Homily: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Before I get into this weekend’s homily – my apologies, as it seems that the blog software made a change months ago which prevented my work from being sent to you!  So, feel free to roam on back to see what you missed – and hope you will stay connected!

Meanwhile…

This Sunday we heard the conclusion of the Gospel story that began last week when Jesus said he would build his Church upon the rock of Peter. But a few lines later Jesus calls Peter, ‘Satan’ and he is told to get behind Christ and follow him. So how did Peter get it so right to the point where Jesus will use Peter as the foundation of his Church and then in the next moment Peter gets it so wrong as to be called Satan? The answer and, indeed our lesson, is rooted in the two types of thinking that we face every day. What are they? How do we distinguish them?  Check it out…

Click here for a podcast of the homily

Click here for the text of the homily

Click here for the readings of today

Homily: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

In last week’s Gospel Peter got it so right to the point where Jesus will use Peter as the foundation of his Church and then in the next moment, we hear this week, Peter gets it so wrong as to be called Satan? Peter goes from a foundational rock – to a stumbling block.

So why the big swing with Peter?  There seems to be competing voices going on in Peter’s head.  So what does this mean to us and the voice we need to be listening to each and every day?  Check it out…

Click here for a podcast of the homily

Click here for the text to the homily

Click here for the readings of the Sunday

Homily: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday we return to "Ordinary Time" but for the past 3 months, clearly nothing has been ordinary - forcing us to revisit what discipleship needs to look like. So, taking scripture and current events - what may we be missing in our lives that prevents us from living the Gospel?

Click here for a podcast of the homily

Click here for the text of the homily

Click here for the readings of this Sunday

Homily: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

This weekend we celebrated the 33^rd and final Sunday in Ordinary Time and over the past year Mark’s Gospel has given us the necessary waypoints for our spiritual journey.  And it is these signposts which tell us how we need to see differently and thus leading us to change the way we live.

But what does that new sight look like for us? What changes are being asked of us? And where do we begin?  Perhaps another look at the story of Bartimaeus together with the wisdom from Fr. Greg Boyle may lift the blinders that we wear and open our eyes to seeing in a whole new way!

Check it out!

 

For the podcast of the homily, click here

For a text of the homily, click here

For the readings of the Sunday, click here

 

Homily: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Today’s Gospel may be one of the earliest instances recorded in the Bible of clericalism, for we hear the disciples arguing as to who, among themselves, is the greatest. The second reading warns - “where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.

Interesting timing for these readings as the Church continues to deal with the fallout from the recent report from the Attorney’s General’s office in Pennsylvania...as well as the public uncovering of some 40 years of abuse by Cardinal McCarrick, known for decades within the Church leadership and left unchecked.

What can we do? The answer Jesus gives us today is focused around – a child. Why a child and what are we called to do?

Check it all out….

For the podcast of the homily, click here

Foe the text of the homily, click here

For the readings of this Sunday, click here 

 

Homily: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This weekend our Sunday readings may have provided some confusion. For Jesus tells us to carry his yoke in order to find rest and Paul talks about not loving our flesh and yet it really has nothing to do with our bodies. This is the challenge when we put 21st century connotations on first century scripture.

 

So what is the real meaning behind these readings? And what impact does it have on the way you live your life? Check it out!

 
Click here for a podcast of the homily

Click here for the text of the homily

Click here for the readings of this Sunday

Homily: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday’s Gospel gave us a partial look at Matthew’s job description for discipleship.  But leave it to my 13 month old grandson to teach me the rest.  How did he do that?  Check it out!

Click here for a podcast of the homily

Click here for the text of the homily

Click here for the readings of this Sunday

Homily: 3rd Sunday of Advent

During Advent we are called to celebrate that the Kingdom of God is here and now and at the same time still to come - that the Lord is truly near. But often we do not feel that way. Instead we can be more like John the Baptist, in today’s Gospel, wondering where God is in our lives. But there is reason to Rejoice! on this Gaudete Sunday – and for Thomas Merton the reason was found on the corner of 4th and Walnut in Louisville, Kentucky.

What did he realize that day? And how can his insight change the way you look at your life? How can his epiphany give you reason to Rejoice?

Check it out…

Click here for a podcast of the homily

Click here for the text of the homily 

Click here for the readings of the day

Homily: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today is the 33^rd and final Sunday in Ordinary Time. We call these Sunday’s “ordinary,” because they are simply numbered – or, ordinal.  But by calling them ordinary, I think we may have tendency to sweep them aside in deference to the other liturgical seasons and thus forget that each of these numbered Sunday’s provide us a critical piece of the road map for our spiritual journey.

So how does one sum up the entire year of Ordinary Time and extract exactly what is the 'Good News' that Christ has to share?  Check it out…

Click here for the podcast
Click here to the text
Click here for the readings of the day

Homily: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In October 1974 I was a freshman at Oratory Prep in Summit, NJ and my Dad accompanied me to my first Father and Son Breakfast mass.  Fast forward 41 years later and today I was honored to have preached at the same annual breakfast!

