Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary TIme
Fr. Jim Deiters
I was listening to a podcast the other day that was titled, “How to have HOPE in a time of upheaval.” The speaker was responding to people who feel despair over what is happening in the world. One young adult in the conversation expressed anxiety and hopelessness as she thought about things like the election, global warming, the pandemic, and gun violence in our cities. The speaker challenged her listeners to look at the root cause of their thoughts and then she said, “try to make room for new thinking.” That idea really struck me since I had previously looked over the scriptures for today and that phrase in Isaiah was already stuck in my head when God said, “my thoughts are not your thoughts.”
Like some of you, I must admit that in my own thoughts about our world and country, I have been struggling to find hope. This week’s news story of major glaciers on Antarctica melting to pieces at alarming speed was on the same newspaper page of a story about our own US cities ‘melting’ into violence. These words from Isaiah today can be a real ‘balm’ for our hearts as we all look for some new breath from the Holy Spirit to give us hope amidst so much darkness.
Isaiah is preaching around the year 600 BC to the Israelites who are extremely weary from their time in exile and slavery; but we can apply the message to our own troubling times. Chapter 55 of Isaiah began with “Come to the water…all who are thirsty!” Then in the following verses we heard today, Isaiah gives us FIVE imperative verbs telling us what to do when we feel discouraged or afraid of “where this world is going.” God knows our weariness and calls out to us with these strong, but inviting words: “Come to Him, Drink his life-giving water, Eat, Listen, and Seek.”
Basically, God sees our troubles and knows our fears…and invites us to a different way of thinking, living, and being…IN God. It requires a special level of consciousness…in which we see our life as part of something much bigger than the world around us. Humans have been seeking a ‘higher level of consciousness’ / a better way of life since the beginning of time. Ancient Eastern religions honored people whose thinking rose above the common reasoning; and pyramid temples built by the Mayan cultures represented ‘levels’ of higher thinking that was more like the gods. In the twentieth century, psychologists like Freud and Carl Rogers spoke of the human mind’s ability to rise to new levels.
The One True God of the Universe spoke though Isaiah to us humans about a ‘place’ where we could ‘go to’ when life feels overwhelming-- and that ‘place’ is God Himself. In various ways God says, “Come to Me, you who are thirsting for some new kind of water that truly quenches your thirst for justice; Seek the Lord, you who are hungry for peace in a war-torn world; Listen…for my quiet voice of calm when your heart is restless.”
After calling us to “come, listen, and seek,” God then ‘shakes’ us from our selfishness with these words, “for my ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts.” What makes Jesus our Savior, is that he is God’s Very Self who reveals to the world the unique ‘ways’ and “thoughts” of God. Therefore the ‘invitation’ sent through Isaiah in the Old Testament…is now fulfilled in the actual Person Jesus Christ! This means that anyone who IS weary, tired, hungry, and thirsty for some new way of ‘thinking’ about how to live in this world must center him or herself IN the Person of Jesus.
Putting this into practice…we must start each day with prayer, placing ourselves INSIDE of Jesus’ heart and mind; IN Jesus, we turn over to God OUR thoughts -which can be negative, afraid, or selfish – to let them be transformed into GOD’S way of thinking – which is peace, kindness, and love of all. While things like social media, gossiping circles, or certain narcissistic leaders can easily pull us down to lower levels of selfish thinking…, prayer and the teachings of Jesus about justice and peace…RAISE UP our thinking into the thoughts and ways of God! This leaves us with the challenge as to who or what is forming my way of thinking?
Where in my daily schedule… do I make time to let ‘my’ thoughts and ways be transformed into the thoughts and ways of God…with his primary care for the poor and marginalized? In the Eucharistic prayer I chose for today, listen for the words: “In you God, we live, and move, and have our being…” The Eucharist is a place and encounter with the very ‘thoughts’ and ‘ways’ of God. Since we know that ‘resurrection’ only happens after we ‘die’ to our own ways of thinking, we must let Jesus raise us UP to God’s ways of thinking…where we find rest for our weary hearts.
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Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinatry Time
Fr. Jim Deiters
At sunset on Friday this coming week, our Jewish sisters and brother begin their New Year with the ancient feast of Rosh Hashanah. They set aside three solemn days to be in AWE of God’s creation and all God’s blessings. Gratitude for God’s Mercy and Love leads them to pray about those parts of their life that are sinful and need changed. After three days they ask God to forgive their sins on what they call the “Day of Atonement.” These religious traditions in the Jewish calendar, that go back to 600 BC, certainly influenced Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness we just heard in the Gospel… since he grew up in a Jewish culture that was steeped in self-examination and being in AWE of God’s forgiveness and love.
