Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time_A - The Good Life_083020

Deacon Tom Writes

“La Dolce Vita….”

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Today’s gospel makes it crystal clear that Jesus was aware of the fate that awaited him in Jerusalem at the hands of the “Elders, chief priests and the scribes.” There is no turning back, as Peter learns the hard way.

As we enjoy the warmth and brightness of the full summer sun, scripture invites us to pause for a moment of reflection. That, in itself, is a real challenge for us with all that needs our attention. Yet, as fuel for our meditation today, we can ask, what Jesus is doing? He has made the decision to continue to spread the message of God’s unconditional love for all his children even though he knows it will cost him his very life. The very thought of that is grossly disturbing as Peter’s actions attest. One would think today’s lesson would be better contained in the great seasons of Easter or Christmas, but no, we encounter it now, at the end of August, with no shopping to do, no cakes to decorate or cards to send, and as we are free to relax beneath the bright summer sun and wonder just what difference, if any, God’s love for us has made in our lives.

One way to reflect on the difference God has made in our lives is “via negativa,” that is, by imagining what our lives would be like if our lives were totally disconnected from the realm of the divine. For instance, we might find that if God wasn’t an active, dynamic force in our lives we would have more money to spend since we would have no obligation to fund a parish community or donate to the poor and needy or respond generously to those who are suffering from the devastation Covid-19 that has wrecked havoc upon families, parishes and communities. Yes, we might still contribute to worthy causes occasionally, but it would be based on how we felt at the time; it wouldn’t flow from our spiritual awareness of being, “one in Christ”. We certainly would have more time on our hands also because we would be freed up from attending Mass every Sunday and running the kids back and forth to religious education and all those service hours that go along with it. Another big change we would notice is that we wouldn’t have anything to feel guilty about that comes from failing to love our neighbor or following the Golden Rule. How liberating! We would only have to follow man-made laws. Perhaps! For as we all know there are plenty of laws presently that we disregard for our own convenience. Freed from that good old Catholic guilt, we could certainly enjoy…La dolce vita! 

Make no mistake, a world with God would be a scary place …for left to our own best “human behavior” we would no longer have any awareness of our moral responsibility to love others as God has loved us, as Jesus has love us… unconditionally. So, I welcome the chance to use this passage from scripture to reflect on God’s abundant love for his creation. With that thought in mind we can begin to grasp the reality that for those who love the Lord, this is, “La dolce vita,” and the Good News is, the best is yet to come!

Please pray for all those who have and are suffering from Covid-19 and are struggling to put their lives and families back together. Remember, God hears the cries of the poor.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Twenty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time_A - Lead, Follow or Get out of the way - 082320

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Lead… Follow… or Get out of the way!”

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

We lose track of the fact that God has a plan for us and that plan will not be compromised. In today’s first reading, Isaiah recounts what happened to Shebna, the Master of the Palace. He was “thrust… from his office” for disgracing his master’s house. Eliakim, a faithful steward, was given his authority and the privilege that went along with it. God alone is the source of “wisdom and knowledge” says St. Paul and everything is ordered according to His ways: “everything is from him and through him and for him.” Shebna apparently didn’t figure this out. By acting as if he was in control, he brought shame and disgrace upon him and his family.

It is noteworthy to reflect on how Christ approached this reality that everything is from, through and for God. If everything is, in fact, ordered in this way, than we can get a better understanding of why Jesus embraced the role of “servant”. He understood that his purpose was to serve God alone, for whom all things were made. What a profound love Jesus had for the Father, to offer his life completely to doing the Father’s Will and teaching us to do to do the same.

In our world where nearly everyone wants to be in charge, call the shots, be the big enchilada, what does scripture tell us? “Get out of the way!” We are in a constant struggle with our own flawed desires to be in control, to have things our way, to have others behave the way we want them to. Scripture gives us the “statutes” or better yet the “way” we must embrace in order to put our egos in check and learn the humble road of service to the people that Jesus would have us serve by loving, forgiving, being virtuous and genuine. We need to act as if Jesus were walking here among us today (which, by the way, he is). It is faithful, loving service on that order that changed the world for the better and made others remark, “See how they love one another”.

