tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36264388764925043532024-03-05T22:10:21.321-05:00Harvesters WantedTHE HARVEST IS PLENTIFUL, BUT THE LABORERS ARE FEW. PRAY, THEREFORE, TO THE LORD OF THE HARVEST TO SEND OUT LABORERS INTO HIS HARVEST. ~ MATTHEW 9:37-38Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-67953457985450207092018-11-25T20:47:00.000-05:002018-11-25T20:47:15.956-05:00YOU SAY I AM A KING<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe</h2>
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Thirty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time</h3>
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Saint Boniface Parish</h3>
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November 25, 2018</h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112518.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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Have you ever known someone who just loves to give people they encounter a nickname? Perhaps, maybe you are that person, who knows? There are individuals out there who kind of have a knack for giving nicknames, for one reason or another. This includes a gentleman I went to school with who is now a priest of the Diocese of Little Rock. He just loved to give everyone in seminary a nickname, including the priests and the faculty - I'm not entirely certain that they ever knew that. It seemed he had a nickname for just about everyone. I forget now what mine was; I never liked it. I never liked the idea of him coming up with a name for me. It seemed to me that he, by some need of his own, felt compelled to claim power over others, and to do that he gave them a new name. He had his own special name for each of us and so he exerted some level of authority, some level of influence over everyone he met. I don't like this claiming of authority so much, I have my own name and it works just fine as far as I was, and am, concerned. <br />
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There is a tension that exists between who we are, and the name that we have. Our parents have given us good names, we didn’t choose them, but they are good names all the same. My parents gave me the name Adam Bradford Carrico to make sure that my initials are ABC. It is a wonderful little quirk I was given strait away. They're very funny people, I love them. Our name matters, while we don't necessarily choose it, our name matters. We may, as we go through life decide to go by this, or go buy that name, but we always have our given name. Our name has power over us and yet our name doesn't quite fully define who we are. Nonetheless, it has power over us.<br />
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I saw a movie recently, and I'm still unpacking what it says about who we are. The movie goes by the name Lady Bird. It is a movie about a young woman who is growing up and discovering who she is. She is often in somewhat of a conflict with others around her, especially her mom. Her given name is Christine, but she doesn't like that name; we’re never really told why, other than it was given to her and not by her choice. So, she gave herself the name Ladybird. Near the end of the movie there is this interesting dialogue that takes place when she's at a party and meets a random guy. Probably just making conversation she asks, “do you believe in God?” And the guy says “no, I'm an atheist… do you?” She replies under her breath, "People go by the names their parents give them, but they don't believe in God." I am still trying to figure out exactly what she may have meant by that, but I think I've concluded, at least for now, that it has a lot to do with how our relationship with God has so much to do with who we are; it defines us in so many ways. Do we believe in God? Do we not believe in God? Who is God to us? All these questions are so important to answering the question who are we? I think Lady Bird is stuck in the tension between names and authority, especially given her need for her own name, and that tension between her given name and who she truly is. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <i>Ecce Homo</i>, Antonio Ciseri, 1871</td></tr>
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We see this tension play out in similar ways in our Gospel. Pontius Pilate is the Roman authority over Judea and he is questioning Jesus asking him that question that is prevalent throughout the Gospels: “Who are you?” Who are you, what are you doing, what is your name, what are you here for? It returns time and again to “Who are you?” We know the person that is on trial standing before Pilate is God, God-made-man, a being of infinite power, even greater than the Roman Empire could ever hope to be. Standing right there in front of Pilate and this Roman authority is demanding to know who he is. He doesn’t see. They never seem to want to see. He pressures him, “people say that you are a king, are you a king?” They enter this odd back and forth but what Jesus is basically saying is that he is a king, just not the kind of king that Pilate would recognize. Pilate has his own ideas of what a king is and that understanding of a king is informed by the history of the Roman Empire. The Romans have an emperor at this point, but they have a long tradition casting kings aside. Kings had a dictator quality for the Romans, and so Pilate, as would any Roman citizen, looks with suspicion upon kings, he doesn't quite trust them. Even though Pilate has a difficult time seeing Jesus for who is truly is - the God-mad-man and King of the Universe, that does not change the fact that Jesus is a king. He is the kind of king that would make a cross is throne, would make a cross his altar of sacrifice. This king has come to give his life for his people. He is not the kind of king that Pilate expects, I dare say not the kind of king that any of us would really expect. <br />
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Christ, he is a king. We may, as residents of the United States, balk at the idea of Jesus as king. We don't need a king, in fact we went out of our way to get rid of the King. We fought a war, and many died so that we would not have a king to follow. What do we need a king for? It's a good question. All that, however, has a lot to do with our idea of what a king is. Is that fully who God is? God goes by many names: Alpha and Omega, the Almighty, two names we heard in our second reading. As we move into Advent, we will hear the names: Wonder Councilor, God Hero, Prince of Peace. Each of us probably has a name for God - a name that we prefer. I wonder if the name of God that we don't like tells us something about God that we need to know? A name that reveals to us something that is missing in our understanding. What assumptions do we make about God? How do we put God in a box? What kind of nicknames do you, or I, give God? A name that takes God, who is the king of the universe, so immense that we need a name for God to even begin to understand God; how do we take that God and put Him in a little box? God does not belong in our box. God cannot really exist there and remain God. So, perhaps, this great Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe begs the question: Who do you think God is? And what are you missing by that definition?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-68514293593103551442018-10-23T10:52:00.000-04:002018-10-23T10:52:06.561-04:00YOU DESERVE IT<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Patrick Parish</h3>
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October 20/21, 2018</h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102118.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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You deserve it. You deserve it. If you watch HDTV very often, as Fr. Jeff does. When we lived in the previous rectory there was common tv room, so he'd be watching it and I'd often join him. You don't have to watch too many of these shows to catch how formulaic they are, it really is rather obvious. This is especially apparent in the show Extreme Home Makeover, but many of the shows have a pretty set pattern and that pattern goes something like this: they introduce the family, then there's some interpersonal dynamics and at some point you wonder if they going to stay together after all, there is the indecisiveness regarding what it is that they are looking for, there's the options and all the choices, and then inevitably something happens, some major catastrophe takes place, some problem uncovered, and they are certain this will be the end of the project, and then a miracle happens, the problem is solved and the show continues to its conclusion. At the end of the show, as is right, they are thankful, they've received something they've been given help to find their new home, or their home has been remodeled in such a way that it now really fits their life. Now, I'm not saying that they don't deserve this gift, this blessing, because we all deserve a place where we can live comfortably with our loved ones and be together, to have a place to grow and be together as a family. But in response to their u understandable gratitude there is that cover all line, ‘you deserve it’ and they just leave it at that. It puts a cap on it, what they have received doesn't call them to respond in any way - it simply is ‘you deserve it.’ It doesn't take much, just scratch the surface a little and we'll begin to see that there are plenty of other families who don't receive the kind of help that they are providing, that don’t receive the kind of assistance that they are giving. There are plenty of others who are certainly deserving, and maybe perhaps even more deserving. So, what does this kind of thinking do to our mentality of deserving? What does it do especially once we've come to the understand that we deserve something? </div>
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I want you to consider a time in your past when you have asked for a raise. I have - in a previous life. In my current life, if you ask for a raise they give you another parish - that's what happens. In this former life, when I worked at the nursing home I weighed what it was that I was doing, what I was being paid, and what I wanted to do, and I came to an understanding that I deserved more compensation, I wanted to ask for a raise. Once we have worked up the courage to ask for that raise, not necessarily easy to do, once we’ve done that it is difficult at that point for someone else to convince us that we do not deserve it. You have done the work to get there, and so you go, and you ask for your raise. You may or may not get it, but you conclude that you deserve it - right or wrong, you deserve it.<br />
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If we take a step back from our Gospel account perhaps we can see James and John in that light. They have rather courageously gone before their boss, Jesus Christ, and asked for a raise. They have looked at the organizational chart, they have weighed their responsibility and talents, and even though they put it in a rather demanding way “we want you to do for us whatever we ask you to do” they are essentially asking for a raise, for a promotion. They want to be recognized for their leadership in Christ’s mission, they want to sit at the left and at the right, of Jesus Christ when he comes into his Kingdom. In this Gospel they themselves are asking, in another Gospel they have their mother asked for them, but here they have worked up the courage to ask for themselves. Really, I don't think we can blame them. If you look around at the crew that they have assembled they were one of the first Apostles, they got out of their father's boat and follow Jesus right away - leaving the boat and the rest behind. James and John the sons of Zebedee, the ‘sons of thunder’ as it were, a couple of very energetic leaders, very powerful in that witness, in leaving everything and following Jesus right away. Second there is the de-facto leader, Peter, and if we are serious, well Peter is kind of an idiot, some of the time, so why shouldn't they at least be recognized along with him. Then there's Matthew, he's a tax collector, so of course they deserve more than he does. Finally, there is that Judas guy, they are not too sure about him, there is a little fishy about him. Having taken this look around James and John have come to the recognition that they deserve to be held in higher esteem, to receive that honor. In all these calculations they have, however, missed part of the reality of what Christ is doing with the overall vision of what it is that we as humankind truly deserve. They also miss what receiving that vision will call them to do. Does Christ take joy in the recognition that his disciples, his friends will suffer in his name? I doubt it. They did not deserve such difficulty and pain, but they had the underserved love of Christ with them the entire time, guiding them onward toward his Divine vision.<br />
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We recall how the Jews especially, at the time, saw that if you were doing well, if you had property, land, health, and good things in your life, then most certainly were blessed by God. You were in God's favor. You were clean, and you were carefully walking the path God wants you to walk. If you were not seen to be carefully walking that path, if you are sick, or poor, or had trouble in your family, well then you probably had done something to deserve it. Thus, you are not in God's favor. But Christ comes to show us a different way, a different way of calculating what it is that we deserve. God, by God's nature, loves perfectly. God can do nothing but love perfectly. God is God, and God’s very nature is to be perfect. God loves every one of God's creatures as perfectly as possible. Every one of us, all humanity is loved perfectly. But in a paradoxical way, in an undeserving kind of way, God loves even more perfectly those who need God's love. Those who are suffering, those who are living a life of sin, and I say especially those whose life of sin has led them to a life of suffering - God's love for these is even more perfect. This extravagance does not limit the love that God has ‘for the rest of us.’ God’s love for everyone is perfect, it cannot get any better, but in this paradoxical way, a way only God can accomplish, God goes even further with those who are in greater need of God's love. This is a completely undeserved love. None of us really deserve God’s love, if we are honest, we don't deserve it. This love is not something like we have in our jobs, it is not something we have worked diligently to achieve, we cannot come up with a list of reasons why, our qualifications will never add up to a place of being deserving. Nevertheless, those who are less deserving receive even more love from God.<br />
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Just a few days ago, on Thursday, the church celebrated the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist. I love Saint Luke. Saint Matthew, in his gospel, when he gets to the Beatitudes, he rounds the corners off a little. In the Beatitudes of Saint Matthew, he has Christ proclaiming, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ Saint Luke does not give us quite so much comfort room, ‘Blessed are the poor’ he says. In that light, for those who are suffering, for those who go without for those who may be less deserving of God's love are actually more deserving and a paradoxical kind of way. There is a brand of Christianity that is known as the ‘Prosperity Gospel.’ The ‘Prosperity Gospel’ is really pretty simple, it states those who are in God's favor receive God's blessing, mostly in financial ways but also in health, satisfaction, and so on. It's not difficult to find. You just scratched the surface a little bit and you can find prosperity gospel, in many places, in many ways of thinking and encountering the world and God. It is so simple it really is ridiculous. It does not fit this altered view of who is deserving. It makes me want to pull my hair out, which maybe God was saying Adam you're a little too dramatic already. Prosperity Gospel really misses the point, it holds to this idea that somehow, we are deserving of God's love, deserving of God's blessing. In the end I am certain that both Saint Luke, and Saint Matthew would agree that that just is not the case.<br />
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Those shows on HGTV, and the way that they are so formulaic that they turn me away, the formula can become boring. It's a routine, it's a set pattern that they follow. One could easily say, ‘well Father, don’t we have a similar situation here at church when we gather together? We pray, we sit, we listen, we stand up, we do the thing, we receive, we go out… pretty much the same thing every time. That familiarity is shifted away from boredom, away from simply formula, by our response. There are plenty of opportunities within the Mass itself to respond, to sing, to pray, to encounter Jesus Christ, but also it is what we do with the gift that we receive. We respond out of that. It matters what we do in response, what we do after the formula has concluded. It is what we do with that which we do not deserve. How is it that we respond? Perhaps that is what is missing from those shows - they receive something, but they are not challenged to give back in any real way, they are simply told that they deserve it. Sisters and brothers, we do not deserve what we received here, from this altar. There is no way that we ever could. We receive perfectly and freely from Jesus, but we are challenged by that free act to respond. To respond with a recognition of who we are as perfectly loved children of God, to go out into the world and share that free gift with others. That gift of God’s love is undeserved by us, undeserved by them, but nonetheless, loved by God perfectly.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-74845831245033545852018-10-08T07:10:00.000-04:002018-10-08T07:10:09.266-04:00COMMITTED IN CHRIST<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Boniface Parish</h3>
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October 7, 2018</h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/100718.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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I reflect on how a grade-school teacher can have quite a difficult role to fill, especially in the younger grades: first grade, second grade, and the like. They don't really differentiate their teaching roles. They are asked to teach everything: math, science, religion, you know… ethics on the playground, everything that their growing minds desire to know they are there to help form. These teachers can, at times, say things that maybe are not completely true. Perhaps because they do not recognize the fallacy, then again, they do have to have a lot on their minds, and they are expected to basically know everything about anything. Another reason, perhaps, is that they are in the process of doing something else and some spunky second grader asks a bizarre question, out of nowhere, such as ‘did Adam really lose a rib when God created Eve, and does that mean women have more ribs than men do?’ The teacher may have said something like ‘yes, you are right, you, little Adam, have fewer ribs than women do.’ And from that moment on that little second grader believed that, that is until he got to a high school, when he and other in his class were corrected by the anatomy teacher. Finally, a college professor made it a big point to correct those who had not yet realized that this concept is false. And so, with our proximity to the medical school, I think it is important to acknowledge the fact, for anyone with the lingering misconception: women do not have more ribs than men do, all things being equal we have the same number of ribs. In fact, the only way that I know of to distinguish a male skeleton and a female skeleton is the width of the pelvis, and even that is not always certain. I have heard, and the medical students might correct me on this on, that the thickness of the skull can at times be an indicator of masculinity in the skeleton. </div>
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It is just not true, even though many may believe it, men and women have the same number of ribs. The relationship between men, women, and the ribs has fascinated me for some time so when I heard the song entitled Shady Grove, sung by the Tabasco Donkeys, a connection was instantly made. The song, I have come to find, has some significant history. It is an old Appalachian song that has gone through many renditions, but one of the possible verses of the song, Shady Grove, is this: </div>
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Wish I had a needle and thread</div>
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Fine as I could sew</div>
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I'd sew that pretty girl to my side</div>
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And down the road I'd go</div>
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This song is speaking of the love the singer has for his intended bride, and how, if he could, he would sew her to his side. Now, we must recognize that this is a rather old song, and so in the era of #MeToo and all the scandal that is taking place in politics, in society, but also in the Church, we can hear this idea that woman was created from the rib of the man, and understand that to mean that woman are less than, that men come first and that woman come second. Even this song, on first impression, may sound like she is being made to follow him, to go wherever he goes. I also think that it is important to hear that he is pursuing her, he desires to be sewn to her as well. It goes both ways, the symbolism of Adam’s rib also tells us that they are connected at their side - that they are equal, they walk side-by-side. </div>
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It may be difficult to see this equality at work here unless we look through Incarnational eyes – that is eyes that are informed by the Incarnation, the mystery of Christ becoming a human being, the mystery, the absurdity of God taking on flesh and becoming man. Our second reading reminds us of this act of Christ, his being made lower, for a time, than the angels. Christ took on flesh. Christ – God, in God’s self, took our humanity onto himself. In a similar way, God, in the Book of Genesis, took from the man a rib, a piece of his body, his flesh, and created woman. The God who created that flesh, the God who shaped creation according to God’s plan, that same God pursued us, God came after us. The way in which the man in the song pursues the woman, we are worth this pursuit, we mean so much to God that God went out of God's way to put on flesh, to become for a time less than the angels, and pursue us. God pursued, God pursued us despite the suffering he would endure, in spite of the rejection he would face. Through eyes informed by the Incarnation we can look at words of Genesis, the words that Jesus repeats in today’s Gospel, and see another misconception. Not just the misconception that men have fewer ribs, but the idea that a man leaves his home and clings to his wife. For much of human history, for most of those who have encountered this Word of God, in practice this reading from Genesis simply was not true. The man would not have left his home to go live with her. Having acquired her she would have come to live with him and his family. Incarnational eyes can help us see Sacred Scripture telling us that the man goes to clinging to her side. She may be the one to leave her home and join his family, but he goes out of his way to pursue her. These words do not speak of the physical reality they experienced, but these words express a spiritual reality. These words reminded the husband, and continue to remind the husband, that they were committed to one another as equals, that they are created as equals, and the words reinforce the desire to commit to one another.</div>
