Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 8/9/09

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/080909.shtml




We are in the midst of the "Bread of Life" discourse by the writer of the Gospel of John. Last week we heard about the Israelites who were grumbling about food and this week we hear the crowd murmuring about who Jesus says he is. Murmuring normally shows shortsightedness more than being stubborn. The Jews were murmuring because they didn't understand who Jesus was, they say: "Is this not... the son of Joseph?" They were having trouble understanding Jesus as more than they saw in front of them. Jesus, meanwhile, is trying to teach the crowd that he is the way to eternal life and that we can never attain eternal life on our own - it is always God's gift.

In the readings this Sunday we are reminded how persistent God is in bringing us to new and eternal life. We hear about Elijah in the first reading, who is completely worn out (we can all identify with that feeling!). God sends him an angel twice to feed him and send him to continue his journey to Horeb, "the mountain of God". In the Gospel Jesus continues to reveal himself as the bread sent by God to nourish them (and us) for the road to eternal life. Jesus gives his life so that we might have new life. We are surprised to find out that Jesus himself, is the "bread... from heaven," and that this is both the promise and fulfillment of the eternal life for which we all long. Jesus tells us he is "the living bread" and when we share in this Bread we "will live forever."

God shows his persistence in bringing us to new and eternal life by sending the Son who gives his life for us. But this is not without cost. The bread of life is the bread of self-sacrifice. To eat the bread of life is to eat the bread of suffering. When we encounter Jesus by eating the bread of life we take Jesus' life of self-giving. That is why the gospel is so difficult, and why the Jews are really murmuring. We, too, must die so that we might live forever.

adapted from "Living Liturgy", Liturgical Press, 2008

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 8/2/09

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/080209.shtml

Today's reflection comes from a commentary by Theophylact (1050-1109), theologian and language scholar, studied at Constantinople. He taught rhetoric and was tutor to the imperial heir presumptive: hence his treatise on the Education of Monarchs. In 1078 he became archbishop of Ochrida in Bulgarian territory.

“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
John 6:35

Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Wishing to persuade Christ to perform the kind of miracle that would provide them with bodily nourishment, the people in their insatiable greed called to mind the manna.

What was the reply of our Lord Jesus, the infinite wisdom of God? It was not Moses who gave you bread. In other words, “Moses did not give you the true bread. On the contrary, everything that happened in his time was a prefiguration of what is happening now.

Moses represented God, the real leader of the spiritual Israelites, while that bread typified myself, who have come down from heaven and who am the true bread which gives genuine nourishment.”

Our Lord refers to himself as the true bread not because the manna was something illusory, but because it was only a type and a shadow, and not the reality it signified.

This bread, being the Son of the living Father, is life by its very nature, and accordingly gives life to all. Just as earthly bread sustains the frail substance of the flesh and prevents it from falling into decay, so Christ quickens the soul through the power of the Spirit, and also preserves even the body for immortality. Through Christ resurrection from the dead and bodily immortality have been gratuitously bestowed upon the human race.

Jesus said to the people: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” He did not say “the bread of bodily nourishment,” but “the bread of life.”

For when everything had been reduced to a condition of spiritual death, the Lord gave us life through himself, who is bread because, as we believe, the leaven in the dough of our humanity was baked through and through by the fire of his divinity.

He is the bread not of this ordinary life, but of a very different kind of life which death will never cut short.

Whoever believes in this bread will never hunger, will never be famished for want of hearing the Word of God; not will such a person be parched by spiritual thirst through lack of the waters of baptism and the consecration imparted by the Spirit.

The unbaptized, deprived of the refreshment afforded by the sacred water, suffer thirst and great aridity. The baptized, on the other hand, being possessed of the Spirit, enjoy its continual consolation.

(Commentary on John’s Gospel: PG 123, 1297.1301)

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 7/26/09 by Dawn

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/072609.shtml

When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
John 6:12

This has got to be one of the best known Gospel stories. Who doesn't love the five loaves and two fish story? A miracle. For me, though, this time the one part that has really struck me is Jesus' request that the disciples pick up all that was left "so that nothing will be wasted".

I've been thinking a lot lately about the earth and all that is happening. The US bishops have created something called The Catholic Climate Covenant whose purpose is to help people to understand our moral obligation to care for both Creation and the poor, and that the two are intimately linked. That's why this part of today's Reading really stuck out for me. It's what sustainable living is all about - having adequate quality of life for today, without compromising future generations. Jesus is the Son of God - rationally, there's no need for the left-overs to be picked up, He can just make more later. But that's not what He does. He is providing us an example of what a good steward is.

In religious circles, when people talk about stewardship it's usually about money, but money is not what I'm referring to today. In the Creation story from Genesis, God creates the world and all that is in it and then sets man to be it's steward. We are responsible to God for the care of Creation. We need to remember that Creation is not our possession to do with what we'd like to. Being a good steward means not taking the easy way out which results in consuming resources at an alarming rate, but to instead pursue simpler lifestyles for ourselves while at the same time advocating for the poor who have no voice and are the people who most suffer from our over consumption.

In the Hebrew Scriptures God created the entire material world and called it very good. In today's Gospel we see Jesus being a good steward. In my opinion, the conservation went far beyond the bread and fish - it extends to minerals, fossil fuels, water, and even to human beings. How often is it that we see someone and think "I don't want to waste my time on him/her." If God has created all things, who are we to think someone or something is disposable and have no value. All things exist to give glory to God.

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 7/19/09

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/071909.shtml

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:1

One of the best known pieces of Scripture is the 23rd Psalm: The Lord is my shepherd. Countless people I know say it is their favorite. They cling to it. I, myself, find myself reciting it every time I'm afraid. It might be helpful, however to have a little more background on it, though.

