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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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3 Ordinary Time
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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B - Mark 1:14-20
The penitent asked, "Does God accept repentance?"
The priest asked in turn, "Do you throw away dirty laundry?" "No,"
replied the sinner. The priest said, "Neither will God throw you away."
Anthony de Mello writes, "Jesus proclaimed the good
news, yet he was rejected. Not because it was good, but because it was
new. We don't want new things when they involve change and most
particularly if they cause us to say, 'I was wrong.'" We are told the
only person who welcomes change is a wet baby.
A Scot poet wrote a description of himself with
which we can identify. "My life reminded me of a ruined temple. What
strength, what proportion in some parts! What unsightly gaps,
what prostrate ruins in others!"
"Repent and believe the good news" are the first words
that Jesus the Christ spoke in the Gospel of Mark. So one
must conclude that this brief message must be of paramount
importance to Him. They are but six words and yet they continue to turn
the world upside down. And they send us into denial.
I lean here on William Barclay's research.
The first word of Christ's message is that frightening word "repent."
The sinner, according to Avery Dulles, has only two options - to be pardoned
or to be punished. The Nazarene
defines repentance as not merely saying, "I'm sorry" but also I will
change my life." While God forgets the sin, He does not forget the
repentant sinner. When God forgives us in the confessional, He suffers
from total amnesia. Heaven, we are advised, is filled with converted
sinners and the good news is there is room for billions more. But we
must repent.
Christ would remind us, "No matter what your past
may resemble, your future is spotless. And the saints are saints
precisely because they kept on trying."
Modern culture dismisses sin. But the Nazarene does
not buy into that message. A New Testament concordance contains a dozen
columns on the subject of sin and only eight on love. God would remind
us that He gave Moses on Mount Sinai Ten Commandments and not Ten
Suggestions. He never said, "Keep my commandments unless of course you
have a headache."
The second term of interest in the six word
message is the good news. The news is good precisely because it brings
us to the truth. Until the advent of the Teacher, people could
only search for God. No less a person than the mighty Job in 23:3
shouted out in pain, "Oh, that today I might find him, that I might
come to his judgment seat!" But the Nazarene says to today's Jobs, "He
who sees me sees the Father."
The good news brings hope. The ancients
dwelled in a culture of gloom. The Roman philosopher Seneca
(3 BC-65 AD) spoke of "our helplessness in necessary things."
Try as they might, people somehow could never get out of square one. They constantly found
themselves behind the infamous eight ball. Their feet were forever tied
together. Christ's arrival changes that scene. St Paul in Colossians
1:23 tells his readers that they must not be "shaken from the hope you
gained when you heard the Gospel." Perhaps Paul's message inspired
Emily Dickinson to opine that hope is the feather in the soul of each
of us. The future, says Teilhard, is in the hands of those who can give
people valid reasons to live and hope."
The good news offers everyone peace. Virtue
and evil are constantly fighting for the upper hand in each of us.
Morally we are split personalities, moral schizophrenics. St Paul
identifies with our human condition in the famous words, "The good I
would do that I do not. The evil I would not do that I do." This is
what the Scot poet was speaking of. Yet, if we surrender ourselves to
the Christ, those Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personalities in us can at last
become one worthwhile entity.
St Paul advises (Ephesians 6): "Let the
shoes on your feet be the good news of peace." If we take his
recommendation, our feet will become unbound. We need not fear where
they will take us. We will walk over pebbles and feel no pain.
Abraham Lincoln was asked what he thought of a
sermon. He replied it was good but had one defect. The preacher didn't
ask us to be great. One cannot say that of Jesus in today's Gospel.
We ask the mystic, "How does one get to heaven?" She
answers, "The same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice! Practice!
Practice!"
Go for the golden apple. The aphorism is correct.
While it's risky to go out on a limb, that's where the apple
is.
