Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - God's Mercy At Work_072725

 

Image from http://www.robparkersblog.com 

Deacon Tom Writes,

“God’s Mercy At Work”

 

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

Today Abraham is like the little Dutch boy whose valiant effort of placing his finger in the hole in the dyke averts an impending disaster. Abraham’s actions are directed at averting a disaster, a spiritual one, trying to hold back God’s wrath against the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He knows that the residents of these towns have racked up a pile of divine retribution because of their sins, yet he appeals to God not to destroy these two cities. Abraham cleverly invokes God’s mercy and seeks his forbearance not to bring destruction upon the inhabitants of these places should he find 50, no 45, AHHH 40, how about 30, 20 perhaps, OK 10 innocent people in these towns. Abraham is a gifted negotiator, a skilled plea bargainer. We could use the likes of him today!!! And God, at least for the time being, is compelled to listen to him, withholding his punishment while Abraham seeks out the innocent. This, to me, is an incredible sign of God’s patience with us, his disobedient children, and his willingness to give us every chance to get things right, even though we fail time and time again. In today’s first reading we learn that God’s justice is tempered by his mercy. In teachings about God’s mercy, we learn about our need to be merciful to each other also.

 

In light of the many problems we face in our personal and societal life today, it is fitting to assess the progress we have made in our efforts to expand the depth and horizons of our capacity to be merciful. How we engage other people, what we say to them and how we say it can have a powerful impact on them. Are we genuine? When we ask “How are you” do we really mean it? Are we prepared to stop and listen? You may have experienced a situation in which a few words of kindness can reshape a stress-contorted face into a smile. If you have ever stopped and listened to someone who wasn’t having a good day and, by doing so, cheered them up, you know it doesn’t take much to change a bad day someone is experiencing into a tolerable one... or even better. If we have ever reconciled with someone who has hurt us or offended us in any way, we know the healing and peace that flows from God’s mercy. As little as these actions are, they are important ways of sharing God’s grace and making his mercy visible to those around us. God indeed has infused us with his mercy so that we may share his mercy with others. When we act as God’s agents, we are instruments of his mercy just as Father Abraham was intermediating between the people of his day and God…And God listens, I believe, with our ears.

 

Pope Francis in his Easter Urbi et Orbi address several years ago stressed the point that only mercy can save the world. How does God’s mercy come into our world except through the lives and hands and hearts of those who love him? St. Teresa of Avila (1515 – 1582) was a living testimony of this truth. Her prayer is most fitting for us today. She prayed, “Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything. Whoever has God lacks nothing. God alone suffices. Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours; yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look lout on the world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless his people.” 

 

There is need for God’s Mercy all around us and no hands or feet to help but ours. What do you say? Are you in? Will you give it a go?

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading: God So Loved the World by Robert Spitzer, S.J. explores the depth of God's love for us and how      

 

Recommended YouTube:  CUA on Tap: Love is Light; Faith and Forgiveness - The story of a family shattered by violence whose response is to love and forgive and be healed.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Hospitality Plus_072025

Image Credit: The Hospitality of Abraham - basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy on revsshaffer. Com

 

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Hospitality Plus”

 

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

Abraham certainly knew how to entertain. He extended a humble greeting and generous hospitality to the three travelers who passed his tent in the heat of the day. He provided them with water – a vital necessity in the heat of the midday sun. Then he instructed Sarah to bake some bread while he had a choice steer prepared for a meal. What a great host Abraham was! This is the sort of treatment we reserve for our closest friends. In a real way, God wants us to know this is the way God treats us, his children.

 

This reading from the book of Genesis gives us insight into the hospitality of Jesus. In grounding the Eucharistic celebration in the context of a public banquet to which everyone is invited, Christ offers us hospitality not only for this life, but also for the life to come. Christ is our nourishment in the Eucharistic banquet shared as though we are one big family invited to center our thoughts and actions on him and not be “anxious and worried about many things” as Martha was so disposed in today’s gospel. We all know how difficult it is at times not to be overwhelmed when it comes to preparing Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner for a large number of guests. This can happen not just on festive occasions but all on any “ordinary” day. Our minds are constantly full of the needs of the day… the bills to pay, the stress at work and at home, sick parents or children, conflicting schedules… there are so many things to do and so many concerns weighing heavily on our minds that it is difficult to be aware of the spiritual realities taking place before us. This is true even when we are at Mass, when we are privileged to witness the miracle taking place before our eyes. And yet, being present at the Eucharistic celebration in the midst of our community of faith is the best possible way and place for us to find some relief from the worries and anxieties that are so much a part of our lives.

