“But who do you say that I am” (Mk 8:29)?

This question is just as important to us today as it was when Jesus asked his disciples the same question some two thousand years ago. The disciples response all those many years ago, of John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets, as multiplied and become more varied as is recorded in the many books written about Jesus and the 30,000 plus denominations who claim to follow him. There is also a vast array of pictures, paintings, documentaries, and movies. Through each medium, we are given a view of the Jesus of history or the Christ of faith, some emphasizing more the humanity of Jesus and others more the divinity of Jesus, and some a balance of both the human and the divine. Debate has continued as to whether Jesus was God or only human, or even if he ever really exist at all.

When I taught fifth and sixth grade students at Rosarian Academy, each Easter Season, I assigned my students the task of drawing a picture of the Resurrected Jesus. I quickly noticed a common characteristic of their artistic renditions: Jesus consistently did not have a beard. At first, I started to hand back the pictures to say they needed to add a mustache and beard, but quickly stopped myself. I realized I had made a mistake. This is how they saw Jesus from their perspective at their age.

The way we talk about and express Jesus may actually say a lot more about us than Jesus. The portrait I posted above is the Warner Sallman painting he titled, “Head of Christ”. I chose it because this was the portrait of Jesus I grew up with in our home and when I close my eyes and talk to Jesus this is the image that most comes to mind for me.

How can we come to, not know so much about Jesus, but actually know him? We need to do the same as Peter and the disciples did. We need to spend time with him. How do we do that today in 2018? We need to daily spend time in prayer with Jesus. We also need to be aware of his presence in our daily experiences. Jesus is with us in all we do, we just need to be aware. Jesus is present in our encounters with each other, for what you do to the least of my brethren, you did it to me (cf. Mt 25:40). We come to know Jesus by reading and meditating on the Gospels, the primary sources of the life and teachings of Jesus. Go back and read today’s account from Mark, and imagine yourself in the scene. Allow your senses to come alive.

We also come to know Jesus by going to Mass. His Word is proclaimed and if we go with hearts and minds open to encountering him, he will speak to us beyond the written word on the page but in the Word proclaimed by the minister of the Word. The Holy Spirit will reveal to us that which is hidden within is word, as he did with Peter who proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus is present in the assembly gathered, in our prayers of petition and in his real presence, Body, Soul, and Divinity, in the Eucharist that we receive. We have direct encounters with Jesus when we participate in the other sacraments as well. In our Baptism and Conformation we have been conformed to the very being of Jesus such that we become an integral part of the Body of Christ. In Reconciliation, Jesus hears our confession, heals us and absolves us of our sins through the priest present. We also receive his healing touch in the Anointing of the Sick. Our acts of service are defined for those participating in Matrimony or Holy Orders.

We come to know Jesus in our service with one another in engaging ourselves in the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We come to know Jesus through those who knew him by reading the lives of the saints and spiritual writings of today. Jesus is also present to us in our sorrows and joy, our defeats and our triumphs, and we experience him more deeply when we enter into, instead of running from, our conflict and pain, ask him for help and guidance, as well as, thank him for our triumphs. Our deepest encounter with Jesus is being open to experiencing his love.

Jesus is already with us, he loves us more than we can imagine. We just need to open the door in all experiences of our lives and let him in. As we do so we will come to develop a relationship with Jesus, come to know him, come to know his will for our life, and come to experience the joy and fulfillment of our life. For our relationship with Jesus will lead us to the relationship we have been created for, to be one with God and one another.

Place yourself in today’s Gospel. Feel the heat of the day, feel the rough material on your skin, allow your senses to come alive as you see the disciples gathered around you, and then turn your head as you hear the question, “But who do you say that I am?” You hear some say John, Elijah, or a prophet. Then Peter proclaims, “Your are the Christ” (Mk 8:29). Do you agree with Peter? Who do you say that Jesus is? This is an important question to meditate on. I invite you to do so this Lord’s Day and through the week. Please feel free to post your response. I would be interested to read how you answer Jesus’ question. Who do you say that Jesus is?