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This commitment to one another as equals, as those who stand side by side one another as they pledge their freedom to commit their lives to one another, just as hundreds, if not thousands of couples stood here, on this exact spot, and committed their entire lives to one another - as equals, as partners in life. Both desiring to raise a family, desiring to support, and to love one another, and they are called upon for the rest of their lives to trust the commitment they make to one another. That is why Christ desires for that commitment to be realized and for it to remain unbroken. Difficulty in relationships continues to exist, divorce remains a reality in our world, and in our Church. As humans we work with that difficulty, work with it as best we can. All the while commitment remains the ideal, commitment is still a reality we strive for. We recall the words of the marriage rite where it speaks of the couple as being a symbol, a reminder, of Christ's love for His Bride the Church. The Catholic Church is often referred to as the Bride of Christ. Christ, the Son of God, God Himself clings to her, His Bride. He brings her to His side and He will not let her go. He walks right beside her, loving her, desiring to show her the way. Christ's commitment to His Bride, His Church is mirrored in the commitment of a husband and wife and by that we are charged with being committed to one another as well. You may have received an envelope on your way in. If not, there are some envelopes for the Catholic Services Appeal, this years CSA, on your way out. This is a small reminder of our commitment to this Archdiocese. It is a bond, a commitment that reminds us all that we do not go it alone. If we are together, if we are committed to the universal Church, committed to the Bride of Christ, this is an opportunity for us to express that commitment through a monetary donation. It's our opportunity to express that commitment to the larger Church, the Bride of Christ himself. Christ has committed himself to us in a bond that will never be broken, might we commit to that same Church?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-868194029801827282018-10-01T07:10:00.000-04:002018-10-01T07:10:01.166-04:00Catholic Celebrations of October<h2 style="text-align: center;">
The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7</h2>
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The Holy Father's Intentions for September: Evangelization – The Mission of Religious: That consecrated religious men and women may bestir themselves, and be present among the poor, the marginalized, and those who have no voice.</h3>
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<a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/10.cfm">Find More at CatholicCulture.org</a></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 1 - Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor, Memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 2 - Guardian Angels, Memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 5 - Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 6 - Bruno, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Oct. 7 - Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Solemnity</span></b></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4z14szrGXGIwyvlTUwlsRCYToMQnSf26bfgcW2ZiNpoU2aJUDGs0Q6_l0Y7hQOHuh2SMvyNUA0Mv9sD-v9ZMtzKNruQG5YP5tWg1a04PQN_HGP4m9tqkhC6xKXlwrZgAR5pmRe0fv0_E/s1600/10-07+-+Lady+of+the+Rosary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4z14szrGXGIwyvlTUwlsRCYToMQnSf26bfgcW2ZiNpoU2aJUDGs0Q6_l0Y7hQOHuh2SMvyNUA0Mv9sD-v9ZMtzKNruQG5YP5tWg1a04PQN_HGP4m9tqkhC6xKXlwrZgAR5pmRe0fv0_E/s320/10-07+-+Lady+of+the+Rosary.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 7 - Our Lady of the Rosary, Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRODZfEQ0Tubh0eC6NS9NtI4Sa4fHLL1GGNzdFKRON5yzF0-a6i_uyHQY3_7lSyABCg0DtIJackGpvvBfbJw3qYDtUIWSpP1diFTkLAgdIhXtpz5xp_xxt8juJSs5-YxZbwMTKolG8vMc/s1600/10-09+-+Denis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRODZfEQ0Tubh0eC6NS9NtI4Sa4fHLL1GGNzdFKRON5yzF0-a6i_uyHQY3_7lSyABCg0DtIJackGpvvBfbJw3qYDtUIWSpP1diFTkLAgdIhXtpz5xp_xxt8juJSs5-YxZbwMTKolG8vMc/s320/10-09+-+Denis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 9 - Denis and companions, martyrs, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOcg67Gny9GvizkU6dunt-1AUI3_Boj_hXWiTEjuZuqbDKWVXk6bKq13JpUPaRf7UchH7NRcoMSiRSlCuW_-MkiY7gKE2XvzFKIi9QLvu2e06-aIjYi6muEHRi0B1N4vmILQMrMGeZyY/s1600/10-11+-+John+XXIII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOcg67Gny9GvizkU6dunt-1AUI3_Boj_hXWiTEjuZuqbDKWVXk6bKq13JpUPaRf7UchH7NRcoMSiRSlCuW_-MkiY7gKE2XvzFKIi9QLvu2e06-aIjYi6muEHRi0B1N4vmILQMrMGeZyY/s320/10-11+-+John+XXIII.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 11 - John XXIII, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1A0LujOq-4HxuzzH9LBaV_03eHm9wBaB8vEk1mRvPpSdX5WJ9XL_M9To9jcPlenU-8BY81N6gFW6q7hp8V7MhlevKK7cjYDGyNZczrl4Pl_9i0CSKyIjHjGFzYeUC3nZxClP3qWIpI4/s1600/OT-28-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1A0LujOq-4HxuzzH9LBaV_03eHm9wBaB8vEk1mRvPpSdX5WJ9XL_M9To9jcPlenU-8BY81N6gFW6q7hp8V7MhlevKK7cjYDGyNZczrl4Pl_9i0CSKyIjHjGFzYeUC3nZxClP3qWIpI4/s400/OT-28-B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Oct. 14 - Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Solemnity</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBdol1jCDYnf-XB-lHnU75uOodXUQibuyAJTege9Cb-HT7HLEpgtg1BLzlqCg0JNAlEXoJzilWTyK-9p2DLzOTxbAHQH1u4zyRy3Le3js3GtpD86GSbQS27C04NcPDdPeXguSv8dODGo/s1600/10-14+-+Callistus+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBdol1jCDYnf-XB-lHnU75uOodXUQibuyAJTege9Cb-HT7HLEpgtg1BLzlqCg0JNAlEXoJzilWTyK-9p2DLzOTxbAHQH1u4zyRy3Le3js3GtpD86GSbQS27C04NcPDdPeXguSv8dODGo/s320/10-14+-+Callistus+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 14 - Callistus I pope and martyr, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZK_MS5KThXb8NNStuBtqZ2dsGrN_b6V-Qi1Ft298ipl-Fa0QM2rl4zZFizq5J9ld7YCn-2XQA8kK4QK_WrPf_Ff7oUZ0tF4psak51Lr9E0ZNQtAtyQTf2VIszFk2jRd6OVzJCqXMBJo/s1600/10-15+-+Teresa+of+Avila.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZK_MS5KThXb8NNStuBtqZ2dsGrN_b6V-Qi1Ft298ipl-Fa0QM2rl4zZFizq5J9ld7YCn-2XQA8kK4QK_WrPf_Ff7oUZ0tF4psak51Lr9E0ZNQtAtyQTf2VIszFk2jRd6OVzJCqXMBJo/s320/10-15+-+Teresa+of+Avila.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 15 - Teresa of Jesus,virgin and doctor, Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqjmHWBlbniji-0tzqtaDXT4Ce3fL861uvI8Fur7Q80pP7Q33RYz3LWwpW7H_W6aChbCiLIVsJPFAxEfmC82yBX5klKQQLmXtqzOIL9cW34FkrrUi26hQ_H0mVokN09fKRbpnSrEY928/s1600/10-16+-+Hedwig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqjmHWBlbniji-0tzqtaDXT4Ce3fL861uvI8Fur7Q80pP7Q33RYz3LWwpW7H_W6aChbCiLIVsJPFAxEfmC82yBX5klKQQLmXtqzOIL9cW34FkrrUi26hQ_H0mVokN09fKRbpnSrEY928/s320/10-16+-+Hedwig.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 16 - Hedwig, religious, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7jLZE9BV3CQhlcloo1uyyYA4rHtgIEiSrsZLjAL79RQ8VcWG9OY3OXJc16hnP5nvyPtxFm3GiutqU7-J-feRtwM6uIpMg4owqQnCLVc5u1P7C4JxmdrCpm8pvOW83MRLt4xgvEpZQo4/s1600/10-17+-+Ignatius+Antioch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7jLZE9BV3CQhlcloo1uyyYA4rHtgIEiSrsZLjAL79RQ8VcWG9OY3OXJc16hnP5nvyPtxFm3GiutqU7-J-feRtwM6uIpMg4owqQnCLVc5u1P7C4JxmdrCpm8pvOW83MRLt4xgvEpZQo4/s320/10-17+-+Ignatius+Antioch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 17 - Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr, Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFq63fpgvQfnZxD8VQ46r40tJyryp7nq2TKvhTVYx5Ztskf1sPq8IKBxWl6k4-pMYCq3phMbiO7zMkJr5SOa-gVyw8AIMaOAvWCSif76y7JOqdSR2F6dpLMUhGYgh4aVmpRw561ZUFo4/s1600/10-18+-+Luke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFq63fpgvQfnZxD8VQ46r40tJyryp7nq2TKvhTVYx5Ztskf1sPq8IKBxWl6k4-pMYCq3phMbiO7zMkJr5SOa-gVyw8AIMaOAvWCSif76y7JOqdSR2F6dpLMUhGYgh4aVmpRw561ZUFo4/s320/10-18+-+Luke.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct. 18 - Luke the Evangelist, Feast</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUJ20wJ-n4Wf42bQJLvgD75wVIW2wlIHDAJqxL05YJkLWEvNJdyNIQvlfTp9tNnHJIbxER_ujbgHHziGDfspAhsYG_pwqzPg9m4nwGxGPslviMU3iaAtyaf-KNmRotAMvAHsFB_vZW7Q/s1600/10-19+-+Isaac+Jogues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUJ20wJ-n4Wf42bQJLvgD75wVIW2wlIHDAJqxL05YJkLWEvNJdyNIQvlfTp9tNnHJIbxER_ujbgHHziGDfspAhsYG_pwqzPg9m4nwGxGPslviMU3iaAtyaf-KNmRotAMvAHsFB_vZW7Q/s320/10-19+-+Isaac+Jogues.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 19 - North American Martyrs, Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBWw4lmphgNpnNTyXyKKR6u9J2rV3qQs-VhpR9v3a2Mi-ByDymy7Hra6YA0gNE6TSB4oeNmy85dG1x7LyIAgQzxYpMK0GssY085mWQKoHTMmNRr1JJmO-M04HumBIoSg6xilXZE71Wlk/s1600/10-20+-+Paul+of+the+Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBWw4lmphgNpnNTyXyKKR6u9J2rV3qQs-VhpR9v3a2Mi-ByDymy7Hra6YA0gNE6TSB4oeNmy85dG1x7LyIAgQzxYpMK0GssY085mWQKoHTMmNRr1JJmO-M04HumBIoSg6xilXZE71Wlk/s320/10-20+-+Paul+of+the+Cross.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 20 - Paul of the Cross, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ64LsQqowaDmvUfRRo00Pe5GE6qGd33jV_WlV2Vdez3F-dNNtTUhdMgblg7CboSsoP9vMatGoCNCmIR9klBM7enhmUsCpBuKIvcjp2xrqw-aRe8M2XngSAyp2OTEp9NA3hQ8HgoL5clQ/s1600/OT-29-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ64LsQqowaDmvUfRRo00Pe5GE6qGd33jV_WlV2Vdez3F-dNNtTUhdMgblg7CboSsoP9vMatGoCNCmIR9klBM7enhmUsCpBuKIvcjp2xrqw-aRe8M2XngSAyp2OTEp9NA3hQ8HgoL5clQ/s400/OT-29-B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Oct. 21 - Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Solemnity</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwcvXuUOecr6IPF2cDst-cKYusdQqp7TcoGTTr3VVpAqW2tL_jD_Xa8aR4jcj-aBeP9oW21MVR5OnYJYURWlgiCa7WFXaZj3wSzJI_d0h5IDZDpCdde2dzTVhLfuaFKskK9jJOwdLSUQ/s1600/10-22+-+John+Paul+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwcvXuUOecr6IPF2cDst-cKYusdQqp7TcoGTTr3VVpAqW2tL_jD_Xa8aR4jcj-aBeP9oW21MVR5OnYJYURWlgiCa7WFXaZj3wSzJI_d0h5IDZDpCdde2dzTVhLfuaFKskK9jJOwdLSUQ/s320/10-22+-+John+Paul+II.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 22 - John Paul II pope, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBq6eLgotaHnhxlBDXa2IrsM7xKpylezkVdIfexL7HS0kaOXoUX1PVKzPL-hvFkPtedJ9p07t5GdYgC4L_tscbq0DNwMcEZjx2woW7GIV23D8w3aFHv6aG9D8RtcpL0rVj_oNq8ElMMQ/s1600/10-23+-+John+Capistrano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBq6eLgotaHnhxlBDXa2IrsM7xKpylezkVdIfexL7HS0kaOXoUX1PVKzPL-hvFkPtedJ9p07t5GdYgC4L_tscbq0DNwMcEZjx2woW7GIV23D8w3aFHv6aG9D8RtcpL0rVj_oNq8ElMMQ/s320/10-23+-+John+Capistrano.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 23 - John of Capistrano priest, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOsPqMz12FCm9O6SWo_vj42DSctrJvnSfSDJg6py0c_pi2yd75mdV_uq1ZlF8fobUhyAgziq4he1ipmqsQ7_B9hd-jM7J0uC5-3nCwT38zLU_NeuiWRakXbZ8CSp6xiJtHxkpzOWwOqw/s1600/10-24+-+Anthony+Claret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOsPqMz12FCm9O6SWo_vj42DSctrJvnSfSDJg6py0c_pi2yd75mdV_uq1ZlF8fobUhyAgziq4he1ipmqsQ7_B9hd-jM7J0uC5-3nCwT38zLU_NeuiWRakXbZ8CSp6xiJtHxkpzOWwOqw/s320/10-24+-+Anthony+Claret.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 24 - Anthony Claret bishop, Optional Memorial</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMYUb36rumWNN44DbUxNnAuWpRxVt0s2OltZX6_8Dza__GOzH8BjLl1m-dLUm9NGZrmZY1JE5hamg6FKgvY4n6za1aSJn97W4gXJoFYwh4-u3W3p34AHJtw2AVqveOKVnPAUsby9i720/s1600/OT-30-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMYUb36rumWNN44DbUxNnAuWpRxVt0s2OltZX6_8Dza__GOzH8BjLl1m-dLUm9NGZrmZY1JE5hamg6FKgvY4n6za1aSJn97W4gXJoFYwh4-u3W3p34AHJtw2AVqveOKVnPAUsby9i720/s400/OT-30-B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Oct. 28 - Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Solemnity</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPMxOeERa112pdf_SiAkg7mkyELgITfqDFku9p3qf_tjyOgR27698LLLcjG2qvDrNlzwAnkHvdWGqZwl4WmtHTe1UyoccDsguoOMzLj8CxMuNLmeiH3EFZ7OMzalFf9clkbGWYewrI8A/s1600/10-28+-+Simon+and+Jude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjPMxOeERa112pdf_SiAkg7mkyELgITfqDFku9p3qf_tjyOgR27698LLLcjG2qvDrNlzwAnkHvdWGqZwl4WmtHTe1UyoccDsguoOMzLj8CxMuNLmeiH3EFZ7OMzalFf9clkbGWYewrI8A/s320/10-28+-+Simon+and+Jude.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct. 28 - Simon and Jude, apostles, Feast </b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-39816296270245956782018-09-24T07:10:00.000-04:002018-09-24T07:10:11.155-04:00HUMBLE COMMUNITY OF CHILDREN<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Boniface Parish</h3>
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September 23, 2018 </h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/092318.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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I have spoken about my dog once before, but for those who don't recall, or weren't here, her name is Lady. Her full name is Our Lady of the Rectory, but we just call her Lady for short. Some people ask what kind of dog she is, and I say ‘well, she's energetic, that's for sure.’ She has toys, as most dogs will, and one of those toys is as a squirrel, and it can sit on its own, and then she has these two plastic squeakers that sort of look like people, they have really big heads and little feet, and that's all that there is to them really – but, like the squirrel, they can stand up on their own. So, I will take the squirrel and these little people, and I'll line them up close to her and every single time she'll come along, and she'll take her nose and just push them over. She won't really do much else with them, at that moment at least. She might come back and play with them later, but first and foremost she pushes them over. Apparently, she doesn't really like them standing there, looking at her for some reason. I don't quite understand why, but it has caused me to wonder how much like human behavior that can be. When we see something standing on its own, something that perhaps causes us a bit of insecurity, of consternation, of challenge - we want to push it over. We don't like that feeling of being uncomfortable. We don't like having someone or something cause us to recognize our own deficiencies. So instead we attack it, we put it down. In many ways this human knee-jerk reaction to rebel against something that points out our weakness is what we are hearing about in our first reading, the reading from the Book of Wisdom. In this narrative a righteous man is under attacked, is insulted and put in a corner by the wicked ones who are close to this righteous one. The wicked see the righteous, and are seen by the righteous in their wickedness, and this disparity between the righteous and the wicked causes the wicked to recognize who they are, that they are wicked, or more precisely, that they have acted wickedly. This, Scripture tells us, is obnoxious to the wicked. Their response is not to stop and reflect on how the righteous, by their righteous deeds , may be calling them, the wicked, to a more righteous way of life. Instead their response is simple, easy, “let us bring down the righteous, let us condemn him to a shameful death!”</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' </i>Peter von Cornelius, 1926</td></tr>
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Perhaps another image to demonstrate this human difficulty with another standing against us. I don't know if you've seen, or heard, any commercials for the gym Planet Fitness. Now, they have their reasons, and I'm not here to tell them what to do, but they have a term, a way of classifying a certain group of people, and this term is lunk. You may be wondering, what is a lunk? Well, a lunk, according to Planet Fitness, are those guys who are just really fit, they can lift a lot of weight, they might overly show off a bit, but in general they are simply in good physical condition. They are bodybuilders, essentially, and these lunks are not welcome at Planet Fitness. In fact, I have heard, if you lift too much weight at Planet Fitness, if it seems like you are too strong compare to their average clientele, then they will ask you to leave, to go and find another gym. You aren’t, they'll say, a part of their clientele. The reason for this discrimination is simple - when you lift a lot of weight, when you are in good physical condition, you may cause other people to recognize the reality that they aren't in that great of a physical condition. This is especially problematic for someone starting out at a gym and they can clearly see ‘I'm here, and this other person is over here, and there's a great distance between us, and so maybe I'll just quit.’ Instead of trying to commit to a change they may avoid the possibility of seeing in the other an opportunity to grow. They look at the distance and say, ‘that's too far, I can't get there from here, I'm just going to walk away.’ </div>
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I can understand why Planet Fitness might have this policy; it is after all good for business not to scare away potential clientele. In the end, however, it pulls us apart doesn't it. I can see the reason why we want to have a place of comfort, a place where people can come, and not be overly challenged, after all there are plenty of beginners, and to be a beginner is difficult, especially when you see how far others have come. It is natural to want to feel safe and not feel judged. The more we go in this direction, the more we pull apart, the more we spend time around those who simply comfort, and do not challenge us, and move away from those who are better than we are in some sort of way. The more we live this way the more we will find ourselves living alone. The other, opposite end of the spectrum is to just throw everyone in together in a free for all. It's basically a war zone in which everyone is fighting everyone else. An amalgamation wherein no one ever feels confident in where they are, or in who they are, because we’re always made uneasy by the others around us. Always challenged, never safe. Nevertheless, somewhere in the middle is true community, a true community where humility exists, and we live through that humility. This is a humility that says, ‘I am who I am, and I am good, but I can be better.’ I am good as I am, I am loved as I am, but I always know that I can be better. There would be safety in this humble community since everyone else would also realize their own goodness, and their own need to grow. Others around us, especially people with virtue, people who are good people, they would, by their very being, call us to greater virtue. In the end we can either look at the virtuous and righteous as my dog looks at her toys, and simply try and push them aside; or we can see with them as an example of what we might become.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesus walking with his disciples - Lumo Project</td></tr>
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The disciples in our Gospel today, they are walking along with Jesus and they miss the opportunity to grow in understanding about what it was that he had told them, about his death and resurrection. If you recall, they were scared to ask – they refused to get out of their comfort zone and didn't want to ask that question. Instead they pass the time discussing, arguing over, which of them was the greatest disciple. Who among us is the greatest? This means their secondary argument had to do with who is second best, who is third best, who is the least? As they are having this conversation they missed the mark completely. None of them are the greatest! They are in the presence of Jesus Christ, himself, greatness itself! They walk in the presence of God-made-man. If anyone was the greatest it was certainly him, and they are walking with him seemingly oblivious to the greatness in their midst. When they get to their destination Christ knows, because he's God, he knows what they were talking about. To give them an example he calls a child into their midst and says that we must be like this child. Now a child is rather humble, typically. A child knows there are things that they simply can't do. They are not strong enough to do all the things an adult can do, they’re not tall enough, they lack understanding. One day, however, one day; not today – but one day. Isn’t this what it is like to be a child, consistently looking forward to the next achievement, the next milestone, the next grade level? School, by its very nature, is looking forward to learning something new. You know you have something ahead of you. You do not doubt that you are good, especially in a loving family, and you know you have plenty to look forward to. You can, and will, be better. What a way to be once more? To be that open to growth, to be that available to potential! The image that we are given is to humble ourselves, which means to truly recognize our goodness, but also to recognize that we can grow in goodness as well.</div>
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This all-encompassing humility does not fit the society around us. Oftentimes if a person makes you uncomfortable you knock them over, or you just don't deal with them, you back away, you cut them off, you remove them from your worldview. You leave them be. We as Christians, as Catholics, we are to see what truly is good in the people around us. Not necessarily what the world says is good, but what truly is virtuous residing within one another. To see in the other patience, gentleness, goodness and mercy. To see within the other, perhaps someone sitting next to you, something that you can grow in. You are not a complete saint yet, I guess neither am I. We can all grow and become more like Christ. So perhaps, maybe, we can spend less time knocking each other over and instead build true community. Build a humble community in which we are all, each one of us, recognized as Beloved Children of God.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-82760387223011400182018-09-17T07:34:00.000-04:002018-09-17T07:34:15.749-04:00 CONVERSATIONS WITH CHRIST<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Boniface Parish</h3>
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September 16, 2018</h4>
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How many conversations do you think you have daily? What about in a week, a month, a year? Hundreds? Thousands? For those who are younger, we're also talking about an electronic communication. Those certainly counts as well; as ineffective as electronic communication can be at relaying everything that we must communicate. We communicate with one another on a regular basis. It's kind of what we do as human beings. We are creatures who are in relationship one to another. We live in a community and we can't help but communicate at least in some way with others and with the outside world on a somewhat regular basis. We have conversations, conversations throughout the day with many different people about many different topics. If we look at the kind of conversations that we have, one with another, we can put them into a sort of hierarchy. Now, there are plenty of ways of categorizing conversations, I imagine the communication majors out there might correct me, or offer another way of categorizing conversations, but this three-tiered system seems to fit, especially considering today's gospel. In this way one might categorize conversations in terms of talking about who we are, especially in relationship with one another, followed by what we do, also in relationship to who we are – often who we are informs what it is that we do. Thirdly, basically everything else: other, people, places, and things. Sometimes these third category conversations can lead toward gossip, sometimes they are informational, sometimes it's just small talk. First and foremost, who we are, and what we do, followed by conversations regarding other people, places, and things.</div>
