FEAST OF STS PETER AND PAUL, 2008
First Reading: Acts 12:1–11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:2–3, 4–5, 6–7, 8–9
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 17–18
Gospel: Matthew 16:13–19
Periodically, the Church sets aside an entire year to encourage all of us to focus on some particular and important aspect of our Faith. From today until June 29th next year, we are given a whole year to honor St. Paul, one of the great saints and founders of the early Church. St. Paul was born 2000 years ago in what is now the country of Turkey.
Saul was his Jewish name. He was born a Roman citizen. As a teenager he went to school to learn about the Jewish religion. He was the son of a Jewish pharisee who was very strict about following the Jewish religion. Paul was a tentmaker and was not a follower of Jesus at first. In fact, he hated the followers of Jesus. When it was common to kill persons by throwing stones at them, he throw stones at Steven who was one of the early followers of Jesus.
However, one day when Paul was about 35 years old, he was on his way to Damascus to put into jail some of the Catholics. All of a sudden a bright light from the sky flashed around him. He became blind, and fell to the ground and heard a voice say: Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me? He was told to go to the city and someone would tell what he should do. His travelling partner got him into the city, and after three days he got back his sight. He met Ananias, a Catholic, who baptized him and gave him the name Paul.
He moved away from his life of persecuting and arresting Christians to building up the Body of Christ. He adopted a moderate spiritual position teaching that those who became Catholics did not have to follow the Jewish proscribed dietary laws, nor did Jews who became Christians have to break away from their life long religious practices associated with the temple. He spent the next 8 years on the road preaching and teaching as a missionary. In all he made three missionary journeys, undergoing hardship, rejection and imprisonment. He was a person of almost limitless energy and enthusiasm. He was arrested by the Jewish authorities. He was sent to Rome where he was executed.
Nearly every Weekend Mass our second reading is from one of the 13 letters he wrote to the places or persons he visited. These letters make up about one third of the New Testament.
Our second reading today is from Paul’s second letter to Timothy. It is considered Paul’s last letter as he was executed shortly after writing it. As you read this letter you will notice his sadness that he will soon die. He is a condemned man. It is like his obituary. He talks about how he tried to follow Jesus, but also at some disappointments that not everyone he talked to wanted Jesus. As his life is about to ed, he feels very much alone. The letter also tells Timothy, and really all of us, that he will suffer if he tries to do the right thing. Doing the right thing can bring us more pain than popularity. But God will always be with him, he tells Timothy.
The sense of the whole passage is that he has done everything he could and that now all is in God's hands. There is nothing more Paul can now do except trust God.
St. Paul never knew Jesus. In fact he lived about 15 years after Jesus had died. He learns about his Catholic religion from those who believed. St. Paul has been called the greatest missionary taht the church has ever had. He travelled in most of the countries that is now known as the Middle East. As you read his letters you are struck with the fact of someone became so convinced of Jesus that he had to tell the good news day after day in word and in action.
This day is also known as the feast of St. Peter, the First Pope. Unlike St. Paul, St. Peter knew Jesus. Jesus appointed him the first leader of the church at the Last Supper.
Just what did Jesus see in Peter? Peter was the first disciple chosen by Jesus and became the leader of the 12 apostles. He came from Bethsaida near the See of Galilee. Peter and his father and his brother Andrew were fisherman. Peter was married and at times travelled with his wife. He was an uneducated man. Once day after a great catch of fish Jesus told Peter that he would be a "fisher of men."
Peter had a special status among the apostles. He is listed first in all the New Testament accounts of the Apostles. He is mentioned in the Bible more than any other disciple. He was one of three apostles who were the closest to Jesus. He was at Jesus’ side at the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and the Agony of the Garden of Gethsemane. He helped organized the Last Supper. He played a major role in the events of the Passion.
Today we can be inspired by the stories of these two ordinary men that were chosen by God to overcome their weaknesses and live extraordinary lives. The letters of Paul can bring us joy and also hope. In his letter to Timothy Paul's says: THE LORD WILL RESCUE ME FROM EVERY EVIL THREAT AND WILL BRING ME SAFELY TO HIS HEAVENLY KINGDOM. In his letter to the Corinthians Paul gives us one of the definitions of love and how we are to live as loving persons.
