Category Archives: Sunday Morning

Prophets

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Today we were blessed to have Fr. George Nkeze, a priest of the Diocese of Buea in Cameroon preach a mission at the parish.  I was able to enjoy a preaching holiday! But I happily share a homily on these Sunday readings from another year.

Isaiahprophet“Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets!” – so said Moses to the people of the Exodus. And did you know that at your own baptism you were anointed with the Sacred Chrism to share in the prophetic ministry of Christ? Would that each one of us would know that we are prophets of the Lord and would live accordingly….. Of course, that raises the question of what it means to be a prophet. When I ask around there are a couple of ideas that seem to be popular: Continue reading →

The danger of safety

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pentecost-ruahA popular line of anti-Catholic apologetics centers on our gospel reading. The argument is this: “you Catholics have lost your way. You rely on human traditions and ignore the commandments of God.” Their usual list of Catholic errors includes the veneration of Mary, her Immaculate Conception, and her bodily Assumption into Heaven. There is also transubstantiation, praying to saints, the confessional, penance, purgatory, and more. We might take great offense at their assertions – but it is a reminder that we should always be mindful about losing our way on the journey to God. We do in fact have our Traditions and our traditions; the former is forever, the latter comes and goes. Lots of Catholics confuse the two. One can easily lose one’s way. The thing is this: you are lost well before you realize you’re lost. So it is good to be mindful about God, Tradition, and traditions. Continue reading →

Looking for the next wall

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SwimmingAs many of you know I competed in swimming in high school, in college, and even today continue as a Masters swimmer. I wasn’t much of a sprinter; 200 and 500 freestyle were my best events. True then and true now. About six years ago I signed up for a long-course meters meet. One the events I entered was the 1,500 meter freestyle – a little outside my best events, but certainly do-able. Continue reading →

Good things and best things

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snickersA few Super Bowls past, Snickers candy bars began a clever ad campaign. One ad showed 4 people in a car driving through desert landscape. Three of the people were young men in their 20’s, but the fourth was a high maintenance complaining passenger (played by Aretha Franklin) who was moaning about everything – “Can you turn up the AC? I’m dying back here.” When a passenger in the front tells them that the AC is on high, “Can’t you feel it?” He is rewarded with a smack on the back of the head, “Can you feel that?” The backseat companion encourages the complainer to eat a snickers because “When you’re hungry you turn into a diva.” After eating a Snickers candy bar provided by the concerned friend, the diva is transformed back into themselves and indicates that they are “better” …. But still their old selves, just one not complaining at the moment. Continue reading →

Come away

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eremosThere are lots of studies that point to some truth in the adage that practice makes perfect – 10,000 hours of practice to be specific. It is a general number that is consistent across a variety of professions, sports, and skilled activities. Some recent studies in the Netherlands and England is that the benefits of practice are ongoing through the years – not just once a person has become proficient – and that once an elite performer reduces practice, their performance also declines because they practiced less. Continue reading →

Discipleship and Dialogue

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Jesus-who-is-this“When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue.” It is short verse, but one that I have admits tickles my imagination. I wonder what Jesus said? I suspect whatever Jesus had to say it was brimming with passion about the Kingdom of God, the Love of God, and the fulfillment of the promises of God in the covenants made with the ancestors. Maybe there were more specific comments and points – some no doubt controversial. Perhaps Jesus spoke about how God’s desire that all be saved was not limited to just Israel, but was available to all the world, even the hated Roman conquerors. That would have raised a few eyebrows and stated a few whispers. It might have been any one of a number of parables that would have challenged people in the core beliefs. The one we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan would have been shocking; to the Nazareth crowd there was nothing good about a Samaritan. “When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue.” I don’t think the people came that day expected to be riled up. Continue reading →

Grace and welcoming

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Mark-5-two-miraclesDo you ever get stuck on an image, a word, a moment in time, and continue to return to it – take it into prayer, reflection, and consideration? Sometimes it is a haunting thought – why didn’t I understand, why didn’t I say something, why couldn’t I have helped. Sometimes it is a instinct to find deeper understanding. It can be lots of things. I find that I return to the events of June 17th when good, grace-filled people died at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston. It was an evening when grace and welcome abounded. Imagine being there at the Bible Study when someone, who looked completely different from you – perhaps triggering their instincts of danger – walks in and joins the study of God’s word. It would have been one thing for Dylan Roof to walk in guns blazing and be done with the terrible deed – but he was welcomed without condition or reservation, sat down, received their peace, and then an hour later unleashed his misguided hate, taking nine lives. Continue reading →

Love and the Sacred Heart

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Sacred-Heart-JesusToday we celebrate the patronal feast of our parish, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Simply put, what we celebrate is the love of God symbolized by the heart of Jesus. You can read more about the devotion and solemnity by following the link on the front page of our parish website.

Think about it…if we are celebrating the love of God – and especially symbolized by the heart of Jesus – we are celebrating God’s love for us; a pretty awesome thing to contemplate. Of course, your contemplation will be shaped by what you already think of love. You know… in English we can say “I love you” and… not a lot more without adding modifiers or descriptors. For example, “I really, really love you” – which sounds more like trying to convince someone than an intimate moment. “I like you” or “I am fond of you” does not carry the same gravitas or conviction. Love and the English language is road that does carry you too far. Kiswahili is a different road with lots of choices. There are as many as 21 different verbs for love. In addition to the love a parent has for a child (different that which a child has for the parent) and such other familial loves, Kiswahili acknowledges that the love shared by newlyweds is different from the love shared between a couple who forged their love in the cauldron of marriage over a 50 year different. Continue reading →