tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71469721466472932462024-03-26T15:50:51.726-07:00Adult Faith Formation & InitiationComments on our weekly readings for Sunday Mass and other topics of interest for those who are going through the initiation process or want to learn more about the Catholic Faithkjohns8http://www.blogger.com/profile/06998109558009001489noreply@blogger.comBlogger586125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-17899961373000276232024-03-26T15:49:00.000-07:002024-03-26T15:49:56.757-07:00Easter Sunday - Cycle B<p>Growing up Catholic I was always taught that Easter was our most important holiday and for my family “Easter” meant Easter Sunday. After all, that’s when the Easter Bunny left us treats. As I grew into adulthood, however, with an ever-growing understanding into the depth and breadth of our faith, I learned that Easter Sunday wasn’t our most important Liturgical celebration. Instead that distinction falls on the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening – the conclusion of our Paschal Triduum.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/033124.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Day)</a><br />Acts 10:34a, 37-43<br />Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23<br />Colossians 3:1-4, or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8<br />John 20:1-9<br /><br />While the readings for Easter Sunday are important, they are also just a very small piece of the story of our relationship with God. It's like eating only one hors d'oeuvre at a banquet. It gives you a foretaste of the great food to come but could hardly be considered nutritious or filling. Unpacking the readings for this Sunday, like we do every week in our regular Adult Formation sessions, gives me the same problem. I can't really give you a sense of the importance of the traditional Easter Sunday readings without grounding them in the stories that precede them. <br /><br />Easter Sunday’s beautiful Gospel from John about how the tomb was found empty means nothing if not for our first reading from Acts of the Apostles, where Peter is explaining to Cornelius (a Roman Centurion) about who this Jesus fellow is. And even then, the passage we hear doesn’t even mention Cornelius, so we lose even more context. And still, that’s not enough context to substantiate the wonder that is Easter. At the very least, you need to allow yourself the opportunity of the blessing (a retreat, really) of all Holy Week has to offer. So forget the hors d'oeuvre of Easter Sunday and come to the feast! The liturgies of the Paschal Triduum, are like a full three course meal!<br /><br />The first course: Holy Thursday and the Mass of the Lord's Supper, with the story of the Passover from Exodus, Paul's story of the institution of the Eucharist, and John's glorious Gospel where Jesus washes the feet of his Apostles, instructing them to do the same.<br /><br />Our second course: Good Friday, where the prophet Isaiah tells us both the glory and the tragedy that faces God's servant, where Paul extols to the Romans how Jesus was a high priest who also understood weakness, and John's deeply moving story of Jesus' passion and death. <br /><br />Then comes our main course: The Easter Vigil, where in darkness we here the great Easter canticle – The <i>Exsultet</i>: The Proclamation of Easter! From there we tell the tale of our becoming the people of God, from Genesis, through Exodus, through Isaiah and the other prophets, and through St. Paul. By the time we’re done with our journey with all these readings our Gospel of the Resurrection now has enough context to reveal its radiance! Only then is the Glory of Easter truly revealed! Sticking with our theme of the great banquet, Easter Sunday then becomes more of a nice aperitif, a delightful pallet cleanser for the amazing stories yet to come during the entire season of Easter.<br /><br />So for this Easter, don't come just for one of the hors d'oeuvre on Easter Sunday. Instead, come to the Feast that is Holy Week. Only by knowing the whole story will you see why we believe when we find the tomb is empty!<br /><br /><b><i>Final thoughts:</i></b><br />When I think of Mass on Easter Sunday I am reminded of Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 13:11):<br /><br /><i>“When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.” <br /></i><br />We live in a multi-generational Church, which is, of course, representative of our lives. Yet so much of our Catholic practice is rooted in an adult context. When we share our faith with children, we need to take a simpler approach, to allow them to experience Christ where they are. But as we grow mentally and physically we also need to grow in our own relationship with God, to feed our own adult needs and experience our faith through the prism of our adult experience – to grow to see the depth and richness of our faith and our traditions. We need to allow ourselves to grow out of our understanding of Easter as just this one Sunday. The true richness of Easter lies in the real feast that is in the full three-course celebration of the Triduum, culminating with the Easter Vigil and continuing through the entire Easter Season. <br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-4841287283040640182024-03-20T12:44:00.000-07:002024-03-20T12:44:59.489-07:00Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion - Cycle B<p>This Sunday the Season of Lent nears its completion as we begin our preparations for Holy Week – Palm Sunday and the Sacred Triduum. Our Mass on Palm Sunday is a liturgy of transition, starting with the joyful celebration with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem only to experience the sadness and solemnity of his passion and death. How quickly things can change! The crowd that cheered his arrival into Jerusalem turns in a matter of a few days calling for his crucifixion…<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032424.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for Palm Sunday</a><br />Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16<br />Isaiah 50:4-7<br />Psalms 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24<br />Philippians 2:8-9<br />Mark 14:1-15:47 or 15:1-39<br /><br />The opening of the Palm Sunday Mass begins with the Gospel proclamation of Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem, with palms waving and crowds cheering. But this triumph is short-lived once we settle into our seats for the Liturgy of the Word. <br /><br />Our first reading is from second Isaiah where we hear his poetic lament of his prophetic calling. The prophet has a thankless task, yet even through his indignity he cannot help but deliver the Lord’s message, for in the Lord he shall not be put to shame. As Scripture has shown, this lament isn’t just from Isaiah, but representative of all prophets who speak for the Lord. As Christians we see this same indignity for Jesus, a suffering we hear echoed in our Psalm as we cry “my God, why have you abandoned me?” A lament Jesus himself utters on the cross.<br /><br />Just as Isaiah foretold of the suffering servant, our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians recounts Jesus’ obedience in the face of his suffering. Paul reminds us that it was in fact through Jesus’ suffering and death that he brought all of us to eternal life, an act that should bring us to our knees in praise.<br /><br />This brings us to our Gospel where we see prophecy fulfilled through Jesus with his passion and death. As we are in Cycle B of the Lectionary, we hear Mark’s story of the Passion. Some might ask why we need to hear the passion story on Palm Sunday? After all, Palm Sunday is supposed to be a moment of triumph and celebration, with Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem as the Savior. Why not just end the story there? Because for Jesus, these two events, his entry into the city and his death, are inexorably joined. Jesus knew and understood that by going into Jerusalem his very presence in the city would force the hand of the Jewish authorities, and that in turn would force the hand of the Roman authorities. And knowing all this, he still went.<br /><br /><i><b>Final Thoughts:</b></i><br />Palm Sunday reminds us that we too are players in this drama – that we also have skin in the game in the form of our own salvation. Christ did not suffer just for the people at that moment, but for all people for all time, past, present, and future. To remind us of our own culpability most parishes will have the Assembly join in the presentation of the Gospel playing the voice of the crowd. This is not easy for us, especially when we’re called to shout “crucify him, crucify him!” Yet this is exactly what we do when we forget to follow Christ and give in to our selfish sinful nature. It is in these very moments, however, that we need to remember the blessed irony of Good Friday – that it was through Jesus’ death that he was able to show God’s great power through the Resurrection. That through Christ, forgiveness is ours for the asking so our salvation can remain assured. <br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-80712637319296956912024-03-13T08:49:00.000-07:002024-03-13T08:49:28.778-07:005th Sunday of Lent - Cycle B<p>Our Cycle B readings bring the theme of covenant to a close this week (as next week we celebrate Palm Sunday). Through our readings this Lenten cycle we’ve been witness to key covenant moments that God had, first with Noah, then Abraham, then Moses, then David. As we know, however, in all these covenants, the people fell eventually away… turned away from God. Now it’s time for something new… what we Christians understand to be the New Covenant…<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031724-YearB.cfm">The Word for the 5th Sunday of Lent</a><br />Jeremiah 31:31-34<br />Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15<br />Hebrews 5:7-9<br />John 12:20-33<br /><br />First we hear from Jeremiah, who’s prophecy covers the final days of the Kingdom of Judah. This week’s passage comes from a time of trouble, where the end for Jerusalem is near. Yet in the face of certain doom, Jeremiah is able to preach of a restoration where we here the Lord's desire to make "a new covenant with the house Israel and the house of Judah." This prophecy of the restoration is echoed in our Psalm, which sings “create in me a new heart.” The Lord stands ready to forgive our offences, even as Jerusalem is about to fall.<br /><br />Redemption, however, is not without sacrifice, and our second reading examines the cost. In a passage from the letter to the Hebrews, we are reminded of Jesus’ suffering and death. A suffering that Jesus could have avoided, but because of his willful obedience, he endured to bring eternal salvation for all. The promise of Jeremiah’s New Covenant fulfilled.<br /><br />Our gospel from John then takes us to the beginning of Jesus’ final hours. Jesus tells Phillip and Andrew that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” That like a grain of wheat, unless he falls to the ground and dies, he cannot then rise to bring new life. Only this sacrifice will seal this new covenant between God and all his people.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />Our gospel this week literally ends with a voice of thunder, God’s promise to glorify Jesus through his death and then again through his resurrection. God has spoken to his people and told them that their fate is now in Jesus’ hands… hands that will soon be nailed to a cross. Why do we dwell on such horrific events? Jesus died two thousand years ago. His resurrection gave us the salvation that was prophesied, two thousand years ago. The reason comes from Jesus himself, “Do this in memory of me.” At every Mass we ritually relive that sacrifice as a reminder of Jesus’ great love for us. Lent affords us the opportunity to reexamine our relationship with God anew. A relationship… a covenant… made possible through Jesus’ great sacrifice. May we never take that sacrifice for granted.<br /><br />Remembering our baptism is also a priority for Lent. In our first reading the new covenant Jeremiah speaks of is lived out through our Baptism. Through our Baptism we are made one of God’s chosen and our sins are forgiven. Our second reading reminds us of Jesus’s necessary and obedient death so that he could be glorified. Our baptism shares in this obedient death to our former selves and our re-birth to our new selves, the chosen of God, followers of Christ, and aided by the Spirit. Our Gospel from John also speaks of Jesus’ necessary death in order to bring new life. Again, our baptism is a death and re-birth, one that has us committing ourselves to Christ, with all the risk and reward that may entail.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-9160764231935928572024-03-06T17:31:00.000-08:002024-03-06T17:31:43.050-08:004th Sunday of Lent - Cycle B<p>This Sunday we continue our Lenten journey through Salvation History with a continued focus on covenant. We’ve already given witness to the covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses. This week we turn our attention to the Davidic Covenant (the covenant with King David), or more accurately, the covenant with the monarchy of Israel.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031024-YearB.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 4th Sunday of Lent</a><br />2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23<br />Psalms 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6<br />Ephesians 2:4-10<br />John 3:14-21<br /><br />Our first reading comes from the end of the 2nd book of Chronicles. Though our intent this Sunday is to remember the Davidic Covenant, our Lectionary has chosen an interesting approach. Rather than give us a story about King David, we are presented with a story from the end of the Babylonian Exile. Why approach the covenant with David from this tail-end view? <br /><br />It’s an approach that actually fits very well with the Book of Chronicles, for you see, the Book of Chronicles is much more than a retelling of the story we heard in books of Samuel and Kings. The <i>Chronicler</i> of this book had a mission – a mission taken from the original Greek title of <i>paraleipomena</i>, which translates roughly to “things omitted.” Chronicler wanted to tell those stories that may have slipped through the cracks during the period of the monarchy. The Chronicler’s mission was also to try to make sense of their current situation, to ask the question of how God’s chosen people could end up in exile in Babylon.