Thursday, December 26, 2019

Feast Of The Holy Family_A - Families On The Run_122919


Deacon Tom Writes,
Families On The Run
          
Matthew’s gospel tells the story of the Holy Family fleeing for their lives as they are pursued by King Herod’s soldiers. When Herod dies, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph letting him know that it is safe to return to Israel. Matthew’s intention was to draw a parallel between the Patriarch Jacob and his family who went to Egypt during a famine and became slaves to the Egyptians. In time God sent Moses to rescue His people and lead them from slavery into the Promised Land, the story we know as the Exodus. In today’s reading Matthew quotes the words of the Prophet Hosea “Out of Egypt I called my son” to signify Christ as fulfilling this ancient prophesy, the one who, like Moses, leads us from death to life.    

Yet, when I read this scripture passage today, I can’t help but think how God did not spare the Holy Family from any of the torments and brutalities of life. Although this story recounts the experience of Joseph and Mary and their new born child fleeing for their lives many years ago, I can’t help think how it has been repeated time and time again throughout the ages and is currently the plight for many across our world today, millions of refuges in dozens of countries. Jesus and his parents, refugees, seeking shelter in a strange land is a disturbing image of the Holy Family., one that should make us restless and perhaps stir us to do something for those who suffer this same plight today

Whatever sufferings and losses we may have in this life, we have them in common with the Holy Family. God’s own divine plan did not shelter them from the hardships of life. No, God’s plan allowed the Holy Family to put their faith and trust in God and gave them the faith to realize that no matter what happened, it would all work out for the good.

Today with the many challenges to family life that we face, let us turn to the
Holy Family for the faith and strength we need to persevere on our journey
through a land where we are truly refugees seeking our way back home. 

Enjoy the Day,
Deacon Tom

Please consider supporting Catholic Relief Services (CRS). They provide essential services around the world to today's refugees.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Fourth Sunday of Advent_A - Everything Is Ready_122219


Deacon Tom Writes,
Everything Is Ready



Saying yes to God is never easy. Somehow, we think that Mary had an easy time saying yes to God when asked by the Angel Gabriel to be the Mother of God. The same goes for Joseph. He was afraid to take Mary as his wife until the angel told him not to fear. We are fearful of many things and that is perhaps why scripture tells us, as we hear today, “Do not be afraid”. 

Fear has governed many aspects of our life. We live in fear of losing our jobs, our health, our loved ones. We are afraid that we won’t have enough….enough success, enough money, enough energy to make it through the day, or enough of the things we need to live comfortable and independent lives. In order to lessen our fears, we work longer or harder. We spend our time and resources continually seeking to improve our station in life. Yet most still live in a persistently fearful state, anxious of the uncertainties that lie ahead. 

Advent is a time to put our fears to rest. That is what saying yes to God really boils down to. Yes, God, I trust you. Yes, God, I know you are with me through the turmoil and uncertainty of my life. Yes, God, you will help me bear the pain, the loss, the loneliness of life that I find myself in now. I know that you will calm my fears and give me all that you see as good for me.  

Mary’s son was born into a dark and harsh world. Yet, he never succumbed to the anxieties and fears of life. Like Mary and Joseph, Jesus did all that His Father asked of Him, saying yes in becoming flesh and born of Mary; saying yes to taking on all the hardships of our human condition; saying yes to suffering the injustice and humility of death on the cross. 

Today on this Fourth Sunday, Everything is ready. We are ready to greet the Child who frees us from our fears.

Have a blessed and joy-filled Christmas!
   and Happy New Year

Deacon Tom

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Third Sunday of Advent_A - Rejoice in the Lord, Always_121519


Deacon Tom Writes,
“Rejoice in the Lord Always!


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


Image credit: REJOICE! By Sarah Brush, Discipleship Ministries

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Second Sunday of Advent_A - Getting Right With God_120819



Deacon Tom Writes,
Advent: Getting Right With God


“Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand,” (MT 3:2 ) 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. And, by the way, you are OK too! Oh, if only that were true. 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, ambitions and desires 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

Available on line at deacontomwrites.com

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

First Sunday of Advent_A - An Advent Journey_120119


Deacon Tom Writes,
“An Advent Journey”


Advent is traditionally a time of waiting, expectation and preparation. Expectation is what the Prophet Isaiah envisions as he looks forward to the days when people from every nation will make their way to Jerusalem where their journey finally ends as they “…climb the mountain of the Lord and arrive at the house of the God of Jacob, where they learn his ways and walk in his paths”.

