Saint Joseph R. C. Church

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

BIBLE STUDY #156

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

October 27, 2013

Reading 1

The LORD is a God of justice,
who knows no favorites.
Though not unduly partial toward the weak,
yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.
The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan,
nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.
The one who serves God willingly is heard;
his petition reaches the heavens.
The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds;
it does not rest till it reaches its goal,
nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds,
judges justly and affirms the right,
and the Lord will not delay.

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm

PSalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23

R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Reading 2

2 TiMothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Beloved:
I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord

Gospel

LuKe 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --
greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

The First Reading

The Book of Sirach (otherwise known as Ecclesiasticus) was written between 200 B.C. and 175 B.C. by Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach who lived in Jerusalem and was imbued with a love of the Law, the priesthood, the Temple, and divine worship. His motive in writing this book was to help people maintain their religious faith through the study of the law and tradition. He has much advice on how people should live their lives and how they relate to God.

Today’s section is from a longer section concerning sacrifice and prayer. He says that for sacrifice to be pleasing and acceptable to God, it must be done humbly, out of genuine faith and in following the Law. Otherwise, sacrifice becomes hypocrisy and an empty ritual.

Our passage today says that God shows no impartiality and hears everyone. While the Lord does here the widow, the orphan, the oppressed, he also hears “The one who serves God willingly…his petition reaches the heavens.”

Serving God willingly means to follow God’s teachings as prescribed in the Law and in their tradition. Certainly, being humble would be part of that teaching and their tradition. While God hears the rich who follow his law and tradition, God does not judge by quantity, but by quality. It is more important to have a big heart than a big wallet.

The Gospel

Last week we heard about persevering in prayer. Jesus tells us to pray without getting weary, that is, to be consistent and persistent in prayer, whether we pray the rosary, at Mass, with scripture, by meditating and contemplating, or in any way we choose to communicate with God. This week Jesus tells us about the proper attitude of people who pray.

There are two people who are praying in the Temple area, a Pharisee and a tax collector. Pharisees were laymen who were influential in Israel and who attempted to live the Mosaic Law fully. They were strict observers of the Law. They were educated and generally from the upper class.

A tax collector was someone who was hired by the Roman authorities to collect taxes for Rome. They were given a set amount to collect and anything over and above that was theirs to keep. They were generally considered traitors and unrighteous for working for the Romans and were not accepted by the religious authorities in the Temple and the synagogues. They lived on the fringe of society, but could be well off financially.

The Pharisee is very self-righteous, and it shows up in his prayer. He compares himself to other people and comes out much better than them. He actually thanks God for making him better than other people. He says, “O God I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector.” Can you imagine? Whenever anyone starts spouting off like that to me, I respond, “And humble, too.”

I’m sure you’ve known people like that. They think they are God’s gift to us. They are perfect, and whenever something goes wrong, they always blame someone else; it could never be their fault. There’s an old joke that goes like this: “A woman says to her friend: when I married Mr. Right, I didn’t know his first name was Always.”

Do the Pharisees words even constitute a prayer? Is he even capable of prayer? Looks to me like he is putting himself almost on a par with God. He is not communicating with God, he is telling God (and us) about his greatness. Since when is that a prayer? I bet that he thinks that he is so good that he hardly needs God’s help at all. This is the kind of man who would say to you: “I thought I made a mistake once, but I was wrong.”

Don’t these people drive you crazy? There is no talking to them. It’s sad in a way, because they are so wrapped up in themselves that there is no hope for them to understand their mistakes or to be humble before God. The Pharisee justifies himself because of his actions – he pays tithes and fasts twice a week. He is not asking God to approve of him; he doesn’t seem to need that. He thinks he is good enough by himself.

The tax collector, on the other hand, knows that he is a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness. He approaches God as one who needs God’s help. He looks to be forgiven. He is a humble man who understands about God and his own incapability in being a good person without God’s help. This is the attitude Jesus would have us take in our prayer.

The performance of religious practices is not enough. It is not good enough to be pious on the outside, but we need to be pious on the inside. Religious practices are to be done humbly and are supposed to help us deepen our relationship with God. They shouldn’t be done to impress other people.

The tax collector is justified not by anything he does, but because God justifies him. The Pharisee goes home unjustified because of his haughtiness. The spiritual author C.S. Lewis once wrote: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.” Or, I would add, you can’t see the One above you.