We live in a time when an epidemic of faithful service is needed to stem the horrific evil that is touching so many lives in our world. Now is the time for all who call themselves “Christian” to “lead….follow….or get out of the way”.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time_A - What Would Jesus Do?_081620

Deacon Tom Writes,

“What Would Jesus Do?”

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

“Observe what is right, do what is just”. Sounds sooooo simple, doesn’t it? But somehow, in the midst of the complexities of life, there are times when knowing the “right” thing to do or knowing the “just” thing to do does not translate to what we “actually” do. Some people use the acronym “WWJD” to help them overcome their hesitation to doing what is right and just. You may have seen their formula for success written on a bumper sticker or two as you drove along the highway. Do you recognize these letters: WWJD? They stand for this message “What Would Jesus Do?”

Jesus is always teaching the disciples how to live and act in ways that are pleasing to God. Today we encounter Jesus teaching us about breaking down barriers that separate and divide us from one another, barriers that stand in the way of our practicing the central tenet of our faith and becoming one with each other as we are called to do at our Eucharistic Banquet.

In today’s gospel Jesus and the disciples encountered a woman whose daughter was tormented by a demon. The disciples can’t be bothered with her and they advise Jesus to “Send her away”. Pretty harsh response from the Apostles, isn’t it? But, what else could they possibly do with her? She isn’t “one of their kind,” not one of the “chosen people”. Isn’t that how we deal with the difficult people in our lives; those individuals who we wish would just “go away”; those people who are different from us, always challenging us and our ideas, beliefs, practices. That seems to be how we react to people who are always making demands of time, our finances, or “who keep calling out to us” for something?

Fortunately, Jesus has a better grasp on what’s the right thing to do. He listens to the Canaanite woman and is able to recognize the depth of her faith, although it is not that of the Jewish people. He is able to see what strong faith she has. He is moved by this faith and the woman who possessed it and he grants her favor. Her faith and the very presence of Jesus in this woman’s life, even for this brief moment, was life altering for her and for her daughter who was healed.

Jesus told us that we would be able to do greater things than he if we only had a little faith. It shouldn’t surprise us then of the remarkable power our presence has in the life of others. This is because God abides in each of us. We have his power to reconcile ourselves with one another; we have the power to cast away loneliness and fear; we have the power to bring the presence of Christ everywhere we go, even to those who “keep calling out to us” and who refuse to “go away.” We have the power to do many of the things Jesus has done. All we need to get started is to ask ourselves in any given situation, “What Would Jesus Do?” and then DO IT!

Enjoy the Day!

Deacon Tom

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time_A - The Language of God_080920

Deacon Tom Writes,

The Language of God

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Elijah is awestruck to realize that God presented himself in the “tiny whispering sound.” After hearing this sound Elijah “hid his face in his cloak.” Perhaps this is why so many of us struggle with our spirituality today. It is so difficult for us to find quiet space and idle time in our busy lives. We have so much coming at us during our waking hours. We feel “bombarded at times. Technology has delivered so many devices to entertain us 24/7. There is no “free” time; there is no shortage of things to do. More than ever before, we have to make a conscious decision to seek out a quite place and set ourselves apart from the rapid pace of life. I don’t see any other way of being able to hear that “tiny whispering sound” through which God reaches out to us so he can be a part of our lives. We have to make a conscious decision to let him into our lives.

In his autobiography, Seven Story Mountain, Thomas Merton tells how he was able to find true freedom not in the world but rather within the confines of the four walls of a monastic cell. It was there in the silence of the Trappist Monastery that he experienced the “tiny whispering sound” that enabled him to find himself and to find God.

Now we all aren’t as fortunate as Thomas Merton to be able to head off to the solitude of a Cistercian Monastery. But, as fate would have it, Covid-19 has caused us to break out of our daily routine and subject ourselves to a self-imposed isolation to various degrees. This is our chance to imitate Merton in finding that quiet place and setting aside some of that freed up time to hear the “tiny whispering sound” of God piercing through the din of the world to make his presence known to us. For it is only in this silence, this strange language of God, that we are able to hear his voice.

God bless and keep you always!

Deacon Tom