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Yes, we all need to confess that we are sinners, and there is
a bit of King Herod in all of us. But thanks be to God, the Bethlehem infant
has come to be our Savior and Lord. We seek the grace of allowing ourselves to
be loved by the Christ child.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 94%; margin-bottom: 8.8pt; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 15.35pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .45pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 94%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In our discipleship of the Lord Jesus, we are the magi
— seeking to encounter the Lord Jesus more fully in our lives. In seeking to
encounter the Christ child, we come to a universal truth that brings great
promise to us all.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 97%; margin-bottom: 7.1pt; margin-left: 2.15pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .45pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 97%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It's revealed that there are
no outsiders at the Bethlehem crib. There was no racism. All were welcome.
Jesus welcomed everyone — the ox and the ass, the shepherds and magi, poor and
rich, the Jews and Gentiles. He came for us all. He would reject no one, as he
would accept the unique gifts of each. As we pray over this epiphany account,
we too are to affirm that are no outsiders in our Church and in our world. All
are welcome. We are to love our neighbor, no exceptions.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 94%; margin-bottom: 8.8pt; margin-left: .7pt; margin-right: 9.55pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: .45pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 15.0pt; line-height: 94%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The magi did not come to Bethlehem empty handed. The
Gospel tells us: they opened their treasures. Like the magi, each of us has a
treasure to offer the Christ. The prayerful question we should ask ourselves
this Sunday is: What is it? What do we have to give? Pay attention to what we
give and also what we receive. We may journey like the magi seeking, but an
Epiphany is beyond our control. Epiphany is an experience of grace, of how God
transforms us in the mystery of the unconditional love that is given to us.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 97%; margin-bottom: 34.45pt; margin-left: 2.15pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .45pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 97%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Notice well, the magi were
warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they departed for their country
by another way. Of course, they would return by another route. Their lives have
been changed by their encounter with Jesus. May we too with God's grace have
our lives changed by our encounter with Jesus. We cannot go back to our old way
of living with our fears, our anxieties, our addictions, our grudges, our
pettiness. We are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 97%; margin-bottom: 7.1pt; margin-left: 2.15pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .45pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 97%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Have a Blessed Epiphany Day.</span><o:p></o:p></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-15109995404911434482023-12-31T11:09:00.000-08:002023-12-31T11:09:41.755-08:00God wanted to be born into a human family.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Holy
Family<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">On this
First Sunday after Christmas, while we are still in the joyous climate of this
celebration, we are pondering how God broke the silence of the centuries to
reveal himself to us in the helpless infant of Bethlehem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The power of God is revealed through a
baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the Christmas mystery. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we continue the Christmas season in
celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family, the Evangelist Luke tells the story
of Jesus, Mary and Joseph – not as individuals, but as a family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dawning of our salvation is revealed to
us in the context of family life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is such an important dimension of the Christmas mystery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God wanted to be born in a human family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wanted to have a mother and father like
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is the
holy family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we ponder the Scriptures
today, we reflect on our own family life as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The message is that our family is a holy
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to claim who we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is within each one of us and may we
claim the centrality of Jesus in our family life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">One of the
most difficult things for some Catholics to admit is that no Christian biblical
author seems to suggest that the contemplative life is the ideal way to live
one’s faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not to say that the
contemplative lifestyle is not inspiring, but we see in both OT and the NT that
our faith revolves around how we relate to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though our relationship with God is always a
first priority, the first step in forming that relationship is to connect with
the people around – especially those closest to us: our family.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Family is
the story of how each one of us has originated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is in family life that we first learned how to pray and to live our
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is in our family we discover
our holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our faith is interwoven,
for better or for worse, with our family life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">There is a
special presence of God in the family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the love that is such a beautiful part of family, God is
present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, God is present in all
aspects of family life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">God isn’t
very fussy!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is such an important
dimension of who God is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is not
fussy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God isn’t very fussy where He
lives and moves and has His being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God
desires to be part of our wonderfully imperfect family.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">As we know,
family life is very varied:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>divorced and
separated parents, gay parents, widowed parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All are welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While all are welcome, the church does
clearly and unmistakably propose that the family of mother and father is the
most beautiful expression of the sacrament of marriage.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">No matter
what stresses there are in family life – the sacrament of marriage promises the
help of God and the faith community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The church
encourages family prayer, like visiting the crib.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gospel today is about the life of Jesus
growing in humanity and wisdom in his family life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was brought to the temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary and Joseph taught him to pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May the prayer of Mary and Joseph help us in
our family life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bless us, O Lord, with
the joy of love, and strengthen all families in your loving care.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The Gospel
tells the account of Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There they encountered the elderly Simeon and
Anna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What causes two elderly people to
encounter two young parents – Mary and Joseph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus brings together the young and the old.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In families
where there is not an elderly person, life can, at times, be easier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they also may be missing the wisdom of
our elderly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The eyes and the hearts of
our elderly teach us faith and the real meaning of life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Now our
family life is blessed and treasured yes, yes, yes, but family life can be a
source of challenge and lead us to question the meaning of our faith
journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the second Scripture from
the Letter to the Hebrews, we encounter what I would term the “Isaac
Dilemma.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In their old age, Abraham and
Sara gave birth to their son Isaac, their beloved Isaac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God had promised his descendants would be as
numerous as the stars in the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
this would come through their beloved son Isaac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then Abraham was given the ultimate faith
challenge as he was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could there be a more unthinkable request
from God than offering up your only son to God?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">As we ponder
the meaning of the Isaac dilemma in terms of our journey of faith, what in your
family life has been your Isaac dilemma?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Could it be when your son or daughter has made life choices that don’t
make sense to you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could it be death or
significant illness in your family?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Could it be dealing significant depression or anxiety? What has caused
sleeplessness for you in your family life?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In one way
or another, we all face the Isaac dilemma in our family life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In those situations, can we continue to trust
that God goes with us?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">At the end
of the day, your family is not meant to be anyone else’s family life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s plan for your family is to be exactly
who you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your particular family
dynamic is not an accident; it is by God’s design you are who you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">God is
present in your family life – with its joys, with its challenges, with its
beauty and with its messiness. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Further, may
we commit ourselves as a Church to reach out beyond our own family life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we be about finding solutions to
homelessness and poverty in family life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We need to be aware of the stresses of other people’s family life, to
understand them and find funding for caring for them, especially children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Today’s
feast reminds us to seek God’s love anew through our loved ones in our own
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be hard to spot at
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key to finding God in our
family is for us to find God in our own lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God is within us, and God is with us in our family life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Lord God, we
ask for the spiritual sightedness to recognize your presence in each and every
family relationship we are gifted with.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Have a
blessed day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-15071969689049196222023-12-26T09:49:00.000-08:002023-12-26T09:49:31.152-08:00What about Christ are we keeping in Christmas?<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">CHRISTMAS
2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Keep Christ in Christmas.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We see this manta on many posters around
Christmas time. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">My question
for our prayer today is: “What about Christ are we keeping in Christmas?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Yes, we are
celebrating the birth of Christ to Mary and Joseph in the Bethlehem crib.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we celebrate Christmas in 2023, what is
the meaning of the story of Mary and Joseph and the baby? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is about God becoming part of our daily
struggle, transforming the world through us. Pope Francis says the church
should be like a field hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of
us has our own<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wounds, our own sins, our
own disappointments, and we need to hear words of comfort from God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need comfort and healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight, the Christmas message is that love
has conquered fear; new hope has arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God’s light has overcome the darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Celebrating Keeping Christ in Christmas is about welcoming the birth of
Christ in the inn of our hearts in 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The real
meaning of Christmas is that God is with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the inn of our own hearts, there is an infant wrapped in swaddling
clothes and lying in a manger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">God comforts
us in the Christmas mystery not simply that we may be comfortable but the real
Christmas message is that God comforts us so that we can comfort others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Keep Christ
in Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also means that we need
to keep in Christmas the message that all are welcome at the Bethlehem
crib.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the housing situation in
the inn of your own heart?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there room
in the inn of your heart for the family member for whom you have difficulty
getting along with?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there room in the
inn of your heart for people who think differently than you -- politically,
religiously, or in any way whatsoever?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is there room in the inn of our hearts for Jesus who lives in the hearts
of the poor, the immigrants, and children of all cultures and of all ways of
life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many people in our world
today experience “no room in the inn” because of race, color, religion, gender,
or sexuality?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Son of God was born an
as an outcast in order to tell us that every outcast is a child of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To say again, the Son of God was born as an
outcast in order to tell us that every outcast is a child of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">It means
also we need to keep in Christmas the compassion and love and joy and the light
of Christ that shines through all the dark places of life, transforming the
world through us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are the people who
walk in darkness – the darkness of sin, the darkness of war, the darkness of
relationships that are broken, and the darkness of the threat of violence and
terrorism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The message of Christmas is
that Jesus comes for people like ourselves in dark places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real, lasting, and deep joy of Christmas
is that light shines in the darkness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">We recognize
on this Holy Night that even after centuries of knowing Jesus Christ, our world
still wanders in darkness. There is war in the Holy Land. Even after
proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, our hearts are not yet converted
completely to Him and our world even less so. We humans are a broken
people and each of us is broken.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Yet, even in
the humanity of each one of us, we are missioned to be the keepers of the
mystery of Christmas – God is with us. We give birth to Christ when we allow
the light that is within us to extend to our family, and our parish family, and
to all of creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Christmas
mystery happens when we allow ourselves to be loved by God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Keep Christ
in Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also means keeping in
Christmas the humility and simplicity of his birth in the Bethlehem crib.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do our exterior Christmas decorations obscure
how we are to discover the presence of Christ in our lives in 2023?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bethlehem crib reveals the extreme
humility of the Lord, at the hardships he suffered for love of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Bethlehem crib, simplicity shines
forth, poverty is praised and humility is related.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we ponder the Christmas mystery, are we
able to get in touch with the simple, the ordinary, the humble moments of our
day and to know in that simplicity we will best discover the Bethlehem crib in
our lives?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Keep Christ
in Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also means the mystery
of Christmas happens for us when we connect the story of our lives with the
story of Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of us is an
innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Christmas message is the story of God’s
unconditional love for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As his
disciples we are to fill this world with many other stories that mirror and
give witness to God’s love for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
is the meaning and wonder of the Incarnation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Keeping Christ in Christmas happens when we love to be loved – to be
immersed in the merciful love of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">It also
means that Christmas is to be found in the presence of Jesus among us and in
our love for one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story of
Bethlehem points to a vision of hope, one that relies not on the exercise of
military power but an on appeal to the common instincts of the human
heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These common instincts of the
human heart are very spiritual – a spirit of peace, a spirit of joy, a spirit
of family, a spirit of love, the spirit of Christmas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">We are
missioned to be the keepers of the mystery of Christmas – God is with us. We
give birth to Christ when we allow the light that is within us to extend to our
family, and our parish family, and to all of creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Christmas mystery happens when we allow
ourselves to be loved by God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Yes, we need
to keep Christ in Christmas in all the ways we communicate that all are welcome
at the Bethlehem crib.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to love
thy neighbor, no exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to
keep in Christ in all the ways we welcome God to become part of our daily
struggle and to transform these struggles by allowing the love of God into our
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to connect our story with
the story of Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to keep
Christ in Christmas through our faith-filled awareness that God is within
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the inn of our hearts, there is
infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Have a
blessed Christmas day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-31530706632081235952023-12-17T09:50:00.000-08:002023-12-17T09:50:31.811-08:00Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Third Sunday
of Advent<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This third
Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday -- Rejoice Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We light the pink candle of the Advent
wreath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wear the pink vestments
expressing that the joy of Christmas is beginning to invade the Advent season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In ten
words, St Paul expresses the theme of today’s liturgy: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rejoice always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pray without ceasing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all circumstances give thanks.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My hope for
myself and for you is that the joy of Gaudete Sunday is the joy that you
experience everyday as a disciple of Jesus:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in all circumstances give thanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At every Mass, we begin the Eucharistic
Prayer with the preface dialogue, we say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Today is Gaudete Sunday, Sunday of Joy. The Church asks us to be
aware of the joy of the coming of Christ we will commemorate on Christmas.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br />
The Gospel puts us in touch with our Advent guide:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John the Baptist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Who are
you?</span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Jews from Jerusalem asked this question
of John the Baptist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we pray over
today’s Scriptures, this same question is asked of us:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After you give your usual contact information, the question is still
asked of you before the Lord:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are
you?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">John the
Baptist knew his identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew who
he was and who he was not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John said: “I
am not the Christ…I am the voice of one crying in the desert, make straight the
way of the Lord.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John went on to say:
“There is one among you whom you do not recognize.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">John’s
mission was to help people recognize the presence of Christ who is in our
midst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As disciples
of the Lord, do we know who are and who we are not?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The gospel today challenges us to identify who we are. As
Pope Francis tells us, we are called to be missionaries of Jesus. We carry
Jesus to others because we have been touched by him. We have been transformed
in Christ. Christ’s love accompanies us in all we do. That is who we are. That
is the cause for joy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The question
of faith for all of us:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can we genuinely
rejoice when we struggle with all the challenges that we are dealing with? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if there is loneliness or anxiety in our
hearts this Christmas season?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if we
have experienced a significant loss? What if the wars and the divisions that
are so much a part of the world scene get the best of us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rejoice because God goes with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are these just pious words or is this the
truth of our life?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The mission
given to us at our Baptism is the same mission that was given to John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to witness to the presence of God in
our midst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In so doing, we rejoice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rejoice even in the midst of the violence
that surrounds racial conflict and the threat of terrorism that we live
with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rejoice because God is present
among us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But we get
fooled because John the Baptist is in the desert eating locusts and wild
honey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He may not seem like a person
with an infectious smile out there in the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, make no mistake about it, John the
Baptist experienced the joy of knowing the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joy is one of the characteristics of God’s
spirit in the human heart.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, we ask
ourselves the question:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What helps us to
recognize the presence of Christ that is in our midst?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, we need to humbly ask what blinds from
recognizing the presence of Christ in our midst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We might be so intent on something that we
miss the gem right before us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">John was filled with a faith-filled
vision in recognizing Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John lived
his life deflecting attention away from himself so that the focus might be
fully and directly on Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John had
plenty of time to focus on Jesus because nothing else mattered to John.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May we in
this Advent season exercise a John-like role directing attention away from
ourselves and witnessing to the Christ who is in our midst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we find joy, Gaudete, in helping others
recognize the presence of Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
my prayer that my preaching can help others know Jesus in their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yours is an even more important witness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are to preach without words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By a simple smile that communicates friendship, and in all the ways we
wash the feet of God’s poor, we witness to the mystery of Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our God is present to us in human flesh – in
your human flesh and in mine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May the
Church of the Holy Spirit in this Advent season herald, give witness, give
voice to the presence of Christ in our midst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May our Advent attitude be: “Rejoice always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pray without ceasing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all circumstances give thanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Today asks us the question, what is joy? The gospel is telling
us that joy is to look at Christ and know he is there for us. It is to tell his
story to others by how we speak and how we act. It is to take the focus off me
and put it on the joy of living the gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">People all around us are poor today because they struggle
economically, but also because they feel alone, unsupported, isolated and
fearful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We bring good news by our
constant joy, a joy that comes from our encounter with Jesus and our mission to
bring his joy to others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">. Be a person of joy today and have<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a blessed day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-66330793825272188812023-12-10T13:04:00.000-08:002023-12-10T13:04:25.558-08:00When we place God first in our lives, the joy of the Gospel motivates us to share what we have been given.<p> <span style="font-size: 14pt;">Second
Sunday of Advent</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">B</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">2023</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today we
move along on our Advent journey. John
the Baptist calls us to move from the wilderness of sin and discouragement to a
state of hopefulness and trusting expectation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In this Advent season, John the Baptist calls us to repentance in our Advent
journey. Additionally, in the second
Scripture reading, Peter also calls us to repentance. Peter says: “God is patient with us, not
wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I would like
to reflect with you the on the meaning of repentance that the Lord calls us to
in our Advent journey -- a kind of repentance that is given to us when we
encounter the Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In today’s
Gospel, the evangelist quotes the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">We can ask ourselves in the
frenzy and business of the Advent season:
Where is our desert?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sometimes the desert is found
within ourselves: the habits, the
addictions, the self-centeredness, the pride that keeps us from placing God
first in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sometimes the desert is to be
found in those situations when we encounter
those who are not like us, not of our
race or ethnic group, the most needy, the sick, the stranger. We must clear out
the thinking that we are superior to others, the judging others as being less
because they are different from us, the quick ways we condemn others.
Advent tells us Jesus comes in all of these that we look down upon and more. We
must prepare to see and receive him. Something must change to allow us to do
this.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">When we enter into the suffering
of others, as much as we can, we see that things do not always have to be as
they have been in the past. It is a call to help make a change. We can make a
new world. That is how we prepare for the coming of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For many the
word repentance is a word that belongs to yesterday. It is equated with sackcloth and ashes. Some see repentance as something that we do
only if we get caught. But repentance is
far more than blurting our “I’m sorry” if we get caught cheating on our taxes
or are engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When John
the Baptist calls us to repentance, he is not talking about self-incriminating
scruples but for a radical open-mindedness.
The Greek word is <i>metanoia. </i>It
means going beyond our normal mindset.
It speaks of a change in our vision of life. It is about placing God first in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Repentance
means to “rethink.” Repentance calls to
rethink and to reform our lives. To
repent means to see things differently and, as a result, to live differently.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When we
place God first in our lives, the joy of the Gospel motivates us to share what
we have been given. We then prepare our
hearts for the coming of the Prince of Peace.
Repentance is not negative and down faced. Rather, it looks up and looks forward. It breaks the chains of sin and death that
hold us down. Don’t get stuck in the
notion that repentance means feeling sorry and miserable. It is simply this. It means you have stopped doing what is
wrong, and now you are going to do the right thing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, make
no mistake about it, John the Baptist calls us to confront sin in our
life. One of the temptations of our
times is to applaud the absence of guilt.
Some people are pleased that guilt has been dethroned. In some quarters, the absence of guilt in
today’s society makes it very difficult to talk about sin and the need for
repentance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">True
repentance means a willingness to confront sin in our lives. But we
are not to be bogged down in our sinfulness.
While are of us are God’s beloved and made in the image and likeness of
God, none of us are perfect. All of us
are sinners. All of us have need for the
Savior. All of us are called to
repentance in this beautiful Advent season of repentance. But be assured that God’s judgment is that we
are worth saving. God’s judgment comes
to us in in His grace and mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“Prepare
in the wilderness a way for the Lord,” says the Prophet Isaiah. That prophecy has great meaning when we apply
it to our own hearts. It is in our
hearts that we need to prepare a way for the Lord. It is in our hearts that we need to make a
straight highway for God. It is the
valleys of sin in our own hearts that are to be filled with God’s mercy and
healing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the
beautiful ways to experience repentance is the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. In this Sacrament, we
encounter the merciful and healing love of Jesus who fills the valleys of sin
in our hearts with God’s mercy and healing.
When we realized how much we are loved and forgiven, we are motivated to
<i>metanoia.
</i>Like Zacchaeus, we then want to share the love we have received.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Advent is that time for us. It is
a time of hopeful expectation, of preparing to receive the Lord, to see and
recognize Jesus whenever he comes and however he comes. Hope is confidence in
the promises of God. Things will be better, but it challenges us to make that this
a reality by who we are and what we do. Make yourself ready!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">This Advent we salute the
forerunner John the Baptist who prepared the way by challenging the people’s
sins. He was not after the popular vote. He had eyes only for God. With eyes
fixed on God, John announced that the Messiah came not to condemn but that the world might
be saved through Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Are we ready to share in the work and
mission of John the Baptist? In
recognizing our need to repent, may we be led to announce the merciful love of
Jesus to one and all?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #16325e; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Advent is a call to new beginnings. That is
why it is a season of hope. Things do not always have to be the same. What new
beginning do you need to make this year? Do it now!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Have a blessed day</span>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-63884667460179112152023-11-26T13:44:00.000-08:002023-11-26T13:44:21.915-08:00In a trial, would you be convicted for being a disciple of Christ the King?<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Lord
of the Universe.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">This is ironic because Jesus never acted like a king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He embraced poverty, not wealth. He taught
humility, not arrogance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He emphasized
service, not domination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He chose a
cross, not a palace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kinship, instead of
kingship:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what Jesus is truly
passionate about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kinship with “the
least, the lost, and the last.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">As we reflect on Christ the King and ask if Jesus has
authority over our lives, remember the qualities of the Kingship of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus embraced poverty; he taught humility;
he emphasized service; and he chose the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In a trial, would you be convicted for being called Christian, a
disciple of Christ the King?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The Gospel describes the Last Judgment scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The king will say to those on his right.
