Homily for the Week of August 28, 2011

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time August 28, 2011

Jeremiah 20,7-9

Psalm 62,2.3-4.5-6.8-9

Romans 12,1-2

Matthew 16,21-27

Flags have had an important part in the history of our Country. In the early days of country a popular flag was known as the Gadsden flag. It is a historical American flag with in yellow depicting a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Positioned below the snake is the legend "DON'T TREAD ON ME." The flag was designed by and is named after American general and statesman Christopher Gadsden. It was the first flag ever carried into battle by the Marine Corps during the American Revolution.

This flag is the message common by many people today: “Don’t tread on me.” We don’t want to hear about responsibility, accountability and discipline. At least we do not want to hear those words spoken about us. Every bad thing is someone else’s fault, and it is always up to someone else to fix our problems. We want our government to cut spending as long as cutbacks don’t affect me and my family.

But St. Paul tells us today, “Do not conform yourselves to this age.” Unfortunately too many of us do, and the Gospel then becomes an obstacle to our happiness rather than the path to happiness. In the Gospel from which I just read Peter had genuine concern for Jesus. He surely did not want his Teacher to die. Peter’s concern was understandable and reasonable.

But Jesus condemns Peter. He tries to explain to Peter that what is required for being a follower of Jesus may not seem reasonable and it may go against our common sense. When Jesus said to Peter, “You are an obstacle to me,” the word for obstacle is the same word as the word “scandal.”

Scandal means that we cause someone else to do something wrong just by others seeing what we are doing. Amazingly, we do not have to do something wrong to create a scandal. Doing nothing or taking the easy way is scandalous too. Things we do, say or wear can be scandalous. Scandal can also be something that we do not to that we should be doing. Scandal is especially wrong when when it is done by those who are supposed to teach and lead others. But as you may know, that is not always easy.

Our first reading today is a section from Jeremiah. It is one of the most moving passages of the Old Testament. But as any biblical text it must be placed in its context to be understood. The passage quoted expresses in vivid detail how difficult it can be to follow God. God had ask Jeremiah to be one of his representatives; that is, a person chosen to speak for God. Jeremiah feels that God "duped" him. Jeremiah does speak for God, but when he does, he gets insulted.Everyone laughs at me, he says. But inspite of that, Jeremiah still keeps on living as God wants him because it becomes like fire burning in my heart.

Isn't this a powerful description of how we suffer when we obey our conscience. Our conscience is the voice of God within each of us who keeps telling us: you are being good or you are being bad. No matter what we try to do to deny or stifle that voice, it is always there. Jeremiah in our first reading would have loved an easier time being a representative of God. Jeremiah, however, loved God, and he could not escape the duty that comes with loving God. It is tough being Jeremiah and doing the hard things, but if more of us did, imagine how much better the world could be.

The readings of today's Mass all give the same message. They tell us that our blessings in life may also involve crosses. But our life must not be a cross for others. That would be an example of scandal. We may decide for whatever reason to go against God. If and when we do the price we pay is not being true to our deepest self. God and Jesus are to be trusted absolutely. God will stand at our side. In worshipping God we should be ever mindful of these basic truths and offer ourselves to God in trust.

Today’s gospel challenges us to say no to the very attractive but one-sided gospel of instant glory, a sugar-coated gospel that offers the false promise of no crosses. Often we followers of Jesus may think: “Only believe and it will all go well with you.” It didn’t all go well for Jesus; he still had to endure the cross. It didn’t all go well with Mary; a sword of sorrow still pierced her soul. It didn’t all go well with the countless men and women saints who have gone before us.

Each day we are tempted to abandon God and do things that our consciences says we should not do. It is so easy for us to pick and chose parts of the bible or our Catholic faith, and accept those parts and practices that make our religion painless. It is so easy to yield to peer pressure, which is one of the most powerful social forces in the world. It is so easy to stifle the voice of our conscience when we see other people apparently stifling theirs. But that is not what today's readings urge us to do. For Jeremiah, for Paul, and for Matthew, God calls us to a difficult vocation. Unless we constantly remind ourselves of this we will fail to be the kind of disciples that Christ expects us to be.