<br /><br />This Sunday’s passage comes from the end of the 2nd and final book of Chronicles, summarizing the events that lead to the fall of Jerusalem. But that’s not the end of the story, for our passage continues with story of how Cyrus the Great, following the will of God, sends the Israelites back to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple, calling an end to their exile in Babylon and sending them back to the land God had given them. From the Chronicler’s perspective, the people had learned their lesson. Their covenant with David and the kings of Israel was that they and their King needed to stay right with God in order to be protected by God. Our Psalm echoes the feelings of the people of Israel at the end of the Exile, “Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!”<br /><br />Our second reading comes from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. The passage reminds us that it is by the grace of God that we are shown his great mercy and love. A grace earned through Christ Jesus and his death and resurrection. Paul’s words are quite clear: Grace is a gift from God, freely given, not earned. It challenges the notion that we must “earn our way into Heaven.” That’s not to say that we can do whatever we want and still expect to get into Heaven. Rather, it shows us that our reciprocal love for God can only have us doing good for Him and one another. In other words, if we love God and accept his grace, how could we do wrong?<br /><br />Our Gospel comes from John and gives us the full story around the well-known verse of John 3:16. It is common to see signs that read “John 3:16” at sporting events, rallies, marches, and other large gatherings. The verse reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Our more evangelical brothers and sisters who like to hold up these signs are trying to tell us that it is belief in Christ (and only through Christ) that leads to eternal life. But that’s a somewhat limited view that is not necessarily keeping with the context with the full story. As our Gospel opens, Jesus is talking with Nicodemus, one of the leading Pharisees who has come to see Jesus as one sent by God. Nicodemus, like the Apostles at that time, are having some trouble understanding how one can be born again in the Spirit. At this Jesus tells him that it will be through his death and resurrection that the people will see the light. As the passage states in verse 17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />Our theme of Baptism also continues through our readings for this week. In our first reading we are reminded of the covenant God made with his people. Our baptism is also a covenant with God, and just like with the kings of old, if we continue to follow the Lord, he will be with us. Our second reading reminds us that we have been saved through Christ, a benefit we gain through our Baptism. Our Gospel has Jesus teaching about the light; how it illuminates the truth. During Baptism we are given a candle to remember that Christ is the light of the world.<br /><br />During the season of Lent, and again at the Easter Vigil, we focus on what we call “the Story of Salvation” or “Salvation History.” Calling to mind those stories in Scripture where God and man cross paths and interact. Pivotal moments where we grow in both knowledge and relationship with God. As important as these moments are, however, we also need to pay attention to the bigger picture. All of these stories form a larger tapestry that take us from creation to the establishment of the New Covenant through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Why do we spend so much time rehashing these stories? Because this New Covenant marks a new beginning – a clean slate between God and his people. Where do we go from here? The possibilities are endless, but only if we can avoid the mistakes we made before. Like the Chronicler in our first reading, the goal isn’t just to learn our history but to learn from it. Lent affords us this look back, so that when we look ahead we can carry those experiences (successes and failures) into our continued quest in building the Kingdom of God.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-68955561700244213412024-02-27T15:29:00.000-08:002024-02-27T15:29:30.265-08:003rd Sunday of Lent - Cycle B<p><i>Please note that some parishes/Masses may be celebrating the 1st Scrutiny for those in the RCIA. For those Masses you will here the readings for <a href="http://ourladyofrefugercia.blogspot.com/2023/03/3rd-sunday-of-lent-cycle-a.html" target="_blank">Cycle A</a></i> <br /></p><p>Our theme of covenant continues as we enter the 3rd week of Lent. On the first Sunday of Lent, we heard the story of Noah reminding us of the first covenant. Last week we heard the story of Abraham and Isaac reminding us of the second covenant. This week we hear the Ten Commandments, which are at the heart of the third covenant set with Moses and the people of Israel.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030324-YearB.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Lent</a><br />Exodus 20:1-17<br />Psalms 19:8, 9, 10, 11<br />1 Corinthians 1:22-25<br />John 2:13-25<br /><br />Our first reading comes from the book of Exodus and the passage that gives us the Ten Commandments. Most of us know the story of how God had Moses go up the sacred mountain to receive the commandments written on stone tablets, at which point we assume Moses presented these commandments to the people. But if you follow the text we see that God gives Moses these Ten Commandments (and the subsequent 3 chapters of commandments – 613 in all by Jewish Tradition) to Moses and the people before he climbs the mountain to receive the stone tablets, which we know was a trip that took 40 days. We also remember that when Moses comes down from the mountain, he sees what terrible sins the people have committed in his absence, made all the more serious when you consider that God and Moses had presented the people with the commandments before he ascended the mountain. Regardless of the sequence of events, however, the point to be made this third Sunday of Lent is to remember that in giving us these commandments, God committed himself to us, and we to him. From those words of The Ten Commandments, our Psalm reminds us that those very words bring “everlasting life.”<br /><br />Our second reading comes from Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians. In this passage Paul reminds us that the sign of our covenant – Christ crucified – which seems like folly to those who do not believe. Paul claims that “Jews demand signs, and Greeks look for wisdom,” but Jesus’ death on the cross would seem to lack both. Paul continues, however, to remind us that the risen Christ receives both his power and wisdom from God, and these gifts from God pale in comparison to any strength or wisdom we humans may have. As Paul reminded us last week, “If Christ if for us, who can be against us.”<br /><br />Our Gospel this week comes from John and his telling of the cleansing of the Temple – that pivotal story where Jesus drives all the merchants and money changers from the Temple. Not only is this story filled with the kind of action we’re not accustomed to seeing in Jesus, but it marks an important turning point in our narrative. From this moment on Jesus becomes a marked man – marked for death. In the three synoptic gospels, this story comes right before the Last Supper, yet here in John’s Gospel it comes right after the wedding at Cana, at the very beginning of his ministry. Why does John put this story so early? Because it reinforces his narrative that Jesus had but one mission: to die for our sins, defeat death, and rise on the third day. It is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that we make our new covenant and are reunited with God our Father. Not only is Jesus’ mission clear, but it sets the tone for the rest of his ministry through John’s Gospel. This 3rd Sunday of Lent for Cycle B, it also reminds us of that new covenant which leads to our salvation.<br /><b><br /><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />Remembering also that a running theme through Lent is baptism, what do our readings this week have to say? Our first reading, the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses, is a reminder of how our baptism is also a covenant with God, and that by accepting baptism we acknowledge our obedience to God and God’s Law. Our second reading reminds us that it is through Jesus’ crucifixion, his death and resurrection, that enables us to be baptized. That takes us to our gospel, John’s version of the cleansing of the temple. Through this gospel we are reminded that our baptism is also a cleansing of the temple, in this case the temple of our body and our soul – made clean, a new creation, through baptism.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-14102400148275857642024-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:002024-02-21T14:17:27.745-08:002nd Sunday of Lent - Cycle B<p>Lent is a season where, scripturally, we revisit the story of our salvation history. It’s the story of where our great patriarchs and prophets met the Lord God, and how our relationship with God as a people continues to grow and evolve. We also know from our review of the readings last week that our overarching theme for Cycle B is <i><b>covenant</b></i>. After God’s covenant with Noah last week, we now visit the next great covenant, that between God and Abraham:<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022524.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Lent</a><br />Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18<br />Psalm 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19<br />Romans 8:31b-34<br />Mark 9:2-10<br /><br />Our first reading, from the book of Genesis, is one of the great stories about Abraham. By this point in the narrative God has already made a covenant with Abraham, but now God is putting that covenant to the test. God asks Abraham to make a sacrifice of his young son Isaac. Isaac, as we know, is the only child born by Abraham’s wife, Sarah (a birth promised by God). By challenging Abraham to kill his son, God sees his faithfulness to both him and the covenant, and therefore relents at the very last moment. God saw how committed Abraham was to the covenant and reminds him of his promise to him: to make his descendants as numerous as the stars. It is a difficult story, but as Christians we can’t help but to compare Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac with God’s willingness to sacrifice his own son, Jesus. Our responsorial Psalm reminds us of the extent of our commitment to the Lord and to his covenant as we sing, “I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.”<br /><br />Our second reading comes from Paul’s letter to the Romans. In this short passage Paul’s message is simple – if God is for us, who can be against us? This is meant to remind us of the <b><i>new covenant</i></b>, the covenant created by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Through this covenant we are bonded with God in a way like never before.<br /><br />Our gospel comes again from Mark, where we hear the story of the Transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John, his 3 most trusted Apostles, for a hike up the mountain (what we traditionally consider to be Mount Tabor, about mid-way between Nazareth and the southwest shore of the Sea of Galilee) The story of the Transfiguration is a significant moment in our journey with Jesus, but for the sake of today’s theme, it’s not so much the moment of the Transfiguration that’s important as what Jesus says after that moment on the way down the mountain. Jesus implores the three not to say anything about this moment “except when the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” Peter, James, and John are unsure of what Jesus means when he says this. Of course, we already know what this means, but it’s also interesting to note that Mark and his followers also already knew what this meant. Just as with many great stories today, however, where we already know the ending, we can see Mark’s use of suspense in his narrative while at the same time slowly revealing the nature and mission of Jesus.<br /><br /><i><b>Final Thoughts:</b></i><br />For the purpose of this Sunday’s theme, we can easily connect God’s sacrifice of his Son for the sake of the Covenant, just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son for the sake of the Covenant. During our reflection of these readings during Lent, we are being called to ask ourselves, “what we are willing to give up in order to maintain our covenant with God?”<br /><br />But what of our secondary theme of baptism? Our first reading teaches us that through Abraham’s obedience, God promises “I will bless you abundantly.” The same covenant promises are made in our Baptismal promises: We accept God and God accepts us. Our second reading teaches that we are God’s “chosen ones.” By our Baptism we too become the chosen of God. As for our gospel, we see Jesus transfigured, where his clothes become “dazzling white.” As part of the Baptismal Rite we put on a white garment symbolizing that our sins have been cleansed and that we too are transfigured – born again and free of sin. One of God’s beloved.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-65370978994524098222024-02-21T14:10:00.000-08:002024-02-21T14:10:55.556-08:001st Sunday of Lent - Cycle B<p>The Season of Lent is now upon us. When you think of Lent most Catholics will say that it’s a season of penance, for giving something up, for prayer and for giving alms. In fact, the phrase, “Pray-Fast-Give” has become a popular expression of Lent for many Christians. These are all right, of course, but not entirely.<br /><br />According to the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy promulgated from the Second Vatican Council, <i>“The season of Lent has a twofold character: primarily by recalling or preparing for baptism and by penance, it disposes the faithful, who more diligently hear the word of God and devote themselves to prayer, to celebrate the paschal mystery.”</i> While those who are preparing for Baptism use this season of Lent as a period of “Purification and Enlightenment,” all Catholics are called to remember their own Baptisms. As such, we will be looking to see where in our readings during this season the theme of Baptism becomes apparent.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021824.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 1st Sunday of Lent</a><br />Genesis 9:8-15<br />Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9<br />1 Peter 3:18-22<br />Mark 1:12-15<br /><br />Our readings for Lent always have an overarching theme that bind the readings for every Sunday together. This year for Cycle B (Gospel of Mark), that theme is <i><b>covenant</b></i>. <i>Covenant</i> is that agreement between God and his people that marks the special relationship we have with our God. It is a word we will hear in our readings this Sunday and a word we will continue to hear in our readings throughout this Lenten season.