As we ponder Peter and Paul today, we could speak of all the great things they said and the miracles left in their wake. Perhaps best, though, is to see the witness of their faith. They were simply loyal to Christ. They loved Christ intensely and spoke of their love. This love -- their preaching -- landed them both in prison and eventually led to their deaths. Do we love Christ as much? Do we have this trust?
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Homily for the Week of Sunday, June 22, 2008
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2008
At 1:33 pm on December 7. 1941 the secretary of the Navy telephoned the White house and informed President Roosevelt of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Upon hearing the reports, Eleanor Roosevelt hurried to her husband’s side. She recorded years later that, while the cabinet officers and aides were running about in a state of panic, the president maintained an almost supernatural calm. He demonstrated not the slightest fear, although he thought it probable that the United States mainland could be attacked. He said to those who were with him: We have nothing to fear but fear itself.
Psychologists tell us that at least 8 percent of us have some kind of phobia. That means that many of us suffer from some kind of unreasonable fear of a certain situation, object, or experience. We are afraid.
Our first reading tells us that poor Jeremiah has some very real fears. He was a very young man when God asked him to replace the king who was killed in a war that tried to prevent the Egyptians from taking over his country. He was afraid that people might try to kill him. Because he was so young he did not have the experience to deal with these kings. Because he loved God he kept telling his people to trust in God, and God would take care of them. More than once Jeremiah ended up in jail. At one point a mob threw him down a well and left him to die. He complains to God who had put him in a position of having to preach an unpopular and dangerous message. But after a while he forgets his fear because he knows that God is with him inspite of everything.
Likewise, in our Gospel today, we are told that Jesus has little tolerance for fear. When sending out the Twelve apostles Jesus knew that they would encounter opposition. He told them clearly, ''Fear no one.'' He warns them to not be afraid. They are told not to be afraid of bad weather while in a boat. Three times in the reading today Jesus says: DO NOT BE AFRAID.
Some of our fears are related to religion or the practice of our religion. We may be afraid to profess our faith in public. We grow pale when someone asks us to lead a prayer before a dinner or at a meeting, or before a ball game, or even lead the Rosary in public. We may be afraid to ask someone not to use bad language. We are often afraid to tell our friends that their foolish or bad behavior will get them into trouble. We may be afraid to defend all human life. We are afraid to take the keys from friends who drink too much. Young persons often worry about friendships, money, their looks which worries often lead to more serious emotional problems.
Fear is perhaps the most controlling emotion that we experience. If each of you think back over your life of the past week, I am sure that you can come up with situations in which you acted out of fear. Maybe you were afraid to hurt someone. Maybe you were afraid of sickness, or loneliness or being alone. You may have been afraid that someone you loved would leave you; maybe you felt God did not care for you; or maybe you were afraid that you were not good enough, afraid that you would lose your job, or not pass a test. When we have done something we should not have done, we are afraid that someone will find out, or if they do, we will not be forgiven. We so often allow fear to control us.
Fear is not a new emotion or feeling. Just as most of us feel it today, we can be certain that Jesus felt it, and he prepared his disciples to face it and deal with it. So how does a Catholic overcome fear? Jesus tries to convince us of our worth in the eyes of God. He tells us that God accepts us where we are because he loves us.
Refusing to be afraid can be a superhuman job. Faith in God can help us. No detail of human life is insignificant to God. Jesus uses examples of sparrow and hair. Not even a single sparrow falls to the ground apart from God’s will. Even the hairs of our head are counted by God. Imagine the billion of objects in our world. God knows them, and cares about them. And if God cares for these then what about each of us -- human beings made in his image and likeness? God will never forget us, or take love away from us. Jeremiah expressed complete confidence in God when he felt terror on every side. Many of our saints who died rather then to give up their religion feared no one because of their faith in God.