If we pick up our cross and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, our cross can also become a blessing and a stepping stone to greater things.

Homily for the Week of August 21, 2011

TWENTIETH-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME A 2011

Readings: Isaiah 22:19-23;

Romans 11:33-36;

Matthew 16: 13-20

A new school year will soon be here. We all have our own memories of school and of classroom participation. One of the memories might be tests that are planned and announced by the teacher and some pop tests that are unannounced. At the time of Jesus there were no schools or teachers or classrooms like those with which we are familiar. But Jesus very often called himself teacher, and many times his friends called him The Teacher. In the Bible reading for today we listen to Jesus giving his closest friends a pop quiz. It was a basic question:Who do people say I am?

This happened when Jesus and his disciples were in the region of Caesarea Philippi, a pagan area about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. They were likely standing at the base of Mount Hermon, in front of the well known cliff filled with niches holding statues of pagan gods at the top of which was a statue in honor of Julius Caesar. It is here that He asked his close friends who others thought he was. He got a variety of answers. This was an indication that he was not well known -- perhaps much like the answers he would get from persons today.

Then Jesus turns the question around and makes it more personal. He asked his friends who they taught he was. There was a long silence. Then there were a lot of wrong answers. But then Peter answers correctly: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus then tells Peter that he gave the right answer. He then appoints him as the first leader of the church, or was later known as the First Pope. Since Peter there have been 264 Popes.

That passage has been the subject of much controversy over the past 2000 year history of the Catholic church. That the Pope is the head of the Church is a belief that has not been accepted by other Christian churches. And even on our part, we may not fully understand the implications of who the Pope is. Some think he is sinless. Others give him supernatural power, others believe he cannot make a mistake; others think of him as a man who has too much authority, and some could care less about the Pope.

We are told today in our Gospel that Peter was chosen by Jesus to be the leader of the church. Jesus gave Peter the keys of the kingdom and also tremendous responsibility: WHATEVER YOU BIND UPON EARTH SHALL BE BOUND IN HEAVEN, AND WHATEVER YOU LOOSE UPON EARTH SHALL BE LOOSED IN HEAVEN. That same authority was given to all Popes. And from the time of Peter to Pope Benedict XVI the church has been lead by human beings.

Some of our popes have been great men; not only in piety, but also in vision, but others have been, humanly speaking, almost lacking in any qualifications to lead and strengthen the Church. There have been times of goodness in the church due to them and there have been times of terrible damage. But through all of it the Church has escaped from the jaws of death, which leads us to believe that the church must be divinely guided, or else, like many corporations or associations, it would have folded up over the past 2000 years.

Why has the plan of Jesus worked? The reason is that Jesus is still with the church, especially in the person of the Pope, no matter who he might be. Peter and the others popes are not the successors of Jesus but really his representatives, those who stand in his place. He has authority only in the name of another person -- the person to whom authority really belongs. And so the authority of the Pope is really the authority of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the real rock of the Church. He is the firm foundation. Jesus continues to lead and strengthen the church through the Pope, his vicar on earth.

Peter was chosen head of the Church, not because he had taken courses in leadership and administration, but because he had faith. He was the only one who could answer 100% correctly the question WHO IS JESUS--You are the son of the living God.

Authority is not given to a person to do with as they please. All authority is accountable to God. It must be exercised with God will, and out of human limitations. The best way to use authority is like a servant. Jesus was telling us that all persons who have any authority, whether moms and dads, or teachers, or Presidents or Vice Presidents or whomever are bound to suffer also are called to serve others, not to be served.

Jesus lived on earth only 33 years. He arranged that his teachings and his mercy would be known through human beings like Peter or Benedict XVI. In the Old Testament God always chose human beings to bring his good news and his message to others. Jesus chose 12 apostles as his leaders. But all of us are called in our own way to bring faith and morality to others. Each of us our Christ bearers. Each of us must answer for ourselves: Who do you say that Jesus is?

Homily for the Week of August 14, 2011

TWENTIETH SUNDAY 2011

Is 56:1,6-7; Rom. 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt 15:21-28

Can you picture Jesus as a member of the Cadyville or Saranac Fire Departments carrying around his beeper? That is exactly what Jesus did. Like fire fighters, He was often interrupted by those who would call on him for help. And it so happens that today it is a non-Jewish woman, a foreigner, who sets off his beeper. She pleads with Jesus to heal her daughter. Never before has Jesus ignored someone who pleaded with him for compassion. But today Jesus turns His back on her. He seems rude to her. She was not a Jew. His close friends try to discourage him from answering the rescue call. They all seemed to know her: she's noisy. She's bothersome and a distraction. And she is not one of them, She is not even a follower of Jesus. Forget her, and let's move on, they tell Jesus.

Jesus’ treatment of this woman grabs our attention because Jesus’ response to her seems so out of character. At first Jesus is quite disturbed with her. Jesus sounds harsh by saying it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs. The woman was a foreigner, and according to Jewish teachings, was not entitled to God’s blessing. Not only was she a foreigner, but as a women she was expected to be reserved in public. Jesus did not answer her. Jesus was reflecting the disagreement among the Jews at that time.

If the woman had been seeking healing for herself, she might have given up. But she insists that her 911 call is not for herself but for her sick daughter. The woman can't tell Jesus much about her daughters medical condition but the mother knows the daughter is hurting. She forces Jesus to see her, not as an enemy but as one of his own with whom she shares a common desire for the well being of children.

Then Jesus listens to her. She says to Jesus: PLEASE,LORD, FOR EVEN THE DOGS EAT THE SCRAPES THAT FALL FROM THE TABLE. OF THEIR MASTERS. And Jesus answers her: O WOMAN, GREAT IS YOUR FAITH. LET IT BE DONE TO YOU AS YOU WISH. By these words this woman showed she believed, and that her faith did not depend on where she lived or her ancestors or even her religion. All people belong to God, she believed. This simple woman convinces Jesus to cure her child.

This woman lived centuries ago. But we do have today in our Catholic church and in our country people who exclude others. We often can be rude to some persons. Each of us at times have judged others, often using opposites such as: good/bad; rich/poor; young/old; married/not married; Catholic/Protestant; thin/fat; war/peace; tall/short; black/white; hot/cold; up/down; wide/narrow; yes/no.

In one way or other each of us here today have also made decisions as who is in or who is out within our friends, and sometimes, even in our families or classmates. More personally each of us has our own boundaries and we have constructed our own walls between us and those we include or those we exclude.

This causes separation in our church and among our community. The good news of our Bible readings today is that God has created all of us equal, and he has given each of us the same heavenly destiny. God has eliminated all divisions. Because all people belong to God.

We are thankful for the persistence of the Canaanite woman because when Jesus responded to her 911 call, he put in our front yard a flag with all the colors of the human spectrum. Catholic is spelled with a small “c” as well as a large one

Today's gospel poses some questions for us. Are our priorities the right ones? Do we restrict our love, our time, our compassion to those whom we like or who are like us? Are we striving to be like God, who shows mercy to people of all races and all backgrounds? Does our charity merely begin at home, and does it also end there?

Another set of questions is equally important: Are we ready to change our priorities to help those who need us? Are we willing to give time and energy to those in particular need, or do we ignore their need because we feel we are already "doing our bit," or because we are afraid of departing from the safety of what we call normal?

These are not easy questions -- even Jesus hesitated before responding to the Canaanite woman who begged him for help. Let this us today pray for the wisdom to know how best to support women and children. Let us pray that we will speak the truth even when insulted r ignored. Let us pray that all our actions will be made out of love from which no one is excluded.

Homily for the Week of August 7, 2011

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2011

1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a · Rom 9:1-5 · Mt 14:22-23

A good number of us here today know how to swim. Most of us have probably paddled a canoe or rowed a boat. Very likely a lot of us have been water skiing. Not as many have sailed the seas on board a yacht or a cruise ship. Some of us have tried snorkelling and deep sea diving. How many of you have ever tried walking on water? The closest 21st century answer to this question was when a bride told me that she felt like walking on water as she was feeling love, fear and faith as she walked down the aisle on her wedding day.

Water is meant for drinking, washing, cooking, fishing, swimming, diving, skiing and sailing. Water quenches our thirst, sustains life. As Catholics we had water poured over our foreheads at Baptism. But water can also destroy life in equal and frightening measure as in hurricanes and tsunamis. The Sea of Galilee in our last reading was really a small lake. But it was violent. No one could predict the violent storms that broke out unexpectedly. Fishermen were so afraid of the sea that they saw it as the home of violent gods. Our three readings today cause us to ask the question: in whom do we place our loyalty: in God or in ourselves?

In our first reading today we find that Elijah was miserable. He felt himself to be a failure and he wanted to die. But he was ordered to eat, and to journey to Horeb, the Mountain of God. There he was told to stand on the mountain, where the Lord was to pass by. But instead he experiences a great wind; then there was an earthquake and thunder, and then a fire. God was not in them. Instead, God was in the sound of a gentle breeze. God was in a whisper, God was in the sound of silence.

In the Gospel today we find the disciples in the evening in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Because of the topography of the land there, huge windstorms can develop without warning. For the apostles, water still represented a place where demons and evil gods lived. To be caught after nightfall in a boat in a windstorm would have been frightening. They surely thought they might die that very night. It is over these waters that Jesus walks,

Not so for the disciples, who were rowing right into what would turn out to be big wind storm which overturned their small fishing boat. But Jesus came to them, and called out to them; and Peter on impulse walked towards him across the waves. Was he testing Christ or himself? His courage failed in the wind's strength, and in fear he began to sink, and cried out for help. Jesus put out his hand at once, and held him. Then came the silence as the wind dropped, and in the calm the disciples recognized him as Jesus. And it is over these waters, by the power of Jesus, that Peter himself could walk if only for a moment. The boat was a safe haven once Jesus entered it.

Perhaps this gives us a clue as to how God speaks to us, not in a storm or strong wind, but in the sound of silence. God's voice speaks to us in the ordinary events of our lives. Today our need for constant communication can fill our life that we don't have time for silence. We are bored with silence. We need to whip out our cellphones and check our voice mail, text someone or talk. Today’s readings invite us to choose to enter into spaces of silence.

Religiously, spiritually, for most Catholics there has been for centuries a struggle between faith and doubt. That was Peter's problem in reaching out to Jesus by trying to walk on water. Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus. As long as he focused on Jesus, he walked on water. The moment he lost his focus and saw the storm, he began to sink.

That is also our story. Most of us have faith, but we often lose our focus. We see the storms and the wind around us. The wind in our life can be most anything that prevents us from being real. It could be pain: the pain of loneliness, insecurity, envy, not enough money or job. It is easy to over come this pain with homemade remedies or addictions which make matters worse. Just as we go to dentists and doctors to get rid of our pains and to be healed, we Catholics must turn to our faith in Jesus to heal our deepest personal wounds. Daily, however, we need to put into practice the faith that we express here today. The Bible and our Catholic Church tell us that God is with us even in these difficult moments. Like Peter It would be so easy to believe if we could only get rid of the wind.

Our faith does not take away suffering, but it provides us with remedies. If you keep your focus on Jesus and not on your surrounding storms you too can walk on water. There is no struggle God cannot calm. We must find time in each day to be silent with him--a short prayer in the morning, or just the words "thank you" when we remember his goodness--then his voice will be in that stillness and his hand will hold us. We need to appreciate the sound of silence.