Fr. Phil

elO � e n � @�L arn from scripture and our tradition what Jesus teaches us, put that into practice in our lives, and witness with our words and actions to all the people we meet; 2) To be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient. It is easy to be a disciple when we are among other believers. What about when we are with unbelievers, or those who actively work against the church? Are we brave enough to stand up for what we believe? Or how about something easier: when we are out of town, do you look for a church for Sunday Mass, or do you make excuses for not attending? I can guarantee you that if you look for a church you will find one; 3) Convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. We convince others more with our actions than with our words. When we show others that we live the gospel message, that it means something to us, and that it makes a difference in our lives, than we have the credibility to convince others to believe. If we aren’t committed, why should others believe our words? When someone is doing something wrong, a reprimand is in order. We witness by not putting others down, but by gently pointing out that Jesus teaches something different, and maybe they should consider that course of action. We never tell people what to do, just make suggestions. Encouragement is absolutely necessary, and we should be doing that consistently. We need to encourage one another so we can all grow in our faith.

Fr. Phil

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More importantly, though, the people here are welcoming; I hear this all the time from visitors. At a baptism, I told a woman that if she liked it so much, she should come here regularly. She said it was a bit of a commute for her, since she lives near Niagara Falls.

I think being friendly and welcoming of every one is a sign of God’s love. There are few better ways to enhance the quality of worship than to be a welcoming parish.

Jesus does so much for us and he asks so little in return. Through his death and resurrection, he pays the price for our sins, opens up the way to heaven, and gives us peace and happiness in this life. What does he ask of us? Faith. He asks us to live by his teachings, and do our best to spread faith.

He doesn’t ask us to do anything beyond our capabilities or our capacity. He asks us to offer whatever we can, and he in turn will transform our gifts into something spectacular.

Before we spread our faith, we need to acquire it first. We are all like the leper in a way because we are all sinners. Just as the leper couldn’t cure himself, we can’t atone for our sins. Without forgiveness, our soul begins to rot away and there is nothing we can do about it. With the healing power of forgiveness, we can begin to grow in our faith. We need to turn away from our sins and bask in his healing love.

We need to keep asking for forgiveness because our faith is a relationship with Jesus, and like in all relationships, we make mistakes and fail. The more we turn to Jesus when we fail, the closer we become, the more our faith grows, and the more we have to share with each other.

As a stewardship parish we should all be familiar with the concept of gratefulness because being a good steward encompasses Psalm 116: “How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me?” So I ask all of you: Are you good stewards?

Fr. Phil

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The image of the Easter Vigil comes to mind. Here at St. Joseph’s, we build a big fire in the parking lot. We bless the fire and then light the charcoal and the Paschal Candle. Everyone has a small, individual candle that is lit from the Paschal Candle. We then process into a darkened church. The more people that enter the church, the brighter the church becomes. When all are in the church, it is amazing how bright it is; enough to read by.

We are not the Paschal Candle; that is Jesus job. He is the light of the world. We are like that little candle. Our flame of faith is lit from the Paschal Candle, and we keep it lit through living the Christian life. Just as we pass along the flame from the Paschal Candle to one another in church, we should pass along the flame of faith to those we meet.

By ourselves, we are not expected to lighten up a darkened church or a darkened world. Together, however, we can be the light of warmth, friendship, comfort, love and faith.

When we aid those in need, we are bringing light into the world, making it a better place. We may not be solving the worlds or even one person’s problems, but we are making a difference in someone’s life. And all of us together can make a big difference. The Second Coming will transform the world. In the meantime, we do what we can. I think that’s all Jesus asks.

Fr. Phil

o admitA � s s � �I s forgiveness, and tries to turn his life around. We are not called to be like the older son. His sins are different than his brother, but no less serious. He is jealous of other people’s good fortune. He is unforgiving and uncaring. He doesn’t see himself as a sinner so he doesn’t see the need for forgiveness. How many people are there like that? They look down on others as sinful, they nitpick others actions, and fail to even think that they have any problems. Like the older son, they have everything, but in the end they will end up with nothing. It is really sad to see people like this. The kingdom is there for them, in their grasp, but their smallness and pettiness will keep them out. It’s even hard to talk to them about it because they won’t believe you and they will be offended, wondering what gave you the right to say that to them. With some people, the most you can do is to keep them in your prayers and hope that somehow God touches their hearts.

