Today’s Thought: Our readings today talk about expectations. We all have expectations for our life, for experiences we enter into, for our relationships, for our jobs and ministries, for the world around us. Sometimes our expectations are met even exceeded, however sometimes we are disappointed. At times our expectations can be unrealistic and there is no way they can be met. At other times our expectations cloud our ability to enter into a situation and get the best out of it. Our expectations of people, place, things and experiences can at times hold us back from realizing the graces or blessings of a particular experience or moment.
This is the case in our readings today. Naaman seeks healing for his leprosy from Elisha the prophet. When told to go to the Jordan River and wash seven times he becomes indignant. He thinks Elisha should do something spectacular, that there should be a great event that brings about his healing. Naaman is finally convinced to let go of his expectations and healing comes. The people of Nazareth have certain expectations for Jesus. They think they know him. They think they know what to expect from him. Thus, they make it difficult for Jesus to be the healing, loving forgiving person he is everywhere else. The people of Nazareth cannot let go of their expectations and Jesus must move on. Our scriptures remind us today that God works in mysterious ways. If we have expectations for God, for Jesus, for the Holy Spirit, then we might be disappointed, however if like Naaman we can put aside our expectations, if we can let go and let God, then great things can happen. Most importantly we will be able to recognize God's presence in our life when we most need it. Let us also have the faith of Naaman’s servant girl that God will provide healing for all of us! Have a blessed and holy Monday everyone.
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Today’s Thoughts: The Gospel today presents us with the stark reality of life that at any moment it can end. The question that Jesus is asking is are we ready? The Galileans and those who died at Siloam when the tower fell did not died because they were sinful. They died because of the violence and accidents of life. These kinds of tragedies happen every day as I mentioned above the question is are, we ready? If not, then eternal death not just physical death will be our outcome.
The good news is that God is a merciful God slow to anger and rich in kindness. However, we must be willing to accept and give fruit to God merciful grace. In the parable that ends the Gospel today, God plays the role of both the orchard owner and the gardener with us as the fig tree. God is always willing to give us a second chance, sometimes even a third, fourth and fifth chance but we need to respond to the grace given, we need to produce some fruit. In other words, time is of the essence as the Galileans and the people in Siloam learned. Now is the time to bear fruit, to do the good that we can, because there might not be later. This seems to be St. Paul’s message to the Corinthians today also. He looks at all God did for the Israelites bringing them out of slavery, help them throughout their journey to the promised land and yet some did not take advantage of God mercy and kindness. They grumbled and chose a different path and, in the end, paid for it. St. Paul challenges the Corinthians and us not to make the same mistake. We must be ready. We must be people who bear the fruit of God’s merciful love always. Have a blessed and holy Sunday everyone! Happy St. Joseph’s Day everyone! I hope you will take a little time this day to remember St. Joseph and the gift of his presence in our lives!
“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” (Pope Francis – Evangelii Gaudium – The Joy of the Gospel) These are perhaps odd words from Pope Francis to use on this Feast of St. Joseph, yet I think they are words which reflect the life of Joseph. He was a laborer and he faced many challenges in his life especially when God came calling. St. Joseph was a person of life, an ordinary person who through faith did extraordinary things. St. Joseph is a wonderful image of the kind of Church Pope Francis wants, a compassionate, loving and joy filled Church. Today we celebrate St. Joseph a person we know very little about but what we know can be an inspiration for all of us. He was a simple man skilled in the use of his hands to shape, form and build. He was an ordinary man placed in an extraordinary situation. He was a faith filled man who staked his life on the promises of God. St. Joseph wanders into our life through a few verses of scripture and leaves a lasting impression. In every situation, we find him he pursues the right thing to do. He is righteous man who cares about the people around him. He is a loving man who protects those he loves. He is a hope filled man who places his trust in his relationship with God. Yes, in his ordinariness St. Joseph stands as an example for all of us and we live our lives of faith. He is a model of quiet faithfulness. He is the hopefulness that fathers bring to a family. He is an example of loving attention to God’s presence. He is the humble father who reminds us of the gift of family life and the challenge of living for others! As we celebrate St. Joseph today as the husband of Mary let us honor his faithfulness, his hopefulness and his love by letting him be an example that helps us to live our life of faith caring for those around us. Happy St. Joseph’s Day to all and have a holy and blessed Saturday! Today’s Thoughts: Our scriptures for today present us with two issues that we often face in life. They are jealousy and holding on to what we think is best and not what God thinks is best.