<br /><br />Our first reading for this 1st Sunday of Lent starts with one of the first covenants between God and his people – that between God and Noah at the end of the great flood. Also known as the Noahic covenant, this is the promise that God makes to Noah and all the people that he will never again destroy all life on Earth with a flood. While this covenant was initially made with Noah, it is also a promise to all humankind, established with the rainbow as a reminder “for all ages to come” of that promise. Our Psalm this week continues this theme of covenant by reminding us that the Lord’s ways “are love and truth to those who keep that covenant.”<br /><br />Our second reading comes from the 1st Letter of Peter, wherein he draws a direct connection between the covenant with Noah and the <i>new covenant</i> through Jesus Christ. He draws a parallel between the salvation of Noah and his family through the waters of the flood with the salvation that Christ offers through the waters of Baptism.<br /><br />Following this reflection on Baptism, our Gospel from Mark takes us to that moment just after Jesus’ baptism where he is driven out into the desert. Mark tells us Jesus spent forty days in the desert where he was tempted by Satan. This is reflective of our forty-day journey through Lent where we are meant to face-down our demons find reconciliation with our Lord.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />The covenant with Noah and the subsequent covenants in the Bible between God and his people give us a special status. We are a people of the covenant: Beloved and chosen by God. But a covenant is also like a contract – one where we the people of God also have responsibilities under this covenant. What are those responsibilities? Quite simply, to live our lives according to God’s commandments, or as Jesus taught, to love God and love our neighbor. Simple in theory, but as we all know, much more difficult in practice. So how are we going in keeping up our end of that covenant? This is the question we must ponder during this Lenten season.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-85912493791722658332024-02-07T12:31:00.000-08:002024-02-07T12:31:44.147-08:006th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B<p>This Sunday marks the end of our brief winter’s journey through Ordinary Time with our readings serving as an appropriate transition to the Lenten season by addressing the issue of how we treat those who are sick and in need. How appropriate for our times! While we have an obligation to protect the greater population by separating out those who are sick (a lesson we were reminded of by the pandemic), we sometimes forget that we also have an obligation to care for those in need. Our readings this week give us the opportunity to examine these issues.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021124.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time</a><br />Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46<br />Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11<br />1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1<br />Mark 1:40-45<br /><br />Our first reading comes from the Book of Leviticus. This second book of Moses takes its name from the priestly tribe of the Levites for whom this is a handbook for serving the Hebrew people. Since this book is often referred to as “priestly law,” it is easy for us sometimes dismiss it or otherwise confuse it as dealing strictly with religious matters. On the contrary, the ancient Hebrews didn’t have any concept of “religious law” separate from “secular law.” Levite priests not only dealt with matters of spirituality and worship but they dealt with all issues of daily life, from preparing food, to business conduct, to healthcare and personal hygiene. <br /><br />This Sunday’s passage from Leviticus describes how those who are sick should be dealt with in the community. In this case, a person with skin sores must be checked by the priest, and if determined to be leprosy, that person must make that known to the community (rending of garments, covering their face) and live apart from the community (making his abode outside the camp). This wasn’t done to humiliate the individual, but rather to protect them as well as the remainder of the population. <br /><br />Though our first reading would seem to be harsh for the individual who is sick, our Psalm response is meant to be a “prescription” by reminding us that in times of trouble, we need to turn to the Lord.<br /><br />Our second reading continues our study of Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians. In this week’s short passage, Paul’s message is simple: don’t offend anyone and live as imitators of Christ. It is by living this way, Paul tells us, that we give glory to God.<br /><br />Our Gospel from Mark picks up where we left off last week and brings Chapter 4 to a close. Last week we saw Jesus preaching and healing a number of people then realizing he needed to head out to other towns and do the same. This week we see Jesus meeting someone with leprosy, whom he cures. Then, in keeping with Mosaic Law, instructs the person to go to the priest so he can be certified as “clean” and rejoin the community. Here we also see the beginning of what will be a running theme in Mark’s gospel: Although Jesus gives the cured leper a warning not to tell anyone, the word gets out, bringing even larger crowds. At this Jesus tries to seek refuge, yet the people still find him.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />While the Mosaic Law had every good intention for keeping the greater population free from disease, it had some unfortunate side effects. The application of that law, as practiced over the centuries, focused too much on separating the sick from the rest of the population while not focusing enough on the care of those who were sick. Over time this created a marginalized underclass who were ostracized from the community and left to fend for themselves. By curing these people, Jesus not only demonstrated his power from God, but reminds us that we must reach out to those in need. Like Paul reminds us in our second reading, we need to imitate Christ, and show God’s love to those most in need.<br /><br />Our recent (and still ongoing) experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic brought out the best and the worst in people. And there’s no question that today’s readings can still provide us with some guidance when faced with similar problems in the future. But have we really learned from that experience? The pandemic brought the issues of wealth disparity, isolation, homelessness, job loss, and lack of sufficient medical care into sharp relief. For as quickly as we recognized who was an “essential worker” during the pandemic, we just as quickly have re-relegated them to the cast of the marginalized. God calls us all to care for those who are sick and marginalized. Based on this we all need to re-examine our thoughts and actions and ask ourselves if we are truly living up to what Jesus taught us. Then we need to take action. Only then can you confess the name “Christian.”<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-76587993492739080392024-01-30T15:17:00.000-08:002024-01-30T15:17:44.608-08:005th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B<p>Why is there evil in the world? Why does God let bad things happen to good people? These are common questions we hear in society, and yet even as believers in God, as followers of Christ, we often feel inadequate to address these types of questions. The fact is that we, humanity, have been struggling with these questions since the beginning of time and much has been written on the subject through the millennia. Our readings this Sunday can give us some guidance:<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020424.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time</a><br />Job 7:1-4, 6-7<br />Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6<br />1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23<br />Mark 1:29-39<br /><br />We open with a passage from the Book of Job (pronounced with a long “o”). The story of Job is fairly well known in Biblical circles, yet we Catholics only hear from the Book of Job twice during our Sunday Liturgy, both times this year in Cycle B. It’s difficult to get a good understanding of this book with so little exposure to it, yet it is one of the best didactic (teaching) tools we have to examine the subject of good and evil. To understand the story of Job it helps to understand what Job is not. Job is not a prophet. Job is not a historical person nor is the book an account of historical events. The book of Job falls under the umbrella of “wisdom literature.” books crafted to teach the faithful, like an ancient catechism. In the case of the book of Job it’s an exploration of good and evil. Our passage this week comes from an earlier part of the book where Job is bemoaning his current condition, which the text makes clear is not good. Who among us hasn’t felt like Job from time to time? That our lives are a “drudgery,” that we will “not see happiness again”? But let’s not spend too much time tearing this reading apart, but instead take it as a starting point to see where our other readings take us.<br /><br />Our responsorial Psalm sings “Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.” After hearing the mournful cry of Job, we need to be reminded of God’s great goodness, that even as we struggle, we can cry out to God for his compassion.<br /><br />This Psalm then bridges to our Gospel as we see God’s compassion through Jesus take action. We pick up our story where we left off last week with Jesus now leaving the synagogue in Capernaum and going to the home of Simon and Andrew. Here Jesus heals Simon-Peter’s mother-in-law. News of this miracle gets out and many others come to him for healing. After a long night, Jesus decides he needs to continue teaching and healing by visiting other villages, demonstrating God’s wisdom and compassion.<br /><br />Our second reading, though not directly related to our other readings, does add some wisdom and understanding to our situation. Continuing our study of Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains that he willingly has taken on this mission to spread the Gospel. Yet in that freedom, he also finds he has become a slave to his mission. The blessing and the curse of having the gift of free will. And that, brothers and sisters, is the thread that binds our readings together.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />It’s easy for us to understand the nature of our own free will. We are free to follow God, or not. To help others or to help ourselves. But our own self-centeredness can make us forget that this free will extends not only to other people, but to all of God’s creation. And it is this free will that allows evil to enter. It is also that same free will that allows us to choose to accept evil or reject evil when we face it, and it is through following Christ that we can find the strength to defeat evil.<br /><br />So why do bad things happen to good people? Like so many things, there is no easy answer to this. The entire book of Job tries to tackle this issue and yet still leaves us hanging at the end, never really telling us why, but rather, forces us to think it through for ourselves. And like so many other issues, there is no simple answer, and anyone who thinks they can give you a simple answer is being naive at best, and evil at worst. Evil exists. Yet for all the evidence around us we still prefer not to talk about it, as if ignoring it will make it go away. We can’t. We shouldn’t. Instead we need to recognize it while ever clinging to the goodness of God within us, knowing that the Lord is on our side.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-71103279485850657672024-01-23T18:54:00.000-08:002024-01-23T18:54:40.391-08:004th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B<p>Since the close of the Christmas season we’ve been following Jesus as he begins his ministry. We’ve seen him Baptized by John (twice), we’ve seen him gathering his first Apostles (Andrew, Simon-Peter, James and John - twice), and this week we continue our journey as Jesus begins to preach, teach, and heal. Jesus has many different titles, but this week we focus on three: Prophet, Teacher, and Lord.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012824.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time</a><br />Deuteronomy 18:15-20<br />Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9<br />1 Corinthians 7:32-35<br />Mark 1:21-28<br /><br />Our first reading from the book of Deuteronomy gives us a clear understanding of what it means to be a prophet. Here Moses says a prophet is one like himself – someone chosen by God to speak for God. Now hearing this you might ask why God can’t speak for himself? Addressing that exact point Moses continues by reminding the people that it was they themselves who requested that God speak through an intermediary – through a prophet. It was at Mt. Horab where God initially spoke to the people, but His voice so frightened them they asked that only Moses hear the voice of God and relay the message. From that moment on God allowed Moses (and all the prophets who followed) to speak to us on his behalf. But beware, God also warns them that if someone should claim to be a prophet without God’s permission they will surely die.<br /><br />One of the things we learn quickly is that what the prophet says may not be easy to hear. Our Psalm anticipates this as we sing, “if today you hear my voice, harden not your hearts.” This idea plays to both the calling of a prophet (who are often reluctant to take on this difficult task) as well as to those who are hearing God’s message (which can be difficult to hear or follow). But the Psalm also reminds us that God is our rock of salvation who deserves our praise, reminding us of that time at Massah and Meribah where we didn’t trust the message – a mistake we should not repeat.<br /><br />Our second reading continues our journey through Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians. Though not directly related to our other readings, Paul’s message, like our Psalm, reminds us to stay focused on the Lord. As we examine this reading, as we hear Paul teaching us about the ways of married and unmarried men and women and how they should act. It’s passages like this that, when they heard through our 21st century understanding, can make us feel very uncomfortable and in fact allow us to feel that Paul is completely out of touch with our enlightened reality, thus diminishing the value of the message as irrelevant for our age. As with all scripture we need to give it deeper study to find the relevant truth. In this case, Paul is reminding us that as our lives become more busy, we become more focused on the moment, giving our attention to the here and now, which then distracts us from our higher commitment to God. When we read passages like this from Paul, we need to pay particular attention to his context – his hermeneutic, or point of view. Granted, Paul’s views may seem dated in our age, but for his age, they were quite progressive.