1. The Lord is my Shepherd (The Lord shepherds me); I shall not want (I shall lack nothing).
“David invites you to be one of the sheep whose Shepherd is Christ and who lack no good thing. The Good Shepherd makes Himself everything for you: pasture, water of rest, food, dwelling place, and the way of righteousness, and He gives you the Comforter, distributing His grace according to your needs” (St. Gregory of Nyssa). Those who belong to Christ “have as their guide not a simple holy man, as Israel had Moses, but the Prince of Shepherds and the Teacher of doctrine, in whom are found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (St. Cyril of Alexandria). “He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are young...they shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them...(Isaiah 40:11; 49:10).

2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures (He has made me to dwell in a place of verdure): He leadeth me beside the still waters (He has nourished me beside the waters of rest).
“The place of verdure (green pastures) means the ever-fresh words of Holy Scripture, which nourishes the hearts of believers and gives them spiritual strength” (St. Cyril of Alexandria). “The waters of rest means, no doubt, holy baptism, by which the weight of sin is removed.” After having fed the person who comes to Him in faith with His word, the Lord leads him to the waters of baptism, making him a sheep of His holy flock, whose destiny is only to enter into God’s rest. “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God...Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest...” (Hebrews 4:9,11). (“Rest” in both Hebrews 4 and our Psalm is “anapausis” in Greek.)

3. He restoreth my soul (He has converted my soul): He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (He has led me...).
David speaks of his own experience: after having learned of God’s ways he strayed from the paths of righteousness and fell into deadly sin. His experience in this Psalm becomes a prophecy: anyone, no matter how far he may have strayed from God, in Christ may be converted and return to the way of righteousness and learn to do God’s will.

4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil (...though I walk in the midst of the shadow of death...): for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (...they have comforted me).
“It is necessary for you to be buried in death with Him by baptism. But it is not really death, but a shadow and image of death” (St. Gregory of Nyssa). “For we are baptized into the death of Christ, baptism is called the shadow and image of death, in face of which there is no longer anything to fear” (St. Cyril of Alexandria). The last part of this verse refers to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. “He comforts the believer, or guides him, with the rod and staff (the Shepherd’s crook) of the Spirit, for the One who guides or comforts is the Spirit (the Paraclete – the Greek verb here is “parekalesan”) (St. Gregory of Nyssa). “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever...when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth...” (John 14:16; 16:13 ).

5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies (...in the presence of those that afflict me...): thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over (...thy cup which inebriates me, how excellent it is).
“What does David mean by this (“Thou hast prepared a table...”) if not the mystical and spiritual table which God has prepared for us?...He anointed thy head on the forehead with the seal of God, which thou didst receive so that thou mightest bear the seal impressed as the sign of consecration to God. And you see that David is speaking of the chalice, over which Christ said after giving thanks, “This is the chalice of my blood” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem). “Having abandoned the remains of the former error and renewed his youth like that of an eagle, the newly baptized hurriedly approaches the celestial banquet. He arrives, and seeing the altar prepared, he exclaims, ‘Thou hast prepared a table before me...’” (St. Ambrose). “In these lines the Word clearly designates the sacramental unction (chrism) and the holy sacrifice of Christ’s table” (Eusebius of Caesarea). “The Holy Spirit expresses in the Psalms the same figure of the Eucharist when the Lord’s chalice is mentioned; ‘Thy cup which inebriates me, how excellent it is!’ But the inebriation which the Lord’s chalice gives is not similar to that of profane wine. It intoxicates in such a way that it does not make one lose his reason; it leads souls to spiritual wisdom...” (St. Cyprian of Carthage). “Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter...said unto them...these are not drunken, as ye suppose...but this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: and it shall come to pass in the last day, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:13-17).

6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (...mercy shall pursue me...); and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
“Christ, providing the soul with the wine ‘that maketh glad the heart of men,’ provokes in it that sober intoxication which elevates the dispositions of the heart from transitory to eternal things...He who has tasted, in fact, this inebriation trades the ephemeral for that which has no end and remains in the house of the Lord all the days of his life” (St. Gregory of Nyssa).

source: www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/bible/dmitri_shepherd.htm

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 7/12/09 by Dawn

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/071209.shtml

[Jesus] instructed [the disciples] to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
Mark 6:8-9

I have always been interested in how Jesus sends out the disciples in this Gospel passage. I put myself in the place of the disciples and am terrified - what do you mean I can't take a suitcase with extra clothes, some extra money, or even a snack?!? We rarely travel without making hotel reservations or ensuring a friend or relative we could stay with will be home. Recently I ran across an article that helped me gain a better understanding of the cultural context of this passage.

In the ancient world, travel was deviant and dangerous. It was deviant because there was little reason to leave one’s ancestral dwelling where one was normally surrounded by extended family network. Everything one needed or desired was here. It was dangerous because robbers waited to ambush travellers, particularly those travelling alone (Luke 10:30). For this reason, Jesus tells his newly authorized faction members to travel in pairs. Very likely these pairs joined larger caravans for greater safety.

The instruction to travel lightly (no bread, no money, etc.) is not unusual. The needs of travellers (lodging and food) were to be provided chiefly through hospitality. Jesus continues his instruction with special attention to hospitality (e.g., “receiving” or “welcoming”).

In the Middle Eastern world, hospitality is a value extended exclusively to strangers. (Relatives and friends are extended steadfast loving kindness.) The process involves three steps: the stranger is taken under the protection of a host for a given time, transformed into a temporary guest, with hopes that the two will part friends (but parting as enemies is also possible).

The host provides lodging, food, and especially a safe haven or protection from the suspicions and possible attacks of villagers. After all, strangers are always suspected of being up to no good and plotting damage to the village.

Failure to extend hospitality in the Middle East is a serious breach of honor. Jesus’ advice to “shake off the dust on your feet as a testimony against those who would not extend hospitality” is a major insult. It effectively writes these people out of the human community. The gesture implied total rejection, hostility, and an unwillingness to be touched by anything the others have touched.

John J. Pilch of Georgetown University

This information gives me a much better understanding of what it was like. How different our cultures are! This weekend at St Bridget's and St Mary's we have Deacon Dardess who is preaching about Migrant Ministry in our Diocese. Imagine what people, who literally have nothing, must encounter as they leave everything they've known in life to enter into our world. Definite culture clash. We are so quick to judge other cultures we don't understand. Hopefully remembering we are not the only ones in this world will help us to extend hospitality to all we encounter.

