Tag Archives: Ordinary Time

“Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.  It will lead to your giving testimony.” 

What an outlook for the future!!  “They will seize and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.” 

WHY???

Because of my name!! 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus has some words that seem extremely harsh.  However, looking at history, his words are rather mild.  Christians have been persecuted and martyred for their belief in Jesus from today’s Gospel forward. 

When the disciples asked Jesus when this would happen, he replied: “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them!”  So how do we know who to follow?” 

Our church provides the answer for us.  We come to mass and bring our children to mass so we will learn the truth and know who to follow.  Our young people attend Sparks and Ignite where they too learn about Jesus and his love for each of us.  We send our children to Catholic school, so they learn the truth about who to follow, to learn from our Church’s catechism how to discern the truth.  We have our children attend Religious Education classes, so they learn who to follow.  We, as parents, teach our children what is right and what is wrong.  We teach them how to follow our Lord, Jesus Christ despite who the world around us follows. 

Our young adults gather to study and fellowship with each other so they can gain a greater knowledge of God’s plan for them and how to live their lives sharing God’ love with one another and everyone they meet. 

We adults have many opportunities in our parish to gather with others, to study together and learn more about Jesus and his teaching. 

We are fortunate here in the United States that we don’t fear for our lives because we are Christians.  We see persecution all around us.  There have been times in our country when Catholics were persecuted and even martyred for their faith.  Even today, some states single out Catholics because of our faith in the family unit as defined by God and our Church. 

In many parts of the world, Christians are persecuted and martyred because of their faith in Jesus.  This is happening in Gaza, in Nigeria, in the Soviet Union, China, and in many other countries.  Jesus predicted this in today’s Gospel.  Jesus also predicted: “There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”  Devastating typhoons, hurricanes, and earthquakes are happening all over the world.  The flooding from three feet of rain in twenty-four hours is something that we can only try to imagine.  To experience it is frightening beyond our comprehension and the devastation left behind these storms is impossible to capture in our minds. 

Hurricane Melissia unleashed high winds and rain on Jamica, Haiti, and some of the other islands in the Caribbean.  This hit close to home for us here at St Joseph Church.  The pictures from the area around the school we support in the Diocese of Mandeville Jamica seem unreal. 

Jesus said that this would happen but that we should not worry about what is happening in the world around us.  Why?  Because there is hope!  It’s so easy for us, in our comforts of this life, to forget that our life is not about here and now.  It is about the Kingdom of God and eternal life with Christ.  We live this life, serving God and helping others, to be able to enjoy eternal life with Christ. 

We pass our faith to our children and grandchildren to enable them to have the same hope in Christ when it seems as though the world is falling apart around us.  We pray for others, especially those who make unkind remarks about us, so we follow Jesus’ example of praying for our enemies despite their hatefulness toward us. 

Jesus also said that we should not worry about what to say when this happens.  The Holy Spirit will give us the words to witness for him.  Our reaction is to retaliate to the one who is causing our suffering.  The Holy Spirit will help us to reply with love and kindness. 

John Kavenaugh, a Jesuit wrote: “Yet Christ, seeming to anticipate our wonder, offered this advice: “Do not be perturbed. … These things are bound to happen.”  Bound to happen.  Life is bound to be this way.  He is not speaking about the end of all times, but the condition of every time.” 

He continued: “I believe there is at least one interpretation of apocalyptic literature (one far more solid than the endless announcements of the end of the world, based on occult reading of scripture) that takes such passages as revelations not so much of what is to come, but of what is now the case.”

Each day is the last.  Each time is the end time.  Each human being faces the end of the world in the span of a life, whether it reach eight minutes or eighty years.  The world, its opportunities and losses, passes away for us each night.  Every sunset announces a closing of a day that will never come again.  Each human death, …., is the curtain on an unrepeatable drama, which, without God, amounts to a tragedy.  Every generation, in some way, is the last, the termination.  And each generation, like each death and every day, witnesses the signs of the end times.” 

The verse from the Alleluia today is from the Gospel of Luke.  It tells us to “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” 

So, let us stand erect and raise our heads, regardless of what the world has to say.  Don’t worry about what is bound to happen in the world.  We know that Jesus is our hope, our life!  He will raise us to eternal life with him. 

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.  He then tells the parable of widow who keeps coming to a judge seeking a just decision against her adversary. 

The Jesuit, Fr. Dennis Hamm, emeritus professor of the New Testament at Creighton University in Omaha, wrote: “That widow in Jesus’ parable who kept badgering the judge to vindicate her cause – think of what she was up against.  As a widow in the Ancient Near East she is without resources.  Since the court of law (the city gates?) was entirely a male realm, we are to picture her as a lone woman amidst a noisy crowd of men.  An oft-quoted description of Near Eastern litigation describes a raucous crowd of clients competing for the attention of a judge, who is surrounded by an array of personal clerks.  Some clients gain access to the judge by supplying “fees” (bribes) to a particular clerk.  The rest simply clamor.  The fact that the woman is alone suggests that there is no male available in her extended family to plead her case.  She is very much alone in an intimidating situation.” 

What is more, the judge is described as one who neither fears God nor is capable of shame before men.  Presumably, he is moved only by bribery, and this woman is either unwilling or unable to use that means.  The only strategy available to her is persistence – which finally gets through to the irreverent and shameless judge.  He knows the woman is not going to give up; so, he gives in.” 

