Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Unexpected Company_103022

Deacon Tom Writes

“Unexpected Company”

 

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

Poor Zacchaeus! When he left home that day to get a look at Jesus on his way through Jericho, I doubt that he had any inclination that Jesus would invite himself over for dinner. Usually, we need to tidy up somewhat before we have guests over…. Pick up the newspapers and magazines from the coffee table and bring them out to the trash, knock down a cobweb here and there, (the kids science projects, really…), run the vacuum around to pick up all those unidentified objects that follow us in from the yard. Yes, I’m sure that we all do a little “staging” of our homes to make it look a little more presentable for when our guests arrive. However, Zacchaeus didn’t have time to run home and tidy up when Jesus told him invited himself over.

The beauty and décor of a home comes not so much from how neat it looks or the expensive furniture and accessories but rather from what takes place there. Being with friends, old and new, recalling old memories or giving life to new ones gives a home its character. So, I wonder what Zacchaeus experienced when Jesus entered his home and shared dinner with him? I wonder what they discussed? Do you think that Jesus might have sympathetic to how the community reacted to Zacchaeus’ position as Chief Tax Collector, a position that put him in collaboration with the enemy, the Romans? In light of that, might they have discussed how the community was living out the “Greatest Commandment”, loving God and neighbor? There was so much to talk about! There were so many feelings and emotions in need of healing. The man who invited himself to dinner came to listen and to heal not just Zacchaeus, but us too.

Jesus came, as is written, “to seek and save what was lost”. Life is harsh at times, too often it seems. It is in times of bewilderment and uncertainty, when we lack vision and clarity and we seem lost or confused that we become receptive to God and open to what he is saying to us. He appears, it seems, out of nowhere then, in a visit from a friend, a call from a loved one, kind words from a stranger or even a soft breeze and we hear him say “Here I am; today I must stay with you”. Our hearts are lifted up; and ever so slowly, gradually, ever so gently, he fills all our needs, healing us, forgiving us, loving us simply because he comes to stay with us for a while.

Enjoy the day,
Deacon Tom

Check out www.deaconspod.com for a contemporary Catholic conversation exploring the treasures our faith has to offer.

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading:   Jesus: A Pilgrimage by Fr. James Martin takes us on a journey through the Holy Land to experience Jesus in a deep and personal way.

 

Recommended YouTube Video: The Examen with Fr. James Martin, SJ. a prayerful reflection on the people, events and happening of the day and where you met Jesus in them.  

Check out www.deaconspod.com for a contemporary Catholic conversation exploring the treasures our faith has to offer.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - All Cried Out_102322

Deacon Tom Writes,

All Cried Out

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

This picture of a Syrian boy bruised and bloodied during the battle for Aleppo several years ago has haunted my mind since the moment I first saw it. But new, more graphic ones now flood the airwaves and social media as a new set of victims emerge from eastern Ukraine. More victims, more suffering, more violence and despair.

While the hearts of some are overwhelmed with sorrow and grief, such grief apparently is not sufficient to bring the fighting to an end.

Kids have a way of letting their faces show their emotions as this picture depicts quite vividly. I look at it and I feel a sense of loss: the loss of another generation of children who have inherited the legacy of war, poverty, hopelessness and desperation. Are these horrible conditions helping formulate young minds into believing that the future holds no hope for them or their loved ones? In the absence of hope, the violence and devastation will continue.

The Old Testament reading from Sirach today stresses, “The Lord is a God of justice” who “hears the cry of the oppressed”. Sirach writes further, “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds… and the Lord will not delay”.

This reminder that the Lord is a God of Justice should inspire us and encourage us never to miss an opportunity to reach out to the hopeless and despairing. Those who believe in God’s justice seek to cooperate with him in helping to answer the cries of the poor. Faithful people do not lose hope! Rather, they look to inspire and generate hope in the most desperate of situations.

Thank God for the many volunteers whose personal sacrifice and efforts engender hope to people who remain in the war-torn cities, the many refugee camps, and those fleeing the devastation. Catholic Relief Services is a global organization with a vast network of outreach providing much-needed assistance to places where it is desperately needed. Supporting such relief agencies financially is one way for us to overcome indifference to the suffering of others and to put into practice the Corporal Works of Mercy. Also, don’t forget to continue to offer prayers and sacrifices for an end to this and other conflicts around the world. Remember, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor” and one day he is sure to ask us if we did and how we responded.


Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

 

Visit my Blog at: www.deacontomwrites.blogspot.com

Check out www.deaconspod.com for a contemporary Catholic conversation exploring the treasures our faith has to offer.

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading:   Learning to Pray by Fr. James Martin S.J. who has written a brilliant introduction to prayer that will help us encounter the Living God who desires to encounter us.

