Today’s Thoughts: We are confronted with that unsettling parable of Jesus’ again. Where is the justice? Where are the workers’ rights? How could the owner of the vineyard, how could Jesus be so uncaring? What does it all mean?
There are some of the typical questions and/or response I hear when this parable of the vineyard owner and the workers comes around (Matthew 20: 1-16). I always say to people this is not about worker rights, fair pay or justice. This parable is about compassion, mercy, generosity and love. This parable is about gratitude and letting God be God! The line that always strikes me in this parable is, “Are you envious because I am generous?” I believe this is a struggle we all have with God. We are so programed to do the right thing and in doing so we receive what is do us, but that is not how God operates. I often think about the Good Thief when this parable rolls around, it was just before his last breath that he connected with God. We talk about him stealing heaven. He is the very point of this Gospel today. The door to the Kingdom is always open, never closed and we are probably going to be surprised when we get there to see who is waiting to greet us, because God is a generous God, a merciful God, a loving God. The human rules of this life don’t apply to God and many of us will be thankful that God doesn’t operate by human rules and concerns when we reach the door of the Kingdom because without God’s mercy, compassion and generosity we might find ourselves outside! Be thankful not envious or judgmental today for our God is a generous God. Have a great Wednesday everyone!
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Fr. Chris, Fr. Melvin and myself...Celebrating 35 Years of Passionist Vowed Life. It has been and interesting 35 years but I would not trade them for anything else. We started out as seven and the three you see remain - we have miles to go before...well you know. Perhaps 35 more years! Thanks for all the support and love from all of you who keep us going...
Today’s Thoughts: I hope you are seeing clearly today which means you survived the solar eclipse yesterday. Well, I guess it will be back to the old and fake news today!
In today’s Gospel, the disciples listen to Jesus and then wonder, “Who can be saved?” Jesus says, “For [humankind] this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Peter still worried about himself and asks, “If I follow you, what's in it for me?” Perhaps, the answer is not what’s in it for me but what can I do to help to make things possible? I/we can have a sense of gratitude for all God has graced us with. I/we can let go of our own need to control and live with gratitude and gratefulness toward God because it just might make all the difference. Thomas Merton says it better than I… “To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” Have a great Tuesday everyone! “Many times in the Gospels we encounter the spontaneous cry to Jesus of the sick, the possessed, the poor and the afflicted: 'Have mercy on me'. Jesus responds to them all with a gaze of mercy and the comfort of His presence. In such invocations of help and requests for pity, each person also expresses his or her faith in Jesus, calling him 'Teacher', 'Son of David' and 'Lord'. They intuited that in Him there was something extraordinary, that was able to help them to emerge from the sad situation in which they found themselves. They perceived in Him the love of God Himself. And even though the crowd jostled around Him, Jesus was aware of these invocations of mercy and took pity, especially when He saw those who suffered and were wounded in their dignity, as in the case of the bleeding woman. He calls upon them to trust in Him and in His Word. For Jesus, to feel pity was equivalent to sharing the sadness of those He met, but at the same time of working in first person to transform it into joy." (Pope Francis)
Today’s Thoughts: Well as we await the solar eclipse this afternoon a few thoughts for your morning.
Today we find a sad moment in our Gospel (Matt. 19: 16-22), the young man just cannot let go of the world. He cannot respond to Jesus’ call, Jesus’ invitation. There is too much to lose. Thomas Merton talked about call, vocation in this way, “Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already possess. Vocation does not come from a voice out there calling me to be something I am not. It comes from a voice in here calling me to be the person I was born to be, to fulfill the original selfhood given me at birth by God.” Perhaps the young man could not hear the voice within. Perhaps he was too focused on a prize outside himself. Perhaps he really did not know his true self, the treasure that he was. Three questions for each of us today. Do we know our true self? Do we know and accept the treasure that we are? Are we going to watch the solar eclipse? Question three – No at least that is my answer. If you are going to watch please make sure you have the right safety glasses. Have a great Monday everyone! I am sorry that I did not post my usual thoughts, prayers and blessings but the day got away from me. So to make up for my laziness here are a few thoughts from Pope Francis to ponder...