As much as we are called to be like the younger son, that is just the start. After we turn our lives around, where do we go? We need to strive to be like the father. Forgiving, loving, nonjudgmental, caring, compassionate, generous, understanding, he is the epitome of a virtuous disciple. He has become what we all strive to be: holy. He is virtuous not just for himself, but to share it with others. No matter how his sons act, he treats them with love and respect. He forgives them and wants to share everything he has with them.

From the September 2013 issue of Connections, a homily resource: “In our "sophisticated" and complex lives, the idea that God loves us is difficult to grasp. But the most important lesson Jesus taught, the central theme of his Gospel, is that God loves us completely and unconditionally. We are never beyond his reach; we are never lost to him. Such a realization of the possibilities for such love in our lives is grace. Sometimes we experience grace in the support and love of generous family and friends - and sometimes we are the agents of such grace, giving and doing whatever is necessary for the good of another, refusing to give up our search to find the lost and bring back those from whom we have been separated. Grace is the joy and fulfillment experienced by the shepherd who finds the lost lamb, the woman who recovers the missing coin, and the father who welcomes home his wayward son - and the realization of the love that led us to be found.”

God is like that with us. He loves us when we don’t deserve it, he forgives us when we ask, he understands our needs, and gives us what we need to make it through this life in his grace and peace, and to be around the eternal banquet table in the next life. I pray that we all strive to be like the “Prodigal Father” and share God’s love with those in our lives. May we be Christ for each other, and see Christ in each other.

Fr. Phil

BIBLE STUDY #155

TWENTY NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

October 20, 2013

Reading 1

EXodus 17:8-13

In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel.
Moses, therefore, said to Joshua,
"Pick out certain men,
and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle.
I will be standing on top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hand."
So Joshua did as Moses told him:
he engaged Amalek in battle
after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.
As long as Moses kept his hands raised up,

Israel

had the better of the fight,
but when he let his hands rest,
Amalek had the better of the fight.
Moses’ hands, however, grew tired;
so they put a rock in place for him to sit on.
Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other,
so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword.

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm

PSalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (cf. 2) Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of

Israel

.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Reading 2

2 TiMothy 3:14-4:2

Beloved:
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

The Word of the Lord

Gospel

LuKe 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, "There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.'
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'"
The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

The passage immediately preceding our gospel today tells us about Jesus second coming and what will happen at that time. Specifically, it talks about being prepared because we don’t know the day or time that Jesus will return. We need to be vigilant and prepared for this day that will bring judgment on all people.

The way to be prepared is to be persistent and consistent in prayer. In this parable, the judge gives into the woman’s request because she is persistent. If an unjust judge gives in because of persistence, how much more will God give us when we ask?

However, God is not the divine gift giver. God is not our servant, waiting for our requests so he can hop to it. Many times we ask and God says no, which is a perfectly legitimate answer. Some people give up on their faith because they have prayed for something or someone and it didn’t come to pass. This is a very immature way to look at faith. We can’t manipulate God by prayer. This is role reversal – God should be telling us what to do, not us telling God.

If God knows our needs, and gives us every good thing, why do we need to be persistent and consistent in prayer? It is for our own good. The more we pray the closer we get to God. It is not about badgering God to get what we want, but developing that personal relationship with God. The more we pray, the closer we get to God, until the bond between us and God is so strong that no one or no thing can break that bond. Prayer brings us into right relationship with God so that we want for ourselves what God wants for us. Our prayer changes from making requests to asking God to guide and direct us. We realize that God knows what’s best for us, so we try to determine God’s will for us in our lives. That’s why reading scripture and understanding what the Church teaches is so important; that’s where we discern God’s will for us in our lives.

We can’t be disciples until we know what Jesus taught. We don’t need to be scholars, but we need to know what he taught in general. We also look to the church for instruction and information about Jesus teachings so we don’t misinterpret scripture. Our tradition speaks volumes to us about God’s will for us. We believe that the Spirit guides and directs the church in such a way as to avoid error. This guidance is passed onto us for our own spiritual welfare.

Prayer also opens us up to the movement of the Spirit in our lives. It’s not enough to know things about Jesus; we need to know Jesus through a personal experience of the risen Christ. Every year, our teenagers who are preparing for their confirmation, go on an Antioch retreat. All their lives they have been taught things about Jesus; this was an opportunity to get to know Jesus personally. Hopefully, many of them are moved by the Spirit. When we open ourselves to the movement of the Spirit, the Lord will eventually touch our hearts and change us in a drastic way. Prayer is one of the best ways to invite the Spirit into our lives. When this happens, faith makes sense. Not in a way we can put into words, but in a way we understand in our hearts. We believe not because of something that was taught to us, but because God imprinted his love in our hearts. Our belief is not intellectual, but spiritual.