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For I was hungry and you gave me
food…The righteous will respond, ‘Lord when did we see you hungry and feed
you…And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you
did for one of the least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me.’”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">There is nothing mysterious or difficult to figure out about
today’s Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of us will be
judged upon our performance of the simple works of mercy we hear in the
Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The Gospel suggests that our leadership in religious
organizations doesn’t count for too much before God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the last judgment, the only thing that
really counts is humble service.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">As we gather on Sunday to celebrate the beauty of our liturgy
Sunday after Sunday, the Gospel reminds us of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">liturgy of life</b> without which all other liturgy in Church has no
meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plain and simple, if we are not
focused in the liturgy of life in our service of one another, all other
liturgy, no matter how beautiful it is, is pointless.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Jesus doesn’t even use big words like justice or democracy to
explain what is going to be on our final exam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He simply talks about food, clothes, water, and shelter – the basics of
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus took his stand with the
needy people of this world and said in effect: “This is where I live.” These
are my people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I belong to them, and
they belong to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus not only cared
about the needy and sought to help the needy. He completely identified himself
with the needy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was His hunger.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">God has no other name than Mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where is the Lord of the Universe to be
found?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has disappeared among the
hungry, thirsty, naked, lost, sick, imprisoned, alien and persecuted of this
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our King is hiding in the least
of our brothers and sisters.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">That’s where you and I belong. This is how we strengthen our
trust in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It isn’t as if the needy
are people who need help, and we are the people who give help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all belong to the fellowship of the
needy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are the needy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am; you are; everyone is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today I may help you, but tomorrow I may need
you to help me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are members of the
same family, sharing our love, sharing our resources, sharing our needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The primary message of this Gospel account is not to inform
you about what will happen at the end of time, but to teach how to behave
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the words of the writer
Stephen Covey, we need to begin with the end in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus is suggesting how we must live. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The prayerful questions we ask ourselves:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In what ways is Jesus the ruler, the king of
your life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does God’s love inspire
us to show mercy? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Presently as
we are dealing with war in the Middle East and in Ukraine and with the fear and
threat that has been generated by random acts of violence, sexual harassment,
and terrorist attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is the message of
love and forgiveness professed by Jesus as the Lord of our lives get modified as
we are gripped with fear of terrorists?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How safe are we from the threat of senseless violence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we still expected to look with love on
those whose hearts may be filled with hate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Can we welcome refugees with love in our hearts if we are paralyzed by
our fear that refugees are a threat to our safety?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">We mourn the breakdown of our global family and the violence
in so many places when humans created in the image of God choose death instead
of life, when they choose revenge instead of mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we need to ask how is Jesus the king of
the culture we live in?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is we who
lose when we allow the venom of hatred and revenge to circulate through our
spiritual lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Closer to home, is Jesus the king of your family life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is each and every member of your family
treated with the love that Jesus has for each member of your family?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much of a commitment do you have for
family prayer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you really say that
Jesus is the King of your family life if you are too busy to pray together?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Our parish <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>commitment to grow our Penfield Hope
initiative is focusing on our desire to feed the hungry, to give drink to the
thirsty, to clothe the naked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What the
Lord asks of us is to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors; we are
to lift each other up in hope and in humble service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Penfield Hope responds to critical unmet
needs of Penfield area residents through meaningful encounters, dialogue, and
practical services.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Again going back to the Gospel, in His last words to us in
the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is telling us in advance that when we each stand
before our God, we won’t be given a test that will be confusing or
difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will instead involve only
the most practical questions:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you
feed the hungry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you shelter the
homeless?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you care for the sick?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">And our answer will be….<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Have a blessed day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-90698260595974565612023-11-19T09:48:00.000-08:002023-11-19T09:48:24.882-08:00The Lord holds us accountable for how we use our God-given giftedness.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Thirty Third Sunday in OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today’s
scripture readings prepare us for the end of the liturgical year. They
challenge us to understand our life in terms of its ultimate purpose. On this
the second last Sunday of the liturgical year, our prayer centers around the
accountability the Lord will ultimately ask of each of us. In terms of the
Gospel parable of the various talents given to the three servants, we too have
been generous recipients of blessings and talents from our loving God. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our
prayerful question is one of accountability. What are we doing with the talents
God has given to us? Have we buried our talents, or have we used them to make a
difference in the lives of others?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The second
Scripture reading from St Paul tells us the Day of the Lord is coming like a
thief in the night. We know not the day or the hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The apostle Paul<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>told people not to get too worried about end
times, but not to get too comfortable either. What really matters on the Day of
the Lord is what we are doing with the graces and talents that have been given
to us. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The message
in the parable is about trust. God is entrusting us with God-given talents. God
trusts us. In turn, we are to trust God in taking the risk and making the
commitment to share the talents we have been given in the service of others. Our
precious God-given talents are not ours to keep. Our talents are not to be
buried in the ground. Rather that are given to us to live out the commandment
of love, the first requirement of a disciple of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our talents
are not our personal wealth. These talents are our God-given gifts that are
meant to be multiplied and be life-giving for all. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We need to
get our head around the talents that we have been given. As we are parishioners
of Holy Spirit parish, for this reflection I invite you to think of talents as
what Jesus has given to His Church:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
Gospel, the message of salvation intended to transform the world and create a
new humanity; His Spirit who renews the face of the earth, and even Jesus
Himself in the Sacraments; and then his power to heal, to comfort, to forgive,
to reconcile with God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These are
the talents given to the three servants in helping us understand the meaning of
the parable. The three servants are members of the Church. To each of them is
given an assignment to be done so that this wealth of the Lord may be put to
good use. According to one’s own charism, everyone is called to produce love. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The second
part of the parable describes the different behavior of the servants, two are
enterprising, dynamic, hardworking, while the third is fearful and insecure. The
first two servants learned to love what the master did.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the third
part of the parable, we witness the rendering of accounts. The reward the first
two servants receive is the joy of their Lord, the happiness that comes from
being in tune with God and His plan.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then the
third servant, despite not being a main actor, appears to be the principal
character of the parable. The central message of the parable is the master’s
rebuke of the slothful servant:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the only
unacceptable attitude is disengagement; it is the fear of risk. He is condemned
because he let himself be blocked by fear.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This third
servant is held accountable for not sharing the talent of forgiveness, of
compassion, of loving those who are difficult to love. These talents are not to
be buried in the ground. Refusing the trust that he had been given, he buried
his master’s offer in the grave.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And so, we
ask ourselves are we burying our God-given giftedness in the ground?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our life as
a disciple of Jesus can never be just as a spectator; we are to be active
participants in sharing our God-given talents in making a difference in the
lives of others. We begin within our own family. We begin within our own parish
community. But the Gospel call to love demands that we move beyond our comfort
zone and bring the message of the healing love of Jesus to one and all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are to
pray over this parable individually and as the parish community of the Church
of the Holy Spirit?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Has the
sharing of our talents resulted in candidates for the priesthood, consecrated
life as a religious, or the commitment to serve the Church as a lay ecclesial
minister? Who has emerged from our faith community to serve in leadership
ministries in our Church?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Has our
sharing of our faith and love led others in our neighborhood to join and become
active participants in our parish community? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Are we known
in the neighborhood as a welcoming parish, as a family friendly parish?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How have we
as a parish community shared our giftedness and talents with those who are in
need? What we have been given, we are given to share. We are called to wash the
feet of God’s poor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It has been
said that for us to enter the kingdom of heaven we need a letter of
recommendation from someone who is poor. Who is going to write that letter for
you and who is going to write that letter for me?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have we made
a pledge to support the CMA this year? Will we lend our support to empower our
diocesan ministries to serve people in need?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
challenge for all of us to place God first in our lives. It’s too easy to bury
our baptismal talent in the midst of a life that is filled with activity from
one moment to the next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The potential
talent we have as a parish community is limitless if we commit ourselves to be
a parish community that gives praise to God and if we commit ourselves to use
our talents in the service of one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And so, as
we come to the end of this liturgical year and we reflect on the accountability
that is asked of each one of us and is asked of us as a parish community, may
we rejoice in the joy of the blessings of life that we have been given and
shared. May we also hold ourselves accountable that we have not yet finished
the work that the Lord has given us to do. The Lord will hold us accountable
for how we shared our faith, our compassion, our forgiveness, our welcome, and
our love with one and all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have a
blessed day!<o:p></o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-73589624148498884492023-11-05T13:28:00.001-08:002023-11-05T13:28:15.096-08:00Is is a compliment or an insult for Catholicism to be called a sinner's Church?<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Catholicism
down through the centuries has at times been called “the sinners Church.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I ask you thoughtfully:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is this a compliment or an insult to be
called a sinners Church?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Certainly,
we all know too well that there is much sinfulness in our world. The war in the
Middle East with Hamas, the Palestinians, and the Israelis, the war in Ukraine,
the violence too often seen in the streets of our cities, even in the halls of
Congress there is much too much polarization among our political parties.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we begin
each and every celebration of the Eucharist, we participate in the penitential
rite acknowledging our sinfulness and entrust ourselves to the mercy and love
of our forgiving God. Yes, we are a sinner’s Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is
weakness in all of us. This is why we belong to the Church. This is why we know
that we stand always in need of the forgiving love of Jesus. We are sinners
seeking to be saved. May we always rely on the power of the Holy Spirit within
us. We don’t preach ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We preach
the power of God’s love that is within us. In the power of God’s love for us,
we have the means to set the world ablaze.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What is
stunning to me in today’s Scriptures is that Jesus had little trouble with
sinners but had his greatest troubles were with the religious leaders of his
day, religious leaders who were hypocrites. To pick upon a contemporary
expression, Jesus wasn’t concerned about fake news. He was concerned about fake
religion.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In speaking
to his followers, Jesus said: “The scribes and Pharisees have taken their seat
on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they
tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not
practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s
shoulder, but they will not lift a finger to move them.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Of all the
evils that Jesus confronted, one of the greatest was the evil of hypocrisy. The
Pharisees and scribes exalted themselves and made their mastery of the law a
badge of social privilege. Worse, they lorded the law over the people. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today’s
Gospel brings us into the core of Jesus’ moral teaching. What Jesus demands of
the people of the covenant is humility, being who you say you are, making all
your behavior an expression of your beliefs, no matter the cost.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The critique
of Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees is that they did not walk their talk. The
question for us:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we walk our talk? This
is a question for all of us, not just for preachers. What is our talk?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whereas the
scribes and Pharisees were preoccupied with their desire to be honored and
exalted, Christian leadership is a call to service following the example of
Jesus who came not to be served but to serve, to give his life as a ransom for
many.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whereas the
scribes and Pharisees were laying down heavy on the shoulders of others, Jesus
invited us: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you
rest.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, there
was considerable tension between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day. What
about today? What about ourselves? Do we exercise our leadership in imitation
of the servant leadership of Jesus? Do we walk our talk?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As parents,
