"Jesus does not mince his words in this respect, when he says, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Hostility is always at the beginning of the persecution of Christians; because Jesus knows that the mission is opposed by the work of the evil one. Therefore, the worker of the Gospel strives to be free from human influences of every kind, carrying neither money bag, nor knapsack, nor sandals, as Jesus advises, instead relying solely on the power of the Cross of Christ. This means giving up all motives of personal pride, of careerism or hunger for power, and becoming humble instruments of salvation worked by Jesus’ own sacrifice." (Pope Francis)
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Today’s Thoughts: As I pondered the Gospel (Mark 3: 22-30) early this morning a thought came to mind, though I am not sure it is a theological thought anyone would agree with me on. When I read Jesus' answer to the charge that "He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons,” I thought about our world, our country and our Church. We seem to be a house divided a lot of the time. Certainly, we seem to be divided in our country on many levels, especially politically and we are divided in our Church on many levels. Does this mean we are doomed to failure? Is there no hope?
Well I think the answer and hope can be found in the closing sentences of the Gospel, "Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” That might not sound like a hopeful answer, but I think it is. Jesus says it is about the Spirit. I think in our country and in our Church, yes, we are divided but we are focused on the same spirit. The divisions in our country are about how to make it better, how to be better Americans, we all want the same thing, the same spirit, and we all want this to be a good country we are divided on how to get there. In our Church we are divided on many issues, but we are all focused on the same Spirit, the same God, the same end, eternal life, we are just divided on how to get there. It is the Spirit that can give us hope in the midst of our struggles, in the midst of our divisions as a nation and as a Church. All hope is lost if we lose the Spirit. As Jesus says if we deny the Spirit we cannot be forgiven. Perhaps as a nation and a Church we might stop for moment today and recognize the Spirit we all want and let the Spirit begin to help us bridge our divisions, our differences, our struggles. Let us live today through the Spirit of Hope who does marvelous deeds! Have a great Monday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: The two things that caught my attention in our scriptures today are – how quickly the people of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s preaching and how quickly the Simon, Andrew, James and John respond to Jesus’ invitation. If I didn’t know better, I might think that all of them had read the section of St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians that we did today and figured that they were running out of time!
I am always a little concerned when we encounter such profound responses in the scripture like the ones today because I know from my own life experience that responding to God is not always easy. Sometimes I have to be hit over the head several times before God’s message, invitation or call sinks in. I mean just take Jonah’s situation as an example. Think of yourself walking through any big city in the United States, New York, Chicago, Los Angles or any other large city and you are proclaiming the Word of God. What would you expect to happen? Imagine yourself standing in the middle of Times Square proclaiming the Good News. What would you expect to happen? Not what happened to Jonah is my guess! Now imagine yourself in the midst of your daily life. Perhaps you are getting ready to walk out the door to work. Perhaps you are busy getting your children ready to head off to school. Perhaps you are sitting in front of your computer working to support your family. Perhaps you are sitting in a doctor’s office waiting for your appointment. Perhaps you are at Starbucks waiting for your morning coffee. A man approaches you. A man you have never met before and he says, “Follow me!” Would you go? My guess is no. However, that is exactly what happens in the Gospel today and Simon, Andrew, James and John say yes! Our scriptures today tell us that God’s Word, the Good News is very powerful. It can change peoples’ perspective, it can change peoples’ lives in an instant if they let it. The Good News can awaken us from the tedium of life. It can give us a new perspective. The Good News can be something new and wonderful if we let it into our lives. Perhaps the people of Nineveh were just waiting for a new message, a new chance, a new perspective on life. Perhaps Simon, Andrew, James and John were waiting for a new opportunity to love life. Pope Francis has told us that – “Instead of imposing new obligations, (Christians) should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet.” Perhaps that is exactly how Jonah appeared to the people of Nineveh and how Jesus appeared Simon, Andrew, James and John. Our scriptures challenge us to bring the joy, beauty, the delicious banquet of God’s kingdom, God’s love, God’s presence to the world. They challenge us to proclaim the Good News with our words but more importantly with our life! Have a great Sunday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: The Gospel today is an interesting one. It is short and to the point. The crowds are pressing in on Jesus, he does not have a moment to breathe, pray or eat and his family and friends are not too sure about all that he is doing, they go so far as to say, "He is out of his mind." Which is what I said about one of my brother Passionist when I heard the garage door open this morning, but I digress.