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These first two, and more integral, types of conversations are the kind of conversation that Christ is having with his disciples as they are going about their way. They are going from one town to the next and Christ starts one of these first-tier conversations: ‘Who do people say that I am?’ We're not sure what they were talking about before he asked this question. Perhaps it could have been one of those third level conversations. They could have been talking about the latest scandal in Rome, some things never change, they could have been talking about their political leaders, or their religious leaders in Jerusalem. They could have been talking about the latest gossip from the town that they were coming from, or the gossip of the town they were going to; maybe whatever it was that so-and-so had done, whatever it was hat seemed so important at the time. They could have been having all these sorts of conversation when Christ interrupts with his question about himself. He wants to talk about who it is that people think of him as, not in a selfish way, but in a way that's important and meaningful. In-fact, much of the Gospels are trying to answer that very question: Who is Christ? Who is he, what has he come to do, what is he, what is going on? In the midst of the daily and ordinary Christ aks: ‘Who do people say that I am?’ His disciples could have come up with all sorts of other explanations: ‘some say you're a great political leader, some say you will free us from a Roman captivity, some say you’re an entertainer, that you've come to distract us, to offer us some entertainment, some say you're insane, you're crazy, perhaps even trouble, you are stirring things up, you are causing difficulty for yourself and for those around you!’</div>
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Christ listen to all these possibilities and then asks them ‘now, who do you say that I am?’ Peter speaks up, and he gets it right, he says ‘you are the Christ! You are the Messiah, the promised one, the one we have been waiting for!’ Peter doesn't have a full understanding of what that means, but he has, through God's grace, seen Christ for who he is. He's answered that first question: Who is Christ. The conversation then turns to what he is there to do. The reason Christ has come. He has come to die for our sins, he will be put to death, he will suffer and die, and on the third day he will rise again. Peter having recognized the answer to the first question doesn't really like the answer to the second question. And how often is that similar with us? We approach God through conversation, through prayer. Truly prayer is a conversation with God, and I imagine that often those conversations dwells in the first two categories: Who am I, and what am I supposed to do? And we may not always like the response we get in prayer. We may not always agree, at least at first, with what God has to offer us in prayer: the answers to who we are, and what we are called to do. Peter has his own idea. We don't know exactly what that is, but somehow he sees the Messiah as something else, probably someone who is there to set them free from physical captivity - the Captivity of the Roman Empire, the rule of a foreign government. Whatever it may have been, for Peter, that's as far as his vision goes. He does not want to go any further past that. Christ knows what he is here to do, he knows who he is, and what that calls him to do. He has a mission that goes far beyond the vision of Peter or the other disciples. He is there for a different reason. He is not there to fulfil Peter's smaller understanding of the mission of the Christ, he has a much larger mission, a wonderful mission: to set all of us free, not only from our current captivity but from our captivity for the rest of our lives, for all eternity.</div>
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Prayer is a conversation with Christ. We approach Christ through conversations. But first and foremost, we must be willing to have the courage to even have those conversations. We could get stuck in the third category: conversations about other people, other places, other things; or instead: Who am I? What am I supposed to do? These conversations with God help to clarify our relationship with God, and with one another. The third category conversations may be important, but they will be clearer if we have first entered into the first, and second, conversations. We may not always like what we receive in prayer. We may have our own ideas about who we are and what we are called to do. God will, hopefully, use a little more gentleness than he did with Peter in guiding us, helping us to recognize the truth. God guides us to see what it is we are called to do with our lives. We have our own ideas of course. We think as human beings do, we can think in no other way. We're not angels, we are not gods, we are human beings - we think as human beings do, not as God does. The turning point is being opened to that correction from God. Having God turn our vision, just a little, so that we see a little more of God's plan for us, and our lives, so that we can continue that conversation, that prayerful conversation with God about how we fit into God’s salvific mission for the world. God is still working. God’s mission for our salvation had a pinnacle at the crucifixion, at the cross, but Christ is still working. He is working through each and every one of us. So let us, in prayer, ask God who it is that we are, and what it is that we are called to do.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-45558363003128292072018-09-01T11:12:00.000-04:002018-09-01T11:12:07.347-04:00Catholic Celebrations of September<br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">
The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose memorial the Church celebrates on September 15.</h2>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
The Holy Father's Intentions for September: That young people in Africa may have access to education and work in their own countries.</h3>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/09.cfm">Find More at CatholicCulture.org</a></h4>
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<h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlIvHyFVYMOAp6seue0RJPLJniC_22wjC5sG7Kc7qlfa8KQ5vTawuGoRqQwj9v5JC1OfjCxxLJaNWWEmIUFt2FoWrT6hWsZLm6YF1gzNKUDpXqtAiE7Bh4P4_QLuq8hsFNSIsCbATMGI/s1600/OT-22-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlIvHyFVYMOAp6seue0RJPLJniC_22wjC5sG7Kc7qlfa8KQ5vTawuGoRqQwj9v5JC1OfjCxxLJaNWWEmIUFt2FoWrT6hWsZLm6YF1gzNKUDpXqtAiE7Bh4P4_QLuq8hsFNSIsCbATMGI/s400/OT-22-B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>2 September - Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time - Solemnity</b></td></tr>
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</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5uSN8X-2il6xBo9_X4W_nfxsKB3VA-4O7TxHeA8Q856aJ9O_D7k8gg15flu0Pn_kW7uZVsUxKzKm1p2NczcMoPVhDWKiv-1eWgpT2pl5Lph1W7yMtvTtu8PWa7IAs62LoQLPuk2Ulww/s1600/09-03+-+Gregory+the+Great.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5uSN8X-2il6xBo9_X4W_nfxsKB3VA-4O7TxHeA8Q856aJ9O_D7k8gg15flu0Pn_kW7uZVsUxKzKm1p2NczcMoPVhDWKiv-1eWgpT2pl5Lph1W7yMtvTtu8PWa7IAs62LoQLPuk2Ulww/s400/09-03+-+Gregory+the+Great.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>3 September - Memorial</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFyT13aP3hxoi_YJT6IU9po3A75EeHyVTHnrMHlxfBj-Ig4ENt1lehAt7HNwz4oJVha03v_9fO8tllcOPObQj8OfTIVbMJx8m8j5ms-8A2U2F97d2aBoccn4q9U-3fmsF-yADj4E0aRo/s1600/09-00+-+labor+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFyT13aP3hxoi_YJT6IU9po3A75EeHyVTHnrMHlxfBj-Ig4ENt1lehAt7HNwz4oJVha03v_9fO8tllcOPObQj8OfTIVbMJx8m8j5ms-8A2U2F97d2aBoccn4q9U-3fmsF-yADj4E0aRo/s400/09-00+-+labor+day.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>3 September - Labor Day</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSHHo7HQ94Sbg6ywvQtnGFIv_2H7HLdx3aGUWp_QU8LenZeTUl5Z9c85KE0Mw_T9MlHJQs61SbfCFMRPk6wvZ46fXh8sF8tyqo4UsNaDgY1_SaS6RSK_WbMnbnsP0VFrbsppH3oeqkW4/s1600/09-05+-+Mother+Teresa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSHHo7HQ94Sbg6ywvQtnGFIv_2H7HLdx3aGUWp_QU8LenZeTUl5Z9c85KE0Mw_T9MlHJQs61SbfCFMRPk6wvZ46fXh8sF8tyqo4UsNaDgY1_SaS6RSK_WbMnbnsP0VFrbsppH3oeqkW4/s400/09-05+-+Mother+Teresa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>5 September - Optional Memorial</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mAyLR1AKf3dUAsdqJ9Df0-VV8AYLooTGQ-Il5zO6qbYF_okAjL5J-ZBJfbADft4JKtkmWLOPyj2XFcJhsYgs4SElMPRmUNgqEywZ-bIDzOSQMTv6I5Is_j-rEal4kgjLIKMTftKSTLY/s1600/09-08+-+Nativity+of+Mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mAyLR1AKf3dUAsdqJ9Df0-VV8AYLooTGQ-Il5zO6qbYF_okAjL5J-ZBJfbADft4JKtkmWLOPyj2XFcJhsYgs4SElMPRmUNgqEywZ-bIDzOSQMTv6I5Is_j-rEal4kgjLIKMTftKSTLY/s400/09-08+-+Nativity+of+Mary.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>8 September - Feast</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9K54QXXh5MGaipawjzT3uzqI5RF2g6V-LlnVqNzd3TkTv_IPMg8OY1Az1cFeMP_7x1t6b_xAPx3OG-bVcnX5uy2amzKAS0NIsSf3qN6iozWeXAwDow0l8PPwtG-j5b8xRNONOjD_Ip_I/s1600/OT-23-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9K54QXXh5MGaipawjzT3uzqI5RF2g6V-LlnVqNzd3TkTv_IPMg8OY1Az1cFeMP_7x1t6b_xAPx3OG-bVcnX5uy2amzKAS0NIsSf3qN6iozWeXAwDow0l8PPwtG-j5b8xRNONOjD_Ip_I/s400/OT-23-B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>9 September - Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Solemnity</b></td></tr>
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</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRUjTJgWYJDT3vosDFnfaEm7ziedz_XQSOiaUvRAAmV2cQ4e1KIUHahyphenhyphenzZoZQYGrdVj2QnVCg3-jMGVBZIFI9dBbgKyQPYfz5Wx4le2oVzUwSXluFc_80qE2mDxxYE8-8EtrlkdJKCGM/s1600/09-12+-+Holy+Name+of+Mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRUjTJgWYJDT3vosDFnfaEm7ziedz_XQSOiaUvRAAmV2cQ4e1KIUHahyphenhyphenzZoZQYGrdVj2QnVCg3-jMGVBZIFI9dBbgKyQPYfz5Wx4le2oVzUwSXluFc_80qE2mDxxYE8-8EtrlkdJKCGM/s400/09-12+-+Holy+Name+of+Mary.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>12 September - Optional Memorial</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmC7W38vkiDHna1ezL7oME2uiMS2K4cYjKCarfn7Ux2U00BN9d79YoPcXSSeaT_3lmDd1Wc1lNb7XYbeQITLZ-9PJjcgUsFyh3B-VkZqxtZzYZb8iiiCaC9sIxtdtIs2c9DL_Q2niUkC8/s1600/09-13+-+John+Chrysostom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmC7W38vkiDHna1ezL7oME2uiMS2K4cYjKCarfn7Ux2U00BN9d79YoPcXSSeaT_3lmDd1Wc1lNb7XYbeQITLZ-9PJjcgUsFyh3B-VkZqxtZzYZb8iiiCaC9sIxtdtIs2c9DL_Q2niUkC8/s400/09-13+-+John+Chrysostom.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>13 September - Memorial</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YsgQbTS9kPzZxzp8mrBvmw8vek0Se0rKnMBXCVrfy0LgO8XSLD1TnO0gR143fhrtyjabt_9hOeHAL0WAlKFmIYRMBMyy0CkJbsEVhkPMx_sGgOHFAlr5rE1gOB7IY_JZmTCpTucQjIs/s1600/09-14+-+Exaltation+of+the+Holy+Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YsgQbTS9kPzZxzp8mrBvmw8vek0Se0rKnMBXCVrfy0LgO8XSLD1TnO0gR143fhrtyjabt_9hOeHAL0WAlKFmIYRMBMyy0CkJbsEVhkPMx_sGgOHFAlr5rE1gOB7IY_JZmTCpTucQjIs/s400/09-14+-+Exaltation+of+the+Holy+Cross.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>14 September - Feast</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWDWFMGoYibXEPPDVDtiEr-jXQss6tTy9IkN9XjURIkS4DEKeXswGGdIHxWYpa9jr-UUMVmh0KovCflJDAY-vsLNk6CnlpUMwt_oddmZKwOHM_WcE4YRW8u45lhc3g0PZor6HQxgUI0g/s1600/09-15+-+Our+Lady+of+Sorrows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWDWFMGoYibXEPPDVDtiEr-jXQss6tTy9IkN9XjURIkS4DEKeXswGGdIHxWYpa9jr-UUMVmh0KovCflJDAY-vsLNk6CnlpUMwt_oddmZKwOHM_WcE4YRW8u45lhc3g0PZor6HQxgUI0g/s400/09-15+-+Our+Lady+of+Sorrows.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>15 September - Memorial</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvsfoM-s8_QXgetNKs0WKLlyigrV988cvN8QysKWZXzFMUyGmT12ma0iwpjuhKapcT11QUJzxpkQ-eXjozTlIkFHNUqmBt93e7CVRWPrGYvuVvJd4XS6Rj7xiH20cLQ7Gj7KYaKk0eXI/s1600/OT-24-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvsfoM-s8_QXgetNKs0WKLlyigrV988cvN8QysKWZXzFMUyGmT12ma0iwpjuhKapcT11QUJzxpkQ-eXjozTlIkFHNUqmBt93e7CVRWPrGYvuVvJd4XS6Rj7xiH20cLQ7Gj7KYaKk0eXI/s400/OT-24-B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>16 September - Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Solemnity</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwArlB1LhXn6ioy_KvLEwlyBIEhcFJ7jiJ4_WlICM5JHaI5BBSlC84Pjd4AhX3Bss8_pTXTC8J5ShX96ijkF4q59Maz9TowymgqsAK6S7QiiqyhhQKaV-gpk5qoM-loWFmqQWmj5OcgfQ/s1600/09-16+-+Cornelius+%2526+Cyprian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwArlB1LhXn6ioy_KvLEwlyBIEhcFJ7jiJ4_WlICM5JHaI5BBSlC84Pjd4AhX3Bss8_pTXTC8J5ShX96ijkF4q59Maz9TowymgqsAK6S7QiiqyhhQKaV-gpk5qoM-loWFmqQWmj5OcgfQ/s400/09-16+-+Cornelius+%2526+Cyprian.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>16 September - Memorial</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0_E_b5p5n5dkskJ-l2hGV7Us4-bjlnyLGH5SoOoPwrIEv3QslxnEq2hNuT3bdBbcK_LkN66i2ciu1ta9eyPe4U78g1qH4g92jWpL1QmTqdJfc9e5F1Xo2AvBWSE0F1UfwZunGe0oTGw/s1600/09-17+-+Robert+Bellarmine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0_E_b5p5n5dkskJ-l2hGV7Us4-bjlnyLGH5SoOoPwrIEv3QslxnEq2hNuT3bdBbcK_LkN66i2ciu1ta9eyPe4U78g1qH4g92jWpL1QmTqdJfc9e5F1Xo2AvBWSE0F1UfwZunGe0oTGw/s400/09-17+-+Robert+Bellarmine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>17 September - Optional Memorial</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzPvS56EQ287vheJWWR6cGojMwQL037tKaixshuAwFMFYM51fA1nFkidZ90B50OlBraKuX10mR7_X7WMkq60tv1N9uZINLOBgfdqbSCV3xsS86iKDQe-OCmZTSKH03SwoYmc7OAUdYHA/s1600/09-19+-+Januarius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzPvS56EQ287vheJWWR6cGojMwQL037tKaixshuAwFMFYM51fA1nFkidZ90B50OlBraKuX10mR7_X7WMkq60tv1N9uZINLOBgfdqbSCV3xsS86iKDQe-OCmZTSKH03SwoYmc7OAUdYHA/s400/09-19+-+Januarius.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>19 September - Optional Memorial</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRu5mFu6CqR5jf3M3tJq9GLp1uAxrFaBmMSJ2TuuJpPuegqmvQM5yvqkRxvbmqrn8DmPddDR08MSeSp8v8G5gElPiBs50GzrbpNZB-242TARjnenBkvaW1n9tCE8MPsWhFuOrBXnWxmX8/s1600/09-20+-+Andrew+Kim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRu5mFu6CqR5jf3M3tJq9GLp1uAxrFaBmMSJ2TuuJpPuegqmvQM5yvqkRxvbmqrn8DmPddDR08MSeSp8v8G5gElPiBs50GzrbpNZB-242TARjnenBkvaW1n9tCE8MPsWhFuOrBXnWxmX8/s400/09-20+-+Andrew+Kim.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>20 September - Memorial</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdmQ9bTahj_NYrZTGUT2pUfGBMwXr40KtA-BENMNw39iPDHjWuSJAghS05UJckt_e-ZG4UmwpGXC6ySUbP4iF0H0ompZlz7uU_cV3XRxXa2j6bua0vjOqi2I7uTuClhP2ck7xTqa6AXM/s1600/09-21+-+Matthew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdmQ9bTahj_NYrZTGUT2pUfGBMwXr40KtA-BENMNw39iPDHjWuSJAghS05UJckt_e-ZG4UmwpGXC6ySUbP4iF0H0ompZlz7uU_cV3XRxXa2j6bua0vjOqi2I7uTuClhP2ck7xTqa6AXM/s400/09-21+-+Matthew.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>21 September - Feast</b></td></tr>
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<h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTEZA_e36JihG3fFc4NJmilmhl4wgs5DWdbr9aQvxr0AV5tDebGpodGlWqHiYak51YJB37cg36rf7j7PiDqdKTs34z52ZdhTbn24FARn76uNbANQPTY2sN66qAzDU0ubXbd8dS3MjUG8/s1600/OT-25-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTEZA_e36JihG3fFc4NJmilmhl4wgs5DWdbr9aQvxr0AV5tDebGpodGlWqHiYak51YJB37cg36rf7j7PiDqdKTs34z52ZdhTbn24FARn76uNbANQPTY2sN66qAzDU0ubXbd8dS3MjUG8/s400/OT-25-B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>23 September - Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Solemnity</b></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdlRCOeu6zzYYGus7LnLzBDOlr6lgK4Z0k9WTNOfEWb7PZ5Em7ojY4xNwHACD2bEq7cEJccRdQQe1SzXJQmwxNWTGVJ0DJA5YRA7zjqiPSsM0CFGboyPwvEmlPNzDSxIdiRU6vx8ZbUk/s1600/09-23+-+Padre+Pio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzdlRCOeu6zzYYGus7LnLzBDOlr6lgK4Z0k9WTNOfEWb7PZ5Em7ojY4xNwHACD2bEq7cEJccRdQQe1SzXJQmwxNWTGVJ0DJA5YRA7zjqiPSsM0CFGboyPwvEmlPNzDSxIdiRU6vx8ZbUk/s400/09-23+-+Padre+Pio.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>23 September - Memorial</b></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78lTbpjEcZ4xUqwtfznv_3pvtuvvb8ZQ5R-zjm0s35xhGgor4uiDpHkLPsMIFK_DNgNU9QppQcT1A6gFA1ThQAihT4P7PE2giY69Kd2i-dsdVKBlIEgl5PKZC1pPun-5jkPev9UQPmmg/s1600/09-26+-+Cosmas+and+Damian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78lTbpjEcZ4xUqwtfznv_3pvtuvvb8ZQ5R-zjm0s35xhGgor4uiDpHkLPsMIFK_DNgNU9QppQcT1A6gFA1ThQAihT4P7PE2giY69Kd2i-dsdVKBlIEgl5PKZC1pPun-5jkPev9UQPmmg/s400/09-26+-+Cosmas+and+Damian.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>26 September - Optional Memorial</b></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBBNmpBozgq3ZN23IjutFoIgW2beHIUes9PqMgTyk4Mretbqy2MpfrtH-HeuxrdZw4Kzcnl84T7__o1URMdSbfSpcJqFdA5q5AsHfBW8LiqKvcMLIqcI3KowEQt_PbpOhJN84Mb-jwcE/s1600/09-27+-+Vincent+de+Paul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBBNmpBozgq3ZN23IjutFoIgW2beHIUes9PqMgTyk4Mretbqy2MpfrtH-HeuxrdZw4Kzcnl84T7__o1URMdSbfSpcJqFdA5q5AsHfBW8LiqKvcMLIqcI3KowEQt_PbpOhJN84Mb-jwcE/s400/09-27+-+Vincent+de+Paul.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>27 September - Memorial</b></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrYe_9FOgYuUkKpkQFGkn1FXIAYDPQj2v2QF0GZKz1sriUb1Tr7Kh48HmebwbT5daQ3_CVIGzsGfzAis1sPMpQld-DQ1XvqTyIJoLuMU6CxuRkrvwNJQOdqRd0mW7rl1ZBR7tsOSi5pY/s1600/09-28+-+Wenceslaus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGrYe_9FOgYuUkKpkQFGkn1FXIAYDPQj2v2QF0GZKz1sriUb1Tr7Kh48HmebwbT5daQ3_CVIGzsGfzAis1sPMpQld-DQ1XvqTyIJoLuMU6CxuRkrvwNJQOdqRd0mW7rl1ZBR7tsOSi5pY/s400/09-28+-+Wenceslaus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>28 September - Optional Memorial</b></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoJiLXn5J1PWC1lujpcesPQ5BreMdxzbE0ehON7nn56RM0VWE4-af2LZDzSpeHss07xpYUcIPAGBOp_GXnjyhO3P9HeAQGsvZTFpv-ROh7dHA1-_buxh9xf1F-79y4DvvNrDnX-ViEH0/s1600/09-29+-+Archangels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoJiLXn5J1PWC1lujpcesPQ5BreMdxzbE0ehON7nn56RM0VWE4-af2LZDzSpeHss07xpYUcIPAGBOp_GXnjyhO3P9HeAQGsvZTFpv-ROh7dHA1-_buxh9xf1F-79y4DvvNrDnX-ViEH0/s400/09-29+-+Archangels.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><b>29 September - Feast</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-J3jgLdlxQX54cpBWmA8PcTR-fkafBMHdEBu9ZRepjiYj5w6gvsmvZePK19tf05_0rOJJEktR_rDEQ_s2OJEYdo70BgTtE97ok14OoO9pH7utHjgTLmJ6RSFAgwRRqhwLeg7PgT0J1RA/s1600/OT-26-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-J3jgLdlxQX54cpBWmA8PcTR-fkafBMHdEBu9ZRepjiYj5w6gvsmvZePK19tf05_0rOJJEktR_rDEQ_s2OJEYdo70BgTtE97ok14OoO9pH7utHjgTLmJ6RSFAgwRRqhwLeg7PgT0J1RA/s400/OT-26-B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>30 September - Twenty-Sixth Sunday in ordinary Time - Solemnity</b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVk5867lFuNEGhbFH16AB57f1pRMupCQc07-EiY9yoPKgtor_aqBPgvVSljcw8ZfCxtKyhQDOSQjPJBgLoOh3q1dzRuS_JK4ygXUzL6fvvRHPqBO0XFS3qnNvB__y0t95nF0DQsn_5-o/s1600/09-30+-+Jerome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVk5867lFuNEGhbFH16AB57f1pRMupCQc07-EiY9yoPKgtor_aqBPgvVSljcw8ZfCxtKyhQDOSQjPJBgLoOh3q1dzRuS_JK4ygXUzL6fvvRHPqBO0XFS3qnNvB__y0t95nF0DQsn_5-o/s400/09-30+-+Jerome.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>30 September - Memorial</b></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-74243970503694778212018-08-20T11:00:00.000-04:002018-08-20T11:00:12.197-04:00TWO PRECIOUS GIFTS<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Patrick Parish</h3>
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August 18-19, 2018</h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/081918.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/487848765&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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Children certainly are a precious gift, and we celebrate that gift today in the Sacrament of Baptism. Thank you, parents and God-parents, for being here, for supporting your child, to help them to say yes, and, as they grow in years, to learn about our Lord and Savior and to develop their love for him. Children don't just find faith, they are brought up in it, they are raised in it. Children are a most precious gift indeed. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydIxDci-zi9qStfUrN6PLzT_zpT5eq7vQrSqhc5NzPnvXH33I4PTWMaknFUhotacHRUhBAU2F6SQW1YT2OAU0rBI2kEbdH6XyBiAMysV_CP3BTZnwb-08W9z5KBD8zj2oe8Z0dkMWuIo/s1600/OT-20-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydIxDci-zi9qStfUrN6PLzT_zpT5eq7vQrSqhc5NzPnvXH33I4PTWMaknFUhotacHRUhBAU2F6SQW1YT2OAU0rBI2kEbdH6XyBiAMysV_CP3BTZnwb-08W9z5KBD8zj2oe8Z0dkMWuIo/s400/OT-20-B.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I should be able to continue our discussion of the bread of life discourse - John chapter 6, the great chapter which Catholics go to time and again to look for reassurance of the true presence in the Eucharist. Of God’s body, blood, soul and Divinity bestowed upon us under the form of simple bread and wine. We see this laid out there in John 6, the entire chapter is made up of scene after scene, line after line, reassurance of what we do here at this altar is truly what Christ asked us, and indeed commanded us, to do in remembrance of him. We have faith in that, in fact, John, in his Gospel, doesn't even have a last supper scene. He puts all his Eucharistic Theology there much earlier, in the sixth chapter of his Gospel. The other Gospels wait a little while John has the Eucharist front and center. He wanted to make sure that we understand what Christ has come to do. </div>
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The Greek word for eat that John uses in his Gospel, and which is used elsewhere in reference to the Eucharist, the word eat used here is not nibble, or snack, it is more of the word gnaw, as in a dog does with a bone, or devour. <i>“Take this and devour my flesh”</i> is more along the lines of what Christ is saying here in John’s Gospel. This translation makes it a little bit more real, a bit more visceral, when we think of it in terms of devouring the flesh of Christ. I don't think Jesus can be much clearer <i>“if you don't eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have eternal life within you.” </i></div>
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I would love to go on about this most precious gift of the Church. As I said we have two, and the first is only slightly more important than the second. If the first most precious gift is the Eucharist, the second most precious gift are our children. The children we are given to form as we support families, and their vocation to raise Christian children. We – the Catholic Church - educates thousands, if not millions of children throughout the world. We are entrusted with that great gift. I take it for certain that Christ meant what he said in Matthew’s Gospel: <i>“whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”</i> ~ Matthew 18:6 To have a millstone wrapped around his neck and drowned in the sea. Sounds straightforward. It was mentioned after the last Mass: <i>“Father, you can talk about God's wrath a little bit more.”</i> Well, I think Matthew makes it pretty clear to not cause the little ones to sin, and yet here we are again. Why are we here again?</div>
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For those who haven't seen or heard a grand jury in Pennsylvania has come out with a horrific number of accusations, all of them having been committed some time ago, but still - quite upsetting, quite unnerving really. We live in the shadow of these events, and unfortunately men in power did not have the courage, twenty years ago or more, to hold accountable those responsible for these crimes. For whatever reason year followed silent year, and here we go again. We all, each of us in our own way, has lived, for quite some time, in the shadow of the reality that there are quite literally wolves in sheep’s clothing . I’m right there in that, having grown up in St. Aloysius parish, just missing one of the most prolific offenders from the Archdiocese of Louisville by a few short years. Just barely missing his possible influence on my life and yet he still effected my childhood – the culture that he left behind reeked, without my knowing it, of his lasting influence. I just want to say for anyone here who has suffered abuse, that is: sexual, physical, emotional, or even spiritual abuse I want you to talk to someone, talk to one of us, talk to a trusted friend, don’t hold it in if you can help it. In these times, when all these reports begin to come out, it could be very difficult for all of us, even more difficult for those who have suffered personally. </div>