as you teach your children to be patient, kind, forgiving, generous and loving,
are we examples to our children of the message that we teach them?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In our
sister parishes, we have 96 mostly second graders preparing for the Sacrament
of Reconciliation, do we as a parish community witness to the value of this
sacrament of God’s forgiveness by the example of our lives? Is the Sacrament of
Reconciliation part of our spiritual life?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do we
participate in the annual diocesan Catholic Ministries Appeal as a way of
serving the needs of the poorest among us in the diocese? Are we a Good
Samaritan or an indifferent bystander?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Are we
witnessing to the dignity and the sacredness of all life as we stand against
abortion, poverty, prejudice, euthanasia, and the death penalty. Are we
pro-life both before and after birth?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As sister
parishes of St Joseph’s and Holy Spirit, do we generously support the faith
life of both of our parish communities. Are we better together in the ways we
help and serve each other?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the October
synod at the Vatican, Pope Francis invited delegates from all over the world to
Rome to reflect on the mission of the Church. Pope Francis has warned of the
dangers of being too clerical a Church, he challenges us to a listening and
discerning Church who can read the signs of the times and be a Church that
washes the feet of God’s poor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And so on
and so on,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rather than
keeping our love under a bushel basket, may we follow the example of St Paul
who proclaims:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With such affection for
you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our
very selves as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The apostle
Paul preached by the example of his life. So must we give our very selves in
the ways we give witness to the love of God. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May we never
try to be people who we are not. The critique of Jesus was that fake religion
is intolerable. Fake Religion is when in our hypocrisy we pretend we got it all
together. Fake religion is when we do not walk our talk in trusting in Jesus as
the center and the North Star of our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, we
acknowledge the brokenness and sinfulness in our lives personally and in our
lives as a Church. Thanks be to God. Our God is a loving and forgiving God who
embraces us with the fullness of mercy, forgiveness, and love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have a
Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-26718815298251861692023-10-29T11:33:00.004-07:002023-10-29T11:33:51.557-07:00Our neighbor is anyone and everyone, unconditionally, no exceptions.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thirtieth
Sunday in OT A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For parts of
the last two weeks, I was on my annual retreat – an eight day silent, contemplative
Ignatian retreat at a Jesuit retreat house in Gloucester, MA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have participated in this silent retreat
atmosphere for the last fifty years in this retreat house known as Gonzaga
Eastern Point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This annual retreat is
such a blessing to my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its purpose
is to deepen your relationship with God as a God who loves unconditionally and
that our response to God is gratitude and to return our love for God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now if this
is true confessions, I did sneak out on the last night for dinner in Gloucester
with Fr Al Delmonte and my sister Jean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fr Al and my sister Jean were on this retreat as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But to be clear, other than that one
exception, silence and prayer with the Lord was the retreat atmosphere.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I pray
over this Gospel of the two great commandments – love of God and love of
neighbor – this retreat further convicted me of the inextricable link between
these two commandments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One cannot love
God without loving all that is of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our love of God leads us to love and serve and care our neighbor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">If you ask yourself, what does God want of us, what is
God’s priority for us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s priority
for us is that we love our neighbor as ourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Jesus, our neighbor is anyone and
everyone, unconditionally, no exceptions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To say again, for Jesus, our neighbor is anyone and everyone,
unconditionally, no exceptions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The metaphor that is meaningful to me is that our of
Jesus in the “fixed tabernacle” here in Church leads us to reverence Jesus in “mobile
tabernacles” in our lives – that is to say, Jesus is present in our neighbors
wherever and whenever we encounter them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Yes, the great commandment begins with our encounter
with Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please God we continuously
seek to deepen our relationship with the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My retreat helps me to focus on what is most important in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lord accompanies wherever I find myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray each day for the spiritual sightedness
to recognize that all is a gift of God. and His presence is with me each and
every moment of the day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">As I often remind myself, if I am too busy to pray,
then I am too busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something else must
give.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Our encounter with Jesus leads us to those Jesus
loves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of humanity are the
recipients of the love of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the
ways I like to pray the two great commandments is the God-given challenge to EXPAND
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Expanding
your neighborhood includes the member of your family that is so difficult to
get along with.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Expanding
your neighborhood include the people you disagree with:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>perhaps their sexual lifestyle; their way of
practicing their religion; their racial views; their political views;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>whatever it is that gives you cardiac arrest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we think
globally, EXPAND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD doesn’t give us the right to invade another
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we ponder the destructiveness
of war in the Middle East with Hamas, the Israelis, and the Palestinians and
equally the tragedy of war with Russia and Ukraine, we pray for peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EXPAND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD means that we reverence
and respect the dignity of those who are different than ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Love your
neighbor, no exceptions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Meaningful
discipleship is not found in the mere observance of law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meaningful religion is lived out in a
triangle of love – love for God, love for others, and love for self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that triangle of love is found the secret
of a fulfilling life on earth and a foretaste of the life to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In our
reflection on the parable of the Good Samaritan, Pope Francis challenges us
with the meditation that each day we have to decide whether to be a Good
Samaritan or indifferent bystanders as we come upon the needy and the hurting
people of our community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Pope
asks:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Will we bend down and to touch
and heal the wounds of others?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our intimacy
with the Lord will be based on the love and intimacy we have shared with all of
God’s people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first Scripture
reading from the book of Exodus concretizes Jesus’ teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The alien, the orphan and the poor are our
neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Immigrants whether documented
or undocumented, saints or sinners, every member of LGBTQ, your family member
whom it is most difficult for you to <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">relate to is
your neighbor to be loved and is the barometer of the depth of our love of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The implication is that
loving our neighbor means more than being kind to our friends and relatives, or
to the person who lives next door. Loving one’s neighbor means doing right by
any widow or orphan: seeing that the hungry are fed and the homeless sheltered,
that the poor have their basic needs met, that the unemployed do not suffer
from want, that the young are educated and the old are cared for.<br />
<br />
To do less is to fail in our love for neighbor. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
commandments to love God with all one’s heart and to love one’s neighbor as
oneself are the heart and soul of Christian morality. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then
St. Paul in the second Scripture in his Letter to the Thessalonians emphasized
thar we must walk our talk in living the commandments of love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The actions of our lives need to witness to
the love and care we have for one another.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With each
Eucharist we celebrate, in the Penitential Rite we acknowledge the areas of our
life in which Jesus is not yet Lord, the ways that we have not loved God and
our neighbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully and gratefully,
we are the recipients of the merciful love of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am broken and yet I am welcomed into
Christ’s presence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It has been
said that if some of the gatekeepers of the Catholic Church had been present at
the Last Supper, Jesus would have dined alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To pray about this statement, we may find a grain of truth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are flawed human beings who are
continuously who are the recipients of the merciful and forgiving love of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we have
forgiven, so also are we to forgive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
repeat, we are to love our neighbor, no exceptions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have a
Blessed day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-25828214909805075292023-10-08T13:46:00.002-07:002023-10-08T13:46:09.819-07:00The vineyard of the Lord is within us.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Twenty
Seventh Sunday in OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">The Scriptures today speak of the vineyard of the Lord. The
vineyard of the Lord is the reign of God, the blessings of the Lord. The
vineyard of the Lord is among us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">In the first Scripture reading and in the psalm response, the
vineyard of the Lord is the House of Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">In this homily, I invite you to ponder where the vineyard of
the Lord is to be found? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 105%; margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">n<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">IN YOUR OWN HEART.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 105%; margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">n<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">IN THE CHURCH<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 105%; margin-left: 1.25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">n<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">IN THE WORLD.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">In the Gospel parable the vineyard is the reign of God that
is to be found within us. The vineyard of the Lord is to be found in our own
hearts. God goes to great lengths to prepare incredible blessings for the
vineyard. We are nurtured by God’s Word, fed at God’s table, helped by the commandment
of love. All we need do is to let God tend us and bring us to produce good
fruit. We are invited in this celebration of the Eucharist to invite Christ
into the vineyard of our own heart and to open our hearts and our minds to his
loving presence. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We become our best
selves when we open ourselves to giving and receiving the love of others. The
vineyard of the Lord is to be found within us, but this vineyard is connected
to our brothers and sisters with Christ as our cornerstone. This is the mystery
of the Church of Jesus. We are better together. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">This leads us to a second image of where the vineyard of the
Lord is to be found. The whole Church is the vineyard of the Lord. Ultimately, in
a wider sense, the whole world is the vineyard of the Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">The Gospel parable gives a warning of what can go wrong with
this beautiful imagery of all of us together being the vineyard of the Lord. From
the Gospel parable, the tenants to whom the vineyard is entrusted got greedy
and wanted everything for themselves. Plain and simple, there is rebellion in
the vineyard. Yes, there is sinfulness and demons in the vineyard. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">There is rebellion in the vineyard of our own hearts when we
get greedy and want everything for ourselves and are unwilling to share. In the
end, the greed of the tenants becomes their undoing for the king will have no
part with them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">What would life be like if we had the spiritual sightedness
to believe that everything is on loan to us from God? We are temporary tenants.
We don’t own anything, even though sometimes we act as if we own it all. Everything
ultimately belongs to God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">We must also look within and ask whether we at times we are
the tenant farmers who abuse the giftedness we have been given? What is the
produce that comes from the vineyard of our own heart, and do we give it back
gratefully to God our landowner? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Our lives
are a vineyard that God entrusts to us. Each of our lives, each of our
vineyards, is richly blessed. The voice of God’s Son calls out to us to share
our talents, our riches, our giftedness with those around us and with those who
have less. May we be conscious that like the tenant farmers in the Gospel, we
are tempted to be greedy and provide only for ourselves. When we excuse
ourselves from generous sharing and love of others, when we become more
interested in security rather than a Gospel commitment to sharing, we fail to
respond to the call of God In our lives. The vineyard of our own heart is ripe
for the harvest, and God calls out to each one of us: “Come, share what you
have and discover that the real treasure is not what you possess but in what
you are willing to give away.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">As we
reflect on the vineyard of the Lord as being the Church, we pray for the
success of the synod that is now talking place at the Vatican at the invitation
of Pope Francis. In calling the synod, Pope Francis desires us to a listening and
a discerning and a welcoming Church. All the people of the God, the community
of the baptized need to be listened to, in their particular place and time, in
order to know that the Spirit of God is calling the Church to be.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Now you may ask
what in the world is a synod? It is another word for collegiality. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A synodal church is a listening Church,
a church of encounter and dialogue. It is not afraid of the variety of Catholic
ideas and people but values it. A synodal Church is open, welcoming and
embraces all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Ultimately a
synodal church is a church of discernment where we listen attentively to each
other’s lived experience, we grow in mutual respect and begin to discern the
movements of God’s Spirit in the lives of others and in our own. Pope Francis is
aware of different points of tension in the Church, not conflicting hopes
conflicting identities, our different understandings of what the Catholic
Church should be -- issues around the expanding role of women in ministry, the
inclusion and welcome of LGBTQ sons and daughters of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">For some,
the idea of a universal welcome, in which everyone is accepted regardless of
who they are, is felt as destructive of the Church ‘s identity. They believe
identity demands boundaries, but for others, the very heart of the church’s
identity is to be open and welcoming.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Pope Francis
wants us to be Church, the community of the disciples of Christ listening to the
Spirit and continuing Christ’s mission in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Now I think
Pope Francis has a wonderful vision for our parish and for the whole Church –
that we listen to each other, we learn from each other, and the workings of the
Holy Spirit is to be found in our love for one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">But going
back to the gospel parable, it is easy for us to be the rebellious tenant
farmers who get greedy and self-centered in the vineyard of the Church. We too
easily find division and debate and tension in what the Church of Jesus should be.