John Pilch wrote: “cultural insights urge more precise translations of this story to show why its popular title, “The Persistent Widow,” is inappropriate.  The word for “widow” in Hebrew means “silent one” or “one unable to speak.” In the patriarchal Mediterranean world males alone play a public role.  Women do not speak on their own behalf. 

A widow who has lost her husband and spokesperson to death is in an even worse condition if the eldest son is not married.  Because widows were not included in Hebrew laws on inheritance, they became common symbols of the exploited and oppressed. Prophets like Isaiah and Malachi criticized the harsh treatment they received, and throughout the Bible widows are viewed as being under the special protection of God. What finally moves the judge is not her persistence but rather that, literally translated, “she will end up giving me a black eye”.  The Greek word in that verse is borrowed from boxing. 

The Greek language also used the word figuratively to mean “blacken one’s face,” which means to publicly shame a person. The translation “wear me down” is incorrect and misses the entire point: “shame.”  By publicly badgering the judge every day, the woman repeatedly shames this shameless person. Who knows but, at some point, that she might not even poke him in the eye, literally? 

After all, in a culture where law-courts were not about justice but shaming others no matter what the cost, this judge would be damaged by the gossip report that a woman has shamed him.  He’d never live that down and couldn’t continue as judge.” 

John Pilch helps us to see the parable in the Gospel from a totally different perspective.  He continued: “The parable makes convincing sense in the Mediterranean world but may be less convincing in the modern world.”  Even though the parable may not have the same impact on us today, we are still conscious of shaming. 

How often do we perform an act or refrain from doing something, so we are not ashamed in front of others?  Peer pressure is tremendous and often makes us act based on what others might think of us.  This is especially true for young people in high school or middle school.  Tragically, some of our young people have committed suicide because of being shamed and bullied by others who are like the judge in today’s parable; they don’t care what anyone thinks of them if they are in charge. 

Shaming is as valid today as it was in ancient times.  Social media influences us more than we are willing to admit.  Realizing that our actions may be posted or ridiculed on Facebook makes us do what we would normally refrain from doing.  This applies to our personal lives as well as our work lives.  But it doesn’t have to be this way. 

In the second reading, Paul writes to Timothy: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, ….. proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching”. 

The parable tells us “For a long time, the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me, I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”  Now we can begin to understand why praying without ceasing has results.  Jesus said “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.  Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?  Will he be slow to answer them?  I tell you; he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.” 

Our problem is that we want justice in this world, but our battle is not earthly, it is spiritual.  Our battle is against evil, and our reward is eternal life in heaven with God. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the question: “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”  Think about that question for a moment. 

When Jesus comes, will he find anyone who believes in him?  When we look at the world today, we see ourselves and a few other faithful servants who believe in Jesus, and it ends there. 

Will we let peer, and social media pressure shame us into doing what we don’t want to do?  Let’s pray that we remain faithful in our faith until Jesus comes for us. 

Today the disease we fear the most is probably cancer.  In ancient times, the dreaded disease was leprosy.  If someone developed a spot on their skin, they were required to go show it to the priest and if the priest determined it was leprosy, it was in essence a death sentence. 

The person was required to remove themselves from contact with all people, including their families and friends.  For most, it meant a life of begging for food at the gate to the city or village and shouting “Unclean, Unclean” to anyone who came close to them.  For a Jew, this meant they could no longer go to the temple so there was no way to offer sacrifice and receive redemption. 

In today’s Gospel, ten lepers stood at a distance and shouted “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”  As we will soon learn the ten lepers consist of Jews and at least one Samaritan.  In their life of misery, their hatred for one another became insignificant in the scheme of living an extremely difficult life so they banded together begging for food and clothing. 

Jesus has pity on them.  He tells them to go show themselves to the priest and as they were going, they were cleansed of their leprosy.  Even the Samaritan would have gone to show himself to the priest because they were taught that salvation is from the God of the Jews.  As they were going, one of them realized that they were healed and returned to Jesus giving thanks for their healing. 

We know that all ten were cleansed because Jesus said “Ten were cleansed, were they not?  Where are the other nine?”  But only one returned to give thanks, and that one was a foreigner, a Samaritan. 

That means that the other nine were probably Jews and had the most to gain from their healing.  They could now associate with others and go into the temple to worship and offer sacrifice for their sins.  We don’t know if they gave the required sacrifice of thanksgiving for their healing after they showed themselves to the priest, but only the Samaritan returned to Jesus praising and giving thanks to God for healing. 

We are truly blessed.  We live in a nation with more freedoms and a better living standard than any in the world.  Despite the turmoil and polarization in our political system, we are the richest in the world in terms of freedom and wealth.  The poor in the United States have so much more than the poor in the rest of the world, and middle-class Americans live in a standard that only the wealthiest have in many nations of the world. 

How often do we give thanks for these blessings?  Are we like the other nine lepers?  Do we complain about the issues and the hardships of life instead of giving thanks for the blessings we have received? 

Today’s Psalm reads: “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God.  Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands: break into song; sing praise.” 

Indeed, the rest of the world envies the freedom and wealth that we have received from our God.  That is why so many millions want to come to the United States even if they feel the only way into the country is illegal.  We must give thanks for the blessings we have received from God! 

Our culture teaches us that the only way to get ahead is to work, work, work.  The stress of trying to be the best at any cost wears us down until we are unhappy with life and complain about everything.  We become difficult to live with and for others to be around. 