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We must, both personally and collectively, figure out what we are to do in response to this horrific news. In our culture there is this intense need for us as individuals to solve the problem, for us to do something personally to make the situation better, but really, truly what can we do? What can we do? It has been offered to me, as a suggestion, by a former seminarian who I studied with, not from the Archdiocese but of a different diocese, and no longer associated with the church, that he stated: <i>“Father, you have power, you should refuse to say Mass until something happened, until some legitimate change takes place.”</i> I don't know if I want to deprive you, my sisters and brothers, of the one most precious gift the Church has to offer, in such troubled times because of the failings of others. I don't think that's necessarily the way. Another suggestion has been made that we have Mass, but that the lay faithful come forward and not receive the Eucharist but instead to weep tears of mourning, to weep tears of anger. I don't know, that's for you to decide. These two suggestions aside, each of us is confronted with this need to do something. We must do something. I want to reassure you, even though words hardly instill confidence in times such as these, knowing that actions speak louder than words and hoping you see in my actions the reality of this statement: my sisters and brothers, I swear to you, I swear, if I thought that this was continuing to happen, if I thought there was even the possibility that this is continuing to happen, I would not be standing here. The priests of the Archdiocese are not perfect, I'm not perfect, I think I've made that clear as I have opened myself up to you. We're not perfect, we've made mistakes, and I'm sure some of you are thinking of some examples, but we have dealt with it. We have dealt with those crimes, those difficulties, those situations. My generation of brother priests have been trained, from the moment we entered seminary ten years ago, <i>“Gentlemen this cannot happen again.”</i> From the very core of our training we have been trained, have been brought up to protect the Eucharist and to honor our children. Deacon Greg here would die for those that he was sworn to protect, that was his training. I would rather die than to see the Eucharist mishandled, misused, and the same for our little ones. I would rather die, so I swear to you. Unfortunately, there will be instances, but we will deal with it, and there are many safeguards in place. At least in this diocese, as far as I'm concerned, we are not going to see a culture that allows this to happen like this again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTHs7BhTGcIDkd-OTEJyyVSmLKchp9Q2x12UJ6NvKn29BCYtdT6ZaCzotZFRNbv_JTV5M83mVHsp7m-9kopq0QVXO-A5FBuTA0qFAvSvUO0rC8kB9CFEJiX9jFYNcajVoW1bYTEHjTv8/s1600/87e4d5964e9dc3c90285f925c5d549e0--lent-prayers-lent-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="592" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTHs7BhTGcIDkd-OTEJyyVSmLKchp9Q2x12UJ6NvKn29BCYtdT6ZaCzotZFRNbv_JTV5M83mVHsp7m-9kopq0QVXO-A5FBuTA0qFAvSvUO0rC8kB9CFEJiX9jFYNcajVoW1bYTEHjTv8/s400/87e4d5964e9dc3c90285f925c5d549e0--lent-prayers-lent-.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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That’s what I have decided to do. To speak that truth. But what are we to do? What are we to do as we move forward? I’ll offer a suggestion. The Church has a long-standing tradition for what we are to do in times of trouble, in times of crisis, in times of anger and frustration and that plan really is simple: we fast, we pray, and we give alms. Fast, pray, and give alms. You may be sitting there thinking <i>‘Father, what did I do?’</i> Nothing. In this instance you’ve done nothing. You are still a sinner, a sinner such as I. In this instance you haven't done anything, you're not part of this; but the suffering and the sacrifice of the righteous, for the salvation of the Church, goes much farther than the suffering and sacrifices of the guilty. If we look to the prophet Jonah, as he's making his way to through the city of Nineveh, proclaiming the destruction of that city, he preaches to the people saying ‘repent!’ The King puts on sackcloth and ashes, he calls the rest of the people, the men, the women, and the children to repent, to fast, and to wear ashes as well. They didn't do anything. The king should take the brunt of it, but the people fasted as well, and the city was saved. You know who else fasted? The sheep, the oxen, and all the cattle as well; they certainly had nothing to do with the sins of their leaders, but they fasted they had their part. My sisters and brothers, the Church is in danger. The Church is being misrepresented because of these sins and the sins of those on the inside who have not done what they promised, what they swore to do. There is danger ahead. </div>
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I personally haven't experienced much in the way of outright hatred of the clergy, but there was one instance, while I was in seminary visiting at a friend's house and an acquaintance came over with her child. As one does I go to greet the child and point blank I was told <i>“stay away from my child.”</i> We were in the middle of someone's living room, and I'm not like that, but the assumption was made all the same. I don't tell you to cause you to feel sorry for me. I knew what I was getting into when I went to seminary, but I didn't expect all these revelations to start happening like this again. But here we are, here we are my sisters and brothers, we as children, as adopted children of Jesus Christ, we go to our mother. If you like, I have a prayer card asking the intercession of Our Lady Undoer of Knots - our Holy Father's favorite Marian apparition – Marian devotion. Our Holy Father’s words in response to this these recent revelations: sorrow and disgust, sorrow and disgust. He says, <i>“I am on the side of the victims” </i>and so should we all be. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, he asks us to pray for the intercession of Our Lady Undoer of Knots. In this image of her she is just simply standing, untying knot, after knot, after knot. For those of us, for many of us I am certain, who feel tangled up inside, for those who don't know exactly what to do, I say let's ask for her intercession. Let's pray for her intercession. Let us ask her, to ask her Son to save His Church. I'll have these prayer cards in the back, after Mass if you would like to join me in praying this devotion to our Lady Undoer of Knots. With that, sisters and brothers, we move forward, we pray, we fast, we give alms, and we ask Almighty God to have mercy on His bride the Church.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-82183690242430186612018-08-06T09:34:00.000-04:002018-08-06T09:34:00.214-04:00STARVING FOR SLAVERY, WELCOMED INTO PARADISE<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Boniface Parish</h3>
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August 5, 2018</h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/080518.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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By a show of hands, who are the cat people here? Raise your hands high and proud. Disgusting. OK, you can put your hands down. There's another homily for you, we'll get to you later. Now, where are the dog people? Just to clarify, are we talking real dogs, or dogs that are more like cats? It's not really a real dog if you have bend over to pet it. It really isn't a dog, it's more like a cat. The reason I bring this up is I just got a dog a couple of months ago, I don't know if I've really told you about her. She's basically a real dog… you have to kind of bend - a little bit - to pet her, but her name is Lady, she's four and a half years old, she's kind of nuts. So, the rumor is true, there is a lady who lives in the rectory, and most of the time she sleeps in my bed. Last night, however, she slept in Father Jeff's bed because I was way, apparently, she’ll sleep with anybody! That's my dog!<br />
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Dogs seem to always do things for food. Whatever it is you want them to do, have a treat ready. In so many ways dogs are guided by their stomachs. They live for food in so many ways. Another dog, actually a pair of Collies, that I often notice walking around the neighborhood, out taking their human for a walk. One of these Collies is always way out in front, and the other Collie is always way in the back, with their human right there in the middle. I imagined the Collie in the back is thinking “why are you taking us further and further away from food?” While the one in the front is thinking “if we walk faster we'll get back to the food sooner!” In this imaginary dialogue exists the tension between moving forward, and wanting to go back, and, in the end, this tension has to do with food.</div>
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We can follow our stomachs just as much as a dog can. God desires to speak to us through our intellect, and through the emotions of our hearts, but oftentimes it is our stomachs that guide us. We see this with the Hebrew people wandering in the desert. They are grumbling to Moses and their leaders. They say, “why have you brought us out here to starve to death!?!” Not a bad question, but they are acting out of their hunger - their hunger is guiding them. Their need for food is what is informing their being, and so they complained and said “back in Egypt we had fleshpots (which is actually a synonym for sin - that's a whole other thing) and we had bread, we had fleshpots and bread back in Egypt, sure we were slaves, but at least we had food! Why have you brought us here, out into this wilderness, out into the desert?” They had some desire to go back, to return to the place where they knew they had food. They had, as a people, crossed the Red Sea - the great symbol for baptism. They had gone through the waters of death and rebirth and come out the other side - they cannot go back - they are the chosen people of God. They are not supposed to go back, especially not if their stomachs are leading them.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manna in the Desert</td></tr>
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The lower desires of the human person pull individuals, and communities, back into slavery, it pulls them back to where they know they at least has food. Saint Paul picks up this theme in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul says, “do not return to acting as the gentiles do,” do not go back to acting as they do, he doesn't just say don't act like them, he says don't go back to acting like them - don't return to that way of life. We may at times fall, we may at times stumble, but do not just throw away what you have received. Do not forget the new identity in Christ that you have been called to, do not return to your Gentile ways. You can't go back! The entirety of humanity is lost in this desert, this desert between where we were, and where we are called to be, in between that land of slavery and looking forward to the land of promise. Just like the Hebrew people, lost in the desert wandering around this barren place, looking for glimmers of hope, longing for the promised homeland that God himself has sworn we will enter if we follow him. We make our way, with the help of God, through this desert. And yet sometimes we desire lowly things, earthly things, desires that tempt us back, back into our life before Christ, our life before baptism, our life ultimately without God. </div>
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The Jewish people, in our Gospel for today, are also looking back and thinking about how they have received food and bread from Christ. Christ has multiplied the fish and the loaves, he has fed them, he has filled their stomachs, and they travel to the other shore because he can provide for them in that way. They are simply looking for him to give them the food that they need. They speak of how Moses provided them with food in the desert. What they fail to realize is that God’s covenant relationship with his people builds one on top of the other. As they get closer, and closer, and closer to that great covenant, the Incarnation, when God becomes man, when God enters our reality as one of us, walks amongst us. God moves forward, God does not move backward. God has already provided physical food for the hungry - in the desert by providing manna for those who need sustenance, and in the previous scene, God has feed the hungry crowd by multiplying the fish and loaves. Does it not seem logical that God, having come in the flesh, God so much greater than Moses could even have imagined, would that God simply repeat what has been done before? Or would God choose to do something greater than Moses did? God, who has provided food to the hungry before the Incarnation, would the Incarnate God do something greater after the incarnation? God moves us forward, God does not call us backward. God provides for us still! They ask Jesus, “Lord give us this food always” and he answered that desire. </div>
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Christ answered that desire then, and he answers it still today. The food we receive from this altar may look, taste, and feel like ordinary food. It may have the outside appearance of ordinary fruit, but God is filling us with something so much greater than manna from heaven! The food of angels, we are told, was received by Moses and the Hebrews lost in the desert. We receive something so much greater. God moves us forward ,closer and closer to the kingdom of God. It is this food that will sustain us for that journey. We returned here time and again, return to this sacred space, and sacred spaces like this across the world. Holy places where we catch a glimpse of paradise yet to come. Sunday after Sunday we return to receive this food to help us on this journey, to help us not fall back into slavery and sin, back to Egypt, but to move forward to the Promised Land where all of us, God willing, by our hope, prayer, and God's good grace, be together for eternity in that promised land, that we were promised so very long ago. Pray for one another, as we receive from this altar, that our hearts, our minds, as well as our stomachs, be filled with this bread, this Eucharist, Christ himself offering himself to feed and sustain us.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-87770111150951031792018-07-22T20:52:00.001-04:002018-07-22T21:05:18.714-04:00INCONVENIENCED BY THE SHEPHERD’S GAZE<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Boniface Parish</h3>
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July 22, 2018</h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072218.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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To begin, I want you to imagine your second favorite place to be. Saint Boniface is of course your first, so imagine your second favorite place to go. Perhaps a place you want to go, perhaps the place you like to go most often. Just imagine your second favorite place to visit - I'll get back to it I promise. At Saint Patrick's, much like at Saint Boniface, our parking lot has been neglected for some time. Maybe not quite as bad as our parking lot here, but still it had gotten pretty tore up over the years, and it was time to do some work on it. Over the past week they have been doing all the things that they need do to get the parking lot ready, and then to redo the parking lot. Looking out the window, seeing them working, watching these men who labor and do this kind of work for a living - watching them do what they do I’ve noticed that here is an interesting situation that I have witnessed on several occasions. The men would be just standing around, maybe one or two, maybe a larger group, and they would just be looking - looking at the parking lot. Just standing there looking, and they might point at a particular spot, and do some hand gestures, and then they would walk around, and then look at it again. Now some of this may be them just engaging in small talk, perhaps some of it, but I imagine, to some extent, this behavior is part of their job. They were doing their job. They are experts at what they do, after having done who knows how many parking lots, they are experts of the various small subtle ways in which the lands can affect the parking lot. Saint Patrick's, I don't know if you've ever been there, but we are set up on a pretty big hill and this hill has an obvious effect on the parking lot. So, as I watched them pointing up and down the parking lot I got to thinking ‘what is it that they are looking for?’ </div>
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Part of the situation at St. Patrick's is that there is a hidden spring - a source of water that comes up almost continuously, and this spring has, over the years, affected the parking lot in such a way that it is a significant source of erosion on the parking lot. So much so that even in the driest times there has been water that would pool in a certain area and moss had even begun to grow there. This damage to the parking lot was one of several things that they had to work. I believe, having watched them, part of what they were standing around doing was recognizing that even though the water was coming up over here, the trouble was actually way over here. The water was coming up in a different location, and then coming down and coming out in this other area. I would have never guessed this to be the situation. I would have just pointed at the wet spot and said ‘there, there's a spring under that asphalt right there - we need to do something about it, it's damaging the parking lot.’ These laborers, being experts in how a parking lot can behave, knew that the problem was way over here. </div>
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Back to your second favorite place to visit. Imagine driving up and the parking lot is under construction! You arrive there and there's a whole big mess! How inconvenient that is. How inconvenient it is to show up at a place that you want to be, a place where you enjoy being, only to suffer the inconvenience of the parking lot under construction. We at Saint Patrick's have been inconvenienced by all this work, in a small way the clergy have been particularly inconvenienced. We live on one side of the parking lot, and we're pretty used to just walking across the parking lot to get to work, to get to our place of prayer, to get to our office, all the above. How inconvenient this whole big mess is! All this construction, especially when it seems like such a little problem like a underground spring over here - why this whole big mess? Inconvenient, it's inconvenient to have all of this happen. Point of fact, in the coming weeks, and the coming months, we at Saint Boniface will be inconvenienced by the renovation of our parking lot. Maybe this will help to prepare you a little.<br />
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Now you may be asking ‘Father, what in the world are you talking about?’ Those men, those who construct parking lots for a living, they see different. They see a parking lot differently than you or I. Jesus Christ, God born in the flesh, in our Gospel today, he sees the crowds, he sees them, and his heart is moved with pity for them ‘for they are like sheep without a shepherd.’ He sees them, the infinite God, the all loving, all powerful, omnipresent God sees this crowd and he is moved with pity for them. His heart is moved. He sees them for who they truly are, and for who they could be, who they are called be. Christ does not see them the way we would see them. The way that he sees them, it can be inconvenient at times. We might ask ourselves: ‘God, what are you doing in my life? The problem is over here, it's a simple fix Jesus! Why don't you just deal with this little problem over here?’ Jesus, with the eyes of an expert, an expert that knows the human heart better than any of us ever can, he knows that the problem is not over here, it is over there, we just have no idea. We don't know it because we're not accustomed to see it that way. Christ is the Good Shepherd, the shepherd who knows us, who sees us, and who loves us. </div>
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Our first reading today warns us of bad shepherds, shepherds who do not shepherd the people well, that don't lead the people well. There are plenty of people out there who are going to want to say ‘I can fix that, that's easy, I can do that. In fact, it will only cost half as much as that other guy, and I will finish it really quickly. A breeze really, no problem at all, we'll just fix that over there.’ Sisters and brothers don't be fools. The life of discipleship is not typically an easy life. In the life of discipleship, it's not typically that problem there, but rather a problem way over here that will require a lot more painful and disruptive work than we might first imagine. It can be inconvenient to live the life of discipleship. It can be inconvenient to let Christ, dare I say, tear up our hearts. Let Christ in to get to the problem that's over here. We can, together open our hearts to him. Let the good shepherd work on us, in us, and through us. Let him work to bring our hearts to a happier, and a more peaceful reality. Christ Jesus sees us as we are, as we could be, and his heart is moved with pity for us. Allow that inconvenient shepherd to shepherd your heart today.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com02523, 120 N Janss St, Anaheim, CA 92805, United States33.834315 -117.920940999999978.3122804999999964 -159.22953499999997 59.356349499999993 -76.612346999999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-71858637782906043872018-07-09T10:10:00.001-04:002018-07-09T10:10:15.815-04:00FAMILIARITY ~ A FICKLE DESIRE<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Boniface Parish</h3>
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July 8, 2018</h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070818.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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There are quite a few strange ideas that came out in the 1970s. Do you agree? Now don’t get me wrong the 1980s weren’t without their own faults. I know there are some pretty strange things that came out of the 80s - I am not the least of them! There is an idea, that originated in the 70s and it has repeated itself since. This idea probably had a lot to do with the growth in population, and there was indeed a rather large growth. The Baby Boomer generation had come in the 50s and 60s and so the population of the 1970s did look drastically larger than it did decades before. The idea I am speaking of is that there were more people alive then, at that time, than had ever lived before. It is obvious that the current population was the largest ever, but the idea help that the current population was larger than the total number of people who had previously lived - in its entirety. So, the number of people alive at that time was more than everyone else had lived before. If we really think about it, the idea is preposterous. I first heard this idea several years ago, and they were seriously making the claim that the current population was that proportionately massive. As soon as I could, I Googled this assertion and that is when I read about how it was first proposed in the 1970s and was repeated then on. From there I found an estimate of the world's population in its entirety. So currently there are about 7-8 billion people alive in the world. How many people do you think have ever lived? How many members of our species? How many individuals have lived on this earth: lived, laughed, cried, loved and died? The answer: a hundred and eight billion people - 108 billion people! There is a little bit of truth to what this idea was saying - there was, and is, a sizable percentage of the world's population alive at the time – seven or eight billion out of 108 is still a sizable percentage, but it's not nearly as many as had ever lived before. A hundred and eight billion people, that is a lot of people! We can hardly even begin to comprehend the number of people alive currently but a hundred and eight billion souls.