For many people today the Advent journey is drudgery. It is a time of going to the malls and wandering through a maze of stores and kiosks. For the tech savvy, it is endless hours of searching on-line and calling upon Amazon for overnight delivery of our digital shopping tour. Any wonder that the real meaning of the season is lost in the busyness of buying gifts and preparing for the “Holidays”. The sheer exhaustion from the pace leaves little energy or time for any reflection on the profound meaning of the Incarnation and the gift from God most highthat is eager to enter our world and the recesses of our hearts from God most high.

The words of the Prophet Isaiah invite us to go on a journey this Advent. No, we don’t have to pack our bags and head off to Jerusalem and climb Mount Zion, although that would be a wonderful experience. We can stay right at home and be engaged in just as challenging an experience. We can use this Season of Advent as a spiritual ascent, a time of reflection to identify and resolve to overcome the obstacles that limit our growing closer to Our Lord, surmounting the mountains, if your will, that keep us from experiencing the depth and totality of God’s love for us. The journey to overcome the hurts and scars others have caused us and forgive them may be more difficult than climbing the highest mountains. How very difficult is it for us to change our mindsets and be opened to the ways of peace as Jesus taught throughout His ministry.

Isaiah invites us to do just that in this image he presents today of recasting spears into pruning hooks. Can we use this holy time to seek all that is necessary to find interior peace within ourselves for all that is troubling us? Can we find the time this holy season to consult and listen to the Holy Spirit to direct our lives and heal our troubled consciences for all the wrongs we have done, and all the hurts we have caused others? I doubt there is a more difficult uphill climb than this: finding peace by yielding our thought and ways to the One who came to dwell among us. 

A  very Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones also.

Enjoy the day,
Deacon Tom

Find this blog on the web at www.deacontomwrites.com

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year C_112419



Deacon Tom Writes,
“Christ the King”


Pope Pius XI established the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 in response to the growing sense of secularism that arose in the early 20th century. Germany was experiencing the rise of Nazism and exaggerated nationalism. There were populist movements toward Communism, atheism and totalitarian governments elsewhere that demanded total sovereignty over people, substituting a nation or an ideology in place of God. This led Pius XI to institute today’s Feast, as a way to make us aware that nations can never replace God in claiming sovereignty over the people.

Yet, we know from Sacred Scripture that Jesus rejected the notion of being an earthly king. St. John tells us that when asked by Pilate if he was a King, Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” (John 18:36)

So, just what does Jesus’ kingdom that is “not of this earth” look like and how do we show our fidelity to it? The answer to this may be hidden in the choice of today’s gospel that is taken from St. Luke’s account of Jesus’ death on Calvary. (Luke 23:35-43) In Jesus’ perfect surrender of himself on the cross, we get a glimpse of the kingdom to which we have been called along with a sense of the nature of the Christ’s Kingship. His is a kingship of suffering the insufferable, a kingship of forgiveness in the face of terrible injustice, a kingship of surrendering self and any authority or power we may have in this life into the hands of God the Father. Christ is king for those who live the beatitudes; he is king for everyone who suffers with those who suffer injustice, persecution, victimization, or deprivation; he is king for those who side with the immigrants, refugees, widows, the powerless, afflicted, disenfranchised; he is king for anyone who attempts to bring a sliver of hope to our world where hope is so desperately needed. 

It is fitting that the Feast of Christ the King marks the end of our liturgical year. It enables us to move into the Season of Advent anticipating the day when God’s justice and peace will break forth upon the earth. That time when all the kings and prime ministers, chancellors, presidents and all who have ever ruled this world, will pay homage and tribute to the one from whom they have received their power and their authority and to whom they too must one day render an account. 

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Image credit: inapenafrancia360.weebly.com/

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time - The Days to Come_111719


Deacon Tom Writes,
The Days to Come’


Seeing Christmas decorations in the stores and hearing the countdown to Christmas is a sure sign that our Liturgical Year is drawing to a close. As it does, Sacred Scripture invites us to consider “the days to come”. Today we hear the first of several prophetic warnings about the judgment that will take place in “the days to come”. The Prophet Malachi issues a warning that the proud and evildoers will be punished, and those who fear the Lord and follow his ways will be rewarded in “the days to come”.

Jesus, too, sees that in “the days to come” there will be a judgment rendered upon Jerusalem, a day when the magnificent Temple standing before him will be leveled…. “so that not one stone will be left upon another”, a painful image for the people of his day.

What Malachi and Jesus both envision for us today is that the days of this world are numbered. The clock is running… History, with its wars, famines, revolutions and plagues will give way to a new chapter in the Creator’s plan in “the days to come”. These readings remind us that everything around us is temporary. The world and all that has been developed over the ages in the course of human achievement and progress will one day fade away. What will not fade away, however, is God’s judgment!

