Franciscan Chapel Center

Sunday February 07, 2010

Have you ever received a promotion or honor that you felt not deserved and you wondered why you were selected? Have you ever been asked to take on a task for which you felt completely unqualified? What about being asked to take on the leadership of a team when you felt others on the team were more qualified? How did it make you feel? How did you respond?

In such a situation, we might feel flattered and excited at first; maybe special. We might also feel very humble. We might wonder what it is that someone else-our boss, our coach or our friend—sees in us that we do not see in ourselves. We may feel a lack of confidence about whether we are up to the task, and we may be scared because we know that it will be challenging and we might fail. No one wants to fail.

Today’s gospel message is about being chosen and responding to the call. Jesus told Peter and the other men with him to cast their nets for one more catch, even though they had been fishing all night. These men were fishermen, this was their trade. Jesus was a carpenter, hardly the right person to tell them how to fish. But when their nets did, in fact, yield them such a large catch, they realized there was something extraordinary about Jesus. They did not understand exactly what that relationship would be, but Peter and the others knew they wanted to follow Jesus and be with him. For whatever reason, they knew He believed in them and they began to have faith in him and his choices.

Jesus feels that way about all of us He wants a relationship with each one of us. We are not always sure what he has planned for us, and many times we are not sure we are up to the task of being especially close to him. We know that some of the challenges seem very difficult, and we wonder why Jesus is choosing us for this job. We might feel there are people much holier than we are, and more able to accomplish the work. We might also feel, as Peter did, that we are not worthy to be a friend of Jesus.

Fortunately, Jesus looks beyond our flaws, and he does not hold our imperfections against us. He is not judgmental nor does he condemn us. He truly loves us so unconditionally and so completely that he continues to forgive our mistakes and our failures. Every day he renews his invitation to us to have a relationship with him. And every day we only have to say yes to Him.

Sunday January 31, 2010

In today’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus has returned to Nazareth, his hometown. From the passage just preceding this one, we know that he has read in the synagogue from Isaiah’s prophecy: to preach the good news; proclaim release to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and liberty to the oppressed. Jesus proclaims that he is to fulfill this prophecy, and that these are all part of his mission. At first, the people speak favorably of him. Unfortunately, many of the people find it difficult to accept the message that Jesus brings: God’s love extends to all people, even those outside the Chosen People.

Often Jesus pointed out the love and faith that he found among people whom some Jews considered undesirables. The parable of the Good Samaritan, the faith of the Centurion with a sick slave, the repentance shown by the sinful woman, all place one of the undesirables at the center of a faith-filled example. Jesus even recalled events from the time of the prophets Elijah and Elisha that showed God’s love poured out on foreigners. God showers his love on all of creation. We are recipients of it and are called to do our best to share it with others, even those who have hardened themselves against the invitation to respond to love.

Helping us understand how we are to do this is at the heart of the beautiful hymn of love from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, which we also heard today. It is one of the most popular readings chosen for weddings, and it certainly expresses the ideal love to be lived out in the marriage covenant between husband and wife. However, Paul points out that love is a vital component in all of our relationships. Earlier in his Letter to the Corinthians, Paul noted that the spiritual gifts of teaching, healing and serving one another were essential to the well-being of the community. Now he makes it clear that to perform a charitable deed, or even a pious act, without love is an empty exercise. To profess a strong faith but to lack love makes one’s words a noisy gong. It is love that ties all the spiritual gifts together and makes them pleasing to the Lord.

We may know some people who seem to have no love within their hearts. We may hear on the news of hardened criminals or terrorists who carry out terrible crimes, and we wonder what happened to the love. Fortunately, we do not have to judge the actions of those who are not loveable; we only have to judge our own. Jesus tells us to Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. In another teaching, Jesus exhorts us to turn the other cheek and give our shirt to the one who steals our coat. Of course, this takes work on our part; sometimes a great deal of work. It may not be easy to love a grumpy relative who needs companionship or a neighbor whose tree drops its leaves in our yard, making more work for us. But we can strive to empty ourselves of all resentment and decide to fill those difficult relationships with love, perhaps by sharing a cup of coffee or lively conversation over the back fence. Paul said it so well today when he taught that, in the end, there are but three things that last, faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.

Sunday January 24, 2010

At the Second Vatican Council, the bishops of the world refocused our attention on the nature of the Church’s liturgy– literally, the work of the people. It is God who invites us to gather for worship and to engage in God’s work. By fully, actively and consciously participating in the liturgy, we give Him due praise and are sanctified by him. Today’s readings remind us of the importance of what we do as members of God’s liturgical assemblies.

In the first reading, we find the Israelites returning from exile and Nehemiah working to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. But in the midst of this reconstruction project, the prophet knew it was far more important to provide the scattered people with a foundation for their way of life—the Torah. So Ezra, the priest, reads from the Book of Law, from daybreak until midday. He does so with distinctive ritual. The scroll is presented to him, he is on a high platform built for the occasion, and he blessed the Lord. The people stand, raise their hands high, respond with amen, amen and bow down before the Lord. Hearing the word of God was not to be a sad occasion, but was to be accompanied by great feasting, even providing food for one another, since rejoicing in the Lord would be their strength.

In the second reading, Paul addresses the assemblies at Corinth, reminding them that they were all baptized into one body and all were given to drink of the same Spirit. They became members of the body of Christ and, while that body has many parts, it is all the same body. Some members are designated to teach the word of God as apostles, prophets or teachers, while others serve as healers, administrators and interpreters of tongues. Whatever their role, all members of the body are important, and their unity is to be manifested by showing concern for one another.

Integral to both these assemblies was the handing on of the word of God. While Jesus preached of God’s kingdom on seashores, mountaintops and at dining tables, he regularly taught in synagogues on the Sabbath Day and was praised by all. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is at Nazareth. He is presented a scroll and reads from the prophet Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. To the great astonishment of the members of that assembly, Jesus then says, Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.

This truth now calls us to gather with great rejoicing on the day of the Lord. Ancient synagogue rituals mold our liturgical practice. Scripture, the revealed word of God, continues to be integral to all of our liturgical rites. And the same Jesus, who boldly proclaimed the message of God’s love in his hometown synagogue, still is the ever-present High Priest leading our liturgical assemblies. Indeed, whenever Scripture is proclaimed, it is Christ, himself, who is speaking. Then, should this not affect how we reverently prepare, proclaim and listen to the Scriptures? Should this not remind us that Scripture is foundational to the way we live? And should we not realize that we, like the early disciples and the Gospel writers, are to hand on Christ’s message to the world, raising up the poor, bringing sight to those who cannot see, giving liberty to captives and freeing the oppressed? Have we been listening?

Sunday January 17, 2010

At one time or another most of us have probably seen televised videos that show personal mishaps and blunders. On various occasions there have been some episodes about things that go wrong at weddings. Funny to those watching the episodes unfold perhaps, but undoubtedly not so funny at the time to the bride or groom, or those closest to them.

In the Gospel today, Jesus and his mother are at a wedding and something goes wrong. The Blessed Mother notices that they have run out of wine. She mentions it to her Son, who appears to be having a good time and does not seem to understand why his mother’s observation should be of any concern to him. Being the obedient Son, however— or perhaps it was a stare he was getting from his mother— Jesus tells the wine stewards to fill some water jars. And we know the rest of the story. The newlyweds are spared a major embarrassment, the bride’s parents do not lose face among their friends, and everyone has a good time.

Two things can get missed in the happy conclusion to this passage if we have not been paying attention. The ministry of Jesus had not officially begun, and we never hear his mother say another word in all of the Scriptures. This is the Evangelist John’s way of introducing Jesus to the crowd, so to speak. It is his mother who has made this event the appointed hour for Jesus to become known: Do whatever he tells you, she instructs the stewards. John refers to the event as the beginning of the signs of Jesus and that his disciples then began to believe in him.

As we ponder this role Mary played in the ministry of Jesus, we are also called to think about our role in continuing that mission. In today’s second reading, Paul reminds us that there are many different gifts but one Spirit. Taken together, these readings offer us a good opportunity to reflect on how we have been using the unique gifts and talents given to us by God. Most of us know, possibly all too well, how easy it can be for us to get drawn into jockeying for position at work, within the family or among friends, to the point that we fail to see the blessings, gifts, and opportunities that surround us. Mindful of this reality, let us do our best to remember the mission that we are called to each day: that of using our gifts and talents, in cooperation with others, to help build up God’s Kingdom on earth; to help build a better world. We are to seek to do this in all areas of our lives, in our parish, our homes, our schools, our neighborhoods and in our workplaces. The object lesson is one we know quite well: Simply put, we need to pay attention to God speaking to us in our hearts, then we need to go and do what Jesus is calling us to do.

Sunday January 10, 2010

There are two aspects of the Baptism of Jesus that we can focus on today: the manifestation of the true identity of Jesus and the beginning of his public ministry. From the Gospel, we hear that heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’ In this quote from today’s Gospel, we see who Jesus truly is— the beloved Son of God the Father. With the descent of the Holy Spirit, the essential relationship between God the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus is revealed.

The second aspect of Baptism of the Lord is the beginning of his public ministry—the inauguration of his mission on earth that the Father had sent him to fulfill. Throughout the rest of this Church year, we will be hearing from the Gospel of Luke, which will reveal more details on that mission. It will be through what Jesus says and does, his teaching, preaching and healing; his Passion, death, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven.

Some of the dynamics that occurred for Jesus at his Baptism occur for us at our own Baptism. Our true identity as a beloved child of God is made known. Our ministry, our common Christian vocation to love God and serve others, is also made known. From our Baptism flows the unique way in which we will be called to serve the Lord.

Let us look to George Washington Carver as a case in point. Carver was a great scientist and an avowed Christian. He is best known for his work in the area of peanut agricultural science. Back in January 0f 1021, he went to Washington, D.C. to appear before the Congressional Ways and Means Committee (anecdote from George Washington Carver, His life in His own Words, Kremer, University of Missouri Press, 1991). As a black man, he was last on the list to speak to the committee. On his way forward to make his presentation , he was treated in a demeaning manner, with racist remarks directed at him by several of the people present. He was ready to leave and go back home, but, as he wrote in his autobiography, Whatever they said of me, I knew that I was a child of God and so I said to myself inwardly, ‘Almighty God, let me carry out your will.’ He was told that he had twenty minutes to speak, but so engaging was his discussion that his twenty minutes were extended. In fact, he was given four more extensions, so he spoke for several hours. At the end of his talk they all stood and gave him a long round of applause, all because he knew who he was and because he refused to be defined by the labels of his culture.

George Washington Carver knew himself to be a beloved child of God. He also knew that he had been given a mission, a particular way to do the will of God—in his case, research on peanuts and other crops. For each of us, Baptism is a vital key to our identity; that we are beloved children of God and members of Christ’s body, the Church. It is key to clarifying our purpose in life, for from our Baptism we received a common Christian vocation, to do our part in helping the Church to carry out its mission of loving and serving others. Even if our Baptism occurred long ago, we can celebrate it today, in union with the Baptism of the Lord.

Sunday December 20, 2009

On the surface of things, this gospel describes a pretty grim situation. Two women in an occupied territory discover they are pregnant. One is very young unwed mother, the other a much older woman experiencing pregnancy for the first time. Both would be described in modern terms as being in the high risk category. If they had lived today, both might have been advised to consider an abortion. The Blessed Virgin Mary, the teenager, pregnant with a child that is not her fiance’s, by law should be stoned to death. Elizabeth, well past normal childbearing years, is married to an old man, who had recently been rendered mute.

So how does Elizabeth respond when she is visited by Mary? She cries out in a loud voice: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.

How is Elizabeth able to do this? How is she able to recognize the kick of the baby in her womb as a leap for joy, and able to see Mary as the mother of her Lord, the one who believed in God’s word to her?

We read the answer in this same passage: Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was what allowed her to recognize God’s presence in Mary. The Gospel of Luke is often called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit. We see again and again in this Gospel how the Holy Spirit acts in the lives of people.

Through the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth is able to recognize and celebrate the presence of Christ in Mary. Through the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist, while still in his mother’s womb, leaps for joy at the sound of Mary’s greeting. John is preparing the way for Jesus, even before either of them is born. Immediately after this passage, we hear the beautiful Magnificat, Mary’s proclamation of what God has done for her. It begins: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

We have just a few days before Christmas. It may be a very busy time for you, but take time to read the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke. You will hear more about Elizabeth, her husband Zechariah, the angel Gabriel, Mary and Joseph and the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. If you do this, you likely will be better able to celebrate with joy the birth of our Savior this Christmas.

And now, something for the people on your gift list. Many of you have already bought or made gifts, but here’s a suggestion for an additional gift for the people on your list. You do not need to go shopping; all you need is a few quiet moments to think a little more about how God works in our lives. God, and God alone, fulfills every yearning of the human heart. He provides life and peace, wholeness and love, contentment and joy. So, between now and Christmas, think of each person on your gift list, hold them in prayer before God, and ask that they might open themselves to God. Pray that they, like the Blessed Mother Mary, John and Elizabeth, may joyfully recognize the presence of God in their midst. We can include ourselves in the prayer, so that we all might know more fully this presence in the people around us, and within us.

Sunday December 13, 2009

Today’s Gospel begins with a lot of people listening to John the Baptist. There are Roman soldiers, who were part of an occupying army known for its strong-armed tactics. There are tax collectors, who have grown wealthy by over-charging the people. Greed, immortality, bitterness– all sorts of sins-haunt those gathered there. But just as the sick seek out a doctor, so it is that those who are sick with sin have come to hear the preacher. And one by one, the people step into the Jordan to be baptized as a sign of their repentance for their sins.

So powerful were the words of John the Baptist that it is not surprising that many wondered if he might be their promised Christ. It was the calling and privilege of John the Baptist, however, to prepare the way of the Lord. In preparing the way, what did John preach? John sought to turn the people from any sort of idol that they would trust more than God. He preached
about repentance, love and forgiveness, and proclaimed that One-mightier than he—was coming. This person would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. And this Baptism would bring salvation.

The people heard John preach of God’s judgment on sinners and asked: What shall we do? He directed the people to share their goods with those who were in need. Tax collectors were admonished to collect no more than what was prescribed by law. He counseled soldiers against carrying out any extortion or falsely accusing anyone of wrongdoing.

So we see how the message of repentance was spelled out by John the Baptist for the people of his time. How might we spell it out today? Giving in to sin means rejecting Jesus, as if to say, I do not need a Savior. My sinful ways will fill my needs. Imagine a drowning man holding tight to lead weights, believing that they could save him. Sinful behavior can be attractive, but when we cling to it we cannot cling to our Savior. To hold onto sin is to say, I do not want Jesus to save me.

Repentance can help turn us away from those things that might come between our Savior and us. It allows us to let go of our lead weights. It prepares us for the Savior, who forgives all our sins, heals us of all our shortcoming and give us eternal life. It moves the sinner to say, I cannot save myself; I reject the idols I have trusted.

So John preached repentance to each individual. He pointed out their sin, those things that they have clung to and now need to reject. He preached charity and fairness, too, and the good news that the Mighty One would come soon. Having prepared the way of the Lord, John would come soon point out Jesus Christ in the crowd and declare: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Let us take time today to reflect on the humility and holiness of John the Baptist. Let us see how we can learn from him as we, too, are called to help prepare the way for Jesus in our thoughts, words and actions of kindness and love.

Sunday December 6, 2009

If we take time to slow down and reflect upon the way the Church and our surrounding culture celebrate this time of year, we can see that there is a contrast between the two as to how we prepare for Christmas. The Church calls us, during this Advent season, to set aside extra time for prayer and quiet reflection, while our secular culture bombards us with Christmas carols and glitzy light displays. These are supposed to put us in the Christmas spirit and to entice us to show our love for others through the giving of gifts.

Although there are distinct differences between where our faith and our surrounding culture call us to place our attention during this time of year, the two need not be at complete odds with one another. We can thoughtfully and prayerfully discern how we might use some of our culture’s customs as means to help us grow spiritually during this Advent season. For instance, the custom of decorating one’s dwelling place with Christmas lights can be seen, from the perspective of our faith, as a tangible reminder of how we are to live especially if we consider Christmas lights in regard to today’s Scripture readings.

Today’s first reading opens with the words: Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever. The second reading encourages us to be confident that God, who has begun a good work in us, will see it through to completion. In the Gospel, John the Baptist referred to himself as one who was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. What better way could there be for us to put on the splendor of God, to allow the good work he has begun in us to move forward, and to prepare the way of the Lord, than to truly strive to open ourselves more fully to God’s light and love? We are to allow God to penetrate every fiber of our being, so that our lives, like those glimmering Christmas lights, reflect the light and love of Christ to all we meet.

If we are participating in the custom of exchanging gifts with others, we can also seize this as an opportunity to make or purchase gifts to give as signs of our true love for others. These gifts need not be expensive, but should be expressions of our genuine love and care. Ultimately, the greatest gift we can give others is the gift of ourselves, in the form of our presence to them.

Participating in the custom of exchanging gifts can also serve as a tangible reminder to us of the truth that all that we have, are, and will be are gifts from God. As with others we love, the greatest gift we can offer back to God is ourselves. We offer ourselves to God by praying daily, by being nourished by the Sacraments, by reflecting on Scripture, by being open to going where he leads us and by practicing the teachings of Jesus in our daily lives. In giving our lives in service to God and others each day, we prepare the way for the Lord, as we allow Christ to use us as instruments of his love. Jesus can, and does, use our actions of loving kindness to touch the lives of others.