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The cynical part of me thinks that this idea, that there are more people alive currently than have ever lived, has something to do with the idea that our experience as individual humans is so completely unique that no one else could really understand what we have experienced in our life. But if we begin to imagine a hundred and eight billion people, does that change that perspective? Don't get me wrong, your experience of your lives, my experience of my life, it is unique - but it is hardly unobtainable. If we put our life in the perspective of a hundred and eight billion lives, your experience is not – unimaginable, it is not that very different from the life of some other human beings who has lived in the past. When we recognize that so many others have had similar experiences as we have had we can see that there really is more that unites us than sets us apart.</div>
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Throughout the lives of each one, each one of those 108 million individuals, has had, at their very core - while they were alive, a singular desire. If you begin to strip away the desires for material goods, as well as our sinful inclinations, if you remove all of that, if we begin to get down to the core of what it is that the human heart desires - I believe what we will find is the desire to be known. That is, the desire to be understood, to have someone understand our story, to get who we are, why we feel how we feel, how it is that we have come to be where we are at. We can, if we aren’t careful, fall into the trap of thinking that our story is so unique that no one could understand it, try as they might. We can fall for that trap, or we can see in the vast multitude of other lived experience and recognize that our story, while in a sense is unique, but is also attainable, understandable to another human person. Who we are is understandable, to a degree, by someone else.<br />
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That desire to be known, the desire to be understood, is ultimately only capable of being fulfilled by one person: God-made-man - Jesus Christ himself. Infinite knowledge, infinite understanding, infinite love – all in all packed into one individual person. Perfectly God and perfectly human, together, right there - the ability to understand everything about us. The ability to penetrate the innermost places of our hearts to understand us for our glory, our achievements, but also for those dark places that we rather not recognize. One person, God-made-man able to fulfill that desire in each one of our hearts. We see, in our Gospel today, those who grew up with him. Those who laughed, cried, who played in the streets of Nazareth with him - they knew him – just as any of us know those we grew up with, they walked with him, they went to synagogue with him, they learned with, laughed and cried with him, lay lived beside knowledge itself, and they didn’t recognize him for who he was. They knew him, that handful of people in the wide vastness of the human population, they lived with him in Nazareth. These people had the experience of knowing the answer to our innermost desire, at least they thought they knew him, they thought they understood him, and they rejected. They said, <i>‘surely you're not who you say you are, surely you're not the answer that we've been looking for.’</i> Right there in front of them, they had known him since his miraculous birth. Perhaps there were rumors concerning Joseph and Mary, perhaps a little uncertainty as to where he came from, who he was. For the most part, however, they thought they had him figured out - the answer to each of our desires.</div>
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We are invited to encounter that same mystery. Not walking alongside him, in the same way, but encountering him all the same, that God-made-man, the one who still comes to us time and time again in the Eucharist. Reveals himself time and again on this altar. We can, unfortunately, become a little too familiar with what we do here. It has been said <i>‘why should I go to Sunday Mass, I've done that before! It's not going to be anything new, I'm not going to be surprised by it. It's not going to be earth shattering! The priest may say a few words and I will probably forget it as soon as we get to the parking lot!'</i> I know we've done it all before. It's all familiar, the same thing pretty much every Sunday - and yet it's amazing, what we do here, what we encounter here is amazing! We have an encounter with Jesus Christ, the answer to that desire that lives deep in each of us. Let us not become too familiar with that. This is the irony of the desire of being known – the One who can know us perfectly, we quickly become so familiar with that it doesn't seem to really matter. There's a danger there, the danger of our hearts being made open and vulnerable, our hearts remaining opened to that presence. It may seem to be nothing special here, no reason for you or me to allow that presence into those hidden areas of our heart. No reason to open oneself up to that reality. That familiarity can have the same effect on you as it did on those handful of people back in Nazareth two millennia ago, don’t let it. They became too familiar with him, at least they though they knew him. Let us encounter the answer to our desire today: God-made-man, fully human, fully God, fully desiring to fulfill the desire of your heart.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-41626178043097315242018-07-04T17:16:00.001-04:002018-07-04T17:16:44.769-04:00JUST HAVE FAITH, IN THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time</h2>
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Saint Patrick Parish</h3>
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June 30 - July 1, 2018</h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070118.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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Jesus can be pretty bossy can't he! It seems like he's always telling somebody what to do! I think of four occasions in today's Gospel where he does something in that manner. He says, he demands really, ‘how was it that touched me, tell me, who was it?’ He tells the synagogue official ‘be not afraid, just have faith.’ He tells all those who were ridiculing him to get out, saying ‘Go, get out of here!’ And finally he tells that little girl, the little girl who was thought dead, to get up and get something to eat.’ Jesus often has these little commands that he gives those who are around him. I would imagine, perhaps, if I asked, maybe some would stand on their head, but you know, I bet there's still some who probably wouldn’t even wiggle their toes, even if I asked them to. Now, be honest, some of you just wiggled your toes. All that being said how about you humor me for just a moment. Take two fingers and find your pulse. Do you feel that? Are a single one of you making that happen? Are you making that heart beat? The cynical among us may say ‘well Father, some have a pacemaker’ or ‘I have a pacemaker, it's doing it.’ No, the pacemaker isn’t making the heart beat, it is assisting. We can do exercises to make our hearts beat faster; through prayer and meditation, quietness, we can slow our heart beat down. But not a single one of us can make our heart beat.<br />
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Your heart beat, my sisters and brothers, is a lot like faith. It's something that we receive. It is something that helps us, or actually allows us, to live. Not a single one of us can cause faith to take effect in our lives. A little teaching moment - there are three theological virtues. These three virtues are the highest of all virtues, and they all come from God. They are: Faith, Hope and Love, and each one of those begin with God, and they end with God. They come from God and they point to God, and none of us can do any of these, as much as we may try, without God first providing them. God, God’s self can hope, and God certainly loves, but God can't really have faith, because God is faith. God is the source of faith. God is that which we have faith in, God cannot really have faith in himself, God just is faith.<br />
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A side note, for just a moment - I worry that many of us, when we read Sacred Scripture, when we think of these people 2000 or more years ago, we often get into a somewhat self-righteous thinking that say that we are so much better than they were. Sure, our technology is better, our medical science has improved, but really are we better? We may think “oh those foolish people, they were tricked into believing that they were healed, or that Christ had these powers!” Certainly, others in our world will make such statements, and act like those ‘silly backwards people’ really are that far behind us. I think, however, if we just turn on the news, or look around for a moment, we recognize that we may have advanced in some ways but ultimately we are the same people, in need of the same hope, the same love, the same faith in Christ that he himself gives us. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."</i></td></tr>
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When we look at these two occasions in which Christ is at work in his healing ministry we see Christ healing the woman with a hemorrhage for 12 years - she has been bleeding, she's been tormented by doctors who have tried to help her. And then we see this little girl who has passed and Christ raises from the dead. We can, as modern sophisticated people, see these interactions and think ‘well, they just thought that they were healed, but something else must have happened.’ Or, with the eyes of true Faith, we can believe that Christ actually did heal those people. We can, in this reality of faith’s relationship with our modern senses, find ourselves a little conflicted, especially when it comes to Christ's command to have faith. Be not afraid, just have faith. But how is it that we just have faith? Especially considering that we, on our own, can’t make faith happen. How do we live out this command, especially in times of difficulty - after all Christ is commanding this to a man who's been told that his daughter has just died. How do we, in times of difficulty, times of stress, in times of hardship, have faith, just have faith. Is it really that simple? </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"</i><br /><a href="http://www.lumoproject.com/">www.LumoProject.com</a></td></tr>
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If we look at Christ’s reaction to those who ridicule him, we get a little bit more evidence as to how that happens, how one just has faith. What is it that Christ orders those who ridicule him. He says “Get out! Go. You can't be here right now!” But before any of you stand up and walk out, don’t worry just yet. I hardly believe that this was the definitive moment in their lives of faith. Some of them, I have little doubt, where they are at Christ’s entry into Jerusalem “hosanna, hosanna in the highest!” And then some of them, there at the crucifixion “crucify him, crucify him!” And then some, maybe even the same bunch, were killed later on, killed for standing up and professing their faith in Christ Jesus. This isn't necessarily the definitive moment in their lives, although it could have been. And that's alright. Christ offers faith time and again. We see how Christ is surrounded through his ministry with both those who have faith, and those who seem to be there simply to test him, to question him, and to to try and trick him. Christ is typically comfortable being surrounded by a crowd of imperfect faith, but in this moment, just as in other crucial moments throughout Sacred Scripture, he desires to be with those who have faith. Those who ridicule him are looking at faith itself. They ridicule him for his assertion that this little girl is going to be OK. This girl is sleeping, she is going to be alright. They ridicule him, they mock him, they are looking at faith itself and they have the opposite reaction - they make fun of him. And so he tells them, get out! They are receiving, but not accepting the faith that Jesus is offering them. So, I ask again, how are we to just have faith? Be in the presence of Christ. They are there, they are there in that crowd, pushing against them - everyone all jammed together, and that woman reaches out, in the presence of Christ, just to take a hold of him for a moment. The little girl who's asleep, having died in her bed, he reaches out to her and lifts her up there in the presence of Christ, in the presence of faith itself. </div>
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We gather together, time and again, Sunday after Sunday, to do just that, to be in the presence of Christ. The Body of Christ gathered here among you, the people of God, as well as the body of Christ consecrated on that altar. We are here to be in God's presence, to receive from faith itself that great gift of faith, that gift that enables us to somehow make it through some of life's darkest moments, some of life's biggest challenges. One more thing, that woman who had her bleeding stopped, having finally found healing after 12 years, that little girl who was raised from the dead, life wasn't all sunshine and roses for either of them after that day. They are no longer here amongst the living. They went on to live their life, to experience pain, and difficulty; they went on to die, just like everyone else. Nevertheless, they had an experience of Christ, they experienced being in the presence of faith itself. In that way each of us is invited, invited this day, and everyday, to enter into that great mystery of faith.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-61334734692521125802018-06-25T13:02:00.002-04:002018-06-25T13:02:44.248-04:00A Voice is Born - The Promise of God<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist</h2>
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Saint Boniface Parish</h3>
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June 24, 2018</h4>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062418-day-mass.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h3>
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A young boy, a child, found himself in the presence of God. The child, realizing the immensity of the occasion asked God “Is it true that a second to you is like a million years?” And God said “yes a second to me is like a million years.” The small boy thought for a moment and he says “well then God, if that is true would it be also be true that a penny for you is like a million dollars?” God says “yes, a penny, for me, is like a million dollars.” The boy stops, ponders for a moment, gets up the courage and asks “may I have a penny?” God says, “in a second.” </div>
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God's promises sometimes take a little while. God doesn't always act right away, and in fact, from the very moments of our fall, from the very moment that sin entered the world, God had a plan - God promised us salvation. God promised us a remedy for the sin that had befallen us. It took that plan, however, quite some time to be carried out, to come to fulfillment, and many, most perhaps, began to lose faith and trust that that plan would be fulfilled. It took so long the people bagan to say: When will God ever answer us? When will God fulfill his promise for us. It has been said: slowly, and then quickly; slowly and then quickly. God slowly worked through the generations, one after the other, building up on the past so that his plan may come to fruition. But then, once the plan began to be enacted, things really began to speed up. The moment that this quickening began was the moment when the Immaculate Conception took place The Hand of God protected, at the moment of her conception, the Virgin Mary from the stain of original sin. From that moments the events of Salvation history really began to speed up. One thing led to another, and Christ entered the world. From there he died for our sins, rose again, and we are here now - continuing to celebrate that mystery. </div>
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One of the occasions during this period of heightened activity in fulfillment of God's plan was the angelic annunciation of God to Zachariah. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, we hear about in our Gospel today. He was a priest of the temple and it was Zechariah's turn, after they cast lots, to go into the Holy of Holies where only a few priests would go each year, on very special occasions, When Zachariah entered the Holy of Holies he encountered the presence of God and God told him “you will have a son, your wife Elizabeth will conceive a child, even in her old age.” Being an old man and not used to the fulfillment of God's promises, Zechariah wasn't too sure about this. He doubted. He said something like “God, I don't see how that could happen!” I think many of us could understand his reaction, being in that kind of position, wondering how God is going to do this! How in the world could that happen? But from that moment of doubt, Zachariah was unable to speak. His mouth was closed, his tongue frozen, he was unable to utter a single word. His doubt became manifest in his inability to speak. </div>
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The inability to proclaim a word, the word, is a metaphor for the condition of Israel itself. It had been years, quite some time, since the Jewish people had heard the word of God! Many, many years had passed since they had known a prophet. Many prophets had come before. These proclaimers of the word of God were instrumental in helping the Jewish people understand who they were, and who they were called to be. Prophets like Isaiah, who we heard from in our first reading, Elijah, Elisha, Ezekiel... all important speakers for the word of God, conveying to the people the reality that they were to trust God and the Messiah will come - God’s promises will be fulfilled! But they had not heard from a prophet in ages, really since their return from the Babylonian captivity there really hadn't been a major prophets come along. They were longing for this word, they needed to hear a reminder of their hope. They hadn’t heard these reminders until John the Baptist came along. We must remember that if John the Baptist wrote a book, if his prophetic words were recorded in the same way that Elijah’s words or Isaiah's words were recorded, his proclamation, his steady response “makes straight the way of the Lord!” would have been the last book of the Old Testament. John the Baptist represents the culmination of all the prophets. He was the last, the one that would point and say “there he is, that's him! He has come, the one that you have been hoping for, for so long, he is finally here!”</div>
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It is this reality, the reality of John the Baptist and his specific role in Salvation History - both speaking the word of God, and pointing out the Word of God its very self. This reality is manifest in his father, Zechariah’s speechlessness. The doubts that had overcome the Jewish people, had closed their hearts the way it closed Zachariah's ability to speak. That is, until he came along. The relatives and neighbors, having becomes accustomed to Zechariah’s lack of voice spoke for him saying “we are going to name them Zachariah.” Elizabeth courageously and definitely said “no! His name is John!” AT that Zachariah had the opportunity to once more display his doubt, once more to be hard headed, to say to himself “God has not allowed me to speak now for at least nine months! I'm not going to do it. I’m not going to proclaim the truth now after all of this!” This time, however, he choose trust, he choose to listen to God’s word, to God’s promise and he wrote out “his name is John!” Zechariah accepted the word of God, he lived that hope the he had been called to live, and his mouth was opened once more. The word of God was heard again, for the people of God, the word of God, was alive once more.</div>
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John the Baptist would go on to live that life, the life of the final prophet, to be an immense figure, a frightening figure. Even at his birth we hear that his neighbors and his relatives were afraid due to the events that had surrounded his birth - Zachariah, his mouth was close and then opened. It brought fear to people, but they soon began to hear his words. To hear how he was pointing out that the Messiah has finally come! One of the final, if not the final thing that he said, the final words of John the Baptist written in Sacred Scripture: “behold, the lamb of God!” There he is, after all this time, your hope has been fulfilled, the promises of God have come true! It is here! The time is here! </div>
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Sisters and brothers, you don't need to be another John the Baptist. None of us really could. He's too unique a figure. Nevertheless, I think more of us probably could look a little bit more like John the Baptist, with the courage, the strength, the conviction to point out God and the Word of God alive in the world when we see him. To do so perhaps all we need is just a bit more hope that God's promises will continue to come true. You're not called to be John the Baptist, you are called to be who you are. To live the promises of God alive in your hearts, to hope that God truly does fill his promises, to know and to live the reality of the Word of God active in your life! Speak that word. Let that truth live in you! Let the birth of John the Baptist, the final Old Testament prophet, inspire you to hope that God does indeed fulfill his promises.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-5263151493605415712018-06-25T10:39:00.000-04:002018-06-25T11:36:12.650-04:00Was Saint John the Baptist Born without Sin? <h2 style="text-align: center;">
Saint Patrick and Saint Boniface Bulletin Article</h2>
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June 24, 2018</h3>
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for the Solemnity of</h4>
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The Nativity of John the Baptist </h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Visitation</td></tr>
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<b>Was John the Baptist Born without Sin? </b></div>
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This question was posed to me shortly after I began my assignment at Saint Patrick’s and it truly took me by surprise. My first thought, honestly, was what kind of heresy is this? Nonetheless, I listened to the question, heard the rationale behind the idea that he was born without sin, and conveyed my uncertainty. The topic had never come up in seminary, and I have never come across a definitive teaching regarding this notion. I had all but forgotten the idea when an article appeared in my inbox asking the same question! I read the article and began to realize that this question wasn’t simply one woman’s reflections on her grade school religion class long ago, it was a theological debate that has come and gone throughout Church history. </div>
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Let us be clear, the question is not: was John the Baptist conceived without original sin? It is: was he born without original sin? I think this is where I got tangled up the first time. There have been only four people throughout salvation history conceived without original sin: Adam, Eve, Mary the Mother of God, and Jesus Christ himself – fully man, fully God. If John was born without original sin, he certainly was conceived with it. So how was he (possibly) cleansed of original sin? The Visitation. When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was carrying the child John within her, John leapt at the sound of Mary’s greeting. This action, and the fact that the Evangelist Luke took the time to include it in his Gospel, hints at the possibility that it was more than elated uterine somersaults taking place – it was the cleansing of John’s original sin BEFORE birth. The Church speaks of prevenient grace – the grace that saved Mary, at her conception, from original sin. Basically, the grace of the cross bestowed chronologically prior to the cross. Perhaps… perhaps, the Visitation points at some form of prevenient grace that bestowed the grace of baptism, upon THE Baptist himself, before his birth? </div>
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The Church has never definitively settled this issue, mostly because it does not directly affect our relationship with Jesus Christ, nor does our salvation cling to this spin-off theological debate. It is a curious question, however, especially when one asks a second question: why do we only celebrate three birthdays in the Church calendar? </div>
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<a href="https://aleteia.org/2018/05/31/was-john-the-baptist-born-free-of-original-sin/" target="_blank">Click here to read the Aleteia article</a> that rekindled my interest in this topic!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-25149067092391873112018-06-17T20:46:00.000-04:002018-06-17T20:46:34.330-04:00REFLECTION OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER<div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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<i>Saint Patrick Parish</i></h3>
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June 16-17, 2018</h3>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/061718.cfm" target="_blank">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Take a moment and bring to mind two characteristics of a good father, two characteristics of any good dad. What is it that comes to mind for you? There are many of course, it's a complicated job. Two come to mind for me and they relate to one another very well. So I'll share those with you. The first is hardworking: a determination to work hard, to get the job done, to do what we can to make sure that we're doing what's right, and doing what we can do. The other is dad jokes. There is a nice little balance between the two. I have something that’s not quite a joke, more of a funny scenario that I'm going to share with you:</span></div>
