Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 21, 2014:

Isaiah 55: 6-9
Psalm 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Philippians 1: 20c-24, 27a
Matthew 20: 1-16a

Does this parable say more to you about the all-encompassing mercy of God, or of the human tendency to compare, measure and begrudge others' good fortune? Or maybe, both!

Whenever God does call, are we willing to follow?
The topic for the Catechumenate this weekend is the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Here are the readings for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14, 2014:

Numbers 21: 4b-9
Psalm 78: 1b-2, 34-38
Philippians 2: 6-11
John 3: 13-17

How is it that an instrument of execution has become a central symbol of our faith?
Because it is the means through which God basically took everything we had to throw at him, embraced all the evil of the world and overcame the power of sin though the power of infinite love. In a similar way to God's power directed through the bronze serpent of the first reading healing those bitten by real serpents, God's power through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross offers us healing for the wounds of our sin.

Why celebrate this on September 14? It is the date on which the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was dedicated in the fifth century. Given the deep wounds being inflicted and suffered today in the Holy Land, let us pray for the  overwhelming power of God's love and healing to effect reconciliation there.

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Jesus the Redeemer.
Mystagogia meets this Sunday at 10:45am.

Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 7, 2014:

Ezekiel 33: 7-9
Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-9
Romans 13: 8-10
Matthew 18: 15-20

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? He's made it quite clear to Peter, and to all of us in last week's Gospel: you have to take up your cross and follow him. For most of us, the hardest crosses to acknowledge are of our own making. We hold onto grudges, thirst for revenge, and resist being the one to take the first step toward reconciliation.

But Scripture clearly says that "God is Love"- and in perfect love, there is no room for any of that. Our baptism makes us a member of Christ's Body, and within that Body, division and discord can only cause pain. Rather, the sacrament of baptism effectively brings us into new life- the life of Jesus Christ, and causes us to die to our old, self-centered way of living. But that's a process that takes a life time of practice: learning to live, in Love, for others. We call that practice 'conversion'- and it begins with honesty, gentleness and patience.

• How do you react when someone wrongs you?
• Have you considered the presence of Christ among you and your offender?

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Conversion and Discipleship.

Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 31, 2014:

Jeremiah 20: 7-9
Psalm 63: 2-6, 8-9
Romans 12: 1-2
Matthew 16: 21-27

A reflection from "Living the Word for Year A" (2010-11):

The cost of drawing near to the living God can take us down a path we would rather not go. Peter saw this coming when Jesus began to speak of the suffering that lay ahead, instead of being the powerful Messiah people had been waiting for, who would cast down their enemies and restore Israel to the glory days of King David.  Instead, Jesus spoke about taking up the cross, losing one's life, or, in Paul's words to the Romans, becoming "a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God."

God's plan for us is the transformation and renewal of our minds according to the pattern of God's son Jesus. This transformation comes about when we "offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice," seeking to discern and do God's will as Jesus did. Such self-offering may lead us to follow Jesus on the way: finding life by losing it for the sake of others, and coming to know the living God as purifying fire, life-giving water, and nourishing food for our spirit. 

There is no Catechumenate this Sunday.

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 24, 2014:

Isaiah 22: 19-23
Psalm 138: 1-3, 6, 8
Romans 11: 33-36
Matthew 16: 13-20

Some truths seem so obvious, retrospectively.
Often though, right in the moment we fall back on the safe and predictable, whether or not they are accurate.

So when Jesus asks his disciples for the 'word on the street' about him, it's not so surprising that the feedback falls into positive but safe answers. The crowds recognize him as someone special, but don't regard him by their definition of 'Messiah': the one who will overthrow the Roman occupation.

