Tag Archives: Sermons

Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025

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Rev. James M. DiLuzio CSP

The Gospel was, is, and always will be the GREAT REVERSAL, a re-ordering of the flawed foundations of society. God designed it to “go against the grain,” “swim against the downstream flow,” insisting that in every age “death and resurrection,” or, in secular terms, “improvements in the human condition and mindset in confluence with the True God,” be achieved. The goal, of course, is PEACE, JUSTICE, HARMONY, RECIPROCITY AMONG PEOPLES united in Love of God and Neighbor. But Jesus, ever-the-realist as affirmed by the beautiful phrase in John’s Gospel, chapter 2: who “did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well,” recognized true peace comes with a price. The Crucifixion itself made that very clear.    

The Roman Empire did not welcome new perspectives on how to view human nature beyond their own vision of Emperor as god, and a hierarchy of aristocracy, soldiers, merchants, and plebians. Of course, the Holy Spirit is active in all times and places, and there were some Roman Senators inspired to act on behalf of the poor — mostly field hands and laborers, but that depended on individual Senator’s personalities and his political objectives. Beyond that, should “the lowly be lifted up,” according to the Virgin Mary’s MAGNIFICAT, the needs of the poor could be considered treachery. Moreover, Rome was wary of Jewish prophets and religious leaders –often suspect of sedition. Add to that, Jesus was critical of aspects of the Temple Cult –as were some pharisees at that time—and criticism, should it be realized, would prove detrimental to  both the Sadducees and the Romans in their delicate, frail, and fragile collaboration on taxes, tourism, immigration and other matters.         

But the “blazing fire” and ruptures to family life – ‘father against son; mother against daughter” that Jesus anticipates here is the age-old disruption of differing religious and political views within a family, among neighbors, and within society at large. Even before Jesus, the diversity in Jewish beliefs and practices caused friction withing the religious and political realms. The Hebrew Scriptures and the Gospels make clear that  people differed on Messianic expectations, and in a belief in life after death. Roman paganism highlighted eternity only for Emperors and an elite group, and belief in Resurrection from the dead was a public conflict between Sadducees and Pharisees. When some members of a family insisted on Jesus as Messiah who rose from the dead – well, claiming certainty about these matters provoked great conflict. 

These and other religious, social and political contentions are evident in our times as well–when religion and political discussions are either avoided, conclude in brutal condescension, or erupt violent altercations emotionally and/or physically–we have a sense on what Jesus meant. THE GOSPEL’s Great Reversal is an insistence that Christian Values of Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes – extensions and clarification of the Two Great Commandments: Love of God and Love of Neighbor as we love ourselves and care for our families, must remain the foundation of life. For our faith to be practiced diligently, we must evaluate issues of economy, labor, religious freedom, social norms on the Golden Rule criteria. No society past or present has fully realized these essential Gospel values. How may we contribute to their advancement in our life span? That is the essential Catholic question for today. For until that time when all societal, communal, and international laws and practices are continually evaluated by Love of God and Neighbor, patient perseverance and HOPE must remain steadfast. Indeed, we all have a good deal of work ahead putting our faith into practice, and Jesus will help us through sacrament and inspiration.   And this is the Jubilee Year of HOPE to help solidify  this concept in our hearts and minds. In this era of constant scapegoating — blaming individuals or groups for all our problems rather than collaborating on addressing the issues, no one person or group warrants Crucifixion or its counterparts in prejudice, or the human causes or emotional and physical suffering for the advancement of others, don’t you agree? 

Remember, the prophet Jeremiah suffered for speaking out on God’s behalf – thrown as he was into a cistern of mud, and, if we truly believe Jesus died “once for all,” alleviating suffering remains the challenge for our age, too.  We must not be afraid. Let these words from today’s Letter to the Hebrews echo in our hearts: “In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood,” knowing that Jesus did resist, and shares his body and blood with us to strengthen in us courage, faith, hope, and love. 

GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY HOMILY

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Homily by Fr. James DiLuzio 

We live in an angry age. Disputes abound. Collaboration is labeled “compromise” –now an almost derogatory word as if one is “selling oneself out,” and people work so hard to manifest their “brand,” that they dig their heels into the ground, unmovable, intractable, hard-pressed any dimension of our basic, common humanity. Who can lead us out of the single-minded confines of our own willfulness? 

In another angry time, the Catholic Church was fearful of change. Almost every attempt at spiritual renewal was suspect. Onto that 13th century stage appeared two who would eventually become Saints. Their names were Francis and Dominic, each with new vision of God’s care for us, a new emphasis on how to address some of the problems of their age. One of the stories about Saint Francis continues to offer insights. Entitled  “The Tale of the Wolf of Gubbio.”  Gubbio was and is an Italian  village, in the Umbria region of Italy.  At that time, a  wolf was terrorizing  the entire population, attacking sheep, chickens, howling nightly inhibiting sleep, growling so forcefully that all were afeared of going out at night to visit their relatives and neighbors. For the longest time, they commissioned their best hunters, expert marksmen to hunt the wolf and rid them of it, but to no avail.  

Eventually word of a holy man who praised God continually for life—human life and the life of all creatures, who allegedly spoke to animals, reached their village. After much prayer and penance, almost miraculously, some villagers encountered  Francis walking in the forest. Explaining their situation with heartfelt urgency, they pleaded with Francis to come to their aid. Looking lovingly upon them all and said, “Feed your wolf.”  What? was their incredulous reply.  “Feed your wolf,”  is all he said. 

 That night villagers put plates of their leftovers on every doorstep. The wolf’s howling ceased. The next night, in thanksgiving, they placed choice meats and vegetables, and not a sheep was lost. The third night, no sounds from the hen house, and in the morning, they found Francis in the town square, the wolf bowing before the Saint. The wolf became the friend of Gubbio and good be found gnawing on bones and choice meats at all the village festivals. Ω

“Who is the wolf in this story?”  Who is the wolf? “WE are the Wolf.”  Who will  feed us in our anger, our confusion, our fears?  Who will free us from our hateful thoughts?  Today is  Good Shepherd Sunday, reminding is we have here one—and only one– acceptable answer:  Jesus, our Christ. Jesus  took on every aspect of our human nature, underwent every temptation to say to our angry selves: “Hello. I know you — everything about you. Even as you dwell in your dark abode, I have love for you, and I will patiently guide you through every wicked thought, every hopeless feeling. I will fulfill for you, even now, the words of the 23rdPsalm: “Yea though you walk in the valley of death, I will be at your side, to guide you through your anger and temptations to hate, to rage, to despair,” not with condemnation but with redemption. You, too, shall be resurrected. 