<br /><br />Our Gospel from Mark continues where we left off last week. After having gathered his first Apostles, he goes to Capernaum and teaches in the Synagogue. Here we see Jesus as the great “rabbi” or “teacher.” We hear how everyone was amazed by his teaching with an authority like that of a prophet. If that were not enough, the narrative continues with a possessed man in the synagogue rebuking Jesus. Jesus confronts the unclean spirit and by his position as Lord causes the unclean spirit to flee. Note here that the unclean spirit recognizes who Jesus is, and it is because of this recognition the demon flees, and thus reinforcing our understanding of Jesus as Lord and Son of God. This story shows us that Jesus has all the qualifications to take on this mission of spreading the Gospel.<br /><b><br /><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />When we hear stories like this week’s Gospel it’s easy for us to feel intimidated. We see the ability of Jesus not only to impress the crowd with his teaching and prophecy but chasing away demons in the process. Already, still at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel story, we see that Jesus is a pretty impressive fellow – a force to be reckoned with. But we too are called to this mission. I’ve heard it many times by my fellow Christians – “I’m not Jesus, I can’t do that.” But we too easily forget that Jesus didn’t pass this responsibility onto just one person, he passed it on to all of us – the entire Church. Just as the Apostles had each other and the many disciples that followed after them, we are not alone in our mission to spread the Gospel. We do it with the rest of the Church around us.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-34570944307066584182024-01-16T13:48:00.000-08:002024-01-16T13:48:24.681-08:003rd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B<p>Our readings this week focus on a core theme that runs through Jesus’ ministry – repentance. There is no sin so grave that cannot be forgiven with true contrition and a return to God. This was the message that John the Baptist proclaimed, and the message Jesus continued to proclaim as he took up his own ministry. This theme not only runs through the gospels but is one of the major themes that binds the entire Bible into a cohesive volume. <br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012124.cfm" target="_blank"><br />The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time</a><br />Jonah 3:1-5, 10<br />Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9<br />1 Corinthians 7:29-31<br />Mark 1:14-20<br /><br />Our first reading comes from the book of Jonah. The story of Jonah is well known in both Jewish and Christian circles, yet for all its popularity, we only hear it in the Sunday Liturgy this once. For this reason, many Catholics only have a passing familiarity with Jonah’s story. They know his name and that he was swallowed by a large fish (or whale), but that’s about it. In our passage this week, God asks Jonah to go through the city of Nineveh preaching that God would destroy the city in forty days. The text states that Nineveh is so large that it takes 3 days to walk through it. Not only is this a Gentile city, but it is the capital of the Assyrian Empire (the same empire that defeats the Northern Kingdom some 50 years later). Yet when Jonah delivers the Lord’s message, the people do in fact repent. When God sees this, he relents and spares the city from destruction. Now since Nineveh was primarily a gentile city, our Psalm with its refrain, “Teach me your ways, O Lord,” seems very appropriate.<br /><br />Our second reading continues our study of Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians. While Paul’s message carries with it a certain urgency similar to Jonah’s message, Paul’s concern is with the imminence of the Second Coming. He is basically saying we need to forego the concerns of our daily lives and focus on what is important – our salvation. While Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians has him walking back a bit from this message of urgency, the basic message is still sound, for them and for us: We should always, in our actions and in our hearts, be prepared for the coming of Christ.<br /><br />Following along with our theme of repentance, Mark’s Gospel this week shows Jesus picking up where John the Baptist left off, preaching urgency for repentance. Along the way we hear Mark’s version of Jesus’ recruitment of the first Apostles. A rather different take on the story we heard in John’s gospel last week, Mark has Jesus making them an offer they can’t refuse – a sales pitch, if you will – to entice them to come along. Not only was it a good pitch, but it gives us one of the best lines from Jesus in the Gospels, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.”<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />It’s a shame we Catholics don’t spend enough time with the book of Jonah, because what it lacks in size (only 4 short chapters, easily read in the course of a 10 minute prayer), it makes up for in theological importance. Not only that, but it contains great irony and humor: Jonah’s very name translates to “dove” which Jonah is anything but. As a prophet of the Lord, he is deeply reluctant to deliver the Lord’s messages (which causes him to be swallowed by the big fish). Then Jonah gets upset when God relents from his punishment of Nineveh. Finally after all that, the book leaves us hanging at the end expecting us to figure out the moral of the story for ourselves.<br /><br />The story of Jonah is an allegory for our own Catholic faith. We continually struggle with God’s ways and His wishes for us. What is the moral of the story? We need to find it for ourselves. Jesus taught us what we needed to know, but it’s up to us to accept it.<br /><br />The start of this process is repentance. If we are to live as Christians, we need to learn to forgive and let go. If ever there was a time to do this it’s NOW! The social unrest and animosity that’s been building for years egged on by a litany of misinformation and lies has divided our nation to the point of sedition. Somewhere along the way we’ve forgotten to love our neighbor as ourselves. And not just as a country, but as a Church! We all need to pray on what is right and true and the beginning of that is with our own repentance.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-59539566038440467042024-01-09T14:49:00.000-08:002024-01-09T14:49:46.364-08:002nd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B<p>We Christians love the Christmas Season because it allows us to dwell on the story of the Nativity and those first special moments in the life of Jesus and the Holy Family. For as much as we love these stories, however, they’re not that important in the larger narrative of Jesus’ life. Mark and John don’t even mention these moments in their Gospels because they didn’t find them relevant to their telling of the story. The infancy narratives are like the hors d’oeuvres of Christian scripture – something to whet our appetites for the larger story to come, which begins now as we leave Christmastide behind and enter into Ordinary Time.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011424.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time</a><br />1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19<br />Psalm 40:2, 7-8, 8-9, 10<br />1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20<br />John 1:35-42<br /><br />We ended the Christmas season with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord (which this year was the Monday after this past Sunday’s celebration of the Epiphany). This is where John is passing the torch – ending his own ministry and pointing everyone to Jesus. And it is here where Jesus accepts his divine mission, marking the beginning of a journey that literally changed the world. The readings for Ordinary Time allows us to walk with Jesus through all the moments of his ministry, beginning with his calling of his Apostles.<br /><br />Receiving a great calling is a theme that we see over and over in Scripture. Our first reading gives us one such account from the 1st book of Samuel. Samuel was the last of the great Judges in Israel before the monarchy. Before he became a great prophet and judge, however, he was just a boy who had been taken under the tutelage of Eli, the high priest of Shiloh (and the second-last Judge of Israel). Today’s passage is the story of how Samuel was called by God. It is a pivotal moment not only for Samuel, but one that will forever change Israel as we know her.<br /><br />Just as Samuel answered God’s call, our Gospel shows the first disciples of Jesus answering his call. in a passage from John’s Gospel, John the Baptist sees Jesus go by and he proclaims “Behold, the Lamb of God.” At this calling Andrew and another disciple come immediately forward to follow Jesus. Andrew is so excited that he goes to find his brother Simon to bring him to Jesus, whereupon Jesus names him Peter.<br /><br />As is typical with Ordinary Time, the intent of our second reading isn’t so much to complement the themes found in our first reading and the Gospel, but rather gives us an opportunity to study some of epistles at length. For these next few weeks of Ordinary Time, we will be focused on passages from Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians. In today’s passage, Paul tells us that our very bodies are for the Lord. That they are in fact, temples for the Spirit, and as such, we should use our bodies accordingly. Not for immoral acts, but to the service of the Lord and the greater body of Christ. We can also see in this passage the beginnings of Paul’s teachings on the Body of Christ.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />The people in our readings this week all have something in common – they’ve been called by God. Today this type of “calling” is often synonymous with the word vocation, which comes from the Latin <i>vocar</i>, which means “to call”, and <i>vocatia</i>, which means “summons”. It is also the root of words like vocalize and voice. While the word vocation has certain meaning for us Catholics as a call to ordination or to the vows of religious life, it also has a similar secular meaning with regard to one’s occupation, profession or way of life. A vocation is something that comes from beyond ourselves, yet at the same time, is an intimate part of ourselves. </p><p>Marriage and living the married life is also a vocation within the Church. It’s more than just committing yourself to another person, but together committing themselves (and any children) to that vocation. What makes family life a vocation is the need to propagate the Gospel, preserving the Church and ensuring the future of the Church through the next generation so that the story of Jesus and the message of the Gospel continues.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-24774760718320897992024-01-02T17:02:00.000-08:002024-01-02T17:02:38.344-08:00The Epiphany of the Lord - Cycle B<p>If Easter is our highest holy day, the Epiphany is rightly the second (not Christmas or the Nativity as many people might think). The importance of this holy day is noted by its change in the Western Calendar to the First Sunday after the New Year (as opposed to its traditional date of January 6 – following the 12th Day of Christmas). The Epiphany is the celebration of the realization that through Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection that God's salvation is a gift for all people, everywhere. It is this feast that defines us as Christians, revealing not only that this child, Jesus, is the Christ, but that the grace of reconciling the people to God is not exclusive – it is a universal invitation for all people.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010724.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the Epiphany of the Lord</a><br />Isaiah 60:1-6<br />Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13<br />Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6<br />Matthew 2:1-2<br /><br />Our first reading comes from the later chapters of Isaiah (third or <i>trito</i>-Isaiah). Here the prophet sees a glorious vision for Jerusalem: The city shall be radiant and become a beacon for all the nations. And that is the key point of this reading today – That all people, all kingdoms, will see Jerusalem, God's city and God's people, as the light and life, and be drawn to her and the glory of the Lord. These later chapters of Isaiah reflect the hope for the end of the Babylonian Exile and the reconciliation of God to the people of Israel. As seen through our Christian eyes this passage also speaks to our hope for the messiah, a savior whose greatness will be seen by all nations, especially through the dromedaries from the east bearing gifts of gold and frankincense (a detail not lost on Matthew when we get to his gospel).<br /><br />Our Psalm reflects the same sentiment of our first reading, but instead of looking toward Jerusalem the Psalm has us looking to the King and his Son. Ancient peoples saw the kingdom and the king as one in the same (i.e. David is Israel, and Israel is David), and here the Psalm asks for God's judgment and justice be endowed onto the king and his son, so that these kings would rule with the same care and mercy that God would show. From our Christian perspective we also see this as a foreshadowing of Christ, our King and king of the universe. <br /><br />This revelation is not lost on St. Paul in our second reading from his letter to the Ephesians. Here Paul states clearly and unambiguously that salvation through Christ is open to everyone. There was much debate in the early Church as to whether you had to be a Jew (or become Jewish) to be a Christian. But just as Jesus reached out to foreigners, it became clear to the Apostles that Gentiles (non-Jews) needed to be welcome in the Church. This revelation from Paul, who had been a Pharisee and devout follower of Jewish Law, demonstrates the profound nature of this message that that Christ is the light for all people.<br /><br />Our Gospel also goes to great lengths to reinforce this revelation, this epiphany. In a story that is unique to Matthew's Gospel, we hear the story of the Magi, coming from the East, to find this newborn king of the Jews. We're very familiar with this story through song and legend and tradition, but as modern Christians this story tends to lose the impact that its first listeners (Matthew's primarily Jewish community) would have heard. In fact, Matthew's community would likely have felt much like "all of Jerusalem" in this story, greatly troubled that these foreign emissaries seem to know something that they didn't. That Jesus was in fact the messiah that had been foretold by the prophets. That this baby is the one, and if they (the magi) can see this, so should we. It also demonstrates how King Harrod let fear and jealousy guide him instead of God and the prophets. Matthew uses these important lessons to help us all see the truth and learn from this story.