Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Musical Chairs_083125

Deacon Tom Writes,

Musical Chairs

 

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

The image Jesus often uses to describe the Kingdom of God is that of a banquet. Today is a good example of just that. Jesus is invited to a dinner party by one of the leading Pharisees. The Gospel opens by saying that … “people were observing him.” That’s an interesting use of words since what it really means is that “everybody” was watching him. That’s because Jesus is the outsider. He is the one that is not one of them. These other guests make up the power elite that keeps the system working …for them and to suit their purposes. Jesus is well aware of this and in turn he is observing them as well.

 

It is easy for Jesus to recognize the dynamics at work as the guests begin to be seated. Everyone wants the best seat in the house… at the head table. We can imagine many people lunging for a few seats, an ancient version of “musical chairs” …. with or without the music. Jesus completely understands that getting some form of recognition, even if it is only a better seat than someone else, is an absolute necessity for an immature and self-absorbed ego. And so, perhaps as the dinner guests are working their way to the head table, Jesus gives them a lesson on humility, on what it means to have a healthy, mature and appropriate understanding of who we are.

 

When we freed ourselves from all the demands of our egos, one of which Jesus describes for us today, only then are we able to enjoy genuine guest parties, where we invite our friends regardless of their ability to reciprocate. We are able to enjoy one another’s company because we no longer have to put ourselves above them or compete with them to satisfy our egos-needs.

 

The table fellowship that Jesus envisioned he has passed on to us in the gift of the Eucharist. Here at the table of the Lord we share in the Body and Blood of Christ and we become one in him, putting aside all that divides us… race, color, economic status, everything, even our pride and our egos. We come to the table of the Lord as we are… broken, sorrowful, hungry and longing to be nourished, healed and forgiven; and, we are humbled to discover that at God’s table…… there are plenty of seats for everyone!

 

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in to hear some Catholic Deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

 

Recommended Reading:  Against All Hope by Richard Rohr O.F.M  Fr Richard introduces us to the transforming vision of Saint Francis in an age of anxiety. Written in 2001, Fr Richard’s work has much to say to us today when the virtue of hope is so desperately needed.

 

Recommended Podcast: Turning From Ego to Love – An Interview with Richard Rohr, O.F.M

In this episode, Bishop Curry talks with Richard Rohr, OFM, about what it takes to turn and follow a Christ as big as the universe, choosing the Way of Love instead of the ways of our egos. The two discuss the spiritualities of addition and subtraction and the consequences for our country and ourselves when we spend more time placing Jesus on a pedestal than we do actively following him. The good news in all of this is that, like Fr. Rohr and Bishop Curry, we are all called by Jesus to follow the Way of Love. With God’s help, we can turn from the powers of sin, hatred, fear, injustice, and oppression toward the way of truth, love, hope, justice, and freedom. It is this reorienting of our whole selves - body, mind, and soul - on the love and life of Jesus that leads us away from cynicism and into freedom.

 

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - On the Outside Looking In_082425

 Image Credit: Becky Johnson - - On the Outside Looking In - steel and glass

 

 

Deacon Tom Writes,

“On the Outside Looking In”

 

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

 

Today we find the Lord busy gathering people from all the nations, bringing them from east and west, north and south to recline at his table. All are invited to the feast. All are welcomed to the celebration; no reservations are required! Jesus, however, indicates that we have to do a little more than show up ready to eat. We need to acknowledge the invitation we receive to participate in God’s kingdom by sending back the R.S.V.P. Yes, it seems that we have to act on our desire to participate in this wonderful banquet the Lord has prepared for us. And how, some may ask, are we to accomplish this? Simply by living good and wholesome lives, for when all is said and done, that is the way Jesus taught his disciples to follow, the same one he traveled.

 

It is so easy to say to ourselves that God loves us “Unconditionally” and then go on living lives unworthy of that love. Today’s gospel gives us cause to rethink that behavior. Jesus makes it clear that following him is difficult, therefore, the reference to the “narrow gate.” Those who are not “strong enough” to walk the narrow path, that is, those who live morally shallow or self-absorbed lives, find themselves “on the outside looking in” when it’s time to enjoy this great celebration the Master has prepared.

 

We all make choices to make in life, and all of those choices have consequences. We are so blessed to have the freedom to engage in virtually unlimited activity and to do pretty much as we please. With such great freedom, we run the risk of making the wrong choices and there can be dire consequences. Making bad choices that complicate our lives and create problems for ourselves and those we love is tragic enough. What about the choices we make that threaten our eternal life? The image Jesus presents today drives home that point effectively.

 

We don’t want to miss out on eternal life, as hard as that is for us to imagine living, as we do, in a physical, material world. But we do know that St. Paul tries to describe it for us when he says, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him."     (1 Cor. 2:9)

 

If we could only live each moment of our lives as if the banquet of eternal life was to begin tonight, we would never have to worry about being on the outside looking in!

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in to hear some Catholic Deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

OTHER RESOURCES

 

 

Recommended Reading: The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright who explores the Jesus of history in order to deepen our faith and spiritual experience.     

 

Recommended YouTube Video: Contemplative Vision: Presentation One, Richard Rohr, Presented by Contemplative Outreach, this is the first main talk in an enrichment weekend by Fr. Richard Rohr and Fr. Thomas Keating, recorded Sept. 29, 2007 in Houston, TX.

 

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Between a Rock and a Hard Spot_081725

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Between a Rock and a Hard Spot!”