Do we think our times are any different from Jesus’ times, or different from any other century “in the course of human events?” Violence, hate, prejudice, fear, human willfulness,  are everywhere and always will be taking hold of us, and others—whenever we are at our most desperate. Fear, lack of trust in God’s timing, God’s providence, frequent failures to acknowledge a vibrant Holy Spirit present amid sin and sadness, instead we lash out, howling  like hungry wolves, losing lost touch with our common humanity. Now is the time we stop justifying our wrath as if we are participating in the wrath of God? The Wrath of God? “Judgement is Mine,” says the Lord, and  Jesus makes clear that “The wrath of God” nothing more than “zeal for souls.”  That’s your soul. That’s mine. 

Jesus  doesn’t condemn us for these thought and feelings, but he does ask us to work with him before we act upon them. Therefore, we need not be afraid to bring even our darkest thoughts and vengeful wishes to Him in prayer, in meditation, and in confession be a priest or anyone we can trust. Saint Paul repeated confirmed time and time again, “Nothing separates from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus.”  Let’s admit, only weeks ago, we cried “Crucify Him, Crucify Him,” and now, in this Fourth week of Easter and Jesus says to us, “Let me Resurrect you. Let me bring you to fullness of life and the peace that only I can give.” He does this by feeding us. He feeds us with His Very Being, in this and every Eucharist.  If we let Him, He will shepherd us today, tomorrow, and the next day, just as He did for the disciples before and after His Resurrection, even as they found, and we, too, may find ourselves in an angry world.

LIVING IN THE ETERNAL NOW

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GOSPEL OF JOHN 3: “everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

From anxiety to eternity, fear to freedom

At waking, before the demands of the day enter our consciousness, we know who we are and who we are before God. Our being is one with Being, with God, I AM. This is a window into eternity; this is heaven come down to earth. This is eternal life’s prelude. The journey of Faith from Lent to Easter insists we keep cultivating this heavenly reality every day, every week, every month – beyond any liturgical season, every year of our lives.  How can this be done? Not by our own merits, but our openness to grace, to allow ourselves to be caught up in the eternal verities. 

The Scriptures tell us Abraham surrendered in just that way, in the passage about the STARS in THE SKY. Recall:  

GENESIS 15: GOD’S PROMISE TO ABRAHAM

  • But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, if I die childless and have only a servant of my household, Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a servant of my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: No, that one will not be your heir; your own offspring will be your heir.  5 He took him outside and said: Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, he added, will your descendants be. 6 Abram put his faith in the Lord, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness.[b]

At first, Abram’s encounter with God was all about Abram – Abram’s concerns, what Abram needed, what Abram was lacking. But then he silenced his own voice and listened to God. The vision of the Stars of heaven helped faith take hold.  Hope became a reality to be lived, savored, and returned to time and time again.

In our first reading we heard the misery of the people exiled, strangers in strange lands. Yet they did not become so caught up in their misery not to recognize the voice of God in a new empire arising: Cyrus, the Persian, inviting people to return to their own lands and worship their own God. Some will choose to stay in their misery, some will return and find new life. 

Analogous events are presented to us every day. Not to get so caught up in our woes and misfortunes that we miss the call to choose hope and PEACE in the moment –a vision of eternity accessible in the here and now. Yes, God’s realm, “the kingdom” requires our attention, and eternity will tend to us if we get out of our own way. The Sacraments are our opportunities to experience heaven here and now, and our touchstones to feel heaven’s presence again, later today, tomorrow, and the next day. One hour of peace a week is not enough for anyone! We must surrender to Christ’s peace continually. This is what Saint Paul meant when he wrote “you will be saved by faith.”

This is what the Church means when she says the Sacraments engage us in eternal verities.  Of course, it is not a matter of our concentration alone. No, it is  – far more a surrender to the Christ who knows our humanity better than we do. The best we can do is admit our distractions, worries, fears at Mass, and merge them into our prayer, consciously asking  Jesus for His help in making us present to deeper realities—seeing our needs in a bigger context.  

A PARENT with an infant: first objective may be to get the child to sleep so mom or dad could get back to  paying bills, or cleaning up dinner, or making phone calls. But when the child smiles and stares into their eyes, they have an opportunity for something greater. There’s eternity in the child’s smile, his or her sparkling eyes. All the work to be done can vanishes from their minds if they let it. If they do – and it is always a choice – they will find themselves in the perfect present – that’s eternity’s realm. If they are smart, they will savor it. They will hear Jesus say, “have faith in God, and faith in me, we are engaging you in eternity.” 

And should the child cry uncontrollably, while they are trying everything possible to soothe and comfort, they might do well to think beyond that moment and recognize in one infants’ pain or fear, the pain, and fears of the universe — the cries of victims of war, of hostage, of insult and degradation. 

Perhaps, with this larger image in mind, think and feel beyond their own frustration, their own fears. Then, they may experience both irony and mystery as the parents find themselves crying along with their infant. And with that vulnerability, of feeling out-of-control, they just might allow the voice of Jesus to say again and again: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” That is when the best decisions can be made = be it for a crying child, for the parent, for anybody in distress. 

We must bring the words of Jesus to heart time and time again. Life comprises far more than just our personal thinking and doing. There is Jesus’s words and ways of thinking that insist eternity is waiting for us in the here and now. The Kingdom of God is at hand. 

Remember the words of the biblical Job, who, in the midst of his suffering cries out: “I will see God:27 I will see for myself, my own eyes, not another’s, will behold him: my inmost being is consumed with longing.”   Eternity beckons even in the most difficult of situations. 

Jesus’ words to Nicodemus are for us, too. But we must believe them, internalize them, appeal to them, surrender to them: “so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Lord, we believe! And help our unbelief!  

NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS 

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A Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2024 by Fr. James DiLuzio  

Kate Chopin, a Catholic and early feminist writer of the late 1800’s, authored a short story entitled BEYOND THE BAYOU. La Folle, an African American Creole, is thirty-five years old. She lives alone, self-sufficient working her plot of land, but never crossing the bayou to engage with the world beyond her cabin. Yet she knows, that beyond a stretch of woods, the waterway that she sees is shallow, sometimes nothing more than wet sand. One could walk across it easily. Never mind! She was content, and pleased to welcome people who occasionally came to her home.  

Twenty years before our story takes place, the son of the plantation owner for whom she worked, was wounded in a gun accident in the woods. He ran to her cabin for relief. She nursed the boy into recovery.  

Now fully grown, this boy became the plantation owner himself, and, with life-long gratitude, visits La Folle  often with his wife and children. She becomes exceptionally fond of his ten-year-old son whom she calls “Cherie.” Like his father before him, Cherie goes hunting with his rifle. And he, unlike his father, brings La Folle various game, and, in return, she bakes him cakes which they eat together.  

One day, she hears his cries in the woods. Running to him from her cabin, she finds him gravely injured. His is a wound she cannot heal.  