Painting: “Head of Christ” by Warner Sallman, 1940

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, September 16, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091618.cfm

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home (Jn 19:26-27).

In the summer of 1991, I entered the Franciscans of Holy Name Province as a pre-novitiate and was stationed at Holy Cross Friary in the Bronx. My ministry for that year was working in the friary and the adjoining parish of Holy Cross. Shortly after entering, one of the friars, Br. Paul Goldie, passed away. He had been serving at the friary since 1953 and had been a friar for 54 years. A practice among the friars was to pass on personal items to those in the community when one of their own passed away. I was honored to have been given a picture of St. Francis, that hangs in my classroom and Br. Paul’s rosary.

I noticed that the rosary was different from others. Instead of a crucifix it had a Miraculous Medal, instead of five beads there were three beads leading to the decade of beads, and instead of five decades of beads, there were seven groupings of seven beads. In between each of the series of seven beads there was a small medal. On one side was a picture of Mary pierced in the heart seven times, and on the back of each medal was a different scene. I would find out some time later that this was a Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows. The depictions on the back of the seven medals represented Mary’s seven sorrows: Simeon announces the suffering destiny of Jesus, Mary escapes into Egypt
with Jesus and Joseph, Mary seeks Jesus lost in Jerusalem, Mary meets Jesus as He carries
His Cross to Calvary, Mary stands near the Cross of her Son Jesus, Mary receives into her arms the body of Jesus taken down from the Cross, and Mary helps place the body of Jesus in the tomb.

The fifth mystery, Mary stands near the Cross of her Son Jesus, is from our Gospel reading today. It must have been the most sorrowful of the seven, for Mary to witness her son dying such an agonizing death as the crucifixion. Yet, Mary did not run from the pain, she embraced his and her own pain, the piercing of the lance, pierced her own heart, the depths of her own soul. Mary, though free of sin, was not free of the pain of a fallen world. In fact, Mary like Jesus, felt it more deeply.

By being willing to love, we risk experiencing and entering into the pain of those we love. So many times we run from love, because we do not want to experience the pain relationships entail. We are finite and fragile beings, and so we will let each other down, we will make mistakes, say the wrong things, do the hurtful things, we will get sick or deal with chronic illness and need care, we will lose patience, we will sin. Jesus though calls us, like Mary and John present at the Cross, to remain present to one another, to love, to will the good of the other, and so to experience the fruit of an authentic relationship which is grounded in the unimaginable love that God the Father has for us.

Love is the bond of communion that gives us the strength to move through the crossroads and upheavals of life, love is the bond of commitment that draws us out from our selfishness so to learn from one another, to grow stronger together, to be present to one another. Where there is an authentic relationship, there is love at its foundation. When we love one another we participate in the communion of the Holy Trinity, we participate in the very same divine communion of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Is there risk of rejection in inviting another? Yes. Is there pain in love? Yes. Is there conflict in relationship? Yes. Yet to be fulfilled, to be fully alive, for love to be real, we must be willing to take the risk to love and be rejected, just as God does with us. As we enter a relationship or decide to strive for better authenticity in one we are already a part of, we must be willing to love, to be willing to commit to one another, to be present to one another, to share our pain and experience another’s pain. We must be willing to accompany each other in our imperfections, and be humble and willing to offer and seek forgiveness and reconciliation.

Mary and John experienced a depth of love with Jesus at the climax of the crucifixion, they embraced a pain and sorrow at the foot of the cross that we cannot imagine, yet they remained, and so they were able to mourn, heal, and experience the full joy of the Resurrection. At the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they also experienced the divine communion of love between the Father and the Son, and shared that same love and commitment with the community of Jesus’ followers and those who had never met him.

Br. Paul’s rosary, which I still pray with, was passed on to me. It is a reminder for me of the brotherhood I shared with the friars, and it is a reminder to be present to others in their pain. There will be sorrows in this life, but when we enter into them and face them, we will find Jesus present in the midst with his arms wide open to receive us in our pain, to hear us, comfort and assure us that he is with us. May we remember to, as did Mary and John, to lean on, be present to, support, and love one another as Jesus loves us.