In these last several weeks of our Liturgical Year, we are challenged to prepare ourselves for “the days to come” by setting our hearts and minds on Jesus whose teachings need to be the foundation upon which we model our lives. We are invited to have a healthy and mature spiritual life that leads to a deeper relationship with God; we are encouraged to develop a discerning spirit so that we know how to make the right choices for ourselves and our families; we are asked to conform our lives to Christ’s so that we live and act justly and do what we can to comfort and help the poor and the needy.

Following Christ’s example can be costly, as Jesus makes clear in the gospel today. Being a witness of the gospel can cause us hardship, suffering, and distress. Just try speaking out against capital punishment or advocating the principles of our Catholic Social Teaching. That’s because the gospel stands in contrast to the world around us, a world that is often indifferent, wasteful, unjust and, oh, by the way, passing.

As our Liturgical Year ends, we look forward to “the days to come”, when all that is temporary and lacking gives way to the plans that God has in mind for those who persevere in following his ways. We wait in hope for the Lord to come and rule the earth with justice.

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - The Forces of Change: Prayer and Action_111019


Deacon Tom Writes,
The Forces of Change: Prayer and Action


In today’s reading, St. Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray that he and his companions, “be delivered from perverse and wicked people, for not all have faith”.

St. Paul had reason to be concerned about perverse and wicked people. He knew the history of the Jewish people and was certainly aware of the story of the seven Maccabees who were arrested, tortured and killed for their faith. Paul, a man of prayer, asks the community to pray for him and his companions that God will protect them from the perverse and wicked things that people without faith do as he continues his mission to spread the Good News about Jesus.

The question that this account from St. Paul’s life raises for us today is, “Does the evil and wickedness we experience in our world today come only from the hearts and minds and hands of ‘those without faith”? Unfortunately, the answer is to this question is...no. Discrimination, the exploitation of the poor, the profiteering from the hopelessness and misery of others is a business today and, and many are eager reap the profit from such enterprises. All we have to do is, “remove the wooden beam from your eye first” (Mt 7:5) in order for us to see how we may participate in the suffering of others by what we do… or what we fail to do. There are many ways in which we, the faithful, contribute to the suffering of so many people around us - people of color, the elderly and vulnerable, the immigrant, the single parents, the homeless and those “working poor” who struggle just to live simple lives. The sad reality is that so much evil and harm is done by people professing to be people of faith; those who fill our churches, temples, and mosques. Insane, but true nonetheless.

St. Paul was able to deal with the evil he experienced spreading the Word for two reasons:  he was a man of prayer, and he was a man of action. Prayer and work: pray as if everything depends on God and work as if everything depends on us, advice echoed by St. Augustine some 350 years after St. Paul.

If we are ever to have any success in eliminating the racism, poverty, discrimination and sexism from our society and in the world, we must find the right balance between prayer and action. Prayer is the way we get things right on the inside, “cleanse first the inside of the cup” as Matthew writes, (Mt 23:26) so that the love of God can flow out to others. 

Perhaps this week we can commit some time to daily prayer. In the quiet of our hearts God speaks to us telling what we can do to bring about the world that he has in mind for us: one without poverty, or war, or hunger; a world of right relationships built on the sure knowledge that God’s abiding love rests upon each and every one of his children.

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Friday, November 1, 2019

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Unexpected Company_110319


Deacon Tom Writes
“Unexpected Company”



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 been interested in hearing about how the community reacted to his position as Chief Tax Collector 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  


Image credit: Year-C-Pentecost-Proper-26-Jesus-and Zacchaeu...davidewart.typepad.com


Thursday, October 24, 2019

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Tiime _C - All Cried Out_102719


Deacon Tom Writes,
All Cried Out



This picture of a Syrian boy bruised and bloodied during the battle for Aleppo several years ago has touched the hearts of people around the world, but not enough to bring the fighting to an end. On the contrary, it has only escalated in recent days resulting in more innocent victims, more suffering, more outcries of the poor but no end to the willful degradation of humanity.

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 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

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Prayer In Action_102019


Deacon Tom Writes,
Prayer In Action


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, peace making, 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

Friday, October 11, 2019

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Actions Speak Louder Than Words_101319



Deacon Tom Writes,
Actions Speak Louder Than Words


There are 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 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 New”. Jesus lets his actions 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 joy this must have given them, but 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 gratefulness 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 by loving us and inviting us to let his love shine through our lives into the hearts and lives of others.

Enjoy the day
Deacon Tom