Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 6, 2014:
Zechariah 9: 9-10
Psalm 145: 1-2, 8-11, 13-14
Romans 8: 9, 11-13
Matthew 11: 25-30

Biblical scholar John J. Pilch writes that a yoke is "a word used metaphorically to describe those things that control the lives of people."  In that light, this Sunday's Scriptures might cause us to reflect on what controls our lives, either by choice or by circumstance. What are your highest priorities, honestly? Living comfortably, being admired, being in charge, settling scores?  In what ways do these choices actually control you?

Jesus invites us to follow his example, to put on his yoke and let him guide our lives. A well-fitting yoke does not chafe, but actually makes the job easier.  If we have the grace to trust Jesus and accept his way of living, we just might come to a deeper understanding of the Mystery of a God who loves us without limit. It just might change our lives!

Mystagogia will be at 10:45am this Sunday.
Inquiry will meet at 7:00pm this Tuesday.

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

(with apologies for the extended 'vacation')

Here are the readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), June 22, 2014:
Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 14b-16a
Psalm 147: 12-15, 19-20
1 Corinthians 10: 16-17
John 6: 51-58

On this feast, we turn our attention to the gift of Jesus' real presence for us in the Eucharist, a gift of sacrifice and love that nourishes us to offer our daily lives in loving sacrifice for others.

Here's a video that helps explain how Catholic understand the Eucharist:

Please click this link if the video does not show on your screen.

Ash Wednesay, Lent

Rend your hearts, 
not your garments...
(Joel 2: 13)

With Ash Wednesday we begin a new season of the church year. We pray for and with one another as we enter into this time of preparation for Easter. Lent makes no sense without Easter. Easter is given its meaning by the reality of Lent: all is not well. The good news is that God WANTS all to be well, and will do anything to help us.

Lent is the time for us to look inward, to allow ourselves to be vulnerable to and honest with God. And in recognizing our need for God's help, the most difficult part may well be in accepting it.

In the Gospel for Ash Wednesday (Mt 6: 1-6, 16-18), Jesus is talking about prayer, fasting and almsgiving, or charity. Christians are called to practice these disciplines throughout our lives, but especially during Lent. But Jesus doesn't sound very supportive of them: go hide and pray, pretend you're happy when your stomach's growling and your head hurts, don't worry about getting your name on the donor wall. Jesus does say to DO these things, but make them a part of your ordinary, everyday life- not for show, recognition or even a tax write-off, but as the normal course of living as the people of God.

Have you ever driven out on a rural road and passed a farm where the field is on fire? The farmer is burning the stubble of the old crop down. There are at least two good reasons to do this: 1) it gets the leftover stuff out of the way so that when plowing time arrives, the process is easier and 2) the ashes from that stubble nourish the soil and replenish the nutrients that had been taken by the previous crop. Isn't this a bold action? What if a wind comes up and the fire gets out of control? The farmer surely knows what he or she is doing, and yet there is that element of vulnerability required in order to let that first spark find a place to land.

And so today we wear the ashes, reminded of our humble origins, our fragility, and our connectedness with all creation. The cross on our foreheads reminds us that death can lead to new life; that Jesus Christ is not only our savior whose name we bear, but also our model of how to live a healthy, holy life. We are marked as a community of faith, a holy people, those saved by Christ's death and resurrection and yet continually in need of conversion.

To prepare for the new fire of the Easter Vigil, to truly proclaim Christ as the light of the world and our lives, we have been given the gift of this season of Lent. May we allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to be thankful for the blessings in our lives and to ask God's Spirit to transform us and bring us every closer to God so that in these ashes, we may find renewal.

Services for Ash Wednesday are at 6:30 and 9AM, Noon (not a Mass), 5:30 and 7:30pm

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 16, 2014:
Sirach 15: 15-20
Psalm 119: 1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
1 Corinthians 2: 6-10
Matthew 5: 17-37

Here is a reflection by Father. James Martin, S.J.:

Today's Gospel: Stop being mean.

For some reason many Christians seem to have a hard time with today's Gospel. It annoys some people when they read or hear what Jesus is saying--primarily because it is an activity that almost all of us engage in. It's also an activity that no one seems terribly bothered by.