She picks up the ten-year-old and runs frantically across the bayou for the first time in her life toward Cherie’s family home on the opposite shore. Responding to her screams, the family takes the child from her just as La Folle collapses from exhaustion. The incident leaves her near-death, but in time she recovers.  

Soon afterward, she walks across the bayou, now more casually taking in the scene, appreciating the breeze, the sounds of life all around her. She crosses to  

see Cherie, who is improving, but remains in a state of recovery. When she arrives, his parents tell her he is  

sleeping, but she chooses to wait. It is a Sunday morning, and our story concludes as La Folle sits on the front porch of the family’s house, gazing at the sunrise that hovers up and over the bayou, beyond the trees, above her cabin, smiling as she responds to the golden glow.  

Lovely story, isn’t it? Sometimes it takes a harrowing event, but change will come. Change is inevitable sometimes because of, sometimes despite us. Through necessity or by sheer will, we must claim a new set of priorities for ourselves and others. Jesus tells us repeatedly, “Your vision has to change.”  

The person with leprosy in today’s gospel was ready for change. He saw Jesus in ways that other people did not. And Jesus saw the sick fellow as others did not. One might say this alternate vision, distinct from the commonplace, brought about the person’s healing. Indeed, a different point of view can make a world of difference. 

We have heard today’s Gospel dozens of times, haven’t we? And yet disciples remain startled that Jesus says to the man after he heals him, “Tell no one.”  Why? Why would Jesus say that? The patient is healed. Reborn. Shout it out! Scream “Hallelujah!” No. Instead, Jesus says, “tell no one, “Because he is trying to convey our need to “To Wait.” “Tarry a little.” “To Ponder it.”  

Remember all the nameless people in the Gospels are meant to convey EVERYONE. So, Jesus is saying to the man and to us: 

“Think! This healing is not about You—even though it has begun with you. This healing is not about me—even though it comes through me. Your recovery is an experience of GOD. Everything is about GOD! It is a miracle, but miracles are not ends in themselves; they are beginnings. They are overtures to faith, hope, and love that originates in God.  

So, when we hear a story of a Miracle, know that Jesus is inviting us to look at the world in new way. Miracles are meant to inspire us to new ways of living. Ponder that! 

And while we are pondering this, the Gospel says Jesus tells the man: “Go show yourself to the priest.” In other words, “follow traditions, follow the religious laws and requirements of our faith, but know that even our practices, our rituals are not ends in themselves but God-decreed conduits for change, for something beyond the ordinary. They are vehicles of transportation to a heavenly realm – so that as Jesus lifts us up into a communion with the Saints, heaven comes down to earth, and we see God WITH US in all things.”  

Because God is with us in Christmas and ORDINARY TIME, in miracles and in the mundane, we can see better, live better, choose better. Through sacraments and prayer and lives lived well, Jesus beckons us beyond the world of might makes right, of intimidation, judgments, and cruelty to transform it into the Kingdom of God.  

Franciscan Friar and author Richard Rohr reminds us that the world operates at the lowest degrees of human nature. Societies often employ “the lowest level of motivations to get things going, particularly “rewards-and-punishments.” Jesus knew that this framework can only take us so far. True self-esteem and motivation must come from somewhere else. From someone else. Self-worth comes from God, and knowing each of us are part of God’s grandeur, and a plan for a better world NOW and in the Future, beckoning at every sunrise, at every horizon. 

For only Christ’s love is true love. Only faith in Christ will motivate us to see the true goods there are in this world, and– yes, although there is a lot to discourage us, there is true good here. But we need to tend it, to help it grow. And what is not good, we need to change, and we can, and we will by the grace of God. 

Making a better NOW is the Gospel. The Good News. Dying and Rising is The Kingdom of God. Although we may be afraid of it, it is Jesus’ power of true life. The only fulfilling life. The gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT are in us to reclaim, to activate today, tomorrow, and the next day.  

It is time we see this world of ours as challenging but redeemable. We must LET LOVE HAPPEN. Lent is on the horizon. It is time for a CHANGE. We need to pick up our lifeless world and run with it. Go for the goal beyond the Superbowl. Allow the kingdom of God to take precedent NOW for a better future tomorrow. As you come to the Eucharistic table today, take and eat the Vision that is for you, for me, for everyone: the Kingdom of God is at hand. 

First Sunday of Advent 28 Nov. 2021

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By Fr. James DiLuzio C.S.P.

People of the Covenants – Jews and Christians thought the end of the world was upon them when Rome decimated the Great Temple of Jerusalem. Yet, disappointed that Messiah did not arrive, Judaism and Christianity persevered by the grace of God. Jews were saved because of their confidence in God’s faithfulness; Christians, because they believed that through all the turmoil, their Redemption was at hand.

In every age there are signs for us to interpret that engage our faith. In the Great Religious Revivals of the 19th century, many Americans thought an eclipse of the sun would inaugurate a Messianic Age.  By the “Third Great Awakening” from 1850 onward new forms of Christianity emerged: Christian Science, the Mormon Church, Pentecostal Christianity. Within the main line churches, Methodism flourished, and, within Catholicism, the Paulist Fathers were formed.  All were trying their best to address the turmoil of their times:  industrial revolutions, workers’ rights, and a host of other things.  Through it all, the people were determined to stand tall because of their faith in Jesus.  The legacies of their contributions are still with us, especially in a widely held Christian principle: that Christ will return once humanity has reformed the earth, when our surrender to God is complete and the biblical design of peace and harmony are accomplished.  Indeed, Jesus made it very clear that our heavenly goals will not be reached unless we cooperate with Grace to experience a little bit of heaven on earth.  The KINGDOM must be inaugurated before Messiah returns.  Why else would Jesus say “build my kingdom!”

That vision is for every time and place, but it must be rooted. We must always acknowledge the reality of sin—the human proclivity to cause harm. There is an inherent selfishness in humanity.  Jesus always acknowledged that. One of my favorite biblical phrases comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 2, vs 25: “Jesus did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.”  Knowing this, He came to SAVE.  Amazing how his grace is offered to all who choose to hold steadfast to Him.

ADVENT begins a new year, and the signs of our times are offering new opportunities for renewal, for re-commitment to Christ. Humility is key. We must humbly acknowledge we need a Savior! Keeping our sights on Jesus, let us examine some of our most recent trials and see how we can witness to others that this new Church year is a year of grace. 

In September we commemorated the 20th anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11. Back then, most of us thought that, after the shock, and hurt, and cries for vengeance, and, after the wars (has any war ever settled all the issues for which it was declared?), we would have settled down, and taken up the cross of peace-making. Instead, in this 21st century, our nation and much of the globe remains infected with hate mongering, scapegoating, and intolerance. Did you know that sociologists have recorded that although wars unite people against a common enemy, when wars are over, domestic violence, gangs, and scapegoating minorities and others increase at alarming rates in peace time economies? Obviously, the revenge against Al-Qaeda and Osama Ben Laden did not satisfy.  That is a sign for our times worthy of our consideration.