"The happiness that everyone desires, for that matter, can be expressed in any number of ways and attained only if we are capable of loving. This is the way. It is always a matter of love; there is no other path. The true challenge is that of who loves the most. How many disabled and suffering persons open their hearts to life again as soon as they realise they are loved! How much love can well up in a heart simply with a smile! The therapy of smiling. Then our frailness itself can become a source of consolation and support in our solitude.” (Pope Francis) Have a peaceful evening and a restful night everyone! Today’s Thoughts: The last week or so I have been reflecting on a trip that I took to France three years ago around this time. One of the aspects of that trip that I have been reflecting on is the gift of children in life. Whether it was my encounters with families especially while I was in Lourdes or at other times during the trip. Or just thinking about the importance of children in my own life, like my three grandnieces and grandnephew. St. Bernadette and St. Thérèse of Lisieux where both children when they were profoundly touched by God.
In Aramaic, the word for child, servant, and slave is the same, which reflects the cultural attitude of first-century Palestine. But Jesus says, “for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” What a switch! Jesus is turning the social structure upside down! What does Jesus see that the learned and clever cannot see? Children are vulnerable and totally dependent. Because they lack power and control, they live in trust. Relying totally on their parents, they learn and grow. This is the stance that Jesus took when he taught his disciples to pray. We need to do the same. We need to value the gift of children in our lives. They should not be silenced, or abused, or hidden away, or seen but not heard. They should be in our midst always reminding us to be vulnerable, dependent, trusting and loving. They need to remind us to have joy always in our hearts! Have a great Saturday everyone and be aware of the gift of children around you today because they know the Kingdom! Today’s Thoughts: “The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel.” (Pope Francis)
I thought of these words by Pope Francis as I read today’s Gospel (Matt. 19: 3-12). Over the past two and a half years there has been a lot of discussion within the Church about family life, marriage and the divorced and separated and I would guess that many who lean toward a more traditional or legalistic view of the Church might point toward today’s Gospel as a reference point in saying that we should not change our stance on marriage especially in terms of the divorced and separated. Yet, I often wonder if that is what Jesus had in mind when he spoke these words. Now to be sure there is no way to know what Jesus meant or was thinking when he challenged the Pharisees and his disciples with the words found in today’s Gospel however, if we consider the whole of his life and ministry we might point to the words of Pope Francis as a way of looking at Jesus’ words today. I am certain that Jesus’ words highlight the sacredness and importance of marriage. Making a lifelong commitment speaks volumes about two people’s love. Jesus’ life was a lifelong commitment of love for us. However, Jesus’ life was also about mercy, forgiveness and encouragement. Think about his conversation with the woman at the well. Did he tell her to go, get her life in order then come back and see him about the “living water?” No, he looked past her struggles, her relationships and welcomed her into the mercy of God and as the story goes it made all the difference. We all make mistakes, some small and some big. At times, we think we are in love when we really aren’t. We believe we have found the right person and yet we haven’t. We try to do our best and sometimes no matter how hard we try it just isn’t our best. We say forever and sometimes it isn’t. We work hard at relationships but sometimes they are beyond our control because the other person walks away. Don’t you think God, who knows all these things, is still willing to sit and talk with us at the wells of our life? You better believe he is! So why aren’t we as a Church just as willing? The Eucharist is an altar of sacrifice and a table of forgiveness. The Eucharist is a place of welcome for everyone who believes. The Church is Eucharist thus we need to be a community where God’s mercy is freely given where all are welcome, forgiven, loved and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel! Have a great Friday everyone. Today’s Thoughts: “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.” (Pope Francis) These words from Pope Francis come to mind as I consider the Gospel for today (Matt. 18:21 – 19:1). Peter wants to how many times he must forgive a brother who has sin against him and Jesus’ answer is always. God never tires of forgiving us so why should we tire of forgiving our sisters and brothers.
This is not easy our human nature seems to always push us in the direction of not forgiving. We think we will feel better if we can extract our pound of flesh, if we can get back at the person, if we can inflict an equal amount of pain and suffering. Yet time and time again it doesn’t work, it doesn’t satisfy and often we feel even worse. Even though we don’t understand it God’s way is better. Mercy, forgiveness, joy and love are the essentials elements of a satisfying life. They help us to not get stuck but to move on so that we can enjoy all the moments of our life. Remember God never tires of forgiving us. Have a great Thursday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:20) Perhaps said a little differently by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Where a people prays, there is the church; and where the church is; there is never loneliness.”
The focus of the Gospel today is church. It is a community gathered in God’s presence. In that presence, we can seek help, we can deal with struggles, we can get to the truth. In that presence, we can morn and celebrate. In that presence, we are never alone. While some might hear the word church and think building or institution, church is really people, Church is community. Church is the presence of God made visible by the gathering of two or three in God’s name! Have a great Wednesday 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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