Thirteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time_B - Built to Last_062721

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Built to Last” 

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

The author of the Book of Wisdom writes, “God formed man to be imperishable…in the image of his own nature”. In Jesus we get to see the image of God dwelling among his people. Jesus is tireless in preaching the Kingdom of God. Mark relates numerous stories of Jesus working miracles as he encounters people who needed to be healed, reconciled, and fed. Today’s readings contain several such miracles. After curing the man who was possessed, Jesus crosses the lake and encounters Jairus who implores him to come to his house where his daughter lies near death. But, as Jesus begins his journey, he senses “power had gone out from him”, power that had been usurped by the hemorrhaging woman who found herself healed.

Jesus brings about much healing in Mark’s Gospel. It seems as if Jesus is rushing off from one miracle to another the way Mark recounts it! It is interesting to note that the word that Mark uses for the “healing” is the Greek word “sōzō”, a word that not only means “to heal” but also “to save”. In other words, Jesus not only heals people from their sickness but also he saves and restores them to the original state they were created, as “imperishable” beings… made in the image and likeness of God and destined to share eternity with him.

A challenge we face in our busy lives is that there are so many activities and so much technology available to entertain us that we have little time for spiritual reflection or very little time to probe the deeper meaning of our human experiences for that matter. And so, we go from one activity to another, from work to recreation to chores to activities for the kids to taking care of elderly parents or grandparents to doctors appointments. We are so fatigued at the end of the day, we go to sleep only to rise the next morning and begin all over again. We seldom give any conscious thought to key spiritual aspects of our lives such as our mortality or what lies ahead when we die. For most people, this is “living the dream”. We are rarely looking to see or experience God in any of our daily routines.

Yet, I believe, we all long to experience the presence of God that touches and heals us and brings us his salvation. But in order to find that calming peace and healing presence, we must first look to find God’s presence in the ordinary…in the mundane… in the routine and boring events that are the bulk of our day-to-day lives. We must, as St. Ignatius discovered, “find God in all things” if we are to experience the divine and to recognize its imprint within us. If we think about it, that is, if we take the time to think about it, we have already entered into eternity. Life for those who believe will be changed, not ended, as proclaimed in our funeral liturgy. For, as the Book of Wisdom reminds us today, we were made in the image of God’s own nature. So then, we can believe and trust that we have been made to go the distance. We were, as it were, “built to last”! So, once we have lived and spread the good news in this life, we can look forward to celebrating it forever in the life to come!

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time_B - Stormy Weather_062021

Deacon Tom Writes,

Stormy Weather

 

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

The gospel paints quite a picture for us today. A nice day on the water suddenly turns into a heart-clutching event. The disciples are “terrified” and fearful that they are about to die.  They wonder how Jesus can sleep through this violent storm.  Indeed, they ask him outright, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing” ? After Jesus calms the sea, it’s his turn to ask the tough questions: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith”? 

We all experience tempests in our lives. Oftentimes they terrify us and challenge our faith. Doubt, uncertainty, guilt, fear and regret raise havoc with our faith. When we are in such a state we question why God doesn’t reach out and save us from our misery. “He’s sleeping”, we may think, or “He just doesn’t care”. We may even begin to rationalize to the extreme… “God’s not helping because he doesn’t exist”... Or at the least, “We doubt that he will come to our rescue”. If we let these thoughts gain control over us they can lead us to utter despair or worse, a complete crisis of faith.  

Yet, what do we hear in today’s gospel when the apostles were overcome with fear? We are told not to fear, not to doubt, but rather, “Quiet! Be still”! Listen for that quiet voice within where God speaks to our hearts. When we are overcome by the overwhelming circumstances we can’t avoid, there is something we can do… and that is to listen for that quiet, still voice within us…the promptings of the Holy Spirit who is “nearer to us than we are to ourselves”, in order to tap into an endless supply of Christ’s abiding love to help us persevere until the storms of uncertainty pass us by.  

You may recall the expression, “That which does not kill me makes me stronger”. This is true in matters of faith as well. As we grow in our faith we gradually begin to understand that it is during those dark and uncertain moments that we experience God’s abiding presence, when we are most aware that God is “near to the brokenhearted”. We recognize God’s presence more and more in our lives the more we are tossed about by the sea of life and especially when things are not going our way. Perhaps that’s because when everything around us has failed… when our friends have abandoned us; when we lose our jobs or health or loved ones; when we begin to realize that we don’t have the power to fix what’s wrong in our lives or the lives of those we love. It is then when we are out of options that we turn to God. It is in times such as these that we are more open to receive what Christ has to offer us…his love, his compassion, his mercy and his promise to be with us when we are most in need. 

All of the tempests in our lives have the potential of bringing us closer to Christ if we let them. If Christ truly becomes our rock and our salvation, we will overcome all the stormy weather we encounter as we navigate the waters of this life while keeping our bearings on the one to come.  

A Happy Father’s day to all the fathers, grandfathers, and  all the soon to be fathers.

