Reading II: Rom 5: 6-11
Gospel: MT 9: 36- 10: 8
Reflections on the Word of God
Anecdote 1: “Association of Lincoln Presenters.” Sewell was given the “Lincoln of the Year” award in April of 1999. His full name is Homer Sewell, but total strangers tend to call him “Abe” because he bears a spooky resemblance to Abraham Lincoln in his appearance, dress, beard and speech. This all started about 30 years ago in Orlando, Florida, when Sewell grew a beard and schoolchildren suddenly began to call him “Abe.” He completed the effect by adding a black suit and stovepipe, and hat, and developed a show called Abe Lincoln’s America. Sewell has already made over 2,500 appearances as the 16th president, performing live before more than two million people. “As soon as I get my suit on and my hat,” he explains, “I become Abraham Lincoln.” Even without makeup you’ve got to admire his attention to details. The car he drives is a Lincoln, of course. Sewell is part of a group called the “Association of Lincoln Presenters,” a union of men and women dedicated to bringing Abraham and Mary Lincoln to life. There are currently 117 Abes and 32 Marys across the U.S. Together they form a group of passionate Lincoln-lovers committed to presenting the former president and his wife to the world in costume and in words. In today’s lesson from the gospel of Matthew, it certainly seems that Jesus is laying the foundation for an “Association of Jesus Presenters” by choosing his apostles and training them in their preaching and healing mission.
Anecdote 2: Commissioned by Christ to reach out: A young mother was taking a course in sociology. The class was assigned to go out and smile at three people and document their reaction. The next day, she and her family were in a McDonald's on a cold, clear morning. She writes, "We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch. As I turned around I smelled a horrible 'dirty body' smell, and there standing behind me were two poor, homeless men. One of them smiled up at me, looking for acceptance. The second man fumbled with his hands, obviously mentally deficient and totally dependent on his friend. They had a handful of coins and bought only coffee because that was all they could afford. They had to buy something in order to sit down where it was warm. Acting on impulse, I bought two extra breakfasts and took them to the table where the men sat. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, 'Thank you.' I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, 'I did not do this for you, God is here working through me to give you hope.’" (Coy Wylie, "Stewardship ... Laborers or Loafers?"). Here is a Christian lady commissioned by Christ to reach out “the sheep without shepherds” as Jesus sent his apostles to the shepherdless sheep with teaching and healing authority as described in today’s gospel.
Introduction: The main theme of today’s readings from Exodus, the letter of Paul and the words of Jesus in the gospel is that we are commissioned or sent, to transform others with the “Good News” of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and salvation through Jesus His Son. The first reading gives Israel the good news that the God of Mount Sinai loves and cares for his people. God showed His continuing care for Israel by liberating the people from slavery in Egypt and by offering them a relationship in which they would be God’s “special possession”, “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Paul in today’s second reading reflects on how Jesus in his life, death and resurrection made manifest God’s love and care for mankind. According to Paul, the greatest proof of God’s love and care for us was Jesus’ willingness to die on behalf of sinful mankind and so make possible a new and better relationship with God. Today’s responsorial psalm is permeated by a strong sense of God’s loving care for his people as “the flock he tends.” The Psalm affirms that the Lord is good, and that his kindness endures forever. Today’s Gospel is also a reminder from God to each one of us: ‘you have received grace and talents from me without charge, and so you have to give without charge through your simple, responsible and sharing lives.’ This is indeed the core of the priestly vocation and of the vocation of every Christian through his or her baptism. Today's lesson marks a turning point in the establishment of the Christian Church, as presented in the gospels. Up to this point in the story, Jesus himself was the focus of the healing, teaching and controversy. With the commissioning of his disciples, others began to assume some of the responsibility for the new movement that heralded the kingdom of God. That new movement was destined to grow later, with increasing diversity, as it extended beyond the borders of Galilee, into the Christian faith.
The First Reading: Ex 19: 2-6: All ancient religions assumed that the gods were distant from and indifferent to humans. The best people could hope for was that a few members, their priestly class, could deal with the gods on their behalf. In today’s first reading God overturns that class distinction. In the instruction given to Moses, God wants all the members of His chosen people to be a kingdom of holy priests. God expects a whole holy nation to join in worship, not just a few holy members to perform sacred duties for the rest. God says that all his people are special, set apart, and holy, and that they should pay attention to their exalted position. A religion in which all the members are to be holy was a stunning innovation. This teaching was last repeated for Catholics at Vatican II, in “The Constitution on the Church,” Chapter 5, “The Universal Call to Holiness in the Church,” paragraphs 39-42. Hence we have no right to divide ourselves into the holy group and the ordinary group and reserve holiness only to the priests and the religioous.
The Second Reading: Rom 5: 6-11: Paul eloquently reminds the gathered community of the Romans that God has gone beyond all limits in loving them. Paul's point is that we were quite unworthy of the gift God gave us in Christ. Notice all the expressions of this unworthiness: “helpless, ungodly, still sinners, enemies.” It's the contrast between our unworthiness and God's gracious generosity that is so remarkable. Paul argues that Jesus served and taught and healed and died for those who were sinners because they were essentially God’s people, God’s special ones, the holy nation, the ones set apart. As Jesus walked the streets and taught the crowds, he saw in each of them a sacred and holy child of God.