No wonder that, knowing this love, Christ can say to his followers, "Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of those who can hurt you materially but cannot hurt your soul.
Each of us is a child of God, with God as Our Father. We come together to sustain each other in faith. We were born to make known to ourselves and others the God that is within us. Inspite of this we can have moments of doubt -- so we must live with a certain amount of fear as human beings. Yes, there may be bad times in our life, but we do have the promise that Jesus is by our side.
Be not afraid. We are worth more than we could ever know. Seek out your fears, bring them to God, who will take them away.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Homily for June 15, 2008
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2008
Fathers' Day
Ex 19:2-6a
Rom 5:6-11
Mt 9:36-10:8
We honor our Fathers on this Father's Day weekend. It is a day on which the people of the United States and Canada and many other countries express gratitude and appreciation for our fathers. The origin of Father's Day is not clear. The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in her church.
Having been raised by her father, William Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. In 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father's Day was born in memory and gratitude by a daughter who thought that her father and all good fathers should be honored with a special day just like we honor our mothers on Mother's Day.
Appreciation is one of the most important aspects of being a father -- our appreciation for our father, and how a father shows appreciation for his children. Appreciation is evident when children feel that their father cares for them, and hopefully, is proud of what they are doing. A father lets his children know this. We all have a great need for approval from our fathers. It has been shown that children who grow up without this approval and caring often have difficulties in their life.
And this brings us to God our Father. Each weekend at Mass you have the opportunity to listen or to read a short selection from the Bible known as the Old Testament. This is always the first of the three readings we have at each Mass. That selection, like today's, usually gives us the story of how the Jewish people related to God, and how God related to them. For centuries these people were travelling from one place to another. Often they had very little food and water. Often enemies took over their land and their cattle. But God would chose a person who would speak for him. Sometimes they listened; many times they went another way. But God never abandoned them. Today he tells them -- and he also tells us -- I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you here to myself. You shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people.
That was before Jesus came. But Matthew, in our last Bible reading today, tells us that Jesus continues to do the work of God the Father today. Matthew writes at a time in his community's history after the Temple had been destroyed and Judaism was being reorganized around the synagogues. Those Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah were being forced out of the synagogues. They were no longer welcomed. Jesus needs helpers to spread the good news of God to the people who had lost everything. We are told that he chose 12 men to help him. We just heard their names. He calls them apostles.
As apostles they are those who will be sent out to evangelize. When they do this they will make disciples of each of us. The people they are being sent among are in a sorry state, harassed and dejected, lacking guidance and direction. The powers given to the apostles are clearly described. They are to cast out unclean spirits and heal all manner of sickness. They are to be healers of our whole being. They are to heal both the spiritual and the physical.
The names of the twelve apostles are solemnly invoked at this moment of sending out. Partly this is to remind us of their links with the twelve tribes of Israel. These will be the leaders of the new Israel, those who will become the first pastors of the Church, and all who do pastoral work must follow in their steps. Being named right from the beginning of the book of Genesis is an important aspect of being called. It is the solemn acknowledgement of special powers. In being named by Jesus, he also expected obedience.
The apostles' last instruction is a reminder that this sending out is a trial run. They are being sent only to a select group of persons at this time. Here they begin with their own people. The disciples were given the power to cure, cleanse and preach. They were to be a comfort to those who were like sheep without a shepherd. They are sent out to find the lost sheep. But this would be their work, not their playtime.
Generosity does not come easily to most of us. As a young child we tend to hold on to what we have and not share it with others. A truly generous persons -- one who is constantly giving of their time, talent and treasure -- leaves a lasting impression on us.
In a sense we are all wounded healers. This is why, wherever there is illness and poverty, or suffering of any kind, we will often find small groups of Christ's followers, bringing love and compassion to those who are broken. It is out of our own brokenness that we are equipped to follow this path. And we give freely what is given freely to us.
For a majority of men here today, your sacred call or vocation is or will be fatherhood -- one of the most special sacred titles of God Himself. When your life is ended and you are judged by God, your efforts -- not necessarily your success, as shown in the lives of your children -- will be the basis of how God will judge you.