 

When we respond to the hospitality Jesus offers us, we gain new insight into the spiritual realities around us. This is why I believe that Paul can say, “rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.” Paul was able to connect with, “the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past” because he had experienced Jesus’ bountiful hospitality that eventually led him into an intimate relationship with Christ that enabled him to see beyond his physical pain and suffering.

 

As we gather for picnics and celebrations this summer, as we extend hospitality to our family, friends and neighbors, let us be mindful of the open invitation we have to break bread together with our friends and neighbors every time we go to Mass where Jesus has set a place for us at his Table and waits for us to share our fears, worries, and struggles with him.

 

Enjoy the Day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

OTHER RESOURCE

 

Recommended Reading: Eager to Love by Fr. Richard Rohr writing on Bl. John Duns Scotus's theology, emphasizes the "at-one-ment" aspect rather than "atonement" as a transaction. He explains how Scotus's view suggests that the Incarnation was "Plan A" from the beginning, a proactive expression of God's love, not a "Plan B" to fix human sin. This book provides an accessible and insightful overview of this perspective.

 

Recommended YouTube Video: The Mystery of Jesus’ Incarnation – Aquinas vs. John Duns John Scotus by Fr. John Quigley. This video directly addresses the contrasting views of Thomas Aquinas and Bl. John Duns Scotus on why Jesus became human, which directly relates to their respective Atonement theories. It provides a good overview of Scotus's idea that God's love wanted to be in communion with human creatures even if sin had not occurred, making the Incarnation a primary act of love rather than solely a response to sin.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Habitual Excellance_071325

Image Credit – Lee Porter: The Good Samaritan 1, 1993 

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Habitual Excellence!”

 

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

Today’s gospel tells the story of the Good Samaritan in which Jesus gives us a graphic example on how we must act to fulfill the greatest of the commandments. The Samaritan is a virtuous man; he acts with compassion, gentleness, generosity, humility, self-sacrifice, self-discipline, justice, courage, respect, and patience. His actions are unlike those of the priest and the Levite who ignore the victim on the side of the road and go about their daily concerns.

 

Why do we do the things that we do? The simple answer is that we get in the habit behaving in a certain way. Habits are our way of responding to certain situations. I suspect helping others came naturally to the Samaritan. He had, as we say, a habit of lending a helping hand. We acquire habits through our repeated action. We start out behaving a certain way and, as we repeat those same actions, they become habits. Habits can be for the good or, as we perhaps know too well, for the bad. Throughout our childhood, hopefully, we are taught to act with kindness so we can develop the habit of being kind. The same goes for being polite, courteous, friendly, and compassionate, etc. As we grow to maturity, again hopefully, we have acquired greater capacity to act more virtuously. Our life’s activities reflect the qualities of our interior moral life – we are either acting according to the good virtues we have stored up or the vices that oppose them.

 

The Greek word for virtue means “habitual excellence” which suggests that virtues need to be practiced constantly. St. Thomas Aquinas, the foremost proponent of an ethics of virtue, said that through repetition virtues bring about a “modification of a subject.” In other words, practicing virtue makes us virtuous.

 

The power of the virtues is that through their possession and exercise we reach the intended purpose of our lives which happens to be the very question the scholar of the law asks Jesus today, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 

To help us in our efforts to inherit eternal life, the Fathers of the Church have handed down some very good tools to help guide us. We have three “Theological” Virtues – Faith, Hope, and Charity and four “Cardinal” Virtues of Prudence, Fortitude, Justice, and Temperance.

 

There is much suffering in our world today that cries out for an increase in the practice of these virtues by people of all faiths. May the story of the good Samaritan motivate us to live more virtuous lives so we can be Good Samaritans to our brothers and sisters who suffer as they wait for help to arrive.

 

Enjoy the Day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

OTHER RESOURCE

 

Recommended Reading: Prayer of Heart & Body by Thomas Ryan CSP A practical "how-to" guide for persons who want to learn how to meditate or practice yoga in a way that is consistent with their Christian faith.

 

Recommended YouTube Video: Fr Tom Ryan, CSP Take Your Prayer to a Deeper Level. A wonderful opportunity to learn more about an ancient form of prayer by joining Fr Tom Ryan CSP on a guided meditation and prayer session.

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Busy As a Bee_0700625

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Busy As a Bee”

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

In today’s gospel Jesus gives his disciples some instructions before sending them out to the towns and villages he intended to visit. He tells them “Go on your way; behold I am sending you like lambs among the wolves. Carry no money bags, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way…” It’s no wonder “the laborers are few!” And yet, surprisingly, 72 responded to the call; 72 brave souls willing to venture out into the world, materially unprepared in every way to confront the challenges they were sure to meet along the way.

What a test of faith. Imagine these disciples starting out on a journey with no money, no carry-on, nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Sounds unrealistic, doesn’t it? But that’s the urgency that Jesus gave to his ministry – announcing the Good News that the Kingdom of God was at hand and it is also a great sign of Jesus’ trust that his disciples would be provided for. People longed to hear this message and Jesus was eager to spread the word that indeed Kingdom of God had arrived. “Be as busy as a bee” seems to have been Jesus’ mindset in spreading the Good News. Nothing was more important, so no need to waste time with the things of this world…money, baggage and extra clothes. God will take care of everything. God will provide; He always does.

We all could take lessons from these first eager co-workers of Jesus by ourselves trusting in God more and relying upon our possessions less; trusting in God’s Divine Providence and care and knowing he is always by our side, especially when things seem to not be going our way. What a wonderful world it would be if we could dedicate our lives to promoting the Kingdom Jesus proclaimed as we went about our day-to-day activities; if we were his laborers tilling the fields. We would truly have reason to rejoice as we too would drive out the demons in Jesus’ name, the demons of poverty and ignorance, the spirits of want and greed, the delusions of those seeking power and authority over others for their own selfish gain. With the love of Jesus in our hearts we might overcome the racial, political and economic issues of our times that divide us and cause so much bitterness, suffering and even violence. It really doesn’t take much effort on our part to be a willing co-worker of Jesus, a simple “Yes, Lord” will do, and then placing our trust in God’s Divine Providence. Oh, would that not lead to “heaven on earth?” Yes, we would have reasons to rejoice and be glad for all the good things we could do in Jesus’ name, if, and it’s a big if, we choose to abandon our own vestiges of power and go about our daily business with the only things we need, the Minds, the Hearts and the Love of Jesus, our Lord.


Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles_C - Keep Your Eyes on the Prize_063025

Deacon Tom writes,

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

Our willingness to suffer for a cause, for something we are deeply committed to is a testament to the strength and dedication of our belief.  St. Paul says that he… “is being poured our like a libation”.  With this expression St. Paul is saying that he has done all he could possibly do to spread the word about the kingdom of God and make disciples of all nations.  What a difference between the Paul who stood by and watched Stephen being stoned to death and the Paul who pours himself out on behalf of Christ as one of His first missionaries.  Paul was changed man because of his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. 

 

Change is difficult for most of us.  The stories of St. Peter and St. Paul we hear today reflect the experiences of men who were changed to the core by their personal relationship with Christ.

 

St. Matthew records that Peter recognized Jesus as, “the Christ, the son of the living God” and he experienced Christ for the reality of whom He is, the“Word Made Flesh”. There is a difference in knowing some things about someone and actually knowing that person in a personal and intimate way.  In today’s gospel, Peter receives a gift from God that enables him to “see and understand” who Jesus really is, and this insight changes him forever.

 

Peter’s experience can be ours if we truly desire it.  The Father will give us the gift to know Christ personally if we just ask Him for it.  This most precious gift enables us to experience Christ in a deeper and more profound way.  It calls us into a love affair with Him such that we desire to know all we can about Him and seek to do everything within our power to please Him.  This in turn allows us to be conformed into the person of Christ.  This is what St. Paul meant when he wrote these words to the Galatians: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”.  This become possible only by keeping our “eyes on the prize” and knowing that the prize we seek in this life is to become more Christ-like in all our thoughts, words, and actions.  Then we too, like St. Paul, will one day claim the crown of righteousness that awaits us.

