Upswings, AND, the Scriptures with the POOR: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Some upswing great news…

·      First baptism from the beginning of Covid

·      And, we have a new Bishop on the way: Bishop Elect Michael Malloy.

·      My experience

o   Bankruptcy, death of Bishop Paul Sirba, Covid, chaos, and we learned of our new Shepherd on the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ on Friday

And, it has been grateful for the Holy Spirit, especially in the readings for several weeks in a row as God’s Word has been crucial

·      I mean, let us quickly listen to each of our readings today, in the 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and please soak these into your discipleship, your discernment, and your connection with God:

·      Jeremiah: “Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”

o   While this prophesy of God through Jeremiah was written 2800ish years ago, how does this speak to us, and you, today?

o   How do we affect and support the LORD’s rescue of the poor who are oppressed by the “power of the wicked?”

·      Responsorial Song: “For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not. Let the heavens and the earth praise him, the seas and whatever moves in them!”

o   Once again, OT in the Wisdom book of the Psalms

o   How do we hear the poor?  How about in our own community?  Around our state?  Country? Around the world?  1/3 of people in the world do not eat or drink well, or even with clean food or clean drink.  1/3!

o   Or, what about those in “bonds,” those in our country, especially those that were written in a letter from our Bishops: “open wide our hearts the enduring call to love a pastoral letter against racism”: American Indians, Black and Hispanic brothers and sisters

·      Romans: “But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died,how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.”

o   And praise God, that against all of our own sins, that Jesus Christ DID give the opportunity for salvation

o   How do we walk together with and towards Jesus Christ?

·      Matthew: “Jesus said to the Twelve: ‘Fear no one.  Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.’

o   No matter what chaos, darkness, sinfulness, judgement, even death itself: FEAR NO ONE!

I hope these readings, even deeper in their fullness today, connect with each of our individual responsibilities, and when we seek that truth, then go to Confession, then we may show your mission which is different with each person.

May we always follow Jesus Christ, especially when we must lock in with Him, and not our worldly sinfulness