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 7/5/09 by Dawn

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/070509.shtml

They said, "Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary..."
Mark 6:2-3

I am so like the people from Jesus' hometown. I am so quick to dismiss things I encounter in life as ordinary, instead of seeing what is beneath the surface. The people in today's Gospel immediately dismiss Jesus because he's the guy they've known for 30 years. He lived down the street and worked as the town's carpenter - nothing extraordinary about that!

We find it best to confine our encounters with God to amazing places or events... sort of like the 4th of July fireworks. We want God to work miracles that shimmer and shine like the fireworks. What we forget is that the normative way God works is in the ordinariness of life - in the people we share a cook-out with, and the people in our own homes. We also forget we bring Christ to others - to the cashier at the grocery store, the person in the parking lot, the grouchy neighbor across the street.

The next time you're stuck behind a slow driver, instead of becoming agitated, use it as a time to reflect on the beauty of God's creation all around you. When you're in line behind the person with 300 coupons, smile at the child in the cart - you might be the only kind smile the child sees that day.

While we enjoy the fireworks this weekend be thankful for the miracles God has given you glimpses of, but also be grateful for his constant care and support that comes in the ordinariness of your life.

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 6/28/09

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/062809.shtml


Today's reflection comes from a sermon by Peter Chrysologus (c. 400-50). Peter Chrysologus was born at Imoly in Italy and became bishop of Ravenna. He was highly esteemed by the Empress Galla Placidia, in whose presence he preached his first sermon as bishop. He was above all a pastor, and many of his sermons have been preserved.

Little girl, I say to you, arise.

Every gospel reading, beloved, is most helpful both for our present life and for the attainment of the life to come. Today’s reading, however, sums up the whole of our hope, banishing all grounds for despair.

Let us consider the synagogue official who took Christ to his daughter and in so doing gave the woman with a hemorrhage an opportunity to approach him. Here is the beginning of today’s reading: An official came to Jesus and did homage, saying: Lord, my little daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.

Christ could foresee the future and he knew this woman would approach him. Through her the Jewish official was to learn that there is no need to move God to another place, take him on a journey, or attract him by a physical presence. One must only believe that he is present in the whole of his being always and everywhere, and that he can do all things effortlessly by a simple command; that far from depriving us of strength, he gives it; that he puts death to flight by a word of command rather than by physical touch, and gives life by his mere bidding, without need of any art.

My daughter has just died. Do come. What he means is that the warmth of life still remains, there are still indications that her soul has not departed, her spirit is still in this world, the head of the house still has a daughter, the underworld is still unaware of her death. Come quickly and hold back the departing soul!

In his ignorance the man assumed that Christ would not be able to raise his daughter unless he actually laid his hand on her. So when Christ reached the house and saw the mourners lamenting as though the girl were dead, he declared that she was not dead but sleeping, in order to move their unbelieving minds to faith and convince them that one can rise from death more easily than from sleep.

The girl is not dead, he told them, but asleep.

And indeed, for God death is nothing but sleep. He can restore life-giving warmth to limbs grown cold in death sooner than we can impart vigor to bodies sunk in slumber.

Listen to the Apostle: In an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, the dead will rise. He used an image because it was impossible to express the speed of the resurrection in words.

How could he explain its swiftness verbally when divine power outstrips the very notion of swiftness? How could time enter the picture when an eternal gift is given outside of time?

Time implies duration, but eternity excludes time.

(Sermon 34: PL 52, 296-99)

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 6/21/09 by Dawn

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/062109.shtml

A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!"
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Mark 4:37-39

If there's one thing I can do well in life, it is that I can worry like a champion. I worry about everything, I even worry about worrying! Once, in college, my mother told me about something I was unaware of that had been happening in my family for a few weeks. Honest to goodness, my first thought was, "Why didn't you tell me before? I wasted all this time not worrying!" Stress management experts say that only two percent of our "worrying time" is spent on things that might actually be helped by worrying. The figures below illustrate how the other 98 percent of this time is spent:
-40% on things that never happen
-35% on things that can't be changed
-15% on things that turn out better than expected
-8% on useless, petty worries

No matter our place in life or who we are, we all face storms. Some seem worse than others and we often wonder how we'll ever make it through. Contemporary Christian Artist, Scott Krippayne wrote a song that refers to today's Gospel:

Sometimes He Calms the Storm
Find out before too long
How quickly blue skies can grow dark
And gentle winds grow strong
Suddenly fear is like white water
Pounding on the soul
Still we sail on knowing
That our Lord is in control

Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn't mean He will
Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child

He has a reason for each trial
That we pass through in life
And though we're shaken
We cannot be pulled apart from Christ
No matter how the driving rain beats down
On those who hold to faith
A heart of trust will always
Be a quiet peaceful place

I'm sure many of you can attest to the truthfulness of these lyrics. We fear what we can't control. But the answer is to trust in God's loving mercy. In some of the crisis we face, God quiets the problem, other times He quiets us, filling us with His peace.

It's also important to remember that we don't face the storms of life alone. The Latin word for "boat" is "nave." In the architecture of the church, where we sit is called the "nave." That means we are all in the boat together. We know that it's not a cruise ship or a yacht and sometimes it feels as if it's listing or a little leaky, but we are together, with Jesus at the helm. In those days when you feel "tossed about", lean on others and trust in God.




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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 6/14/09 by Dawn

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/061409.shtml

[Jesus] took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, gave it to them, and said,
"Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many..."
Mark 14:22-24

Our story of redemption is a constant unfolding and deepening of God's presence and self-gift to us. It begins with the sprinkling of the blood of bulls on the Israelites as a sign of their acceptance of the covenant that Moses brought from the Lord, as we hear in the first reading. For hundreds of years God then reveals himself to the Hebrew people in many ways. In today's Gospel, we hear of this new covenant which is shown through the blood of Jesus. For us, by consuming the body and blood of Jesus we accept this covenant of divine self-gift and personal presence. The catch is, it doesn't end there. We are asked to be that presence for the world, giving of ourselves in the way Jesus did.

