June 28, 2010. Homily, July 10, 2010.

Matt. 10:24-33

Jesus said to His apostles: "No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he becomes like his teacher, for the slave that he becomes like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household!

"Therefore, do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but can not kill the soul; rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Do not be afraid was the theme of the homily given by John Paul II on his installation to the Papacy. When you look up the phrase "Do not be afraid . . ." and the name John Paul II on the Internet, the first reference is to the Vatican site to his pontificate. The site is a picture of a path up a mountain with the words "Do not be afraid", the name Joannus Paulus II, and the 26+ years of his papacy from 1978 to 2005 shown as path with John Paul II starting his journey in 1978, the path winding up the mountain and ending in 2005 at the top where there is an empty cross.

1979 first trip to Poland where he said simply "Do not be afraid."

1981 shot twice by Mehmet Agca forgiven in 1983 visit to his jail cell

stared down communism in his homeland and won

Gorbachev: the fall of the iron curtain (11/1989) would have been impossible without John Paul II

June 24, 2010. Homily,i June 26, 2010.

Matthew 8:5-17

When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will wailing and grinding of teeth." And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go as you have believed, let it be done for you." At that very hour the servant was healed.
Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him.
When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drive out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet:
He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.
The Gospel of the Lord.

The ways of God are not the ways of man.

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord.'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

June 21, 2010. Homily, June 22, 2010.

Optional Memorial of Saint John Fisher and Saint Thomas More.

Mt. 7:6,12-14

Jesus said to His disciples: "Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn and tear you to pieces."

"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets."

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. Ant those who find it are few."

The Gospel of the Lord.

The Golden Rule: "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you." "This is the Law and the Prophets."

Last Thursday night, Deann and I went to our grand-daughter Michaela's 8th grade graduation.

The principal gave the commencement address. He informed us that the college from which he had graduated was BC, the real BC, Brooklyn College. In college he had been sports editor for the BC newspaper and had covered the BC basketball team, which was nationally ranked. There were 100 teams in the national ranking and BC was ranked 100. BC had played many good teams among them Navy when David Robinson was playing for Navy. After the game, the principal had asked a team member how it had felt to play Navy and the Admiral. "It felt great." was the answer. "I played my best. I went to college to learn from the best and to play against the greatest and tonight's game was a highlight of my college career." So. the principal continued, I want to consider every day of the rest of your life an opportunity to do your best, to learn from the best and to compete against the greatest.

He went on to tell story about what it meant to be a teacher. Charles Blondin was the greatest tight rope walker of h is time. He was the first to walk a tight rope across Niagara Falls. He did it many times. Once he pushed a wheelbarrow across. Before that stunt, he met with the crowd. He asked the crowd, "Do you believe that I can do this stunt?" One man said "Yes." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Are your really sure?" "Yes." "Are you positive?" "Yes." "Then, get in the wheelbarrow."

June 6, 2010. Homily, June 8, 2010.

Matthew 5: 13-16

Jesus said to His disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountaintop cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."

The Gospel of the Lord.

In today's Gospel, Jesus uses three simple but powerful metaphors on what He expects of His followers.

Today we have refined salt. In ancient times salt was mined from mines and from sea beds; in both it was mixed with other materials and impurities. One would put the impure salt in a bag and put the entire bag in the cooking pot so that the salt could leach out into the food. When the salt was exhausted, the bag would lose its taste for only the impurities remained. Salt: purifier, preserver (in Nigeria, flies stay off salted meat), enhancer.

June 3, 2010. Homily, June 5, 2010.

Mark 12:38-44

In the course of His teaching, Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace. Money will come if we seek first the Kingdom of God - the rest will be given. Mother Teresa.

There is no man so poor that he cannot give to another. There is no man so rich that he cannot receive from another. Pope John Paul II.

It is the Temple Treasury. Some judged (materially) by how much they gave. Jesus judges (spiritually) by how much the giver has left after the gift. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven/God.

Coach Wooden teaches: “Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.”

June 1, 2010. Homily June 1, 2010.

Mark 12:13-17

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone's opinion. You do not regard a person's status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?" Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, "Why are you testing me? Bring mw a denarius to look at." They brought one to him and he said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They replied to him, "Caesar's." So, Jesus said to them, "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." They were utterly amazed at him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

The denarius carries the image of Caesar, for Caesar made the denarius to carry Caesar's image.

Human beings carry the image of God for God made human beings in the likeness of God.