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

Jeremiah finds himself in a tight spot. He is accused of “demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city.” The princes want to put him to death on the charge of...demoralizing the soldiers and all who remained in Jerusalem. Jeremiah, we know, is guilty as charged! And just what crime is Jeremiah guilty of? He disheartened the inhabitants of the city because he told them the Truth. He spoke the words that God wanted them to hear… that everyone who remained in the city would die. It seems that the false prophets, i.e., the liars, were telling the people that there was no need to worry, that everything would be fine; Jerusalem would be safe because their enemy would break off their siege and withdraw from the city. The false prophets were convincing because… the people wanted to believe them. They wanted to be lied to in order to keep the status quo and life as usual. The people wanted to continue on their evil ways; they wanted to ignore and shun the prophet Jeremiah because he spoke the Truth.

 

Well, as we read today, those who were unwilling to listen to the truth, i.e., God’s Word, toss Jeremiah into a dry cistern so that he would die. But God comes to his aid and Jeremiah is rescued and continues as God’s messenger to a reluctant people.

 

Today the Word of God remains unfashionable. We turn our backs on God in order to pay homage to the false prophets of our day who say all the right words that keep us snug and comfortable in the cozy world we have fashioned around us. God’s Word calls us out from our comfort zone so we can find “life in the fullest” just as Jeremiah struggled to encourage the people of his day to be faithful to God’s ways.

 

God’s Word is always relevant. It speaks to us today as it has to the people throughout the millennia. Who are the liars among us today? How are we to know “the Truth” about anything? The challenge for us is to discern what God is saying and then to live life that way. That’s how we will find true happiness in our troubled and chaotic world and dispense with the false prophets who would lead us astray from all that God has in store for those who love him.

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as we hear some deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

OTHER RESOURCES

 

Recommended Reading: Jesus Before Christianity by Albert Nolan OP. A 25^th anniversary revision to his originally published work in 1976, Fr Nolan introduces us to Jesus before he became the object of Christian faith, operating in history in a specific social context, addressing concrete hopes, and engaging in controversy and social conflict. Here is a man who was deeply involved with the real problems of his time--which turn out to be the real problems of our time, as well. As he writes, "God is speaking to us in a new way today. God is speaking to us in the events and problems of our time. Jesus can help us to understand the voice of Truth but, in the last analysis, it is we who must decide and act. This revision, again nearly twenty-five years old, is a convincing, eloquent and moving message for our distressed world.

To learn more about the work of Fr. Nolan OP see this article from the October 20,2022 in the National Catholic Reporter: Fr. Albert Nolan, South African theologian and anti-apartheid activist, dies at 88

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Three Ingredients for a Happy Life_08102

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Three Ingredients for a Happy Life”

 

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

The readings today give us a practical guide to good living. First, there’s the matter of faith. You need it! Without it there is nowhere to turn, no one to trust, no shelter from the storms and rocky roads of life. Like the ancient people that God called out of bondage in Egypt, we need faith to get us through the hardships and the adversities we all experience at one or more times in our lives. Let’s face it, we’re fine as long as things are going our way. We enjoy the good times, the happy moments when we celebrate birthdays, graduations, weddings and anniversaries. We delight when we are successful in moving up the corporate ladder and get the big promotion. But those days of disappointment when things don’t work our right, when relationships fall apart or end, when we lose loved ones, that’s when faith, if we have fostered and nourished it, enables us to endure and eventually to heal. Faith, a faith built upon a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus, is a lifelong friend and companion, that enables us to live life to the fullest, in good times and in bad.

 

The Responsorial Psalm provides the second ingredient to a happy life inviting us to recognize the blessings we have received and to give thanks and praise to God. He has called us into an intimate relationship with him to share in his love and goodness. In doing so he fills the deepest longings and desires of our hearts that helps us grow in faith in him and trust in his works.

 

The gospel completes the list of essentials reminding us of what we should bring into this relationship, namely…. attentiveness and faithfulness. God requires that we be diligent servants… Always mindful of what the master wants done; always faithful to do what is required.

 

Some say that life is a mystery and there is a lot of truth in that statement. The same can be said about faith. There is a mysterious element to it that awakens our need to praise and give thanks to God, and moves us to be faithful and attentive servants. Like essential nutrients, these ingredients aid us in living good spiritual lives. They enable us to give mature and effective witness to the world that we are Disciples of Christ.

 

Jesus knows how difficult it will be to live according to the high standards He has set. So, once again He reassures us and tells not to be afraid. Words to comfort us and encourage us to persevere in our efforts to live good lives of faithfulness, praise and service.

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

Recommended Reading: Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God by James Finley introduces an ancient practice to a contemporary audience. James Finley, a former monk and student of Thomas Merton, presents the fundamentals of both understanding and practicing Christian meditation. He provides simple, helpful instructions, as well as explaining the deeper connection with the divine that meditation can bring. Above all, he makes clear that the aim of meditation is to allow us to experience divine contemplation -- the presence of God.

 

Recommended Podcast: The Commonweal Magazine Podcast presents engaging conversations at the intersection of politics, religion, and culture. Th July 24, 2025 episode entitled: The Counterweight: Reclaiming Catholic Social Teaching. This episode takes up the purpose of government, an especially urgent topic given the radical departure from the principles and conventions of liberal democracy at work today. Fordham’s Christina Traina is here to explain how that departure is also a departure from Catholic social teaching’s more expansive and communal understanding of government—not just as a guarantor of rights, but a steward of the common good.