 And now, we have lived with almost two years of the Covid epidemic. People of good will prayed and hoped that international cooperation would have been exemplary; that remedies and established protocols would have assured all humanity access to vaccines — a gift of inspiration from our God to the medical community and the world. But that is not the totality of our experience. Although great progress is being made, sin still erupts; controversy ensues. Except for those who because of health issues could not and should not be vaccinated (a small percentage of the population), there were and are people in every nation boycotting wearing masks and refusing vaccines as an expression of their individuality. A very self-serving defiance rooted in a hostile ideology that cares not for neighbors, or elderly, or apparently the young and future generations. Worse, today’s news highlights new covid mutations and pockets of pandemic spread.  Add denial of the human imprint on climate change, and it is clear the mess we are in.

Indeed, one of the worst sins of our age is denial of the sins of the past, which, in a sense, is like saying “We don’t need a Savior. We’re doing perfectly fine for ourselves.” HA! 

To those who say “Stop telling us about the sins of our past. We’re tired of hearing of the rape of the land, violence against the natives, the terrors of slavery, the abuse of children in church and homes, and poverty and all the rest.”  To those people, we must ask, “Do you or do you not value the Bible as Divine Revelation?  If you do, take note: the Bible offers more examples of sin than of glory.  Most of the Bible’s inspiration comes from naming and learning from sin and selfishness, from very human mistakes to outright denial of God and Covenant.

 Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel—shall we expurgate their stories from the text? The Golden Calf and the rebellion of the Israelites –forget it?  Jesus reprimanding James and John for wanting to get special favors; arguments among the Apostles as to which among them shall be treated the greatest – immediately following the Last Supper and the First Eucharist? Yes, better to delete all of that.  Is there nothing to learn from Jesus calling Peter “Satan,” or from Peter’s threefold denial, or the lukewarm, nausea-inducing mediocre seven churches of Revelation?  

         WISDOM comes from Truth –not half-truths.  Conversion comes from humility. Yet, for all this, the Bible’s most foundational message is how much we are loved.  It takes humility to accept that God’s Covenant comes from care; God’s forgiveness reveals loving patience. Jesus’ humanity reveals we are not only fully known, but we are never alone. Jesus understands that most of our sins are rooted in desperation, fears, and ignorance. With love, patience, and understanding –the gifts of faith—Jesus says, follow me, sin no more, and assist others in accepting love.

Advent prepares us to take stock again as to where we have been and where we are going.  Don’t we want to gaze upon the Infant Jesus in the manger and say, “Dear Jesus, I’m learning, I’m growing. Your love is reaching me, teaching me, transforming me.”

Today, all our readings insist that, no matter the era we live in, no matter the strife in our lives, that love is hope for sinful people.  Yes, our Christian faith offers tremendous redress to all that ails us. This Eucharist, this very day, is yet another opportunity for us to surrender to LOVE.  That is God’s will. To accept it, is to accept Jesus, to follow Jesus, who, as Scripture says, “shall do what is right and just in the land” and take us in that same pursuit.  

Advent.  Don’t wait!  Surrender! Our world is waiting to be loved.

Homily: Jesus cleanses the temple area circa 27AD.

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Anger. S0 many things make us angry. Anger is a very natural human emotion.  Anger is not a sin.  What we do with our anger–how we express it– brings us into the realm of morality and sin. Still, far too often people justify temper tantrums and inappropriate expressions of anger citing Jesus’ banishing merchants and moneylenders from the temple.

But what Jesus exemplifies here is different from what happens when we get angry.  We must distinguish Jesus’ righteous anger from what we demonstrate due to wounded pride, selfishness, jealousies, or when we desire to intimidate, manipulate, or seek revenge. A careful study of the Scripture shows what appears as anger on Jesus’ part, is His ZEAL FOR GOD. That is why the disciples recall the passage of Psalm 69 and that is the difference.  This Gospel shows Jesus acting as God’s abiding Spirit insisting people internalize the outward sign of the temple to make their very lives temples of continual worship to God.    By the way, the reference here to “the JEWS” here, is not about an entire ethnic group. The ONLY way to interpret the phrase today is to apply it to anyone and everyone not concerned with deepening their relationship with God and others. It is a scandal that the Church did not emphasize this formally until Vatican Council of 1965.  But thankfully, we know this now, and we are obligated to assure that others know this, too. Now: back to Jesus’ Zeal for God and a properly God-oriented humanity.

Zeal for God is intimately aligned with the TEN COMMANDMENTS – the heart of restoring humanity to right relationship with God and others.  That is why we included a Reading of the Ten Commandments today. To become superficial with prayer, rites and rituals deprives us of the foundation of our true dignity –that everyone, all Creation belong to God.  Thus, business of temple sacrifices in 27 AD mirrors the business and activity in our 2021 lives, highlighting the sad truth that we often ignore our relationship with God.  The result:  superficial, hypocritical religion. Today’s Gospel insists we take note of “ROTE” and make a change!   

It is not that the money changers and animal merchants were so awful. Money exchange from Greek and Roman coins to Temple coins devoid of objectionable images was reasonable.  In fact, Jesus would have approved of not having coins with images that tempted people to make gods and goddesses of emperors, public officials, and civic leaders. We remain tempted to make gods and goddesses of many public figures today in all realms of government, sports, and the arts. We, too, must be on our guard!

And, as for the animal sacrifices, everything has its proper time. It was clear to Jesus that the time for animal sacrifices had come to an end.  The people had stayed too long in an early stage of their faith—substituting animal sacrifices in place of cultivating contrite hearts, repentant, humble ways of living. How often did the prophets of old proclaim that!  Jesus declared time to advance to a deeper, more intimate relationship with God and others had arrived because, the Christ was in their midst. 

When God is not the foundation of life, when we do not daily cultivate humility, thanksgiving, spiritual growth, repentance, and reconciliation, we must pray for ZEAL: the righteous anger of Jesus to be incarnated in ourselves.  Jesus’ ZEAL reflects an anger without judgement, an anger without hate, anger without condemnation—all the inappropriate ways to which we are so prone.  Although our angers often do not, Jesus’ Zeal always invites transformation, and spiritual renewal for everyone.  The ZEAL of Jesus is anger built on compassion—to orient people back to God and our genuine human dignity.