Prayer also helps us maintain our relationship with God. Like any relationship, it needs work. The more we work on it, the stronger it becomes, and the less we work on it the weaker it becomes. All you married couples know that. How many marriages have fallen apart from disuse? How many people have gone away from faith and the church because of lack of prayer?

Prayer also sustains us in difficult times. I know that whatever happens to me that God loves me and His Son paid the price for my redemption. No one can take this hope or this salvation from me. I can lay my troubles at God’s feet and I know that His grace will be there to sustain me. Prayer teaches me that nothing comes close in importance to salvation. There is great hope and peace in that.

I also think that communal prayer is important. There is hardly a better way to receive support than from praying with others, especially at Mass. Since the Eucharist is the foretaste and promise of the paschal feast of heaven, what better way to feel God’s presence or to be touched by God’s presence than in the proclamation of the Word and in receiving the body and blood of Our Lord at Mass?

We don’t normally take much heed of the second reading at Mass, because for us the Gospel is the main reading. Sometimes we tie the first reading in with the gospel, because they are picked to have similar themes, but not so with the second reading. In the second reading, a New Testament book is selected, and most of the book is read sequentially. Part of today’s selection is a commission given by St. Paul to all disciples of Jesus and to all who read this letter. He tells us to do three things: 1) To proclaim the Gospel. Proclaiming is more than reading; it is living the gospel. We need to learn from scripture and our tradition what Jesus teaches us, put that into practice in our lives, and witness with our words and actions to all the people we meet; 2) To be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient. It is easy to be a disciple when we are among other believers. What about when we are with unbelievers, or those who actively work against the church? Are we brave enough to stand up for what we believe? Or how about something easier: when we are out of town, do you look for a church for Sunday Mass, or do you make excuses for not attending? I can guarantee you that if you look for a church you will find one; 3) Convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. We convince others more with our actions than with our words. When we show others that we live the gospel message, that it means something to us, and that it makes a difference in our lives, than we have the credibility to convince others to believe. If we aren’t committed, why should others believe our words? When someone is doing something wrong, a reprimand is in order. We witness by not putting others down, but by gently pointing out that Jesus teaches something different, and maybe they should consider that course of action. We never tell people what to do, just make suggestions. Encouragement is absolutely necessary, and we should be doing that consistently. We need to encourage one another so we can all grow in our faith.

Fr. Phil

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I think being friendly and welcoming of every one is a sign of God’s love. There are few better ways to enhance the quality of worship than to be a welcoming parish.

He doesn’t ask us to do anything beyond our capabilities or our capacity. He asks us to offer whatever we can, and he in turn will transform our gifts into something spectacular.

Fr. Phil

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By ourselves, we are not expected to lighten up a darkened church or a darkened world. Together, however, we can be the light of warmth, friendship, comfort, love and faith.

Fr. Phil

Fr. Phil

BIBLE STUDY #154

TWENTY EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

October 13, 2013

Reading 1

2 KinGS 5:14-17

Naaman went down and plunged into the

Jordan

seven times
at the word of Elisha, the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,
and he was clean of his leprosy.

Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.
On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said,
"Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in

Israel

.
Please accept a gift from your servant."

Elisha replied, "As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;"
and despite Naaman's urging, he still refused.
Naaman said: "If you will not accept,
please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth,
for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice
to any other god except to the LORD."

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm

PSalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands:
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Reading 2

2 TiMothy 2:8-13

Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

The Word of the Lord

Gospel

LuKe 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you."

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

As Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem (the journey theme will become more prevalent as the gospel continues), we have been hearing about social questions that confront the early Christian community in Luke’s Gospel such as the proper use of money, forgiveness, and divorce, to name a few. The next few chapters will focus on historical questions, such as the unfolding of salvation history and how the gospel differs from human expectations.

This gospel appears only in Luke and is another instance where Jesus holds up a non-Jew as an example to others (see the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10).

Jesus and his contingent are traveling through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem when ten lepers stop them. In those days, lepers would have been totally shunned by society. They were outcasts in the largest sense of that term: they were not allowed around other people, either in houses, or in towns, or in synagogues, or anywhere people gathered, for fear of infection. They were driven out in the wilderness to fare as best as they could; a very harsh, and I suspect, a very short existence. This was done for the preservation and protection of the society and not to be cruel in any way. With no medicine or any effective way of treating this disease, what else could be done?