Photo: Br Paul’s Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, September 15, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091518.cfm

“No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:13-15).

The reference to Moses lifting up the serpent can be found in Numbers 21:4-9. The people, worn out by their journey in the desert began to complain instead of trust in God’s deliverance. The people sought a return to their prior condition of slavery rather than forge ahead and endure the trials of gaining freedom. Venomous snakes came into the camp and began to bite many who then died. The people recognized their sin and implored Moses’ intercession. Moses prayed for the people and lifted up a bronze serpent on a pole and whoever looked upon the serpent was healed.

There is a difference between seeking understanding from God, seeking to understand why something is happening in our lives, and complaining from a posture of self centeredness. The Israelites were looking at their present condition of suffering and missing the point that that they were free from slavery. They were not trusting in God’s providential care and support present to them in the moment.

How often do we, with our ease of access, slip into the same whining and complaining mode when something doesn’t go quite right. St Paul reminds us through his words to the Corinthians: “Let us not test Christ as some of them did, and suffered death by serpents” (1 Cor 10:9). This time last year, Irma was making landfall on the west coast of Florida, and JoAnn and I experienced many hours of travel in bumper to bumper traffic. The slow two day travel was grueling but we had the freedom to leave, while there were many who did not.

As I type this reflection, Florence is readying its assault on the Carolinas. Many have left, facing the inconvenience of leaving home, some are digging in to face the storm. In either case these are tough decisions. There are also those who have risked all, not just leaving natural disasters, but human aggression and violence worldwide. Many seeking aid from neighboring countries. Some are finding welcome while others are being turned away.

Paul reminds us that no matter what arises, no matter if the circumstances are inconvenient or dire, “God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:13).

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. It is a good reminder that, when trials and tribulations arise, instead of grumbling, let us look to the crucifix. The sacramental reminder that the Son of God came to be one with us, to experience the fullness of our human experience, even our pain and suffering, even man’s inhumanity and deepest levels of injustice, to lead us to freedom through his death, Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven.

Jesus is present with us in our struggles. May we embrace this idea and remind ourselves of it, so that when we find ourselves grumbling, only looking at our own self and limitations, that we remember to turn instead to Jesus, seek his guidance, trust in him, and follow his lead. We will experience his power and support so to bear the weight of our own cross, and trust that there will be a way out. We are not alone.

What used to be a symbol of oppression, torture, and capital punishment is no more. Let us embrace and “glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; in him is our salvation, life and resurrection. Through him we are saved and set free” (Gal 6:14). Is the life of the disciple easier? Absolutely not, but with Christ at our side we will be free, even in our struggle. Let us pray for those affected by the effects of Florence, for their safety and support through these next days, weeks, and months.

Photo: Crucifix in the sanctuary of St Peter, Jupiter, FL

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, September 14, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091418.cfm

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28).

Certainly a hard teaching if we ever heard one, yet this is the path to peace. Peace that is not just an absence of violence but a peace that is grounded in mutual respect and unity. No matter where we might look, there are very few examples or models for us to see this Gospel being put into practice. We instead see a consistent engagement in rhetoric, language, and outright hostility that promotes division and polarization.

Nor do I believe in the temptation of the pendulum swing that would threaten to counter and go the other way, where what we think and say has the substance of milk toast, meaning, that we are so careful not to offend that we don’t share our ideas or what we truly believe. Staying away from hot button issues and the taboos of talking religion and politics is not a way to bring peace or solve important issues.

Neither an overly aggressive nor a lukewarm engagement is what Jesus is presenting in today’s Gospel. Jesus is inviting us to proclaim what we think and believe, but in our interactions with one another, the primary starting point is respecting the dignity of the other person. We can have a dialogue and disagree without it devolving into disparaging, demeaning and belittling attacks, shouting at and over people. We can agree to disagree, while still stating clearly what we believe, even boldly doing so, while at the same time being willing to listen to the other do the same. In this way, we each can be heard, we can exchange ideas, and quite possibly learn and grow from our encounter with one another.