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So the child walks in to the kitchen and says hey dad I'm hungry, and dad turns to his child and say hi Hungry, I'm dad! And then the child says come on Dad, just make me a sandwich, so that dad says Abracadabra poof, you’re a sandwich! I'll stop there. Maybe...</blockquote>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">There is a need for balance. I think it's easy for any of us to see how a father, if leaning too far to the hard working side can become a dictator, a taskmaster, only concerned about the job, and not about the person, seemingly uncaring. Leaning too far to the other direction and dad is really just kind of a joke. The dad on <i>Modern Family</i> perhaps, or for those who are a bit older, perhaps <i>Married with Children</i>. There's always the <i>Simpsons</i>. We need better role models in our society for dads. This kind of take it as it is, humor, that in the end, leaves children wondering not so much about whether or not dad love me, but how much is that love really worth? So balance, we all need balance, as do dads and so a balance between hard working and a little bit of humor come together to keep true love shining through for us.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Now, dads aren't perfect. Some lean one way, some the other. Dads aren't perfect. They're human. Unless you have an old truck driver from Springfield Kentucky as a dad: would my dad please stand. This is my only opportunity every year to embarrass him. So there you go. I have a perfect dad. You don't know. But for the rest of us, we need balance in our lives, and so do our fathers, to help us learn that and to teach us as we grow.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Our Gospel today really shows that balance in many ways. When we look at it the beginning of the Gospel talks about a man who goes out and sows seed in his field. And once the ground is prepared and the seed is sown he doesn't stand there and say grow! Get to work! He goes to bed. He gets up, goes to bed, gets up, goes to bed. The seed does what it will do. No pressure, no barating, no lording over the seed to make it grow. There's only so much work one can do. But when the time of harvest comes along, there he is, sickle in hand ready, to go to work. Right when the time is right. The balance is seen there, but then there is also the second parts of our Gospel, the the well known parable of the mustard seed. To understand this a little bit better it is paired, it is mirrored by the scene in Ezekiel. I think many of the Jews of the time would have heard this similar language. As Christ was proclaiming his parable, they would have recounted what you just heard that God would climb the tall cedar tree, and from the top of it prune a shoot, and bring it down and plant it on a tall mountain. From that shoot, from that branch, would grow a majestic cedar and large cedar, so large that the birds of the air which would come to fill its branches, would live underneath that cedar.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Christ uses the same kind of imagery, except with a mustard seed. We must remember and the Jews had no need for mustard, no need at all. They didn't want it, they didn't need it, kosher hot-dogs didn't exist. Hebrew National had not come along. Dad joke, I warned you:</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">How does Moses make his coffee? He brews it!</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">They had no need! Mustard for the Jews, was a weed, simple as that, a weed. To actually find one, to take the time to find this little seed, to have the concern to even go and get it, and then the ridiculousness of planting it in your garden! Talk about a dad joke! It doesn't make any sense. It's ridiculous. The Jews would have wondered what Christ was talking about. Why would you put a weed in your garden? Intentionally! Not only that, but a really large weed in the end. The mustard seed was not only insignificant, it was actually a nuisance at times. So we have this balance: the balance between a cedar tree and a mustard bush, both compared to the kingdom of God, both sheltering birds of the air of all kinds, and their branches representing the love of God for God's people. One, however, one is the most magnificent of plants - one that anyone could look and see that is a beautiful tree, a cedar tree growing on top of a mountain, majestic in fact. Then there is the mustard bush, the mustard bush that has no purpose. What is it doing here? What am I to make of it? God our Father, whom we look to for our example as to how to be a father, loves each and every one of us, not as a cedar tree, not as a mustard bush, exactly as we are. Loves us for who we are, as perfect in every way, with a balance between humor, and a desire to see us be about the work that we are called to and desiring to make of us an image of the Kingdom of God.</span></div>
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Earthly fathers will work to make their household a household that is a safe place, a welcoming place, a place where children can come and find refuge. And so our Father in heaven does just that, except He does so perfectly. The Church is a place where all the birds of the air, all the creatures of earth, all the sons and daughters of the Most High can come and find a place of refuge, to be called to a higher vocation, and yet be met exactly as we are. Our fathers are not perfect. That's OK. But they see within God the Father, the creator of all things, that image which calls us to something so much greater. Let us see in God the Father the perfect image of the father. Let us pray for our dads: living, deceased, near, far, let us pray for them. Those of you who are fathers, pray to be the image of God the Father, a Father out working in the world, to see your children as they are, and to help them grow into who they are called to be. We look to the creator of all things, to see us for who we are, and we trust God the Father sees us that way, and we know that each of us are loved so very much. We live in that love and give thanks for our fathers today.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-10582658563504897552018-02-16T13:54:00.000-05:002018-02-17T11:57:03.083-05:00SELF-RIGHTEOUS OR GOD-RIGHTEOUS?<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Ash Wednesday</h2>
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Saint Boniface Parish</h3>
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February 14, 2018</h3>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021418.cfm">Link to USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h4>
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It is just amazing to see so many of you here to celebrate Saint Valentine! I just can't imagine how this happened. Saint Valentine, you may may or may not know, because it is <u>Saint</u> Valentine's Day, even though, because of changes in the liturgical calendar, many more secular celebrations of Valentine actually take place than religious celebrations. His saint day was today and it was celebrated throughout the universal church before Vatican II when much of the calendar was kind of uncluttered. In this way many of the minor Saints didn't get demoted, per-se, but their celebrations were kept on particular country’s liturgical calendars and removed from the universal calendar. But make no mistake about it: Saint Valentine, as Saint Valentine, doesn't care. He doesn't care at all. He lived for CHRIST, and he died for CHRIST - that is what he cares about. He does not miss those days when his feast was more widely celebrated, and I doubt he really bemoans the fact that it has become a secular holiday especially now that he is with CHRIST for all eternity: the one whom he loved and longed for. He probably would prefer that his memory lead others to CHRIST, but ultimately he has done his part.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.portraitsofsaints.com/">Check out Portraits of Saints</a></td></tr>
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Truly, as corny as it may sound, life really is all about love. Our Gospel for today reminds us not to be righteous and as a teenager, a few years ago, I was from time to time reminded by my mother that I was being self-righteous and that of course is a bad thing. To be self righteous is to assume that we know everything, that it's all about us, that we are the source of our own greatness. We become our own source of understanding - we make it happen, all the things that the world tries to convince us of. But it's not our own righteousness that brings us here today, and it's not out of our own righteousness that we pray, and we give alms, and we fast. It is not out of our own righteousness that we wear these ashes on our foreheads. If we were doing it for our own righteousness I would imagine we would do it more for all 40 days of Lent! We wear ashes for the start to remind ourselves, and others, that this is an important time in our faith. This is important time as a community to remember the one who loved us so much to go out of GOD’s way to travel this far to become one of us and ultimately to die for us. That is a sign of love and by it we are made for righteous.</div>
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Righteousness in itself is not necessarily bad. GOD is righteous. GOD is right, always perfectly right and just, and so we take part in that. We are made righteous, we are made holy by following the ways of GOD. And so I ask you, if the same Roman soldiers who came for Saint Valentine almost two thousand years ago, if they came and searched your room, your apartment, your vehicle, your bag, maybe even your pockets would they find reason to convict you? Would they find enough evidence of your faith in GOD, in CHRIST JESUS, to sentence you to death? Now we don't know everything about Saint Valentine, and it is very difficult at this time to separate historical fact from legend, but we understand that the soldiers bludgeoned him to death with a club. They tortured him and beheaded him. They buried him in an unmarked grave and his followers, those who desired to respect his sacrifice, went under the cover of darkness - for fear of their own brutal execution, to dig him up and give him a proper burial. Are you prepared for something similar? Some say that it couldn't happen again, we say that we're far from that, but have we really advanced that much? I don't know, some days I really don't think we’ve come nearly as far as we think.<br />
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We wear these ashes, not for our own righteousness, but to remind others that God sees fit to make sinners like you and me, hypocrites like you and me, to make us righteous in HIS eyes. Because HE died for you, just as much as HE died for me, just as he died for St. Valentine, Mother Teresa, John Paul II and all the rest. HE died for you and for me to make us righteous, to bring us to the fullness of what we are called to be. Today we wear ashes and for the next 40 days we pray, we fast, and we give alms to remind ourselves that all of that stuff that draws our attention so very easily is not really worth it. With this celebration we are talking about our eternal happiness. Let us lift up that desire to God who makes us righteous in his eyes.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-35436703360339150072018-02-05T10:00:00.000-05:002018-02-18T09:14:13.470-05:00SUFFERING CALLS US TO LOVE<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Patrick Parish</h3>
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February 3-4, 2018</h3>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020418.cfm">USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h4>
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If there's anyone who just loves suffering, I’d like you to go ahead and let me know, you can jump up and shout and let us all know... nobody, well Ok, I guess that's all right. Yesterday evening, before we began Mass, Father Jeff asks “what are you preaching on?” And I said “suffering,” he says “of course you are.” He knows me too well. I begin with suffering but I hope to end with hope - and so that's where we are headed. Suffering is something that every one of us, in one way or another, from the moment of our birth, or more than likely even before our birth, our mothers will certainly tell us that. Definitely from the moment of our birth, to the moment of our death, we experience suffering to some degree. The mere fact that we, as human beings, as material creatures, will experience hunger after a few hours of going without food is evidence of the reality of suffering. It starts there, and just works its way out from there. Life means suffering, to one degree or another, and because suffering is such a basic part of life much as been said about the nature of suffering.<br />
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I often think about suffering. In fact one of my favorite ancient, wise, spiritual gurus, who often wears green - and no, I'm not talking about Father Oz, I’m talking about Yoda. Yoda says that fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, and hatred leads to suffering. Suffering in turn leads of course to the dark side. In many ways I think that's where our culture takes suffering. We don't deal with it very well, if at all. We don't want to look at suffering, we don't want to deal with it. We'd rather just forget about it. But, as I've just made known, suffering is part of our lives. It is because we don't do very well with suffering that we don't do well with sacrifice either. I think Yoda's stopped a little too soon. Suffering can lead to sacrifice, and sacrifice can lead to Sacrament. And ultimately Sacrament leads us back to GOD. Yoda stopped a little too soon. We, all of us, have suffering in our lives and we can, if we're able, turn that over, turn it into something greater than what it seems to be. We don't do that very well; and since we don't do sacrifice very well I think that's evidenced in the problems we have in our families, the difficulty in marriage, the fact that we have a shortage of priests, is evidence of the reality that we don't do sacrifice very well. I invite you to listen attentively to the rest of our liturgy, sacrifice and suffering are all throughout the words of our Eucharistic Prayer and of our liturgy itself. That's why we are here, not for our own personal pleasure, or own personal fulfillment, that may be important, but we we are here to offer the sacrifice of JESUS CHRIST who first sacrificed for us. Sacrifice and suffering are all throughout our Catholic life. </div>
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As a culture we have kicked virtues out the window. We just chucked them right out the window. Virtues like patience, prudence, justice, fortitude, faith, hope, love and charity. All of these are too complicated so out they go. Instead the ‘virtue’ we prefer is positivity. Positivity, a false virtue. Positivity if a virtue makes suffering a sin. How dare you? How dare you force your suffering upon me? How dare you take away my positivity, my joy of life, and everything! Scripture tells us that there is a time to live and a time to cry, and I wonder if, as a culture, we have collectively decided that we should be laughing all the time - and leave the crying for behind closed doors. Perhaps, instead, we should be laughing and crying in more equal measure. That balance acknowledges the place of suffering in our lives. It doesn't hide it away, it doesn't try to bury it, disguise it, or shame it. Real virtue lets suffering be what it is - human, and in a very real way it makes it beautiful. There is beauty in suffering; if you're able to look at it, if they're able to see it for what it truly is - for what it calls out from within us.</div>
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Just yesterday, I was on a bit of an Anointing of the Sick circuit. I was called out to do four different Anointings. I would have preached about suffering anyways, but this experience added just the right human touch. By the way, all of these aren't parishioners, and so we can avoid trying to figure out who it is and just listen. First up was a young woman, very much in pain, suffering with addiction, and for years and years has felt pulled into that destructive pattern. She is currently at that moment in her life where she just might be able, if she's willing, to turn that suffering into sacrifice. She needs prayers and we need to pray for her. Second, an elderly man, who, if he hasn't already, was transitioning to his next life. I was able to be there, with his family, to offer him the Sacrament of Anointing and the Sacrament of the Eucharist, to assist him in that transition. His suffering is leading his family and others to CHRIST. We pray for them. While I was with that family another patient’s son invited me into his mother's room. She is a delightful woman, who isn't sure what is going on, but she is suffering and she is leading others to CHRIST - including the the nurse technician who was there to do some tests on her. A very kind, very holy woman, who, by her mere presence invites others to trust in CHRIST. And finally the family of an older gentleman, who has suffered quite a bit in the last several months, who has had his ups and downs. The cancer seems to have returned once more, and they're not quite sure what they're going to do, but we pray for them. We pray for them all and in fact I asked each one of them to pray for the others. That's what we do. We take our suffering, and through that we hope to open our hearts to the suffering of others. Suffering reminds us of our humanness, it reminds us of our need for others, our need to pray for others, our need to count on others.</div>
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Just this morning there are people throughout the state of Kentucky, and beyond, who will be going to Mass the only way they know how - by watching Mass of the Air, a ministry that is led by our own Deacon Mark. This is a ministry that allows people, who have access to a television, in any number of situations, to be able to at least be in the presence of Mass, to hear Mass being said, and hopefully have someone bring them the Eucharist as well. A couple of weeks ago I taped, with the assistance of the whole crew of course, it doesn't just happen without the work of many dedicated people, Mass for this the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time. While preparing for that taping it occurred to me that there are many reasons why these individuals aren't here with us. Many have physical ailments that prevent them from being here, and they suffer because of that. Some have spiritual ailments, a confusion that causes them to imagine that they are not welcome here, and they suffer because of that. Some have mental ailments, they are perhaps stuck in their homes, or in some other institution that prevents them from coming here. In many ways they just don't feel like they're safe leaving wherever it is that they're at, or they are in some kind of situation that is preventing them. Almost all of those who watch Mass of the Air suffer in some terrible way, and I was able to look into that camera, hopefully looking into their eyes, as they sit at home or wherever they find themselves, and tell them that they are loved. This culture, this society, would quickly dismiss them say that they are a burden, they say their pain has no purpose, that they as human beings have no purpose. To look in their eyes, and say that you are loved, that CHRIST loves you, and you're suffering, even if you don't understand it at this moment, it does have a purpose. That suffering is bringing us together as the body of CHRIST. I pray that there are many people out there hearing that message this morning.</div>
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Our readings for today are just full of suffering. If anyone needs spiritual guidance in their suffering, I often point them to the Book of Job, our first reading. Now don't just start reading it and then stop, it won't do you any good, in fact it will probably going to make it worse. You've got to get to the end of the story. Read Job, he helps us understand what it is to suffer in our lives. The second reading, from St. Paul, he is speaking of how he suffers for the benefit of the Good News. How his suffering is leading others to CHRIST, without charge, how he preaches the Gospel, which he has freely received, and which he freely gives. Paul suffers for CHRIST, but he finds meaning through the suffering. Finally we have our Gospel, the Gospel in which Peter's mother-in-law, herself a woman so close to CHRIST, we must ask if anyone could have said “why is it that I am suffering? Don't you know? Couldn't you have stopped this?” This woman is scared for her life, she is suffering and the fever has almost overtaken her. It is at this moment that CHRIST is invited into her life. Surely HE knew, as the divine person that HE is, that there was suffering going on - he could have just prevented it from the outside, and yet she was allowed to suffer, for a moment, so that she could be introduced to CHRIST. In fact after CHRIST raises her, heals her, and calls her to a new way of life, HE goes to pray, and HIS apostles come to HIM saying that everyone is looking for HIM. Isn't that really what it is. Everyone who suffers, all of us, in one way or another, we are all looking for CHRIST. Looking for HIM who has the answer, HIM who calls us to a new way of life. We, as the body of CHRIST, we are meant to be that person in their lives. They are looking for CHRIST, and for better or for worse, they have us, not just me, all of us. They look to us in their lives to offer them CHRIST's presence.</div>
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There are many ways in which our society tries to answer the question of suffering, and these are the top 3 hits, my three favorites. Number one - <b>everything happens for a reason</b>. Now, isn’t that lovely, nothing like taking a huge problem and dismissing it with everything happens for a reason. Two - <b>GOD doesn't give you anything you can't handle</b>. Well that’s nice, GOD becomes some kind of chess player, or something. Finally, my personal favorite, the one I've heard most recently - <b>GOD gives HIS greatest battles to HIS bravest warriors</b>. I didn’t know GOD is such a battle general. All of these saying, in one way or another, do have some hint of truth to them, but I think they are ultimately simple answers to a complicated question. I was discussing this question with a group of seniors at Sacred Heart and one in the back raised her hand and she said “well, are you saying that everything doesn't happen for a reason?” I stopped, and thought for a moment, and I said “actually yes, I think everything does happen for a reason, but it's not as simple as just saying it happens for a reason, the reason is love.” Love ultimately means vulnerability, and vulnerability means suffering. If we love, we open our hearts to the capacity to hurt, and the capacity to hurt will eventually lead us to hurting. Either we love, or in the words of Yoda, we turn towards fear - we turn away from one another. I do think everything does happen for a reason, in a way none of us will ever fully understand, but at the same time it calls us to love. Suffering calls us to recognize that each and every one of us suffers to a degree, and it really doesn't help to compare suffering either, by the way, we all suffer and some of us do suffer more than others, but it doesn’t really help to do those calculations. This line of thinking doesn’t lift anyone up, it quickly leads to the line of thinking that says “just get over it, you're not one of those starving children in the middle of a developing country” or “just look at all the good things you have.” This isn’t loving, it’s shaming, and the suffering remains, along with feelings of shame for suffering. No matter the level of suffering your suffering still has value. Let's not demote suffering too quickly.</div>
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Today we also have the the Saint Blaise blessing of throats. Here is a living example of what one person’s suffering can do. A young boy who lived centuries and centuries ago, was choking on a fish bone. We don’t know the boys name, but he would have long ago been completely forgotten, if not for his suffering. His suffering introduced him to Saint Blaise, who was able to heal him, and introduce him to CHRIST, and the effects of that boy’s suffering lives on in the love that the Church expresses through this blessing. That boy, along with Saint Blaise, are introducing us to CHRIST this very day. Suffering can lead to sacrifice and sacrifice can lead to Sacrament, if we suffer with love. The number of prayers and blessings that the Church has that take one person’s suffering and introduces others to CHRIST through it, it’s astounding! </div>
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So we are called, as the people of GOD to be CHRIST for others both in our own suffering and through the suffering of others. I have never see a crucifix with the smiling JESUS on it. It's a simple truth but I think it tells us a lot. HE suffered for us. HE came much farther than we ever will, to suffer for us, to sacrifice for us, to call us to Sacrament. You, as the lay faithful have an opportunity at every Mass to connect suffering to Sacrament. We as the clergy have a mass intention, someone has asked us to pray for them. You are invited to pray for them as well, but you can have your own mass intention for yourselves. So I want you in the next few moments to bring to mind someone who is suffering. Prayer connects us. Prayer binds us together. Hold that person in your heart. If it's you that's fine, if you're the person who's suffering the most in your life right now, pray for yourself. Let us all brings someone to mind so that we can be connected one to another, so that we won't forget that suffering indeed does have a purpose, suffering calls us to love.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-26525127457038002592018-01-25T16:53:00.000-05:002018-01-25T17:21:00.421-05:00MEEK WOMEN OF GREAT FAITH<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Winter Sports Rosary Rally</h2>
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Sacred Heart Academy</h3>
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January 21, 2018</h3>
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In these little reflections, I often like to focus on a particular virtue. I know, through Sports Leader, that's kind of the program, that you have a virtue and you talk about it, work with it, and all of that. The virtue that had crossed my mind for this time is the virtue of meekness. <i>“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”</i> ~ Matthew 5:5 For many who encounter this verse of Scripture, including the woman who wrote the article that I'm getting all of this from, can read that verse of scripture and think: <i>“That's not for me. I don't want that, I don't particularly want to be meek.”</i> I mean, after all, you are being trained, you are being formed, to be <b>Strong Women of Great Faith</b>. That is exactly what we need. This world needs <b>Strong Women of Great Faith</b>. This world needs strong women who will understand that the world’s approach to women is not perfect, that there are many obstacles in the way, including the systemic treatment of women. Even beyond that there is the need to respond with courage, strongly and appropriately, to any kind of harassment. We indeed need strong women!</div>