Even with all the turmoil and polarization within our nation, we have so much to thank God for all the blessings we have received from him.  Let us always remember to give thanks for these blessings we have received from his bounty. 

The verse from the Alleluia today reminds us “In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”  God wants us to have these blessings and wants us to give him thanks for them. 

God gave us the gift of his Son, who gave his life on the cross that we might have forgiveness of our sins.  Christ rose from the tomb to defeat death and give us eternal life.  It is imperative that we give thanks to God for his many blessings, especially his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ who gives us eternal life. 

Today’s Gospel tells us that great crowds were following Jesus, and he addressed the crowds with the following words: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” 

Wow!!

These seem harsh and so they are.  But let’s look at the culture of the day to understand the meaning for a person from that culture.  John Pilch tells us that Jesus has been invited for a meal at the home of a leading Pharisee.  The cultural world of Jesus required that people, especially the elite, “eat with their own kind, within their own class.” 

The fact that Jesus is often a guest of Pharisees has led some scholars to suggest that Jesus himself was a Pharisee.  Whatever the case, he never failed to challenge their beliefs and practices in the interest of offering better alternatives. 

This Middle-Eastern understanding of “meals” helps a “foreigner” to understand Jesus’ comments on discipleship in today’s reading, 

A follower of Jesus who ceased “networking” by means of meals would jeopardize a family’s very existence.  The disciple must then choose between allegiance to the family and allegiance to Jesus. 

Choosing Jesus is thus equivalent to letting one’s family go, “hating” the family.  Hate is more suitably translated “prefer,” that is, one who “hates” family actually prefers another group to the family. 

Recall the tight-knit nature of the Middle-Eastern family. The ideal marriage partner is a first cousin.  Sons, married and single, remain with the father.  Everyone “controls” one another. 

Life in these circumstances can be very stifling, very suffocating.  Following Jesus and joining a new, fictive family would be very liberating and exhilarating. 

There is, of course, a price to pay for such freedom.  In the Middle East, the main rule of behavior is: family first!  A disciple who deliberately cuts ties with family and social network will lose the ordinary means of making a living. This is the “economic cross” the disciple has chosen to carry. 

True, by joining a new, fictive family consisting of other disciples of Jesus, a “family-hating” person presumably has a new source of livelihood. 

No longer able to make claims to a livelihood based on blood ties and advantageous social network, members of this new fictive family have to rely on “hospitality,” which in the Middle East is extended exclusively by strangers to strangers.  This risk-filled option is quite a cross to carry. 

Clearly, a disciple who has accepted these challenging exhortations will effectively have given up everything.  Therefore, a would-be disciple must seriously calculate the costs. 

Two brief parables (about construction and waging war) drive this point home.  Anyone who weakens and abandons this determination will become the butt of ridicule and shame.  A disciple must remain firmly committed. 

The behavior Jesus proposes is liberating and heroic but costly.  Jesus’ attitude toward family values gives his followers much to think about. 

Now that we have a better understanding of the culture of that time from John Pilch, we can understand the true meaning of giving up everything. 

Let’s look at today’s culture and how that applies in our lives.  Our families here in The United States are not as tightly controlled as the families in Jesus’ time.  Some cultures still have that tight family bond and are controlled by the patriarch or the matriarch depending on the culture. 

Think about the networking of the individuals through meals today.  To be successful we are told that we must network and know the right people.  The way to do that is by playing golf, tennis, or some other activity that brings us in contact with others. 

Showing up at Social Hour at certain clubs, bars, or country clubs helps us make those connections.  Are we really any different from the people Jesus was addressing in today’s Gospel? 

What happens if we don’t play the game to make the contacts and be in the “Right” crowd?  As John Pilch told us, there are two parables about construction and war that drive the point home. 

Whether we are doctors, attorneys, in sales or management, we are expected to follow these rules or face the consequences; passed over for promotion, shut out, or looked on with disdain.  That is the price of being a follower of Christ. 

Jesus tells us that it is not easy.  We are breaking all the norms of society and there is a price to pay for that.  Peer pressure can make us weak and give in to the social norms.  That is why Jesus stressed that we must be willing to give up everything and take up our cross to follow him.  You see there is a price to pay to be a Christian. 

Father John Kavenaugh tells us that “Jesus’ recommendation of vigilance against possessiveness comes in one of the harshest passages found in the New Testament, a saying about family life.  “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”  We must, rather, take up our cross and follow him in discipleship. 

Clearly, he is speaking here of renouncing our loved ones as possessions or as barriers to the redeeming cross.  We can never possess another. 

It is easy for us to let our families, our children, our jobs creep into positions of possessions.  The late meetings at work to impress the manager, the parents who constantly need our help on weekends, so we miss Sunday mass. 

We teach our children that it’s ok to miss Sunday mass for a soccer game.  Suddenly, we are the ones that Jesus is talking to about our possessions. 

As we discern our lives, we too must be willing to give up everything to follow Jesus.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus is trying to inform us how difficult it is to follow him, how big a price we must be willing to pay to be called his disciple. 

“Am I willing to pay the price?  Am I willing to pick up my cross and follow him?” 

In today’s Gospel, a scholar of the law tries to test Jesus when he questions him about how to inherit eternal life.  Jesus, who was so adept at handling those who wanted to trick him answered with a question.  “What is written in the law?  How do you read it?” 

