Today’s Thoughts: The story of the Forgiving Father is what we are asked to reflect on today. I have used this parable many times, often when I am preparing young people for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For me the first half of the story about the younger son and his return home is a great image for the sacrament. All the elements of the sacrament are there, recognition of sinfulness, the journey to the sacrament, saying we are sorry and forgiveness.
The second half of the story about the older brother reflects another side of sinfulness. We often only think of sinfulness as bad things that we do. We think of the Ten Commandments. However, sin can be what we don't do. Sin can be standing in judgment, self-righteousness, pride, envy, jealousy and anger especially when we think we are right. Sin can be refusing to be part of the family, part of the faith community. Sin can be thinking only of ourselves and playing the victim card. I have always felt this story presented the two sides of sin and often for many of us the older brother is where we usually find ourselves. The hopeful sign in the story is that the father is in the whole story. He is wherever we are. Always willing to forgive, always willing to welcome us home, always willing to come out and welcome us back into the family, into the celebration. All we need to do is let go of what we have done or failed to do and accept his forgiveness, his love! Perhaps each morning, each day of our lives is an opportunity to return home to our loving Father. God is always waiting for us to recognize our sinfulness and return home to his loving mercy. Have a holy and blessed Saturday everyone.
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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! 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 his 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 are caught up in the leadership culture, a 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 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 just 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: Our scripture today gives us a vision and a direction for our journey of faith. Abram, Peter, James, John and Timothy are inspired by the word of God, the vision of God and hopefully so are we!
In our Gospel (Matthew 17:1-9) today, 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 (Genesis 12: 1-4a) 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, like Peter, James and John, what he sees and hears is terrifying, awesome and wonderful. Abram is gifted with the presence of God. It is a presence that is overwhelming and terrifying but a presence that graces and blesses him in a wonderful way. God's presence in Abram's life blesses him with a covenant that will make him the father of a great nation. It was Abram's faith that helped to make his relationship with God, and the covenant with God, possible. For Peter, James and John things are a little different. Yes, they are gifted with God's presence, and it too is a presence that is overwhelming and terrifying. They encounter the breath of God's covenant in Moses and Elijah and the essence of Jesus divine nature in his transfiguration. 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 everyday life. It becomes for them an encounter of hope. Even though they must return to the struggles, difficulties, and challenges of life, 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. And so, it is for us too, as we continue this journey of Lent, this journey of life. We too have an encounter with the presence of God. Perhaps it is not as terrifying or as awesome as Abram's or Peter, James and John's. And at times 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! Sunday blessings to all and don’t forget to give God a little time today! 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 oneself 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. Today’s Thoughts: “The Church which “goes forth” is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:19), and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast. Such a community has an endless desire to show mercy, the fruit of its own experience of the power of the Father’s infinite mercy. Let us try a little harder to take the first step and to become involved. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. The Lord gets involved and he involves his own, as he kneels to wash their feet. He tells his disciples: “You will be blessed if you do this”” (Pope Francis – Evangelii Gaudium – The Joy of the Gospel)
Pope Francis words today might not seem like they touch on our readings, but they do. Pope Francis challenges us to be people of the world, to be people who get down and dirty with those around us. We are to be people of mercy and compassion. We are to be people who find the good in others even if they have done us wrong. We are to be people who bring joy to the world. Sometimes this can be a difficult task. When others hurt us, our natural response is to keep them at a distance, to wait for their apology, to seek justice, to wait for repayment, to hold on to the hurt. However, Jesus challenges us to be people who seek reconciliation, who offer forgiveness, who move beyond the hurt, who are people of service and joy. In today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:20-26) Jesus teaches us about sin. He does not talk about mortal sin and venial sin. Jesus just talks about sin. The things we do, don’t do, the things we say or don’t say that hurt our relationship with God. Sin as Jesus speaks about it is not hierarchical it is on a continuum, anger at one end, killing someone at the other. If we do not deal with our anger, we are headed down the wrong road. So, in the Gospel today Jesus asks us to look at all our faults, our failings, our struggles with others whether they are small or great. He asks us to seek forgiveness and to be compassionate so that we remain on the right road. In other words, we are to reach out to others, to serve others, to bring the gift of God’s joy to others. And if we live life this way we will be blessed! Have a holy and blessed Friday everyone. Today’s Thoughts: "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you," advice given by Jesus to his disciples, advice given to us today. What a different world it would be if we just followed this simple wisdom. I do not think there is a person among us who does not want good things to happen to them. Who does not want to be treated with respect and dignity? Who does not want to be valued for who they are? It is a basic human emotion, feeling and need. We want to be accepted, we want to be loved.
Yet over and over a scene is played out in our world today that runs counter to the wisdom Jesus gives us in the Gospel today. Just think of how many times and how many different ways each day we hear about, read about and even witness people disrespecting, belittling, devaluing, making fun of and hurting others, with words, and or actions. Take a trip some time online through Facebook, Twitter or one of the other social media sights. Read the comments people post at the bottom of article or news stories or posts on the internet and you will encounter, hate, bigotry and profound disrespect. We seem to be about tearing down not building up. If we take Jesus' words at face value it would seem we all want to be disrespected, dishonored and devalued because that is the way we seem to treat others. I think we need to remember that we value life because each of us, all of us, are born in the image and likeness of God. There is good in all of us. Perhaps we first need to find that goodness in ourselves and allow our words, our actions to originate from that goodness. In the first reading Queen Esther prays for God's help. In the Gospel Jesus tells us to ask for God help. Today I am praying, I am asking God to help us see and concentrate on the goodness, the image and likeness of God within us, so that we may see it in others and continue the work of the prophets of old in making this world a better place. Making it a world of respect, reverence and love! Have a holy and blessed Thursday 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
April 2024
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