We have not chosen our fathers; fathers have not chosen us. It is our heavenly Father who has joined us together, as God did with their mother, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health until death do us part. Today, if you are a father, do not be too proud to say a prayer for yourself -- for strength, for consolation, for whatever you need in your calling to become an even better father to your children and better husbands to their mother. For those of you whose father is still with you, ask God our Father to always help you to show to your father attention, appreciation and affection. That is the same attention, appreciation, and affection that God our Father continually shows us.
Fathers' Day
Ex 19:2-6a
Rom 5:6-11
Mt 9:36-10:8
We honor our Fathers on this Father's Day weekend. It is a day on which the people of the United States and Canada and many other countries express gratitude and appreciation for our fathers. The origin of Father's Day is not clear. The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in her church.
Having been raised by her father, William Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.
Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. In 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father's Day was born in memory and gratitude by a daughter who thought that her father and all good fathers should be honored with a special day just like we honor our mothers on Mother's Day.
Appreciation is one of the most important aspects of being a father -- our appreciation for our father, and how a father shows appreciation for his children. Appreciation is evident when children feel that their father cares for them, and hopefully, is proud of what they are doing. A father lets his children know this. We all have a great need for approval from our fathers. It has been shown that children who grow up without this approval and caring often have difficulties in their life.
And this brings us to God our Father. Each weekend at Mass you have the opportunity to listen or to read a short selection from the Bible known as the Old Testament. This is always the first of the three readings we have at each Mass. That selection, like today's, usually gives us the story of how the Jewish people related to God, and how God related to them. For centuries these people were travelling from one place to another. Often they had very little food and water. Often enemies took over their land and their cattle. But God would chose a person who would speak for him. Sometimes they listened; many times they went another way. But God never abandoned them. Today he tells them -- and he also tells us -- I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you here to myself. You shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people.
That was before Jesus came. But Matthew, in our last Bible reading today, tells us that Jesus continues to do the work of God the Father today. Matthew writes at a time in his community's history after the Temple had been destroyed and Judaism was being reorganized around the synagogues. Those Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah were being forced out of the synagogues. They were no longer welcomed. Jesus needs helpers to spread the good news of God to the people who had lost everything. We are told that he chose 12 men to help him. We just heard their names. He calls them apostles.
As apostles they are those who will be sent out to evangelize. When they do this they will make disciples of each of us. The people they are being sent among are in a sorry state, harassed and dejected, lacking guidance and direction. The powers given to the apostles are clearly described. They are to cast out unclean spirits and heal all manner of sickness. They are to be healers of our whole being. They are to heal both the spiritual and the physical.
The names of the twelve apostles are solemnly invoked at this moment of sending out. Partly this is to remind us of their links with the twelve tribes of Israel. These will be the leaders of the new Israel, those who will become the first pastors of the Church, and all who do pastoral work must follow in their steps. Being named right from the beginning of the book of Genesis is an important aspect of being called. It is the solemn acknowledgement of special powers. In being named by Jesus, he also expected obedience.
The apostles' last instruction is a reminder that this sending out is a trial run. They are being sent only to a select group of persons at this time. Here they begin with their own people. The disciples were given the power to cure, cleanse and preach. They were to be a comfort to those who were like sheep without a shepherd. They are sent out to find the lost sheep. But this would be their work, not their playtime.
Generosity does not come easily to most of us. As a young child we tend to hold on to what we have and not share it with others. A truly generous persons -- one who is constantly giving of their time, talent and treasure -- leaves a lasting impression on us.
In a sense we are all wounded healers. This is why, wherever there is illness and poverty, or suffering of any kind, we will often find small groups of Christ's followers, bringing love and compassion to those who are broken. It is out of our own brokenness that we are equipped to follow this path. And we give freely what is given freely to us.
For a majority of men here today, your sacred call or vocation is or will be fatherhood -- one of the most special sacred titles of God Himself. When your life is ended and you are judged by God, your efforts -- not necessarily your success, as shown in the lives of your children -- will be the basis of how God will judge you.