<br /><br />The story and the legend of the Magi hold a special place in collective Christian conscience, and rightly so. But we also need to remember that the true gift they brought was the revelation that this child was the Christ, and that his birth means salvation for all people.<br /><b><br /><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />While many of us are familiar with the legends surrounding the magi and the importance they play in the infancy narratives, today’s gospel actually tells us very little about them. While we have come to know them as the “wise men,” the “kings,” or the “astrologers,” from various traditions, our text uses the word “<i>maji</i>,” a Latin variant from the original Greek “<i>magos</i>,” which may refer to the ancient Persian religious cast. As to the number of “magi,” the scripture is also unclear. While we commonly think of “the three wise men,” some traditions indicate that there could have been as many as twelve. The number three traditionally coming from the number of gifts that are mentioned, one coming from each of the magi. In fact, many of the details of this legend comes from non-biblical sources and traditions, making for some fascinating reading.<br /><br />While the details of the legend may be interesting, it's also easy for us Westerners to become lost in those details and miss the point of the story. Remember, if the scripture writer didn't provide the details, it's because it's not important to their narrative. In this case, it doesn't matter how many magi came to visit, or who they were. The point was that these foreigners recognized Jesus as the new king, a foreshadowing of the truth that becomes revealed as Matthew’s Gospel unfolds. And don’t forget to pay attention to the details that the scripture writer did include, in this case, the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Not only are these symbols commonly used to represent royalty, but Matthew’s Jewish audience would clearly connect these gifts to those carried by the dromedaries in our first reading, helping us to see the connection from Isaiah’s prophecy to the birth of this child.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-36642550350551470892024-01-02T16:43:00.000-08:002024-01-02T17:02:52.496-08:00Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - Cycle B<p>The first Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord is always celebrated as the Christmas Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Since the Christmas season is a celebration of the Nativity, it seems only appropriate that we focus on the family in which Jesus was born. It should be no surprise then that our readings focus on parental and family themes…<br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/123123.cfm" target="_blank"><br />The Word for the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph</a><br />Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 or Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3<br />Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 or Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9<br />Colossians 3:12-21 or Colossians 3:12-17 or Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19<br />Luke 2:22-40 or Luke 2:22, 39-40<br /><br />Our readings for this Sunday offer quite a variety of options from which the presider may select, so those of us in the assembly will want to listen carefully. Since most presiders select the first of the options, that is what I will unpack for us here:<br /><br />Our first reading comes from the Wisdom of Ben Sira, which we also know as the Book of Sirach. This ancient catechism comes from a Jewish sage from Jerusalem at about 175 BCE (and later translated into Greek by his son around 117 BCE). Our passage fittingly comes from the chapter reflecting on our responsibilities to our parents. Our 4th Commandment reminds us to “honor your father and your mother.” This Commandment, along with other requirements under the Mosaic Law code, provides for special consideration for one’s parents. Family was the social and economic engine that drove the ancient world. As it was the parent’s job to care for children, it was understood that come the time, it was the children’s job to care for their parents. This responsibility isn’t lost on Ben Sira’s catechism as he reminds us, in the spirit of the Commandments and the Mosaic Law, of the special treatment and honor owed to one’s parents. Our Psalm reflects the importance of this teaching as we sing, “Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.” In other words, those who follow this important teaching will find favor with God.<br /><br />Our second reading is from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This week’s passage has Paul describing how we need to treat one another. In this case, he doesn’t specifically state how children or parents should act toward one another, but how everyone, “God’s chosen ones,” are expected to treat each other, using Christ as the example. If you read the long form of this reading, we come across the passage that reads, “Wives, be subordinate to your husbands.” The short form excludes this part and is most likely the form you will hear at most Masses. The controversy of this language is not without consideration, but it can also derail us from the spirit of the message that is important to this celebration – that we owe it to one another to treat each other as Christ would treat us.<br /><br />Our Gospel, in a story unique to Luke, gives us a glance at family life shortly after Jesus was born. Being devout Jews, Mary and Joseph take the infant Jesus to the Temple (as prescribed) to present him to the Lord. The short form of this Gospel gives us a very brief view of how the Holy Family followed customs with Jesus growing strong and filled with wisdom. The longer form of this gospel – the one you are most likely to hear at Mass – gives us a much more detailed description of what happened when Jesus was brought to the Temple. They meet two significant people at the Temple. First is Simeon, a righteous man to whom the Holy Spirit promised would see the Christ. Simeon notes how this servant will bring glory to Israel and be a light to the Gentiles, but this prophecy of greatness also comes with a warning of his death. They next encounter Anna, a very old prophetess who gave thanks to God as the redeemer of Jerusalem.<br /><br /><i><b>Final Thoughts:</b></i><br />Our Gospel tells of the great joy and great sorrow that will befall this new family. You can imagine the joy they felt at their wise words, as well as their fear of what will eventually happen to Jesus. Our new family is learning that life with Jesus is going to bring both great joy and great sorrow but will eventually lead to salvation – not just for them, but for everyone! They understood from the start that becoming parents to Jesus would be a life-altering challenge, and now they are starting to learn that how challenging it will be. But like all families with new children, they adapt and continue to raise their son as best they can.<br /><br />The addition of a child changes the nature of a family. Whether it’s a first child or any subsequent children, the family is forever changed by the addition of this new soul. Everything changes because now there is a whole new person who isn’t just added to the group but is completely dependent on the group for life itself. Those who have had children understand this. Those who have experienced the addition of a younger sibling understand this to a certain extent. Though the understanding and function of “family” has been evolving rapidly since the end of World War II, it still remains the basic social and economic unit of society. When a family is formed it’s no longer just “me,” but it becomes “us.” So it seems only fitting that we celebrate the Holy Family as a family unit, all three of them offering their special gifts to each other.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-29360600839886653722024-01-02T16:29:00.000-08:002024-01-02T16:29:21.687-08:004th Sunday of Advent - Cycle B<p>This 4th Sunday of Advent we focus on the Incarnation: God made manifest through the birth of Jesus. Nothing captures this moment better than our Gospel, but as we will see, our other readings would suggest that this meeting between God and his people has been coming for some time…<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122423.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 4th Sunday of Advent</a><br />2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16<br />Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27-29<br />Romans 16:25-27<br />Luke 1:26-38<br /><br />To better understand our readings for this week, I think we should first look at our Gospel. In a story that is unique to Luke’s Gospel, we hear the angel Gabriel coming to Mary to announce God’s plan for the birth of his Son. It’s not hard for us to imagine Mary’s amazement in this moment. Not only is this humble girl from Nazareth (already likely anxious over her betrothal to Joseph) being approached by an angel, a messenger for the Lord, but the angel’s message is almost unbelievable: God has chosen her to bear his Son. But Mary isn’t naive and challenges Gabriel about this plan. After some further explanation Mary eventually agrees and says “yes.” (“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”). Every Christian is familiar with this story, but I often wonder if our familiarity with it drowns out the shear amazement of the moment. Not only has God concocted this incredible plan for reconciling with his creation, but the whole scheme depends on whether this young unwed peasant girl from Nazareth is willing to go along with it. The miracle is two-fold: First,. God’s plan, and second, Mary’s “yes” to this plan.<br /><br />As for the first part, God’s plan, we see this has been in the works for some time. This is evident in our first reading from the 2nd book of Samuel. David, God’s chosen, is now king of Israel and settling into his new “palace” (of cedar, not stone, so don’t let your imaginations get too carried away). But David is troubled – he now has his palace, but what of God? Should the arc still be in a tent? David wants to build a palace (think “temple”) for God, but God wants David to dismiss this idea. To dissuade David from this plan, God has Nathan remind him about the greater mission – where they’ve been, where they are going, and the goal to establish a kingdom dedicated to the Lord. This was the promise God made with David and though it took some time, it’s the promise he fulfilled in our Gospel. Our Psalm echoes that covenant as we sing, “For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.” We offer the Lord our praise while he offers us his protection.<br /><br />Our second reading comes from the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Romans. In this short passage we hear echoes of our Psalm – that it is through Christ we find strength and from that grace we continue to bring not just Israel, but all nations to give praise to God.<br /><br />This then has us circling back to our Gospel from Luke. As we can see now, this miracle of the Annunciation is part of a plan that’s been a long time coming. God wanted David to establish a kingdom that would draw all nations to the Lord. But over the generations David’s successors lost their way, so God must step in once again, and through Mary delivers us the King of Kings, his son, Jesus.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />In reviewing our first reading, it’s easy for us to misinterpret what’s going on. David has built his house, and now he proposes to build a house for God. Seems like a nice idea, but we would be mistaken. God doesn’t want a house. God doesn’t need a house. It is God who is offering David a house and a kingdom. It is God who cares for us. God doesn’t need us to reciprocate. Instead he wants David’s kingdom to be a beacon to other nations, not through building temples and palaces, but by bringing people to the Lord. God is looking for a different kind of Kingdom.<br /><br />Our readings from Samuel and Paul lead us to think of kings and thrones and majesty, which are all valid images for Christ. But let us not forget that like David himself, Jesus was born of humble, ordinary means. Just like David. Just like us. That is the miracle of Christmas. If a shepherd like David, or a carpenter’s son like Jesus, can bring entire nations to the Lord, so can we. Not through battles or revolutions, not by building temples, but by loving God and sharing that love with our neighbors. Merry Christmas indeed!<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-41438819742331160792023-12-13T09:27:00.000-08:002023-12-13T09:27:01.150-08:003rd Sunday of Advent - Cycle B<p>The third Sunday of Advent marks the midpoint of the season – in Catholic terms this is like “hump day” for the Advent Season where we can happily see the end of our Advent journey in sight. Referred to as <i>Gaudete Sunday</i>, it takes its name from the Latin word for<i> rejoice</i>. We will hear this word several times throughout this Sunday's Mass in our prayers and our readings. We light the rose-colored candle on our Advent wreaths, rose-colored decorations, and perhaps even the priest wearing rose-colored vestments. The rose color is a mixture of the violet of Advent and the white of Christmas. Not only is Christmas a joyous occasion to celebrate the birth of our Lord, but it reminds us that we are joyous (not fearful) of his eventual return.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121723.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Advent</a><br />Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11<br />Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54<br />1 Thessalonians 5:16-24<br />John 1:6-8, 19-28<br /><br />We open with a great announcement from Third Isaiah, that the anointed brings glad tidings to the poor. If his words sound familiar, they should. Not only are they reminiscent to the announcement made by the angels to the shepherd in the Nativity narratives but these are the same words Jesus reads in the synagogue in Nazareth after which he proclaims that this prophecy has been fulfilled. Indeed, such news from God, in any age, is cause for great celebration.<br /><br />Our responsorial Psalm mirrors this joy and praise to God but its source and its voice are not what you might expect. This passage isn’t from the book of Psalms, it’s from the Gospel of Luke, and its voice isn’t from David or an anonymous psalmist, but from the Virgin Mary herself. Taken from a passage referred to as the Canticle of Mary, this song of praise follows right after she and the pregnant Elizabeth greet each other. Both the message and the messenger are fitting for this Gaudete Sunday.