There are both critics of People Francis and people like myself think that is
leadership of our Church is Spirit driven. Yes, the sinfulness that is in all
of us can work havoc in the vineyard of the Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">What is the
take home message of today’s Scriptures? We are tenants of this earth, stewards
of what has been entrusted to our care. We are stewards of the church,
entrusted with the awesome task of ministering to the needs of a broken and
hurting world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we offer back to the
owner of the vineyard a portion of the giftedness we have been given.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Have a
Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-72187948214997150282023-10-01T10:06:00.002-07:002023-10-01T10:06:32.693-07:00Do the prayers we say lead us to love our neighbor, no exception?<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Twenty Sixth
Sunday in OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">If you
remember last week’s Gospel parable, it was rather shocking and seemingly
unjust. The landowner sent workers to work in his vineyard at different hours
of the day. The master then paid the workers who worked one hour the same pay
as those who worked in the heat of the day all eight hours. It wasn’t fair. It
is difficult, is it not, to give up the religion of merits and believe in the
gratuitous love of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">To repeat,
it is difficult to give up the religion of merits and believe in the gratuitous
love of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In today’s
Gospel parable, a man had two sons whom he wished to send out to work in the
vineyard. The first said initially no and later changed his mind and then went
to work in the vineyard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second son
said yes but did not go to work in the vineyard. Which of the two did his
father’s will?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Today’s
Gospel parable is a <b>conversion</b> story. A man said to his first son: ‘Son
out and work in the vineyard today. He said in reply, ‘I will not go,’ but
afterwards changed his mind and went. Saying yes to God means giving up one’s
own thoughts and accepting His. Conversion happens in our lives when we open
ourselves to God’s plan for our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Conversion
for ourselves is not a onetime happening in our lives but each and every day we
are challenged in our discipleship of the Lord Jesus. On this day, are we
opening ourselves up to God’s plan for our lives?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Where do we
find ourselves in this Gospel parable? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The scribes
and the Pharisees were ones who said yes to the kingdom of God as the religious
elite. Their Achilles’ heel was their illusion of being saved by their pious
religious practices, and yet Jesus in this parable is being very direct and
confronting with the religious leaders of his day by saying the tax collectors
and prostitutes were going to enter the kingdom of God first. The kingdom of
God welcomes unexpected folks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">This parable
challenges us as well:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>what effect have
our prayers and religious practices had on our daily life? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Are we
motivated in our prayer to love our neighbor, no exceptions? Does our prayer enable
us to let go our judgments and our negativity? Are we led to share more generous
with people in need?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In the
second Scripture reading, Paul begins his beautiful hymn to Christ by
encouraging the Philippians to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. Paul
writes: “Have in you the same attitude that was also in Christ Jesus. Who,
though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to
be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in
human likeness; he humbled himself, becoming obedient even to the point of
death, even death on a cross?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">What does it
mean for you to have the same attitude as Jesus Christ? Are you in touch with
your own conversion story? God calls us who are sinners, who have said no to
God’s call in our sinfulness, but now may we open ourselves to the grace in our
lives and trust more fully in the Lor Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In today’s
Gospel parable, the father told his two sons to work in the vineyard today. As
you pray over this gospel, into what vineyard is the Lord sending you today --
the vineyard of your family, of your neighborhood, of your parish? Into what
vineyard is the Lord sending you to?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Indeed, the
Lord sends us to the vineyard of supporting others in need throughout our 12-county
diocese. We can do this by our generous support of the annual diocesan Catholic
Ministries Appeal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">This is the
time of the year when we focus on the annual diocesan Catholic Ministries
Appeal --- CMA. The CMA reminds that we are all part of the bigger church…we
are citizens of the Kingdom of God. We are called to a life of stewardship. We
are to share what we have been given.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">People are
still poor, hungry in need of pastoral care, education, and employment. The
faithful are in need of ministry and a vibrant parish life. Our youth and young
adults are yearning to learn and grow in their relationship with Christ. The
Church and our Diocese are in need of trained and educated seminarians,
deacons, and pastoral leaders to our lead our Church into the future. We cannot
close our eyes to these needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Our support
of the CMA is part of our stewardship commitment to share our giftedness with
people in need. I intend to increase my giving to the CMA this year. And I ask
you to do the same if you are able. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">We will
never regret our generosity in supporting people in need.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Our parish
goal this year is $87,000 to support the Catholic Ministries Appeal. Instead of
this number as a mandate, may we see it as an opportunity to share what we have
with those in need. Last year, we had 251 generous donors last year. Our goal this
year is to exceed that number. Hopefully, you received a letter with a pledge
from Bishop Matano and me this past week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It would be great if you responded to the request in a timely manner. Or
you can go to our parish website and give online or there are envelopes at the
entrance of Church for your convenience. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">May we all
give in the spirit in which we have been blessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No amount is too large or too small.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Like the
sons in the Gospel, are we saying yes or no to God’s way in our life? May a
component of our conversion story be a desire to share, to share in supporting
people in need in our diocese, in our commitment to building up the Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Have a
Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-57172414744886936992023-09-24T15:10:00.004-07:002023-09-24T15:10:40.783-07:00Are you envious because I am generous?<p> <span style="font-size: 14pt;">Twenty </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Fifth Sunday in</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">OT</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">2023</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today’s
Gospel parable gives us a glimpse of God’s measuring yardstick of what it means
to be a disciple – it is a yardstick of generosity and forgiveness. Jesus asks
us the grumbling workers: “Are you envious because I am generous? Thus, the
last will be first, and the first last.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now it is
true that this parable of the “workers in the vineyard” can seem to be hard to
understand. The parable deals with landowners and workers, wages and profits,
and fair and unfair labor practices. But to understand the parable, we need to
delve into what the kingdom of God is like. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After all,
in our world, hard work generally pays off, at least that’s what we have been
taught. If you work hard, do well in
school, and put all your energy into your work, then you will be rewarded.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From one
perspective, is Jesus trying to upset us in telling this parable? Is all my
hard work a waste of time? So, how are we to pray?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Lord, for too many people, our modern culture
is ruled by envy, not by generosity, and this is tearing our human family apart.
Too many people think that life’s rewards should be calculated on the basis of
work alone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We must
learn to measure by God’s yardstick -- one of generosity and forgiveness. Consider
the ways God has been all-heart to us. We are the ones who at times have worked
just one hour in the vineyard. Yet, we are a blessed people. We are a forgiven
people. May we never forget that all is a gift of God. With God’s yardstick, we
confess the times that in our smallness of spirit we thought that generosity is
a sin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lord, we
thank you for the times when you give us a glimpse of your kingdom, invite us
to enter into your generosity and set us free from the bondage of envy. Forgive
us when we grumble at you for the way you share out your blessings, for
comparing ourselves with others who we think had things easier.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We thank you
for the people of our lives who have taught us that the root of our problem is
being calculating instead of welcoming life as your gift. Lord, we pray that your church will be the
presence of Jesus in the world showing us a vision of your kingdom marked by
generosity, not envy. Help us to better understand that circumstances permit
some people to work only one hour, and may we embrace that they deserve a full
reward. Help us to embrace God’s grace in people’s lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The God we
believe in is not a bookkeeper who dishes out what we deserve. Rather, God is a
grace-filled benefactor who gives and gives and gives. Rather than being
all-fair, God is all-heart,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today’s
reading is an invitation for us to go looking for God’s forgotten ones -- to
treat them not with a human standard of fairness, but with a holy abandon of
love, compassion, and un-earned generosity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the
time of the year when we focus on the annual diocesan Catholic Ministries Appeal
--- CMA. The CMA reminds that we are all part of the bigger church…we are
citizens of the Kingdom of God. We are called to a life of stewardship. We are
to share what we have been given.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">People are
still poor, hungry in need of pastoral care, education, and employment. The
faithful are in need of ministry and a vibrant parish life. Our youth and young
adults are yearning to learn and grow in their relationship with Christ. The Church
and our Diocese are in need of trained and educated seminarians, deacons, and
pastoral leaders to our lead our Church into the future. We cannot close our
eyes to these needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our support
of the CMA is part of our stewardship commitment to share our giftedness with
people in need. I intend to increase my giving to the CMA this year. And I ask
you to do the same if you are able. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We will
never regret our generosity in supporting people in need.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today’s
Gospel parable starts by inviting us to look on ourselves as workers hired to
work in a vineyard. The image is valid. It is a touching way of understanding
our vocation as parent, teacher, friend, priest, or member of this parish
community. They are all forms of service and can be a heavy day’s work in all
the heat. Similarly, the staggered hirings during the course of the day are a
powerful symbol of how the same vocation turns out differently for different
people,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then as the
gospel parable goes on, it takes a radically new turn which is the real message
of the parable. We are not the landowners’ hired servants but his friends, free
people, not hired by anyone. Look on God as a hirer of servants and we
misunderstand him completely. So too, the rewards we receive for our service
are not earnings but gifts we receive with humble gratitude,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By making
the journey from God as hiring us as his servant to a God who is our friend or
to a God who loves us, we then discover the wonder of love, human and divine. Lord,
we thank you for the people in our lives who taught us that true love is always
generous and helped us move beyond possessiveness and envy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we
celebrate the generosity of God in this parable, God’s prodigal goodness can be
an affront to our human sense of fairness. God’s love of sinners is an insult
to the pious. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As we now
transition into the mystery of the Eucharist, we assemble around the Lord’s table,
and we thank God for His forgiveness, mercy, generosity, and love. He has sent
us His Son to bring us pardon, to transform us from being isolated individuals
into the community of His love, and He gives us the hope of everlasting life. So,
as God’s holy people, we recall that God is merciful and forgiving; God is
life-giving and generous; and that God is love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ligatures: none;">Have
a blessed day!</span>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-25680677140397360472023-09-17T09:50:00.001-07:002023-09-17T09:50:12.758-07:00God asks us to forgive as He forgives us.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Twenty
Fourth Sunday in OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">In the
Gospel, Peter wanted to know if he had to forgive seven times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus responds: “I say to you, not seven
times, seventy-seven times.” Then Jesus tells the parable in which he insists
that we have a forgiving spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Forgiveness is a central characteristic of a Christian lifestyle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Jesus’
mandate on forgiveness is followed by the parable of the unforgiving
servant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tragedy of the parable is
that the unforgiving servant never really experienced the forgiveness the king
had granted him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This servant never
experienced in his heart what was given him and therefore he could never offer
forgiveness to others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">The apostle
Peter was shocked at the depth of forgiveness Jesus was asking of him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We too can easily be shocked at the depth of
forgiveness the Lord is asking us to extend to others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I assure you that this Gospel sense of
forgiveness will make sense only when we are grateful for the depth of the
forgiveness that Jesus recklessly shares with each one of us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">The first
Scripture from the Book of Sirach indicates that our willingness to forgive
others renders us open to the healing forgiveness of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our best insurance policy to receive God’s
forgiveness is our willingness to forgive others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have heard the old saw of an eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mohandas
Gandhi, a Hindu, was once quoted as saying, “An eye for an eye and all the
world goes blind!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How true it is that
we need to take the initiative in extending forgiveness and healing to people
who stand in need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Mohandas Gandhi
was shot three times in the heart by an assassin, he raised his arms in a
gesture of forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His last words
before dying were Rama, rama, rama:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I
forgive you, I love you, I bless you<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">What about
ourselves?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In what ways have you
experienced forgiveness in your lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is such an important question in the spiritual journey of each one
of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without any doubt, our salvation
is not worked out by ourselves finally reaching a state of perfection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we seek to grow in living a Gospel way
of life, we will always be sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
salvation is worked out by our experience of the healing forgiveness of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we know the depth of God’s
forgiveness in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">The thought
I invite you to think about and pray over is:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ourselves need to forgive to experience
inner healing and to witness God’s healing love of all people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">During this
past week, I was the recipient of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a blessing for my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The experience of forgiveness leads us to a
radical understanding of the doctrine of grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are saved not by finally getting it right,
but by the love of Christ that redeems while we are getting it wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once more the grace of the Sacrament of
Reconciliation leads us to that deep awareness that we are saved not by finally
getting it right, but by the love of Christ that redeems us while we are
getting it wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Followers of
Jesus can never be minimalist in matters of justice, charity and even
forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God shares with us an
abundance of love and forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are to do likewise – sharing love and forgiveness in abundance with one
another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">May we be a
people who love generously and forgive easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The truth of our lives for all of us is we all need to forgive, and we
all need forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is the
message of today’s Scriptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
such an important message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The future of
our nation, the future of our Church, the future of the streets of our city,
the future of the world is in the hands of those who forgive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no way of understating the need for
forgiveness in life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">May we begin
each day in the same way we begin each celebration of the Eucharist:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord, have mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ, have mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord, have mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not to say that our lives have no
value or goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, it is to say
as God’s beloved sons and daughters, we stand under the waterfall of God’s
mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This then motivates to share what
we have been given.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">We are
members of a covenanted community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