Eucharist is more than a gift for us; it is a gift through us for others. It sends us forth to a life of self-giving, modeled by Jesus. We are to bring the presence of the risen Christ to others. Anything less than this is to lessen the mystery of it's depth - if we eat and drink Christ's true Body and Blood we should become what we eat and be Christ for others.

In reflecting on today's readings I have been thinking about former Archbishop Oscar Romero. In 1977 he was installed as the Archbishop of San Salvador and from that point on spent his life trying to bring hope to the poor and vulnerable of his country. This meant challenging both the government and the people of the Church to care for the least among them. Many, many people died a martyrs death in this fight, including Oscar Romero. On March 24, 1980, as he was saying Mass, he said these words: "That this immolated Body and this Blood sacrificed for humankind, may nourish our bodies and our blood in suffering and in pain, like Christ, not for its own sake, but rather to give the concepts of justice and peace to our people. Let us join together then, intimately in faith and hope in this moment of prayer for Dona Sarita [the person for whom the Mass was being offered] and for ourselves..." at that moment, as he lifted the Precious Elements, a single shot was fired and Oscar Romero died. In his lifetime Oscar Romero strived to become what he received - to be Christ for others. How do you do the same?



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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 6/7/09 by Ellie

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/060709.shtml


Today’s readings touch on the same message in three different ways. This message, I would summarize as God has done great things for us. He has made us especially His own, and He in turn asks us to observe all that He has commanded us. Importantly, the message has a different twist each time, characteristic of the differences between the Old Testament, the Gospels and the Letters and others writings of the apostles in the New Testament.

Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? (Deut 4:33-34)

From the Letter to the Romans, we read again, God has made us especially His Own.

… you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, "Abba, Father!"
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ
(Romans 8:15-16)

Adding the reading from Matthew’s gospel, all three passages this special relationship places a special responsibility on us. We are to; “keep his statutes and commandments”(Dt. 4:39-40); “suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:14); and, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Mt. 28:16-20)

From the time of creation, God sees us as especially His Own. In many ways, the entire Old Testament and the New seek to awaken in us this one most significant awareness. We are made for Him. If you have come to realize that your life is made whole in the Connection God has already offered you, take time in the next few days to examine how your life is enriched by this being His beloved.

And, what response does this Special Relationship seek from you? First, keep His commandments and statutes. As you engage more in this relationship, suffer with Him, live His journey as it is offered to you. And, lastly, if you have it in you, or when you accept the Spirit’s presence in you, speak of Him, be His example in the world, teach Him to others.

Clearly, this is the call Brian Carpenter accepted this weekend by his ordination. However, it is not his alone, but it is the call for all of us. We will respond to that call in different ways. Some will teach, some will serve, some will minister, some will offer continuous prayer. All are parts of one Body, one Calling.

Just as Brian spent some time in retreat before his ordination, examining his call, so I invite you also to continue examining the reflections of these readings to find your blessings, your hopes, your life of meaning. Actually, these readings offer us a lifetime worth of prayer and promise. Let us begin. If you are interrupted, begin again. And, again.


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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 5/31/09 by Dawn

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccbl.org/nab/053109b.shtm

Jesus said:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth...."
John 16:12-13

I often tell God that he should just explain what he's doing with my life and I'll be fine with it. "Tell me the end result and I'll be happy," I say to the Almighty. It's a good thing God doesn't answer my prayers in the way I think he should.

I always think about that when I read this section of the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that he's got more to say, but that they can't handle it. I guess it's like 10 years ago, when I began to feel promptings to leave my previous job. I was in a management position in a big company and quickly climbing the corporate ladder. I knew that I was unhappy, but I didn't know what else to do. I prayed and prayed for God to show me what to do, but all I kept hearing was to quit my job and that he would show me the next step. I wasn't content with that, though. I wanted to KNOW what I would be doing. If I could have seen then, that 10 years in the future I would be working with a bunch of teenagers, helping them, and myself, walk through a major crisis, I would have stayed where I was. At that point in my life I didn't even really like teenagers! God is so good - as Jesus says in today's Gospel, the Holy Spirit is sent to be with us as we go through our lives, directing our every step... if we heed the direction.

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost - the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples. I often think the Holy Spirit is the most difficult member of the Trinity to talk about and understand. We understand, as much as we are able to understand, God the Father, and we can sort of get a grasp on Jesus because he was human, but the Holy Spirit is another story. We like to think of the Spirit in terms of a bird or a flame, but it is not, those are just things we use to represent the Spirit. Yet the Spirit completes the Trinity and is vital in helping us not to lose our way. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Advocate. The definition of advocate is "one that defends or maintains a cause or proposal". This helps me to better grasp the purpose of the Holy Spirit.

As we conclude this Easter season may we all be filled with the Holy Spirit and encouraged to walk the path God has set before us. Knowing we don't see in full - and that's a good thing, we wouldn't be able to bear it!

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 5/24/09

You can find the full scripture readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/052409a.shtml

Today's reflection comes from a homily given by Guerric of Igny (c. 1070/80-1157). He became abbot of the Cistercian abbey of Igny, in the diocese of Rheims in 1138. A collection of fifty-four authentic sermons preached on Sundays and feast days have been edited. Guerric’s spirituality was influenced by Origen.

Father, while I was with them I kept them in your name. This was the prayer our Lord made on the eve of his passion. But it would not be inappropriate to apply it to the day of the ascension, when he was about to leave his disciples and entrust them to the Father.

He who in heaven directs and governs the hosts of angels created by himself had chosen a small group of his disciples as his associates on earth. These he would instruct in person until the time when their hearts were sufficiently opened to be led by the Spirit. And so, great God that he was, Christ loved these little ones with a love worthy of his greatness.

Having withdrawn them from secular pursuits, he knew they had abandoned all worldly ambitions and now relied on him alone. But as long as he shared their mortal way of life he did not lightly lavish on them marks of his affection; his manner toward them was grave rather than tender, as was fitting for a master and a father.