<br /><br />Our second reading comes from the concluding verses of Paul’s 1st Letter to the Thessalonians. His direction to “rejoice always” are words we ourselves would do well to follow. But this isn’t a reckless kind of rejoicing, for in the same breath Paul reminds us that we must also pray and give thanks. Our rejoicing comes from the gift of Spirit, given to us by Christ, so that we may find what is good in preparation for the coming of Christ.<br /><br />This takes us to our Gospel, this week from John as he proclaims the coming of John the Baptist. But wait a minute, weren’t we just introduced to John the Baptist during last week’s Gospel from Mark? Why the repeat of this story? While this week’s Gospel from John may share the same story, John always has more to tell. What comes through this version of the story is John’s joy for the one who is to come. Our messenger is almost giddy with anticipation for the coming of the Christ, a rejoicing that both supports our theme of rejoicing, and a reminder that we to should be joyous for the Lord’s coming.<br /><br /><i><b>Final Thoughts:</b></i><br />Although Advent is meant to be a contemplative season, much like Lent, it carries with it a joy and anticipation that is hard to contain, and <i>Gaudete Sunday</i> is meant to reflect those feelings. As Catholics this Sunday affords us the opportunity to celebrate the coming of Christmas in a special way. For me and my family, this is when we go out and get our Christmas tree. Like incense in church, that fresh pine scent fills the house telling us that the Christmas season is almost upon us. Some folks say, “what? you’re only now getting your tree?” Some years this can be difficult as many tree lots are already closed by this time, but we began this tradition in an effort keep from getting caught up in the commercialization of the holiday. To keep ourselves more grounded in the traditions of Advent and remind ourselves that Christmas isn’t just a secular holiday, but a Catholic holiday with its own celebrations and traditions that go beyond all the secular traditions.<br /><br />Advent is a reminder that we don’t need to rush into and out of the holiday so fast. <i> Gaudete Sunday </i>reminds us that we are anxious and joyous, but that we still have time. Our preparations continue, but the celebration will still come. It doesn’t mean we have to put up all the decorations overnight. It wasn’t all that long ago where Catholics wouldn’t put up a tree until Christmas Eve. Nor do we need to get everything packed up right away on December 26th because we Catholics know that Christmas isn’t over – it’s just beginning! Isn’t that something to be joyous about? So join me as we embrace the spirit of Advent and take this time to prepare, both our home and our spirits for the Christmas season that is still to come. Like Mary and Elizabeth, we take this time to rejoice, pray, and give thanks to our God for the gift of his son.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-1784329010131566942023-12-06T09:42:00.000-08:002023-12-06T09:42:45.934-08:002nd Sunday of Advent - Cycle B<p><i>Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight his path!</i> This is the clarion call we receive for this 2nd Sunday of Advent. “Preparation” is the message we are bombarded with through all sorts of advertising right now – to find the perfect gift, create the perfect meal, decorate the perfect home, all the while surrounded by the perfect sense of family. Trouble is, when we seek this type of perfection, we often find ourselves disappointed. Not only have we missed the point of the season, we’ve allowed the secular world to obfuscate our understanding of the Gospel message: <br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121023.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Advent</a><br />Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11<br />Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14<br />2 Peter 3:8-14<br />Mark 1:1-8<br /><br />We open with one of the finest songs of forgiveness and triumph from the Prophet Isaiah. There is an established pattern in all our worship – that before we ask for something from God we first must ask him for forgiveness for our sins. We see this every time we celebrate the Mass as we begin with the Penitential Rite. Preparation, in the truest Judaeo-Christian form, means approaching God (and one another) with a clear conscience – with an unburdened heart and a cleansed soul. Isaiah recognizes that the people’s sufferings in Exile in Babylon has been more than sufficient payment for their sins, and God in his compassionate mercy, doesn’t merely forgive their sins, but states that “her guilt is expiated,” as if that sin had never existed. From this comes the triumphant prophecy of the end of their exile. By recognizing their mistakes, they have opened themselves to salvation, a promise echoed in our Psalm as we sing, “Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation!”<br /><br />But how long until we are saved? This is the question St. Peter is faced with in our second reading. The communities to which he is writing were made a promise: that by renouncing sin and following the way of Christ they would be saved. The next obvious question then is “when?” Peter, in the voice of the wise Church elder, reminds us to be patient. In a society where we are increasingly accustomed to instant gratification, rushing around to make sure everything is ready for the holidays, Peter’s message serves as a poignant reminder for us all: we should be patient and focus instead on how we are conducting ourselves.<br /><br />Our Gospel then takes us to the opening of Mark’s Gospel where we hear again those same words from Isaiah, “prepare the way of the Lord!” In this case, the announcement is from John the Baptist preparing the people for the one who is to come – Jesus, the Christ. And how does he prepare the people? By baptizing them in the Jordan River as they acknowledge their sins.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />We are all attracted to the idea of having the “perfect” holiday. But none of us are perfect. We all come with some baggage. But guess what, God knows that! And yet he still wants us. God isn’t looking for us to be perfect, but he does expect us to take stock of our failings, acknowledge our sins, and strive to learn from those mistakes for the betterment of all. This is how we prepare for the coming of the Lord. Repent, give thanks, and then give praise.<br /><br />When I think about Advent it reminds me about cleaning my kitchen before preparing something special. All the dishes from previous meals need to be clean and put away. The counter tops need to be cleared to have plenty of workspace. All the items I need to cook need to be clean, staged, and standing ready. How, I ask myself, could anyone cook in a dirty, disorganized kitchen? You can’t. At least no good cook would. The first order of business is always to make sure everything is cleaned and organized before you start. This is Advent. This is the time to clean the dishes – to cleans our souls and to organize and prioritize our lives for the feast that is the coming of Christ. So let go of the commercial chaos of the holidays and take this opportunity to “clean your kitchen” and prepare the way of the Lord.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-34197211029275185032023-11-28T15:03:00.000-08:002023-11-28T15:03:39.262-08:001st Sunday of Advent - Cycle B<p>With the 1st Sunday of Advent we welcome a new Liturgical Year, but unlike our secular celebration of the new year we don’t do it with champagne and noisemakers. Instead the Church begins her new year with a season of solemn reflection and preparation for the coming of Jesus. Not his coming as an infant – that moment has past – but for his coming again in glory. His second coming. But this is not something to fear, it is something to rejoice! And what better way to celebrate his second coming than by remembering our rejoicing for his first coming! Advent is our chance to ask ourselves, “are we ready for his return?”<br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120323.cfm" target="_blank"><br />The Word for the 1st Sunday of Advent</a><br />Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7<br />Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19<br />1 Corinthians 1:3-9<br />Mark 13:33-37<br /><br />Advent marks the beginning of the new Liturgical Year, and with that a new Lectionary cycle. Last year, Cycle A, we spent with the Gospel of Matthew, but now we transition to Cycle B with a focus on the Gospel of Mark.<br /><br />Our first reading comes from the Prophet Isaiah, in this case, from <i>trito </i>or third Isaiah. Here we have a vision that has us begging God to take us back, to make us his own again. These pleadings ring true to the heart of a people who feel abandoned by God and even though this particular passage comes from the post-exilic period, it still gives us a portrait of a people yearning for a closeness to God that traditionally was authoritarian and distant. This is seen in the opening line, “you, Lord, are our father,” a phrase that we Christians find very familiar, but coming from Isaiah was something radically new and different. Our Psalm echoes this yearning of a people begging God to see us and save us. The Psalm’s reference to the “son of man” is also very prophetic to the Christian ear.<br /><br />Our second reading is from the opening of Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians. In his opening lines he is reminding the community that they have been given all they need in preparation for the end of days and that the revelation of Christ will keep them strong to the end. As descendants of these disciples, we too have been given this knowledge and possess these same spiritual gifts.<br /><br />This takes us to our Gospel from Mark, where he says quite clearly that we must always be alert and ever on watch. If this warning sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve been hearing it for the past several weeks in our readings. Our Gospel reading, now from Mark, continues this theme of being prepared. Coming just before Mark’s passion story, this is Jesus’ final attempt to explain the trouble that is to come. Not only his arrest, passion and death, but his resurrection and eventual return. These will be times of tribulation, but if we remain alert, we will not be caught unprepared. In order to better understand this Mark gives us the final parable of his Gospel, the Parable of the Watchful Servant. The master is putting his estate in our hands while he is away – a responsibility for which we should never become complacent. In other words, Jesus has given us a great responsibility and we must care for his estate (the church) as though his return could come at any time, and we would not want to be caught unprepared.<br /><br /><i><b>Final Thoughts:</b></i><br />Are you prepared for the Master’s return? The season of Advent gives us the opportunity to ask this very question of ourselves. Unfortunately, this meaning is lost in our modern secular interpretation of the Christmas season. In our eagerness to remember the coming of the infant Jesus, it’s easy to forget that we should be focused on our preparation for his second coming. <br /><br />Our challenge as Catholics is to reclaim Advent – our tradition of thoughtful introspection between now and Christmas. This means foregoing the manufactured chaos of “black Friday” along with frenzied need for shopping and decorating and planning parties. The people who spend so much time stressing out during the holidays are those same people who are ready to kick the tree to the curb on December 26th, wrongly thinking that Christmas is over. It is in fact just beginning. It was not all that long ago where Catholics in many countries (including our own) would put up their Christmas trees on Christmas Eve, complete with family gatherings, food, and Mass at midnight. While midnight Mass is a tradition that is fast fading away, most every parish will do earlier evening Masses on Christmas Eve.<br /><br />Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting we avoid all the decorations, parties and presents. Quite the contrary. But let’s also realize that Christmas is not an end-all be-all single-day celebration. Instead we should remember that Christmas is an entire season lasting to the Epiphany. There is plenty of time for celebration and time with family and friends. So we should take advantage of this elongated celebration to ease into the holiday season by remembering that Advent is our opportunity to prepare our spirit as well as our homes, not with gifts and decorations, but with hearts ready for Christ.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-43508063231599239212023-11-21T10:08:00.000-08:002023-11-21T10:08:00.691-08:00The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - Cycle A<p>In the Nicene Creed we state that we believe Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end." This belief didn’t originate in the Creed, these words have their origins in the scriptures. This Sunday's Gospel reminds us that God alone determines our fate after death, but that fate is also determined by our own choices in life – our free will to follow a path of righteousness or selfishness. In one of Jesus' final sermons to his Apostles (in a continuation from last week's Gospel), Jesus gives us concrete examples to follow:<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112623.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for Christ the King</a><br />Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17<br />Psalm 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6<br />1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28<br />Matthew 25:31-46<br /><br />Our first reading comes from Ezekiel, the exiled priest who found his prophetic voice in Babylon. At a time where the exiled Jewish community is feeling abandoned by God, Ezekiel is called to bring a message of hope. He speaks of God as a shepherd who seeks to bring back his lost sheep. It’s a powerful image that we Christians easily recognize from Jesus’ teachings. This message of the caring shepherd is echoed in our Psalm as we hear again those memorable strains of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.”<br /><br />Our second reading is from Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians. Here Paul explains that just as humanity fell from grace through Adam, eternal life was brought back to humanity through Christ. Through his death and resurrection he has the power to defeat God’s enemies, and as everything becomes subject to Christ, Christ in turn becomes subject to his Father, “so that God may be all in all.”