A Holy Encounter!

Thursday of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Romans 12:9-16

Luke 1:39-56

 

 

On this Feast Day of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, we celebrate an encounter. We celebrate an encounter of epic proportions. Mary, the young virgin, barely old enough to conceive, and she do by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth the elder, past her childbearing years yet she also is with a child. These women celebrate the children in their wombs as each child will have a lasting impact on the world for generations to come.

 

We celebrate an encounter that would appear to be a random encounter, but this encounter was predicted from the beginning of time. An encounter made possible because both these women are in tune with the movement of God in their lives.

 

We celebrate an encounter where both women are filled with gratitude for what God is doing in their lives, even though what has been done is beyond their imagination.

 

We celebrate an encounter that touches our lives even as we sit here today. John the Baptist who herald the coming of Christ and Jesus who brings salvation into the world. May we bring this same spirit into our encounters this day?

 

 

 

We are ransomed by Christ!

 

Wednesday Eight Week of Ordinary Time

I Peter 1:18-25

Mark 10:32-45

 

Did you catch the story of Rachel Newberry and Ben Robinson going to prom together? Ben has Down syndrome, and when her proposal went viral, she got comments like, “What a nice girl she was for asking Ben.” Rachel’s response to this was, “I did not do it to be nice, “Ben is my best friend!” You see, Rachel and Ben have gone to school together and Sunday school together their whole lives.

 

Our readings once again challenge us to be a servant to each other, but not for the reason because it would be nice, but because we have been ransomed by Christ. Do we fully understand what that means?

 

In our first reading, the writer says, “Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver and gold but with the Blood of the Lamb.” He would go on to say, “Love another, with a pure heart.” We are to love with a pure heart because it is the right thing to do!

 

In our Gospel, James, and John want to be the greatest, but they too need to know what that means. Jesus tells them they are to be a servant to each other because he has ransomed them. Their lives have been paid for by Christ.

 

Yes! We are to be a servant to all people, but not because it is the nice thing to do, but because Jesus Christ suffered and died for us on the cross and there should be no other way to live but to be a servant. To be nice is a decision we make, to be a servant is what we are called to do because we have been ransomed by Christ.

 

 

Holy Trinity help us in our relationships!

 

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Deuteronomy 4: 32-34, 39-40

Romans 8:14-17

Matthew 28:16-20

 

It is the best day ever! Why because it is the holiday weekend, and although I am glad you are here, you may be thinking, “Can you hurry this along, I have things to do?” The other reason is, we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity, which is a mystery, so I will never be able to explain it! So, this could be the shortest homily ever! What we celebrate is three persons in one God; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That is it! It is all I got, to explain the Holy Trinity because it is a mystery. That is ok, with me, because I want a God who is bigger and more than me! I want a God who can understand me because sometimes I am a bit of a mystery. Now even though I cannot explain the mystery, we can know the mystery because the Holy Trinity is all about a perfect relationship, and since we are created in the image and likeness of God we are called to live in the relationship and to strive to be like the Holy Trinity. Our readings speak to us about the Holy Trinity through this perfect relationship.

 

In our first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses is giving a homily to the people encouraging them to remember this intimate relationship God has had with them. Moses says, “Can you remember a time when God acted in your life? Never forget it, let it burn in your memory.” Are we able to remember a time when God helped us in a relationship and he helped us to move that relationship forward?

 

St. Paul to the Romans speaks of a very intimate relationship where now the Holy Spirit is reminding us that we are sons and daughters of God. Paul says, “If you can remember a time when God acted now look for the times that the Holy Spirit is acting in our lives right now?”

 

In our Gospel, we heard, “When the disciples saw Jesus, they worshipped him, but they doubted.” It is really not a bad place to be, because it is where we are many times in our spiritual life! How often do we see Jesus, we come and give him worship, but we doubt! I think it happens a lot. It does not mean they did not have faith; it just means their hearts and their heads were not in the same place. Let’s try this for example, “Who can give me a list of things why you love someone or something?” Who can give me a list of things of the most beautiful thing they have ever seen? Who can give me a list of things that describe holding your first child or first grandchild?” These things are all much bigger than us, and we experience something so wonderful, but we cannot make sense of it all. 

 

My friends in Christ, we may never unravel the mystery of the Holy Trinity, but we can know of its effects in our lives. The closing line gives us the promise we need to know as he says, “I will be with you always, until the end of time.” May we be strengthened by this perfect love to be like the Holy Trinity in all of our relationships? In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

God is holding us to a higher standard!