Jesus then asks his disciples for their own description of him. Titles and labels are helpful in many circumstances to give us insight into where things stand.  When a customer needs an exception to a policy: "May I speak with the manager?"  The trust in taking a medication because the doctor said it would help. We go to a tax preparer for one set of problems and a licensed counselor for another.  Each title denotes a particular area of power, ability, and authority. And so- perhaps holding his breath in anticipation- Jesus asks, "who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter, his feet perhaps still damp from that walk on the lake (the Gospel from two weeks ago), is moved by God to recognize and speak the truth. Of course he's the Messiah! All those healings, the way he taught, just that way about him.  And because of this grace of perception, Jesus calls him Rock- the foundation on which the community of Jesus' followers will find stability.  The authority symbolized by a conferral of keys is a power given for service and protection of others, not self-glorification.

What is the truth of your relationship with Jesus? Who do you say Jesus is?

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Church Structure and Hierarchy.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 17, 2014:

Isaiah 56: 1, 6-7
Psalm 67: 2-3, 5-6, 8
Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32
Matthew 15: 21-28

What a contrast between world events and the events of this Sunday's scriptures!  As violence erupts between cultures (pick the country/territory of the day, sadly there are too many to list), continually narrowing the definitions of who is accepted and acceptable, we see the expansion of God's saving and healing power, eventually encompassing all who desire it.

To be truthful, the depiction of Jesus in this Gospel is less than flattering. He ignores a worried mother, then refuses her requests, and finally insults her by likening her to a dog! What's going on?

There's plenty of room for interpretation, but it may well be that in this interaction, Jesus has been challenged to grow in his own understanding of the scope of his ministry. Back in Chapter 10, Jesus sends the apostles out to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Mt 10:6) and perhaps here (15:24) he is trying to be consistent. After all, he'd just come from a dispute with the scribes and pharisees about tradition and authority, and what kind of authority would Jesus be if he wavered? Then again, what kind of savior would he be if he ignored the pleas of any one of God's creation? While the woman did not share his religion, she recognized Jesus' power and her own helplessness. Through her faith, she helped Jesus come to a wider understanding of who is 'in' the Kingdom.

We draw boundaries all the time: Who gets to sit with us in the school cafeteria, gated communities to keep out 'the undesirables', barbed-wire walls at the borders, barricades of wood and of stoney hearts.

Our psalm declares "O God, let all the nations praise you!" and that indeed is the goal. It is nothing less than sinful when a person of faith (Christian, Jewish, Muslim or ANY faith) misuses the teachings of their tradition for violence. But conversion has to start with each individual. While you or I may not exclude and inflict violence on the level of the extremists in Syria, if we're honest, we know that there are limits to our love, to our acceptance of the other.

• Who or what is the Canaanite woman in your life?
• When have you expanded your personal borders to engage another?
• What can you learn from Jesus in this Gospel?

The topic for this Sunday's Catechumenate is Anointing of the Sick.

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 10, 2014:

I Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a
Psalm 85: 9-14
Romans 9: 1-5
Matthew 14: 22-33

Who is God for you?

The still small voice that brought Elijah to the entrance of the cave?
The water-walking, fish-multiplying miracle worker?
Too mysterious to even imagine?
The one who meets us where we are and brings us to new life?

Yes, any and all of these. And more.
Much more.

God is at once transcendent (far beyond any one or any thing we could possibly imagine) and immanent (intimately united with us, a part of our common existence). The great Mystery of the Incarnation is that the God who has no need of us chose to become one of us, out of love.

In any human relationship, there are times when we feel more or less at ease with the other. The same is true with our relationship with God: sometimes we're walking on water, sometimes we're sinking in the storm. Sometimes that still, small voice seems just too quiet to hear, and sometimes it's as obvious as twelve  baskets of leftovers. So if you've found that you've taken a step in faith and are doing a bit of second-guessing, that's natural. But then look around, listen for the word of God and watch for the saving hand of God in your prayer, in the ones you love, and even in a stranger. Because the power and mercy of the One who is so far beyond us, and yet who is closer to us than we are to ourselves... is limitless and true.

There is no Catechumenate this Sunday.
Mystagogy will meet at St. Bernadette's at 4:30pm on Sunday to serve the Migrant Ministry Dinner.