We have not chosen our fathers; fathers have not chosen us. It is our heavenly Father who has joined us together, as God did with their mother, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health until death do us part. Today, if you are a father, do not be too proud to say a prayer for yourself -- for strength, for consolation, for whatever you need in your calling to become an even better father to your children and better husbands to their mother. For those of you whose father is still with you, ask God our Father to always help you to show to your father attention, appreciation and affection. That is the same attention, appreciation, and affection that God our Father continually shows us.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Homily for June 8, 2008
10TH SUNDAY A, 2008
There are probably no three letters that bring concern and stress to the average American, and for some persons, more fear, than the letters IRS. As most of you know, they stand for the Internal Revenue Service. the United States income tax collector. Yet, at one time or another in our lives, nearly everyone will owe a tax bill they can't pay, need extra time to file a tax return, or even get audited. And there are accountants and lawyers that we can hire to deal with these tax collectors. For most Americans taxes are the debts we are least willing to pay. As our country has gotten older, we find that more and more services or products or property are being taxed. And in many cases we have no choice as to how our tax money is being used other than what an elected official tells us. Taxes have also developed a whole occupation of tax collectors.
Taxes and tax collectors, however, have been around for centuries. Very often these persons were not always admired by the general population. And if you were too friendly with the tax collectors, you too got the same curse as did the tax collector. Today’s Gospel story is about Jesus having dinner with Matthew, a Jewish tax collector for the Roman government. Palestine had been conquered by the Romans. The Roman government hired some Jews to collect taxes from the Jewish people. They collected money from their neighbors and sent it off to Rome. The money collected from these taxes paid for the Roman soldiers who kept the Jewish people in slavery. At times the tax collectors also kept some of the money for themselves. Tax collectors were considered by the Jewish people as the chief sinners. Matthew was such a person.
One evening Matthew invites Jesus for dinner. And Jesus accepts. The Pharisees who were suspicious of Jesus heard about it, and must have been watching through the window of Matthew’s house. They see Jesus sitting at table with Matthew, finishing the main course and getting ready for dessert. And so they add this to their complaints about Jesus.
Without any background check on Matthew Jesus says to him: Follow me. Of course, there is no need for a background check. Jesus looks at Matthew and knows his background: he is a traitor, an outcast, and a sinner. But, instead of saying: Shame on you for what you’ve done, Jesus says: Follow me. Instead of saying once you get your act together you can think about coming along, Jesus says: Follow me. Matthew gives up his job as a tax collector and decides to work with Jesus. But the new job with Jesus also required a whole new way of dealing with persons.
Jesus main problem, however, was not in teaching Matthew a new way of life, but in dealing with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were religious men attempting to hold the Jews together under the rule of God’s laws. This apparently legalistic approach drives them crazy when Jesus violates, what they believe to be, God’s law and God’s Will for all Jews.
The Pharisees are aware of Jesus doing healings in their district. Sickness was an indication that the sick persons or their parents had sinned. Jesus uses the illness image to summarize what He had been doing and why gathering sinners and curing the sick were really the same work of God. The pharisees do not see themselves as sick nor sinners so Jesus is telling them that this is why He cannot relate with them and why they cannot understand and accept Him.
At times during our day, or at least during our lifetime we are most likely both the tax collectors and the Pharisees. Usually we are better at judging the actions, and motives of others, but about ourselves, we are so sure about things that we do not have to spend time judging them.
One other gift we have been given is compassion and understanding. When we understand then compassion is not only easier, but automatic. Compassion goes beyond, relies on God’s ways rather than our ability to collect enough information to render a judgement of forgiveness.
This is what Jesus is trying to teach us today with the story of Matthew. Jesus teaches us the acceptance of others, regardless of their background, or way of life. Jesus’ response to the Pharisees is simple. Sinners are the people he lives and dies for. Sinners need mercy, not rejection. There are no requirements for us to meet before we follow Jesus. There is no need for letters of reference from three people who can prove to our outstanding character. And there are no background checks.