Today, therefore, this Gospel invites us to participate in the very justified movements such as Black Lives Matter; the LGBQT movement, ME TOO, Equal Rights, Equal Pay for Equal Work, and other important, transformative endeavors.  Not to have zeal for other’s rights is to devalue our won rights and dignity. Not to want to perpetuate the Kingdom of God for all, to cultivate Right Religion (freeing our faith from hypocrisy, superstition—and modeling ways for others to do the same), Right Government (freed from lies, illusions, arrogance, partisanship, and greed) makes prayer and religious observances superficial.  Rote religion deprives us of receptivity to the Grace Jesus offers freely, for GRACE and gratitude for grace are the true source of our human dignity.  

In these times of turmoil, as we strive to return to our true dignity, we must remember, too, that transformation may evoke violence in others because society is so threatened by transformative change. As it was in Jesus’ time, so it continues until now. In joining any just cause, we must first evaluate our personal angers in relation to Jesus’ ZEAL and, ultimately, patiently invite others to evaluate their angers and frustrations so that together we may explore healthy ways of converting our anger to cooperation for positive change. Still, confronting wrongdoing may require cracking a whip across a pillar –never upon human flesh and bone—because people must be called to attend to righteousness.  Otherwise, we all just go about our busy lives.  

What we know about Jesus throughout the Gospels and in centuries of faith development is that he while He used the whip to sound an alarm, he did not, could not inflict on others what was-and would-be inflicted upon him.  Note, John’s Gospel places Jesus’ Zeal at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  Once he exposed hypocrisy of superficial religion, he left the temple to heal, perform miracles, to preach with the blessed assurance, that everyone can belong, everyone can be mutually cared for. Indeed, spiritual ZEAL comprises patient endurance and compassion, saying to the corrupt, the defensive, the selfish, those who live in fear: “We know you were brought up this way!  We know fear and anger is evidenced on all sides.  Still, we know what is right, and what our God-given rights are. In our hearts, we think you know that, too.  Take responsibility for your past, join in a coalition for lives of faith, hope and love.” Things do not have to stay the way they are. Our past does not have to dictate our present or our future.  Today’s Eucharist offers Grace to you and me to restore us to the ZEAL that is Jesus’ mission.  Take and Eat. Go and do likewise.

Eyes of the Blind Must Be Opened

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Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily by Father James DiLuzio CSP for Saint Barnabas, Bronx, NY

When “the eyes of the blind be open be opened, and the ears of the deaf cleared:”  your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.

These words from Isaiah remind me of the story of Saint Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes who after the many visions of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception entered the convent of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers.  Most of the sisters welcomed her, but one, in a Superior’s role, took an instant disliking to the girl becoming woman because of Bernadette’s celebrity.  This sister ignored the fact that one of the reasons Bernadette sought religious life was to avoid all the attention that her apparitions of Mary, mother of God, brought to her and to focus on prayer and the virtues of penance.  Moreover, when Bernadette was later stricken with tuberculosis of the bone in her right knee, the pain of which caused her to limb in prayer processions, her Superior mocked and ridiculed her and accused her of seeking favor and pity from the other sisters. Only when the Superior’s eyes were opened to the extent of the disease that had spread and the physician’s verification that Bernadette was dying did the Superior move to compassion and repentance.  Her eyes were opened, and she spoke as an advocate for the young woman ever after, taking care of Bernadette for the remaining time of the Saint’s life until Bernadette died at the age of 35.

Take note, again, of Isaiah’s phrase: “Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,  he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.”

Clearly God is ever at work in the world, but human hearts and minds are so prone to ignore the signs, to override impulses of grace for more selfish motives.  The realities of evil, temptations toward the deadly sins of envy, pride so often thwart the kingdom which is way, dear disciples, that God’s will is not done “on earth as it is in heaven” until some breakthrough of Grace occurs.  That grace occurred in the waning year of Bernadette’s life, but it may not have occurred on earth, for the power of evil is great in this world, but, joyfully, it did.

Jesus perpetuated the realization of God’s will for the deaf man with the speech impediment.  The reality of the miracle is but our first entry into faith in Jesus –belief that God’s will does include the miraculous, not for show, not for excitement, but always for healing, for reconciling people back to health and true human dignity.  Jesus’ healing ministry also reconciles others to compassion and patience with the sick and suffering in our lives.

How can today’s Scriptures not bring us, once again, to attend to our institution’s failures to “see and hear”  regarding the suffering of minors—children and teens—for decades.

Some of us may experience weariness as the crisis unfolds, but we must not let weariness hide the sins nor the vindications and restitutions that must be fulfilled for our hierarchy’s  tragic failures.  And there is much work to do for those who suffer beyond the Church’s walls : in homes and schools and sports clubs and everywhere else where there are maladjusted, unhealthy adults preying upon the young and innocent –not only sexually, but physically, emotionally and spiritually. It must be apparent by now that the Church’s scandal is so closely aligned with the dynamics of incest evident in many families who have yet to seek justice, heal and reconcile because family members caved into to incredulity, fears of scandal, and, in those cases where victims were believed –insisted on secrecy  rather than truth.  That is what our bishops have done and it’s time they accept the full scope of the civil consequences of their actions.  And here’s the most important, of many reasons why:  when Church and families have the courage to bring the offenses of the innocent to light–no matter the rank and file of their perpetrators– victims have their suffering acknowledged and that, in and of itself is the necessary breakthrough that empowers healing and introduces hope.  Our Church could commission studies by psychologists and social workers on the tragic secrecy and denial dynamic—so harmful in that it prevents victims’ vindication.

 

I urge Catholics to be pro-active:  write our bishops with your feelings and your ideas on all that we can still do to transform our institutions and build on the progress we’ve made to ministering to those hurt by the Church.  Of course, we begin with ministries to minors abused by clergy, but there are many more abused emotionally and spiritually from negative Church encounters of other kinds.  Last week I myself wrote to Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal DeNardo, President  of the US Conference of Catholic of Bishops with suggestions I gleaned from many conversations with people from insightful articles in the news.

At the heart of these is the recommendation that Church Authority include far more lay people, professionals in all fields, especially women among them, and programs that will include life-long follow-up to victims of abuse—children, teens and young adults within the Church and outside of the Church because abuse of minors requires a life time for healing –and we owe them every opportunity.

The miracle of seeing and hearing the truth from victims and walking with them as Jesus walks with all of us will purify and strengthen all those who participate in these ministries.  We cannot afford to proclaim the Miracles of Jesus, the healing power of Jesus as we do today, and not participate in it.  Our Church has fallen into darkness once again  – as it has many times before during history –but you and I together must rekindle the light of Christ through our words and actions to all who suffer.  It’s now or never.

The Scripture Readings:

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 128

Reading 1IS 35:4-7A

Thus says the LORD:
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Streams will burst forth in the desert,
and rivers in the steppe.
The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

Responsorial Psalm  PS 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10

  1. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
    or:
    R. Alleluia.
    The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,
    secures justice for the oppressed,
    gives food to the hungry.
    The LORD sets captives free.
    R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
    or:
    R.Alleluia.
    The LORD gives sight to the blind;
    the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
    The LORD loves the just;
    the LORD protects strangers.
    R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
    or:
    R. Alleluia.
    The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains,
    but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
    The LORD shall reign forever;
    your God, O Zion, through all generations.
    Alleluia.
    R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
    or:
    R. Alleluia.

