24th Sunday - Forgive as you have been forgiven -Really?

 Back in the saddle here after surgery.  Not completely but all has gone well and continues to do so.  God is good and his grace of healing comes through the care and concern and prayers of others.  I have been blessed and as time goes on and the healing continues, I pray for those who are not so fortunate or those who suffer far more than I have.  Those who may find themselves in long term chronic pain or certain physical limitations as a normal state of life for them.  Let us not forget our universal call to empathy, love and compassion. 

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So will my heavenly Father do to you . . . unless your forgive from your heart

Matthew 18: 21-35

The Wordhttps://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091326.cfm

In regards to this Sunday's powerful readings, in particular the Gospel from Matthew.  There is likely nothing more fundamental to human relationships than the ability to forgive one another.  We are broken people living in a broken world so we will at times either deliberately or without knowing it, say something or do somethings that will offend another. When it is on purpose that I direct my anger or retribution towards another, it becomes very ugly and can quickly damage a relationship maybe only temporarily or unfortunately, at time permanently.  People may go for weeks or even years holding a grudge against another for something they did.  

Granted, sometime the hurt is deep and one comes to the point of saying either we agree to disagree or I never want to see you again!  Such things are especially hurtful in families. 

Nonetheless, our Gospel this Sunday has a powerful lesson about this fundamental principle of forgiveness.  Peter, with the best of intentions, asks Jesus: "Lord, if my brother sins against me how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?" A good question from Peter who knows that seven times forgiveness is quite generous actually.  Or so he thought.

Jesus answer is telling: "I say to you not seven times but seventy-seven times."  Wow, can you imagine the look on Peter's face? Jesus multiplies Peter's offer beyond what may be reasonable or we might say natural and frames it in a parable to raise the leven of forgiveness from what we broken humans feel is generous to what God views is generous.

In otherwords, we are called to forgive as God forgives.  We will be judged not by our level of education or the balance in our checking account or bank deposits and investments but by our ability to forgive the other person and to treat them with the same level of mercy that I have received. And we all have received mercy from our compassionate God who sent his Son to save us and to forgive human sin.  

Jesus illustrates this with a parable about a servant who owed an absolutely enourmous amount of debt. So much that it would have taken him more than a hundred years to pay it off which would have been impossible. He pleads mercy from his master and he receives mercy as the master writes off the debt.  

But, this forgiven servant, while very grateful, sees no reason to apply the same mercy to a fellow servant who owed him much less.  Rather that offer what he received, he is unforgiving to the servant and demands repayment.  Talk about an ungrateful and selfish servant!

The master receives word of this and his former mercy now becomes judgment: "Pay back your debt through hard labor and incarceration."  He had no pity on that servant despite the extravagant amount of pity he recived earlier. 

Jesus last line to the parable is the point of our readings this Sunday: "So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."

Well, can the lesson be any clearer for us?  So, if you  have a grudge against someone, if you hold hatred in  your heart or whatever towards another, this is the Sunday to offer forgiveness.  To pray for the one who hurt you and to go to confession to be reconciled. God's mercy is always available in confession and while a resentful grudge is not on the level of more serious sin, it potentially could be.  Gossip, calumny (to purposefully injure the reputation of another maliciously), or anything related to this ugly sins, must be eliminated from our lives.  

Jesus warns us, our peace of mind and social harmony seeks it, and our search for holiness is at a dead end unless we open the gate to be people of mercy, not seven times but seventy seven times. Forgive with divine forgiveness and allow God to be the ultimate judge.  

On medical leave

 To my blog, family,

I’m going to be taking several weeks off due to surgery that I will be having this coming week and then some recovery time. The surgery is considered a low risk, but it’s something that needs to be done. That being said I probably won’t be having many blog entries for a number of weeks.

As I’ve said before, there are many great resources for Sunday reflections and I’m sure that you look at other places as I do. Our Catholic Church is so rich with knowledge and resources.

So keep me in your prayers as I will as well. Once I’m up and around, which should be before the end of September, I’ll be in touch again. God bless you all, and may the Lord grant us his peace healing, and the love.

Fr  Tim

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - A mother who comes home

 

Luke 1: 39-56

The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081526-Day

(Bartolome Esteban Murillo, circa 1860)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord

Taking a picture of a vast space with mountains or the Ocean or even standingbefore a large structure of some kind may be impressive but having a person stand in front of that scene even more gives perspective and depth to the main image.  The sheer vastness of the picture comes through by comparison of size. That mountain is enormous or the Ocean scene was impressive by comparison of size.  A small human being standing before something so immense makes an unforgettable impression. This weekend we celebrate the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed virgin Mary.

We might say that God is the immense image and standing before him was a simple Jewish woman.  The immense God chose the small and simple to bring about our salvation. Because of that, Mary can rightly say as we hear in the Gospel this weekend: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; . . . for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant . . . the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.”

Mary has become the immense figure because of God’s great work in and through her.  So today we remember the logical outcome at the completion of her life on earth and her eternal reward in heaven. And so, we hear: “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven."