Jesus teaches us that religion is more than observing certain rules and worshipping in a prescribed way. Jesus quotes: I DESIRE MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE. These are the same words we heard from Hosea in our first reading. I am not saying that laws and commandments are not needed. They are needed and we must follow them, and when we fail we are to ask for forgiveness. Yes, at times mistakes and evil must be identified. But mercy must not get lost.
I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. The invitation given to Matthew is given to us as well. Follow me.
There are probably no three letters that bring concern and stress to the average American, and for some persons, more fear, than the letters IRS. As most of you know, they stand for the Internal Revenue Service. the United States income tax collector. Yet, at one time or another in our lives, nearly everyone will owe a tax bill they can't pay, need extra time to file a tax return, or even get audited. And there are accountants and lawyers that we can hire to deal with these tax collectors. For most Americans taxes are the debts we are least willing to pay. As our country has gotten older, we find that more and more services or products or property are being taxed. And in many cases we have no choice as to how our tax money is being used other than what an elected official tells us. Taxes have also developed a whole occupation of tax collectors.
Taxes and tax collectors, however, have been around for centuries. Very often these persons were not always admired by the general population. And if you were too friendly with the tax collectors, you too got the same curse as did the tax collector. Today’s Gospel story is about Jesus having dinner with Matthew, a Jewish tax collector for the Roman government. Palestine had been conquered by the Romans. The Roman government hired some Jews to collect taxes from the Jewish people. They collected money from their neighbors and sent it off to Rome. The money collected from these taxes paid for the Roman soldiers who kept the Jewish people in slavery. At times the tax collectors also kept some of the money for themselves. Tax collectors were considered by the Jewish people as the chief sinners. Matthew was such a person.
One evening Matthew invites Jesus for dinner. And Jesus accepts. The Pharisees who were suspicious of Jesus heard about it, and must have been watching through the window of Matthew’s house. They see Jesus sitting at table with Matthew, finishing the main course and getting ready for dessert. And so they add this to their complaints about Jesus.
Without any background check on Matthew Jesus says to him: Follow me. Of course, there is no need for a background check. Jesus looks at Matthew and knows his background: he is a traitor, an outcast, and a sinner. But, instead of saying: Shame on you for what you’ve done, Jesus says: Follow me. Instead of saying once you get your act together you can think about coming along, Jesus says: Follow me. Matthew gives up his job as a tax collector and decides to work with Jesus. But the new job with Jesus also required a whole new way of dealing with persons.
Jesus main problem, however, was not in teaching Matthew a new way of life, but in dealing with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were religious men attempting to hold the Jews together under the rule of God’s laws. This apparently legalistic approach drives them crazy when Jesus violates, what they believe to be, God’s law and God’s Will for all Jews.
The Pharisees are aware of Jesus doing healings in their district. Sickness was an indication that the sick persons or their parents had sinned. Jesus uses the illness image to summarize what He had been doing and why gathering sinners and curing the sick were really the same work of God. The pharisees do not see themselves as sick nor sinners so Jesus is telling them that this is why He cannot relate with them and why they cannot understand and accept Him.
At times during our day, or at least during our lifetime we are most likely both the tax collectors and the Pharisees. Usually we are better at judging the actions, and motives of others, but about ourselves, we are so sure about things that we do not have to spend time judging them.
One other gift we have been given is compassion and understanding. When we understand then compassion is not only easier, but automatic. Compassion goes beyond, relies on God’s ways rather than our ability to collect enough information to render a judgement of forgiveness.
This is what Jesus is trying to teach us today with the story of Matthew. Jesus teaches us the acceptance of others, regardless of their background, or way of life. Jesus’ response to the Pharisees is simple. Sinners are the people he lives and dies for. Sinners need mercy, not rejection. There are no requirements for us to meet before we follow Jesus. There is no need for letters of reference from three people who can prove to our outstanding character. And there are no background checks.
Jesus teaches us that religion is more than observing certain rules and worshipping in a prescribed way. Jesus quotes: I DESIRE MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE. These are the same words we heard from Hosea in our first reading. I am not saying that laws and commandments are not needed. They are needed and we must follow them, and when we fail we are to ask for forgiveness. Yes, at times mistakes and evil must be identified. But mercy must not get lost.