Reading 2JAS 2:1-5

My brothers and sisters, show no partiality
as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes
comes into your assembly,
and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes
and say, “Sit here, please, ”
while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves
and become judges with evil designs?

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.
Did not God choose those who are poor in the world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom
that he promised to those who love him?

Alleluia  CF. MT 4:23

  1. Alleluia, alleluia.
    Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
    and cured every disease among the people.
    R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel  MK 7:31-37

Again, Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished, and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

The HOMILY I Did Not Preach Sunday, August 26, 2018

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by Fr. James DiLuzio C.S.P.

Having prepared the text that appears several pages hence, I arrived at Saint Barnabas to find that a Propagation of the Faith Missionary was preaching at all the Masses. So instead, I offered a condensed version of what I had prepared to the congregation after we prayed the Closing Prayer.  This is what I said:

“Not having the opportunity to preach you to you today, I feel obliged to say that after all we have heard and seen in the news these past two weeks, I wish –and I’m sure I speak for your parish priests here –we all wish to say we care about your feelings and what you must be thinking in response  to Pennsylvania report. The scandal of child and teen abuse is something we’ve been living with for years now, but the Pennsylvania report gives numbers of cases and egregious accounts that accentuates the severity of the Church’s sins.  The Gospel today asks if we wish to return to a former way of life, and many of us wish we could.  We must remember Christ is with us through all things and that faith will get us through this scandal if we let it. Prayer is needed but so is action on our part to hold our leadership to greater accountability. I invite you to consider some of the following:

  1. Shall we urge our bishops in all Catholic diocese worldwide to release the secret papers listing the guilty priests and negligent bishops before more states require them to do so? Public confession and identification of the criminals in the Church is something we owe to victims because seeing names in print acknowledges the reality of their suffering which is an essential component of the healing process for most if not all. It should have been done long ago.  Tragically, our leaders abandoned us and abandoned Jesus, making Church as institution their God. We are a people called to serve, not to secrecy.
  2. The Church’s mission is not just to take care of our own but to serve the world. To accomplish both, its time our hierarchy open its doors to include lay professionals, especially women, from all sectors of society from psychology to medical, law enforcement, educational and spiritual leaders to address the full  scope of all that has happened in ways our bishops failed to do.  Furthermore, consider writing our bishops to initiate this kind of cooperative process so that ultimately universal standards of justice could be set for all victims regardless of their abilities or lack thereof to obtain legal counsel and to ultimately begin a process that could result in International standards for protection of children and teens, reparation for all victims of abuse and accepted standards for just penalties for perpetrators in churches, schools, scouts, sports, medical institutions in whatever context they are found.  Initiating and engaging this complex enterprise could mark a much-needed public penance on behalf of our leadership.

Time does not permit me offering more suggestions or details, but If anyone wishes to talk more about the PA report or anything related to what going, I offer to spend time with you after mass so please do not hesitate to approach me.   May God bless us to take prayerful action to transform our Church to a greater honesty and integrity reminding the hierarchy and ourselves that  we are the people who witness to the power of admission of sins as an essential way to encountering God.

 

Dear Readers: I was humbled by the assembly’s applause after my speech, and many thanked me afterwards although no one chose to speak with me at length.  For the time being, perhaps that is all that needs to be said.  However, if you want to delve further, what follows is the text  I would have preached at the liturgy of the Word:

 

The Gospel today states: “Many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

 

Jesus’ question applies to all the faithful in today’s world:  “Do we also want to leave?” Amidst the Pennsylvania report regarding the egregious numbers of priests abusing minors since 1940’s (along with some of the most abhorrent details), many of us are asking ourselves this very question.  Therefore, we must not eschew the topic at mass today, for this is our public sacrament addressing all the public and personal aspects of our life with Christ and one another. Indeed, today this same topic is being extended to Pope Francis’ mission to Ireland this week and the context of abuse there.  No, we cannot be put the topic aside today.

 

To begin, we must remember that Jesus is present to us even in our sins, even as we repeatedly encounter institutional shame. Christ within the body of the faithful must be our recourse in these awful times when evidence of our leaders’ failures  once again comes to light.  How many people, including priests, are experiencing despair today, thinking of abandoning the Church, discarding our faith,  feeling God has abandoned us? Such feelings are natural and inevitable in these times,  but faith compels us to accept a truth greater than what we feel: God never abandons us. Therefore, this ongoing public tragedy must become yet another occasion for us to deepen our relationship with Christ whose Truth alone will set us free.  Together we must petition the Holy Spirit for the courage to change the things we can to hold our leaders and our institutions accountable, to insist they lead us as they were meant to lead us: with honesty, with bold confession of their sins which alone allows for just amends to be made and merciful recompense to those they have harmed.  This is what our leaders have asked of us, we now continue to insist that they do the same. The faithful had to do this throughout the early church controversies, before and after the Reformation, the Inquisition and we must do it again. Let us reflect on how Jesus can help us address today’s  public scandal:

 

Admitting our wrongs has always been a hallmark of our faith.  Repentance is our path to Jesus NOW as it was in Biblical times beginning with the preaching of the prophets that culminated in John the Baptist:  Repent! In the early centuries of Christianity, often sinners were required to go public for serious crimes. The local communities compelled penitents to wear sackcloth and ashes at the entrance of churches until their penance and reparations were fulfilled. This concept is rooted in Jewish tradition, the grandfather of our faith. Remember the story of Jonah and the sinful City of Nineveh?  The whole metropolis put on sackcloth and ashes.  Knowing this our Church should have implemented public admittance of its guilt as the only fitting justice–long before the Pennsylvania government released its report.  Only public confession expresses genuine contrition from an institution, reflecting the sinners’ willingness to let God purify and transform it.  Furthermore,  it should have been evident by now that victims need to have their suffering acknowledged if they are to heal well.   Naming convicted perpetrators is also important because, as I have heard, many remain in reprehensible denial of the harm they caused. Their sin and their thinking need to be exposed and condemned.

 

As for our bishops who covered up and reassigned criminal priests, the fact that for decades they paid more attention to lawyers than victims adds yet another layer to our 20th and 21st century shame. The Church should be above that,  judging by today’s Gospel, our leaders abandoned Jesus and made Church-as-institution their God, neglecting a central Christian tenet that to confess our sins is the first step toward reconciliation with God and others. If poverty would be the result, well, as Jesus has said, “Blessed are the poor.”