The scholar replied: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  Because the scholar needed to justify himself in front of the others who were there, he asked “And who is my neighbor?” 

Once again, Jesus turns his answer back to the scholar with a parable and a question.  “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”  He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”  Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” 

Go and do likewise! 

Everything about this parable is wrong!  Extremely wrong. 

John Pilch helps us to understand the culture that made each of the characters in the parable take the actions they did. 

In the Mediterranean world questions are rarely perceived as requests for information.  They are almost always viewed with suspicion as a challenge to personal honor.  The hope is that the person who is asked a question will not know the answer and be shamed by ignorance.  Lest the reader miss the point, Luke explicitly states that the lawyer’s intent was to “test” Jesus. 

In this seven-scene parable, the Samaritan stands at the center:

The robbers strip their victim and leave him half dead.  Now, no one can identify the victim’s ethnicity by his garments or his accent, two very common ways of identifying a stranger in antiquity.  Helping him carries a risk. 

The priest, riding a donkey in accord with his elite status, notices the victim and ponders.  If the victim is dead or is a non-Judean, the priest would be defiled by touching him and have to return to Jerusalem for purification.  Those who just saw him gloriously fulfilling his priestly role would now see him returning in shame for purification.  The risk is too great.  The priest rides on.

The Levite may have come even closer to examine the victim.  Even though the road is not straight, the Levite very likely saw the priest’s response to the victim from afar.  If the priest did not give first aid, why should the Levite?  That would be a challenge to the priest, an insult.  Moreover, if this victim is one of those who live in Shechem (a Samaritan).  The Levite too, passes on. 

The Samaritan is a shocking third character in this story.  Listeners would have expected “a Judean layperson.”  But this hated enemy is the first to feel compassion!  The Hebrew word, related to womb, describes an inner gut-feeling.

He offers the first aid (wine, oil, and bandages), which the Levite could have done but neglected to do. The Samaritan’s risk is that this victim might hate him upon re-gaining consciousness.  Samaritan wine and oil were considered impure and would have made the (very likely) Judean victim impure too!  In a certain sense, the Samaritan in this story line will be “damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t.” 

The Samaritan then does what the priest might have done but didn’t: he places the victim on his animal, takes him to an inn, and continues to care for him. 

Finally, the Samaritan, in contrast to the robbers, promises to return and pay any additional expenses.  This is perhaps the most foolish part of this story.  If the victim should die, his family, who will not be able to find the robbers, may kill his benefactor instead.  Or if the victim survives, he may rage at this Samaritan for making him impure with Samaritan wine and oil.  It is impossible to underestimate the importance of purity, that is, the determination to “be holy as the Lord is holy” as defined in Leviticus. 

Without John Pilch’s help, we would miss the whole point of the Gospel.  The religious leaders ignored the victim, because it would make them unclean.  A Samaritan, whom the Jewish people view with contempt and have no association with is the one who helps. 

We often forget that Jesus was a radical in his day.  He defied many things about the religious leaders of his faith because of the hypocrisy of how it was lived.  It was based more on how important a person was or how important a person was seen in the eyes of others rather than what was in one’s heart.  This parable is a prime example of that.  How often do we act like the priest or Levite instead of the Samaritan? 

Jesus was constantly teaching that the intent of the heart is what really matters.  It’s whether we love as God loves us and are willing to share God’s love with others that really counts.  Even though Samaritans have nothing to do with Jews, the Samaritan is moved with pity seeing the person, lying along the road, beaten and suffering. 

Remember how the Gospel stated?  It starts with a scholar of the law asking Jesus how to inherit eternal life.  Jesus asks the scholar what is written in the law and how he reads the law.  The response is to love God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 

Jesus told the scholar: “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”  Why is this so hard for us to live this law?  It becomes even more difficult when we comprehend everyone who is our neighbor.  Yes, everyone I s our neighbor, even the person in the family whom we can’t stand! 

Do I love God with all my heart?  Do I love God above everything else in the world?  Do I love my neighbor as myself?  Not only the person who lives next door in my neighborhood who looks and acts like me but the person in the urban ghetto, the homeless person, the political person I don’t like, the rude person at the store or at work, the person who cut me off on the highway coming to church today. 

Do I really love my neighbor as myself? 

Jesus is telling each of us: “Go and do likewise.” 

The crowd was pressing in against Jesus as he was teaching them.  I’m sure it was noisy with the crowd pushing and shoving to get a better position to hear Jesus.  There were two boats along the lake, and the fishermen were cleaning their nets on the shore.  Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, Jesus asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.  Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 

This has numerous advantages, for it gives Jesus a chance to be heard by a much larger group of people.  Sound carries much better over water.  Have you ever been by the lake and heard voices from quite a distance away, sometimes across the lake if the lake is narrow?  This is especially true if the land wraps around a small bay.  The slope of the land coming down to the land acts as an amphitheater projecting the sound even further. 

Jesus sat down in the boat to teach just as he would have done in the synagogue.  The people were eager to hear what Jesus, the great miracle worker and teacher, had to say to them.  Due to the contour of the land and water, his voice carried to the people who were listening. 

When Jesus finished teaching, he asked Peter to move out to deeper water and lower the nets.  Peter tells Jesus that they had fished hard all night and caught nothing, but he would do as Jesus told him.  It’s obvious that there were others in the boat when Peter pushed out from shore because it takes several people to lower the nets to fish.  Even though he is not mentioned by name, it is believed that Andrew was one of the partners in the boat that day.  

