Rise and Shine!

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Deacon Tom Writes ©

The Resurrection of the Lord, Year B

One of my lingering childhood memories is that of my mother calling from the bottom of the stairs, “Tommy Joe, rise and shine!  It’s time to get ready for school”. It’s a pleasant memory. To this day there are times when I can still hear my mother’s words echo in my mind, especially on those rainy days when I just want to roll over and go back to sleep…. and then,  “Tommy Joe, rise and shine! It’s time to get ready…”

As people who profess Christ’s Resurrection, we realize that we who have been baptized with Christ into his death will one day also rise with him to eternal life. There will come a time when we all will “rise and shine” forever; a day when we will possess the fullness of life that Christ has promised to all who believe in him and follow his ways.

Yet, I don’t believe that the promise of rising to new life is one that is reserved only for the next life. We are meant to “rise and shine” today…. because we share in the Mystical Body of Christ…. We “rise and shine” today because God has chosen us to be the stewards of all of creation and we have said, “yes” to that call. We “rise and shine” today because we have committed ourselves to follow Our Lord and his teachings about love and putting others and their interests before our own. We “rise and shine” when peace, justice, and holiness become the rhythm of our lives.

We “rise and shine” every time we chose to imitate Christ by forgiving others who hurt us; when we offer up our sufferings to be a part of his suffering; when we embrace others’ sorrows as if they were our own… (So many suffering from the ravages of war, violence, trafficking, victimized by those who profit from human misery… their suffering must be ours as brothers and sisters in Christ).  We "rise and shine" with every effort we make to persevere to the end as Christ did and not lose hope.

On this most wonderful day, may we, like Christ, awaken to God’s call to “rise and shine” so we may live life to the fullest, now and forever… ALLELUIA!!!

Happy Easter!  May the joy and peace of the Risen Christ fill you this day and always.

Deacon Tom

The Lady With the Jar of Oil

     

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Deacon Tom Writes ©

The Lady with the Jar of Oil

Palm Sunday, Year B

We don’t know much from Mark’s rendering of the account of the woman who walks into Simon the leper’s house. But we do know that this was an important event for two reasons. First, because Jesus tells us that “wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her". Second, this story is told in all four gospels. (If you’re interested, here are the references:  Matthew 26.6, Mark 24.4, Luke 7.36, and John 12.1. You can see how other details are added to this earliest account we hear today from Mark).

What’s interesting in Mark’s account is that he doesn’t get caught up in personalities. Rather, he sheds some insight into how God provides us with all that we need in life just as we need it. Today, for instance, Jesus is in need; Jesus needs his spirit to be comforted…but none of his closest friends seem to be aware of his needs or realize Jesus is troubled.  (Does this strike a sour chord in us)?

Picture the scene. Jesus is having dinner with Simon and his guests and this uninvited woman comes in, breaks open an expensive jar of perfumed oil, and anoints Jesus’ head. There is a little outbreak on how unreasonable this is, to do such a thing at the expense of feeding the poor. (An estimate places the value of the oil at about one year’s wages for a field worker). But Jesus states an awful truth, “the poor you will always have with you”.  How prophetic and how sad!

This act of kindness by the woman with the oil comforts Jesus as his hour approaches. A stranger appears on the scene, performs an act of kindness, and then goes off into the night. Jesus needed to be strengthened and encouraged but he gets neither from his close friends and disciples, only from this stranger.

There are times in our lives when we have the chance to be an “angel of mercy” just like this woman with the jar. We have opportunities to lift someone’s spirits, give them some positive affirmation, encourage them, or cheer them up. It may cost us some time and some energy, and even some money. We may have to rearrange our schedules or go out of our way. But remember, it was expensive oil, a year’s salary. Remember too, as we come into Holy Week, that when we do any kind deed for another person, we are really doing it to Jesus who was so grateful for this act of kindness that he tells those gathered around the table, presumably even some of his disciples, that this outpouring of kindness will be remembered as long as the gospel is proclaimed throughout the world.

It seems increasingly apparent that we, the disciples of Jesus, need to imitate the teachings and practices of Jesus.  We need to practice acts of kindness, acts of forgiveness, acts of selfless giving within our families, communities, and on a global scale. As followers of Jesus we are empowered to bring the good news to everyone we meet in the course of the day. Not by quoting scripture, that’s too easy… rather, by reflecting the living Word that abides within us, and by being an oasis God’s love, healing, and peace to all who pass our way.

Enjoy the day and may you share in God's abundant grace this Holy Week.

