August 27, 2013. Prayer Service August 28, 2013

Matthew 23: 27 - 32
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
saying, `If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers."


‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.

The following is from an anonymous 5th-century commentary on Scripture called An Incomplete Work on Matthew. “As long as a sepulchre is closed, it can have a beautiful outward appearance, but if it is opened, it looks horrifying. The case of hypocrites is similar; as long as they are not recognised for who they really are, they can be praiseworthy, but when they are found out, they appear disgusting. Tell me, hypocrite, if it is so good to be good, why do you not strive to be truly what you only appear to be? And if it is so bad to be evil, then why do you allow yourself to be in truth what you would never want to appear to be? What appears to be ugly is even uglier in reality, but what is beautiful in appearance is much more beautiful in reality. Therefore either be what you appear to be, or appear to be what you are.”

It would but hard to match that for clarity and vigour. Under such an unblinking stare, all of us, I think, would have to lower our eyes. Does he leave us any wiggle room at all? I see a little bit at the end: “appear to be what you are.” If I know I'm a bit of a hypocrite and I say so openly, then I'm no longer a hypocrite! Easy! If I say the truth about myself, no matter how unedifying it is, then I'm standing in the truth; and the truth sets me free. Everything that I conceal in the heart grows, like plants in rich soil; but everything that is put out is dispersed in the wind. We are all tempted to hide the bad things about ourselves and advertise the good things. So the bad things grow, and the good things are dissipated. If we could do just the reverse: hide the good things – or at least don't go around advertising them; and tell all the bad things: ‘Hey, I'm a chancer, I tell lies to avoid trouble and embarrassment, and I'm lazy...’ we would have nothing to conceal from Anonymous, and we might even have the courage to look him in the eye – to see if he is hiding anything!

August 27, 2013. Homily, Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Matthew 23:23-26.

Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithe of mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean."

The Gospel of the Lord.



hypocrite: [Webster] one who acts a false part or makes false pretensions. In the context of this Gospel, one whose outside appearance is at variance with his inner being.

mint and dill and cummin are all spices.

tithe the inconsequential while ignoring the consequential - judgment and mercy and fidelity.

strain the gnat but swallow the camel.







Matthew 23:23-26

Saint Monica

25 August
Mt 23:23-26

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practised without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.

The following is from an anonymous 5th-century commentary on Scripture called An Incomplete Work on Matthew. “As long as a sepulchre is closed, it can have a beautiful outward appearance, but if it is opened, it looks horrifying. The case of hypocrites is similar; as long as they are not recognised for who they really are, they can be praiseworthy, but when they are found out, they appear disgusting. Tell me, hypocrite, if it is so good to be good, why do you not strive to be truly what you only appear to be? And if it is so bad to be evil, then why do you allow yourself to be in truth what you would never want to appear to be? What appears to be ugly is even uglier in reality, but what is beautiful in appearance is much more beautiful in reality. Therefore either be what you appear to be, or appear to be what you are.”

It would but hard to match that for clarity and vigour. Under such an unblinking stare, all of us, I think, would have to lower our eyes. Does he leave us any wiggle room at all? I see a little bit at the end: “appear to be what you are.” If I know I'm a bit of a hypocrite and I say so openly, then I'm no longer a hypocrite! Easy! If I say the truth about myself, no matter how unedifying it is, then I'm standing in the truth; and the truth sets me free. Everything that I conceal in the heart grows, like plants in rich soil; but everything that is put out is dispersed in the wind. We are all tempted to hide the bad things about ourselves and advertise the good things. So the bad things grow, and the good things are dissipated. If we could do just the reverse: hide the good things – or at least don't go around advertising them; and tell all the bad things: ‘Hey, I'm a chancer, I tell lies to avoid trouble and embarrassment, and I'm lazy...’ we would have nothing to conceal from Anonymous, and we might even have the courage to look him in the eye – to see if he is hiding anything!

August 21, 2013. Homily, Saturday, August 24, 2013

Feast of Saint Bartholomew


John 1:47-51

Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things that this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
The Gospel of the Lord.