The Natural History of the Bible tells us that: “The density of the shoals of fish in the Lake of Galilee can scarcely be conceived by those who have not witnessed them.  They sometimes cover an acre or more on the surface in one dense mass.” 

This made catching a large number of fish easy if you could find one of these shoals of fish.  Peter and his partners had worked hard all night without any success finding fish. 

The scholar John Pilch helps us understand the Mediterranean culture of that time: “Fish became a popular commodity in the Greek and Roman period, and it is reasonable to guess that this specific partnership flourished.  

The act of a man calling followers in Mediterranean culture is readily recognized by every native as a process of a patron gathering clients.  In cultures like that where central government was perceived to be weak and ineffective, people banded together for mutual assistance. 

For the most part, families stuck close together and helped each other out.  But sometimes it became necessary to reach beyond the family and to form “family-like” bonds with others who could lend the help that family members couldn’t.  One of these others is a “patron,” that is, a person with surplus means, who distributes that surplus by purely personal whim and choice. 

By providing seasoned and experienced fishermen with a bountiful catch after a frustrating night of work, Jesus presents himself very obviously as a patron.  A patron can get for you something you could not obtain by your own abilities, or on better terms than you could arrange for yourself.  Jesus gets the better of these fisher folk at their own game!” 

John Pilch tells us that “By falling at the knees of Jesus, Simon Peter uses a specific gesture that recognizes him as superior, as a patron.”  I believe that Peter recognized that Jesus was much greater than a patron; he understood that Jesus was the Son of God.  Peter acknowledged that by his language; “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful person.” 

Peter recognized Jesus’ holiness and his own unworthiness.  In Luke’s Gospel Peter, James, and John clearly perceive Jesus as the Son of God.  They give up their ability to provide for themselves by fishing and follow Jesus. 

John Pilch also gives a commentary on our modern society; “In mainstream U.S. culture, we take great pride in standing on our own two feet and in not having to rely on anyone else.  We applaud those who pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.  Our Mediterranean ancestors in the Faith would consider this insane, an invitation to death and extinction.  Following Jesus as a client in the Mediterranean world or a disciple in the modern world involves a willingness to be dependent.”  

It’s true.  We don’t want to be dependent on anyone or anything.  Our pride will not let us do that.  This makes it difficult for us to let Jesus be in charge of our lives.  Jesus calls each of us just as he called Peter, James and John that day on the shore of Galilee.  They responded by saying yes and leaving their lucrative partnership, their family and friends to follow Jesus. 

How will we respond?  Will we say yes and put Jesus above everything else in our life?  Or will we be too dependent on ourselves to let Jesus have control? 

The need is great.  We live in a broken world filled with hate, violence and evil.  Disciples are needed to go into the world sharing God’s love with everyone, regardless of their status in life, their culture or their color.  The lonely need someone to sit with them, the bullied need someone to stand up for them, the grieving need someone to hold their hand.  Are we too busy getting ahead at work to notice?  Are we too busy with family activities to stop and pray for someone who we know needs help; and then go to visit them? 

Jesus was more than a patron to the disciples, and he is more than a patron to us today.  Jesus, our Lord, is calling each of us.  How will we respond?  Will we put our pride aside and, like Isaiah, say “Here I am Lord, use me.” 

Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel.” 

In a couple of weeks, we will receive ashes on our foreheads and hear the words “Repent and believe in the Gospel”.  Ash Wednesday is on February 14^th this year.  It is early so, even though we are in Ordinary Time, as we begin to look toward Lent and Passion Week, we should begin to ask ourselves “Do I really believe in the Gospel?” 

John Pilch tells us “Scholars believe that after his baptism, Jesus became a disciple of John, preaching his message of repentance and baptizing others.  Over the course of time, Jesus began to discover a new ministry for himself.  According to Mark, Jesus embarked upon it after John was arrested. 

The theme of Jesus’ preaching is quite similar to that of the Baptist’s: “the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news”.  Jesus invites his listeners to give undivided loyalty to God whose definitive reign is about to begin.” 

Jesus then calls the first four of his disciples to follow him.  We are still in the first chapter of Mark and a lot has happened.  John the Baptist preaches a message of repentance.  Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist and then tempted by Satan; just like we are tempted.  Jesus begins his ministry and calls the first disciples and begins his miracles of healing. 

The disciples immediately leave their livelihood and follow Jesus.  This always seemed strange that they just stopped what they were doing, left their father and the hired help and followed Jesus.  John Pilch helps us understand the culture of that time. 

“Cultural background and information shed light on the story.  It is highly likely that Jesus and the four followers he summons here are not strangers.  If they have not personally met each other before this time, they were aware of each other’s aspirations and objectives.  News traveled quickly in the ancient world thanks to gossip networks.  (And I might add, it seems that hasn’t changed in two thousand years.) 

Jesus the artisan moves from Nazareth, an insignificant village, to Capernaum, a hub of activity on the Sea of Galilee at the crossroads of major highways.  His presence and activity stir curiosity and become the topic of gossip.  He does not seem to have gone there to seek work.  Instead, he appears to be seeking people to join him in a common venture.”  

Jesus has been in the background for most of his life.  He is thirty at this point and worked as a carpenter just like his earthly father, Joseph.  This was common to learn the trade from your father and have the same position in life as your father.  As we proceed through the Gospels this theme appears several times.  His father was a carpenter so how is he now a teacher or Rabbi?  It was out of place in that society. 

