Fraternity Correction: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

23^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Love

·      God

o   “Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us.  For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.”

·      Neighbor

o   “Love your neighbor as yourself”

Love of being a watcher, a true friend, spouse, parents

·      Fraternity of Correction or Maternity of Correction

·      Not to judge, but to communicate, trust, and challenge each other

·      Sweatshirt in seminary

How do we use true love that may be challenging a family member, friend?

·      “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.   If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.  If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.”

Process with true love which is not always what we “feel” for love

·      “But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.”

 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”

 

Sails and the Holy Spirit: Sunday, 22nd in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

I praise God, that almost every day the Scriptures at Masses are simply popping out through the Holy Spirit.

·      And the Holy Spirit is like the wind and I have loved an image in our hearts

·      Sail boat

o   Sometimes there is no wind, which makes us feel challenging

o   Sometimes there is some great wind to sail, though we may forget to open the sails!

o   But when the sails are opened with powerful wind, we move forward

So think of Jeremiah spiritually having some of these same challenges in his mission:

·      “I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.”

o   Here the closer we are to God, the more in which we are simply encouraged to keep going forward!

Or the Responsorial Psalm:

·      “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

o   Those moments are when we feel alone, or parched in our soul:

o   “My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.”

Finally, what ag impressing verses from St. Paul, once again with challenges, but strength with God when we are opening our hearts to our mission:

·      “Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Keep rolling with God, brothers and sisters!

·      “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.”

 

 

Jesus Two Questions: Who do THEY who I am? Who do YOU think I am?21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Jesus asked two questions today which is curious about what the question was, and who it was

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
“But who do you say that I am?” 

Let’s start with Isaiah, another Isaiah and Matthew connection

·      “…I will place the key of the House of David…”

·      “…I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his family”

o   And in one Bible, according to Jeff Cavins, in a Protestant Bible pointed this verse to Matthew 16!

So who do people say that the Son of Man is?

·      We heard about John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, prophets

·      But what is he name today?  Guru?  Teacher?  Philosopher? Relativism?  Speaker?  One of many other leaders?

But who do YOU say that he is?

·      That’s where Peter spoke in correctly:

·      "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. 
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

During this time of the next political season, challenging times with a virus, who do YOU say that Jesus is?

·      If he is not the Son of God, why are you even here?

·      And if you do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, how do you live your life like that?

 

"I do believe. Help my unbelief.": 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“I do believe, help my unbelief!”

·      I love this verse that was not used today at Mass, but in Mark 9:24

·      For me, I trust with these same words…yes, I trust in God as much as I can.  At the same time, there can be times that I need his help as a human, with analogical thoughts and data, where God knows what I do not know

“Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom and cured every disease among the people.”

·      And yes, Jesus did this

·      Once again, we humans do the best ordinary ways to serve those who are sick—physically, mentally and spiritually

·      Yet God, as God, may give extraordinary gifts!

So here we go with this parable that we may not understand the depths of Jesus teaching to a mother and her daughter who was suffering

·      Is he a misogynist to this Samaritan woman as he didn’t answer her question?

o   Well, no…remember how Jesus revolutionary visit the Samaritan woman at the well in the Gospel according to John?  Or the women he mentioned carrying his cross?  All of which was illegal in the Old Testament Law?

·      Or, is he calling her a dog?

o   Well, no…he is God!

·      I think this woman was strong, yet also humble

·      And Jesus was not being mean to this woman though the disciples probably was: “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”

·      How did this woman protect and seek help, continuing with perseverance, seeking healing, for her daughter?

o   “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”  Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be done for you as you wish.”  And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.”

Jesus, I do believe, but help my unbelief!  May we persevere, seeking for his help, and with him, help us to grow with faith!

 

 

Elijah, Peter, and Ourselves: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Elijah and Peter have similar experiences

·      Elijah on the high of a mountain, in a cave

o   Seeing some dominant and chaotic stuff

o   Wind, that crushed rocks

o   Earthquake—what? Imagine that one…could you be crushed or falling down and simply die?

o   Fire

o   “After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.”

·      Now Peter’s experience

o   Jesus was walking on water and they thought he was a ghost!

o   Peter, with his headstrong individual asked to walk on water: “Come”

§  He did so, then, similar to Elijah, “Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;”

§  By the way…isn’t this us today?

§  “…beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?””

§  And this too?

Now, aren’t some of us like Elijah, strong, faithful, and trust in what he saw and how he reacted?

·      Aren’t some of us acting like Peter, wanting to walk on water, focusing to Jesus Christ, but realizing our fear with all the challenges we see, like the wind, like the storm, like the waves?

·      Or, aren’t most of us doing both?

“Lord, save us!”  And he will

Or, “Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.”

And he wants to do that too!