Certainly, the familiar story of Joseph and his brothers reminds us of what jealousy, what envy can do to us. How they can make us think and act toward others, even people we love. Perhaps like the religious leaders of Jesus' time Joseph's brothers reflect only on the narrowness of their life rather than seeing the bigger picture. Rather than trusting in their father's love. I think it is only human to want to be recognized, to want to be valued, to want to be loved. The story tells us that Israel loved his sons but that he had a special affection for Joseph because he was the last and the son of Israel's old age. How often do we hear the saying, "Mon and dad liked you best!" It happens, or it seems to happen. Mothers and fathers often have a special feeling for one of their children, but it never means that they do not love the others. Yet, that human emotion of wanting attention, of wanting a special love can overwhelm us and make us do stupid things. Thinking we know best is equally as troublesome. The religious leaders get a lesson in what they have done wrong from Jesus today. How they have ignored God's ways and walked down their own path. How they have ignored the presence of God in their life in order to hold on to their own power, authority and way of life. God is in their midst, yet they fail to see. They fail to respond. They fail to grow! What can we take away from our readings today perhaps that they are an opportunity to reflect on our own lives? How often do we look around and feel sorry for ourselves because God seems to love others more than us? How often does the presence of others make us uncomfortable even jealous because we think they have something we do not? Yet, we are all blessed by God; we are all created in the image and likeness of God. We all have a place, a purpose and meaning here in this world. God loves us all. The question is can we recognized, accept and live out that love. Can we believe and trust in God's love for us? Finally, are we willing to accept and buy into God's way or does it always have to be our way. In the midst of living life are we willing to see God's presence and grow in the presence? Can we recognize God standing in our midst or do we have a better idea? Have a holy and blessed Friday everyone. Today’s Thoughts: Well, our scriptures today continue the theme that has been with us for the last few days; it is the theme of looking beyond ourselves. We have in the Gospel today the famous story of the rich man and Lazarus the poor man who sits at the rich man door. Lazarus is covered in sores. At first glance we might say that it is the rich man’s wealth that is the problem, and I am sure that many preachers have taken that approach in preaching about this Gospel. However, at closer inspection, it is not wealth that is the problem it is the rich man's way of life, it is how he lives. It is how he uses his wealth. He fails to see Lazarus at his door and if he does see him, he ignores him.
In the Gospels when Jesus talks about wealth it is never to condemn the person just because they have wealth it is always about what we do with it. Do we hoard it? Do we only care for ourselves? Or do we see the world and the needs of the world? Do we let our wealth work for the betterment of others? Do we help those in need with our wealth? This not only pertains to money and possessions, it is also about the gifts and talents that we have that can not only help us but others. Once again like the last few days this is about service, it is about being humble because all that we have comes from God and needs to be shared! In the first reading from Jeremiah we are reminded that one of the important values of our life is trust, specifically trust in God. This value can help with the above challenge of service. If we trust in God, if we make God part of our life then our riches, our gifts, our talents, our resources are much easier to share, because we know that God is with us. Our challenge is to think outside the box. Conventional wisdom says store up treasures for ourselves, make sure our life is comfortable, eat, drink, rest, be merry. But as people of faith God demands our lives. We are to be disciples, we are to be servants, we are to make what we have work for the good of others. We are to be people whose trust and hope is in God. We are to be rich in what matters to God. Remember "the Lord, alone probes the mind and tests the heart, and rewards everyone according to her or his ways, according to the merits of her or his deeds." Let us be people who trust and hope in God. Let us be people rich in the presence of God! Have a holy and blessed Thursday everyone and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today’s Thoughts: Usually when I hear today's Gospel the thought that comes to mind is, "Right question, wrong time!" What I mean by this is that Mrs. Zebedee asks the right question but it at the wrong time. She wants the best for her sons; she wants eternal life, who doesn't? It is the goal of every person of faith. Yet if we listen to the passage closely, Jesus has just talked to them about what lies ahead, he has shared with them the reality of his Passion and Death. What's their response, "Can my sons have a place of honor in the Kingdom?" If Jesus were like us he might have responded, "Lady, did you just hear what I said!" But he doesn't, Jesus turns it once again into a teaching moment in the hope his disciples will continue to grow.