I have always found “He is out of his mind.” an interesting line in the Gospel. I don't think we often, if ever, would use the phrase, "He us out of his mind." to describe Jesus. It almost seems irreverent! Yet that is what his family and friends thought and in a way, it is comforting. I don't know for sure, but I do believe that people have thought that "I am out of my mind," because of the things I have done or because of the busyness of my life or the thoughts that I have expressed or the stands that I have taken. It is comforting to know that at least for a moment Jesus and I share the same struggle concerning how people see us. Perhaps many of the things Jesus did, experienced and lived out seemed crazy. How often today does someone point out that Jesus would have done it this way and because it doesn't fit with how we live life and we think or say the person is crazy. Jesus asks us to do a lot of crazy things, love our enemies, pray for our persecutor, forgive, be in the company of sinners, accept people for who they are, step across boundaries in order to bring about healing and life. It may seem crazy, in doing these things it might seem like we are out of our minds, but remember we are in good company! Have a great Saturday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps. 57: 2, 3-4, 6, 11) for today’s mass we are presented with the image of a mother bird protecting her young. She shelters them with her wings until the danger passes. But what happens once the danger passes, well the children need to grow and move away from the nest until they finally take that step off the limb and fly on their own. In learning to fly they now take on the responsibility of caring for themselves and eventually having their own little ones whom they will protect. It is the cycle of life.
Jesus names his twelve closes friends in the Gospel today (Mark 3:13-19). They are moving toward the end of the limb and soon they will be flying on their own. They will soon will be proclaiming the good news to all the world. Part of the Good News that they will proclaim is mercy, the mercy of God and the mercy we need to have in living life. It not always easy to live by mercy as David finds out in the first reading (1 Samuel 24:3-21). Yet that is what we are called to as the children of God. So what is our challenge today? Perhaps it is to trust in the ongoing care and concern of God for us but also to know that through that love and care we are sent forth into the world to proclaim the Good News, a Good News grounded in the mercy a God. Have a great Friday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: As I reflected on today’s Gospel (Mark 3:7-12) this morning the thought that came to mind was "A Day in the Life." This is the title of a 1967 Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. While the Gospel and the song have nothing in common I thought of the title in terms of what picture the Gospel paints for us today, A Day in the Life of Jesus.
It is interesting, I did a little research about the song, Lennon and McCartney wrote their sections of the song at different times, Lennon using accounts from the newspaper and McCartney using memories from his youth. The two sets of lyrics were then put together with orchestral glissandos. What does this have to do with the Gospel, well think about how the Gospels were put together? The days of Jesus' life, not a daily rendering but events tied together by the overarching story of his life. Today, we have a day in the life of Jesus, crowds coming from every corner of the world it seems, healing with every touch, demons proclaiming he is "the Son of God," people everywhere! No room, no time for himself, no space to breathe. When you think about it Jesus had a very difficult life long before he got to Calvary. He was always in demand. How did he do it? How did he balance his ministry and his need to just be, to pray, to connect with friends? How did he stay focused? Stay refreshed? Stay motivated? Sometimes seeing a picture of a day in the life of Jesus can be inspiring, sometimes it can be troubling, sometimes it can be tiring, sometimes it can be overwhelming. What does today's picture of a day in the life of Jesus say to you? To me it says he loved us very much! Have a great Thursday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: My thoughts today center on a single phrase in the Gospel, "Jesus looked around at them with anger...." It is comforting to know that Jesus was angry from time to time. That he got frustrated with others, particularly others who should have known better. Today it is the religious leaders once again they still don't seem to get it. Life, the quality of life, is much more important than rules and regulations.
Every day, we as people of faith are focused on life. It is profoundly important to us. It is a gift from God that we do not want to see life abused, neglected, devalued, taken, lost or discarded. We pray for it; we walk in support of it. We cherish it in our own lives and families. Life is primary to what we believe. Yet, at times we get so focused on one aspect of life we miss many others. We miss many opportunities to honor it, acknowledge it, celebrate it and heal it because of rules and regulations! Jesus was always about life, honoring it, acknowledging it, celebrating it and certainly healing it. May we find a way like Jesus to turn anger into healing, to turn anger into life! Think life today and every day! Have a great Wednesday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: In reflecting on the readings today a couple pf themes struck me about our faith. The first is that we do not always see in the same way as God does and God often chooses the unexpected. In the story we read today from the First Book of Samuel, God’s choice of David in unexpected. Samuel is sure that it is the first, second or third son of Jesse but God surprises him and us. God tells Samuel, “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature…. Not as [humankind] sees does God see…. [God] looks into the heart.” We are reminded that God looks beyond human appearance, status and stature, God looks into the heart and soul of a person. This is a consistent theme throughout scripture. God is about quality not quantity. God is about substance and appearance.