Deacon Tom 

The Word Became Flesh

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Deacon Tom writes ©…

“The Word became Flesh”

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord completing our Christmas Season that began on the First Sunday of Advent way back on November 30^th. I suspect for many of us these six weeks have passed quickly, hastened, as usual, by our busyness preparing for all the festivities, not to mention all the traveling to visit family and friends. I hope these Advent and Christmas Seasons were joyful and memorable for you and your families. Even more so, I hope you were able to take in some quiet time to experience the mystery of our faith that liturgically comes to completion today… the mystery of the Incarnation, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” (JN 1:14)

Yes, this simple yet profound message of the Christmas season… “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” is not an easy message to incorporate into our daily lives. How do we who call ourselves “Christian” or who include ourselves as “members of the Body of Christ” reengage the world after celebrating the birth of our infant savior with a renewed level of energy and a deepened commitment to living the gospel message born by our infant savior?  The answer, I believe, comes from this notion that our Savior came down from heaven to “dwell among us”. Once we grasp this profound reality, we begin to realize that for Christians there can be no “packing away” our faith along with the Advent Wreath and the Christmas ornaments until next year. No! We don’t just celebrate our Savior’s birth and baptism then just pick up where we left off with business as usual, forgetting our uniquely Catholic-Christian identity.   Like Jesus, we too are called and we are sent… as his disciples, to make a difference in the world…for the better…to make his presence and his teachings known to all around us…by living them!  Yes, it is one thing to sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” at Midnight Mass. It is quite another to be faithful to the teachings of Christ…and the example he set, of forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, patience, and unconditional love for all, even his enemies, even those who put him to death.

We begin 2015 with a deep sense of hope; hope that we will all choose peace over violence; hope that we will choose reconciliation instead of retaliation; hope that we will choose love over hatred.  We hope to turn our backs to evil in all of its degrading forms.  We hope that by living in the way Jesus lived, we can transform this world into the kingdom ushered in by his birth.  If we have truly come to believe that, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” all that we do will reflect the Christ Child’s abiding love and presence within us as we work together building the kingdom of God on earth.  

May the “Word become Flesh” dwell within your hearts.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

God's Wonderful Plan

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Deacon Tom Writes ©…

“God’s Wonderful Plan”

The Epiphany of the Lord

As we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany today we recall God’s immense love for his people and his coming to claims us as his own. The Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer tells us how the Father “revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ as the light of the nations…” This light dawned on that first Christmas day when Mary gave birth to her Son Jesus, who is both son of God… and Son of Mary.

It was difficult for the Jews of Christ’s time to understand that God willed salvation for everyone; that salvation was not reserved for the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone. True, God revealed himself through the Jewish people, but God intended Christ’s redemptive work to be shared by ALL.

This Feast we enjoy today celebrates the reality that God has not restricted or limited the saving work of Jesus Christ. It is through this revealing Christ to the World that, again, in the words of the Preface, “you made us new by the glory of his (i.e. Christ’s) immortal nature.”  What an encouraging thought in light of the challenges we face today…that we can tap into this newness of life and love that Christ offers each of us.

None of us have the power to change things very much on a global scale. But, each of us can do something to show that we have been renewed by Christ’s love. We can do little things that make a difference in the lives of the people we encounter every day. We can pray for one another; we can visit someone mourning the loss of a loved one. We show that we have been renewed by Christ’s love whenever we visit a sick friend, welcome a stranger, give hope to the despairing, write a card to someone immobilized by old age or illness. We, ourselves, are renewed whenever we are animated as a member of the Body of Christ to be stewards of God’s grace or give witness to God’s transformative power over all things. We are renewed each time we realize God’s wonderful plan is to make all things new, even us.  Yes, our destiny is be remade in the image of Christ… “to put on the new self, created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth”(EPH 4:24).

Have a wonder-fill New Year sharing God’s love with everyone you meet!

Deacon Tom 

A Wonderful Mystery

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A Wonderful Mystery

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Deacon Tom writes ©

A Wonderful Mystery

Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B

St. Paul uses the one word that succinctly summarizes this Advent Season and the most holy event it precedes, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The word he uses is “mystery”. The Mystery of the Incarnation, the mystery of God made man is the mystery of God’s abiding love for us. Because of this love, “Christ emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7). Fully God, fully man, Jesus enters human history to reveal the fullness of God’s love for all creation.

We read today of two people who were drawn into this mystery of God’s self-revelation to the world. They are David and Mary. The Prophet Samuel tells us that David wants to build a dwelling for God. But God has other plans. Yes, David will establish a house for the Lord, but not in the way that David envisioned it. The household that the Lord will establish through David will be one that will last forever. It will be a household that includes Joseph and Mary and that finds its completion in Jesus who fulfills that promise by becoming a “dwelling place” for all.

