Reflection for the 24th Ordinary Sunday 2024

He summoned the crowd with His disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”

For seven Sundays we journeyed with Jesus and His apostles coming to understand that we receive Him. For the rest of Ordinary Time and the special Solemnities of our Church, Jesus discusses applying our life in Him. How do we do it?

Jesus again lays it on the line for His followers. He tells them that they must take up their cross and follow Him.

We kind of miss the point based on our religious-cultural experience of Jesus and Christianity. We can watch movies and see Jesus carrying His cross. Certainly, He saved us by that, but what is Jesus asking of me today?

We obviously, unless we are being tortured for our faith as is done in some places, will never experience seeing, touching, or picking up a cross. We may have a symbolic one in our bedrooms or the entryway to our house, we may see large ones in churches, and during Holy Week we may adore the Cross as an expression of our love for what Jesus did for us. Yet the idea of taking up a cross is distant and foreign to us.

What is Jesus trying to tell me?

Let’s place ourselves amid the crowd Jesus was speaking to. They knew what a cross was, what it meant, what it felt like, and what it resulted in. They may have had family members arrested by Roman soldiers and subsequently killed on a cross. Their system of torture and execution was placed where all could see and experience it. Even when a person had died, the cross was left there awaiting its next victim.

To the people in the crowd this was the worst thing they could possibly experience. It was the most tortuous, most awful experience. Yet, Jesus tells them to take up this thing a person would not even wish on their worst enemy. 

Jesus is telling the crowd and us that discipleship is more than an occasional bit of harder-than-usual work. It is more than what we think we can do. It is an all-in complete self-giving in following Him. As His disciple, I must go all-in, giving of my whole self. Taking up that level of dedication comes with the most awesome of promises.

We people, named after Christ Jesus, yes, Christians, having given our all all-the-time will come before the Father one day and Jesus will tell Him that we are His friends. He will welcome us and lead us into that eternal place of life, homecoming, and eternal joy.

Reflection for the Solemnity of Brotherly Love 2024

“What is written in the Law? How do you understand it?”

For seven Sundays we journeyed with Jesus and His apostles coming to understand that we receive Him. For the rest of Ordinary Time and the special Solemnities of our Church, Jesus will discuss the practical application of being in Him. How do we do it?

Last week we covered the nature of the Law Israel was to follow. Unfortunately, what Jesus encountered was the Law reduced to a series of dos and don’ts modified with unimportant additions. What was meant to be about Israel’s special relationship with God and with each other had been corrupted.

Jesus tells us that the Law’s true nature is about a community in relationship with God and each other. More importantly for us who receive Jesus, who are in His living presence right now, our way of life must be about growing toward God, having our hearts close to God, and always keeping our worship directed to God.

Today the Law scholar questions Jesus exactly about the way God’s people are to live. What encompasses the nature of relationship with God and others as contained in the Law. After covering the basics and getting the passages right, the scholar asked for more and Jesus responded with one of His more known parables, that of the Good Samaritan.

So, for us today. In just a bit we will offer our sacrifices – which we all give – the bread and the wine. In their offering and the repetition of Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, we will all be pulled into eternity with Christ. We will be in His presence, in heaven, for the briefest of moments. He will return with us providing us His gift of His Body and Blood.

In that moment, and in receiving Him, let us practice asking the same question, ‘What do I do with Him in me? How do I understand and enact Him?’

The response we will get is Jesus repeating His closing words to the scholar: “Go and do likewise.”

We must take Jesus and take up His way of life as we walk the gospel path in our everyday lives. Our receiving Him is an awesome meeting with eternal love, but if we just keep it for ourselves, we fall short.

How to do it, what to take on? There are million plus ways to enact the example of the Good Samaritan. Visit a friend, talk with someone about Jesus, sing a hymn with someone, volunteer, encourage a young person in their journey, console the sick, comfort a mourner.

Like the Samaritan, we will come across the moment we are needed – the Holy Spirit will put it right there. Then answer the question: “What is written in the gospel? How do I understand it?”