We are able to have a constructive argument when we come to the table willing to love our “enemy” instead of make our enemy into a monster. We can clearly point out the actions of others that can even be abhorrent, and unconscionable without disparaging the person. Otherwise, if we meet hate with hate, violence with violence, darkness with darkness, we will only beget and increase that which we denounce. Instead, by loving, by willing the good of the other, we don’t have to even like the person, but we can love the other as other. We may even have a chance to win them over. In so doing, we counter darkness with light, violence with non violent, active resistance, and hate with love.

Photo: Gandhi and Dr. King, models of loving your enemies

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, September 13, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091318.cfm

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man” (Lk 6:22).

The Beatitudes are contrary to much of what too many of us are tempted by when seeking our satisfaction, security, and fulfillment and that is power, fame, wealth, pleasure, and celebrity. What is more, how many of us who proclaim to be people of faith resist Jesus’ teachings because of our own anxieties, fears, and self centered reasons?

In today’s Gospel account from Luke, Jesus taught his disciples how to attain the kingdom through five blessings and four woes. Jesus’ message is a universal message, an invitation to and for all who have ears to hear and a heart open to receive. Yet, these teachings challenge us to place our trust, not the things of this world, for that which is finite and material are fleeting and passing, but in Jesus. By placing our trust in Jesus, he will lead us to his Father, which will bring us true happiness and fulfillment.

This is an inviting offer, yet when following and putting Jesus’ teachings into practice we will receive opposition. To live in accord with Jesus is to identify with the poor, the hungry, those who mourn, and to speak the truth to power and those in authority, within and without of the Church, even when we risk being hated, excluded, insulted, and denounced as evil. We are also to resist the lure and attachment to the false promise of security believed to be found in material wealth, thinking that we can have all the food, drink, clothes, friends, and joys that money can buy. These are only apparent goods, that if we seek to be fulfilled by, we will be left empty and wanting for more time and again. Pursuing the material and finite to fill our deepest hunger, can also lead us into being ensnared by attachment and addiction.

To be blessed, to be happy, to be fulfilled, is to be unattached to the things of this world, and instead anchored in building a relationship with Jesus. To look seriously at what he taught, to face within ourselves those areas in which we believe and act contrary to his teachings, to be open to God’s work of transformation, to apply his teachings to our lives, to commit to living as his disciple, and to proclaim the Gospel in our day and time, “we will rejoice and leap for joy” (Lk 6:23)! Joy because we can experience the good things that God gives us, but not be ensnared by them, because we are fueled by the love of Jesus, the source of our being and our hope.

For, Jesus was not just an amazing teacher, he is the Son of God. He became one with us so that we can become one with him. The same “power that came forth from him” (Lk 6:19) to heal, to cast out demons, to teach truth, is still active in our lives today. He is the kingdom of Heaven that is at hand and will lead us to the ultimate desire and deepest craving and hunger of our being, to be in communion with God and one another.

Photo credit pexels.com

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, September 12, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091218.cfm

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God (Lk 6:12).

In the midst of a busy ministry, Jesus spent time alone with God in prayer. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus often did so before making important decisions, as in today’s reading that recorded the choosing of his Apostles. Prayer is an important, foundational principle to experiencing and knowing God as well as discerning his will for living a fully human life.

The Mystery of God is not a problem to be solved. In our language today, we often use mystery and problem interchangeably, as, “I lost my keys, it is such a mystery.” Strictly speaking, the loss of keys is a problem that can be solved. We can back track our steps, and through a process of elimination the problem becomes smaller until we solve the whereabouts of the missing keys. We cannot solve or prove God exists as if he is a algebraic formula or scientific experiment. This is because God is not a being, not even the supreme being. God is a mystery that transcends any finite dimension of reality. We have nothing to measure him by.

Yet we can come to know God intimately just as Jesus did. Even though he is transcendent, beyond our reach and comprehension, he is at the same time closer to us than we are to our self. We come to know God through his invitation, and as we enter into the mystery of his reality through developing a relationship with him, we come to know him. He does not become smaller, but more vast, still beyond our comprehension. His mystery is luminous, as if we were in a completely dark room and someone turned on and shined a flashlight into our eyes. We wince from its brightness, yet in time, our eyes adjust and we eventually are able to see what was beyond our ability prior that first brilliant flash of light. Jesus wants us to experience and embrace the mystery of the radiance and warmth of his Father’s light and love.