When Peter asked Jesus, “How often must I forgive someone?” there is a good chance he did so during this Jewish ‘atonement’ time and was doing his own self-examination on forgiving others. What stands out for me in the parable Jesus gives is in the first sentence when he says, “the kingdom of God may be likened to a king who decided to ‘settle accounts’ with his servants.” The two words ‘settle accounts’ really struck me…in my prayer this week, wondering what my ‘balance sheet’ looks like in my ‘account’ with God.
You may have heard it said before that every relationship is like a bank account in which you have to make more deposits than withdrawals. Most people forget to keep making DAILY ‘investments’ and ‘deposits’ into their significant relationships, and instead, take FROM the relationship account more than they give or deposit...eventually leading to bankruptcy. In this parable, Jesus describes our relationship with God in terms of giving an ‘accounting’ of whether we are practicing and ‘investing’ the same kind of love, generosity, and forgiveness of others that God ‘deposits’ in us.
For example, our Creator God generously gives to us each morning a new 24 hours of life…and invites us to be in AWE of his love and mercy. Of those 24 hours, how much of that time do we give back to God in prayer, sitting quietly with the One who gives to us the very breath on which we live? Or if we think about God’s generous blessings in our life - family, friends finances, or health..., how generous am I in giving of my time and financial support of God’s Church and those in need? God keeps ‘depositing’ more and more into his relationship with us...and we are to express our gratitude by being as generous and forgiving with others as God is with us.
Notice in the parable it says the king was “moved with compassion” for the one asking for help. Compassion, really feeling what the other person is going through, is the virtue Jesus is emphasizing for us to practice. Jesus turns the question about ‘how many times’ do I need to forgive into a bigger challenge of self-examination about our accountability before God in the way we practice compassion for those in need.
It begs other questions like: What do I use as my ‘accounting system’ for auditing what I am doing with my life, my time, and finances for God? Am I making daily ‘deposits’ into my ‘salvation bank account’ by spending quality time with God…and then being an instrument of God’s compassion in the way I vote and care for the poor and the outcast? The stark reminder in Jesus’ message today is that there really WILL BE an accounting before God for how we lived our life. Or as we heard in the first reading, keep in front of you a thought about “your death” as a reminder of how we will stand before God to explain how we practiced Jesus’ example of self-sacrificing compassion and forgiveness.
From a religious historical perspective, the Catholic Mass has themes from the ancient Jewish ‘Day of Atonement,’ in which we come here in AWE of God’s goodness, admit our sins, and let God’s Compassion and Mercy be poured into our heart. From this Sacrament of Salvation we BECOME Jesus’ sacrament of love and forgiveness...thus changing how we think of forgiving others as a ‘burden’...into a JOY that sets them and us free!
In your prayer this week…think about your own ‘account’ with God. Coming forward to receive Christ in the Eucharist requires an examination and ‘accounting’ of our sins, a trust in God’s mercy, and a commitment to God that we will change whatever is not holy or helping us on the road to heaven. As we consume this Holy Bread from Heaven, try to ‘taste’ the ingredient of compassion that Jesus wants to put into our body.
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Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters
I was having a conversation with a priest friend last week about what’s happening in our parishes and how COVID has changed so much of parish life. The thing we talked about the most is the pandemic’s affect on our community ‘prayer life’ as we wondered if we will ever be able to get all our parishioners back to Mass someday. Convincing parishioners to be faithful to weekly Mass was already a challenge BEFORE COVID, as many people are not committed to the Sacraments and often fill their weekends with ‘get-a-ways’ or simply ‘sleeping in’ on Sundays.
Here at St. Clare, our pre-COVID Mass attendance was a little higher than the national average, with about 45% of parishioners here on the weekend, while the national average is about 39% of Catholics go to Mass. Once the pandemic hit, our average attendance numbers, including those online, went from 1,100 per weekend to 500. So, I am grateful for each one of you who have remained faithful! At some point in a hopefully post-COVID world, our parish staff and I will be recruiting your help in some kind of ‘campaign’ of inviting people back to church or at least praying with us online.
While we miss the half who are not praying with us on the weekend, I am edified that those of you who are here, know the value of the Eucharist beyond it being the Third Commandment from God. There is a great POWER that comes not only from the grace of the Eucharist, but another ‘power’ that happens when we are gathered together for prayer. Jesus’ message today about being “in our midst” invites us to reflect on the importance of praying together.
In this middle section of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is talking to his disciples about the challenges of community life - living together, working together, and forgiving one another, which will be his focus next Sunday. Jesus weaves together these challenges of parish life…and adds at the end, the importance of praying together to strengthen community life…when a member bugs us or upsets us.