 

Friday Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

James 5: 9-12

Mark 10:1-12

 

Our readings today challenge us to a higher standard of living which is different then what worldly ways would tell us. 

 

Students – Tell me what the secret to a lasting relationship is?

 

In our first reading, the writer encourages us to be patient not to complain, and not to be judgmental.  He goes on to say, “Let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no.”    

 

Anyone who is married – Tell me what the secret to a lasting marriage relationship?

 

Our Gospel today has Jesus talking about a special relationship that he has created, and it is called marriage. Jesus says that God the Father created a man and a woman are to leave their mother and father, and the two will be joined as one flesh. This is the ultimate relationship because marriage is a reflection of God’s love for his people.

 

What makes a relationship with God last?

 

In this Eucharist, Jesus is doing all he can to have a relationship with us by sharing with us his Body and his Blood. May we live, so others know of this relationship and see Christ reflected in us.

 

What defines us?

 

Thursday Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

James 5:1-6

Mark 9:41-50

 

It is a constant struggle of mine to not think of myself and to think of someone else first. I like when the conversation is all about me. I like it when I get my way. I like it when I get to do what I what to do. All of this is very natural, it is the way we are designed, but at some point, there needs to be a switch that says, “Ok, Mayday! Enough about ourselves, it is now time to think of someone else.” Our readings will challenge all of us to try and think of others needs before ours.

 

In our first reading, we hear if we only seek to store up treasures here on earth then we need to examine our lives. We may think this does not apply to us? How many pair of shoes doe we own? How many shirts, pants and coats do we own? We probably have more than we need! We are wealthy, by the worlds standards!  

 

 In our Gospel, Jesus says, “If our hands, your eyes, your feet, if anything takes out attention away from God and not on others, cut it off.” This is extreme, but it is meant to be to shake us up and to get us off the seat of complacency.

 

All of our success stories and those things we have accomplished is great, but we are not to let those things define who we are. What defines who we are those things we do for others, this is our greatest challenge.

 

 

Give our list to God!

Wednesday Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

James 4:13-17

Mark 9:38-40

 

What are reminded today of our readings of a very important spiritual truth that is so easy to get away from and that is to give everything to God because God is in control? How centered are we in Christ today? How centered on ourselves are we today?

 

In our passage from James, the writer gives us a very good example of what can happen in our lives. The writer says, “How often do we spring out of bed and have a list of things to do for the day and not give that list to God?” The writer cautions us to pray over our list and to give that list to God and let God control our list of things to do?

 

In our Gospel the disciples are only thinking of their belly buttons. The disciples witness someone expelling demons, and they try to stop the person from doing so. The problem is not that the man was not following Jesus, it is that the man was not following the disciples. The man had given his list of things to do to the Lord, and we hear about the result of his actions. The disciples are hanging onto their list and not wanting to give it to the Lord.

 

What is on our list today and what on that list have we given to the Lord? One thing I do is every Monday, I pray over my weekly calendar, and every day, I pray over my daily calendar. I make sure I pray over the empty spaces because that is where God can act the most.

 

 

 

Are we the greatest?

 

Tuesday of the Seventh week of Ordinary Time

James 4:1-10

Mark 9:30-37

 

 

Who are people with think are the greatest in the world or in our society? Princess Harry and Meghan Markle certainly got a lot of coverage this past weekend! It is the ones who are well educated, wealthy and powerful. They tend to be popular and good looking. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these until it is at the exclusion of someone else. Our readings will challenge us on how we define greatness in our spiritual lives.

 

The writer in our first reading understands the human condition very well as they caution us about following our passions. The writer does not say it wrong to have passion but to be cautious of what passions we follow. Some of our passions can lead us to think we are the greatest.  

 

The Gospel Jesus overhears his disciples arguing which one of them is the greatest. I can almost imagine Jesus shaking his head back and forth and wondering what is he going to do with these guys. He decides to show them by a very good visual aid, by taking a small child into his arms and letting his disciples know that they need to become like children if they want to be great. Children were insignificant, powerless, poor, often hungry and sick. Now you can almost see the disciples shaking their heads wondering what Jesus is talking about. Jesus is inviting his disciples to welcome this child and make a better place for this child to live.

 

Jesus never came to make a place comfortable for himself; he came to make a place for others to live. In the spiritual life, we never really make our place in this world for ourselves, we are to create a place for others. Jesus is asking us to do the same.

 

How are we working to make a place for others to live? 

 

Are we hearing correctly?