Palestine is a scorching hot country, and people often had a fig tree growing at the door of their house. Besides fruit it offered shade in the heat. It would be a place to sit and be quiet. It may be that Nathanael had been praying under the fig tree when Jesus spotted him earlier. “Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile!” Jesus had said. Our faces, it may be, are never so transparent as when we are praying.

Today is the feast day of Bartholomew who appears in the first three Gospels with Philip but in John Philip's companion is Bartholomew.

How could Jesus have seen Nathanael under the fig tree? Maybe Nathanael was praying. Maybe Jesus as part of the Trinity observed Nathanael praying. How did Jesus know Nathanael was without guile? Maybe Nathanael was praying and Maybe "Our faces, it may be, are never so transparent as when we are praying." And maybe the above string of inferences was known to Nathanael and was why "Nathanael answered him, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.'"

Prayer Service, Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to to hire laborers for his vinyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyrd. Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idly in the marketplace, and he said to them, "You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just. So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock and did likewise. Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'  They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.' When it was evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,  beginning with the last and ending with the first.' When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came they thought that they would receive more, but each of them got the usual wage. And in receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have bore the day's burden and the heat.' He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus the last will be first and the first last."

If one does not end his life as a saint, his life is wasted.

Do you want to grumble against the Lord on judgment day.

August 19, 2013. Homily Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Matthew 19:23-30

Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the next age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
The Gospel of the Lord.

Our faith is saturated with paradoxes, and they are never resolved (as problems are), or answered (as questions are). They remain there; they never go away. “The last shall be first and the first last,” said Jesus (Mt 19:30). * * * * Today’s gospel reading, you might say, is about ‘rich poverty’.

Father Kennedy and being there for me when needed. Like a father.
You love your children more than you love your parents.

Augusst 6, 2013. Homily, Saturday, August 17, 2013

Matthew 19:13-15

Children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." After he placed his hands on them, he went away.
The Gospel of the Lord.



If today you hear my voice, harden not your hearts.

Would you like to hear the voice of God? This is the voice of Jesus Christ.

I will remove your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh.

Come to me all you that labor and are heavy burdened. Take my yoke upon you and learn, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and my yoke is easy and my burden light.

Some of the most fundamental issues for the formation of a Catholic conscience are as follows: sacredness of human life from conception to natural death, marriage, religious freedom and freedom of conscience, and a right to private property.

I say to you, "Whenever two or more are gathered in my name, then I am with you."  When [adults] brought children to Jesus that he might lay hands on them, those adults plus the child were two or more gathered in the name of Jesus and by his laying his hands on them, Jesus was with them.

A relative of mine came to visit me with her significant other; they argued in favor of a homosexual relationship. I said to them that there are things you learn when you are older that you do not know when you are younger. Like what?  Things. Like what?  Well, you learn that you love your children more than you love your parents.
My relative told me that would not happen to her because she really loved her mother.  I said that she asked me for an example and I gave her one. She repeated that would not happen to her. 
I said that in 20 years, you two come back, you can pay for the lunch and you can tell me what you believe then.  Last month I met the two again. My relative had twins artificially inseminated and her one-time room-mate was married with three children.

August 7, 2013. Homily, August 10, 2013

John 12:24-26
Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me."
The Gospel of the Lord.

By Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger Presentation The leitmotiv of the present Way of ... who sought to see him: "unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, ...... Jesus is the grain of wheat which dies. From that lifeless grain of comes the Way of the Cross, the Way of Jesus.

  
OPENING PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, for our sake you became like the grain of wheat that falls to the earth and dies, so that it may bear much fruit (cf. Jn.12:24). You invited us to follow you along this path when you told us “the one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (Jn.12:25). Yet we are attached to our life. We do not want to abandon it; we want to keep it all for ourselves. We want to hold on to it, not to give it away. But you go before us, showing us that it is only by giving away our life that we can save it.
As we walk with you on the Way of the Cross, you lead us along the way of the grain of wheat, the way of a fruitfulness that leads to eternity. The cross, our self-offering, weighs heavily upon us. Along your own Way of the Cross you also carried my cross. Nor did you carry it just at one distant moment in the past, for your love continues to accompany every moment of my life. Today you carry that cross with me and for me, and, amazingly, you want me, like Simon of Cyrene, to join you in carrying your cross; you want me to walk at your side and place myself with you at the service of the world’s redemption.

Grant that my Way of the Cross may not be just a moment of passing piety. Help all of us to accompany you not only with noble thoughts, but with all our hearts and in every step we take each day of our lives. Help us resolutely to set out on the Way of the Cross and to persevere on your path. Free us from the fear of the cross, from the fear of mockery, from the fear that our life may escape our grasp unless we cling pos sessively to everything it has to offer. Help us to unmask all those temptations that promise life, but whose enticements in the end leave us only empty and deluded. Help us not to take life, but to give it. As you accompany us on the path of the grain of wheat, help us to discover, in “los ing our lives,” the path of love, the path that gives us true life, and life in abundance (Jn.10:10).

Opening prayer to the Way of the Cross 2005 by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger now Pope Benedict XVI


St Laurence was martyred in Rome in 258 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Valerian. He was among the seven deacons serving Pope St Sixtus II, who was martyred a few days before Laurence. When he was challenged to hand over the Church’s treasure to the authorities, he asked for a few days’ grace; then “he went all over the city, seeking out in every street the poor who were supported by the Church, and with whom no other was so well acquainted. On the third day, he gathered together a great number of them before the church and placed them in rows: the decrepit, the blind, the lame, the maimed, the lepers, orphans and widows; then he went to the prefect, invited him to come and see the treasure of the Church.”
Although Lawrence was probably beheaded, St Ambrose of Milan and the Latin poet Prudentius, among others, recorded that he was roasted to death on a gridiron. Many conversions to Christianity throughout Rome reportedly followed Laurence's death, including those of several senators witnessing his execution. The Basilica of San Lorenzo, Rome, was built over his burial place.
Posted by Daniel Murphy at 10:39 AM  

August 5, 2013. Prayer Service, Wednesday, August 7, 2013.

Matthew 15:21-28

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of the district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon."  But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked of him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling after us." He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour.
The Gospel of the Lord.


Do you ever feel "put-off" or ignored by the Lord? This passage describes the only occasion in which Jesus ministered outside of Jewish territory. (Tyre and Sidon were fifty miles north of Israel and still exist today in modern Lebanon.) A Gentile woman, a foreigner who was not a member of the Jewish people, puts Jesus on the spot by pleading for his help. She addressed Jesus as Lord and Son of David. She recognized that Jesus was God's annoined one who would bring healing and salvation, not only to the people of Israel, but to the Gentiles as well. She asks Jesus to show mercy and compassion to her tormented daughter. At first Jesus seemed to pay no attention to her, and this made his disciples feel embarrassed. Jesus does this to test the woman to awaken faith in her.
When she persisted in asking Jesus to heal her daughter, Jesus answered by saying one shouldn't take food prepared for their children and throw it to the dogs. What did Jesus mean by this expression? The Jews often spoke of the Gentiles as "unclean dogs" since they worshipped idols, offered sacrifices to demons, and rejected the true God. For the Greeks the "dog" was a symbol of dishonor and was used to describe a shameless and audacious woman. Matthew 7:6 records the expression: do not give dogs what is holy. Jesus was sent from the Father in heaven to first feed the children of Israel with the true bread of life that would bring healing, reconciliation, and lasting union with God. This humble Canaanite woman was not put-off by Jesus' refusal to give her what she asked for. In desparation and hope for her tormented child, she pleads with Jesus to give some of the "crumbs that fall from the table" to the "little dogs".

John Chrysostom (349-407 AD), in his sermon on this passage, remarks how this woman approached Jesus with great humility, wisdom, and faith:

"See her humility as well as her faith! For he had called the Jews 'children,' but she was not satisfied with this. She even called them 'masters,' so far was she from grieving at the praises of others. She said, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table.' Behold the woman's wisdom! She did not venture so much as to say a word against anyone else. She was not stung to see others praised, nor was she indignant to be reproached. Behold her constancy. When he answered, 'It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs,' she said, 'Yes, Lord.' He called them 'children,' but she called them 'masters.' He used the name of a dog, but she described the action of a dog. Do you see the woman's humility? ...Do you see how this woman, too, contributed not a little to the healing of her daughter? For note that Christ did not say, 'Let your little daughter be made whole,' but 'Great is your faith, be it done for you as you desire.' These words were not uttered at random, nor were they flattering words, but great was the power of her faith, and for our learning. He left the certain test and demonstration, however, to the issue of events. Her daughter accordingly was immediately healed." [The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 52.3]
Jesus praised this woman for her faith and for her love because she made the misery of her child her own. She was willing to suffer rejection in order to obtain healing for her loved one. She also had indomitable persistence. Her faith grew in contact with the person of Jesus. She began with a request and she ended on her knees in worshipful prayer to the living God. No one who ever sought Jesus with faith – whether Jew or Gentile – was refused his help. Do you seek Jesus with expectant faith?
"Lord Jesus, your love and mercy knows no bounds. May I trust you always and pursue you with indomitable persistence as this woman did. Increase my faith in your saving power and deliver me from all evil and harm. " 

August 5, 2013. Homily, August 6, 2013

Luke 9:28b-36
The Transfiguration
Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up a mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed its appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. " But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him. [This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!]" After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.
The Gospel of the Lord.

Meditation: God wants to share his glory with us!  We get a glimpse of this when the disciples see Jesus transfigured in glory on the mountain.  Luke's account tells us that Jesus' face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (see Exodus 34:29). Paul says that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness (2 Cor. 3:7). In this incident Jesus appeared in glory with Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, and with Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, in the presence of three of his beloved apostles. What is the significance of this mysterious appearance? Jesus went to the mountain knowing full well what awaited him in Jerusalem -- his betrayal, rejection and crucifixion. Jesus very likely discussed this momentous decision to go to the cross with Moses and Elijah. God the Father also spoke with Jesus and gave his approval: This is my beloved Son; listen to him. The cloud which overshadowed Jesus and his apostles fulfilled the dream of the Jews that when the Messiah came the cloud of God's presence would fill the temple again (see Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 33:9; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Maccabees 2:8). 
While this transpired Peter, James, and John were asleep!  Upon awakening they discovered the transfiguration of Jesus along with Moses and Elijah.  How much do we miss of God's glory and action because we are asleep spiritually?  There are many things which can keep our minds asleep to the things of God: Mental lethargy and the "unexamined life" can keep us from thinking things through and facing our doubts and questions.  The life of ease can also hinder us from considering the challenging or disturbing demands of Christ.  Prejudice can make us blind to something new the Lord may have for us.  Even sorrow can be a block until we can see past it to the glory of God.  Are you spiritually awake? Peter, James, and John were privileged witnesses of the glory of Christ. We, too, as disciples of Christ are called to be witnesses of his glory. We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). The Lord wants to reveal his glory to us, his beloved disciples. Do you seek his presence with faith and reverence?

"Lord, keep me always alert and awake to you, to your word, your action, and your daily presence in my life.  Let me see your glory." 

Moses represents the Law, the Torah.
Elijah represents the prophets. Elijah was paramount among the prophets: he had bested the 450 priests of Baal in a dramatic showdown as to who was the true God [calling down fire to burn the sacrifice to God], God passed before Elijah hidden in his cave at Mount Hereb as a gentle wind, at the end of his life Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, Elijah was to return as a precursor of the Messiah.  Taken together Moses and Elijah signified the major portion of revelation prior to Jesus - the Law [the Torah] and the Prophets.  Moses and Elijah appeared in Glory, "glory" meaning radiance signifying the presence of God. The Exodus of the people from Egypt is the central act in Judaism, and the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus is the central act in Christianity. 

Arian heresy: Jesus was simply human but not divine. rebutted by Transfiguration.
Monophysite heresy: Jesus was only divine but not human. rebutted by Agony in the Garden.