Since Jesus methodically lists the three things to do when a member of the community does wrong, what strikes me more is the connection he makes between praying together and him being in our midst. I must say how great it felt when we were able to open the doors of the church and welcome back for Mass those who feel comfortable in public spaces. While I still feel connected to those who can only pray with us online, we can all agree with Jesus that praying collectively has tremendous power…as it intimately connects us to one another and to God.
What distinguished the Early Christians is that people saw the effects of their praying together in the way they did outreach care for those in need. Our whole religion of Christianity began with these two elements that Jesus taught us – prayer and caring for those on the margins of society. Over the centuries, our religion expanded its ministries for the poor, but I’m not sure we have done that well on developing our Christian prayer life. And that is why we offer so many extra prayer and retreat opportunities here at St. Clare.
One’s prayer life needs both private time with God but also praying in community as Jesus speaks of today when he says, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” While you hear me preach regularly about the importance of your own quiet time with God each day, in this passage we are reminded also of the importance of praying with others…where Jesus “comes into our midst.” For those who live with others, there are extra opportunities to have ‘gatherings’ for prayer – with a spouse, with children, with friends. Jesus promises to come INTO your living room, bedroom, or at your kitchen table…when “two or three are gathered in his name” for prayer.
Especially in our world of isolation and individualism, this call by Jesus to gather in community is so important. Praying together, at Mass, in Eucharistic Adoration, at funerals, baptisms, and other sacraments, reminds us of our interdependence with one another as ONE BODY of Christ. Especially when we pray together around this Altar of the Eucharist, Jesus unites us…with the suffering, sins, or fears that you and I thought we were dealing with alone. Here, with Jesus in our midst, he wraps you and me with the rest of His Body praying with and for us.
Listen closely to the words in the Eucharistic Prayer chosen for today that speak of “gathering” together and of our call to share in each other’s “joys and sorrows, hopes and pain.” It is an amazing experience at the Mass…when we can put aside all distractions, leave behind our individualist mentality, and see our connectedness to one another as well as the poor and marginalized of the world. Here, in Mystery, Jesus is indeed “in our midst” uniting us as one Body of Christ.
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Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters
The state of California continues to face great challenges with the ongoing fires in different areas. One of the tragic fires last week consumed over 80,000 acres just south of San Francisco in the renowned “Big Basin” State Park, home to some of the famous redwood trees. These majestic trees miraculously grow up to 350 feet tall and many of them are are around 2,000 years old. Interesting to think they were baby saplings beginning life in this land at the same time of Jesus growing up on the other side of the planet. Even with the sad loss of much of the forest, there was good news reported that many of the really large redwoods survived the fire. Even though they are scarred heavily on the outside, the tree’s thick bark and unique chemical composition make them highly resistant to fires.
We must never cease to marvel at the way God’s Creation all around us adapts and sprouts new growth in some way after each catastrophe. The cycle of dying and rising is ‘built into’ the way God created things; but meanwhile, we humans try with all our power to avoid this process in our own life, somehow thinking we are exempt from the natural process of pruning and new growth.
One of the many things that made Jesus’ preaching so unusual is how he openly talked about death… and his own calling to “go to Jerusalem, suffer, die, and be raised on the third day.” Imagine being around Jesus each time he spoke about suffering and death. Most of us would react like Peter and suggest to him that such subject matter is best kept to oneself; or if a friend does bring up the subject of death, we try and change the subject to some nicety. Or many will tell the terminally ill person that they just need to pray harder…as if we can stop death from eventually happening. When I am privileged to be at the bedside of someone approaching death, and most of the family is avoiding the subject, I invite the person to talk about any fears or hopes they are feeling about dying. They usually are eager to share their faith and trust in God about what happens after death.
Since suffering and death are such difficult matters to accept, it is no wonder that many of Jesus’ followers turned away from him each time he spoke about it. And yet, we have no option but to take these stark words of Jesus and somehow digest them along with the sweet Bread from Heaven in the Eucharist. I think it is particularly difficult since most of our life we are taught to strive for the opposite of who Jesus calls us to be. Think about the words we associate with success: achieve, gain, approval, take charge and win. And along comes Jesus and uses opposite words - deny, suffer, give up, follow, and lose – to describe a whole new version of ‘greatness’ which those who follow him will experience.
To paraphrase Jesus’ questions in today’s Gospel, he looks at us with love and asks: “What are doing with your life? Is it really meaningful? What are you ‘gaining’ by all you are saving and doing? Are “forfeiting” your life by trying to ‘gain’ so much?” We can’t all be like Saints Francis and Clare and literally give up our jobs and house and live as poor as Jesus. But we CAN try and implement personalized ways of “losing” our ego and self-centeredness to be better at submitting our life to Jesus’ example of putting God’s Will before our own. Jesus’ strong words are meant to startle us with questions about what really matters in the short life we have. It connects us to that line in Paul’s letter to the Romans we just heard in which Paul “urges” us to “offer our body as a living sacrifice…pleasing to God.” Offer your BODY to God! As I often tell our young people who are trying to decide what they want to do and be, always remember to “ask GOD what HE wants to do with your body, your life. Jesus knows what vocation and career will bring you happiness so always talk to him about your options.”
