31st Sunday OT @ Ss. Francis and Clare

HOMILY 31st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER 30/31, 2021

Barbara Woodhouse was born in 1910 in County Dublin, Ireland. She is best known for her 1980s British television show, and her series of books on Dog Training. Her motto was “no bad dogs,” and her particular style of Obedience Training continues to be taught in Britain and the US to this day. 

Obedience training for dogs has its roots in pre-history. Over 100 years before the time of Christ, a Roman farmer recorded advice for training dogs to herd livestock.

In the 19th century, a British Army Officer published a book titled: “Dog Breaking: The Most Expeditious, Certain and Easy Method, Whether Great Excellence or Only Mediocrity Be Required, With Odds and Ends for Those Who Love the Dog and the Gun,” intended to train hunting dogs.

And in 1911, a German military officer published his book, titled: “Training Dogs: A Manual,” still used today to train police and military dogs.

Woodhouse died in 1988 at the age of 78; but her method lives on. Her American protege, Brian Kilcommons, is an expert trainer and counts among his clients Diana Ross, Morley Safer, and Diane Sawyer. 

Today is the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Our Old Testament and Gospel readings both focus in on a single prayer, known to Jews as the Sh’ma.

Hear, O Israel!

The Lord our God is Lord alone!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, 

with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

Looking at the original languages for the two readings it would appear that something has gotten lost in the translation from Hebrew to Greek to English.

The English word, hear, is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “to be aware of sounds with your ears.” And, interestingly, this comports pretty much with the Greek word used in the Gospel for ‘hear’ which is “akoue” and is where we get the English word “acoustic.”

Both the Greek and the English words imply what appears to be a passive event – mere sounds flowing into our ears.

But the Hebrew word “sh’ma” means more than just ‘hear.’ It also means to ‘listen, consent, understand, and obey.’ To hear God is to conform your will to God’s and to act on God’s word and to obey God’s word.

Hearing implies obedience, and obedience implies action.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, we hear at the end of the reading the phrase “the word of the oath” which points back to a covenant. And the covenant for us is found in our encounter with Christ in the Sacraments of the Church … and in the superabundant sacramental grace provided by the Sacraments in order for us to live out our lives in the world by leveraging the Supernatural virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, may His “once for all” offering on the Cross “always … save [us] who approach God through [H]im,” with Him, and in Him. May the graces we receive this day in the Sacrament of the Altar help us to hear, listen, obey, and act upon the Word of God in our daily lives by what we say and do out and about in the world.

30th Sunday OT @ Ss. Francis and Clare

HOMILY 30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

OCTOBER 23/24, 2021

In the United States, roughly 1 million people are blind. There are an additional roughly 3 million people who have an uncorrectable visual impairment, and another 3 million who have a correctable visual impairment, but are unable to obtain medical intervention. Meaning, nearly 7 million “blind people” in the US.

While there are many things that can cause blindness, three of the top several diseases are (1) Cataracts, (2) Age-related Macular Degeneration (or AMD), and (3) Glaucoma. These aren’t the only causes, but for the point of illustration, they are the three I’ll be discussing.

Cataracts are caused by a clouding of the lens or lenses. AMD is caused by a degeneration of the back of the eye, obstructing the image coming into the eye right in the middle. Glaucoma, on the other hand, damages the optic nerve, causing the edges off the image to be lost to the viewer.

Blindness is in the top 10 disabilities, ranking at number nine, falling just before stroke (at number 10) and after diabetes (at number 8.)

Today is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Our Gospel Reading is the story of the blind man known to us as Bartimaeus … which is Aramaic for “son of Timaeus.” 

The story in itself is remarkable. He is a beggar. And when he hears that Jesus is passing by, he begins crying out. The crowd tries to shut him up … not a very nice thing to do … especially when the person passing by is a noted healer. And when he does go to Jesus, he gets up and throws aside his cloak … which is his coat, his umbrella, and most likely his home.

