Called To Be Worthy - 17th - July 29..

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Called To Be Worthy”

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

When the phone rings in the “bull-pen”, the relief pitcher knows exactly what he has to do. He has to go out to the mound, throw like there’s no tomorrow and get the batter out. That’s not easy to do, to put your heart into every pitch, but it an essential part of being a major league relief pitcher. Today St. Paul reminds Christians of their primary responsibility extolling to, “…live in a manner worthy of the call we have received…” which he then expresses as living lives in a spirit of “…humility and gentleness and patience”. In our efforts to follow Christ’s teachings we must make a serious effort to, “bear with one another though love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit. Just like all successful relief pitchers, we who make a conscious decision to follow Christ, must put our hearts into every pitch… that is, we must strive to live each day mindful of the calling we have received. It is no wonder St. Paul compares himself to the good athlete who has, “competed well, finished the race; kept the faith.”

It’s so easy to say, “I’m not worthy” of this call (and that’s so very true). None of us are worthy! We know that we are damaged goods. We are fragile, broken, sinful people who often lack humility, gentleness, compassion, and patience. No argument there, right? What makes us worthy is the One who makes the call. Like the manager who picks up the phone and dials the “bull-pen”, Jesus has deemed us “worthy” to share in His love and mission for our world.

A good relief picture doesn’t get to the Major League without a lot of practice. It is the same for being a Christian. We need to practice every day; we need to practice being humble; we need to practice being gentle and patient; we need to practice being generous, forgiving, and long-suffering. There are many virtues that we need to practice. And the more we practice, the more we deepen our relationship with Christ and with one another to form “the one body and one spirit”, together seeking to live lives “worthy of the call” we have received. 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

The Good Shepherd

Deacon Tom Writes,

“The Good Shepherd”

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

God has a plan for our lives. Like any good plan, it’s designed to work, so that anyone who follows it will achieve the desired result. The trouble is that at some point along the way we get tired of following the plan God has laid out for us and we start doing things our way. What happens? We all have our stories, don’t we?

Jeremiah has to contend with some shepherds who have abandoned the plan God designed for them. As shepherds they were not protecting their flock. To the contrary, they were exposing them to the very dangers they should have been protecting them from. God sees this and will not stand for such an outrage. What does God do? He promises to send a real shepherd, to tend and care for his sheep, so that they no longer live in fear or be at risk, and to gather those who have strayed.

We know, of course, that Jesus is the promised Shepherd that Jeremiah foretold. Does Jesus live up to the standards that Jeremiah prophesied about Him? Very much so! Even a cursory reading of the four gospels provides ample evidence that Jesus is the “Good Shepherd”. For so often we read where Jesus teaches His followers not to be afraid and that He cares for the people God has entrusted to Him, curing them of their sickness, physical, spiritual, and mental; He feeds them physical and spiritual nourishment; He dispels the darkness by teaching them about the Kingdom of Heaven and about a life of virtue. And when things take a turn for the worse, He even dies for them, even those who did Him wrong! Jesus fulfills Jeremiah’s prophesy beyond imagination!

Is Jesus our “Good Shepherd”? Does He calm our fears? Nourish us? Protect us? Provide for our needs? Did His death save us? Does our relationship with Him change the course or events of our life? 

In today’s gospel, the “Good Shepherd” that Jeremiah prophesied would one day appear, calls His followers “to come away by themselves to a deserted place for a while”. There, within our deepest being, we can encounter the “Good Shepherd” and perhaps get to know Him better and thank Him for His guidance, protection and care.

Enjoy the Day!

Deacon Tom

Spread The Word

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Spread the Word”

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

In today’s first reading, Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, is attempting to run Amos out of town because he doesn’t like what Amos is prophesying about the King and the royal temple. Amos tries to defend himself claiming that he is no prophet… “but just a shepherd and dresser of sycamores” whom the Lord instructed, “to go prophesy to my people Israel”.