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

Recommended Reading: Do Not Judge Anyone” Desert Wisdom for a Polarized World by Fr. Isaac Slater, O.C.S.O. Too often Christianity has been hijacked by the superego and the good news of grace has been compromised by fear and the rationalization of violence. In “Do Not Judge Anyone” Cistercian monk Isaac Slater reflects on the desert fathers’ teachings and practice of not judging with a focus on contemporary life. Interweaving sources from East and West, ancient and modern, Slater finds profound points of contact between the first monks and figures like Dostoevsky and Simone Weil, and in the teaching and witness of Pope Francis. “Do Not Judge Anyone” offers a radical, refreshing, and deeply hopeful vision of the gospel for the twenty-first century. 

 

Recommended YouTube Video: Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life – Period 2 - Here is Fr. Rohr’s presentation on the Second Half of Life

My Apologies_062125

 

It is my sincere hope that readers of this weekly reflection on the Sunday Readings find it helpful on your spiritual journey. I must apologize to you that over the past month or so I have not met my commitment to update this post by 4PM every Thursday. Like many, life gets hectic at times. I hope that as things have settled down somewhat for me now I will have future posts available again by 4PM on Thursdays. Thank you for your understanding.

In Christ, 

Deacon Tom

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ_C - There's Plenty to Go Around_062225

Deacon Tom Writes,

“There’s Plenty to Go Around!”

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year C

Can we ever be satisfied… with anything? We want faster, bigger, better, more of everything and we want it right now. We don’t want to wait to have it or work long and hard to get it. Have you noticed how some people have reacted to the ongoing supply chain disruption from Covid, Tariffs, Strikes, avian flu in the case of recent egg shortage? Some people are visibly upset; others are outraged; other will rush out and buy a ton of whatever to make sure they can weather the storm;and then others don’t seem dismayed at all. But this last group appear to be the exception. The truth is that we have been consummate consumers driven by immediate gratification. We have swallowed hook, line and sinker the clarion call from Fifth Avenue, from self-help gurus, from the media, and even from some pulpits that, “We can have it all and we can have it our way... right now.” Tell-tale signs that our expectations are not realistic and are a red flag that something has to change.

 

Our spiritual senses, if they are well developed, will tune us in to the fact that there is a problem with this type of behavior and warn us that this is not the natural order of things. No created thing, no human being can completely satisfy us or our hearts desires. It is only God who can satisfy the deepest longing of our hearts as we know from the famous saying of St. Augustine, “Our hearts will not rest until they rest in you”. Today we contemplate the wisdom of God as we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. God, the architect of the universe and the one who sustains all that exists within it, designed us to seek the ultimate good, which, of course, he is by his nature, by his very being. He “hard wired” us, so to speak, so that we would come looking for him, seeing his image in all creation, and putting aside all else in our search for the “real thing,” the ultimate goodness, the one and only giver of life and of all that is.

 

Those who were fortunate to be around Jesus listening to him speak about the Kingdom of God may not have fully realized the gift they were given: the bread of life, food that would satisfy completely. What’s our excuse? As Catholics there is no more profound mystery of faith than what we experience when we receive the Eucharist – the Son of God coming into our lives and dwelling within us and satisfying us completely. God becomes, in a sense, the very fuel that energizes us to do our part in helping bring about the reign of God in our times, in our lives, and in the world around us. What we receive we are meant to pass along to others as our part of making Christ present in the world.

 

That God would become really present in the bread and wine during the Consecration remains as difficult a teaching today as it was when Jesus first revealed it. Recall how many walked away because this teaching was too difficult? Jesus asked the apostles, “Will you leave me also.” And Peter responded, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

 

The gift of the Eucharist reveals God’s desire to be a part of the very fiber of our lives. We give God our thanks for this precious gift by sharing our faith and our lives with one another as we await the fullness of his long-awaited kingdom on earth.

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacs engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those thinking of coming into or leaving it.

 

Recommended Reading: Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton. One of the most famous books ever written about a man’s search for faith and peace. A Journey of Faith and Transformation, Exploring Vulnerability, Forgiveness, and the Quest for Spiritual Fulfillment in the Midst of a Turbulent World

 

Recommended YouTube Video: Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life - Here is Fr. Rohr’s presentation on the First Half of Life.