On this Fourth Sunday of Advent our hearts are yearning for the Divine to come to us. We turn away from the noise and clatter to hear the deep silence within give way to the chant, “Come, come, Emanuel, come Emanuel”.

What is our heart’s desire this Christmas day?  What is it that will make us complete?  What will it take to fill our emptiness?  My guess is that material things can’t come close to satisfying the cravings of our human spirit. What we really want, what will satisfy our innermost longings are the gifts that only God can give us, such as: calming our restless spirits, consoling our loss of a loved one, filling us with an inner peace, bringing us true joy, and, perhaps, a bit of happiness. We are looking for help in to let go of old grudges and to jettison old hurts or memories. We are looking for spiritual or emotional comforts and healings.

It is not possible to imagine that the infant whose birth we await desires that we remain in the constant state of hopelessness and despair. On the contrary, He came to set us free from all that would keep us bound up. He came to proclaim, “release to the prisoners”. That includes freeing us from our own self-imposed bondage(s).

May the mystery of God’s love revealed in the Infant Jesus free us from all that keeps us from loving Him and from loving one another.

May you celebrate a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with Christ’s Peace and Joy!

Deacon Tom

Rejoice

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Deacon Tom writes ©

"Rejoice"

Third Sunday of Advent, Year B

Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee quoting the words of the Prophet Isaiah that we hear today on this Third Sunday of Advent (remember Gaudete Sunday?).  They are worth reading again:

“The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God…” 

(IS 61:1- 2a)

This is the “Good News” that has been celebrated generation after generation since this prophesy was fulfilled by Christ 2000 years ago. Jesus is the one who brings us the good news that our captivity has come to and end, the good news that lifts our broken spirits pummeled by sickness, sin, and death. Jesus is the one who frees us from everything that imprisons us or has robbed us of our human dignity; Jesus restores our genuine freedom. Jesus comes to our rescue announcing that God’s favor is upon us. On our part, we wait in hope; we wait patiently for Emmanuel to come into our lives. So we wait… and watch.

Advent is a wonderful time of year. It is a season of hope and anticipation. It is even more so this year as we face so many challenges and difficulties of epic proportions. Our world has grown cold. It is a world very much in need of the “fire of God’s love”.

As we light the rose candle this Third Sunday of Advent, we rejoice in God’s nearness to us. We rejoice because the Light of Christ approaches and the days of darkness are coming to an end. We rejoice because Christ comes to fill us with the fire of His love. We rejoice because our time of deliverance is at hand. We rejoice because Our Savior comes to do what the world cannot do – give us the joy and happiness that can only come from Him; joy and happiness to be shared with one another; joy and happiness that will last forever.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom  

Waiting in Hope

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 “Waiting in Hope”

                         Second Sunday of Advent, Year B

Several weeks ago we read the Prophet Isaiah raising this prayer to God on behalf of God’s chosen ones:  “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down”. Today we read from Isaiah again and he is instructing the people, “Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah:  Here is your God!  Here comes with power the Lord God, who rules by His strong arm…”.

These two readings from Isaiah express a wonderful mystery of our faith, that God is with us right at this present moment, and yet, at the same time, we have not yet fully experienced His presence. Advent is a time to reflect on His presence in our daily lives and to know that there is more to come…And so, we wait in hope! We look ahead to the day when God’s fullness will totally reign in our hearts and in the world. We wait for that day when a new heaven and the new earth will replace the old order; we wait for the day when the justice, peace, and the realities of God’s kingdom replace the disharmony and chaos that are the dominant forces at work in our world today; we wait for our lives to be more complete and fulfilling.

Advent is a season of expectant hope. It is a time when we dream new dreams about becoming the person God has called us to be. It is a time when the spirit of hope leads us to new beginnings. Who do you want to be when that new heaven and new earth arrives?  Do you want to be a more caring person?  Do you want to be more gracious, more thankful, and more prayerful?  Or, perhaps, we want to leave behind memories of the past that are painful and full of sorrow. The beauty of Advent is that we get to fill in the blanks… and be filled with the hope that, with God’s help, we can accomplish all that we dare hope for. Advent is a time of waiting, a season of hope, for God to come into our lives and fill us with the true gifts of this season… peace, joy, love, those gifts that come from the Holy Spirit.

Each of us has the opportunity to reclaim Advent as a special time of hope. Each of us can make this a spiritual season by looking inward and hoping that the promises God holds in store for each one of us will become our reality… promises of newness, renewal, of our well being. That’s what hoping is all about. .

