Sts. John de Brébeuf & Isaac Jogues, Priests, et soc., Martyrs
Ephesians 3:2-12  +  Luke 12:39-48
October 19, 2016

“‘Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.’”

St. Luke the Evangelist presents many “stewardship parables”.  Today’s Gospel passage offers two, one much longer than the other.  The upshot of both is an explicit moral that lets no Christian off easily:  “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”  How do these words apply to an ordinary Christian? Continue reading →

St. Luke the Evangelist
2 Timothy 4:10-17b  +  Luke 10:1-9
October 18, 2016

“Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.”

On this feast day of Saint Luke the Evangelist, we can imagine that the First Reading was chosen for its brief mention of the saint.  The Gospel passage is taken from Luke’s account of the Gospel, but he is not mentioned there as he never met Jesus during His earthly life.  Nonetheless, today’s Gospel passage is about being appointed and sent by Jesus.  As such, each of us can directly relate it to his life as a disciple. Continue reading →

Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
Ephesians 2:1-10  +  Luke 12:13-21
October 17, 2016

“You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you….”

In our little corner of the world, celebrations of harvests take place roughly this time of year.  Even if most in industrialized nations don’t live directly off the land, our celebrations of thanksgiving help us relate to today’s Gospel passage:  both Jesus’ interaction with the jealous brother, and His parable to the crowd. Continue reading →

The 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
Ex 17:8-13  +  2 Tim 3:14—4:2  +  Lk 18:1-8
October 16, 2016

“…be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient….”

When we were children, many of us were taught the Catholic Faith through the use of catechisms.  Most catechisms—including the classic Baltimore Catechism—have a Question & Answer format.  This format has the great advantage of simplicity, presenting the beliefs of the Faith in bite-sized pieces.  Of course—to use a different metaphor—once we have all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle on the table, we have the job of putting them together, in order to form the larger picture.

However, when Saint John Paul II decided that the Church needed a new catechism, in order to incorporate the many good insights of the Second Vatican Council, he decided not to use the Question & Answer format.  Instead, the Catechism of the Second Vatican Council uses what might be called short essays.  These essays are grouped under four headings, or to use a different image, four pillars.  These four pillars present the Church’s beliefs, sacraments, morality, and prayer, focusing on the Creed, the seven sacraments, the Ten Commandments, and the Our Father. Continue reading →

The 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
Ex 17:8-13  +  2 Tim 3:14—14:2  +  Lk 18:1-8
October 16, 2016

“…proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient….”

In our Second Reading, Saint Paul describes how God’s Word speaks to us through the words of the Bible.  But the “Word of God” is not limited to the Bible.  We listen to the Word of God in the Bible in order to receive an even greater gift:  the Word of God made Flesh.  Opening our selves to this greater gift is one of the most basic “moves” of the Christian life. Continue reading →

St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin & Doctor of the Church
Ephesians 1:15-23  +  Luke 12:8-12
October 15, 2016

“‘For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.’”

Twice in today’s Gospel passage, God the Holy Spirit is referred to.  The first mention is somewhat ambiguous in meaning:  in its plainest sense, “blaspheming against the Holy Spirit” would refer to denying that the Holy Spirit is truly and fully God.  The Church has had to combat such denial throughout her history. Continue reading →

Friday – 28^th Week – Ordinary Time [II]
Ephesians 1:11-14  +  Luke 12:8-12
October 14, 2016

“‘Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna….’”

In the secular culture that surrounds modern Western man, the only image of Jesus that is acceptable is that of a spiritual teddy bear.  The idea that Jesus makes demands or sets boundaries is incompatible with modern secularism.

What to make of today’s Gospel passage, then?  Jesus declares:  “I shall show you whom to fear.  Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.”

Still, just three sentences later Jesus demands:  “Do not be afraid.”  There seems to be a contradiction.  Jesus tells us to be afraid, and then not to be afraid.

Jesus insists that we have a fully-rounded, rather than two-dimensional, view of God.  We may consider Jesus to be speaking of God the Father, or of Himself, when He describes whom one should fear.  As God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit condemn the one who is a spiritual hypocrite.  Fear of God, the Just Judge, however, is a fear that helps us shape our lives.  This is a “holy fear”, or rather, “fear of the Lord”.  This fear gives direction to our days on this earth and to each day’s choices.  But guided by this holy fear, we can trust God who guides us to Himself.

Thursday – 28th Week – Ordinary Time [II]
Ephesians 1:1-10  +  Luke 11:47-54
October 13, 2016

“In Christ we have redemption by His Blood….”

Today’s First Reading consists of the first ten verses of Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians.  We will hear from this letter at weekday Mass for just over two weeks, so an introduction to the letter is in order.

St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians is known for its focus on the Church.  A passage from Ephesians is often proclaimed at a Catholic wedding.  In Ephesians, St. Paul describes how the Church is Christ’s Bride, and uses the spousal example of Christ’s love for His Bride as a means of explaining to the Ephesians what the grace they’ve received from God “looks like”.  This grace isn’t meant to flow just one way:  God means for the members of the Church to “exchange” it amongst each other, and through each other, back to God as well.

In today’s passage, St. Paul speaks directly about this love by which we share in the life of the Church.  “In love [the Father] destined us for adoption to Himself through Jesus Christ”.  This has happened for each of us through the Sacrament of Baptism.  “In Christ we have redemption by His Blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of His grace that He lavished upon us.”  This grace was won by Christ for us on Calvary, where Jesus laid down His life for His bride, the Church.

Wednesday – 28^th Week – Ordinary Time [II]
Galatians 5:18-25  +  Luke 11:42-46
October 12, 2016

“ ‘You pay tithes… but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.’ ”

Jesus pulls no punches in today’s Gospel passage.  If the scholar of the Law who interrupted Jesus’ lambasting of the Pharisees thought he would earn an apology from Jesus, he quickly realized otherwise.  Contrary to modern notions of Jesus as a sort of “spiritual teddy bear”, today’s Gospel passage splashes cold water on our souls, forcing us to ask whether Jesus might speak of us in a similar manner. Continue reading →