Now, however, when the moment was at hand for him to leave his disciples, he seemed overwhelmed by the depth of his affection for them, and unable to disguise the overflowing tenderness which until then he had hidden from them.

Hence the words of the evangelist: Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. He laid bare the whole strength of his love for his friends, before pouring himself out like water for his enemies. Handing over to them the sacrament of his body and blood, he instituted the celebration of the eucharist.

It is hard to say which was the more wonderful, his power or his love, in devising this new means of remaining with them, to console them for his departure. In spite of the withdrawal of his bodily presence, he would remain not only with them but in them, by virtue of this sacrament.

It was at that moment that he commended them to his Father. Eyes raised to heaven, he said: Father, while I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition. And now I am coming to you. Keep those you have given me in your name. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one.

Much more he went on to say; but the whole of his prayer can be summarized in these three petitions, which are themselves a summary of salvation, namely that the disciples should be kept from evil, sanctified in truth, and glorified with Christ.

Father, he said, I desire that they too, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory. Happy those who have their judge for their advocate, pleading for them even while he must be adored with as much honor as the one to whom he addresses his prayers!

The Father will not refuse the desire expressed by his lips, for he shares with him one single will and one single power, since God is one. All is bound to be accomplished that is requested by Christ, whose word is all-powerful and whose will is wholly efficacious.

Of everything which exists, he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood forth. And now he says: I desire that where I am, they too may be with me.

What certainty for believers! Not to the apostles only, or to their companions, is this assurance offered, but to all those who through their word will believe in the Word of God: I do not pray for these only, but also for those who through their word will believe in me.

(Sermon on the Ascension 1-2: PL 185, 153-55)

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 5/17/09 by Dawn

You can find the full scripture readings at http://usccb.org/nab/readings/051709.shtml

"This I command you: love one another."
John 15:17

Today’s Gospel ends with a command from Jesus: “Love one another”. It sounds pretty simple, until we realize that He actually means it in the deepest way. It’s not, “be nice to each other”, it’s LOVE each other. To love someone is to make ourselves vulnerable. This means that as hard as we may try, we have no control over whether or not they will love us back. The more people we love, the more we open ourselves to the possibility of pain. We need look no further than the example of Jesus: the one who created the world, became victim of the creation. Yet God continues to love us, and so we must love one another.

I sometimes find myself being stingy with my heart. I hate being hurt, and as a result I’m slow to love others. In his book “Turn My Mourning Into Dancing”, Henri Nouwen states that those who would try to guarantee their hearts will not be broken, will end up in a self-created hell. He quotes C.S. Lewis in “The Four Loves”:

To love at all is to be vulnerable…. If you want to make sure of keeping [your heart] intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken – it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable…. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from the danger of love is Hell.

How do we love those who leave us? How do we love those who hurt us or themselves? How do we love those who don’t want to be loved? The answer is both simple and complex: we love through Christ’s love for us.

Who is God specifically asking you to love?



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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 5/10/09 by Ellie

You can find the full scripture readings at http://usccb.org/nab/readings/051009.shtml

Our Canandaigua community, our high school community and the St. Mary’s community have experienced a painful loss this week in the death of Tom Kane, the Academy student and a parishioner. We are doing the painful soul searching that occurs when someone we love takes his/her life. The second reading begins:

Children, let us love not in word or speech
But in deed and truth….
His commandment is this: we should believe in
The name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
And love one another just as he commanded us.
John 3:18-24

Let us examine this message not with regret nor to ask if we could have done something for this young man. Let us examine today’s readings to affirm more deeply our call to believe in Jesus and to love one another just as he commanded us. Jesus showed in His life what kinds of acts of love He means: to be with those who mourn, to bring compassion to the sick, and to comfort the troubled, to feed the hungry, and even, to bury the dead. We find ourselves this week deeply aware of this call to put Jesus’ teachings into action. This is one of the many blessings of this week.

The gospel reading has a related message for us. Our outpouring of caring shown this week by so many for the family and for our young people is not to be an only-in-emergencies-response.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you…
I am the vine, you are the branches.

John 15

This is not a role for just for the hard days, the periods of loss, or for tragic events. This is a commitment for life. We are the branches, we parents, teachers, public safety officers, friends, neighbors, parishioners, clergy are invited by the ‘Vine Grower’, shaped and pruned by the Grower to bear more fruit. And that commitment, as the former reading specified, is not just in word or speech alone that are we to be the branches, but by our deeds and how we live our truth. I might add that a week like this is perhaps the path of ‘our pruning’ where we are readied to bear more fruit.

Take good care of yourself as we emerge from these days, Be present to your teens and children, to every one in your life. In your prayers, remember not only the many who were so affected by this week’s events and for those among us whose pain and burdens are unknown to us, but also for those who have no one to pray for them. These are all lessons we've learned from our mother. So as we celebrate Mother's Day, lets remember that we’re all in this together! We are the branches.


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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 5/3/09 by Dawn

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/050309.shtml

Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep."
John 10:14-15

Music is incredibly important to me. The lyrics of a song can capture my attention for days. Recent surveys of practicing Catholics reveal that I'm not alone. When asked to name the top three things they value during a liturgy, music is mentioned nearly every time. I developed a bad habit shortly after I learned how to read: every Sunday as soon as we got to church I would race through my prayers so that I could open up the music book and see what songs we were singing that day. If I liked the songs I knew it would be a good day, if they weren't my favorite... well, things didn't look too good! I've since learned that there is a huge amount of work in choosing music for liturgy. Good pastoral musicians spend much time in selecting appropriate songs. They have to take into account the Scripture of that Sunday, the Liturgical Season, the make-up of the congregation, and the song leader - just to name a few.

All this is talk about music does have a point. One of my very favorite hymns is "The King of Love My Shepherd Is". It is a very old Irish tune, attributed to St Columba, the words are by Henry W Baker. I'm not sure why I like it so much, but I do. Here are a few of the verses:

The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness fails me never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever...

