Third Sunday Of Ordinary Time Reflection 2014

Isaiah 8: 23-9:3

First Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

Matthew: 4-12-23

In last Sunday’s Gospel, we hear John the Baptist declaring to his follower’s that Jesus is the promised Messiah; not only that, Jesus is the Son of God, who has come to free from the power of sin.  In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus now beginning his mission; but one would expect that he would go straight to Jerusalem!  There he would find men who knew the Hebrew Scriptures backwards and forwards.  One would think Jesus would be seeking the most powerful and influential men of his time.  But no, he is traveling along the roads of Galilee, walking the streets of Capernaum; it is to the provincials, the local yokels that he is proclaiming the Good News that the kingdom of heaven is at hand!  It is to the poor and down trodden, the farmers and craftsmen, to the ordinary people who need to hear this Good News; that Jesus goes to. 

So in Matthew’s Gospel we see Jesus walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee; he comes across Simon Peter and Andrew.  And out of the blue, he asks them to come and follow him; he had special work for them.  Now a normal person would have looked at Jesus and replied: “Yeah, right!” and would have gone on their work.  However, Peter and Andrew dropped their nets and followed Jesus. 

The term “dropping their nets,” I heard used yesterday at a talk I attended at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center down in Braintree.  The presenter was Sherry Weddell, who with a Dominican friar lead workshops that helped people discern their charisms.  An outgrowth of that work was a book entitled “Forming Intentional Disciples.”  She defines an intentional disciple as someone who makes a conscious decision to follow Jesus; in other words, he or she “drops their nets,” Now, from the moment we were baptized, we became a part of the Body of Christ, we became disciples, but the majority of us, I am sure, were way too young to make a intentional commitment to the faith. 

Now, however, we are being called, we are being called every day, every moment to follow Jesus, to enter into an intimate relationship with our God.  We are called daily to live the commandments Jesus gave us: “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all you mind,” and you shall love your neighbor as yourself;” with all the challenges, and the joys that we will experience. 

There is a community out there, a state out there, a nation out there, who needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.  There are those who need to see people, by word and deeds striving to live the Good News.  So we need to ask ourselves, if Jesus was to tap us on the shoulder, will we drop our nets?

Second Sunday Of Ordinary Time Homily - 2014

Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6

First Corinthians 1: 1-3

John 1: 29-34

In the 1990’s, Tom Cruise starred in a film, entitled “Jerry Maguire,”  in it he played a sports agent, who leaves a super sports management agency, because he feels he can do better on his own.  He is trying to retain his clientele, especially this promising football player, portrayed by the actor Cuba Gooding Jr.  Jerry Maguire is trying desperately to convince the football player to stay with him, the player remains unconvinced.  Finally, he tells Maguire, “Show me the money!” which becomes a catch phrase for the ‘90’s.  “Show me the money,” in other words, “Show me that you are the real deal, that you can deliver on your promises.”  Now, imagine if you are Jewish person during the time of Isaiah, and you just heard the words that are in the first reading.  Actually, these are the Lord’s words that Isaiah is repeating.  Keep in mind that this reading takes place during a time of trial for the people of Israel, the kingdom is being shattered, the people dragged into exile.  And God is saying that Israel will become a light to the nations!  Some of the people will take these words to heart and have hope!  Others, I am sure will say, “Show me the money!”  “Show that this promise will ever be fulfilled.” 

Fast forward to the time of John the Baptist.  He is going up and down the Jordan River, proclaiming that the Messiah is coming!  He calls people to get ready, repent from your sins, be baptized and cleansed from your sins.  And he drawing great crowds, but there are those who listen to him, especially the Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem; who come up to him and say “Show me the money!”  Show us this Messiah!  John points to Jesus and declares “Behold the Lamb of God!” and he gives testimony of his own experience, of seeing the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus, and knowing in his heart of hearts that Jesus is the Son of God.