Today’s Gospel story gives us Jesus trying, once again to initiate his disciples so that they gain insight about the paradox of life.  What is that paradox?  Why is initiation even needed?  And how can Pope Francis and Carl Jung shed light on all of this?

Check it out what I had to say today to 200 sons with their fathers…

Click here for the podcast

Click here for the text

Click here for the readings of the Sunday 

Homily: 1st Sunday of Lent

Based on today’s Gospel it would seem that before Christ could begin his ministry, a time of desert wilderness was necessary.  This  First Sunday of Lent reminds us of the need for time in our own desert experience…but one which is deeper than just pledging renewed New Year’s resolutions.

What does that looks like?  The answer is brought to light by what the Mayan Indians did 1,000 years ago on an island off the Florida Keys.  What was it?  And how does it help open our eyes to what we need to do to deepen our Lenten experience?

Check it out….

Click here for the podcast of the homily

Click here for the text of the homily
Click here for the scripture readings 

Homily: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday we hear a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus continues teaching about a new way to live and love.  Author Krista Tippett in her recent book reminds us that law and politics are unable to really tell us what matters in life, what matters in a death, how to love, and how we can be of service to each other. “These are the kinds of questions religion arose to address.”

But it would seem many egocentric people (many who even call themselves religious) are still focused on using the laws to determine who they feel is in and who is not.  Yet Christ reminds us that we are called to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, so that we may be in right relationship with God.

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?!  Really? Isn’t that a bit over the top? 

Click here for the podcast of the live recording of the Gospel and Homily

Click here for the text of the Homily

 

Click here for the Sunday readings

Homily: First Sunday of Lent

It seems that before Christ was ready to begin his ministry it required barren time in the desert – a place of solitude without distractions. It is there that he needed to wrestle with the same temptations we still face today: power, possessions and prestige.

And on this first Sunday of Lent we are called to journey into our personal deserts where we are to ‘repent’ or in other words, ‘to turn around.’ It seems that true transformation can only be found in that type of liminal space..

Why? And, what does that type of transformation sound like?  Click the link below and see what I mean!

Click here for the Sunday readings

Click here for the text

Click here for the podcast

Homily: Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The sun will be darkened.”  “The moon will not give its light.”  “Stars will fall from the sky.” “Heaven and earth will pass away.” This week’s Gospel sounds like a great deal of doom and gloom about the end of time.  

But not so.

It seems that this Gospel was written during the time when war breaking out between the Jews and the Romans for control of the area and the future of the temple.  The followers of Christ did not know what to do and thus Mark hides a sermon in his 13^th Chapter. 

Why hide it?  What was his veiled message? And what does a fig tree have to do with it all?  Click the link and see my take on politics versus discipleship.

Click here for the readings

Click here to the homily.

Homily: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday I was looking forward to heading back to my alma mater, the University of Scranton, to preach at their Sunday liturgies.  But it seems Hurricane Sandy has changed those plans.  The silver lining in all that?  I get to be with my parish family of St. Paul’s for the weekend!

This Sunday we hear of the healing of Bartimaeus, the blind man who had the faith to call out to Jesus from the side of the road. But dig a bit deeper and we discover that this story carries a deeper more significant message.  But to break that open one has to look back at this past month and tie all the gospels together.  For this tenth chapter of Mark has been all about those who can see and are blind….and those who are blind, but can see.

Sounds strange?  Do you see?  Are you blind?

Click here for the readings

Click here for the homily

Homily: Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A common conversation around the water cooler (where you can still find one!) may be to talk less that kindly about the “in-laws.” Well, not in my case.  For one of the biggest blessings in my life was to marry into my wife’s family.  Teresa is one of seven children of Peter and Patricia Poloney.  So trust me, I could start a whole new blog with stories of the great gatherings we have had around the family kitchen table over these many years. Actually those gatherings have been filled with many, many blessings.  And this weekend is one of them as we gather together as family to celebrate the 60^th wedding anniversary of Pete and Pat.  And where else would we start the celebration, other than at the table of the Lord.

Grateful to be asked to preach at their Sunday’s parish mass, click the link to see how I tied in the story of the egocentric James and John who ask to sit on the left and right of Christ….with the lives of my dear in-laws.

Click here for readings

Click here for homily

Is the Church Circling the Wagons?

Reading the news this past week one could get the idea that the Church is circling the wagons.  Why you say?  Here is a smattering of stories:

The Washington Post reported that the Diocese of Arlington sent a letter to all catholic school teachers requiring them to sign a fidelity oath.  By signing the letter they are pledging to submit “of will and intellect” to all of the teachings of church leaders and to commit to “believe everything” the bishops characterize as divinely revealed, now and in the future.  Oh, by the way, all teachers must give the oath in front of a priest.