Perverse and foolish I have strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me...

And so through all the length of days
Your goodness fails me never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Your praise
Within Your house forever.

"Perverse and foolish I have strayed, but yet in love He sought me, and on His shoulder gently laid, and home, rejoicing, brought me." - these are my favorite lines in perhaps all the hymns we sing. There's not a better image of the Good Shepherd. Jesus says in the Gospel today, I know my sheep. He knows us inside and out, we can do or think nothing He does not know, yet He still chooses to love us and call us His own.

I was thinking about that fact today during Communion. I have had the privilege for many years to be a Eucharistic Minister at St Mary's. By now I know many of the faces that come through my "line". I've learned some of the stories behind the eyes I look into - the mother who lost her daughter, the daughters who bring Communion to their frail mother, the teen who has struggled with depression, the man whose wife recently died. Yet, although I think I know these people, how much more intimately does our Heavenly Father know each one of us, better than we know ourselves. While that can be a scary thought, it is also freeing - we don't have to pretend to be anyone else in His presence, we are who we are and He loves us.

He is the Good Shepherd.


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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 4/26/09 by Dawn

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/041909.shtml

While they were still speaking about this,
[Jesus] stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you."
But they were startled and terrified
Luke 24:36-37

Today I finished reading "Three Cups of Tea". I don't know if you have had a chance to read it, but I highly recommend it. As I finished the last page I started thinking about this Sunday's readings. Particularly about how the first thing Jesus says to the frightened disciples was "Peace be with you." Fear makes us do strange things. Can you imagine what might of happened if Jesus did not appear that day in the upper room? It's possible that the disciples might have decided to arm themselves. We all know how Peter cut off the servant's ear the night Jesus was arrested. There was probably fear on all sides that day - obviously with the disciples, with the Jewish leaders, and most likely with the Roman government. Who knows what the fear would have caused people to do!

Recently a very wise woman helped me to see how many of the problems in our world are the result of fear. Particularly after September 11. As a nation, fear took hold. And many of the decisions made both by our government and by ourselves were made out of fear. This gets me back to the book I just finished. It tells the story of Greg Mortenson, who spends his life building schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He believes by making a society literate, youn help to remove the fear that is promoted by extremist ideology. In a recent interview Greg states, "If you fight terrorism it is based in fear, but if you promote peace, it is based in hope." The more I think about that, the more I can see how fear has shaped where we as a country, and me as an individual, are today.

Jesus' words "Peace be with you", need to be spoken to each of us today. We, in turn, need to go out and speak them to the world we live in. We, most likely, are not called to fly to Pakistan today, but there are other ways we can live in hope. Maybe it is volunteering at a soup kitchen or shelter, or visiting an elderly neighbor, promising to help if they are in need. Maybe it is telling your kids that you love them and will stand by them no matter what happens.

I challenge you this week to look at your own life and see how fear has affected the decisions you made and how you might live in hope, instead of in fear.



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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 4/19/09 by Dawn

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/041909.shtml

Thomas answered and said to [Jesus], "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
John 20:28-29

My grandfather's name was Thomas. He hated it whenever anyone used the phrase "doubting Thomas", even in jest. I've always felt bad for Thomas the Apostle. He got all the blame for not believing, sight-unseen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. I would guess that to some degree, almost all the disciples had some sort of doubt, they just didn't voice it as Thomas did.

At the time this Gospel was written, the word "belief" did not mean believing in a set of doctrines. In both Greek and Latin, to believe in something was to give your heart to it. I think that's a beautiful concept. Mentally, I can believe that the economy is in bad shape. That is radically different than the fact that I believe Jesus died for my sins. I can fully give my heart to the belief that Jesus died for me, I don't, however, have to give all my energy and devotion to our economic woes. Or maybe, I can look at it differently - maybe I can give my heart to standing in solidarity with those without a job, working to share their burden, walking along side of the people - doing what Jesus has asked of us... in my opinion that would be much more healthier.

I can understand how Thomas would be hesitant "believe", to give his heart to, without seeing. Just a few days earlier he had witnessed the crucifixion of the one person he thought could change the world. I don't think I could jump in with both feet without some proof. One of the things I love most about this passage is that Jesus didn't come into the room and say: "You lost your chance Thomas, because you didn't believe, you'll have to spend an eternity in Hell." No, instead Jesus invites him to come see, touch, and believe. For the rest of us Jesus gives a reassurance: Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

What is it that God is asking you to believe - to give your whole heart to?



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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 4/12/09 by Dawn

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/041209.shtml

Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
John 20:8-9

All week long I've been thinking about this part of the Gospel. Peter and "the disciple Jesus loved" have just gone into the tomb and they're trying to grasp the situation. The wording is perfect: they believed, but they did not yet understand.

That pretty much describes me to a T - I believe, but I don't yet understand:

• I believe in the Trinity, but I don't understand how there can be three Gods in one
• I believe in eternal life, but I don't understand how I can live forever
• I believe in the resurrection, but I don't understand how Jesus could rise from the dead.

This Gospel gives me hope! I'm not alone in my lack of understanding. This doesn't mean, however, that I'm excused from learning about my faith. Quite the contrary, I must constantly be looking to understand more. Everyday, I come that much closer to comprehending the Truth - it's a journey.

As Catholics we are often intimidated by our Protestant brothers and sisters who can quote Scripture passages left and right. We end up thinking we know nothing, and are sometimes tempted to give up on the whole thing. With the teens I work with, if you ask them to tell you what they know about the Bible, or to quote a passage, you'll get limited results. But if you ask them to tell you their favorite story from Scripture, you'll get a detailed account, usually with an interpretation that will astound you.

As I said on our podcast this week, if those two disciples had gone back home and kept what they saw to themselves because they didn't understand it, we wouldn't be where we are today. The same is true for us - just because we don't understand Transubstantiation (the bread becoming the Body of Christ), doesn't mean we shouldn't share our faith with our family and friends. This doesn't mean shouting on the intercom at your workplace that everyone is going to Hell unless they turn back to God. It means doing little things - telling your kids where you've seen God at work in your life; telling a coworker that's going through a tough time, that you'll pray for them - and then really doing it; or visiting an elderly neighbor and taking the time to chat with them. Through these little things, everyday we come close to understanding Truth.