This chapter from St. Mark’s Gospel begins with Jesus speaking about the divine plan for marriage which was stricter than the practice of the time. The disciples shooing away children, and Jesus reversing that and allowing the children to come to Him and blessing them. Next, Jesus sets a high bar for a rich young man, who goes away sad … not willing to come to Jesus with nothing. Jesus then begins to speak of His passion, death, and resurrection.

As if oblivious to this, two of the apostles ask for top spots in the Kingdom of Heaven … ticking off the other 10 apostles who wish they had thought of it first. And then we have today’s story of Bartimaeus.
Why this story here?

Well, the apostles have been missing the mark so far, being confused on marriage, children, property, and power. The placement of a story of a blind man right after these seems to point to Spiritual Blindness.

There are three ways to look at Spiritual Blindness. One can be ignorant … not knowing, or not wanting to know about God or Jesus or the Gospel. One can be cynical … not seeing the goodness of God or thinking that everyone is out for themselves. And finally, one can have a hardness of heart … not wanting to love, or not feeling worthy of love.

These three causes of Spiritual Blindness … ignorance, cynicism, or heart-heartedness … do have cures. And the physician is Jesus … the Divine Healer … who comes to us with Faith, Hope, and Love.

Faith overcomes spiritual ignorance … Hope overcomes spiritual cynicism … and Love overcomes hardness of heart.

Finally, the last two stories in this chapter from St. Mark have Jesus asking the same question … first of his two power-hungry disciples and second of blind Bartimaeus. The question is:

“What do you want me to do for you?”

And that is the question I’ll leave you with. “What do you want Jesus to do for you?” 

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and DIvinity of Jesus Christ … as we receive Him … materially and spiritually … ask Him for whatever you want. And if you’re not sure what you want, ask Him for a deeper outpouring of Faith, and Hope, and Love. And as you receive from Him the graces of this Sacrament, know that “your faith has saved you,” and renewed by that faith … go on your way through, with, and in Christ Jesus Our Lord.

28th Sunday OT @ Ss. Francis & Clare

HOMILY 28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER 9/10, 2021

Thin-slicing is a psychological and philosophical term that describes the ability to make snap decisions based on limited information or narrow windows of experience. Many studies have demonstrated that brief observations can be used to analyze complex situations at higher levels of probability than mere random chance.

These are what we might call  ‘hunches’ or a ‘gut feelings.’ There is the old saying that “the first impression is the most lasting,” and this, too – they say – comes from thin-slicing.

In his popular book titled Blink, author Malcolm Gladwell presents several examples and case studies where thin-slicing has proved more accurate than detailed research.

Thin slicing, however is not without its detractors. Prejudices and racial profiling also stem from drawing conclusions with limited knowledge. And research shows that emotions distort the accuracy of thin-slicing.

Gladwell acknowledges the limitations of thin-slicing, and argues that this type of intuition is developed by training, knowledge, and experience. 

Today is the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

In our Gospel reading from St. Mark today, we hear the story of the Rich Young Man. 

He has lived a life in accordance with the Ten Commandments, and proudly proclaims that he has “observed them [all] from [his] youth.”

Jesus tells him that he is “lacking in one thing”, and tells him to go and sell everything he has and give the proceeds to the poor.

The Rich Young Man obviously knew about Jesus. He was most likely not unfamiliar with Jesus’ teaching. And he revered Him, kneeling down before Him to ask his question.

He had a hunch that there was something extraordinary in these teachings … something extraordinary in the Person of Jesus Christ. And his first impression proves to be true.

But on second thought, he has misgivings. And he are told that “he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, the author – considered to be King Solomon himself – tells how he treasured God’s Wisdom above scepter and throne, riches and gems, silver and gold, health and good looks … pointing out that “all good things together came to me in [the] company [of Wisdom] and countless riches [as well.]”

Too often we become creatures of habit, operating on instinct alone, and becoming immersed in the cares and concerns of the world.

God takes a back seat. His Wisdom is ignored for the ideas of society and culture. And God falls into second, third, fifth, tenth, or worse place.