Jesus became noticeable because he taught with authority, not like the scribes and leaders of the synagogue, he spoke out against the establishment, against those who followed the Law so closely that they allowed no room for worshiping God. 

Sometimes we too get like the Pharisees; congregations become divided over where the altar should be placed or how to process into mass or which songs to sing, or not sing.  We adhere so precisely to the rules that we lose sight of the real message “The Kingdom of God is at hand.  Now is the time of fulfillment.  Repent and believe in the Gospel.” 

Jesus called many others to follow him during his ministry.  The young rich person who had many possessions and went away sorrowful because they were unwilling to put Christ above their possessions.  The person who wanted to wait for their parents to die before following Christ.  Our egos to get in the way.  We desire to have prestige, to be noticed for our accomplishments, to have power over others, to dream of being the hero in a difficult situation and receiving acclaim for our actions. 

We lose sight of the real message of Good News that Jesus taught, Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”  When Jesus calls us to “Repent and believe in the Gospel” we seem to hesitate.  Why?  What is holding us back?  What are we afraid of?  Scorn from co-workers, being held back from a promotion because we are Catholic, attachment to material things or placing family above God? 

Two thousand years later, Jesus calls each one of us to follow him, just like he called Simeon, Andrew, James, and John.  I have often wondered what the world would be like if I had the zeal of the early Apostles or St Paul.  They didn’t just preach the Gospel; they lived the Gospel. 

It seems that most of the time we are like Jonah.  We hear God’s call but don’t want to follow it.  We have our reasons just as Jonah had his.  The Ninevites were an enemy of Israel.  Jonah wanted them to be destroyed so the land would return to Israel. 

Jonah disobeyed God and ran away from his call.  How many times do we do the same thing.  Like Jonah, we have our reasons.  God continued to call Jonah to fulfill the mission that God was calling him to do.  We sometimes run away from it like Jonah, wanting to follow our own path in life. 

Each of us must ask ourselves, “What is God calling me to do?”  Is God calling me to speak to someone about God’s love, about his forgiveness and the true peace that only Christ can give?  Is God calling me to be a Priest, or join an order of religious life? 

How will we respond?  Like Jonah and run away from his call, or, like the disciples, and follow Christ? 

Today’s readings give us two very different views of God.  We may wonder how Elijah’s experience of a small still voice and Peter’s experience of the storm could be so different and yet be God.

John Kavanaugh gives us some insight into the readings.  “Elijah, having been promised that he would find the Lord on the mountain, left the shelter of his cave. Sure enough, God showed up, but not in mighty gales or crashing rocks. The Lord was not even encountered in the earthquake or the fiery extravaganza. It was a tiny whispering voice that made Elijah cover his face in the presence of the Most High. Elijah was called in the quiet.

Peter and his companions, tossed about by waves and wind, saw the Lord as a ghost upon the water and were terrified.  The voice over the tumult said: “Get hold of yourselves!  It is I!  Do not be afraid!”  Peter heard the call to cross the raging waters. But daunted by the strength of the wind and his own frailty, he began to sink in fear.  Even so, despite his going under, Peter was called to faith in the midst of turmoil.” 

Life is not easy.  There is a lot of tumult in our lives.  The stress of everyday living is overwhelming at times.  We feel helpless from the blowing winds of stress and uncertainty, and it seems as though we are sinking into total despair.  Everything is crashing around us, and we look for God but can’t seem to find him. 

We often think that we must be on a retreat or somewhere special.  Peter felt this way at the Transfiguration.  He wanted to build three booths, one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Christ.  Indeed, it was a special experience; but then they came down off the mountain to everyday life. 

After the wind, the earthquake and the fire, Elijah found God in the whispering voice, and he covered his face with his mantle in the presence of God.  Peter found God in the raging wind and sea when he was drowning in his fear.  Jesus reached out and saved him. 

Today’s Gospel reminds me of a time when I was a child and experienced a similar event.  My family would go to Florida every summer.  Sometimes we went fishing on a charter boat out in the Gulf.  One time, a storm came up and the engine would not start because the battery was dead.  It took some time for the crew to take the battery from the fish finder and install it in the engine compartment.  The waves got high and without power the boat turned sideways so it was rocking violently from side to side.  Spray was blowing over the side of the boat. 

My grandfather was squatting in the doorway and said he had to look up to see the light outside the door on the opposite side of the boat and then look down on the light.  I was sitting on a bench inside the cabin next to my mother and laid my head on her lap. 

The waves were big, and the boat was really rocking.  I was scared but found comfort in my mother’s lap.  Peter was scared too.  I understand how Peter felt when he saw how powerful the wind and the waves were all around him. 

After the batteries were changed, the boat headed for port and the ride smoothed out and the waves didn’t matter any longer.  I fell asleep in my mother’s lap.  Peter cried out to Jesus for help and Jesus reached out and saved him.  When Jesus entered the boat, the waves and the wind stopped. 

When Peter walked on the water, he was in the depths of despair; he knew that he was going to drown in the sea.  When Peter asked Jesus for help, Jesus immediately reached out and saved him. 

We often think that Jesus is not in the storms of life, that he has totally abandoned us.  We feel that we are all alone without anyone who cares.  Peter found Jesus in the storm, and Jesus saved him from drowning in the sea of fear and despair. 