 

In light of these insights, I propose we ask all Catholic diocese, world-wide, to  release the names of perpetrators and bishops who mishandled the situation so that all victims’ abuses can be formally acknowledge.  Then, at last, our Church would regain its integrity, demonstrating true contrition before all peoples–before state and federal government compels us to do so.   Only then can what the bishops have offered victims and their families— life-long professional counseling and financial recompense be placed in its proper context.  Hindsight also makes evident that faithful Church members would have handled bishops’ open confession of criminal priests without shame if announced at the onset.  Immediate public announcements would have prompted simultaneous change in canon law, priest policies and seminary formation at a much earlier point in this terrible saga and so much violence against innocents could have been prevented. Now, of course, the Church has instituted significant changes in policy and in education of priest and lay ministers that highlight child and teen protection and safety and alert the faithful to signs of dangers. Nevertheless,  the current issue remains:  how must the Church take responsibility for the sins of its past, especially its recent past?  How can the Catholic Church regain its credibility in our witness to Christ in this world?   Perhaps this sacramental Church of ours needs a ritual that acknowledges its institutional sins, that humbly and prayerfully embraces an institutional penance.  What would be the equivalent of sackcloth and ashes for guilty priests and bishops today? Here’s one possibility:

 

  • Guilty bishops could resign; guilty priests laicized in public rituals before being handed over to civil authorities. No one is above the law when laws are just, and victims cry out in pain.

 

Here’s something else we could do right here, right now:  insist that our Church hierarchy engage ecumenical, multi-faith, government officials and lay persons, victims and families to draft universal standards of recompense to victims that are compassionately fair and, at the same time,  clearly define just punishment for surviving perpetrators in both ecclesiastical and civil terms. Local and national  commission could be formed to include professional lay men and women in psychology and all behavioral sciences in addition to experts in education, spirituality, law enforcement, legal experts and other related fields.  The times call for  a heterogenous, diverse assembly of people to be convened  because Councils of Bishops need an interdisciplinary wisdom of men and women beyond its male hierarchy if they are to address the full scope of all that has happened to the people of God.  These convocations could produce a formal International agreement specifying just consequences for all forms of child and teen abuse that could be promulgated just as Human Rights are defined and promulgated and these consequences would be applied  to all domains where sexual abuse and all forms of violence against children, teens and adults occur – in homes, schools, youth clubs, sports, business and medical institutions, etc.  as well as churches with no exceptions. For when the same truths are articulated in all institutions and sectors of society, the prospects for acting upon and realizing TRUTH and Justice become more fully realized.  And remember, the Church is here to serve the world, not just itself.

 

Once Church and State agree on fair and just recompense to victims, and just punishment for perpetrators, statute of limitations on victims seeking justice could be lifted in all sectors of Church and Society—comprehensive with no exemptions. Because of the well-documented  trauma victims experience throughout their lives, it is time Church and State set things right in all situations, in all places for all people.

 

As God helps Church and Society recover, may our Church abandon its sinful pride, its propensity to defend itself and cling more closely to Jesus “who alone brings LIFE” –Life in its dimensions in and beyond this troubled world. Christians everywhere would do well to commit to the age-old Jesus Prayer on a daily basis:  “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Have Mercy on Us for We are Sinners”  and, now more than ever, we must add, “strengthen us to put true repentance, TRUE FAITH into action.”

 

FYI:  HERE are the Biblical Texts for Today’s Mass:

“Whom Shall We Serve?”

Readings for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b

Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,
summoning their elders, their leaders,
their judges, and their officers.
When they stood in ranks before God,
Joshua addressed all the people:
“If it does not please you to serve the LORD,
decide today whom you will serve,
the gods your fathers served beyond the River
or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling.
As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

But the people answered,
“Far be it from us to forsake the LORD
for the service of other gods.
For it was the LORD, our God,
who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt,
out of a state of slavery.
He performed those great miracles before our very eyes
and protected us along our entire journey
and among the peoples through whom we passed.
Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”

 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

  1. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
    I will bless the LORD at all times;
    his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
    Let my soul glory in the LORD;
    the lowly will hear me and be glad.
    R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
    The LORD has eyes for the just,
    and ears for their cry.
    The LORD confronts the evildoers,
    to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
    R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
    When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
    and from all their distress he rescues them.
    The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
    and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
    R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
    Many are the troubles of the just one,
    but out of them all the LORD delivers him;
    he watches over all his bones;
    not one of them shall be broken.
    R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2  5:2a, 25-32

Brothers and sisters:
Live in love, as Christ loved us.
Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the church
and handed himself over for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the church in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish.
So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one hates his own flesh
but rather nourishes and cherishes it,
even as Christ does the church,
because we are members of his body.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
This is a great mystery,
but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.

 

Alleluia Jn 6:63c, 68c

  1. Alleluia, alleluia.
    Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
    you have the words of everlasting life.
    R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel Jn 6:60-69

Many of Jesus’ disciples who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending
to where he was before?
It is the spirit that gives life,
while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.
And he said,
“For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

 

 

 

Know the Past to Improve the Future: Knowing Jesus

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Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time  Lectionary: 101

Reading 1 Ez 2:2-5  Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you.  But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!  And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house— they shall know that a prophet has been among them.they shall know that a prophet has been among them.

Responsorial Psalm  PS 123:1-2, 2, 3-4   Our souls are more than sated with the mockery of the arrogant, with the contempt of the proud.

Reading 2       2 COR 12:7-10  :     for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Gospel  MK 6:1-6   Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”  So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Two men rummaged through the remains of their deceased Uncle’s estate.  They happened upon a stack of canvas paintings, unframed, piled high in a corner.

“What a waste of money, buying all this junk” said the older brother to the younger. “He was a foolish man.”

“You didn’t know him as I knew him,” said the younger.  “He enjoyed supporting the locals, the shops that were on the verge of closing. Maybe some of these are worth something. I’m going to have them appraised.”

His brother retorted: “Don’t waste your time or your money. Not much of an inheritance. That’s all I can say,”

In time, the paintings were appraised.  Alas, all worthless, except for one. It brought a great price.

“Here’s your share,” said the younger to the older.

“It’s yours,” said the other. “I didn’t want any part of it.”

“If you knew him, you would know he wanted us both to have something from him. He was a very generous fellow.  Take it.”

He does.

The crowd in Jesus’ home town didn’t really know him.  They couldn’t have. Evidently, they didn’t take the time to know his story – Angels at his birth, light and revelations at his Baptism, conflict with religious authorities through which he stood his ground and healings that occurred through him in Capernaum and other villages south of the lake.