God forgives us, we are to forgive others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Today’s Gospel message is to remember God’s mercy on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then become that memory for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By passing his mercy forward, we receive the
same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Revenge and hate have no place in
our relationship with God and others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Treating others with mercy gives us a peace grounded in divine grace.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">As we seek
to reduce racial tensions in the streets of our cities, today’s Gospel message
of forgiveness must touch the hearts of us all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We need to surrender our right to get even.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanness of spirit needs to be replaced with
a generosity of spirit, the spirit of forgiveness that is permanent and
unconditional. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Lord God
have pity on the many countries, including our own country that are being torn
apart by traditional hatreds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Send them
men and women who will show their compatriots that unless they forgive from
their hearts they will forever tortured by hatred and the desire for revenge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">As we know
from the Lord’s Prayer, our best insurance policy to receive God’s forgiveness
is our willingness to forgive others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we celebrate the Eucharist, we bring to God’s Eucharistic table
personal memories of our journey with God, our joys and our challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray with good memories of grace as well
as times of anxiety and fear when God seemed far from us in all these
memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the green pastures as well
as the dark valleys of life, today’s Scripture message is simple and
direct:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God asks us to forgive as He
forgives us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Have a Blessed
day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-8350707182197855952023-09-10T10:00:00.002-07:002023-09-10T10:00:42.695-07:00We are the Church.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">TWENTY THIRD
SUNDAY IN OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A 2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The mantra
for our parish that is repeated with each celebration of the Eucharist is:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WE ARE THE CHURCH.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the deepest sense, the building we are in
is not the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the building
that houses the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The church is
ourselves, the people of God, who gather to celebrate God’s presence in our
midst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This brings us together around
the table of the Lord in the mystery of the Eucharist, and then the Lord sends
us out to renew the face of the earth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">As a Church,
the people of God, we belong to one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are brothers and sisters to each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are the community of the baptized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no way of over-rating the importance
of relationships and community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
heart of our spirituality is to be found in the love, the forgiveness, the
healing, the kindness that we share with one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">We are not
just isolated individuals who come to Mass so that I can deepen my relationship
with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are a community of brothers
and sisters <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Microsoft%20Word" datetime="2023-09-08T10:07">who are called to make</ins></span> a difference<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Microsoft%20Word" datetime="2023-09-08T10:07">
in each other’s lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live
Eucharistic lives when we </ins></span>affirm, t<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Microsoft%20Word" datetime="2023-09-08T10:07">he God-given dignity
of our neighbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to love one
another</ins></span>, no exceptions,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The God we
worship is a Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in relationship to one
another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mystery of love that is
found in God is also to be found in the Church in our relationships with each
other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are millions of rules and
regulations in our Church and in our society but the great commandment is love -
love of God and love of neighbor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Having said
all this about the beauty and the value of our ourselves as the community of
the baptized, the truth of our lives also means confessing that we are all
sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can diminish our community
life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Jesus is
very much aware of the frailty among his disciples and future followers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need help in acknowledging our faults and
needed areas of improvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">And the
clear Gospel message today is that part of being a community of disciples is
that we as a community must involve efforts to correct our faults.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">At first
glance, today’s Gospel may look like a process to exclude the offending
party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“If your brother sins against
you, go and tell his fault between you and him alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he listens to you, you have won over your
brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he does not listen, take one
or two witnesses along with you, so that every fact may be established on the
testimony of two or three witnesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In today’s
reading, the entire community is given authority to hold its members to account
and rectify wrongful acts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 332.15pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">What is crucial is understanding today’s Gospel is the
process seeks not to exclude but to reconcile and restore the person to the
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is all about healing,
forgiving, and reconciling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make no
mistake about who we are as the community of the baptized, our mission is
healing, forgiving, and reconciling.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The Gospel
is an instruction by Jesus to the disciples about, not confrontation exactly,
but about the sacredness of community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The well-being of others – whether in your family, your workplace, your
parish community or wherever – becomes the reason for prophetically attending
to the faults of one of the community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Now there is
an abundance of therapy and workshops in conflict resolutions and the skills of
mediation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may consider that
Matthew’s Gospel may seem a little sketchy in resolving conflicts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, on a deeper level, conflict
resolutions involve more than skill training in psycho-social skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The message of today’s Gospel is that
reconciliation is a spiritual activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When our psycho-social skills are exercised from our spiritual center,
they become all they can be. When the Spirit enters listening skills, the
listening becomes deeper and more inclusive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When the Spirit enters mediation skills, the skills become more
respectful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This presence of the
Spirit within the skills signals that the skills are being used for the purpose
of reconciliation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">We become
better listeners to each other when we affirm the sacredness of our community
life and the Gospel message calls us to be a healing, forgiving and reconciling
community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">As seen in
the Gospel, correcting the faults of another can be dangerous territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I am the person being criticized, it can
be devastating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, if we are to
grow as a person, if we are to grow as a faith community, if your family is
going to be enriched, criticism is important for our growth when the critique
is motivated out of care and concern and love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We all must acknowledge:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
patient God isn’t finished with me yet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In affirming
the sacredness of community - in our family life, in our Church life, in the
streets of our cities, and in all ways we come together with others -- we must
learn to forgive, we must learn to care, we have to learn that strangers are no
longer strangers, that we are brothers and sisters to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">What would
like for us as Americans if Democrats and Republicans committed themselves to
affirm the sacredness of our community life and sought to build up each
other?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What would be like if on the
streets of our cities, instead of racial violence, we affirmed the dignity and
the sacredness of each other; what would it like in our Church life, if we all
prayed together the prayer of Jesus, that they may be one in unity and love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">As we pay
attention to our inner journey, we become aware that the spirit of God’s love
and healing dwells deep in our hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we hear with the ears of our heart, we desire to share forgiveness
and reconciliation and healing with all people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we hear with the ears of our heart, there is no place for
pettiness, judgments, ill-will, prejudice, and hatred among us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">We can turn
to the second reading today and be very clear:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>it is all about love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Owe
nothing to anyone, except to love one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Have a
Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-92030252569184865152023-08-27T09:53:00.002-07:002023-08-27T09:53:38.568-07:00As Jesus gazes across the centuries, how do you respond to the question: "Who do you say that I am?"<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Twenty First
Sunday in OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">In today’s
Gospel, Jesus asked his disciples two questions:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first was an informational discussion
question: “Who did people say that I am?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a warmup question.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">The Lord’s
second question was the real gut question Jesus was asking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a heart question, a faith question:
“Who do you that I am?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus said to him:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Blessed are
you, Simon, son of Jonah…And so, I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this
rock I will build my Church.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>In
Peter’s answer, he was saying that his relationship with Jesus was the
commitment that defined his life.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">St. Peter is
a paradoxical leader of the Church in that he exhibits both strength and
weakness in his faith journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In next
Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is saying to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are an obstacle to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are thinking not as God does, but as
human beings do.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">And yet,
Peter was chosen to be the first pope not by accident, but rather by divine
design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His very failure became his
credential to be the foremost preacher of God’s limitless mercy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Can you
resonate with that powerful statement?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Where in your life are you most aware of your need for the merciful love
of Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What weakness, failure, or
sinfulness puts you most in touch with your need for God’s healing grace? St
Paul proclaims that we have this treasure in earthen vessels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God lives within us surrounded by the
humanness of who we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, God
chooses to witness to his merciful love in the lives of others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">I know for
myself when I am in touch with my own sinfulness, when I too quick to judgment
on others, when I carry the weight of the world on my own shoulders, I am most
challenged to trust in the limitless mercy of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Going back
to Peter, people would see in the face of Peter the look of one who knows the
giving and forgiving God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter would
speak from his own experience: “Do not be afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s love has pursued Peter in his sin and
found him and gave him a new life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter
was a sinner saved by the love of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Good News Peter would fearlessly proclaim is God’s love will pursue
you in your sin and find you and give you new life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">There is
nothing you can do that is going to stop God from loving you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">We Catholics
boldly speak of the primacy of the pope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What of the primacy of our first Pope?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Peter has primacy because he is first in failure, first in suffering,
first in his need for God’s mercy to serve the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow Jesus understands that Peter can only
preach God’s reconciling love if he first experiences it himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is because Peter will fail so completely
and weep so bitterly over his denial of Jesus that, when he is finally
reconciled with Jesus at the Sea of Tiberius, he will truly understand God’s
message of mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">This
realization in the life of Peter leads us to ask ourselves:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>what are our credentials to proclaim the
limitless mercy of God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it is
our own failures and weaknesses that have been forgiven by God’s grace that
leads us to share God’s merciful love with one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Pope Francis
began his time as pope by acknowledging that he was a sinner and that God had
first “mercied” him before choosing him.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>He was chosen to be pope because he was
well acquainted with the mercy and forgiveness of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">In the
penitential rite at the beginning of the celebration of the Eucharist, we
acknowledge and celebrate our need for God’s merciful forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before receiving Communion, we say, “Lord, I
am not worthy that you should come under my roof; but say only the word and my
soul shall be healed.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Eucharist is
not a reward for the perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Eucharist is God’s gift of love to us who are not worthy, who are sinners, but
are grateful for the merciful love of Jesus that is shared with us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">In the
Gospel, Jesus said to Peter: “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of
heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first and the most
important power that was given to Peter and his successors was the forgiveness
of sins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">As you pray
over this beautiful Gospel, may we discern that certain keys have been
entrusted to each of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What keys has
the Lord entrusted to you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the
keys that have been given to us, we are to open the way to Jesus for others
instead of locking those doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
should welcome more people that we turn away and serve more people than we
refuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus comes to give us Good News
that we are to share with others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">As we look
to receive the Eucharist in our liturgy, may the grace of Communion encourage
us in those moments when we recognize and tend to the presence of Jesus in the
poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grace of Communion will enable
us to speak out against injustice and translate our words into actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grace of Communion will be there on those
days when we give of ourselves to help, to listen, to serve, and to befriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grace will inspire us to quiet ourselves, to
pray and to allow the presence of God a place in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grace will move us to put others and their
need ahead of our own. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">May the
struggles of our life lead us to trust in Jesus as the source of our inner
strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deep within is the person
God our Father dreams we can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May all
of us commit ourselves to do what the Lord asks of us in the building of the
Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to be merciful for God
has shown us mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">As Jesus
gazes across the centuries to today, how might you respond to the question:
“Who do you say that I am?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Have a
Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-46333394931778304492023-08-13T09:40:00.000-07:002023-08-13T09:40:03.129-07:00"Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid."<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Ni<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">neteenth
Sunday in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">“Take
courage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not be afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These hope-filled words were spoken by Jesus
to his frightened disciples as they were being blown around by the storminess
on the Sea of Galilee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we engage
today’s Gospel of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, we are in the midst of
an angry sea, in a boat that seems fragile, and there are howling winds and
enormous waves that threaten to capsize the disciples.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Today’s
Scripture readings invite us to reflect over the ways we encounter the Lord in our
lives – the ways we become in touch with God’s presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is much to be learned from the first
disciples on the Sea of Galilee.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">At some
point in time, the storminess on the Sea of Galilee may describe anyone’s life