We often think that God finds great people to do His work...like Mother Teresa or Desmond Tutu or Dr. King. That’s not generally the case. More often God chooses ordinary people and then brings about great results through them. No one knew who Mother Teresa was when she first ventured off to Calcutta to take care of the undesirables there that she saw as God’s little ones. And few dared to claim that they were friends of Nelson Mandela or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when they were wasting away in their prison cells for inciting people’s consciences. Their unrelenting witness of the gospel values that formed the fabric of their lives led them to dedicate their lives to the cause of justice and social equality for all peoples. They committed their lives to upholding the life and dignity of each person, especially those who were suffering from the social sins of their day: poverty, discrimination, and injustice to name but a few. Their efforts made their names household words and legends in the pursuit of justice.

Today’s gospel has Jesus sending his handpicked Apostles out into the world to spread the “Good News” to all who would listen. Jesus entrusts his message to ordinary people… and they delivered‼ And so did the many faithful souls who followed in their footsteps, some famous like the great saints and so many others who are “known but to God.” These are the giants upon whose shoulders our faith has been built and handed down through the ages. Like the original Twelve, they were successful in carrying out the instructions they received. Now, in our time, we gather together to hear the Word of God and share in the Sacred Banquet that unites us all into the Mystical Body of Christ, so that we too might have the courage to stand up and make our voices heard as people working to make this world more peaceful and just and who see the image of Christ in all our brothers and sisters.

Today let us recall the precious gift of faith that we have received and the sacrifices of all those who have passed it on to us. Let us be mindful too of our responsibility to share the faith that we have received, a faith that is grounded in Word and in Sacrament and that calls us to… “do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8).  For, just as the Prophet Amos was sent to the people of his time, so too we are sent today to share with others the good news of God's love, mercy, and compassion.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Image credit sunserveyouth.wordpress.com

Obstinate of Heart

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Obstinate of Heart”

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

In our first reading, God sends the Prophet Ezekiel to put the Israelites on notice that they have become a “rebellious house”. They are a people who are “hard of face and obstinate of heart” because they have turned away from God and “rebelled against Him”. This is a theme we hear time and time again in the Old Testament. It is like the ebb and flow of the tides, this turning to and then away from God. The one thing that is constant throughout the ages though, is that God never does the turning away. He is always faithful to His people, always calling them to return to Him, to love and be loved by Him. And so God chooses Ezekiel to deliver the message that a “prophet has been among them”.

In today’s gospel, we see another prophet in the midst of God’s people. The prophet is Jesus; chosen by God, indeed, He is God! But, worker of miracles though He is, He is rejected by the people because they can’t get beyond their judging, skeptical hearts and minds that are closed to the truth; they are “obstinate of heart”! So we read that Jesus, “was not able to perform any mighty deeds there” and “He was “amazed at their lack of faith”.

Scripture points out to us today our tendency to resist the Holy. Indeed, God actually names the condition that plagues us. He refers to it as having and “obstinate heart”. An obstinate heart resists God’s invitation into the mystery of the divine presence. An obstinate heart is closed to the transformation that the divine presence is able to bring about. We develop this condition when we refuse to be open to an alternative way of thinking or seeing the reality around us. This is very much a part of our human condition. We all have a certain degree of obstinacy in us.

Interesting that St. Paul writes about a thorn being given to him. He prays that it be taken away, three times he say he specifically prayed to be relieved of this painful condition. But, apparently to no avail. What do you suppose was this suffering he carried? More importantly, why was it given him?

If you have ever suffered mentally, physically, or spiritually, you know that suffering changes us at the core of our being. Our own suffering has great capacity to open our hearts to be compassionate and empathetic to the pain and suffering of others. Personal suffering is therapeutic in alleviating the hardness of heart that is a natural consequence when our lives become selfish and self absorbed, when we lose track of the pain and suffering of those around us and of our neighbor as Jesus defined “who is our neighbor.” St Paul’s suffering and his prayers for relief force him to turn to God and place his trust in Him.

One remedy for overcoming an obstinate heart is prayer, opening our hearts and minds to Our Lord. This is the traditional way of letting God into our lives so we may be filed with His presence. Of course, the very desire for prayer comes from the grace of God whom Paul turned to in his time of Need. As opposed to our weakened human condition that causes us to flee God, God never abandons nor turns His back on us. Prayer will always turn the hardest and most obstinate of hearts to ones full of love and compassion.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom