Sunday, September 30, 2012

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart." Why? Because God is not interested in short term profit or provincialism. We see in these readings cautionary tales of greed and jealousy. The ones who pursue "luxury and pleasure" with little regard to their impact upon the souls of our siblings or even themselves. What will those souls feel when the veil of our limited human vision has been lifted and they can see the entirety of the carnage they wrought? Can we conceive of a hell worse than that? And let us not forget the self-righteous ones who are angered by those who speak in God's name without the proper credentials. Are they really worried about God's reputation being bruised or is it their own ego they are concerned about? Does a self-proclaimed prophet denigrate the official ones or elevate the rest of us? The Parent of Moses, Jesus, you, and I is open, generous, and patient. Moses and Jesus strove to be their true children. What will you and I do?

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Family is about putting your siblings first; attending to their needs before your own. Jesus does not demand radical things from us. He simply asks us to be the family that we already are, and for that we must kill him. He is like the crazy uncle at Thanksgiving, who speaks the truths no one wants to hear, that we try to laugh off, even though we long to be just like him, but we won't, because truth is too scary, so it's better to mock the old fool and live in fear, after all, who the hell is he to question our choices, our desires, I mean, look at the world we've created ...

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." These words should give us pause. It wasn't just Peter who had false expectations of the Christ. If that was so during Jesus' own lifetime, how much more so is it today? There are lots of preachers, and politicians, with lots of details on the "works" God desires most, and the kinds of crosses we should "take up." What kind of faith are they encouraging us to live? And what kind of salvation are they promising in return?

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

We are the ones impressed by bright and shiny things, not God. Our groveling and pleading are pointless. She loves us because that is who he is, not because we give them presents. Jesus did not want our praise. He wants us to love as he loved. How else will God's "vindication" arrive? Who else can provide "divine recompense" if we refuse to? We must love our family without favoritism or conditions, for God's saving grace is meant for everyone, especially those who feel like they least deserve it. Is that really so difficult or complicated?

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

"'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.' ... You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." These words seem particularly appropriate as we enter into our political season. We know what God's Love demands of us, but we cling to our partisan ideologies instead. Enough! It is time to love our family, all of it.