<br /><br />Our Gospel, unique to Matthew, presents us with Jesus’ final teaching before the events that led to his passion and death. Subtitled “the Judgment of the Nations,” Jesus transports us to a scene at the end of time where he explains that whatever we have done to the least his brothers, we have done it to him. This final teaching of the last judgment reminds us that we not only have a duty to server our fellow man, but how well and how completely we follow this teaching will be how we are judged worthy in Christ’s eyes at the end of days. It’s a powerful and poetic teaching which serves as a constant reminder that our duty to Christ is in fact a duty to serve others. That we will not only be judged on our faith in Christ, but how we live out that faith over our entire lifetime.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />The celebration of Christ the King marks the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. Although being one of the newer feast days on the Church calendar, having been established by Pope Pius XI in 1925, its importance in the life of Christians should not be overlooked nor taken lightly.<br /><br />The Feast Day was established by Pope Pius XIth’s encyclical <i>Quas Primas</i>, <i>(In the First)</i>, which establishes Jesus as our King. For 21st century Americans, as well as most modern democratic societies, the meaning and importance of this Feast can easily be lost without understanding the context from which it originated. Since the end of the Great War, Europe, both economically and politically, was in shambles. The long-established monarchies of Europe and through to the Far East were being challenged by popular uprisings, only to be replaced by equally dangerous movements fueled by nationalism and fascism.<br /><br />Amid this turmoil (which included open political hostility toward the Church), The Holy See saw the need to remind the Christians that we owed our allegiance not to any temporal or political authority, but only to Christ. This idea of Christ as King over all, having been well established in both the Hebrew Scriptures (with God as our King) and the New Testament (with God transferring this authority to his Son), served to remind the world that all Christians are bound to a higher authority – Jesus Christ.<br /><br />It is sad to think that almost 100 years after the establishment of this feast day, our world is yet again faced with the challenge of populist leaders who prefer the focus be on themselves while shrouding it under the guise of the will of the people. Leaders like this demand loyalty only to them and their cause at the cost of others. It’s times like this we need to be reminded that our first loyalty is to Christ, our one true King.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-15480998786169728532023-11-14T18:35:00.000-08:002023-11-14T18:35:06.629-08:0033rd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A<p>God the Father has endowed us with many gifts. Not only does scripture recommend that we give thanks for these gifts (as in our readings from Proverbs and Psalms), but it recommends that these gifts must be put to use for the greater good and the love of God. <br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111923.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time</a><br />Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31<br />Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5<br />1 Thessalonians 5:1-6<br />Matthew 25:14-30 or 25:14-15, 19-21<br /><br />We open with a reading from the book of Proverbs. This book falls within the category of “wisdom literature” in the Bible. Like its other wisdom book counterparts, it is a collection of wise sayings used as a type of “catechism” to teach right living in the eyes of God. Proverbs is thought to originate during the period of the Israelite monarchy but doesn’t reach its final form until the post-exilic period. Our passage for this coming Sunday gives us the example of the value of a “worthy wife,” and how we should honor that value. “Wisdom” in this period is considered more practical than theological, but to us modern Christians we recognize how wisdom is an important part of forming our character. Similar to our passage in Proverbs our Psalm echoes the spirit of Thanksgiving that comes with such gifts as we sing, “blessed are those who fear the Lord.”<br /><br />Our second reading comes from Paul’s 1st letter to the Thessalonians. In this passage Paul is beginning his conclusion of this letter by reminding the community to be vigilant in their faith. He believes Christ’s return is imminent, so he is reminding them to maintain their watch – to stay in the light.<br /><br />Our Gospel from Matthew is the Parable of the Talents. It is the final parable Jesus gives in Matthew’s Gospel just before the story of the Passion begins to unfold. On the surface this parable would seem to support our basic capitalistic model for society: the servants who are able to double their wealth are rewarded, and the servant who buried his talent is thrown out. <br /><br />On first listening to this parable, we hear nothing of what we would expect as “Christian charity” or “forgiveness”. These are not the lessons being taught in this parable – those are lessons for another day. So to better understand the lesson we need to remember that the society who first heard this story had no concept of democracy or capitalism. What they did know is the master-servant relationship. They know what it’s like to not be in control. Jesus is trying to teach them that they do have some control and that they have a duty to make a difference – To make something of the gifts (or responsibilities) given to them. Put another way, we should not waste our opportunities.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />It is somewhat ironic that the coinage used in our story is called a <i>“talent.”</i> While this is an accepted translation of the term used for this kind of coin, modern English has a much different definition for the word “talent.” For us, a “talent” is what we might consider as a “gift from God” – Those abilities and personal capabilities that not only make us unique but can (and should) be put to use for the greater good, both now and for the future. <br /><br />Thanking God for our gifts and putting those gifts to use is a very appropriate theme as we prepare not only for the Thanksgiving holiday but the end of our Liturgical year. It's important for us to take this time and remember what and who is important in our lives, giving praise to the God who makes this possible. With Advent approaching, it’s a good time also to consider how we are best using our gifts from God in preparing for his coming again.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-24816541414931504982023-11-07T15:04:00.000-08:002023-11-14T18:35:49.656-08:0032nd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A<p>Be prepared. Our world is full of uncertainty. Anything could happen at any time which can affect our lives, either personally, locally, or globally. As Southern Californians, we live with the constant threat of the next big earthquake when we’re not fighting with fires, flash-floods, and traffic collisions. We’re taught regularly what we physically need to do in the case of a disaster, but what about spiritually? Are we prepared for the next spiritual crisis that comes into our lives? Our readings for this Sunday have some advice…<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111223.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time:</a><br />Wisdom 6:12-16<br />Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8<br />1 Thessalonians 4:13-18<br />Matthew 25:1-13<br /><br />Our first reading from the Book of Wisdom could be summed up as “good things come to those who wait”. Wisdom (always envisioned as a beautiful feminine figure) will come to those who keep vigil for her sake. There’s a sense of eager anticipation to this reading. Those who seek wisdom and keep vigil will be found by her. It is helpful to note that this book was relatively new at the time of Jesus, having been written in Greek about 50 years before his time, so it would not be out of place for this sense of anticipation to be carried through to their desire for a deliverer – a savior. The eagerness that comes through in this reading is also picked-up by our Psalm as we sing, “my soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”<br /><br />Our second reading continues with our study of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. This passage has Paul giving comfort to those concerned about missing the imminent coming of Christ. This was a serious issue for new Christians at the time: For those who die before Christ returns, will their souls be lost? Remember, at this point in Paul’s ministry he’s anticipating the Second Coming will be just about any day now. Those who are Christians now will be saved, but as followers start to die, there is concern for their salvation. Paul reassures us that God will not leave them. They too will be gathered up.<br /><br />That takes us to our Gospel with a parable that is unique to Matthew. The Parable of the Ten Virgins, five of whom, we are told, are wise, and the other five who are foolish. All ten go out to meet the bridegroom (yes, this would be Jesus). Five of them bring extra oil for their lamps, anticipating that it might be a while before the bridegroom arrives. The other five do not bring extra oil, so as their lamps are about to go out, they must go into town and buy extra oil and thus miss the coming of the bridegroom. There is quite a lot we can unpack from this reading, but we need to remind ourselves that this is a parable, and as such we shouldn’t get hung up on details like “loving our neighbors” when the five “wise” virgins don’t share their oil. The point here is that we need to take care of ourselves, make sure that we are prepared. This parable is part of Jesus’ closing dialog with his Apostles, his final sermon. As such we see Jesus desperate to get in some final lessons for his Apostles before he is put to death.<br /><br /><i><b>Final Thoughts:</b></i><br />Our Gospel ends with this well-known warning:<br /> <i>Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.</i><br /><br />But within this call for preparedness also comes a need for both patience and perseverance. When Paul started his ministry, he was convinced the Kingdom of God was at hand. There is an urgency to his preaching that reflects an almost imminent return of Jesus. But as his ministry goes on, he realizes that God’s time may not be our time. That perhaps the Jesus’ return might be on a timetable different from our own expectations. Well, that changes things a bit because as we prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of Christ we also must deal with the necessities of daily life. This is where patience and persistence come into play. As human beings we can become complacent. Our patience turns to frustration. Our persistence turns to thoughtless habit or to benign neglect. We begin to lose faith. We begin to lose hope. So our Gospel isn’t just and admonition to be prepared but it’s also a rallying cry to “hang in there,” to keep up our efforts. For like wisdom in our first reading, Christ will be there for us waiting for those of us who keep vigil. So don’t fall asleep!<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-33071723900685558172023-10-31T14:42:00.000-07:002023-11-14T18:35:36.625-08:0031st Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A<p><b><i>Practice what you preach.</i></b> This is the warning from our readings this week. While pointed specifically at the religious leaders of the community, these warnings also serve as a reminder for us – that we too must not become complacent in our duties to the Lord. <br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110523.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time:</a><br />Malachi 1:14b-1:2b, 8-10<br />Psalm 131:1, 2, 3<br />1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13<br />Matthew 23:1-12<br /><br />We open with a reading from the prophet Malachi, who’s career began a few generations after the return from Babylon. Malachi sees a priesthood that has lost its way, and through that, caused the people to falter. The prophet condemns them and reminds them that is God who created us and with whom we have our covenant. <br /><br />Our Psalm helps those priests (and all of us) to focus back on what’s important as we sing, “In you, Lord, I have found my peace.” When we turn to the Lord in humility, we find peace and hope.<br /><br />Our second reading picks up on that theme of a caring mother found in our Psalm as we continue our study of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. Here Paul reminds the people of his actions and that of the other disciples who came to them. They not only delivered the Word of God, but they lived it. They did their share of the work so that they might not be a burden on the community. They didn’t expect any special treatment. Once again Paul is using this as an example of behavior the people are meant to emulate. <br /><br />Our Gospel from Matthew continues a not far from where we left off last week. Lets step back and remember where we’ve been… Jesus has entered Jerusalem and has been confronted by the chief priests, the elders, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. Having bested all of them, he now turns to the crowds and his disciples to openly renounces their hypocrisy. As we have previously discussed, Jesus has nothing left to lose, he knows these are his final days. But his brazen attacks on these religious leaders is both a condemnation and a warning – that you must practice what you preach least you lose your favor with God.<br /><br />It’s also helpful to remember that the <i>phylacteries</i> (Ancient Greek for the Hebrew <i>tefillin</i>) Jesus refers to are a set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah, which are worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers. These are those little boxes they wear on their foreheads. The tassels are also part of the regalia of their office, the length of which believed to represent their position within the rank of the Pharisees.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />If there’s anything we’ve learned from Jesus and the prophets, it’s that “status” has no privileges in the Kingdom of God. In fact, any leadership position carries with it added responsibilities – to be an example for others to emulate, to practice what they preach. Above all, we Christians need to recognize that we all serve one master: Christ.<br /><br />As we continue to face a society (and in many ways, a church) divided on ideological grounds, these readings are a good reminder of what can happen when we don’t practice what we preach. Christ gave us two commandments (of which we were reminded in last week’s Gospel), to love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. When we forget to follow these commandments, it can lead down a path of division, rivalry, and lack of compassion for others. Jesus saw that the religious leaders of his day had lost this connection and compassion. He saw them serving themselves instead of others. You don’t have to look too far to see how similar selfishness has led to many of the problems and divisions we see in the world today. May we all strive to be better servants by putting Christ first.