We might say that Mrs. Zebedee's question is a typical human response when someone is sharing their deep human emotions and feelings. When someone shares with us a personal struggle, a personal tragedy, a personal hurt or pain, at those moments we tend to want to change the subject or turn inward and think of ourselves. Jesus and the readings the last few days have been trying to focus us beyond ourselves. A disciple serves. A disciple looks outward toward others. A disciple tries to right the wrongs of society. A disciple thinks of those who have no one to help them. A disciple is not concern about herself or himself. A disciple has entrusted herself or himself to God. Jesus uses this moment today to once again make this point. He has "not come to be served but to serve and to give his life in ransom for the many." In our first reading today, in the last few verses we get an opportunity to hear words from Jeremiah’s personal journal. It was never supposed to be a part of his book, but the editor found his diary after his death and inserted his confessions into the book where he thought they fit historically. These are Jeremiah’s personal thoughts, his struggles, his way of telling God what he thoughts and asking for help. In today section Jeremiah wants to know why bad things happen to good people. Why for all the good work he has done he faces being repaid with death? All he did was to bring God's message to the people. All he did was be a faithful disciple. What Jeremiah learns and what eventually Jesus' disciples learn is that discipleship is not easy and often dangerous. Yet if we trust in God, if we look beyond ourselves to others God will take care of us when it counts most. As we continue to make our way through this Lent let us listen to Jesus and not respond by thinking just of ourselves but let us trust in God's kindness and love because we too are willing to serve rather than be served. We too are willing to look beyond ourselves for the sake of the Kingdom! Have a blessed and holy Wednesday everyone. Today’s Thoughts: Now I must admit to you that I struggle every time I hear or read today's Gospel. The images that Jesus uses to talk about the religious leadership of his time seem all too familiar and being a part of the leadership of our Church I wonder about myself and whether I am making the same mistakes as those Jesus is talking about in the Gospel.
I think about the scandals and struggles of the Church today and wonder if the very pitfalls that Jesus points out about the leadership of his day are not alive and well in the leadership of the Church today. Let's remember that the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day were good people for the most part. They were doing what they thought they were supposed to do. However, they were caught up in a religious leadership culture that had developed over centuries. They thought they were doing what was right. Many in religious leadership today are good people doing what they think is right, but they caught up in the leadership culture, clericalism, that has developed over centuries. But like in Jesus' time does that make it right and life giving? For me whether you are part of the religious leadership of today or not the challenge of the Gospel is that of being a humble servant. Throughout my life and ministry as a priest I have always imaged myself as a servant and a shepherd. Those are the two images that make the most sense to me for who I am and how I am supposed to live. I work at trying to be a humble person, but I am not always successful. What always brings me back to reality when I get too full of myself is that I am a servant nothing more. Too often today we see people in leadership who feel entitled, who look for the places of honor, who seek out titles, who do place burdens on others without any thought of helping. They become people who are distant, at times unapproachable and certainly not shepherds or servants! Perhaps our task today is to pray for leadership, especially within our Church that they - we might find the virtues of servant and shepherd once again. That they - we might take to hearts the words of Jesus and seek to be humble servants who learn to do good again! Have a blessed and holy Tuesday everyone. Today’s Thoughts: I have decided I am glad that cell phones, computers and social media came along long after I was out of college and at a time when I hope I am wiser in how I respond to things that happen around me. Often when I am reading through Twitter, Facebook or the comments people post after an article that I have read online I want to respond to something someone has said. Most of the time I do not want to respond with a positive comment, I want to judge, condemn, make fun of or show the person the error of their ways. I want to be negative. It is very easy to do after all it is just words and there is no way other than words for the person to respond. I do not have to look at them or be in the same room with them. I can just hide behind my computer, iPad, or cell phone. No risk involved and certainly no responsibility.
