Giving up everything

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Gospel for Tuesday, March 5th. 28 Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30 who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. 31 But many that are first will be last, and (the) last will be first.”

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1st Sunday in Lent

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This coming Sunday marks the first Sunday in Lent (Year C). It is a special day for the catechumens and candidates in the RCIA programs around the country. Here in the diocese of St. Petersburg, all the catechumens will celebrate the Rite of Sending in the parish and then gather at the cathedral for the Rite of Election celebrated with our bishop. It is a day when the RCIA program leaders witness to our community that the folks are well prepared and ready to enter Lent and the final steps towards the celebrations at Easter Vigil. Continue reading →

Something different

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If you have been following this blog for a while – first of all: thank you!  Secondly you probably realize that by following the cycle of Liturgical readings I have been around the loop more than once. Many (or most) of the times, the Monday through Friday postings of gospel commentaries for the upcoming Sunday are re-posts of something from three years ago.  For example, the posting for the week of February 4th (5th Sunday, Year C) was actually written about 6 years ago – updated a bit three years ago – and simply re-posted this year.  That being said the following weeks were new as I had never had the need to provide a commentary on the gospels for the 6th, 7th, or 8th Sundays of Year C.  Just a quirk of when Easter falls in a particular year. Continue reading →

Blessings and Burdens

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Gospel for Monday March 4th:  “As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.’” 20 He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to (the) poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Continue reading →

One’s speech…

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This weekend we have visiting priests/homilists, so I have a “preaching holiday” so to speak. The unusual thing is that this is the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. What’s is unusual about that? Because of the shifting schedules of Lent/Easter and the end-of-liturgical year Christ the King Sunday it does not often get celebrated. In my priestly life, I have never had to preach the 8th Sunday/Year C. Nor as it happens will I this year… but I have some thoughts. Continue reading →

Examine and Examen

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It has been a busy start to the year with lots of parish activities, lots of ministries, and… well… just lots of life. It is hard to believe that Ash Wednesday is this week marking the beginning of a penitential season for the faithful. I find that most of us have lost the core idea of “penance.”  Most will answer that “penance” is the prayers and actions that the priest gives you at the end of the Sacrament of Confession. And indeed, that is true. But that is really just the “period at the end of a sentence.” The older, deeper meaning of penance might be better described as the period “at the end of chapter” in the story of one’s life. Continue reading →

Being known: foundations

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The Foundation. 46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them.48 That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built.49 But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.” Continue reading →

Being known: fruit

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Producing Good Fruit. 43 “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. 45 A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. Continue reading →

Being known: judgment

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Splinters and Logs. 41 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. Continue reading →

Being known: blind

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“And he told them a parable…” (v.39) Interestingly, nothing that follows is actually considered a parable; all are better seen as wisdom sayings, proverbs or similes. Be that as it may, the purpose of this part of the sermon is clear. Luke signals a change of direction within Jesus’ discourse and draws his speech to a close with a call to add obedience to the hearing of Jesus’ message. In verses 43-49 the word “(to) do” appears five times and becomes the catchword along with “doing good” that appeared earlier in the sermon. Herein appears a principal call pf Luke-Acts: the practical demand of the gospel with emphasis on behavior – not a sole emphasis – but highlighted nonetheless. The issue is one of character and commitments becoming action in the life of the believer. To attempt to separate character/commitment/action is to succumb to hypocrisy (vv.41-42,46). A person’s hear will be revealed by the fruit of their actions (v.44). Continue reading →