Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time_A - First and Goal - 020126

Deacon Tom Writes,
“First and Goal”

 

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

 

The teachings contained in this passage from Matthew’s Gospel today lay out for us our call to holiness. Jesus presents his vision of the Kingdom where the poor in spirit are blessed and the meek are comforted; where mercy abounds and righteousness prevails; where there are peacemakers to put an end to conflict, violence, and strife. Do you think that Jesus was telling the crowd to persevere, to just accept the evil in this present age and await the justice of God in the next life? I don’t think so. Jesus had a plan to help ease the suffering and hopelessness that he saw in the human condition, the one he embraced, willingly. Jesus had a plan to restore us to God’s good graces, revealed when he told his disciples, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (JN 10:10). Jesus’ plan for us to enjoy life more abundantly is one we are invited to work with him to bring to completeness. It is called “discipleship.”

 

In making a decision to follow Jesus we take on the responsibility of embracing the mind and heart of God as Jesus did and acting accordingly. We do know this; being faithful to the teachings of Jesus is difficult work. To use a football analogy on this pre Superbowl Sunday, it is like trying to move the football inside the “Red Zone”, when it is “First, second, third or even forth... and Goal.” There is a lot of resistance to our effort; the other team, the demons within our very selves, our own resistance to change, are trying just as hard to stop us. They try to prevent any “forward progress” and undermine our confidence; they challenge our determination to score, they are forceful in stopping our spiritual growth. This football analogy suites us well on our spiritual journey as we look to overcome all the challenges and obstacles to our faith that we encounter on a daily basis. We may experience rejection when we reach out to strangers; we may be the target of unkindness and misunderstanding when we try to bring comfort to family, friends, and neighbors. If we try to forgive others for the hurts they have caused us, there are those who may take this as a sign of weakness and attempt to take further advantage of us. We may suffer many setbacks if we try to live and act with the mind and heart of Jesus and that should come as no surprise for Jesus told us as much.

 

Still, we seek to be kind and gentle people, quick to forgive and slow to anger. We strive to be thoughtful and accepting of everyone. We engage people with the understanding that we are all made in the image of our creator. Most of all, we never lose sight of the goal and the good that can come from a single act of selfless love. Why? Because we take Jesus at his words, “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

 

Today we hear Jesus call the poor in spirit “blessed.” If we live our lives as his disciples, the day will come when he will say to us “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (MT 25:34)

 

In the pursuit of eternal life, that’s how you run up the score!!!

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com where you will find contemporary conversations with several Paulist Deacon Affiliates and their guests exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold of our church… those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading: The Shepherd who Didn't Run by Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda is the enduring story of Fr. Stan Rother, the martyr from Okarche, who loved, served and was martyred in the village of Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala serving among God's humble people. A truly remarkable and timely story about America's Frist martyr.

 

Recommended YouTube Video: An Ordinary Martyr: The Life and Death of Blessed Stanley Rother

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time_A - Decision Time_012526

Deacon Tom writes,

“Decision Time”

 

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

 

Making important decisions is seldom easy. St. Matthew recounts the story of ordinary men who were running a successful business when they were asked to make a decision. Their encounter with Christ causes them to alter the course of their lives. Called by Jesus they set out in a new direction to face the uncertainties of life with a new vision…. that all we experience in this life is not the totality of our existence but rather a greater reality is yet to come, one that we can begin to grasp by following in the ways of Jesus.

 

In deciding to follow Jesus these men became witnesses to the life transforming possibilities that Christ brought to every person and every situation he encountered during his brief ministry. Because they decided to follow Jesus, it is through their eyes and through their eye-witness testimony these events have been written down and preserved by Holy Mother Church. Today these words come alive for us here and now as we are asked, “How do we respond to Christ’s invitation to ‘Come after me…’”

 

We all have received a calling from God. We all have a unique and specific purpose in life that belongs to each of us individually. If we do not accept this call, if we don’t set out to accomplish the specific task God has given us, then that work, that effort, remains undone. People go hungry, there is no one to visit sick and imprisoned, no one to comfort the widow or widower in the time of grief. It is like the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” If we who profess to be disciples of Christ do not respond with our actions, those simple acts of kindness go undone and God’s work goes unfinished,

 

Today our Gospel prompts us to look into our lives and see how we have responded to the call that we have received, the call to love God and neighbor, the call to forgive those who hurt us, the call to live our lives in a spirit of wonder and awe knowing God is with us, always present in our lives, always seeking to bestow his abundant graces upon us just as he did to those we read about today. What he does for them he will do for everyone who makes the decision to follow him.

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com where you will find contemporary conversations with several Paulist Deacon Affiliates and their guests exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold of our church… those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading: The Sermon on the Mount by Fr. Frank Matera provides readers who wish to use the sermon as the standard by which they live their lives every day and shows how the teaching summons believers to single-minded devotion and wholehearted service to God. He unfolds the historical and theological background to the sermon.