– one’s parish or school; one’s business or neighborhood or family; one’s
personal life as our employer tells us that our job is downsized or outsourced,
or our doctor explains our test results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This storminess has been the life of the community of the Church many
times since Jesus walked on water, and it is what today’s Gospel account is all
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we focus on the power of
the winds and the depths of the waves and how wet and how cold we are, then we
panic and grasp and clutch and…sink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we give our life over to Jesus, when we trust in Jesus as Lord and
Savior, we save our life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">This message
is straightforward and easy to understand but so hard to live out when we are
gripped by our fears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grace we
seek from today’s Scriptures is to cultivate faith in Jesus that is greater
than our fears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith over fear. The
words of Jesus that are spoken to us again and again are: “It is I; do not be
afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We aren’t being asked to walk
on water, but to act like we believe that God’s love for us is more powerful
than chaos, evil and apathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">The
storminess on the Sea of Galilee describes very well the quality of life of
high school girls who live in the poverty of the country of Tanzania in
Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would like to describe to you
the missionary outreach our parish provides for St. Mary’s School, a Catholic
high school for girls in Mazinde Ju in Tanzania. This school is a beacon of
hope for high school girls that gives them a life-changing experience to get out
of the web of poverty that diminishes their quality of life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">On three
occasions dating back more than ten years ago, parishioners from St Joseph’s
have gone on pilgrimage to St Mary’s School in Tanzania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have the privilege of going with a group of
parishioners in 2018.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been a
life changing experience for me as well as all from St Joe’s who have had the
opportunity to be a part of this Christ-like school that provides a spiritual
and academic opportunity for high school girls who otherwise would be without
educational opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Over these
last several years, St Joseph’s has been a major benefactor to this school –
contributing as much as $50,000 in a given year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are several of us, myself included, who
contribute $1,000 per year to provide scholarships for deserving students.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">My mantra is
you never regret being generous to people in need.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">What is so inspiring
to me in my visit to Tanzania, is that St. Mary’s School is so much more than a
quality classroom experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a
residential school that is for me is an experience of Church in which everyone
has their fixed on the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
spiritual leader of this community is a priest from the Diocese of Rochester,
Fr Damien Milliken, a Benedictine priest who has served his priestly ministry
for over 50 years in Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
wonderful community of faith has an abundance of consecrated women, the
religious sisters of Usumbara, who are teachers for these high school
students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in this school community
live out the Gospel values of love and service and friendship with one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">I regard it
as a privilege for us as a parish community to be benefactors of this
Christlike school community of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
invite your generosity in the second collection.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">As a priest
of 55 blessed years, I have the opportunity to celebrate Mass in many sacred
places including at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome when St John Paul II ordained
my nephew Jason a priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was a wow
experience for me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">But I tell
you, my most mystical celebration of the Eucharist was in the school chapel of
St Mary’s at 6:00 am on an ordinary school day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Looking out from the altar, I was in the presence of 1,000 high school
girls in full Catholic school uniform singing the opening hymn with angelic and
enthusiastic voices accompanied only by one high school girl in the choir loft
striking a well-worm drum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The joy in
their hearts was unmistakable.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">What I would
emphasize is that this wasn’t a special feast for Our Lady, this liturgy
happens each and every school day at 6:00 am in the morning with the same kind
energy and prayerfulness. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">The holiness
of this liturgy remains with me five years later.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">What is so
amazing is to be aware of how the graduates of St Mary’s have gone to
leadership positions in the legal area, in the medical area and in business and
government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These graduates hold
leadership positions improving the quality of life in Tanzania.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">My prayer is
that you will shower these deserving high school girls with the same love,
generosity, and prayer as you would your own daughters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we are mindful that these young women are
God’s beloved daughters, we are called to share from our giftedness in our
generosity for these high schoolers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">We have it
right in our ministry here at St Joseph’s Church when both St Joseph’s School
and St Mary’s School in Mazindu Ju, in Tanzania are recipients of our prayer
and our generosity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;">May God
bless you with the gift of generosity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-11044269045297604132023-08-06T09:27:00.001-07:002023-08-06T09:27:34.385-07:00"This is my beloved Son. Listen to HIm,"<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">TRANSFIGURATION<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Today the Gospel prese</span></span><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">nts the </span></span><a href="https://sites.google.com/view/popefrancishomilies/transfiguration" target="_blank"><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Transfiguration</span></span></a><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">. </span></span><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus “took with him Peter and James and John
his brother and led them up a high mountain apart” (Mt 17:1). The mountain in
the Bible represents a place close to God and an intimate encounter with Him, a
place of prayer where one stands in the presence of the Lord. There up on the
mount, Jesus is revealed to the three disciples as transfigured, luminescent,
and most beautiful. And then Moses and Elijah appear and converse with Him. His
face is so resplendent and his robes so white that Peter, awe-struck, wishes to
stay there, as if to stop time. Suddenly from on high the voice of the Father
resounds proclaiming Jesus to be his most beloved Son, saying “listen to him”
(v. 5). This word is important! Our Father said this to these Apostles and says
it to us as well: “listen to Jesus, because he is my beloved Son.” </span></span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The ‘brightness’ which characterizes this
extraordinary event symbolizes its purpose: to enlighten the minds and hearts
of the disciples so that they may clearly understand who their Teacher is. It
is a flash of light which suddenly opens onto the mystery of Jesus and
illuminates his whole person and his whole story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin: 0in;"><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">By now decisively headed
toward Jerusalem, where he will be sentenced to death by crucifixion, Jesus
wanted to prepare his own for this scandal — the scandal of the Cross — this
scandal which is too intense for their faith and, at the same time, to foretell
his Resurrection by manifesting himself as the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus
was preparing them for that sad and very painful moment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin: 0in;"><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin: 0in;"><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Going back to the Gospel
account, Jesus appeared to Peter, James and John in his risen glory. They then
heard a voice from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">What does it mean to be
beloved of the Father for Jesus? You might think Jesus would have a permanent
mountaintop experience? Not so! The transfiguration was a preparation for his
final entry into Jerusalem where he was to suffer and to die on the cross…. Still,
he certainly was the Father’s beloved.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">You would think that as the
beloved of the Father life would be a bit more extravagant for Jesus. The best
of everything -- a vacation in the high rent district of the Sea of Galilee, or
an unlimited checking account or something.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Yet, his transfiguration was
not far removed from the cost of discipleship. This Jesus who was the beloved
of the Father would empty himself, suffer and die on the cross.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">In fact, Jesus was already revealing himself
as a Messiah different from their expectations, from how they imagined the
Messiah, how the Messiah would be: not a powerful and glorious king, but a
humble and unarmed servant; not a lord of great wealth, a sign of blessing, but
a poor man with nowhere to rest his head; not a patriarch with many
descendants, but a celibate man without home or nest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the most bewildering sign of this
scandalous overturning is the cross. But it is through the Cross that Jesus
will reach the glorious Resurrection, which will be definitive, not like this
Transfiguration which lasted a moment, an instant.</span></span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span class="c9dxtc"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Transfigured on Mount Tabor, Jesus wanted to
show his disciples his glory, not for them to circumvent the Cross, but to show
where the Cross leads. Those who die with Jesus, shall rise again with Jesus.
The Cross is the door to Resurrection. Whoever struggles alongside him will
triumph with him.</span></span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jesus was God’s beloved Son. God’s plan for his beloved Son
included the scandal of the cross – his suffering and death. In Baptism, we too
are God’s beloved. But like Jesus, this does not mean we get a free pass from
suffering and the cross. God’s love is unending but like Jesus God’s love for
us includes the scandal of the cross.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">For us to trust in God’s love for us in the crosses of life, we
need transfiguration moments that sustains our faith in our journey that leads
to the cross as our entrance way to sharing in the risen life of Jesus. Our
transfiguration moments occur in times of prayer. Our prayer can come in many
forms. This past week, I experienced a prayerful transfiguration moment in
experiencing the beauty of sunset over Lake Ontario. Another moment was
spending time with my sister during a game of golf.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">These blessed transfiguration moments sustain my trust that
Jesus is with me in all experiences of life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">From the event of the Transfiguration, I would like to take two
significant elements that can be summed up in two words: ascent and descent. We
all need to go apart, to ascend the mountain in a space of silence, to find
ourselves and better perceive the voice of the Lord. This we do in prayer. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But we cannot stay there! Encounter with God in prayer inspires
us anew to “descend the mountain” and return to the plain where we meet many
brothers and sisters weighed down by fatigue, sickness, injustice, ignorance,
poverty both material and spiritual. To these brothers and sisters in
difficulty, we are called to bear the fruit of that experience with God, by
sharing the grace we have received. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">And this is curious. When we hear the Word of Jesus, when we
listen to the Word of Jesus and carry it in our heart, this Word grows. Do you
know how it grows? By giving it to the other! The Word of Christ grows in us
when we proclaim it, when we give it to others! And this is what Christian life
is. It is a mission for the whole Church, for all the baptized, for us all:
listen to Jesus and offer him to others. Do not forget: this week listen to
Jesus! </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">As we ponder the meaning of the Transfiguration Gospel, know
that we are God’s beloved. May we listen to how the Lord speaks to us in our
prayer. May we recognize many prayerful experiences throughout the day. May we
know that we then are missioned to come down the mountain and to share the love
of Jesus with one and all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="zfr3q" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 9.0pt;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Lato",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Have a Blessed day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-41235069373332702222023-07-23T10:49:00.002-07:002023-07-23T10:49:29.876-07:00'We are all sinners in the hands of a loving and forgiving God.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Sixteenth
Sunday in OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In today’s
Gospel parable, Jesus is suggesting that we let the weeds in the garden grow
along with the wheat till harvest time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When the question was asked:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do
you want us to go immediately to pull up the weeds?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The response was given: “No, if you pull up
the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let them grow together until the harvest.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I reflect on today’s Gospel of the parable
of the weeds and the wheat, my conviction is we live in a very weedy
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isn’t it true, there is much too
much violence, hatred, power-grabbing, self-centeredness in the world
today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to look no further than
ourselves to recognize too much self-centeredness and not enough
God-centeredness and other-centeredness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Jesus tells
us this parable to illustrate the patience of God in dealing with weeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wait until the harvest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Church of Jesus is not to grow impatient
with the weeds.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">What weeds
are we talking about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, the weeds of
life are all about us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all
sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have demons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In terms of this parable, we all have weeds –
the weeds of pride, the weeds of materialism, the weeds of anger, the weeds of
lust, the weeds of self-centeredness, and the weeds of holding grudges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often enough, we are more aware of these
weeds in the lives of others than ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">There are
significant weeds in the life of the Church – the weeds of sexual abuse, the
weeds of power, and the weeds of not living out the Gospel that is preached.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">What are we
to do in the face of the weeds that are all about us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The parable suggests that God is patient—much
more patient than ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matthew’s
Gospel could be renamed the Gospel of Punishment postponed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>harvest.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">With this
parable, Jesus is telling us clearly we are to be an inclusive church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since its earliest days, the Church has
preferred to tolerate different levels of commitment and holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if you can observe in your own
family life different levels of commitment and holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if this is true, are we not called to
love and embrace each and every member of our family.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">This
attitude of acceptance is also in line with the revelation of God “as merciful
and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">An inclusive
Church that is kind and lenient toward its own members and toward everyone else
should be an inspiration to a divided world that has a tendency to judge
harshly, to be quick to anger, and to uproot weeds even at the cost of damage
to the good plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Church is to
stand forth as a sign that we are all brothers and sisters which allows honest
dialogue and invigorates it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">A Church
that is welcoming and has room for everyone, a Church that can forgive and
forget, a Church that does not condemn, criticize or judge has God’s heart
beating within the Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">May we pray
for the grace of the patience of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This does not mean passivity or helplessness or an attitude of giving up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does this mean we are to sit back and pick
daisies while the innocent suffer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
means we are to love ourselves who are sinners and who have weeds that
disappoint us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth of our lives is
that we are all sinners whom the Lord has turned his gaze upon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The
evangelist Matthew is concerned that no punishment be meted out
prematurely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beware of the overzealous
volunteers, anxious to “weed out” undesirables, supremely sure of their ability
to identify such undesirables with unfailing accuracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What looks like weeds to us may well be
wheat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">What are we
to make of the weediness of our Church that doesn’t always reflect the love of
Jesus in the lives of people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we look
for a Church without weeds so that we can focus more fully on God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As illustrated in the parable, as
disillusioning as this may be, the weeds are going to be present till the
harvest at the end of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Church will always be a Church of sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, this doesn’t mean that we are to be passive recipients of evil as
in sexual abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are to stand for the
Gospel and hold ourselves and others to a Gospel way of living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But at the same time, as long as people are
people, there is going to be some weediness in our own hearts and in our world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">What are we
to do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What did Jesus do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recall the story that Jesus told of the Good