Reflection for the 22nd Ordinary Sunday 2024

“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

For seven Sundays we journeyed with Jesus and His apostles. Today, and for the rest of Ordinary Time, Jesus will discuss the practical application of being in Him. How do we do it?

In the context of the journey, we discussed the Law of God that Israel was commanded to follow, covering it especially during the past two weeks.

There is a lot to the Law. At a basic level, as we heard from Moses today, the Law set Israel apart from other nations, but it wasn’t quite that simple.

Israel’s Law of social and religious behavior was developed based on the Ten Commandments, spoken by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Ten express the essential religious and moral principles Israel was to follow and put in a nutshell what God revealed to the Israelites about Himself, as well as how they should live in community. From these Ten “Words,” as well as instruction through prophets and priests, Israel developed a detailed system of religious and social communal regulations.

Now, other nations (e.g., the Amorites of Babylon, Assyrians, and others) had codes of laws that predated Israel. In many ways they were similar, and each borrowed from the other.

The differences are in three essential elements. One is the grounding of the codes. Other kingdom’s codes were based on the authority and power of a ruler. Their laws protected the rights of the wealthy and powerful. For Israel, the Law is grounded on communal experience of God. So, although the Law deals with some economic matters, that does not dominate. Rather, at the center of Law is: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of slavery; you shall have no other gods besides me.”

Other differences are the way God is to be treated. The Law did not change with the whims of a king but was the baseline against which all were to behave under and toward God. Lastly, other codes had an imbalance. They treated rich and poor, slaves and free differently. They punished the poor severely for minor things.  In the Law, the most severe penalties were applied to offenses against other people, regardless of social rank, or actions which threaten the community and its values. It was Law for all.

The Law reflected Israel’s unique encounter with God. Hearing its corruption, it being reduced to a series of dos and don’ts without any relationship to God, Jesus speaks of the Law’s true nature. It is about a community in relationship with God and each other. Being in Jesus means that together we are to grow toward God, have our hearts close to God, and always keep our worship directed to God, living His way.

Reflection for the 21st Ordinary Sunday 2024

As a result of this, many of His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.

We have been on a long journey, from the Apostles being sent to teach and heal throughout Galilee, to looking after those who were like sheep without a shepherd, to the feeding of the thousands, and back to Capernaum where Jesus put it all on the line, where His listeners murmured and grumbled at Him and His words, to this moment where most all left Him.

In the Collect, our Opening Prayer. we heard this verse: ‘Give us the conviction to accept Him completely and follow Him faithfully.’ Will I do this? This is the question the people who had been following Jesus faced. In the end, the people Jesus was speaking to refused the fight that was at hand, the fight to overcome doubt and to trust in what they heard and experienced, what the Holy Spirit was inspiring them to.

Jesus told those around Him: “It is the spirit that gives life… The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”

Indeed, that is what happened, those who walked away would not let the Holy Spirit enter and free them. Rather than listen to the Spirit, they were going to hold on to the heavy rocks that held them down, Laws and a lack of true trust in God. They lived by what they could or could not do, never overcoming that state of existence.

We could shake our heads at what they did, their walking away. We could see it as tragic – it was. Yet, for them and all the others who would not follow, Christ died. He died to forgive those sins and so many others. He died to offer them another and another chance.

Brothers and sisters, we all face the choice. Will I wander away, ignoring the Holy Spirit’s voice, refusing to take a chance on faith beyond reason, faith in which I receive the very presence of Jesus within myself?

Perhaps I will stay yet remain in doubt, Jesus couldn’t possibly be all that, but I’m comfortable. Maybe I will revolt, crate my own faith in which I define a god who is really only myself. That’s what Judas did.

Or maybe, just maybe I will go all in. I will listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and relish the gifts He endows me with. I will praise God for the freedom He has given me from sin through Jesus and use that freedom for the purpose of building God’s Kingdom right here and now.

In doubt, then look again at today’s corrected gospel verse. The error of our times stopped capitalizing references to God. Seeing it corrected we realize we are His and we must accept the chance we are given to receive and walk with Him. 