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
3 Ordinary Time
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3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Faith Has Consequences,
Wonderful Consequences
A while back I came upon a book that seems to be intended for young
people but in reality contains wonderful meditations for all of
us. Actually, we are all still young in our faith no matter what
our age. Just as the Church is ever ancient ever new, so for me
and for all of us, our faith is ever ancient and ever new. The
book I’m referring to is George Weigel’s Letters to a Young
Catholic. I bought a number of these books, about a dozen, and
gave them to people I hoped would read each chapter and meditate on it,
whether they were young adults, in the process of raising young adults,
or full of the youth of our faith.
Jesus Christ is forever new.
George Weigel, by the way, is the author of numerous books,
including Witness to Hope, the extensive biography of Blessed Pope John
Paul II, and the recent follow-up to this, The End and the
Beginning. Letters to a Young Catholic is far less
extensive, easier to read, but, in some ways, far more challenging.
Each chapter of this book presents a particular place in Catholicism, such
as the tomb of St. Peter, and then develops a particular topic that is
fundamental to Catholicism, like Eucharistic devotion, Marian devotion,
the meaning of suffering and death, etc.
In the light of today’s readings from scripture, I would like to present
one of these topics as George Weigel presented it.
First of all, this Sunday’s readings. All three of this
Sunday’s readings present an urgent call. Jonah tells the people
of Nineveh that their sins have resulted in their suffering God’s
wrath. They would listen and repent. St. Paul tells the
Corinthians that time is running out. They need to embrace the
Gospel before they have no more time. Jesus begins his preaching by
proclaiming, “The time of fulfillment is at hand. Repent and
believe in the Gospel.” He then calls his first disciples, Simon
and Andrew, James and John.
There is an urgency in God’s call that has a profound effect not just
upon the person called, but upon others.
This brings us to George Weigel’s book. Weigel’s tenth letter speaks
about how vocations change lives. He speaks about Fr. Jerzy
Popieluszko. Two sentences caught my attention. The first is
Faith demands consequences. The second is: a career is a job, an
occupation you current have, but a vocation is something that you
are.
First, faith demands consequences. Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko was a
simple young priest of the Archdiocese of Warsaw. He had a frail
voice and a weak physical makeup. He had not been a brilliant
seminarian. His first assignment was to be a parochial vicar (assistant
priest) at St. Stanislos Kosta Parish in Warsaw. In 1980 the 34
your old priest was also asked to minister to the steel workers
at a Warsaw steel mill. This was at the time of the Solidarity
Protests against communism throughout Poland, but particularly in
Gdansk. In 1981 the Polish Communist government declared martial
law against its own citizens. Shortly after this Fr. Popieluszko
began saying a monthly Mass for the fatherland. At first
hundreds, then thousands and then tens of thousands attended the Mass
and packed the streets around the Church. Fr. Popieluszko
relentlessly repeated the theme given by Blessed Pope John Paul II on
his first visit to Poland: banish evil with good. He preached non
violence. But he also preached the moral duty of
resistence. He told the people that they had to take sides: good
or evil, truth or falsehood, love or hatred. Michael Kaufmann of
the New York Times wrote: “Here there was a man who was teaching that
defiance of authority was an obligation of the heart, of religion, of
humanity and of nationhood.”
The people heard, but so did their communist leaders. On October 19,
1984, Fr. Jerzy was kidnaped and murdered. He embodied the
truth. He embodied his faith. And he died for the truth and
for the faith. Within five years, the communist government fell
at the hands of the overwhelming desire of the Polish people to worship
when and how they saw fit. Fr. Popieluszko won. As you
know, soon after the fall of communism in Poland, communism fell
throughout Eastern Europe including what was then the Soviet Union.
Faith demands consequences. We cannot be people of faith if we do
not speak out against immorality. We cannot be people of faith,
if we allow our government to continue any immoral practice.
Today we American Catholics remember the grim anniversary of Roe vs
Wade, the decision of the Supreme Court to allow abortion. Many
Americans have elevated this court decision to the level of one
of the articles found in the Bill of Rights. The fact is that the
majority of Americans are against abortion. Those who march and protest
throughout the country do so because they are people of faith and
people who deeply love their country. They cannot sit back and allow
lies and evil and death to continue.