But as we get older, we must not stop asking Jesus what he wants to do with our life…with each new chapter of aging, career change, being widowed, or retirement. What it means to “deny our self” and “take up our cross,” and “follow Jesus” keeps evolving each time the ‘woods are cleared’ from some new ‘fire’ or pruning that life brings upon us. When the inner ‘sap’ of God’s Grace is deep within us…from daily prayer and the sacraments, like a steadfast redwood…we can face each new cross and ‘denial of self’ with a confidence that it will actually help us grow stronger in our discipleship. While our ‘outer body’ is wasting away, St. Paul reminds us to focus on our ‘inner body’ as a living sacrifice for God’s Glory.
As we humans wait for the recently burned out forest to gradually sprout new life, and for new green on the redwood bark, we place before God at this Altar our own weak, tired, and maybe even ‘burned out’ life…as we admit our thirst for some New Life to well up within us. We have so much to learn from…a tree…that took root in the earth some 2000 years ago…and still lets God use its life for some new purpose.
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Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters
When our parish made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2009, one significant place we visited was the remnants of this city called Caesarea Philippi, which we just heard as the location of this important conversation that took place between Jesus and Peter. The writer Matthew assumes that the one hearing the story picks up on the irony…in which the very place Jesus bestows his authority upon the Church happens in a town that has a history of tyrannical leaders and pagan temples. Basically, Jesus is introducing the world to a whole new kind of power.
Caesarea Philippi is located about 20 miles north of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus lived as an adult. At the time of Jesus, it was the site of a famous grotto to the pagan god Pan that has archeological ruins we were able to see on the trip. Herod the Great wanted to expand his own popularity and ego, so he built a temple to Caesar, which was turned over to his son Philip…and thus renamed “Caesarea Philippi.” This area of the Middle East has a tragic history since it was where many Jews were slaughtered after Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD; and more recently this same area is the tense conflict zone between Syria and Israel called the Golan Heights, which some of our military parishioners know too well. It is exactly in THIS place of political and religious division, literally within the shadow of a temple to the false gods of Pan and Caesar that Jesus asks an important question to every person who says they are a disciple of Jesus: “Who do you say that I am?” By Peter calling him “the Christ,” it is a title that says, “you are the One who can save us from our mess!”
Jesus asks a lot of questions in the bible, 307 to be exact. In asking this particular question about what we really think of him, Jesus wants each of us to get clear about his role in our life…in relation to all our other important people and things. By Jesus asking the question in a particular location torn by civil and religious unrest, it is a timeless probe for our own lives… at this time in human history. Right in the middle of being surrounded by all kinds of our own ‘temples’ in the form of sports fields, concert venues, and endless movie streaming; and lured into making a ‘god’ of our political favorite, Jesus looks us right in the eyes and asks, “but who do you say I AM in your life?” Or in other words, “Where am I in your priority list and busy-ness?” or “Do my teachings about the poor and outcast have any influence on you?” --- “Who do you say I AM?”
In addition to getting very personal with his question, Jesus is also addressing all of his disciples…in the plural…to US as a Church. In the story Jesus uses the word “church” for the first time and it comes from a Greek word “ecclesia,” which means “assembly.” Jesus is inviting his disciples to start seeing themselves as a new community, an ‘assembly’ of his followers. At every Mass, Jesus asks us as a ‘community’ what he means to us… as God waits to see what we as a ‘church of his followers’ will do during our week to be a witness to Jesus’ love, inclusion, and mercy for others.
I love the active tense Jesus uses when he says to Peter, “upon you (and your faith testimony) I will build my church.” How assuring to know that Jesus is the Builder of the Church as he defines himself as One who constructs the new community! While Peter and his faith in Jesus become the foundation of this new ‘church,’ Jesus makes clear that he remains actively involved in what happens in the Church, even though he lets us humans run it. The Church therefore is not a ‘human achievement’ or simply a fellowship of like-minded individuals in a support group. With God as the builder, we are a part of something much bigger than any earthly institution that ever existed. Those who accept Jesus as the Revelation of God, become ‘stones’ in the construction project that God is doing.