With that one sentence, on November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared this infallible teaching of the Church that has since become part of the absolute truth of the Christian faith. However, this is not a new teaching only stated in 1950. It has been part of Christian belief reaching back to the time of the early Christians.

While the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary is present in Jerusalem, it does not claim to contain the body of the Blessed Mother. So, no tomb of Mary has ever been noted.  No pilgrimage to Marys gravesite has ever been organized or claimed. No relic of the Blessed Mother has ever existed or piece of her clothing or hair or such.  It was apparently a general and unquestioned belief in the Church for centuries but with Pius XII declaration it became a public and declared infallible dogma.

The rich deposit of faith in the Catholic Church is loaded with mystery and grace. What we believe is not there to restrict us or burden us but to enrich our lives as we journey as Mary did on this earth. To set us free to know, love and serve God more freely each day.

Among those beliefs, Dogmas of the Church, is the infallible definition on what happened to Mary after here earthly life was complete.  She was taken up to Heaven, body and soul, to remain there in glory and to intercede for humankind.

This was Mary’s reward for her obedience and absolute trust in the will of God for her life. She had played a significant role in the whole salvation event which Jesus had brought about for humanity and so was rewarded, by the singular grace of God, to be the first among humanity, to experience the fruits of the resurrection of Jesus. 

In other words, as Mary is now, united for all eternity in her body and soul, glorified beyond corruption and filled with grace, we hope to share in her glory at the end of time and after the final judgement and general resurrection by Christ. As Mary is now, we hope to become.  As the Opening prayer of the Mass for the Assumption states: . . . always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory. . .

While all of this is profoundly true, and may seem a bit heavy, the ultimate vocation of Mary is rooted in the common role of a mother. 

Did Mary have hopes of being wed, having children and experiencing a full Jewish home for her life?  Of course, she must have. She was planning a wedding when her life was interrupted by an angelic visitor and such was shared with her betrothed soon to be husband, Joseph. Mary wanted to be a mother and she was open to that possibility

The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to announce that she would be the human mother of the divine Son of God who would embrace humanity within her womb; a God/Man would be born of her; fully divine and fully human. A son of mystery but also a son of common humanity: God from God and light from light.

Marys “yes” was to be a mother unlike any mother but a human mother whose child was conceived strangely but with a natural human gestation period as the child developed through all of the normal human stages and then was born from her in the common human manner.  Did you ever wonder how much the baby Jesus weighed at birth?

Marys call to be one who would protect, would nurture, educate, discipline (if Jesus needed any?) love her husband and support him, wash dishes, prepare meals, enjoy the ordinary events of childhood and beyond with her son, engage in activities and conversation with local neighbors and celebrate Jewish customs, traditions, and stages of passage while reflecting on events in her life that puzzled her or made her wonder what God was up to.  Yet deeply Jewish along with her husband Joseph -righteous Jews who followed the law and awaited the Messiah.  Only later must she have come to the understanding that her role was far more than practical or biological only.

Like any parent, she shared anxiety and sorrow.  With her husband Joseph they were distraught at the seeming loss of Jesus when he could not be found for three days until they discovered him in the Jerusalem Temple.  There were certainly many joys and worries that she experienced along the way that are not in the Scriptures because of their common and ordinary expressions. 

Then her ultimate grief by the cross of her son when she was asked to share in her own passion and suffering as her son was brutally murdered in a public manner.  A “sword pierced her heart” as was predicted by Simeon when Jesus was presented in his infancy at the Temple.  

But now, on this feast of the Assumption, we see how God was preparing her to come home. Home where we are all destined.

Her whole orientation was to do whatever God asked of her: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38) she said to the angel and never stopped saying this her entire life. 

So, at the end her earthly life, because of her surrender to God’s will and her unique role in salvation history, she was taken up to heaven body and soul for eternity. 

A mother? Yes totally.  A model for all Christians? Very much. A unique and one-of-a-kind mother?  Absolutely. Now our spiritual mother who watches over all those who follow her son who constantly intercedes for humanity.  She is home not to rest or make chocolate chip cookies or to retire but to continue the work of her Son’s compassion, love and hope that one day we too will join her at our final home; heaven itself. 

Almighty, ever-living God,

who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary,

the Mother of your Son, 

body and soul into heavenly glory, grant

tht, always attentive to the things that are above,

we may merit to be sharers of her glory.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

your Son, who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

(Collect of Mass)

 

19th Sunday: Who's in your boat?

 

Credit: Culture Club/Contributor/Getty images

"Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid"

Matthew 14: 22-28

The Sunday Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080926.cfm

Almighty ever-living God,

whom, taught by the Holy Spirit, we dare to call our Father,

bring, we pray, to perfection in our hearts

the spirit of adoption as your sons and daughters,

that we may merit to enter into the inheritance

which you have promised.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the 

unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. 