Another theme in our readings today is that of change. If something is alive that also means change. Jesus in the Gospel to the horror of the Pharisees indicates that things are not always going to remain the same. Change is in the air. The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath. Jesus is asking people to look at their faith differently. The Sabbath came into being to help humankind take time to focus on God. But the Sabbath is not greater than the needs of people. In other words, the actions, the rituals, the customs, the reality of the Sabbath is not what is most important, it is people and their relationship with God. On a side note I wish we might understand that about our own rituals and practices. Life means changes and as we go through life the things that connect us with God are going to change, take on different forms and different importance. But remember God always looks at things differently. God does not make decisions on appearance but on what is in our heart. Two of God's great gifts to us Life and Hope are always guiding us, always nourishing us so may they always be in our hearts. Have a great Tuesday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: I read a short quote from Pope Francis in the midst of my morning prayer today, “Sing to the Lord a new song. (Psalm 95:1) What is this new song? It does not consist of words, it is not a melody, it is the song of your life, it is allowing our life to be identified with that of Jesus, it is sharing his sentiments, his thoughts, his actions. And the life of Jesus is a life for others. It is a life of service.”
I read this after praying for a few moments with the Gospel (Mark 2:18-22) in which Jesus says, “no one pours new wine into old wine skins…. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” So, if we are singing a new song it cannot be the same old life that sings. It has got to be a new life, a new way of looking at the world. It has got to be a new way of looking at ourselves and others. Often, we are afraid of new, afraid of change, afraid of difference yet Jesus, Pope Francis and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tell us not to be afraid, but to pour, to sing and to dream new. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Happy Monday – and Happy New Wine, New Song and New Dream – Everyone! Today’s Thoughts: Our readings today present us with two snapshots in our long story of faith. One is the emergence of the prophet Samuel and the other is the emergence of Jesus into his public ministry.
They seem like simple ordinary moments in life, perhaps Samuel’s encounter with God a bit more unusual but then all of us have had those moments when we are awakened during the night or from a nap and we are not sure if we have been dreaming, or someone in the house has called us or what that sound was that awakened us. However, Samuel’s encounter with God and Jesus’ encounter with Andrew and Philip are anything but simple and ordinary. They are extraordinary and profound! If I might stray from my thoughts for a moment and address an issue that has come up in our world, our country this week. We might notice that in our reading from First Samuel by the end of the story it says that – “Samuel grew up and the Lord was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.” Now, all words have an effect. Sometimes that effect is a good, lifegiving, hopeful, positive effect, other times the effect is not so good and every once in a while the effect of our words is profoundly negative. We have witnessed this last effect that I have mentioned often over the last few years but no more so than this week. When someone with great power, authority, leadership and influence disparaged so many people with one simple word. We need to remember that words carry great power and as we learn today in our reading from First Samuel power for good because they flow, they have their origin in a relationship with God. As we learned this week words carry a very destructive power when God is left out of the equation. Our faith story calls us to a relationship with God that is based on respect for God, others and ourselves and one way we show, we live that respect is through the words we use. Perhaps, one challenge of our readings today is to ask ourselves the question from what power, what authority do we speak our words! Getting back to my original thoughts about our readings today in our Gospel today we find a very simple encounter between, John the Baptist, two disciples, Andrew and Philip, and Jesus. I am told when people begin the study of biblical Greek, the first text from the Bible they read is usually the Gospel of John. The reason is that John’s Gospel is written in very simple Greek. And the sentences are simple and straightforward in structure. “What are you looking for?” “Where are you staying?” “Come and see.” What could be simpler, right? The exchange between Jesus and the two disciples is ordinary. So why did John included it — especially when these words are the first ones we hear Jesus speak in this his gospel. If we read this exchange again slowly we will hear not a simple conversation profound exchange. Because once we read the whole Gospel, we will come to realize that John’s simple language is much deeper than it sounds at first. “What are you looking for?” Is actually one of the deepest question a person can ask another. To paraphrase, “What—really, down deep—are you seeking as your life your life? Power? Pleasure? Wealth? Relief from loneliness? Relief from pain, hunger? Knowledge? Truth? Love?” How do you answer this question right now? “Where are you staying?” This question is not the disciples asking Jesus his street address or his house number? The question that is really being asked, “Where do you come from, Master? What is the source of your life? Who — really, down deep — are you?” For the word translated “stay,” menein, means something deeper than what is your address. In the Gospel of John this word refers to a person’s source of being and ultimate purpose. Jesus’ response, “Come and see,” really means when you know the whole story, “Follow me as a committed disciple and you will come to really see (understand and believe) in a whole new way.” As we begin this ordinary time at the beginning of a new calendar year it is a great time, to pick up the Gospel of John and come and see who Jesus is and from where he derives his existence. It really will be an awakening, a way of seeing that leads to a whole new way to journey through this life in faith. Why not try it? Have a great Sunday everyone! |
Fr. Paul R. Fagan, C.P. "Preacher on the Run"Just a few thoughts to help you on your journey through life...let me know from time to time what you think... Archives
May 2023
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