As we begin this Easter season don't beat yourself up for not understanding - start with the believing and work from there.


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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 4/5/09

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/040509a.shtml

They brought him to the place of Golgotha
— which is translated Place of the Skull —
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.
John 15:22-25

This Sunday is Passion Sunday, also known as Palm Sunday, and it is the beginning of Holy Week. Each year it always amazes me how we start off our liturgy waving palm branches and singing Hosanna as we remember Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, but by the end of the Gospel, we're in mourning as we read of the Crucifixion. How quickly we go from exaltation to what appears to be despair. Of course we know the rest of the story, but the liturgy always affects me deeply.

My favorite time of the liturgical year is the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. They are actually one long celebration, we begin Mass on Holy Thursday in the normal way, but there is no end, no final blessing and dismissal; on Good Friday, there is neither an opening or closing at that service; and the Easter Vigil doesn't have an entrance either, but it does conclude with a final blessing and dismissal. All three of those days flow together. Each is so distinct, but yet united.

As you walk through this Holy Week, contemplate the way of the Cross. Below are some reflection questions I've found during Lent and provide a great meditation.

The condemnation of Jesus: Have you ever been judged unfairly? Have you ever put yourself in a position of judging others?

Jesus' acceptance of the cross: Are there people, situations or events in your life that are a burden to you? How have you accepted these crosses?

Jesus falls three times: In what ways have you fallen? How have you picked yourself up again?

Jesus encounters his mother: Think about your relationship with your parents – whether they are living or deceased. Are there misunderstandings, painful memories or regrets that need to be healed?

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus: Who are the people who have helped you carry the crosses in your life?

Veronica wipes Jesus' face: Who are the people who were kind to you during difficult times in your life?

Jesus encounters the women of Jerusalem: Who are the people that you have consoled in their time of worry, fear, or grief?

Jesus is stripped of his garments: How are you being called to let go of external things in your life?

The crucifixion: How are dealing with pain in your life? Are you able to forgive those who have hurt you?

The death and burial of Jesus: What things in your life have to die and be buried before they can be resurrected into new life? Do you really believe that the Risen Christ will renew you? Do you really believe that by following Jesus you can be transformed?

from Our Sunday Visitor

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 3/29/09

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032909a.shtml

Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
John 12:24

This week's reflection comes from the theologian Cyril of Alexandria (d. 444).

As the firstfruits of our renewed humanity, Christ escaped the curse of the law precisely by becoming accursed for our sake. He overcame the forces of corruption by himself becoming once more free among the dead. He trampled death under foot and came to life again, and then he ascended to the Father as an offering, the firstfruits, as it were, of the human race.

He ascended, as Scripture says, not to a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the real one, but into heaven itself to appear in God’s presence on our behalf.

He is the life-giving bread that came down from heaven, and by offering himself to God the Father as a fragrant sacrifice for our sake, he also delivers us from our sins and frees us from the faults that we commit through ignorance.

We can understand this best if we think of him as symbolized by the calf that used to be slain as a holocaust and by the goat that was sacrificed for our sins committed through ignorance. For our sake, to blot out the sins of the world, he laid down his life.

Recognized then in bread as life and the giver of life, in the calf as a holocaust offered by himself to God the Father as an appeasing fragrance, in the goat as one who became sin for our sake and was slain for our transgressions, Christ is also symbolized in another way by a sheaf of grain, as a brief explanation will show.

The human race may be compared to spikes of wheat in a field, rising, as it were, from the earth, awaiting their full growth and development, and then in time being cut down by the reaper, which is death. The comparison is apt, since Christ himself spoke of our race in this way when he said to his holy disciples: Do you not say, “Four months and it will be harvest time?” Look at the fields I tell you, they are already white and ready for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving his wages and bringing in a crop for eternal life.

Now Christ became like one of us; he sprang from the holy Virgin like a spike of wheat from the ground. Indeed, he spoke of himself as a grain of wheat when he said: I tell you truly, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains as it was, a single grain; but if it dies its yield is very great. And so, like a sheaf of grain, the firstfruits, as it were, of the earth, he offered himself to the Father for our sake.

For we do not think of a spike of wheat, any more than we do of ourselves, in isolation. We think of it rather as part of a sheaf, which is a single bundle made up of many spikes. The spikes have to be gathered into a bundle before they can be used, and this is the key to the mystery they represent, the mystery of Christ who, though one, appears in the image of a sheaf to be made up of many, as in fact he is.

Spiritually, he contains in himself all believers. As we have been raised up with him, writes Saint Paul, so we have also been enthroned with him in heaven. He is a human being like ourselves, and this has made us one body with him, the body being the bond that unites us.

We can say, therefore, that in him we are all one, and indeed he himself says to God, his heavenly Father: It is my desire that as land you are one, so they also may be one in us.

(Commentary on Numbers 2: PG 69, 617-24)

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 3/22/09 by Marie

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032209a.shtml

Brothers and sisters:
God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ...
Ephesians 2:4-5

In recent days, signs of change abound. Clocks have “sprung ahead”. Days with light are lengthening. Even the light – itself – is brighter. And officially spring begins/began on Friday. Our Scripture readings also indicate change which continues today.

In the first reading, Chronicles portray nearly all Judeans as never heard or having discarded the Mosaic Law – despite the many prophets or messengers sent by God. It took the pagan king, Cyrus, to announce effectively that the kingdom of God is coming. Leave it to God to find ways to shake things up so that the Judeans began noticing what’s important!