(Sunday Collect)

This Sunday, our readings seem to be a combination of both turmoil and peace; kind of like our lives at times. On the one hand, we see the prophet Elijah standing on the mountain, hiding from those who have threatened his life, listening for God during violent natural forces:  strong and heavy rock crushing wind, an earthquake, a roaring fire – but God is not in any of those.  He whispers in Elijah’s ear a soft sound and the prophet covers his face in reverence. The message is that God is not always where you would expect to find him nor does he prefer to be a frightening force. Wherever there is fear, God is there.  

On the other hand, Peter and the disciples are caught in a fishing boat, a familiar place for most of them, amid a violent storm, terrified for their lives. They did not go out to fish but rather followed the urging of Jesus to get in the boat after the multiplication of the loaves event and head out to sea. 

Jesus dismissed the crowd, sent the disciples off in the boat to the other side of the lake, then went off to pray without them. Obviously, he wanted to be alone in prayer for some time, but more was on his mind as well.

A sudden storm on the sea of Galilee was not all that unusual but coming on in the middle of an especially dark night, it was an unsettling experience for these men who always felt vulnerable if Jesus was not present. Although they well knew the waters of Galilee it likely seemed odd that Jesus would not accompany them and had dismissed them so insistently. Now they feared for their lives.

In the darkness of the night, around 3 a.m., their fears were confirmed as wind and wave began to push back and Jesus came walking silently and calmly on the turbulent waters toward them!  From a distance, he created a ghostly appearance that would have frightened anyone.

They were understandably worried at the vision they saw on the water. It must be a spirit! Sailors in this time tended to be somewhat superstitious. Then Jesus calls out to the distraught disciples: “Take courage, it is I . . . “

Once identified, Peter boldly requests to defy the force of nature and walk on the water as well. 

Jesus simply invites him to leave the boat with one word: "Come.”  With all good intention despite Peter’s short lived then failed attempt, Jesus finally joins his terrified group in the boat as the wind and sea turn calm.  “It is I, do not be afraid,” he reassures them. Having grown up in the mid-west we were very familiar with summertime thunderstorms and tornados that would bring you to run for cover.  Yet, a safe and secure basement is more reassuring than a fishing boat on the open sea.

It strikes me these are powerful images which test both our faith and our preconceptions of God.  I think the real miracle here from our perspective is not so much that Jesus walked on the rolling waves.  We know who he is and what he can do as God by simply willing it. He walks on water in the open sea defying gravity, a law he himself created.

The real astonishing miracle is Peter’s bold request, as weak as it was. The ever sincere but impulsive Peter cries out to Jesus, as we at times cry out to God for relief from our suffering or complaining.  While the boat symbolizes the Church and the future turbulent times it will experience, Peter is a sign of all of us.

Today the powers of nature are not particularly mysterious anymore as scientists can determine what, when and how many things will happen. But the "why" question is not answered by science.  We can see certain conditions that bring an expected result, but why God permits such things may be answered only by faith which gives deeper meaning and purpose to our lives. What does this mean for us?

I feel we live now in a culture of fear, but we're called to be a people of faith. The state of fear and division of our day, which seems to be increasingly threatening to peace, we still hear the call of Jesus to “come” and to keep our eyes on him.

So, while it seems from our first reading, that Elijah and the Gospel scene of frightened disciples in the boat were helpless victims of natural forces, these stories hold a deeper reminder for us. Wind and fire, waves tossing into boats as the fishermen try to bail out the water before they sink is not really the main point of the story.  Turbulence, yes, but how do we respond in those rough time?  Do we give in to fear and hopelessness? Are we angry at God as to why he would allow such a thing in our lives? Do we take our eyes, mind and heart off the One who can calm the seas as he invites us to walk above the waves and to trust that with him, all will ultimately be well?

The tiny whispering sound in Elijah’s ear and Jesus’ own calm and silent unexpected display of divine power over his own creation is the key. That Peter walked on water toward Jesus, even for a short time, shows what faith can produce in us when we trust in the Lord's promise, "come." Can you imagine what the reaction of the disciples would have been if Peter had made it all the way and never sank? Peter at least understood the power that Jesus had and with a great act of love and trust, began to walk.  And, later continued to walk mightily in his ways.  Is God just a ghostly apparition for us or do we truly see and hear him in our lives now?

Is it too much to expect that our Lord really is with us in moments that we may find especially trying: the sudden loss of a loved one; the separation of divorce, bad news from the doctor, the loss of a job for no clear reason, a son or daughter who decides to leave the Church all together, a desperately alcoholic husband or wife who simply lives in constant denial while the innocent suffer in the family.

We don’t ever have to apologize for being Catholic and for following the teachings of our faith no matter how unpopular they may be.  We can attend Mass despite even our neighbors or family who may consider us excessively religious.  We can see not just the sins of the Church, but the heroic virtues and good works done in the name of the Gospel.

We can walk on all kinds of water, even now, if we only trust and pray even when we doubt.  “Keep your eyes on me,” Jesus calls. It’s not too much to ask.  “Come” Jesus says – “Follow me.” Not fear but faith.