Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's readings can be found here.



Today's second reading from the First book of Corinthians tells me that If I do not have love, “I am a resounding gong or a crashing cymbal.” I admit, week after week, it is difficult to write a reflection that can be both challenging to you, my reader, yet not hypocritical. Who am I to point out the splinter in your eye, when I have a plank in my own? I am not perfect, but I write because I love each person in the church and I love the Church herself. I write as a duty to love,to challenge you, and myself as well.

Last week, we heard that we are each a part of the body. One is the ear, one is the nose, and another the hand. We are each a part of the body of Christ. We cannot belabor that we are called to donate money to a cause, while another has the time to pray in front of an abortion clinic, while another can counsel broken mothers. We all have our strengths and our weakness, and we each have our purpose. Ultimately, this purpose is to love.

I write today, to challenge you to look at the life you participate in on a daily basis, the ministries you are involved in, and the things you are passionate about. The pro-life march this past week was a testament to the numbers of people who are passionate about life. It is important to remember, though, the woman who carries the unborn. It is important to remember that she must be loved. A woman who teeters on the edge of an abortion needs compassion and love, she needs strength and hope. A woman there needs the support of a loving community to pull her back and give her the strength to bear the child within. She cannot do it without love.

In the second reading, St. Paul tells us that Love is patient, love is kind. It does not seek its own interests, it is not quick tempered, it rejoices in the truth and bears all things. Your life is a gift to this broken world, but only if you have love. Otherwise, the sound of your cry is cacophony among the shouts of many others. It is a clashing cymbal, a resounding gong. We should follow the call that God gives to us. Following the call will help us to work and serve Him in the situations where we are best able to love.

If we have love, we see the individual, we see the need for healing, patience, kindness. Only if we have love can we bear, believe, hope and endure with others. I pray that you may follow God's call to love. I additionally ask your prayers that I won't just be noise in the world, but a loving voice, bearing, believing, hoping and enduring alongside the Body of Christ, calling each person to love others as God created them.

First Sunday of Advent

Today's readings can be found here.

In advent, we remember the first coming of Jesus, (the just shoot from the house of David) and we anticipate the day when He will come again. Jesus came to answer the psalm, “Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, Guide me in your truth and teach me” In His life on Earth, Jesus succeeded in teaching us His paths, and guiding us to the truth. One of His most important teachings we call the Greatest Commandment, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' and to 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (Matt 22:37,39)

The theme of loving God and neighbor runs throughout the Bible. Our Old Testament heroes often were faced with challenges to their faith be it: following Gods will (Abraham), leading others to follow God (Moses), or not honoring other Gods (Daniel). We consider them our heroes because they chose to love and obey God even thought it meant they might die, lose their families, homeland or security.

The New Testament features this theme as well, but usually as encouragement to a community who was struggling to love God and neighbor. The second reading from the first book of Thessalonians says, “ May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all..so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God… you should conduct yourselves to please God” The scripture is a prayer for the community to love others better to please God. Loving others is a way to increase holiness and to honor the Greatest Commandment.

The Gospel, of course, features the theme of loving God and neighbor again and again by Jesus' teachings and actions. In today's readings, however, Jesus speaks of His second coming and what His followers can expect. When the signs happen, people who have obeyed the Greatest Commandment should, “stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” Even with the world crashing around us, we should be reassured that loving God and loving our neighbor the ultimate thing we can do.

Jesus gives us a little warning, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing ...and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.” We need to be prepared at any moment, so we need to be loving in every moment. We do not know when we will take our last breath, so every breath should be for love. We do not know our last word, so every word should be of love. He is coming. One day, near or far, we will meet Him. We have to be aware of opportunities to follow the path that God laid out and Jesus showed us how to walk on. This is the advent of our King.

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's readings can be found here.

Two types of leaders exist: those that bring people together and those that create a divide and separate people. In Ephesians, we are told that Christ Jesus came to “break down the dividing wall” between the Jews and the Gentiles. Many of us would be considered Gentiles by blood and the law. The Old Testament law would have excluded us from God. Thank God that by Christ’s death and resurrection all humans enter into a new covenant where all have access to God.

Our Gospel tells us of Christ’s mercy and selfless leadership. Jesus and his disciples were trying to take a break from their work, he had said "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." But people wouldn’t leave them alone. They were following Him to hear what He would teach them. He tried again to move away from the crowd and recharge, but even more people came to hear Him. Jesus’ heart was moved to teach the people. Following this scene in the Gospel is the story of Jesus’ miracle of the loaves and fishes. This gospel dramatically shows the desire of Jesus, as our shepherd and leader, to take care of our physical and spiritual hunger.

The other type of leader is featured in the first reading from Jeremiah and serves as an example of God’s dislike for bad leadership. He says “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock.” In this day and age it is almost easy to be led astray. The internet and Google easily help us find “proof” that supports a point of view that we are trying to justify.

The real authority over all is God the Father, Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This triune God has taught us what we need to know, and given us the authority over all if we only follow the utmost rule, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

God poured out his life for us and has given us leadership in our Church who have taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. We must love others, love our Church, and pray for our leaders – especially our new pastor. May God grant him the gifts of leadership that he needs to lead St. Raphael’s parish to ripe pastures. May God always lead him to serve our parish and the entire Church with his special gifts. May the Lord give him the leadership to help us multiply our gifts to benefit our Church as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes. Amen.