What’s more, they didn’t know their own stories very well.  Not necessarily their personal stories, but their collective stories; stories from the Torah and the prophets:  Remembrances of things past meant to inform the present.  Why were these stories recorded on scrolls if not for edification, for learning, for hope?  Inspiration and Wisdom to be gleaned from reviewing the conflicts among the great patriarchs, matriarchs, prophets and kings; Passovers of deliverance on more occasions than one; battles between good and evil within human hearts as much as among and between rival tribes and nations. They must not have personalized their own biblical and national histories, otherwise those stories of arrogance and humility, greed and generosity would have kept them constantly aware of the human condition ever in need redemption.

Ignorant or forgetful they were—probably  some combination of both—the people who dismissed Jesus. They reduced him to his contemporary family links. No one special. No one unique.  Didn’t they realize that negating Jesus’ uniqueness they were denying themselves of their own uniqueness, and their universal needs? How foolish they were.

How foolish are we!  It is essential that we  be mindful of our pasts if we are to live fully in the present.  I’m not speaking only of our personal pasts–our families’ pasts, but that of our nation and our biblical heritage as well.  These are the realities that impact our minds and hearts consciously and subconsciously every day; they are the realities that bring our need for Jesus and His communion of disciples—those on earth and in heaven—working together in prayer and action to  navigate the rights and wrongs, the truths, the lies, the generosity, the self-serving aspects of human nature and society in every generation, in every age.

The Good News is whether we know Jesus or not, whether we claim our identity and our heritage as His Disciples or not, His love and Wisdom is for everyone.  And, on wider circles, the same is true for God the Father as the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures reveal God – generous, kind and forgiving to all including the ungrateful, the clueless and the wicked.

Let’s face it, even we who know, we who follow Jesus and seek communion with him, exploring, discerning, illuminating Christ’s Spirit in ourselves and others, yes, even we could be more knowledgeable of Biblical, Church History and that of our nations.  All offer innumerable examples of virtues that triumphed, goodness that failed;  hospitality and selfishness, of peace and violence, the ever-constant approach / avoidance of God we all experience – a treasure chest of knowledge with great potential for Wisdom for today.

Come to the Eucharist today with a greater willingness to wrestle with our past—the failings of Saints and Nations as much as their successes. Gauge them alone and with others as to the degrees of our ancestors’ cooperation with God, with 10 Commandments, the extent of their  identification with Jesus and the Spirit.

Confident that Memory is one of God’s most vital gifts to humanity for Growth and Wisdom, may today’s mass motivate us to keep learning from our mistakes, acknowledging our ignorance, inspire us to know more who of we are, who we’ve been and what the signs of our times call us to be.  Pope Francis has written encyclicals that urge us to attend to care for the Environment and our relationship with the animal world (Laudato Si), to re-evaluate the way business and commerce commence (part of Lumen Fidei—light of faith—an encyclical that insists we engage the world not just our individual souls).  And let us not forget the 1986 US Bishops “Economic Justice for All” – so much of the wisdom and compassion of that document has yet to reconcile our culture to the values of Faith. Nor should we forget the warnings of Pope Saint John Paul II on that same topic: Centesimus Annus – on Capital, Labor and Catholic Social Teaching.

May we trust Christ’s indwelling in us will strengthen us to name the sins of the past, undo the damage done that continues to threaten the land, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the relationships among nations and within and among peoples. May faith, hope and love be strengthened in us through today’s sacrament, moving this entire generation of Christians forward –ever-ready, ever-willing to access every possible opportunity for GRACE, knowing that Christ Jesus and his truth make him not just yesterday’s Savior, but Our Savior for today, tomorrow and always.

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Sunday 4th of February 2018

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 Reading 1JB 7:1-4, 6-7

Job spoke, saying:
Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?

Responsorial PsalmPS 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

  1. (cf. 3a) Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

Reading 21 COR 9:16-19, 22-23

Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!

GospelMK 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, he left
and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues,
preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

It’s easy to fall into the existential angst of Job – “what does anything matter?” We let the words of Ecclesiastes echo repeatedly in our heads: “All is vanity. Life is meaningless.” When we’re in that state of mind, it is profitable to remember that faith insists that humanity needs a Savior.  God initiated a Covenant with mankind for this very purpose: deliverance from mere existence into fullness of life.

For us, the story of Jesus is a healing story.  It’s restorative, transformative.  Jesus’s destiny was and remains a healing ministry just as he healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law and myriad of others long ago.  But note Jesus’ exemplifies an essential aspect of his restorative technique right here in today’s Gospel for all of us to appreciate:  solitude: “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.”  We must remember that prayer does not / must not always include words.  Sometimes in our despair, words are even too much for us to bear.  Solidarity with God requires silence, too.  Here’s a perfect example from a story by religious sister and spiritual writer José Hobday:

“One summer Saturday when I was 12, I was waiting for my friend who wanted to come over. We had planned the morning together. She was quite late. I was fretting and complaining and generally making a nuisance of myself. In fact, I was becoming rather obnoxious to everyone else in the house.

“Finally, my father said to me ‘Get a book a blanket and an apple and get into the car!’ I wanted to know why, but he repeated the order. So, I obeyed. My father drove me about eight miles from home to a canyon area and said, ‘Now get out.  We cannot stand you any longer at home. You aren’t fit to live with.  Stay out here by yourself today until you understand better how to act. I’ll come back for you this evening.’

I got out, angry, frustrated and defiant. The nerve of him! I thought immediately of walking home.  Eight miles was no distance at all for me. Then the thought of meeting my father when I got there took hold and I changed my mind.

“I cried and threw the book, apple and blanket over the canyon ledge. I had been dumped and I was furious. But it is hard to keep up a good, rebellious cry with no audience, so finally, there was nothing to do but face up to the day alone.

“I sat on the rim, kicking the dirt and trying to get control of myself. After a couple of hours, as noon approached, I began to get hungry. I located the apple and climbed down to retrieve it– as well as the book and the blanket.  I climbed back up and as I came over the top, I noticed the piñon tree. It was lovely and full.
I spread the blanket in the shade, put the book under my head and began to eat the apple.  I was aware of a change of attitude. As I looked through the branches into the sky, a great sense of peace and beauty came to me.  The clouds sat in still puffs, the blue was endless; I began to take in their spaciousness. I thought about the way I had acted and why daddy had treated me so harshly.  Understanding began to come and I became more objective about my behavior. I found myself getting in touch with my feelings, with the world around me.

“Nature was my mother, holding me for comfort and healing. I became aware of being part of it all, and I found myself thinking of God. . .. I felt in communion with much that I could not know, but to which I was drawn.   .  .  Of touching the holy.

“By the time my father came to get me, I was restored.  Daddy did not press me about the day.  He asked no questions and I gave him no answers.  But I was different and we both knew it. . . Before I got out of the car, I thanked him.”

May we begin with a little more silence now then we usually do—that is, before we return to the words of The Creed.  And so, may the balance of this Mass increase our comfortability with solitude and the mystical presence of Jesus.