The gospel states that they ‘stood at a distance’ when they called out to him, as would have been necessary in that society. How did the lepers know about him? Luke is telling us that Jesus was so popular even outcasts heard of him.

They go to Jesus, calling him master, acknowledging his power and authority. Imagine the excitement of seeing him, of hoping that their nightmare of suffering may finally be over. He is their one and only hope of rejoining society and having normal life. Can you imagine the pleading in their voices and the hope in their hearts?

Their healing is almost anticlimactic. It seems to be downplayed because all Jesus says to them is to go show yourself to the priests and on their way to them they were healed. After showing themselves to the priests, they would have been declared clean and able to rejoin society.

It’s hard to over exaggerate the affect of this healing in their lives. This healing would have affected them in several ways; 1) it would have relieved them of any physical pain associated with this disease; 2) they would be able to go back to their families (imagine what a happy reunion that would be!); 3) they would be able to work, support their families and lead a normal life; and 4) they would be able to worship in the Synagogue and in the Temple.

It’s hard to imagine why 9 people didn’t come back to thank Jesus. I can see if 8 or 9 came back in gratitude, because there is always 1 or 2 in the crowd who would be like that. But 9? Is that a commentary on how ungrateful most people are?

Do we forget to say ‘thank you’ to people? Do we show appreciation when some one does something for us, goes out of their way, or extends themselves in a generous way? Or do we think that we somehow deserve these things and therefore we don’t have to be grateful?

The one who came back to Jesus in gratitude was a Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews. It is ironic that some Jewish people, like most of their leadership, rejected Jesus, while a Samaritan, an outcast from the temple, shows by his example how to attain salvation.

It seems that healing is a prerequisite for salvation. Not physical healing, because we will all get sick and die (after all, death is the ultimate healer), but spiritual healing. Illnesses and injuries were seen at that time as punishment from God for sins. So, if Jesus heals the body, he also heals the soul through the forgiveness of sins.

Healing isn’t the only requirement for salvation, but the person healed must respond in faith. Anyone, without exception, can be healed, but healing does not guarantee salvation. It is just a beginning. The one leper who returned signifies more than gratefulness, but a willingness to be a person of faith and take on the required responsibilities of that faith. That’s why Jesus says that his faith has saved him. He was healed, he gratefully came back glorifying God and thanking Jesus, which indicates his faith, and this faith saved him.

It also indicates Jesus desire for universal salvation, his wish that all people be saved. We believe that Jesus died for everyone’s’ sins. Every one can be saved; it’s not limited to one group of people. When we limit salvation we are usurping God’s prerogative; how do we know that state of another’s soul or how God looks upon other people? How can we be so judgmental?

Let me give you an example. What religion was our patron here in Lincoln Park? He was Jewish. It seems that he died sometime before Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. Yet, we call him St. Joseph. He is also the patron of the universal Church. God’s ways are mysterious and unknown. I hope and pray that all people can be saved. I don’t think that we should spend a lot of time thinking about another’s salvation; we should focus our attention on our own salvation, and we would all be a lot better off. As people of faith, we also have the extra-added benefit of living according to God’s word, which should make all the difference in the peace and happiness of our lives.

It also tells us that all people are welcome in our church. We never turn anyone away. I always tell our ministers of holy communion that we assume that anyone who presents themselves for communion is properly disposed to receive communion. How do we tell if someone is properly disposed or not? The answer is we can’t. If someone comes to receive who is not properly disposed, they have to answer to God for that. If I refuse someone who is properly disposed, I have to answer to God for that. I say that we should give communion and let God sort it all out.

Our catholic churches have large enough numbers that all can feel welcome without feeling conspicuous. In other words, there is room for everyone. One symbol of this welcoming nature is the placement of the baptismal font. In one of my previous assignments the font was in the vestibule, near the front door. This says to me, “Stay out until you are baptized.” In another church, the font is in front of the church. They actually took out half of the first three pews on the right side to make a baptismal area. This says to me, “All are welcome, but before you receive communion, be a part of us.” That, to me, is very welcoming. In St. Joseph’s, the font is in the middle, which basically is welcoming and saying the same thing.

I think being friendly and welcoming of every one is a sign of God’s love. There are few better ways to enhance the quality of worship than to be a welcoming parish.