God wants to use each and every one of our lives as important building blocks in a ‘beyond-this-world’ kind of heavenly Church that will be around way after this planet is gone. And this is where people who disengage from the Church over something with which they disagree…miss the point and purpose of this great institution that Jesus himself is “building.” We need to be better at helping our young people realize that THIS is the bigger picture of who we are as Catholics…united to the very Church that Jesus founded…and he assures us that “nothing will prevail against it.”
How God uses our individual ‘life stones’ depends on how we respond to Jesus’ question to us, “who do you say that I am?” In your prayer this week, listen for other questions Jesus might ask like, “will you let me use your small life as an important stone for what I am building?” “Can you picture yourself as built upon other human stones I have used like Peter, Paul, my Mother Mary, and Clare?”
Oh Jesus, help us to submit our lives to be used for the building of Your Church!
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Twentieth Sunday in Ordinarty Time
Fr. Jim Deiters
In my homilies I often refer to the early centuries of our Christian history since they are so foundational to our Catholic teachings. In those first decades following the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, the followers of Jesus were trying to put words to what he taught them and what they believed. The first official Council happened in Jerusalem in about 50 AD, when Peter, Paul, James, and other Church leaders had a big debate and eventually decided to let Gentiles, non-Jews, become Christian without first converting to Judaism. This decision set the followers of Jesus apart from their own Jewish tradition which held that only Israelites were chosen and saved by God. It was St. Paul who pleaded with Peter and James to let him baptize all the Gentiles who wanted to join them. This choice, along with the Apostles preaching about Jesus as the Messiah, led them to be excommunicated from the Synagogue and eventually called “Christ-ians.” As this historical tension was mounting, Matthew’s Gospel was written around 70 AD, with many references to their Christian roots in Judaism, but also how God’s Salvation extends beyond the Israelites.
This is a very important context to better understand this difficult Gospel story of Jesus’ tense conversation with a faith-filled women who is not of the Israelite race. While we would like to figure out why Jesus spoke such harsh words, the writer Matthew intentionally adds this difficult dialogue to actually challenge the READER of his Gospel to face their own prejudices and pre-conceptions about who is on ‘God’s side’ of salvation. Given the battle lines of the time between various Jewish sects and numerous non-Jewish ethnicities, Matthew presents the scenario for US the reader to think about how WE are the ones who sometimes put some people ‘under the table’…as not part of ‘us,’ or ‘not worthy’ of God’s mercy.
In reality, we find ourselves as both ‘under the table’ begging for “scraps” of God’s Mercy to fall upon us… and yet we are also the ‘saved’ ones sitting on the bench next to Jesus at God’s Feast of Salvation. We sometimes sit up straight and look down on those we think are beneath God’s overflowing platter of grace; while at the same time, by no merit of our own, we are privileged to sit at the banquet counter of God’s Mercy. It is a powerful story that makes us think hard about who makes up the guest list for salvation…AND who assigns the seating arrangement! God’s plan for saving ALL people disrupts the whole dinner party!
Matthew uses a conversation that Jesus certainly struggled with, dealing with his own Jewish heritage… and woman of great faith…, to get us the reader to see ourselves as needing to face our own pre-conceived notions about God, women, people of other religious perspectives, and even our political viewpoints that can become toxic with judgmental hate toward those whom we think are ‘dogs’ below us. In the scene, I imagine the woman and Jesus actually jesting in their conversation…as the author seems to use the ‘banter’ between Jesus and this amazing woman of faith… as a mirror, forcing us to look at our own attitudes of judgement and possible self-righteousness. Gosh, I hate it when I wanted to come here and hear a story that made me feel good…and instead I’m challenged to expand my thinking about God and those different than I am!
One line that we can glean from the story to help our prayer throughout our week is a phrase the woman uses, “Lord, help me!” She, a “Canaanite” outsider to this ancient Jewish faith, keeps referring to him as “Lord, Son of David,” meaning that she has some understanding and appreciation of this Jewish title that deferred to God’s healing power. The word she uses to call him “Lord” is the same word that became a part of the Christian liturgy…and 2000 years later we still use at the beginning of Mass when we sing out the Greek words “Kyrie Eleison,” or “Lord, have mercy on me!” It is a prayer that acknowledges how much we need Jesus’ healing power and loving grace. In every temptation to return to a sinful habit…and every thought that slanders someone as ‘below’ me, we learn from this holy woman in the Gospel…to fall on our knees and cry out, “Lord have mercy and help me…Kyrie Eleison!”