Fast forward again to our present times, we see in this country the Christian community in decline; people no longer willing to make a commitment to the Church, no longer willing to believe.  We cry out to them, “Behold, Jesus Christ!  The Way, The Truth, and The Life!” do people respond to us by saying: “Show us the money!”  Show us, testify to us, by your words and deeds that you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God!  How do we respond?  Do we insulate ourselves here in this Church?  Become a faithful remnant?  I would say no!  From the moment we were baptized and confirmed, we received a precious treasure, a treasure that is renewed and increased each time we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord!  But it is not a treasure to be hoarded, we are to go forth into our homes, our offices and workshops; the marketplaces and street corners; and share that treasure with everyone we come in contact with.  We are called to give ourselves in service to others, that they may know God’s love, to be a voice for the poor and oppressed.  That each person we greet, will experience the peace and love of Christ.  Let us “show the money,” let us show them the power, the reality of that the love that can only come through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  

It Is What It Is!

When the picture of Cardinal Sean O'Malley OFM Cap, being anointed with water by the Rev. Anne Robertson hit the Web; the Catholic blogosphere went ballistic!  Conservatives decried the fact that a Cardinal of the Church was accepting a blessing from a Protestant minister; a woman minister to boot!  Liberals were wondering if this was a new openness to ordained women!  The Boston Globe did a write up on the encounter, and a columnist for National Catholic Reporter online commented on the conservative blowback.

I feel that there is a tendacy these days to read too much into gestures.  We see that recently with peoples' reaction to whatever Pope Francis does; seeing it through their own ideological lenses.  Sometimes a courteous action is just that, a courteous action from one Christian to another Christian.  Nothing more, but definitely, nothing less.

Commemorating A New England Ecumenical Event

On January 19th, 1964, Cardinal Richard Cushing, then Catholic Archbishop of Boston, went to Sudbury United Methodist Church in Sudbury, MA.  He was to speak to a gathering of Christians of all denominations.  Even just a few years before 1964, such an event would have been unheard of, however, because of the work that the Second Vatican Council was doing on ecumenism; and the type of person Cardinal Cushing was, this milestone in ecumenical relations took place. 

50 years later, almost to the day, Cushing's successor, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM CAP, returned to Sudbury Methodist, to celebrate the memory of that event, and to look forward to the future.  The Archdiocesan paper, The Pilot, announced the event, and gave some historical background.  Among those attending the ceremony was a friend of mine, the Rev. Anne Robertson, who is a United Methodist minister, and is currently the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bible Society.  I am privileged to be a member of the Society's Board of Trustees. The service was a combination of prayer, and song.  Since January 12th was the Baptism of the Lord, there was going to be a renewal of baptismal vows.  Somebody from the Pilot, George Martell, took pictures of the event and also got audio of Cardinal Sean's talk. 

Part of the renewal of baptismal vows included being anointed with water by either a Catholic or Protestant clergy person.  Anne and a Catholic priest were about to go to an overflow room, where they were watching the ceremony on live stream TV.  Before they went off, the priest asked Cardinal Sean to anoint them with water, then Cardinal Sean turned to Anne, and asked her to do the same for him.  Anne shares her reaction and her feelings about this on her own blog.

It speaks again of the Franciscan humility of Cardinal Sean, and his ability to seize the moment, and turn it into a pastoral, a loving, a Christian encounter; much like what Cardinal Cushing did fifty years earlier.

My late father was born into a Methodist family, he would later convert to Catholicism; but I still have Episcopalian cousins.   Ecumenism is very important to me, and I pray that we find a way forward to that day when we all will be truly one in Christ.

The Epiphany Of The Lord. 2014

Today we remember the three wise men who came from a foreign land to acknowledge the Child Jesus as King.  They came with gifts for the Child.  What gifts to we have to offer in service of our Savior?

May the Holy Spirit help discern those gifts; and give us the grace to share them with all our brothers and sisters.

The Digital Bible

The Word of God has been proclaimed through many different media.  It was originally passed on orally from parents to children.  Then it was hand written on scrolls and bound vellum.  The invention of the printing press was a definite game changer.  Now, we are in the digital age, where Bibles can now be read on computers, tablets, Ipads, smartphones and Iphones.  America Magazine has posted an article on the digital Bible on their website