He doesn’t ask us to do anything beyond our capabilities or our capacity. He asks us to offer whatever we can, and he in turn will transform our gifts into something spectacular.

Fr. Phil

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By ourselves, we are not expected to lighten up a darkened church or a darkened world. Together, however, we can be the light of warmth, friendship, comfort, love and faith.

Fr. Phil

Fr. Phil

BIBLE STUDY #153

TWENTY SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

October 6, 2013

Reading 1

HaBakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4

How long, O LORD? I cry for help
but you do not listen!
I cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not intervene.
Why do you let me see ruin;
why must I look at misery?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and clamorous discord.
Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
if it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

The Word of the Lord

Responsorial Psalm

PSalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Reading 2

2 TiMothy 1:6-8, 13-14

Beloved:
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.

The Word of the Lord

Gospel

LuKe 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord replied,
"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, 'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

The Gospel of the lord

Reflection

We need to take today’s gospel in context of what happened in previous passages. Jesus is on his long journey to Jerusalem and is giving his followers some on the job training to prepare them for life after the Ascension. In past weeks, we have heard that we must take up our cross, about the proper use of money, and about the necessity to always forgive, to mention three themes we have heard recently.

If we are to be true disciples, Jesus is telling us that there are demands on our lives. It is more then following rules or being entertained. Our faith needs to affect every aspect of our lives; in other words, we need a catholic philosophy of life.

Over the course of time, the Apostles are becoming more aware of the demands of discipleship, and are finding it more difficult to follow Jesus. That’s why they ask him to increase their faith, because the demands of discipleship are too difficult without the grace of God. Without God’s grace, who can always forgive? Who can use the things of the world wisely? Or who can take up their cross and follow Jesus? The answer is we can’t without God’s help.

Be aware, though, that we never know where God will lead us. As we try to become good and faithful disciples, we may be led to places that we never expected. Jesus said, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Imagine what could happen if we ever gave ourselves totally over to God. God takes our gifts and multiplies them to build up the kingdom. God has a plan for all of us, and we all have our role in salvation history. God could be calling us to do great things. How much poorer would the world be if people like Mother Theresa or Blessed Pope John Paul II decided on a different course for their lives?

We may not be called to that kind of greatness, but we are all called to serve the Lord in the building up of the kingdom. The greatness of the kingdom comes not only from the light of the shining stars, but also the light generated by all the little candles of faith. That’s why I always encourage people to come to Mass, especially our children. The more that come to Church, the brighter the light of faith that shines to the world. That’s why I call the children the young church, not the future church. To me, future church sounds like “come back when you have a job and an envelope.” Young church just refers to their young age.

The second paragraph of the gospel refers to our attitude about our faith accomplishments. We should not be looking for fame or credit for anything that we do. When we accomplish God’s will for us in our lives, “we have only done what we were obliged to do”. We shouldn’t expect credit for doing what was expected of us.

It’s easy for us priests to fall into the trap of thinking that we have a better parish (and, therefore, we are better priests) because we have a higher collection, more baptisms, more marriages, more committees, etc., than other parishes. If we are lucky enough to be a part of a good parish, we should realize that it is God who should get the credit because it is by God’s grace that all these things happen. I think that’s good advice for everyone. No matter what we accomplish, give God the credit because we couldn’t do it without Him

The Apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith. What do they mean by that? What do we mean by that? For some people, being a person of faith means following the rules. For some others, it is cultural: they have the statues, pictures, rosaries, and they may even go to Mass every once in a while, at least on major holidays, anyway. For still others, it may mean another event to be scheduled in a busy life, and if they get too busy, church gets dropped. And then, there are some who expect to be entertained when they come to Church. They sit back, don’t actively listen or participate, and complain that Mass is boring. They expect to be entertained, as if I was a performer and we were on Broadway. To me, faith is a relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship was begun at baptism and continues throughout our lives. How do we increase that faith? How do we increase any relationship? The best example I can come up with is marriage. For a marriage to be successful, the partners need to spend time together, talk with each other, share their lives, forgive each other, sacrifice for each other, and become friends. When both partners are committed in these ways to each other, they develop a bond that no one or no thing can separate. It is more than a surface happiness; you can love the other but not like them. It is a lot of work but the benefits outweigh the cost. It is the same way with our faith. We need to pray, actively participate in mass, share our goods with those in need, and use our time and talent to build up the kingdom. When we do this, we will develop a bond with Jesus that can never be broken. It is a lot of work, there is no easy substitute, but the benefits of peace and happiness in this life and eternal life in the next outweigh the costs.