Kyrie Eleison
Christe Eleison
Kyrie Eleison
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Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters
This past Monday I was honored to preside at the Sacrament of Confirmation for our young people since the bishop delegated it to each local pastor due to the pandemic. In my homily for them, which you can listen to online, I talked about these three legs or pillars that need each other to support our life as Christians: Faith, Religion, and Reason. Many people during their teenage and college years leave the pillars of faith and religion behind and think they can stand on just one leg of ‘reason,’ or a private search for truth. The Catholic Church has always had a close relationship with science and reason; and like a loving Mother, the Church tries to guide people’s God-given gift of the mind and its hunger for answers and truth. But like children who think they know better than the parent’s wisdom, many walk away from the Church as a guide for their questions and searching. I strongly encouraged the newly confirmed to pray daily for the Holy Spirit to help them keep a balance between the three pillars of faith, religion, and reason.
All three of these ‘pillars’ are evident in our Gospel story today. And I often remind you that each Gospel story is written with all kinds of symbolism and underlying messages that make it a treasure chest of discoveries. So that we don’t just let this story pass over us as “that one about Jesus walking on the water,” I want to pick out a couple important symbols that the writer Matthew intended us to learn from. Basically, there is a play between faith and reason going on here, with a thread of ‘religion’ in the mix.
The most important symbol in the story is the BOAT – which, in Matthew particularly, always represents the Church – US! We are now in the 14th chapter of Matthew and for the first time in his story, Jesus tells the disciples to depart in the boat by themselves; he stays behind to pray. This represents the first ‘missionary’ work to which Jesus sends the disciples, preparing them for the day when he will not be physically with them/us, but remains with us in prayerful spirit.
Of course the boat, we the Church, gets tossed and scared when the storms of life-trials arrive; the author wants us to learn what to do and not do when we find ourselves in rough waters. When Jesus appears on the water to assure them that he is always at our side, even the most faith-filled disciples often doubt and wonder if God is really there in the middle of life’s storms. Even though God never stops looking into our eyes with love and care, we can think it is a “ghost” or figment of our imagination; our sense of reasoning has such a hard time really believing that God could walk up to us in our troubled waters. Our reasoning mind begs for some kind of ‘proof’ that God is really there.
And so Peter represents that person who gets “out of the boat,” leaves the Church, to seek his own proof that God might be real. Matthew is writing this at a time of great persecutions and so the image of the ‘boat’ is critical in the story as many at the time were getting “out of the boat” and leaving the faith community…when sticking WITH the Church was NOT what their friends were doing. (young people, are you with me in this story?!)
As I told the Confirmation students, when many say they don’t need “organized religion,” we actually NEED the ‘boat’ of a faith community when we can’t make sense of life and need some guiding ‘influence’ between our beautiful reasoning mind and our desire for a deeper FAITH in God. (Three legs for life’s table: Faith, Religion, Reason) Instead of Peter staying IN the boat with the faith community…and trusting that Jesus is at our side in troubled times, he thinks he can do the ‘faith thing’ on his own…and sinks. Instead of believing that Jesus was really THERE in the storm, Peter shouts out in doubt, “IF that is really you Lord…” I imagine Jesus shouted back, “What do you mean…IF?”
One of the problems that people have with the ‘boat’ of the Church is that everyone wants to be the ‘captain’ or shipbuilder. Some don’t like the materials God used to build it – sinful humans; some think the Church-boat is too big and inclusive…and others think it is too small and has too many boating regulations. Many want to be in charge of the rules based on their OWN reasoning…and dismiss the wisdom of millions of saints over 2000 years (in the boat!) who have taught and modeled how to bridge one’s reason with religion and faith.
The beauty of the story is that we know the ending…where Peter realizes he cannot LIVE without both Jesus AND the faith community of the Church…even in our shabby, storm-tried boat. Jesus gave us the gift of himself in the Eucharist as a sure sign of his Real Presence at our side through every storm and trial we face. Here at the Altar we cry out with Peter, “Lord save me!” And Jesus always “stretches out his hand” to raise us up to new life… in him.
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Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters
Most people underestimate how much the scriptures and Jesus’ life were influenced by the political climate of the time. Starting with Jesus’ own birth, and King Herod seeking to destroy his life, the child Jesus was sped away by his parents to live as immigrants and refugees in Egypt. Even the ‘politics’ among religious Jewish leaders of his time were a big part of Jesus being a controversial figure. Jesus’ own preaching often served as verbal ‘legislative action’ in opposition to the unjust treatment of the poor by Roman rulers. And we know that his sentence of the death penalty on the Cross was the result of political leaders seeking to gain approval of their base crowd.
The first line of the Gospel today ‘opens the curtain’ on a political situation that affected Jesus very personally with grief after his mentor John the Baptist was executed by Herod the Tetrarch. This Herod was the son of King Herod who tried to kill Jesus as a baby; This Herod was in charge of the Galilee region and was afraid that this person Jesus he heard about, was actually John the Baptist come back to life. This actual historical event is so dramatic that it became the scene for a couple movies and operas. The political friction in the First Century was tense, and Jesus did not avoid taking controversial positions against political and religious leaders seeking their own wealth or power instead of caring for the people.