Jesus is there for us just like he was for Peter when we are in the depths of despair and have nowhere to turn or go. 

In Psalm 90, the Psalmist wrote a description of our life: “Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; Most of them are toil and sorrow; they pass quickly, and we are gone.” 

Most of our years are full of sorrow and tears.  We worry about our children who have left the church.  We worry about how we will live with so many businesses cutting back or closing.  What if we lose our job and are unable to support our family?  We worry about sickness, especially if a family member or close friend has a terminal illness. 

Elijah waited through all the tempest and horrors of the windstorm, the earthquake and the fire for God to appear.  We must wait too.  Calm our nerves and anxieties.  That’s not easy when we are suffering or full of pain.

The verse from the Alleluia states: “I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for his word.”  Elijah waited for the Lord on the mountain and found him in the small whispering voice.  Peter waited for the Lord and found him in the storm when the Lord rescued him. 

It’s easy to be a Christian when we experience the highlights of our spiritual lives.  Peter was typical of us when he experienced the Transfiguration on the mountain.  But when they came down off the mountain and Jesus begins his travel to Jerusalem and his crucifixion it all changes.  In a very short time, Peter went from the ecstasy of the Transfiguration to denying that he even knew Jesus. 

Sound like your life?  It sounds like all our lives.  Even with the pain, suffering and tears in the storms of life, Jesus is there to immediately rescue us just like he did for Peter. 

When we like Peter say “Lord, save me” Jesus will immediately reach out and grasp our hand to lead us to safety. 

We only need to ask: “Lord save me.” 

Today’s readings talk about treasure.  Solomon has the opportunity to ask for anything and God will give it to him.  Jesus tells the parable of buying an object of great value under dubious circumstances. 

In the first reading God appears to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”  What if you could ask God for anything and you would receive it?  What would you ask for? 

The Jesuit John Kavanaugh wrote: “Some prominent sages have written that the root desires of human existence are the pride of power, the accumulation of money, and the experience of pleasure.” 

He continues: “This opinion is not limited to ivory tower theoreticians; it’s expressed in the language of ordinary people when they appeal to the “real” motives lurking behind all human actions: “Looking out for Number One,” “We’re all out for a buck,” “Everybody’s on the make.”  

We have all heard and maybe even used expressions like these.  In our society, it’s all about climbing the corporate ladder, buying a bigger house or car, and having a good time. 

He wrote a summary that says: “The billions spent on advertising presume, quite successfully, that the foundations of all value and meaning are things, privilege, and self-indulgence.” 

We are a very privileged people and for the most part unaware of the many blessings God has given us.  We have freedoms, even though they are becoming more restrictive, than any other people in the world.  We have food, shelter, clothing, and luxuries that many people think is impossible to attain. 

In view of all these blessings, what would we ask for?  Power, wealth, health, a long life, world peace, climate change, what is it?  God was pleased that King Solomon did not ask for any of these things but for wisdom to lead his people.  He gave Solomon so much wisdom that none before him nor after him would  ever have such great wisdom. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of two people who find an item of great value and sell all that they have to obtain the items.  One has misguided intentions while the other has worthy intentions. 

John Pilch helps us to understand the culture of Jesus’ time.  “Burying valuable objects was a common practice in antiquity. Retrieving them was also common.  Forgetting about the treasure or dying without telling one’s heirs or before being able to retrieve it are possible explanations for the finding of treasure by those who don’t own it.  

Rabbinic lore is filled with debates concerning how to determine whether the finder had a right to the find or not.  The circumstances of Jesus’ parable suggest that this man did not. Why else would he hide it again?”  Jesus tells us that the man sold all that he has to buy the field. 

John Pilch provides further insight into the man’s situation.  “Worse, he now owns a field with a buried treasure which he dare not dig up because it will raise questions about ownership of the treasure, the morality of buying the field, and the character of this “lucky” (!?) finder.  (Recall that in a society like this one which believes that all goods are finite in quantity and already distributed, when someone suddenly has increased possessions, that increase must be explained.)” 

Even in our culture today, there would be some questions if someone were to suddenly become wealthy beyond their means.  “Did they receive an inheritance?”  “How did they get it?”  Are they doing something illegal?”  Let’s face it; the questions and remarks would be endless. 

Jesus continues the parable by saying: “the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets.  What is bad they throw away.  Thus it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” 

Then Jesus asked his disciples: “Do you understand all these things?”  They answered, “Yes.”  I sometimes wonder if the disciples really understood the full implication of what Jesus was teaching.  That question is important for us today. 

Do we understand that Jesus was always looking at the intentions of the heart?  Are we like the one who buried the treasure again and buys the field knowing we don’t really own the treasure?  Or are we like the merchant who buys the pearl of great price to rightfully own it?  Do we seek the kingdom of God for our salvation, or do we just want to fit in with those around us? 

Being a Christian was never easy.  In the early Roman Empire, Christians were persecuted and put to death.  It required real discipleship in those circumstances to remain true to our faith to the end.  If a person was like the one who bought the field for the treasure knowing it did not belong to them, it was easy to renounce the faith to preserve one’s life. 

It’s no different today.  We are silenced by our peers and society around us who shame us into submission.  We remain silent when we see injustice to others because speaking out will bring ridicule and possible backlash, being passed over for that promotion or left out of the “In Group”. 