Let’s turn to the Gospel where we find Nicodemus encountering Jesus. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus served as a Jewish leader of a group open to hearing the “Good News”. He refers to Jesus as “teacher” or “Rabbi” - the reverse of what would be expected from a temple leader. Unlike the Judeans of the Chronicles’ story, Nicodemus was receptive to hearing something new, though not yet experienced God’s transformative love. However, the potential for change is decidedly present.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul immediately illustrates where his priorities are. He begins with “Brothers and sisters, God who is rich in Mercy …” Paul, formerly known as Saul, persecuted Christians for following Jesus….. now acknowledges who Jesus is for him – and eagerly invited the Ephesians to experience it for themselves.

So, where are you in your Lenten journey? From these readings, who are you most like? What kind of light or gift of God do you most need to begin or to further make changes in your life?

Perhaps, a contemporary illustration can draw this reflection to a close. Recently, a friend sent an email depicting God’s gigantic hands coupling the crippled airliner floating atop the Hudson River. While the crew safely landed the plane with its many passengers, God’s Spirit guided the process. Can we risk being supported and guided by God’s transforming love and care?

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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 3/15/09 by Ellie

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/031509a.shtml

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area,
with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said,
"Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
John 2:13-16

The reading today is full of rich foreshadowings. In one of them, Jesus entered the temple area and found it full of oxen, sheep, and the money changers. It’s one of the times in Scripture where we might say, Jesus loses it. He made a whip of chords and created a kind of chaos, scattering the animals and overturning the tables in a fury. He shouted, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” To me, his rage is saying, don’t you get it, this is my Father’s house, a place of prayer, worship, and soul-searching?

Sundays, we come to “My Father’s House” but do we understand really where we are and why we are here? It’s not the time to plan next week’s work plan, nor meals for the week, nor even rumble about the argument you had with a friend. It’s our gathering to worship to Lord, to bring our joys, our sorrows, our gratitude even our brokenness to Him. Together, we listen, we sing and we pray.

One Sunday, as I, the lector, waited in the back of the church for the processional to begin, I turned to the Celebrant and said,
“I hope someone came today who deeply needs this time with the Lord. Let’s pray for that person as we do this.”
He turned to me with a solemn look and answered,
“I certainly hope there are many more than one.”

What I heard from him was something akin to what Jesus was trying to say that morning in the temple area..
“Don’t you get? Don’t you get why we come here? This is our Father’s house.”
I felt almost as ashamed as the moneychangers might have, too. Had I lost the awareness that all of us benefit deeply from this time with the Lord? We are well reminded by this story.

The sign above the Main Street entrances to the sanctuary at St. Mary's says, “Be At Home In My Father’s House” It’s there to us remind of the lesson Jesus was teaching that morning. Sometimes I nod at the sign, a nod that says, Yes, I know, I’m entering My Father’s house. I usually add a mood statement to this, like; ‘I’m here, Lord, and I bring a grateful, ready heart.’ Be it St. Mary’s or St. Bridget's, as each of you climb the steps to the church, try to nod with meaning. Yes, I’m entering my Father’s House; acknowledge Him. Tell Him why You’ve come.


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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 3/08/09 by Dawn

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/030809.shtml

Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves...
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
Mark 9:2, 5

Have you ever said something similar to God? Perhaps when you were on retreat, or during Eucharistic Adoration - a time when you felt so close to the Holy, to God. There have been a few times in my life that I, like Peter in today's Gospel, asked God if I could stay in that place forever. You feel so at peace, and have no need to speak, you just want to sit and be in the Presence. Thankfully God gives us those times in our life, and they are always just when we need them.

Unfortunately, though, like Peter, James and John, we have to come down from the mountain. One time I was talking about this with a friend of mine. We had just been on a retreat that was incredibly powerful. As I was whining about having to go back to real life and leave the "mountain-top high", he pointed out that when you look out in nature, there's usually not too much vegetation on the top of a mountain. It's usually sparse, and rocky, but as you go further down the mountain there starts to be more and more trees and plants, and the valleys and plains are filled with growth. It's the same for us - those times of being so close to the Holy are awesome, because there's no trees (distractions) for us we can usually see pretty far in the distance, but it's in the valleys and the plains (the ordinariness of our lives) that we grow.

Seeing as this Sunday is the Feast of the Transfiguration, many churches will be singing "'Tis Good Lord to Be Here". The last verse of this hymn is what we need to walk away with:

’Tis good, Lord, to be here.
Yet we may not remain;
But since you bid us leave the mount,
Come with us to the plain.

We need to remember that when we leave those mountain tops, we, again like Peter, James and John, don't go down the mountain alone. Jesus walks down into the valleys and plains with us.



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Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 3/01/09 by Dawn

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/030109.shtml

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.
Mark 1:12-13

I think the only desert climate I've been to is Arizona. I visited a small part of Arizona about 10 years ago. I never thought I would like the desert (not that what I experienced was a true desert), but I found unexpected beauty there. I've seen pictures of what the Judean desert, the desert Jesus went into, looks like. It's much more rocky than I had imagined. In other Gospels we hear the details of Satan tempting Jesus - saying "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread" (Matt 4:3). Can you imagine being in the midst of a 40 day fast and everywhere you look you see stones - stones that could be turned into bread. What a temptation!

It's in the desert where we face our demons. A few years ago our Lenten Teen Retreat used the theme "Into the Desert". I would have to say that that retreat was one of the deepest, most moving retreats I've been a part of. The kids (and us adults along for the journey) were asked to go into the desert and look at what we struggle with. It was different for every person, some were dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts; some with abusive relationships, some with substance abuse; some with doubt in God. We spent three days in deep conversation, meditation, and prayer. One of the things I walked away with was a new understanding of the importance of going into the desert every so often to truly examine what it is that pulls me away from God. Satan comes at us under many disguises. It is in the desert, when everything that normally distracts us is pulled away, that we are able to see more clearly.

One of the things I most like about this passage is that it says "The Spirit drove Jesus into the desert..." Jesus didn't just wander in there, He was pushed there. And He wasn't in the desert alone, the Gospel tells us that "angels ministered to him". How, we don't know, but we do know they were there. Is the Holy Spirit driving you into the desert this Lent? If so, know you're not there alone, the Spirit accompanies you. What in your life do you need ministering to?





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