 

Recommended YouTube Video: The Sermon on the Mount by Fr. David Senior, CP

 

 

 

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time_A - Too Little to Ask-01182

Deacon Tom writes,

“Too Little to Ask?”

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

 

In today’s First Reading, Isaiah reminds his listeners that God has great things in store for his people. Yes, Israel has fallen upon difficult times and is in a state of decline. But, the day will come when God will work wonders through his servant, Israel. Yes, too little is the work of raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the survivors of Israel. God has even greater plans for his Servant Israel, who will also ... “be the light of the nations that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.”

 

Now, at the beginning of this new year, is a good time for each of us to reflect on how we are the beneficiaries of this ancient promise God made to Israel. What has God revealing himself to the world meant to me? How do I respond to his coming into my lives?

 

While reflecting on Isaiah’s reading, we might consider how little God really asks of us in light of all we have received from him. We have so much to be grateful for; we all undoubtedly come up with a long list of blessings that we have received over the course of our lifetimes and yet God doesn’t overburden us with demands as a sign of our gratitude. He tells us simply to “love one another,” to share our food with the poor, to be peaceful, to be honest, to consider others first. He is not demanding that any of us end poverty, war, bigotry… No, he doesn’t demand that any of us individually solve the problems of hunger or disease. But I wonder if, just like servant Israel, God is just waiting for us to do our part, no matter how little or insignificant that may be, so he can bless the work of our hands and therefore bring to our troubled world the peace, justice and goodness that he desires for us.

 

As we journey through this new year, one that may prove both challenging and exciting on the one hand or vexing and overbearing on the other, let us all be mindful that we are the torch bearers who bring the light of Christ to all those around us. May our thoughts, actions and prayers find their source in our Lord Jesus Christ who came to give us new life.

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com where you will find contemporary conversations with several Paulist Deacon Affiliates and their guests exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold of our church… those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

OTHER RESOURCES

 

Recommended Reading: Hope Against Darkness by Fr. Richard Rohr is an excellent treatment of what we are so afraid to encounter... our dark self. Rohr describes how following Saint Francis' way to forgiveness and love, and "owning the darkness," can bring us out of the postmodern pit in which we find ourselves.

YouTube Video. 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Fr Timothy Radcliffe. In the Catholic Tradition, Peace Sunday (or World Day of Peace) is celebrated on the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, focusing on global peace efforts, while many Protestant traditions highlight peace on the Second Sunday of Advent, symbolizing hope and the coming of the Prince of Peace. In this Youtube video, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. addresses his homily to violence in our world and how we are called to be a people who refuse violence in word and in deed.  . In the Catholic tradition, Peace Sunday (or World Day of Peace) is celebrated on the 

 

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord_A - We Are God's Beloved_011126

Baptism of Christ - Davezelenka.png

Deacon Tom Writes,

“We are God’s Beloved”

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Year A

In one of his first encyclicals, Spes Salvi, In Hope We Are Saved, Pope Benedict wrote, “It is not science that redeems man: man is redeemed by love. This applies even in terms of this present world. When a man experiences a great love in his life, it is a moment of “redemption” which gives new meaning to his life. However, soon he will also realize that the love he has received cannot, by itself, resolve the questions of his life. All love remains fragile. It can be destroyed by death. The human being needs unconditional love. He needs the certainty which makes him say: “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38- 39

At the heart of this Pope Benedicts encyclical is the fact that the deepest longing of the human spirit is to be loved completely, without judgment or qualifications, conditions or limitations. We all desperately want to be “beloved”, unconditionally. We want to be absorbed into a love that protects, nourishes, encourages, forgives, nurtures, enlivens, animates. When we don’t experience this type of love, we become fearful, suspicious, and withdrawn. Our lives become shallow and resentful. We become self-absorbed and self-centered.

One of the many gifts Christ’s death and resurrection secured for us is the reality that because of his selfless love, we too are beloved by the Father. This elevated status frees us from fear and gives us the hope, the certainty that there is nothing that will ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

This is a good way to begin this New Year, to hold on to this profound truth thought throughout the new year: we are beloved, each of us by God whose love is overwhelming. Our God is with us always, by our side, always, in good times and when we are in despair. God gives us that same love he gave his own Son, Jesus; revealing himself so that we may continue to grow in his Love; encouraging us to love one another; speaking in the depth of our hearts that we too are loved with an everlasting love, an unconditional love that awaits our falling into it.

 Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com where you will find contemporary conversations with several Paulist Deacon Affiliates and their guests exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold of our church… those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading: Three ways to incorporate Ignatian spirituality into daily life    . In this episode of Saturdays at Seven, Fr. David Quigley presents one of St. Ignatius’s building blocks for spiritual growth, namely, finding God in all things. As we begin this new year, let’s take the time to hear what Fr. Quigley has to say.