Jesus called each apostle by name. He calls us by name too. We can experience and know God. Our lives are busy and full, even with good things, and yet, we need to schedule time with God alone as Jesus did, otherwise we will run out of gas, we will make decisions that may appear to be good, but will lead us astray and away from the fulfillment of our vocation and experience of God. Through making time to pray, meditate on his word, learn from those who experienced God in their prayer lives, worship him, serve him through our service to others, we will discern his will for our lives, be drawn ever deeper into his mystery to experience the intimacy of the communion and relationship we have been created for.

A key form of prayer is intercessory prayer, in that we pray for others. Today, may we remember to pray for and honor those who lost and gave their lives, those who were injured or are still recovering from the effects of 9/11. May we pray for those families and friends who have lost loved ones and are still in need of healing.

May we also join in prayer to forgive the attackers on that day, and for the many who still contemplate, participate, and perpetuate violence in all its forms. May we come to a place of healing and forgiveness and instead channel our energies toward working for justice with mercy and reconciliation. May we seek each day to resist evil and choose good, to resist destroying life and instead commit to saving it and empowering the dignity of others through our thoughts, faces, words and actions.

Lord forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us!
————————————

Photo: Amy Dreher – North reflecting pool on the 9/11 Memorial and Museum Plaza

Link for Mass readings for Tuesday, September 11, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091118.cfm

Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it? Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
“Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored” (Lk 6:9-10).

This wonderful gift of healing, Jesus restoring a man’s withered hand, meant that he could move from the peripheries, come in from the shadows. He had a potential now of being able to work, to provide for himself and his family. This is good news! Yet, there are those within the onlookers, some of the scribes and Pharisees were blinded to this gift of grace. Instead of feeling any compassion for the man and his condition, they clung to the law as a mallet. They “became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus” (Lk 6:11).

The Jewish law of honoring the Sabbath was to practice a time of renewal and honoring God. Indifference to the suffering of this man with the withered hand and others would not be giving honor to God, to resist healing this man, Jesus showed would be committing evil in the sight of God. Jesus showed those in his midst that those who would side with not healing this man were in fact not honoring God, but they were honoring the law for the sake of the law. They were honoring their external religious expressions, while their hearts were stained by darkness.

Jesus summed up the Law and the Prophets, when he shared that the greatest commandment is to, “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” (Lk 10:27). This means that our starting point in addressing each other is to respect the dignity of the person. This is the foundation of any law, policy, or action we are to put into practice.

We can see too many ways in which our choices, actions, and policies do not live up to this foundational principal of loving God, ourselves and our neighbors as ourselves. One example is the right to choose. This is a valuable expression of our free will. Yet, when the ending of the life within the womb is a viable option, we have gone astray. While at the same time, too many who speak up for the rights and dignity that are to be afforded to the unborn remain indifferent to the very real factors that would lead someone to take the life of their own child.

A few of the conditions that could lead someone to choose against carrying a child to term are living with financial instability, age of the mother, lack of support and assistance to raise the child, health issues, trauma surrounding the conception such as incest and rape, as well as external pressures from friends and families to have an abortion. Even deeper is the lack of understanding that the life being taken is really a human being, the only difference is that they are smaller and more vulnerable.

If we are to support the dignity of the unborn, we need to also support the dignity of the born. To abstractly say no to abortion, yet to be indifferent to the needs of the mothers and those engaged fathers, who struggle with this decision, is supporting the reality that more lives will not come to term. We need to be aware and willing to accompany those in need around us, be willing to provide help, the education and counseling that is needed, as well as push to enact policies that provide an empowering support network where women and men can choose the life of their child before and after birth. May we, like Jesus reaching out to the man with the withered hand, support the dignity of the person from the womb, through each stage of life, until natural death.