 

Pentecost Sunday

Acts 2:1-11

Galatians 5:16-25

John 15: 26-27; 16:4-15

 

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Pentecost which is often referred to as the birthday of the Church because it is when the apostles went out and preached thus establishing the beginning of the Church. Pentecost is probably one of the most important days on the Church calendar. We should be overjoyed because we have been waiting and anticipating this day for 50 days. We sit here and go, “Oh, hum! I guess if you have to God, lay it on me!” Why? I believe it is because we have not prepared ourselves to receive the Holy Spirit.

 

What I mean by this is we do not understand that God loves us. Our greatest challenge is not to love others, we all love someone, and our greatest challenge is to know and believe that we are loveable and loved by God. We have such poor self-esteem and lack confidence that prevents us from receiving the Holy Spirit. We do not see ourselves as God see us, we see ourselves with all of our faults, our wounds our ugliness, and so when we come to this feast day, we are not ready to receive what God wants to give us. Here is a question to prove my point, if this week we said, “God where are you?” or “God I do not know what to do, and I am filled with fear.” If we have said anything like this we are “stinking thinking,” and we are not ready to receive the Holy Spirit. We need to hear God say, “I love you, in your ordinary life.”

 

In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear that on this day of Pentecost there was a strong driving wind that made a big noise, there were tongues of fire, that appeared on each of them and they began to speak in different languages. We can get all caught up in thinking this is how we must feel for Pentecost to happen. We do not need the big noise, tongues of fire and speaking in different languages they are the signs of Pentecost. The keeper of Pentecost is that the apostles heard these things and they knew and understood God loved them, and their lives were changed. We need to hear God say, “I love you, in your ordinary life.”  

 

Our second reading is given to us to admit all the things we do to fill our hearts with love that will never fill us, such as immorality, impurity, lust, jealousy, selfishness, envy and drunkenness. Did we hear any of ourselves in those things, maybe we should read them over again, they are on page 1084. We need to hear God say, “I love you, in your ordinary life.”

 

In our Gospel Jesus says, “I have so much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.” Why is this, because we do not know we are loved! If we truly come to believe this, then our lives can be changed by the Holy Spirit. We need to hear God say, “I love you, in your ordinary life.”

 

I pray, on this day of Pentecost we prepare ourselves to hear the Lord, God say, “I love you, in your ordinary life.” When we know this then we will be able to receive which is all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Do you love me?

 

Seventh Week of Easter Friday

Acts 25: 13; 13 -21

John 21: 15- 19

All School Mass

Dorothy Spedoski Day

 

Question – If Jesus walked up to you and looked into your eyes and said, “Do you love me?” What would be your answer?

 

Question – “Are you sure? Are you doubly sure?”

 

Question – “What would be the proof that we could give that we do love Jesus?”

 

Our readings are about Peter and Paul who gave their lives in answer to the question, “Do you love me?”  

 

In our first reading, we hear about St. Paul and how he has been arrested. St. Paul answered the question do you love me, by preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ and he gave his life in giving witness to Jesus.

 

Our story today takes place after the resurrection as Jesus appears to the disciples on the seashore. This story should recall for us the time that Peter denied even knowing Jesus three times. In our Gospel, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?”  Each time Peter answers, “Yes, Lord. You know that I love you.”

 

St. Mother Theresa, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

 

Today we honor and remember a woman who lived her life under this motto from Mother Theresa. Dorothy needs a lot of great small things in great love. What are the things that we may do today that we may not want to do but we will because of the love of Jesus Christ?

Do we see different abilities!

 

Seventh Week of Easter Thursday

Acts 22: 30; 23 6-11

John 17: 20- 26

 

What do we see when we look in the mirror? Do we see our good, or bad, and our ugly? What do we see when we look around at the others in our midst? Do we see people who are different and need to change? Our readings bring us to a fuller truth of what we are about as Christians in the world are to do which is not to see a difference, but to see different abilities.

 

In our first reading from the Book of Acts, all the Sadducees and the Pharisees are seeing are each other’s differences. The Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection and the Pharisees do believe in the resurrection and they are arguing. The argument gets so heated they carry Paul away for fear of him being torn into.

 

In our Gospel, there are lots of differences that are going on but Jesus is holding all these differences together. There is the difference of Judas who hands Jesus over, we have Peter who denies Jesus, and we have Thomas who will not believe in Jesus. Jesus does nothing to stop any of this he sees through all of it to God’s plan.

 

Jesus prays three times that we be one as he and the Father are one. God the Father understands his role, and so does the Son, they understand their roles and their differences, and they hold those differences in one.

 

It is the hardest message for us to live by, it means more than love it will mean sacrifice and great prayer. How does this all happen by God’s divine hand? May we only see different abilities!