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<a href="https://aleteia.org/2017/03/22/do-you-know-what-meek-of-meek-and-humble-of-heart-really-means/" style="text-align: start;">The Aleteia article: Do you know what ‘meek’ and ‘meek and humble of heart’ really means?</a></div>
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Meekness seems to suggest something different, doesn’t it? To be meek seems to be sheepish, nervous, indecisive, shy or timid and not at all strong. But if we look at the Greek word from which meekness comes from we find the word <i>“praus”</i> (pronounced prah-oos.) There you go, you've learned Greek! I believe, now don't quote me on it, but I believe this is where we get the English word prowess - the ability to do something and do it well, with mastery.</div>
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Something else I learned recently, Kentucky is the only state in the continental United States that doesn't have an equestrian state sport. Kentucky, of all places! There is a young woman, a 15 year old, who is going to a private school in Virginia because she is the second or third highest ranked equestrian in the United States. She would be one of you - a Valkyrie, her mom would have sent her to Sacred Heart, if we had a state team for equestrians, but we don't because the state doesn't even do that apparently! Strange, and something to work on I guess. We may not have a team, but do we have any riders? I know we've got bowlers and ballers, swimmers and cheerers. Do we have any riders though? No riders, OK. I know one thing, equestrians love their horses.</div>
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In search of horses the Greeks would go up into the mountains and they would capture these wild horses specifically looking to find the one. The one in a hundred, the one in a thousand, that one horse that could be a war horse. Many of the horses they found were not the one, they would either get them and they would be completely uncontrollable, unable to even be ridden, or they would become so, well, what we would say ‘meek’ using today’s common understanding of the word, that they weren't fit for war, these would become work horses. But those who had <i>praus</i>, those who had been, in their eyes, meeked, they were the ones who became war horses. We are talking about animals who were able, with a slight bend of the riders foot, a slight tap of the heel, to stop in mid motion and do any number of maneuvers. This is all with battle raging all around them, with horrifying sights and sounds, with terror all around them, they would be able to sense their rider’s needs and be able to respond appropriately. We must also keep in mind that this was all without reins - the soldier would be holding their weapon, and I don’t believe they had stirrups either, the part for the riders foot, they would have held onto the horse with just their legs tightly around the animal. This ability to respond to the slightest command of the rider, that is what it meant to be meek. It had nothing to do with letting go of one's strength. It was not becoming childish, weak or timid. It was about becoming a weapon, a weapon in the hands of a skilled warrior! These horses were worth - everything. Their riders would want to protect them, with everything that they had. They would not have just used them, they would love them, they depended on them for their own safety, and the ability to defend their homeland and their people. These were meek horses.</div>
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We are called to be meek, to be weapons in the hands of an Almighty GOD, weapons for the kingdom of peace, for a kingdom of justice, to be that which GOD uses to promote GOD's kingdom. That is what true strength is. It is not denying what you are capable of. To be meek is to know exactly what you are capable of. You are warhorses, you are called on to know that you are a <b>Strong Woman of Great Faith</b> but to also be able to respond to the slightest hint of GOD's call in your life. To be able to sense GOD's need for you today and everyday. In our Gospel today at Mass we hear of the calling of Andrew, James, John, and Simon Peter. They said yes to the LORD when he called them. They said yes and they went. They abandoned everything. You, as <b>Strong Women of Great Faith</b>, are called to that same meekness. Called to respond to the LORD's calling in your life because GOD has a plan for each and every one of you. A call to better the lives of others, to be strong and not weak, to be a marvelous weapon in the hands of our great GOD. It occurs to me that this is exactly the same kind of qualities that you all need to be successful in your sport. To be able to respond to your teammates, to be able to respond to conditions, to be able to respond to the cues of those who have been there before, who know what they're doing. It amazes me, what you all do. The little ways that you're able to communicate with one another. Learn from that. Learn from your ability to listen to your coaches, to your captains, to your teammates, and apply that knowledge to your spiritual life as well. I believe GOD is talking to you, talking to you just as much as your teammates are. All we have to do is listen, listen with meekness, meekness of heart.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-45177133255744491572018-01-23T11:51:00.000-05:002018-02-17T11:57:52.841-05:00OUR TIME IS NOW<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Third Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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<i>Saint Boniface Parish</i></h3>
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January 21, 2018</h3>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012118.cfm">Readings: Third Sunday in Ordinary, Year B</a></h4>
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Certain peculiarities about the weather have fascinated me for quite some time. For example, to fry an egg on the asphalt in the middle of summer is quite amazing. That image, I hope, gives you something a look forward to, given the cold that we have recently experienced! The season will change, we can always count on that. When it comes to the cold though there's something that kind of terrified me as a child. The weatherman would sometimes say something like: <i>‘you can only go outside with exposed skin for x number of minutes before frostbite will begin to set in.’</i> Minutes, and you will start to lose fingers and toes and all kinds of things that are just terrifying! It comes down to time. You have so much time, before loss will be experienced if appropriate action isn’t taken. </div>
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This time sensitive reality is what crossed my mind when I saw a video that was posted recently of an incident that took place on the 11th of January, of this year, in Baltimore. In Baltimore there are a number of hospitals, no doubt, but at a particular hospital and a man named Imamu Baraka was walking down the street and began to record on his phone a group of security officers taking a woman from the hospital, to the bus stop. In and of itself this would not be particularly noteworthy, except for the fact that this woman was only wearing hospital gown, it was a night, and it was only about 30 degrees. I would imagine she only had a certain amount of time before she would herself began to experience the devastating effects of frostbite. This woman wasn't quite capable of caring for herself either. An African-American woman, not that that particularly matters, but to paint the picture for you; she was about middle aged, maybe a little older, and pretty obviously not mentally sound. She was obviously confused. She probably wouldn't have know what to do when the bus arrived anyway. What might have been the outcome if this man wasn’t there?</div>
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Now, the hospital could have easily had a plan, maybe she would have been safe. Maybe. It seems to me that an institution that vows, through the Hippocratic Oath, to do no harm, was certainly causing harm here. Now we might say that it wasn't the doctors, or the nurses doing this, it was the security guards. Well I doubt the security guards were acting on their own. Of all the people who could have acted it came down to this man, a stranger, walking down the street. He witnessed this happen, he asked the woman <i>‘are you OK’</i> and he called 911. Somewhat ironically it is not certain if the ambulance that came to get her took her right back around the corner to the hospital from which she had come.<br />
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All of this is to say for this man, his time had come, his moment to act was now. This woman who had been left abandoned by an institution that was meant to help her was leaving her for a bus. You know how the buses have that diamond Safe Place signs on them. Apparently the bus was a safer place for her than the hospital. Just walking along he knew in his heart that it was his time, and he acted on it. There is a psychological effect that can take place among people, it's called the bystander effect, and it is especially dangerous when there is a group of people gathered around. The group can kind of mitigate responsibility. It's called the bystander effect because essentially you're counting on the other bystanders to do something. You may think to yourself: </div>
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Perhaps, instead of thinking yourself not good enough, you could think of yourself as being too good:</div>
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This man, however, saw past all of that and knew that it was his time to act. In a similar way, I was driving down the road about a week ago and there was an accident. A lady had run off the road and hit a telephone pole. As I was driving by I saw her coming back up from having been hunched over the airbag, and so I knew that she was at least conscious, but I didn't know much other than that. I saw a vehicle turn into the driveway, the next turn down from the accident and I told myself: <i>‘well surely that person is going to help her.’</i> I didn't stop. It has bothered me ever since. We have moments in our lives when we are called to act, and in a specific way, as Christians, we are called to act as Christ for others. We can, if we are courageous, if we are willing, if we are able, we say yes to that call when it comes. Not if it comes, but when it comes.</div>
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Jonah, in a similar way, had been called to act as Christ even before Christ had manifest himself. He was called once, and perhaps he thought himself not good enough: <i>‘surely I can't be the one that God is calling to save the people of Nineveh, I can't do that. I'm not good enough.’</i> Or I think probably more likely he thought something more like: <i>‘Me? You want me to go and save THOSE people! No, I’m not going to do that, I'm going to runaway!’</i> Well, God is rather persistent, God sent a whale, or really Scripture tells us a large fish, to swallow Jonah up and three days later plop him out on the seashore. God again asked Jonah: <i>‘Jonah, go to Nineveh, now is your time. It's time to step up.’</i> This time Jonah did go, he went to Nineveh; and a foreigner, who may not have been speaking their language, was telling Nineveh: <i>‘Now is your time! Forty days more and Nineveh will be destroyed!’ </i>Just a day into his journey the people of Nineveh accepted his call, they heard that their time was now, and they repented. They said yes to God's call in their lives. They saw, they heard, they knew that it was their time to act. </div>
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Paul, in his writings, is telling us that the world’s time is coming to an end. We don't know when, we don't know how, we don't know where, but we know that the world's time is limited! We know that everything outside of the world is infinite, unlimited. Others places in Sacred Scripture Paul talks about being in the world, but not of the world. So while we recognize that this world's time is coming to an end, we are still called to act in it. We are called to be Christ in it. </div>
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Of course there is our Gospel for today. Time, it seems, just kind of runs throughout today's Scripture. In our Gospel we see Christ walking along the shore of Galilee. <i>Simon,</i> he say, <i>it’s your time, John your time, Andrew your time, James your time!</i> They heard the call of Christ, and they acted. Now, we don't know whether or not this was exactly the first time they met Christ. In some ways I would imagine that they kind of grew up with him. Either way, he said follow me, and follow me now. He didn't order them in such a way, he invited them, but he essentially said, it's time, we're going. And they followed. They heard, they saw, they felt, they encountered their time to go, and they said yes. They said yes, when others could have said no, they could have said no. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesus calling the First Apostles</td></tr>
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I want each of you, for a moment, to think of a phrase that you have heard time and time again. You know it is true but you’ve heard it so often that it has lost a bit of its impact - its punch. You’ve heard it said so often that it's almost like nails on a chalkboard. You know it has truth and you know it still, it rings in your head a little bit. For me I think of a phrase that a deacon would use time and time again in almost every homily he delivered. He would say <i>‘God proposes, not imposes.’</i> God pro-poses not im-pose. Now, you all haven't heard it before, I suspect, so I'm going to use it once with you. God proposes, God invites, God doesn't insist, God gives us the opportunity to say yes to his call in our lives. He is persistent, God is always persistent, calling us time, and time again. And sisters and brothers, make no mistake, our Gospel, our readings for today point towards the reality that this is our time. I don't know for what exactly, you're going to have to do some of the work too! I can't explain all of it to you, but each of us is being called by Christ to live the life of discipleship, to hear his call, to follow him. Maybe it's a simple call, maybe a big call, I don't necessarily know if any of us are called to go to Nineveh, but near, or far, we will go where we are called! And the time is now,the time is now. We can say yes to the God who proposes a new way of life. We can say yes to God who proposes a new freedom, proposes a new reality. That God invites us, invites us time and time again. We can, if we pray for the courage, say yes when we come upon our moment. When we know this, this is me, nobody else is going to do it, I'm going to have to do it. I pray, we pray, that we all have the courage to say yes when we're needed by God to fill whatever role it is that God desires for us to fill.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-77053487186094353582018-01-15T23:15:00.000-05:002018-02-17T11:57:36.516-05:00IT WAS ABOUT FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Second Sunday in Ordinary</h2>
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Saint Patrick Parish</h3>
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January 13-14, 2018</h3>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011418.cfm" target="_blank">Link to USCCB Lectionary Readings</a></h4>
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Holy Scripture is absolutely full of very memorable lines. Each of us, if we have a little bit of time to think, I would imagine could kind of come up with a list of - if not exact lines at least scenes from Sacred Scripture that speak particularly to us. I had an opportunity to ask Deacon Scott what his favorite scripture verse is before Mass this morning. It kind of caught him off guard a little bit but he thought a little and he said a line from 1 Peter that says if you teach, teach well, if you preach, preach well, but do so for the greater glory of God. Now, I'm not going to put Father Oz on the spot, because I didn't get a chance to ask him, but I'm certain that he could come up with some lines as well. Of the many memorable lines we might think of, we heard one today, John the Baptist saying “Behold the Lamb of God.” Others might be “This is my body.” “This is my blood.” “God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son.” “Jesus wept.” The shortest verse in the Bible, when Jesus was there with Mary at the tomb of Lazarus her brother. My personal favorite - a line that comes shortly thereafter, as Lazarus is coming out of the tomb: “Unbind him and set him free.” Each of us, in our own way, could surely find something that speaks to us in a particular way. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gospel of Saint John</td></tr>
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But today we have something different. A little bit of a different sort of line in Scripture, one that few I would imagine would point to directly and say “that's the line that speaks to me!” That line is: “it was about four o'clock in the afternoon.” Why does it matter? Why in the world was this even included? In some ways this line speaks to the truth of Scripture - just by the mere fact that it's there. If the writer of The Gospel of John was intent on fooling people, tricking people into believing something that he himself did not believe, why would he have added such an insignificant line? Why wouldn't he have spent time writing that? “It was about four o'clock in the afternoon” doesn’t seem, like the kind of line one would add if they were being deceptive. What this line does for us is it points to exactly how meaningful this experience was for not only Andrew, but also for John - the other disciple that we assume was with Andrew. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John the Baptist "Behold, the Lamb of God!"</td></tr>
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Let’s set up the scene. John and Andrew, disciples of John the Baptist before they became disciples of Jesus Christ, had been with John for some time now. They had become accustomed to the odd way that the Baptist spoke - often hinting at the one who was to come. This day was different, John the Baptist, kind of out of nowhere says “behold, the lamb of God!” Look here he is! This is the one I've been talking about! They've been with John the Baptist for a while. They've gotten used to his strange style and kind of just blurting out things every now and then, but this though, this was different, this was present, this was there. The Lamb of God is here, this one, this one is the one I've been telling you about. And so they went after him,the one John had pointed out. They went after him and Jesus turns and says “what are you looking for” - what do you want? And they said “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Now, if you ask me, this is another one of those awkward lines that might not get too much attention. But isn't that the kind of thing that someone would say if they're really looking to get to know someone? Think of a new best friend perhaps, or in another situation a romantic interest. Where are you staying? Tell me something about you? Let me get to know you a little bit. Open up. I want to know you. And so he did. He said follow me. And they did. They went and spent some time in his home in Capernaum. They spent some time together. They sat in the presence of God-made-man. And if we can only imagine what that must have been like! To have his eyes look into their eyes, to have those words enter their ears, to be in the presence of the one that they had been waiting for! They had followed John the Baptist for a while. John said he is coming, then pointed him out, and there he was! The time had finally arrived. They were there in God's presence. It made such an impact on them that they remembered awkward kind of details. It was about 4 in the afternoon. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Rabbi, where are you staying?"<br />
"Come and see."</td></tr>
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Many of us, all of us, in one way or another. No matter how old or young we are have moments like this in our lives. For many of us, especially those of us 15 years or older, 9/11 is certainly one of those incidences. For those who are a little bit older than that, the Challenger explosion. Many can point and say this is exactly where I was, what I was doing, what time of day it was, how it felt... All of us can point back and say that's about when it happened. We have these large events that affect many of us, natural disasters things like that, maybe even the death of a celebrity or a politician. Tomorrow we remember Martin Luther King Jr. Those of an older generation can probably tell you exactly where they were when they learned that he had been assassinated. Moments like this etched their way into our being and we can't shake them, as much as we may want to. </div>
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These events, they happen to us in personal ways as well, both joyful and sad. For instance, I'm sure that most mothers here could tell you exactly when their child was born. Details like that etch themselves into our hearts. Mothers and the birth of their children, the moment when family members pass, gathered together in their hospital room. I certainly will never forget many of the details when I got the phone call from my father letting me know that they had found my brother and that he was dead. These moments, these moments find their way into our hearts - and they stay. That's exactly what John and Andrew are describing. It was about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. It meant the world to them. In many ways they didn't know how to describe it, it was just so powerful. Isn’t it really the small details that stick anyways? When they leave, they leave forever changes, they can't stay the same. They encountered a presence. They sat in the presence of the Divine. Andrew goes and tells his brother Simon, and Simon agrees, perhaps reluctantly, to go with him. They go to the house that Jesus is staying in and what's the first thing that Jesus says when he sees Simon? He gives him a new name... and the crazy thing is Simon still stayed! He accepted the name Peter because that moment must have meant something to him. I don't know about you but if I meet somebody new for the first time and he says Adam from now on your name is going to be Edward I’m gonna be like alright... nice to meet you... I'll see you later. But Peter accepted that name, this encounter, it changed his life. It changed who he was. It changed everything about him. It was a momentous occasion. It all started at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life and Death</td></tr>
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Returning to motherhood for a moment, as an aside, I want to point to our first reading. Those many moments when a child wakes up their parent at night. That's the vision I get when Samuel keeps coming to Eli. You called me and he responded like no no I didn't call you. Maybe perhaps the next time your children wake you up in the middle of the night you can say the Lord is calling you say Speak Lord your servant is listening. Go back to bed. Go back to bed. Point is Eli is sacrificing. He has been called, he has encountered something that has changed his life, and he is willing to have this other kid wake him up numerous times throughout the night. He is willing to sacrifice, his life is different, he is willing to open up and to be present to others. And in the same way we're called to have a similar encounter with Jesus Christ. An encounter that changes us, that calls us to sacrifice, that calls us to a new way of life. </div>
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Many of our Protestant brothers and sisters they will speak of the moment when they accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Oftentimes they will look at us and say we don't really have that. When they say: what moment was that for you? My response is that we as Catholics don't just have that one moment, that one experience. Now this is not to discount the very powerful moments in prayer that we might have, not to discount moments of revelation when encountering Sacred Scripture, or sitting alone before Mass praying. Those are important. But as Catholics we encounter God communally as well. We call these communal encounters Sacraments. There's one sacrament in particular, this is going to be a trick question. One sacrament in particular where we get to say ‘this is the moment when I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior’ a moment to accept an adult faith if you will, a faith where adults live out their faith in a personal manner and say ‘this, this is the one who I live for. Many of us I would imagine, would assume that I'm talking about Confirmation, and in some ways that may be true, but not quite. Some, especially those who are going through RCIA, who were baptized later in life, they may say Baptism, and again, sort of right, but not quite there. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.sttheresescampak.com/" target="_blank">Saint Therese's Camp - Alaska</a></td></tr>