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom


Image credit: Wikimedia-org-Brueghel,_Pieter_I_-_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Sea_of_Galilee_-_1596_-062115.jpg

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time_B - We Are Always Courageous_061321

Deacon Tom Writes

“We Are Always Courageous” 

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Courageous may indeed accurately describe the person who “walks by faith, not by sight”. But, first it is helpful to describe what we mean by “faith”. By professing to be Christian we take on the obligation to live according to the standards Jesus taught and demonstrated in the Gospels. In the simplest of terms it means that we put our heart and soul into living each day mindful of the calling that we have received; we place our trust in God and in his will for us. Walking by faith means that we do the best we can; we make our plans; we put our best foot forward; we navigate the day with a particular vision that keeps us mindful of the inherent dignity of the other person; we are immersed in the belief that “everyone” is our “neighbor”; we don’t ignore that we have done some things that we are not proud of and have hurt others and so we are aware of our sinful nature, our dark side, that is much in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Walking by faith means we put forth our best effort and then depend upon God for the outcome. These behaviors are at the heart of what it means to live courageously as St. Paul explains to the Corinthians. We Christians choose to follow the Jesus’ teachings because we know that one day... we will “appear before the judgment seat of Christ”.

It takes courage to give witness to the gospel of Christ by living each day in accordance with the values Christ taught us. Being a follower of Christ is easier said than done. It’s easier to preach ten sermons than to live one, as the saying goes!

St. Paul was on to something when he spoke of the courage it takes to live a life of faith. It takes courage to have one foot planted firmly here in this world, in terra firma as they say, and the other foot planted in that spiritual realm, the kingdom of God, that Christ preached to help govern and direct our lives. People of faith face much difficulty trying to manage their responsibilities, in attempting to balance the realities of this world…the need to provide for family, to pay the mortgage, to save for college for the kids, and taking care of ageing parents all while living virtuous lives that reflect the gospel values.

It takes courage to face our own struggles and at the same time to reach out and help others who face their own set of challenges and difficulties. It takes courage to visit the soup kitchen each week and not feel helpless in the face of the endless need. It takes courage to work for peace and justice with all that we see happening in our communities and in the world. It takes courage to seek the “Truth” of the gospel and to live according to, "the Way, the Truth, and the Life” instead of the falsity the world dangles before our eyes. It takes courage “love neighbor as ourself” and to stand by and up for the immigrant, the marginalized, the outcast. It takes courage to recall that Jesus’ table fellowship with these very people was the reason he was put to death. Yet, our faith constantly encourages us to be courageous and not lose heart in the face of the obstacles, ridicule, even persecution the world puts before us. For Jesus was politically savvy enough to warn his disciples, “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first”. (John 15:18)

It is so important as Catholic Christians to be constantly aware of God’s love and to remember that God’s grace is always at work in us, giving us the courage to persevere in our faith. Aware of God’s love and presence in our lives fueled by the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation, we are then better able to love and serve our God who first loved us by loving one another.

Enjoy the moment!
Deacon Tom

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ_B - Become What You Receive"_060621

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Become What You Receive”

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

(Corpus Christi)

“Behold what you are, become what you receive!” These words of wisdom from St. Augustine are intended to help us thoughtfully receive Holy Eucharist. They have been used to help us understand this central mystery of our faith from as far back as the middle of the fourth century. It is a daunting command. It gives us cause to stop for a moment and reflect upon the reality that is takings place at that very moment. The ineffable Godhead comes into the fabric of our being to become united, to become one with the Christ in this most Blessed Sacrament. Our “Amen” is our saying yes that “we believe” and that we aim to become “Christ like” in all of our thoughts, in everything we do and in all that we say. When we receive the Eucharist we commit ourselves to following in the footsteps of Christ and living our lives as faithful, loving and trusting disciples.

Our Catholic Faith puts the Eucharist at the center of our faith. It is, according to our teaching, “the source and summit of our faith.” This is made evident in the Feast we celebrate today, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ also referred to as The Feast of Corpus Christi.

We are a sacramental people. Our spiritual well-being depends upon our participation in the sacramental life of the Church and the grace that is derived from its sacraments. The image of Jesus gathering his disciples into a table fellowship is pure genius. We come to the table when we are hungry, when we need to be nourished. This is the reality of our human existence. Jesus takes the ordinary and gives it an extraordinary meaning by calling us to the table to be spiritually nourished, to have our spiritual hunger satisfied and to be united to him in a communion of hearts and desires….

Our unique Catholic understanding of the Eucharist is that it is fully the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend." In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained." "This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present." CCC 1374.

When we receive Holy Communion worthily, we truly become one with Christ. It is a very special moment, a time for us to reflect on Christ dwelling within us, for us to be in awe that the maker of heaven and earth would come and abide in us. Even more amazing is the fact that this is his plan, not ours!

Yes, “we are what we eat,” nutritionist tells us. The challenge we face as Catholics is to follow the instructions of St. Augustine and to “behold what we are and to become what we receive,” members of the one body of Christ who has become for us our spiritual food, the Bread of Life and who sends us into the world to spread the love of God to all we meet along the way.

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom



Image credit:Flickr.com