Reflection for the 20th Ordinary Sunday 2024

“For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will have life because of Me.”

Remember last week, “The Jews murmured about Jesus.” Jesus had been describing Himself as the Bread that came down from heaven. He said that He will give Himself as a bread that lets us live forever. He also assumed God’s name, I AM. He told His listeners that they must eat His flesh to live forever. Today He goes even deeper.

We said last week that the reaction of the people who followed Jesus to Capernaum made sense. Afterall, Jesus words, claims, and instruction were outstandingly unbelievable, impossible to grasp.

To even better set the situation, the Jewish people then and to this day follow the prescriptions of the Law, the Law overcome by the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. 

Observant Jewish people cannot say nor write the word God nor His name YHWH. They cannot consume blood of any type: ‘Moreover you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwellings. Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.’ Leviticus 7: 26-27. Kosher meat is prepared by proper slaughter and the washing, salting, and rinsing of the meat three times to remove all traces of blood.

We can clearly see why Jesus calling Himself I AM and telling the people they are to eat His flesh and drink His blood would cause not only confusion, but anger and disgust.

Yet eat and drink is what we are to do if we want eternal life. That is what we must do if we desire everlasting freedom.

Our freedom comes from the fact that we need not be afraid of God. In Jesus we can approach God, speak His name, take Him within ourselves, and live in His love as one in His body; the fulness of Christ Jesus.

Our freedom comes from the fact that the prescriptions of the Law no longer hold us hostage. Again, we are free in Jesus because He gave Himself completely for us and allows us to partake of Him. The sacrifices of the Law are not needed to atone for sin because Jesus freed us from sin once and for all in His body and blood.

Jesus sets the Eucharistic feast before us. Eucharist means thanksgiving. As we meet Him today in the consecration and eat His body and drink His blood in communion, let us be truly thankful for and celebrate the freedom, fellowship, and life we have in Jesus.

Reflection for the 19th Ordinary Sunday 2024

“I Am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.”

Last week, after reflecting on the movement between proclamation, healing, service, care, and feeding the rubber met the road. Indeed, people began to react to the truth of the Kingdom and following the heavenly King Who would give them Himself as food for eternal life. 

We anticipated the reaction, and unfortunately the reaction was not positive or accepting. We heard it right at the start of today’s Gospel: “The Jews murmured about Jesus.”

Their reaction might seem natural to us. Here is this Man saying that He will give us a bread that lets us live forever. He is saying He came down from heaven and that His Father is God. He is assuming God’s name, I Am. In the end He says that He is the Living Bread and that we must eat His flesh to live forever. He will go deeper into that next Sunday. The reaction against Him will get more negative.

It is sad that this sort of thinking and reaction makes sense even in the current age. To many people, even to many Catholics, the reaction of the people who followed Jesus to Capernaum makes sense. They cannot believe His outstanding claims. It is indeed hard to grasp the power and mystery of God, because at its core we consider ourselves unworthy of God’s abundant goodness How could we possibly be worthy?

If we look at today’s reading from First Kings, we see the depth of God’s care for His servants. Elijah, afraid, exhausted, and unwilling to go forward is met by God’s provision. God provides not once, but twice. God not only provides food and water, but He also works to strengthen Elijah for all he is called to do.

This trope is repeated over and over throughout salvation history. The foreshadowing of the Old Testament points to God’s care for His people, and not just care, but more so a desire for deep and everlasting relationship. God shows His desire to commune with His people.

When God came to earth it wasn’t just for a visit. It wasn’t to say a few wise words and let us have at it. It was to bring us everlasting life, continual relationship, and perpetual communion.

Jesus calls us into a faith and belief that transcends the ordinary, overcomes our doubts, and in the end calls us to understand that we are worth it to God. He says we are worthy of this mystery so great, His very self.

Overcoming doubt and unbelief by the grace God grants us in His Eucharistic feast, let us truly accept His flesh and blood as we faithfully rejoice in what we celebrate today – salvation.