Then a St. Louis news site reported that the Rev. William Rowe, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church for 18 years in Mt. Carmel, Ill. was removed from his parish by the local Bishop.  He was suspended with all his faculties removed, thus preventing him from ministry and preaching.  No, no it is not what you think.  It was not another case of sexual abuse, thank God.  Rather Fr. Rowe was caught improvising some prayers of the new Roman Missal. Really?  That never happens!  My Lord, if this sentence is given to all who “improvise” there may be few priests left saying any masses.  I wonder if Jesus used the exact same words all the time?

Then, for the icing on the cake…Catholic News Service reported that uber traditionalist group – Society of St. Pius X will give its definitive response to the Vatican on its offer of reunification.  The group was formed in 1970 by the French Archbishop Lefebvre in response to errors he believed had crept into the Catholic Church following Vatican II.  With the religious nuns in check, time to bring this conservative group back in the fold, or so they think.

So…just when I thought nearly all hope was lost and that the wagons were just about hitched in a circle, an article was published by the New York Time about the oldest working priest in New York City.  At the age of 92 Msgr. Ryan still serves his parish in the Bronx.  The article comments that his journey as a priest has been away from the formalities, trappings and titles of the church, in search of a deeper meaning of the Gospel.

Msgr Ryan states, “I think I have come a long, long way from when I was ordained,” As a seminarian, I liked the idea of saying Mass, hearing confession and being addressed as “father,” but that was “like a fairy tale.”

“It isn’t about serving the church in the way you have envisioned, from the altar, and from the position of authority and power,” he said. “But it is learning what human nature is, and what the struggles of people are. And where Jesus really is.”

Perhaps there is some hope….perhaps there is an opening in the circle being formed by the wagons….perhaps the Church can turn its attention away from the ‘right’ oaths, the ‘right’ words and the ‘right’ way some thought it used to be and unhitch the wagons focused on power and authority and simply focus on where Jesus really is.

Imagine that...

Purgatory

This past month my wife, Teresa, attended a funeral of one her Master Gardener friends.  After more than 15 years battling cancer, the good Lord called her home.  The funeral mass took place in my diocese, but not my parish.  Unable to attend myself, I called Teresa later that day to see how it all went.  Her quick reply was, “Be glad you were not there.”  The full conversation went something like this:

J: How bad could it have been?
T: Well the priest and the deacon were both wearing Roman vestments that were purple.
J: Purple?  You mean white, with a bit of purple trim?
T: I mean all purple, like Advent
J: Why?
T: Funny you should ask, as the priest made it central to his homily
J: Did what?
T: He said he was wearing purple to remind us that her soul is not in heaven yet, rather it is in Purgatory.  He went on to explain that this was a good thing since it meant that she was destined to heaven but is in Purgatory receiving the final cleansing…and since she is no longer able to advance her own cause, we who remain must pray for her soul.
J: (Deleting expletives for purposes of keeping this blog family friendly:) Really?  I mean Really?  I have yet to find a website that delineates the length of time, if any, in Purgatory based on our earthly lives!  I would love to be enlightened as to who gets more or less time: Clergy? Blogging Deacons? Sisters/Nuns? Divorced? Gay? A 60 year old lady who loved to garden, loved her family and friends and loved her God?
T: Oh no, I feel a new blog post being written…

While the good practice of praying for/to those who have died predates Christ, the naming of “Purgatory” as a place or state of “being cleansed” dates to c 1170 and formalized in the Councils of Florence (1431-1435) and Trent (1545-1563).  There are three paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that outline the tradition of the Church as it relates to Purgatory. Nowhere does it state, obviously, where or how, or who, or certainly how long anyone goes to Purgatory. 

But I would assume based on what Jesus said on the cross to the criminal hanging next to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Lk 23:43) that he was not going to be spending much time stopping off in Purgatory. The great Franciscan theologian John Duns Scotus (1256-1308) took the position that the final cleansing of the soul took place instantaneously upon death, after all God’s love is immeasurable and unconditional.  Rome never embraced his theological concept as whole.  Then again to have done so would have given God all the power, all the control and all the grace to forgive immediately and unconditionally.  Instead Rome, in the middle ages, favored the theology of time in Purgatory and its corresponding indulgences which supported their own egos and their own coffers.

So I am at a loss as to how one in 2012, preaching to a family who is mourning the death of their loved one, takes the position with words and colored vestments that her soul hasn’t made it to heaven yet.  He knows this?  By taking this homiletic action, the priest moved the focus of this Mass of the Resurrection away from God’s salvational action and focused on Church control.  This is simply another example of Catholic egos running rampant.  It is another example of some clergy, as well as the Church, stuck in what Richard Rohr, OFM. calls the first half of life. Stuck on building its ego. Stuck on power and control. Stuck on defining who they are by knocking down others.

Indeed, nothing wrong with praying for those who have died.  I, for one, am always looking for their graces and those of the entire Communion of Saints.  But my prayer today is that the Church will move in an opposite direction by shedding its ego and focusing on the risen Christ, who “holds all thing in unity…who reconciles all things through him and for him, everything in heaven and on earth” (Col 1:17, 19-20)  ...all without our help.  Imagine that.

And the purple vestments? They can stay in the closet till next Advent.