May 28, 2012. Homily, Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Mark 10:28-31


Peter began to say to Jesus, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother of father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more in this present age: house and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last and the last will be first."
The Gospel of the Lord.


Yesterday's Gospel was about the young man who ran up to Jesus and asked, "Lord, what must I do to be saved?" Jesus answered, "Follow the commandments." "Lord, I have followed the commandments since my youth." "Then, if you would be saved, give up all that you have to the poor and come and follow me." And the young man turned away saddened, for he had much property.


Then in today's Gospel Jesus responds to yesterday's Gospel and promises "a hundred times more in this present age" to those who have given up family and property to follow Jesus.


He defended the commandment to honour one’s father and mother (Mk 7:10-13), but here he was asserting freedom from control by one’s family. The call to discipleship is not necessarily in conflict with family, but in case of conflict it has to take priority over it.
Here we have the oft-repeated paradox of the Gospel, set off very clearly against yesterday’s account of the rich young man: when we try to possess something we lose it; it is only when we are prepared to give it away that it really becomes ours (Mt 10:39; 16:25; Mk 8:30; Lk 9:24)

May 23, 2012. Homily, Saturday, May 26, 2012

John 21:20-25

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and said , "Master, who is the one who will betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me." So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die, just "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of your?"
It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Each of the four gospels, each of the four tellings of the "good news" is about Love. How many times/descriptions of love do we have in this last story of John's gospel.

Peter turns and sees the disciple whom Jesus loved.
Peter is jealous. Lord, what about him. Jesus says, What if i decide that he should remain until I return. What business is it of yours? You follow me.
John writes about his love for Jesus, but his writing is incomplete, for it he wrote it all, he does not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.


Erma Bombeck had fantasized that her 25th wedding anniversary would be held under a big white tent with guests milling around and an orchestra playing "our song." It turned out differently. Her kids threw a few hamburgers on a grill, scarfed them down and split-- leaving her and her husband to clean up. Later, her husband said, "Close your eyes." She did. When
she opened them, he held in his hand a jar of cauliflower, packed in pickle juice. "I hid them from the kids," he said, "because I knew how much you like it." Erma ended, with this beautiful remark, "Maybe love is that simple."

What did Erma mean?

Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads, which sew people together. Simone Signoret
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Posted by Daniel Murphy at 5:33 PM