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-698919795443022192023-10-24T13:41:00.002-07:002023-11-14T18:35:24.640-08:0030th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A<p>What is the measure of a person? From a Biblical perspective, it’s how you treat others. In fact, the Scriptures are quite consistent on this point. From the Mosaic Law Code in Exodus to the teachings of the prophets, to the parables of Jesus, to the teachings of Paul and the Apostles – we are constantly reminded about how a God-loving people are expected to act toward one another. Our readings for this coming Sunday provide us the best examples of this most important teaching:<br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102923.cfm" target="_blank"><br />The Word for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time:</a><br />Exodus 22:20-26<br />Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51<br />1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10<br />Mathew 22:34-40<br /><br />We open with a reading from the book of Exodus. When we think of the Exodus, we always remember the Ten Commandments, but we tend to forget that these Ten are just the beginning of the extensive Law code (totaling 613 commandments). Just as with the preamble to the Constitution for the US, there’s a whole lot more that follows, providing the nuts-and-bolts (the context and applications) of how this new Covenant with God is going to work. The Ten Commandments can be found at the very beginning of Chapter 20, but the Law Code continues all the way through Chapter 23. And that’s just in Exodus. The later books of the Torah continue to add and interpret the Mosaic Law.<br /><br />Our passage from Exodus for this Sunday is perhaps even more important than the Ten Commandments because it establishes how the law is to be applied, and it does this through a most effective means – by reminding the Israelites that they themselves were the beneficiaries of God’s compassion. It explains how the Israelites are expected to treat those who are most venerable: widows, orphans, aliens (foreigners), and the poor. To use a modern legal term, it gives definition to a “protected class” – a class that the Israelites themselves were once part of and a class deserving of the same compassion that God provided to the Israelites when he heard them “cry out” for deliverance. Our Psalm is representative of that cry to the Lord, for through our love for him, and his love for us, we can seek his aid, singing, “I love you, Lord, my strength.”<br /><br />Our second reading, which continues our study of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, also touches on the subject of how to act toward one another. Paul’s teaching here is simple – just do what we do. Follow our example. The Thessalonians were concerned about what was considered proper behavior for the members of the community. Instead of going into a lot of detail, he tells them simply to become “imitators of us and the Lord.” Put another way, “we learn by doing.”<br /><br />Our gospel from Matthew continues not long after last week’s Gospel. The interrogation of Jesus continues, this time by the Pharisees asking, “Which commandment in the Law is greatest?” After slamming the Sadducees along with the chief priests and elders in our previous weeks Gospels, the Pharisees and the Scribes (literally, “scholars of the Law”) pose this as a test to Jesus, not only are they testing his knowledge of the Law but depending on how he answered, hoping to trap him into a debate in an effort to discredit his teaching. Instead, Jesus, the master of getting to the point, gives us the Two Great Commandments (what we also call the The Golden Rule). The beauty here is how Jesus was able to summarize all of the Law Code into its core elements: Love God. Love your neighbor. These building blocks not only summarize the Law but also allow us to argue the Law (in fine Jewish tradition) from a new perspective – by giving deference to the Spirit of the Law, not just the Letter of the Law. And reminding us that our “neighbor” includes everyone else other than ourselves, including those in that “protected class” from Exodus. <br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />The issue of immigration has been a hot button topic for many years now, becoming even more muddled with by entrenched hard-lined positions on all sides. And yet, many of these people, both on the right and the left of the political spectrum seem to have trouble understanding the church’s position on this issue. The fact that the church shows such staunch support for immigrants and immigration is not new. In fact, it is clear biblical teaching, from, quite literally, the beginning to the end of the Bible. This line that opens our first reading this week says it all: <br /><br /><i>Thus says the LORD: <br />"You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.” </i><br /><br />For those of us who are US citizens, we only need change the name of the country from Egypt to the Americas to better understand why the church teaches and preaches what she does on the issue of immigrants and immigration. The bottom line is that if we are citizens of this nation, it’s because one of our ancestors, however close or far removed, made that journey to this country. They were the aliens, and while many families have tales about how difficult that journey and transition was, many more have forgotten those stories. Forgotten their roots. Forgotten that they were once aliens in the land. So when it comes to this issue, we need to remember what Jesus commanded us: "...to love your neighbor as yourself."<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-12153169037054791522023-10-17T16:53:00.004-07:002023-10-17T16:53:39.179-07:0029th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A<p>Who is God and what do we owe him? The answer to both questions is “everything.” This question has its origins in the 1st Commandment, “I am the Lord your God… there is no other.” But what does that mean to us on a practical level? In short, it is God whom we thank for everything we have, and because of this it is only God to whom we owe our allegiance.<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102223.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time:</a><br />Isaiah 45:1, 4-6<br />Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10<br />1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b<br />Mathew 22:15-21<br /><br />We open with a reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah, in this case “Deutero” or Second Isaiah. The Exile is coming to an end. The Babylonian Empire has fallen to the Persians and now the Persian king, Cyrus, whom we know as Cyrus the Great, has been, according to Isaiah, anointed by God. Wait, Cyrus? A pagan? A foreign king? Yes. How could this be? Simple – God can choose whomever he wishes. The hand God chose to free Israel from her Exile was in fact the hand of Cyrus, the king of the Persian Empire, who through the defeat of the Babylonians has now set Israel free and wants to send them home. To Israel, this is not only redemption but an opportunity to show everyone God’s power and God’s mercy. To show all nations that it is God whom we thank, God whom we honor, and God in who we owe everything. Our Psalm echoes this song of praise.<br /><br />Our second reading begins our study of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, which we will be reading from through the rest of this season. This week’s passage starts with the initial greeting. In this passage Paul greets them in the peace of Christ and give thanks to God for all of them, reminding them that it was not on their word alone that lead them to Christ but the power of the Holy Spirt.<br /><br />Our Gospel from Matthew picks up, again where we left off last week. The Pharisees, whom after having been confronted by a series of parables from Jesus (who chastised them severely), go off and plot their revenge. They send their disciples back to confront Jesus with a question about paying the Imperial tax. The question is a trap. If he says pay the tax, he gives the Sanhedrin evidence he’s siding with the Romans. If he says don’t pay the tax, he gives the Romans evidence for inciting rebellion. But Jesus knows this is a trap and finds a way around it. He asks for a coin and then asks them to identify who’s image is on that coin. It is, obviously, Caesar’s image, whereupon Jesus says, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."<br /><br />This story, shared in all three Synoptic Gospels, marks a profound break from Hebrew tradition – separating fealty to God from that of the temporal authority. Jewish tradition puts its focus on the Jewish state, in other words, the state of Israel ruled by the Israelites. Jesus, on the other hand, sees fighting against the Roman occupation (and the Herodian dynasty) as counterproductive. Instead we should focus on our relationship with God and let everything else flow from that. I would argue that it is here where Jesus himself originates the concept of a separation between church and state. Empires come and go, but God remains.<br /><br /><b><i>Final Thoughts:</i></b><br />This has to be one of my favorite stories from all the Gospels because it is here that Jesus defiantly teaches us where our loyalties should reside. Not to the Temple. Not to the Romans. Only to God – only to love.<br /><br />In that one short sentence Jesus embodies the Spirit found in <i>Gaudium et Spes</i>, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World from the Second Vatican Council, which recognizes that the Church does not live outside of the world, but rather is a part of the world and lives in the world. Our faith cannot be lived in some spiritual ideal but must be found and lived in the world as it is. The world for Jesus is one where the Roman Empire rules the land, just as other empires have ruled before and will rule after it. Should we let that stand in the way of our relationship with God? Jewish tradition has strong ties to the land – Land, which tradition dictates, was given to them by God. Yet here Jesus is advocating for something revolutionary – a faith no longer rooted in the land but one where the Kingdom of God is wherever two or more are gathered in his name. That place could be anywhere and could include everyone. The Kingdom of God is not a place, but a state of mind independent of whoever is in charge of the land.<br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7146972146647293246.post-75250443554716944992023-10-11T12:03:00.001-07:002023-10-11T12:03:38.570-07:0028th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A<p><i><b>Invitation.</b></i> This is the theme that resonates through our readings for this 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time. And not just any invitation, an invitation to the Lord’s house. Who wouldn’t want to go? Who would turn down this invitation? Let’s explore our readings to see what we might be missing…<br /><br /><a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101523.cfm" target="_blank">The Word for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time:</a><br />Isaiah 25:6-10a<br />Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6<br />Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20<br />Mathew 22:1-14<br /><br />We open with a reading from Isaiah at a point where he sees great hope for Israel (for a brief time as King Hezekiah begins his reign). In this poem of praise for God, he describes what it is like to live on the mountain of the Lord - a paradise with rich food and choice wines, a place where God’s people rejoice under the umbrella of his protection. Our Psalm echoes this joy with its chorus “I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” Who would want to leave?<br /><br />Our Gospel from Matthew continues where we left off last week where we see Jesus using this image of the Heavenly banquet as he confronts the chief priests and elders with another parable. In this parable of the wedding feast, the king has prepared a wedding feast for his son, but none of the people he has invited wants to come. Why would anyone refuse such an invitation? Yet that’s exactly what happens, so the king sends his servants out into the streets to invite anyone and everyone who they could find and fills the hall with guests. If the king’s chosen guests refuse his invitation then his invitation needn't be limited to just them, it will be extended to everyone else.<br /><br />We all have been invited by God to his Heavenly banquet. Will you accept the invitation? But even if you accept, you still must come dressed for the occasion. The long form of our Gospel takes on this issue when the king finds someone at the feast who is not wearing his wedding cloths (think Baptismal garment). He has the servants bind his hands and feet and has him tossed out into the night. Imagine his dismay at having been invited but then tossed out. It’s a reminder that even though the Lord invites us to his banquet there still remain certain protocols and obligations to follow. By accepting a wedding invitation it’s expected that you will dress appropriately and bring a gift for the couple. Similarly, God’s invitation to us also comes with certain protocols and obligations. But the focus here isn’t on those, it’s on the benefit of having a seat at the table for the feast. The invitation is given to all.<br /><br />Our second reading concludes our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and not surprisingly, his message provides us with the reassurances we need should we fear getting tossed out of the banquet. Paul explains how he has been through good times and bad times, but regardless of circumstance, we, like he, can find strength through Christ Jesus. The Lord will provide us with what we need.<br /><br /><b><i>Final thoughts:</i></b><br />We are all invited to the feast! For Catholics, this feast is manifest in our celebration of the Eucharist. The Mass. Our doors are open and the invitation is to everyone, Catholic or not. But it is expected that we come dressed for the occasion both physically and spiritually. Our “wedding dress” is our Baptism, which allows us to share at the table of the Lord. We make our offering and find strength in Christ himself through the Eucharist. A weekly (even daily) reminder that we’ve been invited to the Heavenly feast that awaits. All we need do is to accept the invitation.<br /><br /></p>John McGlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14501289391494299208noreply@blogger.com0