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What I am talking about is the Eucharist - that moment when you come forward and the minister presents to you the body of Christ, and you say amen, you say yes - this is my God! It is an opportunity that we have, not just once, not a moment that we can go back to and say oh this second on this day 20, 30 years ago, rather it is a moment that we have every week, every day if you so choose. A moment, a routine that is powerful. A moment to look at Christ, and see Christ gazing back at you, and say yes this is a moment, this is a moment that will change my life, this is a moment where I have encountered God, and God has called me to a new way of life! Simon Peter, John, Andrew, they all left their lives from before, they didn't hold on to what they had in the past. They were new people! One even had a new name! They were different. They had encountered something that would not allow them to stay the same and they didn't stay the same - they followed him. If anything speaks to the truth of the Gospel it is that: that these ordinary men, these fishermen left everything because they encountered... encountered something profound. They encountered him. Today encounter him in the Eucharist, and for the next couple of days, for the next week look back and say ‘that was my moment.’ Until you meet him again in the Eucharist, until you meet him again in your brother and sister, and you will encounter him again, you encounter him today. Open your hearts to that. Allow that presence to call you to a new way of life.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-62801170713198730272017-11-11T12:03:00.000-05:002017-11-11T12:03:20.866-05:00Four Years SoberFive years ago I would have told you that this would be a ridiculous and unnecessary idea, a stupid idea really; that I certainly didn't have a problem with alcohol and that I was just fine thank you very much! Four years ago I would have told you that my life was practically ruined and that it didn't matter if I drank again or not.<br />
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That was then, this is now. Now I am so thankful that God has given me the grace to resist the urge, an urge that comes and goes to this day, an urge to run, to escape into the bottle. God has given this grace by placing people in my life that have stood by me in the ups and downs of these past five years. God has also done this by giving me a sense of purpose, by helping me to see that my struggles with addiction, mental illness, and suicide can all help call people to a deeper understanding of Christ's love for them in (not in spite of) their brokenness. I could see my story as a humiliation, something to be avoided at all cost, but I cherish the opportunities that I have to tell my story, to open up to others about my humanity as well as the reality of what Christ is able, and willing, to work with.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprwffcGty6bX_ti5YAPnZAkZ_-Y9F0XPVJmKej8_gVx7IiVotldgC664cBlawMLvDFddMZxjnVKP96F4iFlfqJ6hyphenhyphen_HfQtQ3PRM2Am5AIHTHlifG12MaJKqHKR8glRTd1-AafETPraX8/s1600/Fotor_151033722178486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="1331" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprwffcGty6bX_ti5YAPnZAkZ_-Y9F0XPVJmKej8_gVx7IiVotldgC664cBlawMLvDFddMZxjnVKP96F4iFlfqJ6hyphenhyphen_HfQtQ3PRM2Am5AIHTHlifG12MaJKqHKR8glRTd1-AafETPraX8/s400/Fotor_151033722178486.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Sirach+2&version=NRSVCE">Link to Sirach, Chapter 2, NRSVCE</a></td></tr>
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If you, or someone you love struggles with addiction, mental illness, or thoughts of suicide please know that I am more than happy to talk with you; to listen about the darkness in your life and help you look for help and signs of Christ's abundant light. You are not alone. God bless!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-22683860894745087482017-02-09T17:12:00.000-05:002017-02-09T17:12:33.935-05:00Be Salt and Light!<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Fifth Sunday in ordinary Time</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Saint Patrick Parish, Louisville, Ky.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020517.cfm">Link to the Readings</a> ~ <a href="https://soundcloud.com/stpatrickchurch/2-5-17-homily-5th-sunday-in-ordinary-time?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook">Link to Listen to the Homily</a></span></div>
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Now I’m not a chemist or geologist, but I am pretty sure that by itself salt cannot lose its taste. The only way I can think of for salt to become less salty is for it to be diluted, say for instance that I put a small amount of salt into a large amount of water – the salt would lose its taste. The same goes for light, the only way to stop light from being light is to hide it, to prevent it from being seen. Our Gospel reading for today challenges us to think of our faith in the same way that we think of salt and light, either we let it be truly what it is, or we hide and or dilute it. To either be salt and light for the world or not. </div>
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I have a story that I’d like to share that may help to make this hiding and diluting faith more clear; it just so happens that today is Scout Sunday because my story takes place at Philmont Scout Ranch in Northeastern New Mexico. Now Philmont is an enormous place that employs more than a thousand people and hosts tens of thousands of young people every year. Over the summer of 2011, I had the opportunity to be one of the Catholic chaplains at Philmont. While I was there, I also participated in the Saint George Trek which happens every two years and brings together young Catholics, both boys, and girls, from across the nation to hike Philmont for 11 days. It is an opportunity for these young men and women to discern their vocation and possibly pray about becoming a priest or a religious sister. So, there we were, my crew and I, out in the middle of this wilderness and we had already hiked 15 miles that day, our itinerary had gotten messed up, and we unexpectedly had to hike a lot more than the previous days. It was getting late, and we decided to stop and quickly eat our dinner before continuing down the trail. It was already starting to get dark by the time we got on our way for the last several miles, and we knew, we knew what was going to happen. There is even a video out there of one of the guys going from person to person asking who they wanted to play them in the Hollywood reenactment of the very much foreseeable outcome of these unfortunate events. I insisted that I be played by Matt Damon. After critically evaluating Matt Damon’s decisions it is obvious that he should have had the crew make camp right where they were. You need to understand that hiking in the dark not only has the dangers of tripping over something in the pitch-black, but there are wild animals out there – big wild animals. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMWcif48rxNZRY3MeQMg6_t58oobEOtIs-PwsU2Cx9zCBp74fxh77gyQhS2pT29yaiaIA8xwnatcghktB1IyuBtomhbUxIu1x2mrCY5MGLj_HYBmynRGerYK1Pakv4l5DdjBNy68h4GI/s1600/Philmont_Scout_Ranch_entrance_sign.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMWcif48rxNZRY3MeQMg6_t58oobEOtIs-PwsU2Cx9zCBp74fxh77gyQhS2pT29yaiaIA8xwnatcghktB1IyuBtomhbUxIu1x2mrCY5MGLj_HYBmynRGerYK1Pakv4l5DdjBNy68h4GI/s400/Philmont_Scout_Ranch_entrance_sign.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sure enough, just as we expected, with a couple of miles and several hours of hiking left, we began to be stalked by a mountain lion. Now I was in the back of our line, and I have never, ever, been so scared in my entire life! All I had was a little knife and a dinky pathetic flashlight for safety. We must have made quite a sight walking as closely together as possible and singing random songs, like Row Row Row Your Boat, as loudly as we could trying our best to do what we had been trained to do if this scenario ever arose. I never saw the creature, but I heard him move from one side of us, around the back, to the other side, back and forth always following us! Now, this was by far not the proudest moment of my life but one of the boys was bigger than I was and I was in a near panic after the first mile or so. I kept thinking ‘it’s going to attack my legs,’ ‘it’s going to attack my neck,’ ‘it’s going to attack my legs’ … over and over. And so, I am ashamed to say; I asked this larger boy to take my place at the back – I told him ‘if anything happens I’m going to be right there, don’t worry!’ It was at that instant that my salt lost some of its flavor – my faith was shaken, and I did something that I still regret. </div>
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Halfway through we remembered that one of the guys, we’ll say his name was Tim, we remembered that Tim had this awesome flashlight that had a strobe feature that was bright enough, and fast enough, to disorient a human, and we hoped it would be the same with a mountain lion. So we called up to Tim, ‘hey Tim, let us have your flashlight.’ And do you know what Tim said? He said ‘only if you replace the battery when we get to the next camp.’ I said ‘Tim! Give us your flashlight!’ It was at that instant that Tim’s salt lost some of its flavor – his faith was diluted by fear, and he did something that looking back he probably would be a bit embarrassed. </div>
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I hope these two humbling examples help to illustrate how fear, fear above all emotions, can dilute and hide faith. Fear takes away a bit of the flavor, a bit of the taste of our faith. The Church in her teachings, in her traditions, in Sacred Scripture, has made it clear how far we are to take loving our neighbor and our enemy. Our first readings from the prophet Isaiah today is quite clear:</div>
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<i>Share your bread with the hungry,</i></div>
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<i>shelter the oppressed and the homeless;</i></div>
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<i>clothe the naked when you see them,</i></div>
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<i>and do not turn your back on your own.</i></div>
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~ Isaiah 58:7</div>
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Now you might say to me ‘but Father, it says to look after our own’ to which I would remind you that it does say that, only after saying <i>shelter the oppressed and the homeless</i>. I truly fear that politics in our nation is diluting our Christianity. This cannot be the case; we are not called to be Catholic Christians through the eyes of our political leaning! We must view our politics through Christian eyes! Otherwise, politics will dilute, without a doubt, will dilute our faith. There are people is our world who are suffering greatly, and we have the opportunity to help them, to see them worthy of our care and love, but we will be unable to do so if we let fear dilute or hide our faith. </div>
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We as Catholic Christians cannot sit comfortably in either political party if we are faithful and support life from the womb to the tomb, all life long, we cannot be comfortable in either political party. There is a great debate going on in our country as to what we should do with the world’s refugee crisis. If we close our eyes to their plight we would be hiding our light under a bushel basket; we would be diluting the salt of our faith. We, my brothers and sisters, are called to be a light on a lamp stand, to not live a diluted form of Christianity. To be true to what makes us God’s people we must welcome the unfortunate. We say yes, with courage, and with the help of God, to being salt and light for a world in need!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-35860396607608421492017-01-31T16:38:00.000-05:002018-01-25T17:45:37.098-05:00A Renewed Vision of Church <h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Feast of Saint Angela Merici </span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville Ky.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">January 27, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012717.cfm">Link to Readings</a></span></div>
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Have you heard that a week ago, we had an Inaugurated a new President of the United States? Did you also hear that there were millions of women, and men, but mostly women who participated in the Women’s March in Washington DC, throughout the United States, and across the world? Some might say it is foolish for me to speak about the Women’s March, others may say it would be cowardly for me not to speak about it, and I have spent too many years of my life being a coward. There were many good and genuine reasons for these women to band together in solidarity; a few of those reasons were equal pay for equal work, respect for women the world over, and a call for safeguards against sexual harassment. These are issues that the Catholic Church is fully behind. There were other issues, life issues, that the Church has another take on, in fact, there is another March, the March for Life, happening today were equally large crowds will march for the sanctity of life. The Catholic Church holds that all life is sacred and everyone deserves to have the natural dignity inherent to the human person recognized from the womb to the tomb. </div>
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Our first reading today speaks of not turning back, of holding fast to the mission we have received. When the Letter to the Hebrews instructs us that “we are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life” I believe it is telling us to hold firm to our foundations. It is my fear that Christians and Catholics alike have forgotten where we come from, that we have forgotten how the early Church spread like wildfire amongst the slaves, the poor, women, and others who felt disenfranchised. This is where we come from – a Church for those who felt they belonged nowhere else. </div>
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This is the vision of Church that Saint Angela Merici held when she looked upon the poverty-stricken girls of her hometown and decided that they were worth a decent education. Saint Angela may have begun the first religious community of sisters to work outside the cloister, but the heart of her mission was an ideal to serve the less fortunate that dated back to the very beginnings of the Church. Saint Angela did not see the poverty, and she did not see them as just girls, she looked upon them and saw the human dignity that they posed and loved them for it. </div>
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We have all undoubtedly heard the parable of the mustard seed, we probably have heard about how something so small can create something so big, but we may be blind to another aspect of this parable that deserves mentioning. If we look at this parable with the eyes of a first century Jew, we will realize that the Jewish people of that time had no use whatsoever for mustard, none. It was a weed and when we take it a step further the idea of planting a weed in your field where it will grow and take up a lot of space was lunacy. A Jew who planted mustard in his field would undoubtedly face mockery from his friends and neighbors for the ridiculous nature of his actions. That is what Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to – a mustard seed (us) growing into a huge bush (the Church.) The Church must never lose sight of this fundamental fact concerning the Christian life that we are to remain open, no matter what, to all people who may feel marginalized or left out. Whether that is the poor, the immigrant, someone who is gay or lesbian, people of color, people questioning their gender identity, it doesn’t matter – they are all birds of the sky welcome under the one protective bush that is the Church. This is the way the early Christians saw the Church, and this is the way Saint Angela saw the Church, this is the way we are called to see the Church.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-25044492144568606902017-01-02T13:54:00.001-05:002017-01-02T13:54:38.095-05:00Mary our Mother of the Church<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Saint Patrick’s Parish</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">December 31 / January 1, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010117.cfm">Link to the Sunday Readings</a></span></div>
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I want to begin today with a little logic syllogism – a logic equation; don’t worry it won’t be too difficult. If we believe that Christ is truly God-made-man, that will make his mother the mother of God. We also hold that Jesus Christ, God-made-man came in the flesh to set us free from sin, not to make us his slaves (in the way that we are otherwise slaves to sin) but rather, as Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians, we are made adoptive brothers and sisters of Jesus. So, if we are brothers and sisters of Jesus, and Jesus is the son of Mary, the mother of God, that makes Mary our mother as well. Now, my mother will be the first one to tell you that she isn’t perfect, that she is just as human as you and me, but I also have no doubt that she loves all her children very much. Mary, having been conceived without sin is the perfect mother, the ideal mother; and this doesn’t lessen the love that our mothers have for us, it is simply a perfection of that love. Likewise, God the Father is the perfect father, an example for all fathers to follow. </div>
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The importance of Mary Mother of God does not end with her example of loving motherhood; she is also a stand-in for the Church. We have heard a lot from the beginnings of the Gospels, but if we go to the end of John’s Gospel we have the scene of Christ on the cross with the beloved Apostle, John, there at the foot of the cross along with Mary. We hear in Sacred Scripture that they were the only two brave enough to be there for the crucifixion, and as they are there witnessing the horrors of the cross Jesus tells John, behold your mother, and to Mary, behold your son. One of Jesus’ final acts before he died was to make Mary the adoptive mother of John and in this way we see Mary not only as our adoptive mother but also the mother of the Church. Indeed, when thinking of the Church it is almost always possible for Mary, the mother of God, and the Catholic Church to be interchangeable. In fact, the Church is often referred to in the feminine; we speak of she and her when referencing the Church. We see this especially in the Eucharistic prayer, listen carefully, and you will hear the feminine pronouns. The Church loves her children as much as Mary, the perfect mother, loves all her children. The Church is not some cold human institution but a mother with warmth, kindness, love and mercy. The Church doesn’t want to tell her children no; instead, like any true mother, she wants to say yes to our efforts to fully live the lives we called to lead. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comparison of Bouguereau's <br />Mary with child Jesus and Mary Mother of Sorrows</td></tr>
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<br />I believe we hear of this love in our first reading, a reading from the Book of Numbers. Now the Book of Numbers is not known to be the most, well, lively of the books in Sacred Scripture – you might guess that from the title; but within that sometimes tedious book is the section we hear from today. This section is God’s instructions to Moses to tell Aaron, the first Jewish priest, on what they as priests are to say to the people. As a Catholic priest, I not only consider myself to be part of an unbroken line down from the Apostles, but also a continuation of the priesthood of Aaron and the Jewish priesthood that had come before. So as a continuation of that priesthood I think of these words as instruction on how I am to speak to the people of God: </div>
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Say to them:<br /> The Lord bless you and keep you!<br /> The Lord let his face shine upon you,<br /> and be gracious to you!<br /> The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!<br /> ~ Number 3:23-26</blockquote>
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If you ask me these are the words of a mother for her children, these are words that speak of love, compassion, kindness, and grace. These are the words that God speaks to his people through their mother, the Church. The Church is sometimes referred to as the bride of Christ, and her priests, acting in the person of Christ, also take her as their bride – that is how close the connection is between priests and the Church, our vocation is to her. </div>
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On this great Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God I think it might be a good time to make the New Year’s resolution to spend a little bit more time with your mother, the Church. Perhaps there is a teaching of the Church with which you are not sure if you agree. Perhaps you might want to look into a bit more, see why the Church teaches what she teaches; you may find that you have a preconceived notion about what the Church teaches upon investigating the deeper truths of the Catholic faith. The Church as our mother is a great gift from God, spend time with her, allow her love for you the chance to shine through.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01275401099482393585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3626438876492504353.post-33891255851295005142016-12-27T14:42:00.000-05:002017-01-02T14:01:41.959-05:00Belonging, Yet Not Belonging <h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Christmas Night Mass<br />Saint Patrick’s Parish</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dec. 24/25, 2016</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122516-midnight.cfm">Link to Readings</a></span></h3>
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I don’t believe I can even begin to count the number of times in my life when I felt like I didn’t belong, like I was out of place. Growing up I was a goofy kid, in many ways I’m still a goofy kid, but back then I was definitely a goofy kid. It’s a terrible feeling but a feeling that is all too human. One of the worst aspects of this feeling was the dread that someone else would also notice, that someone else might point out that I didn’t belong. If I were to pick one such episode from my life, it would be high school lunch. I was right where I belonged, according to my schedule that is, but there was frequently a large amount of anxiety over who I might sit with this time? How might I fit in today? I am all but certain that I wasn’t the only one to feel this way, but it felt like it. </div>
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Our Gospel today is full of examples of this tension between belonging and not belonging; of being exactly where one is supposed to be but not fitting into one’s surroundings. The first of these examples is Mary and Joseph. We hear about how in those days the great Emperor Caesar Augustus ordered that the entire Roman world be numbered, and so Joseph left his home in Nazareth and traveled to his ancestral homeland of Bethlehem. He arrived exactly where tradition told him he was supposed to be, but there was no room, no place for them to stay. They belonged there, but they were still out of place. </div>
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A second example is the shepherds, the first people, the only ones to whom the angels went to announce the birth of the Christ. Now I believe we often have an overly romantic vision regarding the shepherds of the ancient world. You can see evidence of this way of viewing the shepherds in our nativity scene. They just look so… nice, but believe me shepherds of that period were not nice. They were anything but nice. These were hard men who lived their lives out in nature. When people worried about night-time traveling they weren’t just concerned about robbers and killers, they were on the lookout for the shepherds as well. These men were often criminals, and they were often feared. </div>
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All the parents out there, I want you to think back to the birth of your first child. I want you to imagine a big guy coming to the door; perhaps he has tattoos on his face and even a large knife on his belt, and this intimidating stranger says that he wants to see your baby and that a bunch of angels has sent him no less! Just imagine! He doesn’t belong, and yet he does belong because the angels went to them and invited them, some of the lowliest and most feared people of that time. Saturday Night Live has often done a great job with their Christmas sketches and this year that had one of Mary and Joseph right after the birth of Jesus. Mary is, of course, exhausted after giving birth, but Joseph is more than happy to let anyone, and everyone, who comes to the door in to see the child while the whole scene dramatically embarrasses Mary. I believe this sketch helps to point out the tension between those who don’t belong and yet do belong. </div>
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The greatest example of this tension between belonging and not belonging is Jesus Christ himself. Amid all the tension surrounding his birth, God-made-man leaves the safety of the womb and enters the world. If anyone doesn’t belong in this scene, it would be him. There are of course aspects of a child being born in a stable which do not fit but much deeper than that the almighty God has decided to send his word to take on human flesh – the infinite and the finite have mixed. After 2,000 plus years of Christian worship, I think we miss the total audacity which is the Incarnation: God becoming man, perfectly God and yet also perfectly human. He doesn’t belong here, and yet he does all because he decided to, only God can make the impossible possible. </div>
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I believe this tension between not belonging and yet somehow belonging is near universal to the human experience. Just like in my example many of us wouldn’t have to think outside our experience of high school, either current or years ago, to recall that feels, that terrible feeling of not belonging even though you are right where you’re supposed to be. I have a term for this tension between belonging and yet not belonging and I want to take a second to see if you guess what I’m thinking of… my term for this tension is church, yes, church. None of us belong here; if we take an honest look at ourselves, we’ll see that we are all hypocrites and sinners. I know I am. There are also those ‘out there’ the ones out in the world who might look in and say ‘who do they think are? They’re just a bunch of sinners like the rest of us!’ I says that’s the point, that’s why we’re here, because we’re not perfect and just like the baby Jesus didn’t belong in that manger, and he certainly doesn’t belong among as flesh and blood; that same God-made-man who decided to belong where he didn’t belong makes the same decision to dwell in our hearts. God goes out of his way defying preconceived notions about where and with whom he belongs or doesn’t belong. My brothers and sisters, we belong exactly where we are, amongst other sinners and hypocrites just like us, and our God meets us right where we are.</div>
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