I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. The invitation given to Matthew is given to us as well. Follow me.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Homily for June 1, 2008
Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time A
Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32
Psalms 31:2-3, 3-4, 17, 25
Romans 3:21-25, 28
Matthew 7:21-27
During the past week many persons remembered family members and friends who died in past years by visiting cemeteries. In my years as a priest I have found my visits to cemeteries as places of prayer, of silence, of memory. One of these cemeteries is St. Patrick's Cemetery in Rossie. Somewhat like St. James, St. Patrick's was founded by Irish immigrants who came to work in the mines. Many of the monuments have Irish names. One monument has stayed in my memory. It is the grave of a military hero -- a general. It lists all of the battles he fought and his lifetime accomplishments. Right next to it is a small stone erected for a beloved young wife who died when she was only 21 years old. Unlike the general’s long list of accomplishments, her grieving husband had only one line engraved in remembrance of her: Everywhere she went, she brought flowers.
If we are to have beautiful blossoms the plant needs pruning. Pruning is not only cutting back but also of the beautiful blossoms that flower when pruning is done at the right time and in the right way. And I believe that is what God is trying to tell us in our Bible readings or today. Our first reading we hear the voice of God through the words of Moses. What we hear is a strong reminder of how the Jews were freed from slavery. God reminds these people how they have been cared for by God. Keeping God laws is how they live gratefully.
The Jewish people will be blest as long as they live according to the “laws” which are meant to keep them safe. Palestine was a country surrounded by other nations with other gods and other ways. Moses is exhorting them to stick to their history, stick to their relationship with the God of their freedom and stick to their being one nation under God and not contaminated by contact with other nations.
God knows these people and gives them the freedom to wander, but informs them of the results of their going back into various forms of slavery. In other words, they need to be pruned of temptation to go back to their old way of life before they knew God. Our problem is that we are not always clear and sure about what is good for us.
During the next 25 Sundays we will be hearing the words of Jesus as recorded from the Gospel of Matthew. Today we hear the conclusion and summary of the famous Sermon on the Mount. Matthew was a Jew who had become a follower of Jesus. He lived among Jews. He wrote to the other Jews who had become Christians but were being ridiculed by others for their becoming followers of Jesus. So in Matthew’s gospel you will find many references to Jewish traditions which Jesus followed. He connects Jesus to Abraham and King David. But he also tells us about many things where Jesus breaks away from the Jewish religious leaders.
In our Gospel today, Matthew begins the Sermon on the Mount with Jesus' moral code summarized in the Beatitudes. These are not just beautiful and memorable sayings, but they are the requirements of those who want to follow Jesus. Those who follow Jesus are called disciples. You and I are disciples. Prayer is not enough. Discipleship means being active. At the end of his Gospel, Matthew gives us Jesus' Great Commission: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
A disciple's first responsibility is to listen to God’s word and then submit to it. The power of God's Word -- Jesus -- will compel us to act in His name. Without this total submission, it will not matter how much good we do! Submitting ourselves to Jesus Christ is the foundation of our lives. We rarely see much of the foundation of a house. In the same way, we might look great on the outside by all the good deeds we do, but that hidden foundation, our interior submission to God, must be present. Otherwise, like the house built on sandy soil, we'll look good -- but only until temptation comes. Then we cave in.
All the teachings and ways of Jesus will lead to survival. His teachings form a firm foundation as when a person builds a house on rock. Those who choose other ways of living will eventually have their shaky footings swept away by their selfish ways of relating with life.
I once heard of a priest who spent most of the night making sandwiches for the homeless. He did not do it for reward or acceptance. Soon TV and news reporters heard about him. His reputation grew so much that his fellow priests starting sending him money to help him out. Much to their surprise he sent back the money to everyone with a one-line note that said: Make your own sandwiches.