Reflection for the 18th Ordinary Sunday 2024

So they said to Him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

The Apostles had gone out and ministered to the people of Galilee. They proclaimed the Gospel message, declared the Kingdom, and healed. They came back tired and alongside Jesus were soon confronted with more work, teaching a large crowd of people who were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus seeing deeply into the totality of their need miraculously fed them.

Now the rubber meets the road. What would be the reaction of these people? Would they embrace the Kingdom and its truth? Would they follow a heavenly King Who would give them Himself as food for eternal life?

We sit in a moment of anticipation. Factually, that is what the true followers of Jesus have been doing for two thousand some years. We anticipate our receiving the Bread from Heaven in sacramental word, bread and wine. We anticipate the full revelation of the Kingdom we are working for. We anticipate Jesus’ return and the exaltation of all believers.

The Gospel of St. Mark led us into a continuation of events as recorded in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St. John. As we look at today’s passage, we sense an upcoming realization, the rubber beginning to meet the road. This will play out over the next several weeks. The truth of people’s hearts will be revealed.

The Old Testament offers a foretaste, a shadowy revelation of the coming Messiah, Jesus. In our First Reading from Exodus, we find the same events: people grumbling, unsatisfied even though they had clearly seen God’s power in saving them from the Egyptians. They focused solely on temporal, everyday needs and remained blind to God’s promise of rest, a land of plenty, and continuing provision. Today’s Introit from Psalm 78 recounts it so well: They spoke against God, and said, “Can God spread a table in the desert? Can He also provide bread, give meat to His people?”

That says it all and is an indictment down through the ages. It indicts us if we do not put our full faith in God’s saving power which we see here regularly.

God came among us to give us Bread from Heaven, the full and eternal presence of Jesus among us. We are called to believe and receive Him – and that includes receiving His great promise – life now, life eternal, a full satisfaction of all things people long for, the healing of their souls and peace. Let us truly enjoy and rejoice in His feeding, provision, and true life. Let us believe.

Reflection for the 17th Ordinary Sunday 2024

Andrew said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.

The Apostles had gone out and ministered to the people of Galilee. They proclaimed the Gospel message, declared the Kingdom, and healed.

As we heard last week, they came back tired and were soon confronted with more work, teaching alongside Jesus to a large crowd of people who were like sheep without a shepherd.

What we have learned is that God has work for us to do and that work must be our priority. This is key. We have become so used to being overly busy that our priorities get confused, and there is so much placed on the back burner that the fire of the stove can seldom be seen.

We all know how it is when our stoves get overcrowded. It’s kind of like Thanksgiving without the theme of thanksgiving, just too much. The potatoes, veggies, squash, meat, stuffing, applesauce, and more all crowded together with nothing really coming to completion. So it is with Kingdom work.

As such, we must be tactical in ordering Kingdom priorities ahead of all other things. The Kingdom must be foremost in our lives and actions so we may bring the Kingdom to fruition and completion.

This is indeed what Jesus asks of us: to prioritize making the Kingdom known by inviting those we encounter to enter it.

Jesus asks us to go on and on in our Christian witness and evangelization no matter what. Our work for Jesus must always be front burner even when we feel worn out. Jesus expects that and He deserves our focus and attention.

Finally, Jesus expects us to feed people spiritually, intellectually, and physically. Jesus wants more than a conceptual Kingdom we just talk about or dream about. We need to make the Kingdom a felt place that feeds all the hungers men and women face.

It is indeed radical, to live this way, to see in each encounter, event, word, and action a means of growing God’s Kingdom but it is necessary so that the fire of faith is always visible, so that it is not extinguished.

Pray about and for all we do here to make Jesus’ charges a reality right here at Holy Name of Jesus: Holy Mass, Worship and Devotion, fellowship, CarePortal, Food Pantry, the Women’s Empowerment Group, the upcoming Altamont Fair, Back to Church Sunday and more. Then listen to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and respond to it.