It is the same for every issue. As Catholics we cannot allow our
country to take advantage of the poor and the sick, to shore up its
economy on the backs of poorer nations, or to promote our
national interests with blood. We cannot sit back and be non
committal to evil around us. Where and when we see evil, we have
to react against it. Faith demands consequences, demands action.
Weigel’s second statement follow this: a vocation is something that you
are. In the course of a lifetime, modern people hold many
jobs. A young girl may begin as an aide in a day care. Then
she may become an Early Childhood teacher. After a while, she may
change professions and become a department manager in a store.
Maybe, she may go into investing and become a financial
consultant. People have many jobs, many careers. But this
is not who they are, it is just something they are currently doing.
A vocation is something that we are. That same girl may become a
wife and then a mother. Wife and mother are not jobs, they are
who she is. They are vocations. Even when her children move out
to begin independent lives, she is still a mother, their mother.
Even if she and her husband break up, she is still a wife, his
wife. The only exception to this would be if it can be shown that
she never was a wife in a sacramental sense. Same thing for a
man. Same thing for a priest. Priesthood is not a career
that can be changed as some other man might change jobs. A person
who is called to the priesthood is a priest forever, even if he no
longer is in ministry.
When Jesus called Simon and Andrew, James and John, you and me, He did not
call us to do something. He called us to be something. He
called us to be disciples. Why do you train your children in the
faith? Why do you guard against immorality in your home?
Why do you worship God daily in your homes and weekly here in
Church? We do what we do because this is who we are.
That is why we feel so disjointed when our human limitations take over and
we give in to evil. We lose our sincerity, our integrity, when what we
do is opposed to whom we are. But when we respond to that call of
Christ within us to be Christian in all our actions, then our actions
reflect our inner life, the life of Jesus Christ we have been called to
embrace. Then we become whom He created us to be.
Weigel concludes that people who are determined to live the truth of
whom they are, people who are determined to live vocationally,
are the most dynamic force in history. Their lives don’t just
become history, they become His Story, the story of God at work in the
world. And that is what Catholicism is about. We want to
change the world into God’s world. We are willing to do what we
need to do to be whom we have been called to be.
The call of Faith, or vocation as Christians is urgent, just as the call to
faith was urgent for the first disciples, for the people of Corinith,
for the people of Ninevah. Faith has consequences. Faith is
dynamic. Faith is counter cultural. Faith changes the
world. Faith is manifested in the integrity of men and women who live
who they are.
May we have the courage to be people offaith.
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http://stmaryvalleybloom.org/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
3 Ordinary Time
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Time to Place Your Bet
(January 22, 2012)
Bottom line: As the life of G.K. Chesterton illustrates: Whatever the
cost, now is the time to place your bet.
This Sunday's readings speak about repentance. We hear Jonah calling
the Assyrians to repentance. Jesus begins his public ministry with
similar urgency:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe in the Gospel."
To illustrate repentance I would like to use a famous twentieth century
convert.* He was a journalist, an author of detective fiction and a
respected literary critic. His full name is Gilbert Keith Chesterton,
but he is more commonly known as G. K. Chesterton. He was brought up in
an agnostic home and the Christianity he was exposed to was a watered
down version. It emphasized good deeds and saw Jesus as a moral
teacher, but nothing else.
As a journalist, Chesterton got involved in controversies and he began
opposing the naive optimism of the early twentieth century. That naive
optimism included eugenics, evolutionary determinism and the "Superman"
philosophy of Nietzsche.
In opposing these movements Chesterton found himself drawn to the
Catholic Church. He became convinced that the Catholic Church told the
truth about Jesus: That he is the center of history - God in human
flesh.
To enter the Catholic Church, however, would have enormous implications
- and Chesterton worried how it would affect those close to him. He
admitted, "I tried to forget the Catholic Church."