So, as we put up our Christmas lights, let us remember that our lives are to shine brightly, reflecting God’s light and love to others. As we prepare to exchange gifts, let us remember all is a gift from God. Let us also remember that we are to share our love, time and material blessings generously with others, especially those most in need.

Sunday November 29, 2009

To announce the birth of his Son, God set a star in the sky to guide the Wise Men to the scene of the nativity. The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. His coming was fulfilled. Now, we await His Second Coming, when the world, as we know it, will end and we will each be judged according to our deeds. Today’s Gospel makes it clear that when Jesus returns, it will be in power and glory. Those who have wrought evil will be filled with fright for they will know and see the judgment that awaits them.

These two aspects of the coming of Jesus are what the season of Advent, which we begin today, brings together. We prepare to commemorate something that happened a long time ago, the birth of the Savior; but we also anticipate something about the future, the Second Coming of Christ, at the end of time. Our expectations of what will happen when Jesus returns play a large role in shaping how we will go about preparing ourselves to meet our Lord one day. A lot depends on how we think of Him. A billboard many may have seen proclaims: The good news is that Jesus is coming back! The bad news is that He is really, really mad!

Fear often jolts us into immediate action. But fear is often a knee-jerk response, with only love having real staying power. Fear of the Lord is a gift of the Holy Spirit, but that fear actually means honor and reverence for the Almighty. That fear should move us to prepare ourselves to meet Jesus face-to-face. Jesus may be angry with some people, but he will judge us each individually, and that judgment will be based on how we have lived and how we have shown our love for God and for others. But the time to make our lives acceptable to God is now. For helping us prepare ourselves to stand before our Lord, who better to turn to than Jesus, himself? Jesus is ever-present to us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to guide us and shepherd us on the path of life. Aside from this, the Holy Spirit leads us to see more clearly the areas of our lives where we have fallen short and are in need of repentance. As this happens, we should let go of those things holding us back from living as God calls us. We are to ask for God’s forgiveness while we still have the time and opportunity to do so.

As we examine our lives in preparation to stand before Jesus, we can call to mind how Jesus gently scolded the Samaritan woman and opened her heart to his forgiveness. She came to recognize Jesus as the long awaited Messiah, repented and spread the news that the Christ had come. We also can remember how Jesus treated Zacchaeus, who promised to make restitution to those he had wronged. Jesus told him, The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost. Scripture is full of accounts of the love and forgiveness of Jesus. As we begin this Advent season, let us open our hearts to this love and forgiveness and do whatever is necessary to prepare for the day of His Coming.

Sunday November 22, 2009

The concepts of kings and kingdoms do not hold much resonance in our modern world. Yet, the pomp of royalty still holds an attraction for many people. When Prince Charles is crowned King of England, the media will certainly get excited and many will watch extended television coverage, fascinated by the ceremonial pageantry. Years ago, when Grace Kelly married Prince Ranier and became the princess of the postage stampsize country of Monaco, Americans had their very own fairy tale story.

Today’s celebration of the Feast of Christ the King has nothing to do with earthly kingdoms or worldly power; rather, it gives us contrasting visions of kingship. Daniel describes a striking figure-one like a Son of man– who is given power and a kingship that extends over all the earth. John, on the other hand, tells of Jesus on his throne– the Cross. Jesus was truly a king, but offered himself for his people. His kingdom is not of this world, he tells Pilate, and facing the howling mob, Jesus is still a regal figure, still in command. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.

For the Israelites, God was to be their one true King and his covenant with his people was one of love and patronage. The man on the throne of Israel was to be the prime instrument of God’s will and power. He was to keep a copy of the laws relating to the king, and was to read them every day of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord, his God, and to heed and fulfill all the words of this law and these statutes (Dt 17:19). The kings of Israel were not to fight battles or negotiate treaties; they were to live in obedience to God’s law, so as to give an example to their subjects. In this tradition, Jesus was truly a King.

John’s Gospel continues to give us insight into the kingship of Christ. As Jesus stands before Pilate, he wears the symbols of kingship, the crown of thorns, and a purple cloak. Joan passes lightly over the gruesome details of the passion and death of Christ. He sees Jesus as the King on the throne he has chosen-the Cross. The words placed above Jesus are emphasized by John-Jesus the Nazarean, the King of the Jews (19:18). There is no escaping the fact that Jesus is truly King, reigning from the Cross. This is the great sign of Christ’s messianic role: Jesus, the Light that came into the world to scatter the darkness, still is radiant, offering salvation to all who will come to him.