Shepherd who left the 99 and went in sheep of the lost sheep that had gone
astray.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Recall the
story of the woman caught in adultery when Jesus said to her accusers: “Let him
who is without sin cast the first stone.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">And to the
thief that was crucified along with Jesus: “This day you will be with me in
paradise.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">I call your
attention to the words of St. Paul in the second Scripture reading: “The Spirit
comes to the aid of our weakness: for we do not pray as we ought.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always taken great comfort in this
reading from Paul to the Romans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
though I’m sure your prayer is always very focused, and you never get
distracted, I confess that my mind is capable of wandering in prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am too capable of getting caught in the
busyness of life and not focus on resting in the Lord Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I am very comforted that the Holy Spirits
brings my distracted and useless prayer to our loving God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My “very weedy prayer,” so to speak, through
the grace of the Holy Spirit deepens my union with Christ Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be to God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">To sum up
the parable of the weeds and the wheat, at the end of the day, we are all
sinners in the hands of a loving and forgiving God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Have a
Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-56067242360064366962023-07-02T09:54:00.002-07:002023-07-02T09:54:25.932-07:00Generosity is a divine investment.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Thirteenth
Sunday in OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023 A<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br />
The message of today’s scriptures is that hospitality and GENEROSITY is A
DIVINE INVESTMENT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The disciples of
Jesus never regret generosity -- even then this involves the detachment from
the pleasure that we are very attached to.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Just as we can become skilled in investing resources so
that our future will be secure, please know that our divine investment in our
future life with Christ is secured by the generosity and hospitality we show to
our brothers and sisters today.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In today’s first Scripture reading, the prophet Elisha
was the recipient of the hospitality and generosity of the woman of Shunem who
fed him and offered him a place to stay in their home.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Later Elisha inquired to her was anything he could do
for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was told that she had no son,
and her husband was getting on in years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Elisha called her and promised: “This time next year you will be
fondling a baby son.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This shunemite woman indeed experienced her generosity
as a divine investment and an end to barrenness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Today’s Gospel is the conclusion of the missionary
discourse Jesus was giving his disciples before sending them out to proclaim
the Good News of the Gospel.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Jesus is
upping the ante in what is being asked of his disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus says: “Whoever does not take up his
cross and follow me is not worthy of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my
sake will find it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The great
mystery of our faith is the paschal mystery:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was through his suffering and dying on the
cross that was the pathway for Jesus to come to resurrection and his risen
life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The great
mystery of our faith is that we are called to participate in the paschal
mystery of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is through our
suffering and ultimately our death that we come to sharing in the risen life of
Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In our
journey of faith, we need to embrace dying to self and our self-centeredness
before we die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to appreciate the
virtue of detachment as the path for experiencing the freedom of the children
of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">The
challenge for us is that detachment is so counter-intuitive to the life we too
often live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often enough, attachment is
our home base. It is so against the logic of human progress. We easily are
attracted to the pleasure of all kinds of attachments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">We become
attached to our families that love us; we become attached to our home and
property that bring us considerable pleasure; we become addicted to receiving
recognition and praise from others; we become attached to our favorite cocktail:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we become attached to the particular
lifestyle which brings pleasure to our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We never have enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We become
addicted to wanting more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
attachments can become our false gods.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">What would
it take for us to die for any or all of these attachments? What would it take
to die to all the pleasures of our life?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Just this
past week, I have presided at four funerals at St Joseph’s Church?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grieving family members have experienced the
unthinkable – the death of a family member that was so much loved?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their grieving leaves a profound sense of
loss and abandonment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we deal
with the detachment that is completely unplanned and for which we are so
unprepared?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">In our
spiritual journey, all of us through the circumstances are challenged to
participate in the paschal mystery of Christ Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to die to our ourselves so that we
can live more fully in Christ Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
need to be able to let go and let God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">This also
applies to all the negative experiences in our life that rob us of our
self-esteem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to let go of past
hurts, judgments we have made about others; let go of the need for revenge. We
need to die to all the negativity that haunts us so that we can the freedom of
the sons and daughters of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">For all this
to happen, we need to make God the first priority of our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The discipleship that Jesus asks of us is not
a part-time sense of discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus
calls to trust that He will always be the Lord and Savior of our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">This means
we need to die to our plans for our life and to give ourselves over to God’s
plan for our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means
embracing the virtue of detachment from our plans and trusting his God’s plan
for our life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WE need the courage and
trust of Mary at the Annunciation when she responded to the angel Gabriel:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to
me according to your Word.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Listen again
to what seems like very troubling words from Jesus: “Whoever loves father or
mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">I can
remember to this day when I was a seven-year-old second grader at Our Lady of
Good Counsel School, my second-grade teacher Sister Concilia asked me: “Who do
you love more?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your mommy or God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I immediately responded: “My mommy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sister Concilia corrected me and told me I
was to love God more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a seven year
old, I was confused by this correction and when I told my very faith-filled mom
what had happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The puzzling question
still confused me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">As we pray
over today’s Gospel, Jesus is inviting to come to a deeper understanding of our
call to love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First and foremost, God is
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To know God is to experience love.
Each of us is the recipient of God’s unconditional love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is nothing we can do to stop God from
loving us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">As we deepen
our relationship with Jesus, we become more and more aware of God’s love for us
and our missionary mandate to share our love with one and all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As far as we are steeped in the mystery of
God’s love for us, yes, this indeed is the first priority of our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Jesus is the North Star of our lives, then
our love for our mother and father and son and daughter deepens and grows
within us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">When indeed
we experience detachment from our self-centeredness and when we are willing to
die to self, we experience the freedom of the sons and daughters of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This freedom enables to trust in God’s plan
for our life and enables to love more freely one and all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;">Have a
Blessed Day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 106%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895845892075302733.post-25971075267473972092023-06-25T09:10:00.000-07:002023-06-25T09:10:18.282-07:00Sacred Heart of Jesus, I placed my trust in you.<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Twelfth
Sunday in OT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Are not two
sparrows sold for a small coin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet not
one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even all the hairs of your head are
counted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, do not be afraid; you are
worth more than many sparrows.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How
believable are these words of Jesus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>”Even
all the hairs of your head are counted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So,
do not be afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How would life be for
us if we stop being afraid?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In fact, when
you reflect upon this, “Do not be afraid” is perhaps the most often repeated
statement in the Scriptures.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the first Scripture reading, the Prophet Jeremiah needed
to hear those words of Jesus: “Do not be afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the reluctant prophet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew what it was to be afraid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, Jeremiah’s prophetic career was
riddled with countless fearsome experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When called by God, he feared he was too young.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He feared he would not know what to say or
how to speak to his contemporaries in God’s name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He feared facing others with the truth of
their sinfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He feared to speak
God’s Word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He feared not to speak it as
well, and when he spoke it, he feared its consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Scripture reading today, his hearers
wanted to denounce Jeremiah and to lay a trap for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You didn’t have to tell Jeremiah about
fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was an expert on the subject.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Are we in some ways like the prophet Jeremiah?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is fear the background music of most of our
lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we even fear the cost of doing
the right things at times?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To the first disciples, Jesus says: “Fear no one…What I say
to you in the darkness, speak in the light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops…Do not be
afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What does Jesus do after giving these awesome marching
orders to his disciples?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give them body
cameras to wear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or perhaps sell them
life insurance if things didn’t turn out so well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give them bullet-proof vests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teach them how to diffuse conflict.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus simply repeats: “Do not be afraid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What about ourselves and our fears?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How can we really stop being afraid?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we dig down deeper, there is an aspect of
fear that is healthy for all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
example, we should have a healthy fear of the corona virus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Common sense tells us at times we should be
cautious about our health and safety.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, there is an aspect of fear that is built into us that
seeks to keep us safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However, the message of Jesus calls us in a deeper sense not
to be afraid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there something we can
do to stop being afraid?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only way we can stop being afraid is if
we trust in God’s promise to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The God
who watches over even the commonest of birds will take care of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our best response to God’s promise is simply
to celebrate, rejoice, and give thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes, but…Who can believe this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who can live without fear?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are suspicious even of promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are always hearing of promises that aren’t
kept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the promises made on one’s
wedding are not always kept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regrettably,
the life experience of many of us have taught us to be suspicious of promises.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 5.75in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yet Jesus made many incredible far-reaching promises:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>not only about God knowing every hair on our
heads and promising to care for us, but also remember some of the other promises
of Jesus: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I go to prepare a place for you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am with you always.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I tell you, your sins are forgiven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the Beatitudes:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>those who mourn will be comforted; the meek
will inherit the earth; the pure in heart will see God.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some of the first disciples believed that when Jesus was
crucified, these promises seemed to be all cancelled out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had failed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was just a dreamer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even his disciples no longer followed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke,
they are nowhere to be seen at the crucifixion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All of them deserted and fled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pete denied even knowing Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thanks be to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus’ death was not the end of the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God raised Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God made sure that Jesus could keep his
promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even death will not keep Jesus
from keeping the promises He has made to us, because if we die with Him and we
will be raised with Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a
promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s the basis for our hope
in all the other promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the
sparrows don’t fall to the ground apart from God the Father, and we are of
greater value than many sparrows.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">From the Gospel, Jesus says that “Everyone who acknowledges
me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a promise.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In our spiritual journey given perhaps our old eyes of
experience where we have been hurt, are we able to embrace the promises of the
one who lived and died and rose again so that we no longer have to be afraid.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, we have
fragile bodies, but as a people of faith, what would it take for us to live in
the freedom of the children of God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
would it take for us to be convicted that fear must give way to hope?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For us as
the disciples of Jesus, fear is not an option.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today that same crucified and risen Lord is in our midst,
allowing us to stop being afraid because of the powerful love of God on which
the promise is based:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Even the hairs of
your head are counted; you are of more value than many sparrows.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The promise continues in the mystery of the
Eucharist as we hear Jesus say that “this bread is my body, given for you,” and
“this wine is my blood, shed for you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We receive Christ in the bread and wine because He promises to share His
life with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not be afraid; I am
with you; even the hairs on your hear are counted; and you live in the midst of
God’s unending love for you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" style="background: white; margin: 11.25pt; text-align: center;"><strong><i><span style="color: green; font-family: Roboto;">J</span></i></strong><em><span style="color: green; font-family: Roboto;">ust echo the word 'trust' as you sit in
silence;</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><br />
</span><em><span style="color: green; font-family: Roboto;">let this gift and call
of trust fill your being.</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><br />
</span><em><span style="color: green; font-family: Roboto;">Sacred heart of Jesus,
I place all my trust in you</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Roboto;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 22.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>James Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615379435973196800noreply@blogger.com0