 

Recommended YouTube Video: Hear Fr. Keating talk about the Divine Love we can discover through contemplative prayer. The Most Excellent Path, Part 3, with Thomas Keating

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Prayer in Action_101622

Deacon Tom Writes,

Prayer In Action  

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Francis Cardinal Spellman gave us a unique perspective on prayer when he wrote, “Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon you.” In today’s readings we see Moses and the woman plaintiff working very hard to get the results they wanted. Prayer is very much a part of the solution. But as we read today, so is being active in pursuing the desired outcome.

We know that God wants us to pray because Jesus was a man of prayer. The gospels tell us that Jesus often went off early in the morning and prayed. It was through his prayer life that Jesus was able to know what God asked of him and formulate what his response would be. Jesus’ prayers animated all his thoughts and actions.

It is this understanding of Jesus and his ministry that gives rise to Cardinal Spellman’s insight calling us to prayer inspired action. This is a very practical example for anyone trying to live the gospel message. How else can we do what Jesus asks us to do? Can we truly expect to love our enemies if we are not prepared to take some steps toward bringing about a peaceful reconciliation? Do we think that we can merely say a prayer that someone we have hurt will forgive us and, zap, everything will be all right? Or pray for the hungry in the hopes that others will feed them? I seriously doubt it. Forgiveness, reconciliation, peacemaking, changes in our attitudes and behaviors, all the real activities of spiritual maturity, take both much prayer and much work. That is probably why St. Paul said to “Pray without ceasing”, and why we have the “spiritual exercises” of St Ignatius. They encourage us to pray and work for a Godly balance in our lives. This will enable us to discover God’s priorities for us this day and to discover his Presence in ourselves, in others and in everything around us while keeping us from being overwhelmed by it all.

Central to our faith and essential to our spiritual growth and maturity is the constant need to maintain a proper balance of prayer and action in our lives. Doing so will deepen our relationship with our Lord who desires our constant love and who seeks to be our life long companion.


Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

 

Check out www.deaconspod.com for a contemporary Catholic conversation exploring the treasures our faith has to offer.

 

Recommended Reading:   The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark. Tells the story of how the obscure, marginal Jesus movement became the dominant religious force in the Western World in a few centuries.

Recommended YouTube Video: Hear Fr. Keating talk about the Divine Love we can discover through contemplative prayer. The Most Excellent Path, Part 2, with Thomas Keating

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Actions Speak Louder Than Words_100922

Deacon Tom Writes,

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C 

In St Luke’s Gospel for the Twenty-eighth Sunday, we witness several occasions when Jesus encounters Samaritans during his travels. You may recall that Jews and Samaritans despised each other. It was a religious rivalry fueled by differences from the past, such as where they worshiped and how they interpreted scripture. These differences do not hinder Jesus from witnessing to the Samaritans about the Kingdom of God as in the story of the Woman at the Well or in today’s account of the Curing of the Lepers. In both stories it is the Samaritans, the outsiders, who are receptive to Jesus’ message and are thus able to receive the grace Jesus has in store for them.

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus is able to look beyond labels, divisions and even animosities and see the human needs present in those whose paths cross his? Jesus doesn’t proselytize. He doesn’t say, “Hey, become a good Jew first, then I’ll cure you or then I’ll tell you the Good News.” Not at all! Jesus lets his actions rooted in his ministry of inaugurating the Kingdom of God speak for him. And what do his actions say?




Powerfully, the very fact that Jesus speaks to the lepers gives them a sense of dignity and breaks the isolation that has been imposed upon them by society. Their self-worth is affirmed when Jesus acknowledges their presence and instructs them to go and show themselves to the priest. When they listen to him, they are cured.

What immense joy, what amazement this must have given them. But, as we know, unfortunately only one returns to the source of that joy, and that one is the outsider, the Samaritan. The others may have been equally as thankful and went on their way praising God as they rushed home to their families and loved ones. This one Samaritan, however, had the heart-felt gratitude to return and thank Jesus for bringing him back to life in the fullest sense of the word.

Our Samaritan friend we encounter today reminds us to give thanks to God for restoring our lives to completeness by loving us and inviting us to let his love shine through our lives into the hearts and lives of everyone we meet.

Enjoy the day
Deacon Tom

Check out www.deaconspod.com for a contemporary Catholic conversation exploring the treasures our faith has to offer.

Recommended Reading: Open Mind, Open Heart by Cistercian Father Thomas Keating. This is a marvelous introduction to centering prayer as Father guides us how to say "Yes" to God's grace so we can "Be still and know that I am God.”

Recommended YouTube Video: Hear Fr. Keating talk about the Divine Love we can discover through contemplative prayer. The Most Excellent Path, Part 1, with Thomas Keating