Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Romans 8:9-13; Matthew 11:25-30

"For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." The frightening truth is that our time on this speck of rock is not nearly as monumental as we would like to believe. Perhaps if we stopped scurrying around trying to build our various fiefdoms, especially the ones being built in God's name, we might notice how very grand life is and how very little our Parent demands of us in return for that gift. "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest … For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

2 Timothy 4:6-18; Matthew 16:13-19

God chooses the unqualified and the enemy to be their agents in this world. Not exactly who we look for to be our leaders. Which is perhaps why our institutions, religious and otherwise, seem so unholy. We fill our resumes and highlight reels with the trivial and pointless, and our kingdoms reflect these choices. Our Parent, on the other hand, looks only for faith, hope, and love. And their kingdom is the most wondrous of sights to behold. To them be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Deuteronomy 8:2-16; Psalms 147:12-20; John 6:51-58

I wonder: Did our Parent shower manna only on those whose relationships bore the proper ecclesial authorization stamps? And did our Brother quiz the crowd members on their political records before offering them his flesh and blood? Is it God who thinks that some of us need to go hungry, or is that one of our issues rearing its ugly head? Well, in any case, this is my prayer: Lord, there is no one who is unworthy of having you as their soul's guest, because that is the way you love. Alleluia!

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Exodus 34:4-9; Daniel 3:52-56; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18

How often do we turn on the evening news only to be greeted by the spectacle of countless brothers and sisters being slaughtered or exiled because they proclaimed the "wrong" name for God? And how often do we turn away from such visions certain in the knowledge that we are better than those who perpetrate such evil? But are we? Yes, we put down our swords, at least the faith-based ones, a few centuries ago. But that has not stopped so very many of us from asserting that the "infidels" will get their comeuppance in the end. "Whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." But then the Trinity wanders into the mix. If we confess that God goes by multiple names and faces, how can we be certain that any of our siblings are worshipping the wrong one? Two thousand years ago, we knew less than half of God's faces. But now we know that we have seen them all? If the Trinity teaches us anything, it is that the Divine One is not an I, but rather a very big we. It also reminds those of us who use the "correct" names that we are still a "stiff-necked people" who do not understand our Parent nearly as well as we think we do. Fortunately, our stupidity, not to mention "our wickedness and sins", has never stopped them from embracing us as their own. "Glory and praise for ever!"

Pentecost Sunday

"Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." We tend to view this as a gift of power and authority, but it is not. No, it is a test, a test of our ability to listen, and of our willingness to love. Our Parent has shown us their boundless mercy. Our Brother told us to love our enemies. The Spirit simply offers us the opportunity to live out such mercy and love. She continuously gives us the chance to recognize and act upon the truth that the greatest divine gift is our brothers and sisters, human and otherwise. Will we tarnish that precious gift by abandoning them to the bondage of sin, or will we lift them up with mercy and love into new life? There is no studying for this test. Nor are there any clever tricks to letting go of the anger and fear that hold us back from forgiveness. Our Lord has sent out his Spirit, and if we trust in their mercy and love, she will renew the face of the earth. The choice is ours.

Acts 2:1-11; Psalms 104:1-34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-13; John 20:19-23

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Acts 1:1-11; Psalms 47:2-9; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20

"And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." God with us. Always. Not on a throne in some cloud realm, but sitting beside us wherever we happen to be. Not swooping down from above to make everything better, but whispering reminders in our ears of the bountiful grace set before us. Not locked behind mighty fortress walls where only the pure may enter, but wandering the dirty and broken highways of our hearts begging us to accept their love. Yes, God with us. Always.

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Psalms 66:1-20; John 14:15-21

"On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you." You and God are intertwined in such an intimate way that it is impossible to tell where one stops and the other begins. But is this good news or a terrifying reality? We are comfortable with the divine as Parent, Sibling, or Advocate. But as Lover and Self? Such notions give birth to relationships and kingdoms many of us are just not ready for. But if you are willing to be so seduced, revelations more strange and wonderful than you can possibly imagine await. "Let all the earth cry out to God with joy!"

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Acts 6:1-7; Psalms 33:1-22; John 14:1-12

"Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me?" How many times each day does our Parent repeat this line? So many words and deeds devoted to our pursuit of the divine, and yet we still struggle with the basics: faith, hope, and love. It's all there, right in front of our noses! But instead we scheme, and plan, and toil away, trying to build a kingdom that is already built. How much grace do we ignore, because we are too busy doing "God's" work to notice? Stop! Just stop, let go of the program, and simply trust. "Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you."

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Psalms 23:1-6; John 10:1-10

"The sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice." Do we? We certainly obsess over words spoken to our ancestors. No detail is too small or obscure where they are concerned. But what about today's words? Do we even acknowledge their presence? Do we really think that Jesus rose from the dead so that he could stop speaking to us? Do we follow the memory of a shepherd or a living one? Yes, the shepherd is good, but do the sheep share that distinction?

Third Sunday of Easter

Psalms 16:1-11; Luke 24:13-35

"Their eyes were prevented from recognizing him." And how is our vision? Prior to the Resurrection, the disciples believed that they had read the whole story and knew how life was meant to go. Why do we think that we are less clueless than they were? Because we have read a few additional chapters? Because now the book really is complete? No, we are just like those disciples, expecting God to look as he always has, oblivious to the truth that love presents herself in an infinite array of disguises. So open your eyes! For a stranger draws near, and they will show you "the path to life."