In circumstances like this it is easy to become cynical and question our faith.  We can sometimes forget the love, mercy and forgiveness that God has for each of us. 

Solomon sought wisdom over a promotion, over power, over wealth, over health and over pleasure.  When we come to the end of our life and God looks at our lives will our intentions be honest and worthy of reward or will we be cast into the fiery furnace? 

What is my treasure?  Is God pleased with what I seek? 

In today’s Gospel Jesus refers to his Father as ‘Lord of heaven and earth’.  Jesus establishes his father as Creator and ruler of heaven and earth to put everything into perspective.  God’s love is revealed to the lowly ones because the rich and powerful are convinced of their self-righteous positions and unable to acknowledge God’s love and mercy for themselves and others. 

They like to dictate to those who are below them how to live and worship but bend the rules to suit themselves.  Jesus spoke out about these actions in the Pharisees throughout his ministry. 

Father Rolheiser, retired president of Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio Texas, helps put this into perspective when he wrote:

“…  it wasn’t their vices that Jesus was referring to, but their virtues.

What was the virtue of the scribes and pharisees?  In fact, they had a pretty high standard.  The ten commandments, strict justice in all things, compassion for the poor, and the practice of hospitality, these constituted their ideal for virtuous living.  What’s wrong with that?  What’s required beyond these?

This is definitely a different view of the Pharisees.  Father Ron continued:

“Simply put, if I’m living the virtue of the scribes and pharisees, I react this way: if you come to me and say, “I like you! You’re a wonderful person,” my response naturally will be in kind: “I like you too! Obviously you’re a wonderful person!” What I’m doing is simply feeding your own good energy back to you. But that has a nasty underside: If you come to me and say, “I hate you! You’re a charlatan and a hypocrite,” my response will also be in kind: “I hate you too!  Clearly you’re a very petty person!”  This is ultimately what “an eye for an eye” morality, strict justice, comes down to. We end up feeding back the other’s energy, good or bad, and replicating the other’s virtue, good or bad.  That’s the natural way, but it’s not the Christian way. 

It’s precisely here where Jesus’ invites us “beyond,” beyond natural reaction, beyond instinct, beyond giving back in kind, beyond legal rights, beyond strict justice, beyond the need to be right, beyond even the ten commandments, beyond the virtue of the scribes and pharisees.” 

Father Ron helps us to understand that Jesus is calling us to a higher standard than living by the rules and only doing things so we can receive favors in return. 

Father Rolheiser asked a series of questions that get to the heart of the Gospel:

Indeed the litmus-test for Christian orthodoxy is not the creed (Can you believe this set of truths?) but this particular challenge from Jesus: can you love an enemy?  Can you fail to give back in kind?  Can you move beyond your natural reactions and transform the energy that enters you from others, so as to not give back bitterness for bitterness, harsh words for harsh words, curse for curse, hatred for hatred, murder for murder?  Can you rise above your sense of being wronged?  Can you renounce your need to be right?  Can you move beyond the itch to always have what’s due you?  Can you forgive, even when every feeling inside of you rebels at its unfairness?  Can you take in bitterness, curses, hatred, and murder itself, and give back graciousness, blessing, love, understanding, and forgiveness?  That’s the root invitation inside of Christianity and it’s only when we do this that we move beyond “an eye for an eye.” 

These questions are the Gospel that Jesus preached in his ministry.  The leaders of the day were so engrossed with making sure that everyone else was obeying the rules that they failed to live God’s love and mercy for all.  The truth and wisdom was hidden from them due to their blindly enforcing the rules. 

We live in a world that is self-centered and only seeks immediate gratification.  Power over and control of others as we saw during the pandemic satisfies the ego, but it is the same sin that Jesus decried among the Pharisees. 

We live in a nation that worships the idols of ideologies.  These are the idols of “Transgender Rights”, “Gay Rights” and “Women’s Health Care or Abortion” in an attempt to be something other than what God made us to be.  We are longing for something we are not.  We are searching for happiness trying to find it in everything but God.  We are trying to be what we are not and are unable to realize that the Lord of Heaven and Earth is who we desire. 

Our leaders in Congress and our President proudly proclaim that they are Catholic and yet defy Jesus’ and the Church’s teachings.  The truth and wisdom of the Lord of Heaven and Earth is hidden from them because they are seeking the self-gratification of the praise of those around them instead of God’s will.  They have led us on a worship of the idols of ideologies that are as sinful as the molten and wooden idols the Children of Israel worship in the Old Testament. 

The world has become so blinded by it’s worship of self and “me” that they boldly demand that everyone agrees with their position.  It’s easy for us to criticize our leaders while at the same time quietly believing what they proclaim ourselves. 

The Gospel that Jesus taught was to love God our Father with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves.  And yes, that means even the person who is our enemy.  The questions that Father Rolheiser asks are pertinent to us.  Are we willing to take these to heart and seek God before anything else? 

Are we willing to live the truth and wisdom of the Lord of heaven and earth?  In today’s world it truly means taking up our cross and following Jesus.  Speaking out against the evils of these ideologies makes one a target for the extremists who believe in them.  This is evident in the attacks on Catholic Churches and individuals. 

These attacks are increasing and becoming more violent as time goes on.  It may mean that Catholics could be martyred for their faith, for their belief in the Lord of heaven and earth. 

If so, “Am I willing to defend my faith even though I could possibly die for my faith in Christ?”