A lot of people are in that position. They want to forget the Catholic
Church. But like the Gospel we just heard, it is not so simple. Jesus
makes it clear that the moment of decision has arrived - a decision no
one can avoid.** At stake is something enormous.
Every day people buy lottery tickets. They hope to win the Super Lotto.
But all the Super Lottos together are small potatoes compared to the
kingdom of heaven. It is time to make your bet.
People try to avoid this decision by saying things like, "I don't
believe in the pope or in priests." Who asked you to? The issue is
Jesus. If you accept him and his kingdom, the rest will follow. It's
time to place your bet.
A lottery ticket costs a few dollars. The kingdom has a higher price.
But do not be afraid. In comparison to the kingdom, any sacrifice is
small. It'is time to place your bet.
And how will you know you made the right decision? When G.K. Chesterton
finally entered the Catholic Church, people asked him why he did it. He
replied, "To get rid of my sins." He added that it made all the
difference that confession was for sins of laziness and dishonesty as
well as adultery and murder.***
That is the heart of the Gospel. All of us have sins. All of us need
forgiveness.
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe in the Gospel."
As the life of G.K. Chesterton illustrates: Whatever the cost, now is
the time to place your bet.
**********
*While in Peru, I am reading Ian Ker's magnificent Biography of G.K.
Chesterton. The information about Chesterton's conversion is based on
that highly recommended book.
**To attempt to remain neutral is itself a decision. For the trimmers -
those who stayed aloof from life's battle - Dante reserves the
vestibule of hell:
"Not to mar its beauty, heaven expelled them,
Nor will the depths of hell take them in there,
Lest the damned have any glory over them." (see
Canto III of the Divine Comedy)
***Chesterton describes three stages of conversion:
1) The future convert "imagines himself to be
entirely detached" and anxious "to be fair to the Church of Rome."
2) The convert "begins to be conscious not only of
the falsehood of the charges levelled at the Church, but of its truth
and is enormously excited to find out that there is far more of it than
he would have expected."
3) When the convert "is trying not to be converted."
The convert feels threatened with "the tragic and menacing grandeur of
a great love affair." Chesterton confessed "that I for one was never
less troubled by doubts than in the last phase, when I was troubled by
fears."
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
3 Ordinary Time
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January 22nd 2012 A.D.
3d Sunday in Ordinary Time Mark 1:14-20
"The kingdom of God is at hand"
Background:
Mark's gospel is often referred to as the Kingdom gospel, because
it flows from the initial Kingdom proclamation found in today's
reading. We, like the listeners in Galilee, are invited to reform and
believe. Immediately following this invitation, we have two examples of
what the invitation requires. The first fishermen immediately abandon
their nets, and the sons of Zebedee not only abandon their nets, they
also abandon their father. Neither our possessions nor our families
must stand in the way of our following the path that will be set forth
in the remainder of Mark's gospel.
Story:
We can go to Ireland for the summer, a mother and father
announced to their children at this time of the year not so long ago.
The response was underwhelming. The older teen said the Irish are
creepy people, they talk all the time and they talk funny. Besides I
want to spend summer with my friends, they’re a lot neater than Irish
kids. It’s a great offer, the parents said. All the kids are free both
on planes and in the cottage we’ll rent in Ireland. Cottage said the
younger teen. I don’t want to live in any cottage. Is it
air-conditioned in Ireland? Besides I have early football practice. You
don’t need air conditioning in Ireland, said the parents and cottage is
really a nice house and theirs a town near by where they sing all the
old Irish songs. I don’t want to sing Irish songs, said the older
grammar school kid. I want to hear rock and roll music (which, by the
way is all you hear in Ireland these days too). You’ll have a grand
time when you get to know Irish kids your age. I don’t want to meet any
Irish kids my age said the younger. I like my friends in America.
They’re a lot more fun. A crazy waste of opportunity, you say? How many
opportunities have we wasted in life for reason that are pretty similar.
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