Thirty-Third Sunday In Ordinary Time
On this Sunday the readings traditionally speak about the end of the world, the end of time, the final coming of Jesus to take all peoples and all creation to himself. In the apocalyptic literature, such as the book of Daniel, we read of the sun and moon darkening, stars falling out of the sky, and the very “powers in the heavens” shaken at their core. In his stories the author used strong, vivid images his community could relate to. Mark wrote his gospel for his contemporaries who had experienced an apocalypse of their own. Their beloved Jerusalem and its sacred Temple had been destroyed. In our times we face our own trials and tests as we live out our Christian lives. Our commitment to Christ can cause us discomfort and even suffering. The gospel encourages Christians to remain strong and faithful during such times of duress and assures us that Jesus will be revealed as the real King and Lord of creation. Those who keep faith will come to a final vindication of all we trusted in – but did not yet see in our lifetimes. Keeping the faith, trusting and staying the course, having hope and confidence on the one hand, and a sense of seriousness and urgency about the present moment on the other hand- both are very important ingredients of the Christian life.
Jesus uses the fig tree to show how his return is as inevitable as the turning of the seasons. If he says something is going to happen, it will, in time, happen. Jesus keeps his promises. In scripture promise is an important part of God’s relationship with God’s people; it’s also known as covenant: a commitment on God’s part to humanity that also frequently involves humanity’s response. What promises has God made to you? How has God kept them? The only way is to live today and every day in his love and service. It is the present which determines the future; so let's just concentrate on the here and now. Then we already have entered the Lord's Kingdom and when, early or late, he comes to call us to himself, it will just be a reunion of old friends. In fact, he is already here and has always been and always will be. It is not that he will come to us but that we will enter into a deeper relationship with him when we pass through death to a different kind of life. T.S. Eliot said it best...what we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.
Make today count!
Father William
Thirty-Second Sunday In Ordinary Time
It’s a tale of two widows this Sunday. These stories zip by us so fast we may miss how incredibly strange they are. Yet they tell us something about real faith and real moral courage. They’re worth a second look to catch what they hold out for us. The first widow, whom Elijah encounters, shouldn’t be in the Bible to begin with. The thing is, she isn’t even a part of this story, technically speaking. This is the spiritual history of the Jewish people; she’s from Zarephath, in Sidon of Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon). In the gospel the poor widow showed her total devotion to God by giving “her whole livelihood.”
In praising the widow who gave her last two coins to the temple treasury, Jesus is not suggesting that you and I need to give away our last penny. Rather, Jesus acknowledges that it is often the poorest of the poor who show the greatest charity, who risk the most to be loving. Jesus criticized the scribes and priests not only because of their apparent stinginess in donating to the Temple, but also because people such as the widow were often made poor by those in power who laid religious taxes and excessive expectations upon them. It is the responsibility of governments, churches, and individuals not only to come to the relief of the poor but to prevent them from being crushed in the first place.
Think of a time when someone did something for you that was totally unexpected. It’s a wonderful feeling to get help when you really need it or to have someone do a huge favor for you. To receive assistance from another person also involves giving up control and depending on another. To have such an experience calls forth a profound sense of gratitude. That’s what Jesus did for the world. He gave himself for others so that all may live. All you have to do is accept that offer.
With these readings today, we could each ask for the grace to be able to give more - from deeper inside of us. How can we imagine being this generous, this free? We can only get closer to that place by asking for these graces boldly, by letting God love us into freedom, by letting our Lord convince us that our real happiness will be in letting go of more and more, and falling into the hands of a loving God - who keeps faith forever and who sets captives free. [Psalm 146]
Give from our abundance
Father William
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
What is a saint? How do you define the term? Whom do you think of when you think of saints? Today we remember the canonized saints of the church who are models of fidelity and “heroic lives of virtue.” Many among us also cherish the memories of our beloved dead who we believe are among God’s communion of saints. However, few of us realize that all of us who are members of the church are called “saints,” so today is, in fact, our feast day. It is a day to celebrate those who have gone before us, a day for gratitude for the lives of holy men and women who inspire and intercede for us, and a day to sustain us in our efforts to “live heroic lives of virtue.”
What it comes down to is that canonized saints are held up as examples of virtuous living for the whole church, but the saints of God are more numerous still. Catholics don’t worship saints. Worship and adoration are reserved for God alone. What we offer saints is veneration: due honors for their achievements. We also seek the intercession of saints: their spiritual assistance. Saint Dominic consoled his Dominican brothers at his death by reminding them: “Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.”
The Beatitudes describe the inhabitants of the kingdom of God: those who rely on God, grieve, are humble, and do God’s will; the merciful, peacemakers, and the persecuted. Not a bad description for all the saints—and those to whom God gives the fullness of life. You might also ask yourself who comes to mind when you think of those blessed in the gospel beatitudes: the poor in spirit, pure in heart, the merciful, sorrowing, honest, and the peacemakers, those who suffer for the sake of righteousness. What “vision of a great multitude” do you see? What are the blessings in your own life? Mother Teresa reminds us that Holiness is not the luxury of a few. It is a simple duty for you and for me.
Be whole and holy and live a be….attitude life
Father William