Photo: From video clip – http://www.extremenaturalhealthnews.com/life-in-the-womb/

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, September 10, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091018.cfm

Those who witnessed Jesus healing the man who was deaf with a speech impediment grasped something more than just the healing when they stated: “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (Mk 7:37). With these words they are acknowledging the deliverance of Israel by the Lord, promised by the prophet Isaiah, when he mentioned how, “the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be cleared” (Isaiah 35:5).

The beauty of this healing may be missed by us in the modern age because of the graphic nature of the details used by Mark. Jesus places his fingers in the man’s ears, spits into his own hands and then touches the man’s tongue. Jesus is mixing his own saliva with this man in need of healing. We don’t even share drinks from the same container anymore like we used to when we were kids!

Jesus is showing the intimacy of communion that he offers us. Jesus gave his saliva and mingled it with this man’s saliva. With such human contact and co-mingling, the man was not only healed, but divinized, made one with God. This graphic encounter is also a microcosm of how the Son of God, in no way diminishing the fullness of his divinity, entered into the very real corporality of our humanity. He became one with us so that we can become one with him. This was true then and it is still true for us today!

We all suffer with physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual trials. But we also suffer from not being able to hear God’s word, and when we do, we are more often than not mute to speaking his word. Jesus, may or may not provide a healing or a solution to a trial or struggle we may have or are right now going through. In either case though, Jesus is present and accompanies us.

Jesus invites us to consciously resist the temptation to avoid our suffering, pain, conflicts, or challenges and instead deal with and enter into them. We are not expected to do this alone, but to bring our need for healing to Jesus. In this way we are aligning our suffering with his on the Cross. While at the same time when we also choose to offer up our pain and suffering on behalf of another, we participate in redemptive suffering.

Others can experience relief and healing from our sacrifice in participation with Jesus.
This act of the will gives meaning to our suffering such that we do not endure what we are going through in vain. May we embrace, head on, that which is presented before us, actualizing the guidance of Jesus as well as the advances of modern medicine, science, and psychology, embracing a posture that engages both faith and reason. Our approach will be best if we are more mindful and balanced with our discernment. Just masking struggles without dealing with the root cause will only prolong and possibly worsen the condition.

As St. Mother Teresa has taught: “Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember, pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to him that he can kiss you.”

Jesus still heals today, just as he healed the deaf and mute man. Jesus is just as intimately present with us as he was with the man he healed. Jesus does not leave us forsaken nor alone in our suffering and pain. Jesus accompanies us, he kisses us that, our ears be opened to hear his word, our tongue loosened to speak his word, and our hearts expanded to love one another as Jesus has loved us. We love in a deeper way when we resist turning in on ourselves and instead lift up our suffering, our trials, our pain for the needs of others for their healing.

We can do this best by resisting to run away or mask our pain and instead enter into it. When we do so, Jesus meets us with his arms wide open to receive all that we offer and makes our suffering redemptive. In participating in the practice of redemptive suffering, we align ourselves in a deeper way with Jesus, we draw closer to him who gave his life on the Cross for us, we participate in the divine loving embrace of the Holy Trinity. Embracing Jesus in our suffering can be a means of sharing his Father’s grace and the love of the Holy Spirit with a broken and hurting world.
________________________________________
Photo: Close up of the Crucifix in the Cardinal Newman chapel.

Link for the Mass reading for Sunday, September 9, 2018:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/090918.cfm

The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Mt 1:1).

Many may gloss over the long genealogy of names that follows verse one. Matthew certainly had a reason, Luke also had his, as did other ancient writers for compiling genealogical lists. Those reasons are interesting in and of themselves, but I wanted to key in on something basic we may miss if we quickly pass over Jesus’ bloodline.

Matthew placed the context of the incarnation of the Son of God in history, time, and place. Jesus belonged to a people. All of us, as human beings, have the same desire and yearning for belonging. Knowing where we come from, sharing stories of our families, of our culture, ethnicity, race, language, customs, celebrations, rituals, and religion, provide a place for us, provide stability and security. On the flip side, the more we lose the connectedness to our roots, the more we may feel adrift. The need to belong is primal.