May this Advent journey be a time of new beginnings, new hopes, and new joys. May God’s gift of new life set us free to seek the giver and share the many gifts He has in store for those who place their hope in Him.

Enjoy the day and the Season!

Deacon Tom 

The Road to Recovery

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"The Road to Recovery"

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Today’s reading from the Book of Exodus challenges us to reflect on our own deeply personal family experiences and learn from them. In that reading, God cautioned the Jewish people to remember what it was like when they were foreigners and living in a society where they were strangers, unwelcome, exploited, and abused. God wanted them to remember their past and how they were mistreated, so that once they had power and influence, once they were restored and came into their own, they would not victimize and abuse others who were weak and powerless and who lived among them. What a timely message for us today with the diversity of opinions on how to resolve the illegal immigration problem or how best to improve the quality of life for those living on the margins of society.

No matter what difficulties we face, individually or as a society, Jesus’ centermost teaching contained in today’s gospel provides the solution. “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…AND, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

We can reasonably disagree as to the right course of action in providing a solution to the problem of illegal immigration or how we are to care for our less fortunate neighbors living among us but rest assure, the name calling, the violence, and other visible signs of our anger show how little regard we have for these two “greatest” commandments of God. If this problem is to be solved, it must be done in ways that reflect the inherent dignity of the human person. This is the basis for all the social justice teachings of our uniquely Catholic church. Indeed, the social justice teachings of our church are a distinguishing characteristic of our Catholic faith. They have their roots in the Mosaic Law that go all the way back to the Book of Deuteronomy that Christ cites for us today in the gospel.

We will not find permanent solutions to the problems we face or that plague our country and our world: war, hunger, disease, violence, poverty, greed, corruption, drug and alcohol addiction, other forms of escapism, yes, these so called social sins, until we begin to recognize the root cause of these horrific conditions…the lack of justice. Without justice, there is no peace, no prosperity, and no respect for one another. Jesus gave us the cure. It was the same cure given to and ignored by our ancestors. Perhaps it is time to consider the medicine - loving God and loving each other. Or, we can continue our journey along the same path and, in our collective delusion, believe that we are indeed on the road to recovery, until the next crisis brings us to our knees.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom 

God Be In My Head

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Deacon Tom Writes ©

“God be in my head”

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

The gospel for today sets the stage for Jesus’ death.  The parable of the wicked tenants who kill the servants sent by the owner of the vineyard to collect the rent and then kill the landowner’s son who was also sent by the owner foreshadow the events that will claim Jesus’ life. Jesus tells the crowd that God’s plans will not be stifled by those of man. His being rejected by the Jewish authorities allows a furthering of God’s Kingdom. For… “The stone rejected by the builders will become the cornerstone”. God’s plan of salvation is mysteriously broadened so that others may join in the task of bringing about that bountiful harvest the Kingdom of God will produce.

Jesus showed us by word and example how to live in the Kingdom of God. To follow Him we must think and act like He did.  That is the way by which we become productive members of His Kingdom. A question we might ask ourselves is, “How do we know if we are bearing fruit for the kingdom”?  One way is to set aside a few minutes at the end of the day and review the events from a spiritual perspective.   This is one of the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. It goes like this: 

1)  Give thanks to God for all that we have.

2)  Ask God for the grace to know our sins and to avoid them in the future.

3)  Reflect on the events of the day to see where we served God or where we have neglected Him.

4)  Ask God to pardon our faults.

5)  Ask God for the grace to be more like Him.  

If we do this exercise on a regular basis, we are sure to grow spiritually and that growth will produce a harvest worthy of the kingdom.

As we grow in the love of God, we are able to surrender our thoughts and desires to Him and allow Him to fill us with His thoughts and desires. The prayer below goes back to the late 1400s to early 1500s and it calls to mind our need to surrender ourselves entirely so that his thoughts may become ours.

God be in my head and in my understanding;


God be in my eyes and in my looking;


God be in my mouth and in my speaking;


God be in my heart and in my thinking;


God be at my end and at my departing.


Amen

These words, with some alteration, are from the Sarum Primer of 1514, which was a book of prayers and Christian worship resources in the Roman Catholic Church that was collected by the clergy at Salisbury Cathedral in the south central part of England. It was published in 1514 in the “Book of Hours” (Cambridge) and republished as the “Sarum Primer” in Salisbury in 1558. (“Sarum” is the abbreviation for Sarisburium, the Latin word for Salisbury, which was and is both a city and a diocese in England.) 1

May God open our minds and hearts so that we can do our part in bringing forth the His Kingdom.

Enjoy the day!

Tom

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1 https://wordpress.com/themes/kubrick/