 

YouTube Video. Finding God in All Things. In this episode of Saturdays at Seven, Fr. David Quigley presents one of St. Ignatius’s building blocks for spiritual growth, namely, finding God in all things. As we begin this new year, let’s take the time to hear what Fr. Quigley has to say.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Epiphany of the Lord_A - God's Wonderful Plan_010426

Deacon Tom writes,

“God’s Wonderful Plan”

The Epiphany of the Lord, Year A

The Feast of the Epiphany broadcasts to the world God’s immense love for all people. Christ, the Anointed One, has come as light to the people who have walked in darkness to reclaim us as his own. As we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany today, we recall God’s immense love for us made visible by his taking upon himself our feeble human nature and imparting upon us his own Divine Nature. What an unbalance exchange that was; one that reveals the abundant gift of grace we all have received in this divine plan. The Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer we hear today tells us how the Father “revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ as the light of the nations…” This light dawned on that first Christmas day when Mary gave birth to her Son Jesus, who is both Son of God… and Son of Mary thus unfolding the long awaited promised one, Emmanuel, Christ with us, who has now joined our human family.

It was difficult for the Jews of Christ’s time to understand that God willed salvation for everyone, that salvation was not reserved exclusively for the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone. True, God revealed himself through the Jewish people, but God intended Christ’s redemptive work to be shared by ALL.

This Feast we enjoy today celebrates the reality that God has not restricted or limited the saving work of Jesus Christ. It is through this revealing Christ to the world that God, again, in the words of today’s Preface, “... made us new by the glory of his (i.e., Christ’s) immortal nature.” What an encouraging thought in light of the many challenges we face today…that we can tap into this newness of life and love that Christ offers each of us.

None of us have the power to change things very much on a global scale. But, each of us can do something to show that we have been renewed and animated by Christ’s love and presence in our lives. We can do little things that make a big difference in the lives of the people we encounter every day. We can pray for one another; we can visit someone mourning the loss of a loved one. We can show that we have been renewed by Christ’s love whenever we visit a sick friend, welcome a stranger, give hope to the despairing, write a card or make a call to someone immobilized by old age or illness. We, ourselves, are renewed whenever we are animated as a member of the Body of Christ to be stewards of God’s grace or give witness to God’s transformative power by telling others how God has transformed our lives. We are renewed each time we realize God’s wonderful plan is to make all things new, even us. The more we empty ourselves of us, the more God can fill us with his divine presence. Yes, our destiny is to be remade in the image of Christ… “to put on the new self, created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth” (EPH 4:24).

Have a wonder-filled New Year experiencing God’s love and sharing that love with others every day of the year!

Deacon Tom
Enjoy these early days of the New Year... and look forward in HOPE to the days ahead.

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com where you will find contemporary conversations with several Paulist Deacon Affiliates and their guests exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold of our church… those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading: The Cloud of Unknowing and the Book of Privy Counseling is an anonymous fourteenth-century text and one of the most practical and useful guides to finding union with God ever written. The Cloud of Unknowing consists of a series of letters written by a monk to his student or disciple, instructing him (or her) in the way of Divine union. Its theology is presented in a way that is remarkably easy to understand, as well as practical, providing advice on prayer and contemplation that anyone can use.


YouTube Video: Carmelite Authors 101: Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection
Pope Leo XIV had this to say about Brother Lawrence: Like many mystics, Brother Lawrence also speaks with great humility but also with humor, because he knows well that every earthly thing, even the most grand—and even dramatic—is a very small thing before the infinite love of the Lord. Thus, he can say ironically that God “deceived” him, because he, having entered the monastery perhaps a little presumptuously in order to sacrifice himself and harshly expiate the sins of his youth, found there instead a life full of joy.

Through the path that Brother Lawrence proposes to us, little by little, as the presence of God becomes familiar and occupies our inner space, the joy of being with Him grows, graces and spiritual riches blossom, and even daily tasks become easy and light.

Third Sunday in Advent_A - Rejoice in the Lord, Always_121425

Image credit: REJOICE! By Sarah Brush, Discipleship Ministries

Deacon Tom writes,

“Rejoice in the Lord Always!”

 

Third Sunday of Advent, Year A

 

Today is known as Gaudete Sunday. The word Gaudete is the first word of the Entrance Antiphon for today’s Liturgy. "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice! The Lord is near". One of the symbols of this Joy is the lighting of the rose candle on our Advent wreath.