Reflection for the 16th Ordinary Sunday 2024

So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.

Last week Jesus sent out His twelve Apostles as disciples for some on-the-job training in every village and town. They were to proclaim repentance for forgiveness of sins as well as the immanence of the Kingdom which was at hand. They had also been empowered to heal.

Today we hear of the Apostles return. They were filled with real joy from all they experienced, and the amazing results realized through the grace of God that accompanied them. They were also exhausted.

To set context, the Apostles were sent out when they were at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. In today’s account they regather at the northern end of the Sea and then sail across it.

While no specific timeline for the Apostles mission is given, we could posit that it probably lasted about six months.

Now imagine that we are on that mission from Jesus. We have walked the highways and byways of Galilee. We have also covered the thirteen miles from the south to the north of the Sea. We have done this with no visible means of support or supplies, relying completely on the kindness of those we are evangelizing. About two thousand square miles of Galilee, heights from one to four thousand feet. We would be completely exhausted. They were.

We should also remember that Jesus was not sitting still. He traveled on His own to preach, teach, and heal. Now came the moment, rest was ahead.

We know what scripture tells us, but better for us to understand what Jesus and His Apostles were feeling.

Here they are, sailing cross the Sea, ready to rest, pray, refresh themselves. We can imagine the anticipation, the thoughts in their minds, the feelings in their heart – and there they are, huge crowds; large numbers of people spiritually lost and alone and seeking guidance. Sheep without a shepherd.

The fact is, we all face this conundrum. We work hard, volunteer, care for family and friends, run, shop, do chores and as soon as that moment of rest comes – here’s the next thing. The old saying: ‘No rest for the weary’ comes from those experiences.

This is not just a lesson on daily life and perseverance, it is a call to go on and on in our Christian witness and evangelization no matter what. People remain hungry and need us to feed them now. People need us to be like Jesus for them, to see their need and set ourselves aside to bring them to Christ and His salvation. Remember that the sheep will not know where to go unless we shepherd them.

Reflection for the 15th Ordinary Sunday 2024

In all wisdom and insight, He has made known to us the mystery of His will in accord with His favor

Today Jesus sends out His twelve Apostles, who at the time were still disciples (they were learning, not teaching). They were to go to every village and town and proclaim repentance for forgiveness of sins as well as the immanence of the Kingdom which was at hand. They were also empowered to heal.

Indeed, this experience was a learning. Today we would call it on-the-job training. Overall, the disciples learning was concentrated on internal discovery as to whether they would trust in God or not. That is why they were instructed to take nothing, to go forth with courage and determination. That is why they were told to also hold responsible those they encountered.

For ten or so days I have worked with young people who were learners. Certainly, some were open to learning, others were not. We spent our time documenting our gifts, those received, those given, those we have in us, and those that will grow in us as time progresses.

As we covered the gifts yet to grow in us, we discussed how they might be built up. That takes recognizing them and then practicing with them – on the job training. We talked about making our gifts bigger, better, and how we might add unto them. Finally, we spoke about taking those gifts and wrapping them up to make them really beautiful. This is what Jesus did with His disciples. He knew what they had in them, and He wanted it to grow. This is also what Jesus wants from us.

Brothers and sisters, for us it starts with recognizing what Jesus wants from us and the gifts He has instilled in us to make His requirements come to reality. It is no more than this: That we proclaim the Kingdom to those we encounter. 

Our on-the-job training is to find the gift God has given us then grow it and use it. The gifts we have are specifically for building His Kingdom.

Of course, trust is required, but an amazing thing that happened to the disciples and will happen to us is that we will be successful in doing Jesus’ work.

It is simple: Do you know Jesus? I do and He has done remarkable things in my life. Do you have a church? No, then I know a great one where you can get to know Jesus. 

The words and actions and gifts must be our own, the trust must be ours, and the work and learning, the OJT, must be how Jesus intends it to be.

Today and every day I will use my God given gifts to show His Kingdom. Then I will watch and see people entering the Kingdom, also sharing their gifts and rejoice!