But as we just heard, when Jesus learned that John the Baptist had been killed for calling out the immoral life of their leader, it caused Jesus to “withdraw to a deserted place,” probably in grief and maybe anger at those who killed John. I want us to reflect briefly on Jesus’ action of “withdrawal” to see that his retreat to a different region was not a run from danger, but rather a ‘withdrawal’ away from violence…and toward a new kind of kingdom of God’s non-violence.
Those who dwell in a “Herod-type” world of inflated egos and self-seeking political power almost always tend toward violent words and actions to try and keep the masses from knowing their weaknesses and lies. The Gospel stories frequently set up the contrast between earthly leaders who seek their own gain…and Jesus’ kind of leadership and kingship that is based on God’s tireless compassion and care for those who have so little and have been ‘left out.’
If you pay close attention, the author Matthew creatively contrasts Herod’s weak fear with Jesus’ power of healing people and feeding the hungry. The miracle of multiplication is also a contrast between scarcity and abundance. Scarcity thinking is seen in “Herod-like” leaders who fear there is not enough for everyone so only the top percent get the most. Contrast that with Jesus who always works from God’s abundance…and demonstrates that sharing the resources you have can actually meet the needs of so many more than one thinks.
This famous miracle of Jesus feeding so many is a layered with many symbols and words of what happens in the Eucharist. (Notice all the verbs!) First, Jesus invites us to ‘withdraw’ from any worldly thinking of violence… to a “deserted place” where love is more powerful than hate and prejudice. Then Jesus notices how hungry we are for some new way of thinking and living. And instead of the disciple’s suggestion to have everyone leave, Jesus “gathers” people…where every Eucharist is meant to draw people together…and reject those who cause division. Next Jesus “takes the bread,” representing our simple, hungry hearts which seem so insignificant that we bring to the Altar; then he “blesses” the offering of our lives…to be “broken” and given away for others.
That is why is doesn’t make sense when people say, “I stopped going to Mass because I didn’t get anything out of it.” They miss the point that you are supposed to bring something…and then be changed and broken for others!
There is such a powerful movement and flow of grace that takes place at every Mass; through ‘transubstantiation,’ the ‘fragments’ of our lives and the divisions of our world…are drawn together into Jesus’ unifying, non-violent love; This is a banquet where fear and scarcity are transformed into God’s outlandish peace and abundance.
LISTEN TO THIS HOMILY
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters
A relationship between a teenager and their parent can be quite challenging at times. The young person often feels misunderstood and the parent searches for any tool possible to make sense of this child-turned-stranger in their home. The teen’s uncertainty about who they are acts out as independence…which clashes with the parent’s desire to guide their child on a moral path of making wise decisions.
Our first reading from 1 Kings highlights King Solomon’s prayer for “an understanding heart.” Solomon talks to God about his desire for an understanding heart to be able to know right from wrong. In other words, he is praying for Wisdom! When parents or teens come to talk to me about their differences, I usually guide them to this prayer for “an understanding heart,” especially as teenagers ask how to ‘deal with’ their stubborn parents! Truly, an understanding heart is a gift we need to bring into all of our relationships. And at this time in our country of tension and division, our humanity needs hearts that are willing to listen and better understand others.
Imagine yourself being in Solomon’s place… and God offering you anything you ask. What would you ask for? Solomon teaches us the ‘one thing’ to ask of God, “Lord, I want an understanding heart, to be able to distinguish right from wrong.” Solomon’s example of praying for God’s Wisdom…means that one admits that I want and need my life to be more in line with God’s Will.
People often confuse ‘wisdom’ with ‘knowledge.’ Knowing ‘things’ does not necessarily make one wise. To be wise from a biblical perspective is to have God’s Spirit within us to guide our daily living according to what is best for our life and the lives of others. I often advise people to pray for the Spirit’s gift of Wisdom…when facing fears or uncertainties or when needing to address someone who has upset me; Wisdom helps us approach the situation with trust and love.
When the bible speaks of a wise individual like Solomon, it presents a person who is closely attuned to God. A truly wise person is willing to put aside personal gain and ideologies and instead prays to know what GOD wants to happen. Of course this takes daily prayer, in which we sit quietly with God…and let God gradually mold our heart to be like Jesus’ understanding heart.