If I had these opportunities in high school, college or my early years as a young adult I am pretty sure my self-control would not have been as good as it is today. I would have thrown my opinion into the cyber mix often with no thought of who it might hurt or of the consequences that my words, my criticism, my negativity might have on others and myself. In the Gospel today, Jesus reminds us to be people who don't judge, who don't condemn. We are asked to be people of mercy and forgiveness. People who somehow find the good in others and work at letting that goodness shine. It is very easy to have a knee jerk reaction to something someone says especially if it is not along the lines of the things we believe or value. It is very easy to be critical especially when we do not walk in the shoes of the person we are criticizing. It is very easy to point the finger of blame. It is very easy to condemn, to judge and to be self-righteous, especially when we have nothing to lose because we are sitting behind a computer not in front of the person we have just judged, just condemned by our words. Throughout this season of Lent, we look for forgiveness for our sinfulness, we fast, we pray, we give up things, we do good works all in the hope that God will be merciful and forgiving. In the living of Lent, we hope for a life, for a world that is more positive, peaceful and God centered. Today Jesus asks us not to be passive disciples who sit and listen, but active workers for the Kingdom. We can start by living our lives as merciful, forgiving loving people. People, who do not judge, do not condemn, do not tear down with our words but people who build up. People who help to build the peaceable Kingdom of God! Have a blessed and holy Monday everyone. Today’s Thoughts: We begin this day with the opening line from the Responsorial Psalm, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?” A good thought to begin our day wouldn’t you say?
In our Gospel Peter, James and John are given the opportunity to see and hear Jesus differently, not just through the eyes and ears of the world but also through the eyes and ears of faith. What they see and hear is terrifying, awesome and wonderful. Abram is promised many descendants and their own land through a renewed covenant with God. He is asked to see and hear his life differently, not just through the eyes and ears of the world but also through the eyes and ears of faith. For Abram what he sees and hears is terrifying, awesome and incomprehensible. It is a promise that had to be overwhelming and confusing for Abram but one that called on a faithfulness in his relationship with God. It will be Abram's faith that send him and his family on the journey of a lifetime. For Peter, James and John they too are gifted with God's presence. It is a presence that is also overwhelming and terrifying. They encounter the breath of God's covenant and the essence of Jesus divine nature. They want to hang on to both but quickly learn that they cannot. It is an encounter to be remembered, an encounter that they can take with them as they return to the life they live. It becomes for them an encounter of hope. Even though they must return to their everyday life, to the struggles, difficulties, the challenges, even though they must go back down the mountain and continue their journey to the next mountain, Calvary, they have this memory that will keep alive the hope they need no matter what they encounter. This encounter with God and their faith will take them on the journey of a lifetime! And so, it is for us as we continue this journey of Lent, this journey of life. We too have an encounter with the presence of God. It perhaps doesn't seem as terrifying or as awesome as Abram's or Peter, James and John's. It sometimes is quickly forgotten but if we have faith it is the very hope that will help us continue this journey with all its struggles, with all it difficulties, with all its challenges. Our encounter with God is the Eucharist. It is our covenant, it is our mountain top, it is our moment to see and hear God not through the eyes and ears of the world, but through the eyes and ears of faith! It is our moment to once again begin a journey of a lifetime by proclaiming The Lord is our light and our salvation; whom should we fear? Have a blessed and holy Sunday everyone. Today’s Thoughts: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." Probably some of the hardest words of the Gospel to put into practice. Perhaps on an intellectual level some of us might understand them. Maybe when we hear them proclaimed at mass, we might give them some thought. However, when it comes to living, much of the time, these words do not find their way into how we look at life.
Enemies are not people to invest love in. People who persecute us do not find their way into our prayers. Most of the time these days we trash them on Facebook or Twitter, we gossip about them and find any way we can to discredit them, to demonize them. The twenty-four-hour news stations like FOX, MSNBC and the like will give you all the ammunition that you need! Living Jesus' words is leaving one's self open to all kinds of bad things. It reflects weakness in a world built on strength, power and being number one. We can point to many examples were others tried to be nice, tried to follow Jesus' advice and were persecuted, hurt, overrun, sent into slavery, exiled, lost all they had and end up worse than they started off. We can point to wars and conflicts that escalated into world problems because people didn't act with strength, force and might. Living by Jesus' words seems to make us vulnerable and weak in the eyes of the people around us and the eyes of the world and to be honest with you I cannot dispute it. However, if we read a little further in the Gospel, we might say in some ways Jesus is not talking about world problems and issues between nations or complex situations. Jesus is talking about our daily lives, greeting people, caring about people around us, treating people with honor and respect as we encounter them in the living of life. Perhaps the point that Jesus is getting at is if we do the little things well, if we respect, honor and care about people in our one-on-one encounters. If we encounter a person who has hurt us or who does not value our point of view, our beliefs and in our encounter we view them with love and respect and hold them in prayer, then perhaps our world problems would not be such a challenge. In other words, if we live the words of Jesus in our everyday lives then our world might have the chance of being a better place. If we do the little things with faith the big things might be easier to overcome! Have a holy and blessed Saturday 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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