Matthew penned for his community the roots of Jesus’ genealogy. Matthew invites us to hear them again, to recognize our place in the same saga of salvation history, for this is our genealogy also. The Church chose this Gospel today as we remember and celebrate the nativity of Mary. All of the Bible, this rich library of faith, is a part of a sacred Tradition, not separate from, but an integral part of sacred Tradition. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a compilation from Mary and our ancestors who encountered God and shared their stories. They passed them on, generation after generation, to provide for us a foundation, so we can know that we are never alone, that we have a place, that we are a people, we stand in solidarity with one another, that we belong. We are a part of something greater than ourselves.

The only thing that can weaken the richness of the foundation of our roots and identity is when it is corrupted by a lack of integrity. We see this time and again throughout these same pages of the Bible. Those who not only turn their back on their faith, tradition, and God for their own means and purposes, but those who do not speak up for what is right and just. Yet, even in the darkest of times, there have been those judges, prophets, and people of integrity who have stood up to speak truth to power, to give voice and access to those on the peripheries, leading up to Mary and Jesus himself and his disciples who took this path of solidarity presenting and living out such teachings as the Beatitudes.

Even if we may feel like our country, church, or even our own lives are spinning out of control, let us remain faithful and seek courage and strength from our ancestors in the faith, those people of integrity who remained true, remained faithful, and did not turn and flee, but drew closer to God and became his mouthpiece, even willing to give their lives for what they believed in.

May we resist the swirling clouds of corruption, negativity, hate and division, and instead draw strength from the Son of Mary, and conform ourselves to his life and teaching such that we choose to seek transparency, hold others accountable, empower, love, and seek reconciliation and unity. May we seek and live that peace that only God our Father can give, that peace that surpasses all understanding, such that we can be for ourselves and others a light in the darkness and a calm in the eye of the storm.

Photo: Gathering clouds last evening before sunset, yet the light was still shining through.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, September 8, 2018:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/090818.cfm

And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good'” (Lk 5:39).

Many of us can relate to holding on to the old. It is more comfortable, it is proven to be good and true. A favorite wine, a pair of broken in jeans or shoes, a favorite book read time and again, these are all part of the simple pleasures of life. In Jesus’ parable he is challenging us to go deeper. He is inviting us to recognize those things that we are holding onto that may be preventing us from more than just a mere existence mode of living, to instead actualizing the potential for ourselves and others.

We have created patterns in our life that may appear and feel safe, but in actuality may be holding us back from a deeper and fuller experience in life. We may be influenced by cultural or social tremors that dictate to us that we are too old, that we are too young, that to do this or that is too much of a risk… Each of these examples can be challenging on the material plane of existence, yet while Jesus seeks the best for us in our everyday, at the same time, he is calling to go even deeper spiritually as well.

God the Father is infinite and inexhaustible. Though the Gospel remains the same, there are always new ways, new means to hear the message, to go deeper with it, so to better be able to share it. Each generation has to claim the deposit of faith passed on for generations as its own. I had heard of social media and its handful of platforms for some time, but had not experienced any of it myself until a few years ago. For over a year now, I have been sharing these reflections as a way to share my thoughts on the Gospels and journey with Jesus.

I was quite happy reading, learning, and sharing within the four walls of my classroom, but I felt Jesus urging me a few years back to reach out a bit more, go beyond the four walls, to take a risk and try some new wine. I wasn’t sure how to begin, but took a few steps and I have been typing away each day to share a reflection like this one that you are reading now.

In what way is God calling you to take a step out of your comfort zone? In what way can you share your faith journey with others? As you take a look at the horizon this morning, take some deep breaths as the sun rises, realize that you have a unique gift or talent to share, a way that Jesus is inviting you to participate in building up his kingdom. A life surrendered to Jesus, lived in collaboration with him, is ever new, ever better. Let us be open to hearing his guidance and being willing to be led by him, to be engaged in a new way we haven’t experienced before.

Photo by Chetan Manaria at pexels.com

Link for the Mass reading for Friday, September 7, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/090718.cfm