Fr. Phil

� l = � @�L -font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Georgia; color:black'>That’s why I think Purgatory is such a positive idea. According to the glossary at the back of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Purgatory is “A state of final purification after death and before entrance into heaven for those who died in God’s friendship, but were only imperfectly purified; a final cleansing of human imperfection before one is able to enter the joy of heaven.” There are some people (and we’ve all met some) who are saintly and you know will go straight to heaven. There are others who will always turn away from God and anything to do with God and throw away salvation. But what about the ones in between? Those who aren’t saintly or evil? Those who aren’t purified completely but don’t deserve condemnation? Purgatory is God reaching out to us even after death to make us whole and holy.

We talk about living in the mansions of the saints, but we need to send up enough building material to construct our heavenly mansion. There has to be transformation on this side of the grave if we expect to be purified on the other side.

I want to emphasize again this week that we don’t have to give everything away and be destitute in order to be a disciple. Jesus never says earthly things are good or bad, he says people are good or bad. There does seem to be some incompatibility between the accumulation and retention of riches and our serving God.

When one serves riches, one becomes like the rich man in the parable. He had these fine parties, splendid clothes, ate sumptuously, and I’d bet he had a fine mansion. These things would all be important to him over and above anything God asked of him. He seems to have ignored God’ plea to help the poor. Lazarus was at his door and would have “gladly eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table.” The scraps from his table would be the leftovers he would throw away, that is, his garbage. Did the rich man share his scraps or did Lazarus have to look in the garbage for them? The rich man couldn’t solve the problem of poverty in his world, but he could have made all the difference in the world to Lazarus, and I’d bet it would barely have put a dent in his bankroll.

If we follow God, I think that we are more willing to share with those in need, because that is part of being a Christian. God calls us to be aware of those needy in our midst and to do something to help them. There is a bumper sticker I like that says, “Think Globally, but Act Locally.” Even though we can’t solve problems globally, we can certainly make a difference locally. Thinking this way helps us to avoid despair and giving up because the problems are too big to solve. Like the young man who is walking along the beach throwing back the starfish that were washed up in the storm. Another man, walking the other way, stops when he gets to the young man, and says, “Look at all the starfish on the beach. What possible difference can you make?” The young man picks up a starfish, flings it back into the sea, and says, “To that one, a lot.”

The following questions should arise in our minds: Am I doing enough to help those in need? Am I doing anything to help those in need? I can’t tell you how much is enough. That is between you and God. When you have young children, a mortgage, car payments, etc., or if you are unemployed or underemployed, you may not be able to afford much. Don’t feel guilty about that, just do what you can. However, I must say, that my experience in previous parishes is that I find poor, struggling, and/or low-income people to be some of the most generous people I have ever met. Not in terms of the amount, but that, many times, they give from their need and not from their excess. When our disposable income rises, we need to rethink the amount of money we donate. Rethink is a bad term – it leaves us an out. Increase is a better word.

Like the rich man and his brothers, we know what we are supposed to do and how we are to live, because we have scripture. We can look in the bible, read it, pray over it, and live as the Lord would want us to live. Or, we can ignore what it says and do our own thing. This is called free will. God gave it to us and respects it in our lives. We are never forced to love God or to live as disciples. Love that is forced or coerced isn’t love. God spells out for us the way to happiness and peace in this life, and to eternal life in the next. He gives us the opportunity to choose. We can choose life, or we can choose death. Our choices in this life determine the quality of this life and where we will spend eternal life.

The rich man and his brothers were all versed in scripture and what God is asking of them. They just chose to ignore it or ‘reinterpret’ it in their own way. We too know what God wants of us, even if it is only in a general way. We can’t use ignorance as an excuse. Someone has risen from the dead and calls us to follow his example. We tend to reinterpret what we hear and read to exclude ourselves from changing. It’s always someone else who sins, never us. We believe imperfectly and we live imperfectly. Once we close our minds to this, we are condemning ourselves, as surely as the rich man in the parable.

By ourselves, we are not expected to lighten up a darkened church or a darkened world. Together, however, we can be the light of warmth, friendship, comfort, love and faith.

Fr. Phil

Fr. Phil

Welcome!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Fr. Phil

Fr. Phil

Fr. Phil

Fr. Phil