But it's pretty clear what Jesus is telling us: Stop calling people names. Stop judging. Stop being mean. If you don't believe me, here are his words: "But I say to you,whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna."

Scholars say that when we hear Aramaic words like "raqa" (or "rhaka"), which means an idiot or imbecile, we are hearing the precise words that came from Jesus's lips--remembered by his hearers, passed on by his followers and carefully recorded by the evangelists. Other examples are "Talitha cum" (Little one, arise) and "Ephphatha" (Be opened). So this is an especially "authentic" saying, coming right from Jesus's lips. As such, it demands our particular attention, and adherence.

How many times have you called someone a name. (Fool? Idiot? Heretic?) How many times have you mocked someone or made fun of them? Well, Jesus says you're liable to hell if you continue to do that. Basically, stop being mean.

And for those who say that Jesus had a sharp tongue and called people names ("brood of vipers," "whitened sepulchres" and so on), that is true. But unless you're the sinless Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, stop judging and stop using sharp names to insult, denigrate, dismiss, correct or mock other people. And, by the way, this is not me speaking--it's Jesus.

Stop being mean. 

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Morality and Conscience Formation

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Here are the readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, February 2, 2014:
Malachi 3: 1-4
Psalm 24: 7-10
Hebrew 2: 14-18
Luke 2: 22-40

An older name for this feast is Candlemas- and the tradition held that people would bring their candles to be blessed.  The candles refer to Simeon's words in the Gospel, referring to Jesus as the light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for the Israelite. It is only at this time that people other countries, e.g. Italy, take down their Christmas decorations (hey, Winter darkness is still in full swing, we still need to be reminded of the joy brought to us by the Light of the World!).

Above all, these readings speak to us of the strength of well-placed hope. God does not disappoint. God may not work according to OUR timeline, but God remembers God's promises.  In what or whom do YOU place your hope?

Another Catholic tradition that will be celebrated in many parishes this weekend is the Blessing of the Throats in commemoration of the feast of St. Blase on February 3. For more information about this tradition, please click here.

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Tradition and traditions.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 26, 2014:
Isaiah 8: 23 - 9: 3
Psalm 27: 1, 4, 13-14
1 Corinthians 1: 10-13, 17
Matthew 4: 12-23

How do you respond to uncertainty? In the Gospel this week, Jesus' cousin John, the one to whom Jesus went to mark the beginning of his public ministry (and of whom Jesus was probably a follower), has been arrested (soon to face the fate of most effective prophets). In Matthew's account, John's arrest happens immediately after Jesus' 40 days of temptation in the desert, time during which he clarified the nature of his own mission.

I'd venture that it was as a result of that time of reflection that gave Jesus the courage and motivation for his reaction to John's arrest. He didn't go into hiding. On the contrary, he moved to a bigger town (Capernaum) and began to gather followers of his own. Convinced of the truth of his message, Jesus begins the process of transforming the world, person by person. And for those fishermen to drop their nets and change their lives from a simple yet clear invitation, there must have been some hole in their spirit and/or something deeply attractive about Jesus.

The story of the Gospel is about real people. It tells us how God's love for us, encountered in a special way through the person of Jesus, can call us --- not so much OUT of ourselves--- as INTO our true selves.

• Who in your life is an inspiration, who cause you to want to be your best self?
• When have you felt called to change your life? Why? Where did/do you find support?
• In what ways can you help Jesus 'catch people' ?

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is "Being Called"
The next Inquiry session is Tuesday, January 28.
The final Mystagogia Session will be Sunday, February 9.

"Countdown to Christmas"- the O Antiphons

Here is a blog post that explains the ancient tradition of the "O Antiphons" that cover Dec. 17-23.

If you'd like a more local treatment of it, too- you can reference THIS blog's posts from a previous year:

Intro

December 17: O Wisdom

December 18: O Lord

December 19: O Flower of Jesse's Stem

December 20: O Key of David

December 21: O Radiant Dawn

December 22: O King of All Nations

December 23: O Emmanuel