Imagine the blessings in our life if all our choices were led by an understanding heart from God! Some examples: Teenagers and young adults with an understanding heart… would better know how to choose a vocation that leads them to God’s dream for their happiness. Married persons with understanding hearts…would be freer to forgive and be better listeners to their spouse without keeping a score card. An understanding heart would help a parent accept their son or daughter with forgiving love even when he or she has grown up differently than hoped for. People who are divorced or widowed or elderly need understanding hearts to let go of any regrets and dream with God about their future. Adult children need an understanding heart to help them forgive their parents for things of the past.
Praying daily for an understanding, wise heart…helps us know how to best use our life, our time, and our money. Then, if a person does become wealthy, he or she will know the best way to use their wealth to benefit God’s Kingdom. If one achieves power and success, wisdom helps that person use their gifts in humble, servant-hearted ways. And when we encounter a difficult relationship with a spouse, child, or friend, wisdom helps us have an understanding heart to know the best way to love that person in the midst of conflict.
In the Eucharist, the Wisdom of God enters our heart and mind in a very Real Way through Jesus’ Body. With Christ IN us, we are given the wisdom to deal with wealth or poverty, with love or rejection; Wisdom helps us better handle success or failure, life, and death. Here at the Altar, the Lord takes our selfish hearts, our anxious and sometimes hardened hearts…, and melts them into Jesus’ Heart… full of understanding, wisdom, and love.
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters
I think it was about 25 years ago when our diocese began its caring ministry for women who are suffering after having had an abortion. As a young priest back then, it was so helpful to have something to offer women (and sometimes men) who came to me wanting to talk about their regrets, and encourage them to call the confidential hotline to talk with a compassionate person about their questions and pain. This ministry, called “Project Rachel,” helps a person know that their child is in the hands of God in heaven and learn of God’s love and forgiveness.
The great joy of being a priest is helping people know of God’s great love for them, even with the marred past that we each have. I often tell young men that priesthood is so awesome because your job is simply to lead people to God’s great love and forgiveness.
Our first reading from the Book of Wisdom, was written shortly before the time of Jesus. It was meant as sort of a ‘guidebook’ for people, reflections on God’s righteousness, mercy, and wisdom. The author basically writes about how awesome God really is! In chapter 9 of Wisdom, just before our passage today, the writer prays to God saying, “Send your wisdom from your throne…that she may guide me in all my ways.” And in this section for today, we hear the author in pure AWE of God saying, “while you have power and care over all things, you judge with clemency and leniency.” We learn that God uses his “power” to help people get beyond the sins of their past…since God wants us to know that all things are forgivable through his ‘parent love’ for each of his children.
Through the prayers and tireless effort of so many, including our own parish “Respect Life Ministry,” we have seen wonderful declines in the number of abortions in our country in the past 25 years. And praise God that many states have been addressing the other pro-life issue by abolishing capital punishment, the killing of human beings for sins of their past. But just as our country has been on an upward path toward the dignity of each human life, our present national leaders have tragically brought back the horrific use of lethal injection to kill people for their past mistakes. It clearly takes us backward toward a “culture of death,” as Pope John Paul II called it. Following St. John Paul II’s strong voice against capital punishment, Pope Benedict, Mother Theresa, and Pope Francis have cried out for a permanent end to this killing process that goes against our beliefs as Catholics that every person is a child of God…and forgivable…as the Bible teaches. But I also know that a percentage of Catholics still struggle with accepting this pro-life teaching of the Church.
Rooted in this very passage of Wisdom, and Jesus’ own example of forgiving very sinful people like St. Peter, the woman at the well, the murderers who nailed him to the Cross…, and me, many Catholics still have a ways to go in embracing the fullness of God’s unconditional love. God’s love for every child of his forms a thread through every pro-life issue - from protecting the baby in the womb, to the person condemned to a gurney and death needle, to the elderly or disabled person whom some want to euthanize and kill off as a burden on society.
The key message from this section of Wisdom scripture is how it describes God as having “much leniency” in the way God deals with our sins and all the mistakes of our past. Imagine a world… in which every one of us would be as forgiving, lenient, and unconditionally loving as God is toward us! It requires an ongoing conversion of the way we sometimes think, particularly letting go of any thoughts and actions of revenge…as much as we might want the other person to suffer for what they did wrong.
Jesus teaches us that God never thinks or acts that way. If God did, none of us would be here today, given the sins of our own past. Relating this to Jesus’ parable, God has sowed each of us a “good seed;” but sometimes we act like “weeds,” not living up to the goodness God created us to be. But in God’s “leniency,” he forgives our small and big sins…and gives us time to change our ways and grow into the holiness God weaved into us at the moment of our conception.
At this Altar, everyone one of us are at the foot of the Cross, asking for the Blood of Jesus to wash over us, to forgive our sins…and pour into our hearts the unconditional love of God…so that we can offer that same ‘lenient love’ to others…as we must never give up promoting the sacredness of each human life.