 

In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah tells us that a day will come when God's kingdom will break forth like the desert bloom. If you have ever seen this miracle of nature, you know how breathtaking it is. This barren, desolate and vast expanse gives way to an overabundance of delicate beauty. Water will gush in the desert, burning sand will transform into a bubbling spring. For all those who are twisted, bent and bowed down by their burdens and harsh realities of life, Isaiah prophesies that one day, “they will meet with joy and gladness, [their] sorrow and sighing will flee”.  

 

Today’s readings prompt us to be people of expectant hope and who claim God’s promise as if we already possessed it, as if we were already living in this ultimate reality! Today we all claim as our own the gladness and joy Isaiah tells us will chase away our sorrows and sadness. Look closely at our readings today. Look around today at the litany of people who, although cast aside by the world, marginalized by poverty and ignorance, sadness and disease, refugees from war and famine; these are the very one who have a special claim on God’s love, mercy, and compassion. Look carefully at those Isaiah says have a very special reason to rejoice today: those with feeble hands and weak knees, those with frightened hearts, the blind, the deaf, the lame, the mute, the oppressed, the hungry, the captives, the bowed down, the strangers, the orphans, the widows, the poor, the lepers, and the dead. To be numbered among them…. is to be specially chosen by God!!!!! To be number among those who serve these little ones is to be faithful to Christ’s call to serve these, the least of our sisters and brothers.

 

On this day of Rejoicing, it is good to recall the times in our lives when we have been the forgotten, the alienated or hungry one. Let us resolve this Advent to be a source of strength, encouragement and support to those who have yet to claim God’s promise of gladness and joy.

 

Make this a joy-filled day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com where you will find contemporary conversations with several Paulist Deacon Affiliates and their guests exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold of our church… those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading: “Channel of Peace, Stranded in Gander on 9/11” by Kevin Tuerff. Kevin tells his personal story of being a stranded traveler who, with numerous other, encountered  boundless acts of generosity and compassion from total strangers. This is a great testimony to the inherent goodness of people when crises arise.  

 

Recommended You Tube: a short reflection on “Stillness and the Fruit of Attention” by Fr. Lawrence Freeman, OSB that encourages us to develop the practice of contemplation in our lives.

 

 

 

 

Second Sunday of Advent_A - Advent - Getting Right with God_120725

Deacon Tom Writes,

Advent - Getting Right with God

Second Sunday of Advent, Year A

“Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand,” John tells us. Repent from what? There was a book out in the ’70s that was very popular. It was called, “I’m OK, You’re OK” by Dr. Thomas Harris. Catchy title isn’t it! It gives us the sense that all is well; I don’t need any fixing. I/m not the hot mess that people think I am! And, by the way, you are OK too! Oh, if only that were true! Unless we are suffering from some deep phycological prob I think we know in our hearts that nothing could be further from the truth.

We are all sinners. As St. Paul penned, “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23) We carry the scars and wounds of those numerous times when we have wronged God, others and ourselves by not living up to the to the high standards Jesus taught us. The memory of those failures festers deep within our innermost being. Our psyches are damaged as a consequence of the guilt those sins have spawned with us. We have much need to repent, but our pride often gets in the way and prevents us from coming to grips with the sinfulness of our thoughts, words and deeds, and even for those things that we should have done but failed to do.

 

In search of a remedy to their troubled consciences, the people of antiquity went out into the desert to hear John preach and to be baptized. In the solitude and isolation of the stark desert, people were able to grasp the notion that they needed to repent, to change the direction and focus of their lives in order to experience a spiritual rebirth as children of God.

 

This awareness of our sinfulness for the wrongs we have done or the good that we have failed to do is a prerequisite for us to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ Child into our lives. We need to be like John who testified, “He must increase; I must increase.” (John 3:30) That is, we must empty ourselves of our own self-centeredness, those driving ambitions, emotions and desires the place ourselves above others in order that we may be filled with the desire, the willingness and the passion to do God’s Will, to be the instrument of his joy, peace and hope in our world today.

 

These few remaining weeks of Advent are a special time to reflect on the way we treat others and ourselves. It is a time to get right with God, to turn away from sinful behavior and await the new life that God has in store for us, an abundant life and one promised to last forever.

 

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com where you will find contemporary conversations with several Paulist Deacon Affiliates and their guests exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold of our church… those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it

 

OTHER RESOURCES

 

Recommended Reading: Blessed Among All Women by Robert Ellsberg is a collection of devotional meditations highlighting the wisdom and courage of holy women throughout history. Some holy women you will encounter are Mary Magdalene, Teresa of Avila, Dorothy Day, and Flannery, O’Connor. Together hey draw us into the mystery of the beatitudes – mercy, purity, poverty of spirit, and the courageous struggle for peace and justice. A good read for this advent season.

 

Recommended You Tube: a short reflection on “Stillness and the Fruit of Attention” by Fr. Lawrence Freeman, OSB that encourages us to develop the practice of contemplation in our lives.