This person obviously knew himself. He had pruned himself. He did not let the needs and expectations of others infect his own simple sense of discipleship. His spirituality was not dependent on the approval of others. Jesus tells us today: Built your life on a solid foundation -- on rock.
Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32
Psalms 31:2-3, 3-4, 17, 25
Romans 3:21-25, 28
Matthew 7:21-27
During the past week many persons remembered family members and friends who died in past years by visiting cemeteries. In my years as a priest I have found my visits to cemeteries as places of prayer, of silence, of memory. One of these cemeteries is St. Patrick's Cemetery in Rossie. Somewhat like St. James, St. Patrick's was founded by Irish immigrants who came to work in the mines. Many of the monuments have Irish names. One monument has stayed in my memory. It is the grave of a military hero -- a general. It lists all of the battles he fought and his lifetime accomplishments. Right next to it is a small stone erected for a beloved young wife who died when she was only 21 years old. Unlike the general’s long list of accomplishments, her grieving husband had only one line engraved in remembrance of her: Everywhere she went, she brought flowers.
If we are to have beautiful blossoms the plant needs pruning. Pruning is not only cutting back but also of the beautiful blossoms that flower when pruning is done at the right time and in the right way. And I believe that is what God is trying to tell us in our Bible readings or today. Our first reading we hear the voice of God through the words of Moses. What we hear is a strong reminder of how the Jews were freed from slavery. God reminds these people how they have been cared for by God. Keeping God laws is how they live gratefully.
The Jewish people will be blest as long as they live according to the “laws” which are meant to keep them safe. Palestine was a country surrounded by other nations with other gods and other ways. Moses is exhorting them to stick to their history, stick to their relationship with the God of their freedom and stick to their being one nation under God and not contaminated by contact with other nations.
God knows these people and gives them the freedom to wander, but informs them of the results of their going back into various forms of slavery. In other words, they need to be pruned of temptation to go back to their old way of life before they knew God. Our problem is that we are not always clear and sure about what is good for us.
During the next 25 Sundays we will be hearing the words of Jesus as recorded from the Gospel of Matthew. Today we hear the conclusion and summary of the famous Sermon on the Mount. Matthew was a Jew who had become a follower of Jesus. He lived among Jews. He wrote to the other Jews who had become Christians but were being ridiculed by others for their becoming followers of Jesus. So in Matthew’s gospel you will find many references to Jewish traditions which Jesus followed. He connects Jesus to Abraham and King David. But he also tells us about many things where Jesus breaks away from the Jewish religious leaders.
In our Gospel today, Matthew begins the Sermon on the Mount with Jesus' moral code summarized in the Beatitudes. These are not just beautiful and memorable sayings, but they are the requirements of those who want to follow Jesus. Those who follow Jesus are called disciples. You and I are disciples. Prayer is not enough. Discipleship means being active. At the end of his Gospel, Matthew gives us Jesus' Great Commission: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
A disciple's first responsibility is to listen to God’s word and then submit to it. The power of God's Word -- Jesus -- will compel us to act in His name. Without this total submission, it will not matter how much good we do! Submitting ourselves to Jesus Christ is the foundation of our lives. We rarely see much of the foundation of a house. In the same way, we might look great on the outside by all the good deeds we do, but that hidden foundation, our interior submission to God, must be present. Otherwise, like the house built on sandy soil, we'll look good -- but only until temptation comes. Then we cave in.
All the teachings and ways of Jesus will lead to survival. His teachings form a firm foundation as when a person builds a house on rock. Those who choose other ways of living will eventually have their shaky footings swept away by their selfish ways of relating with life.
I once heard of a priest who spent most of the night making sandwiches for the homeless. He did not do it for reward or acceptance. Soon TV and news reporters heard about him. His reputation grew so much that his fellow priests starting sending him money to help him out. Much to their surprise he sent back the money to everyone with a one-line note that said: Make your own sandwiches.
This person obviously knew himself. He had pruned himself. He did not let the needs and expectations of others infect his own simple sense of discipleship. His spirituality was not dependent on the approval of others. Jesus tells us today: Built your life on a solid foundation -- on rock.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)