What is that “one thing” that keeps us from truly following Jesus? For one person it might one thing … for another something entirely different.

The Letter to the Hebrews compares “the word of God … [to a] two-edged sword”. Slicing through our illusions and confusions to help us “discern [our] reflections and thoughts” in the Light of God’s Wisdom.

Jesus Christ calls each of us to follow Him. And to do this, we all must discern what that “one thing” is … give it up .. and follow Him. Otherwise we may end up going away sad.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, let us pray to slice through our thoughts and ideas … and clearly see in the Light of God’s Word – what is the one thing holding us back from a deeper relationship with God in Christ. May the graces of the Sacrament of the Altar truly “[f]ill us with [God’s] love” through all our days … every day … in the power and glory of the Holy Spirit.

27th Sunday OT @ Ss. Francis and Clare

HOMILY 27TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
OCTOBER 2/3, 2021

St. Francis of Assisi has been given a bad reputation in the modern era. He’s been co-opted by hippies, environmentalists, and others . . . for themselves, and without regard to who he really was. 

Francis felt called to serve in a heroic way. Twice, he tried to go to war. The second time, he had a dream with instructions sending him home. And so, he did – selling his armor and sword, and giving it to the poor. He spent time in prayer, seeking to know . . . more and more perfectly . . .  the will of God for his life. 

While in the chapel of the Monastery of San Damiano, the crucifix spoke to him . . . telling him three times: “go and repair my church which, as you see, is all in ruins!”

Initially, Francis thought that the point of the message was to rebuild that particular chapel. Later, he would realize that he was called to rebuild the Church – the big “C” church – reforming the Church, by demonstrating that the Gospel was not beyond being lived out day-by-day by ordinary people . . . in a spirit of charity and poverty.

He founded three orders: (1) the friars minor – or the “little brothers,” (2) the “poor Clares,” and (3) the “brothers and sisters of penance” – or what is now known as the “Third Order.”

Francis embraced the Gospel literally and radically, and this should give us all pause . . . begging the question: “Do we really allow the message of the Gospel to penetrate into the depths of our being?”

Francis realized that God had given us everything, and he desired to give everything to God. 

Today’s readings, for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, speak of the first covenant given by God to humanity – that is, Marriage.

A covenant is similar to a contract. But, where a contract is an exchange of goods . . . a covenant is an exchange of persons . . . that is, the establishment of a relationship. 

The best example of this is Matrimony, where husband and wife give themselves to each other completely: “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.” to love and honor each other ”all the days of [their lives].” Marriage reflects the relationship of Christ and His Church.

In the same way, the other six Sacraments are also covenants – where we are brought into a deeper relationship with God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist – the Sacraments of Initiation – bring us into relationship with the Most Holy Trinity.

Reconciliation and Anointing – restore us spiritually and physically according to God’s Will. 

And Matrimony and Orders create a visible community . . . a family of Faith, Hope, and Love . . . to build up the Kingdom of God in the world.

St. Francis saw himself as the herald of a great King – that is, he proclaimed the Kingdom of God in a world . . . which like our own . . . had grown cold. Francis was a fire burning in that cold world . . . an intense fire of Divine Love.

Francis sought to live the Gospel in such a way as to be a living Gospel. His message was the message of Christ. And his life was lived for Christ.

And, as his mission found it’s origin with a message from the cross . . . toward the end of his life, he bore the stigmata – the wounds of Christ – in his own body . . . for the last two years of his life. And up and until he died, he was a living image of Our Savior on the Cross.

As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ . . . let us, in this covenant meal of the Eucharist, receive Christ totally . . . as we give ourselves totally to Him. And through the intercession of St. Francis . . . and in following his example . . . let us strive to give ourselves entirely to Christ . . . “through Him, with Him, and in Him” . . . may we – in all that we say, and in all that we do – bring the Gospel to the world by the manner of our own lives . . . in relationship to God and to His Church.