Exegesis:
Matthew has just told us of ten miracles Jesus performed; he has cured people both physically and spiritually. Jesus has "compassion" (9:36) on the "crowds" in their leaderless state, "like sheep without a shepherd"; he has announced that the completion of God's plan, his "harvest" (9:37), to return all to godliness, is about to begin. Now he instructs and commissions his disciples. The message of today’s Scriptures is rather simple and to the point. God has moved toward us – and has loved us. God has reached out to nurture us, free us and heal us through Jesus. We are lovable and good because we are chosen by our God as Jesus chose his apostles. Since he loved the leaderless people he chooses and sends the twelve apostles to wake people up. He reminds the apostles that the harvest is very plentiful but the laborers are few. He instructs them to pray that the Lord would send laborers into His harvest.
Demonstration of God’s mercy and compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion at the world’s pain and suffering, sorrow and grief, physical and spiritual hunger, isolation and loneliness, bewilderment and confusion. The Greek word used esplanchnisthe expresses a compassion that springs from the deepest part of one's being, heartfelt compassion. Jesus' compassion for the crowds was based on his perception that they were "harassed and helpless." Jesus uses two images to describe the common people of those days, namely, sheep without a shepherd and an abundant harvest in need of workers. The Pharisees saw the common people as chaff to be destroyed and burned up. But Jesus saw them as a harvest to be reaped and saved. He realized that volunteers were needed to teach and heal the people because "The harvest is great, but the workers are few.” and the people were “bewildered and dejected, like sheep who have no shepherd.” (I Kings 22:17; Jer. 23:1-6; Ezek. 34:1-10; Micah 5:2-4). Jesus calls us to pray for common laborers in his Church. While God can use talented people, most kingdom-work is done by ordinary, nearly anonymous, behind-the-scenes disciples. The sheep without a shepherd is called the “the lost sheep of Israel” a phrase used by Moses when he transferred his authority to Joshua. This was a common image for Israel in the Old Testament (eg. Numbers 27:17, 2 Chron 18:6). Priority was given to Jewish evangelization because Jesus realized that the most effective evangelistic strategy was to first try to reach those with whom the evangelizer already had something in common.
The selection of the messengers & special instruction Jesus prayed before he chose the twelve apostles from among his disciples asking his heavenly Father, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" (Isa.6:8). Then Jesus chose them, called them apostles and appointed them to be with him and to be his heralds of “good news” in villages and towns before he visited them. They were given the authority to love which included involvement in liberating people from the powers which oppressed them, whether physical or spiritual. The first instruction was: “Do not, go out on the road to the Gentiles, and do not enter into any city of the Samaritans.” This meant that they could not go north into Syria, east into the largely gentile Decapolis, or to south into Samaria. God wanted His Chosen people to hear the gospel first. Besides, the apostles were not well-trained for preaching to the Gentiles. Thirdly, as a wise commander Jesus limited his objectives and refused to diffuse and dissipate his forces.
The message to be preached.1) The preaching mission: “As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Kingdom of God is a society on earth, where God's will is as perfectly done as it is in heaven. Since Jesus was, and is, the only person who ever perfectly did, and obeyed, and fulfilled God's will as it is done in heaven, the apostles were to invite people to see how their long expected “kingdom of God” was verified in Jesus of Nazareth.
2) The healing mission: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons.” The Apostles have to convince the people that Christ came to give physical healing of bodies from diseases and spiritual healing of souls from sins. The spiritually dead are resurrected and revitalized by the good news preached to them. Cleansing the lepers includes the actual healing of leprosy as well as the cleansing the polluting influence of sins from minds and heart. Casting out demons also included liberating people from their evil habits and addictions which led them to sin.
Free use of the God-given talents: "Freely you have received;" says Jesus, "freely give." A Rabbi was bound by law to give his teaching freely and for nothing. The Rabbi was absolutely forbidden to take money for teaching the Law which Moses had freely received from God. Jesus' instructions mean that the man of God must show by his attitude to material things that his first interest is God. But Jesus adds that the workman deserves his sustenance. Although a Jewish rabbi was not expected to accept payment, it was considered at once a privilege and an obligation to support a Rabbi, if he were truly a man of God. What Jesus really means is that a man of God must never be over-concerned with material things. At the same time the people of God must never fail in their duty to see that the man of God receives a reasonable support. Missionaries are to depend on the local hospitality of "worthy" (10:11) people, i.e. those in favor with God; and “greet" (10:12) them with the peace of God.
Messages:
1) Be Jesus-Presenters: Like Homer Sewell who presents Abraham Lincoln, we also have an “association,” an association of Jesus Presenters which we call the Church. From this body we get guidance, encouragement, discipline and inspiration, to project the same person- Christ Jesus and his “Good News.” Jesus continues to be active in our lives through the Bible and the sacraments. He has promised that he will do whatever we ask in his name, meaning that he will answer us when we ask for help in revealing the power and character of God. In addition, the Lord God gives us the Holy Spirit, the one who teaches us, and reminds us of all that Jesus has said to us. We are invited to become one with God and Jesus, and to let the Holy Spirit work through us. We are asked to perform the works of Jesus, and through these works to reveal the power and character of God to the world. If we accept this invitation, people will look at us and say, “Jesus”
2) Be healers in the modern world: People are sick in body as well as mind. As Christian’s sharing Jesus’ mission, we can bring healing and wholeness to people with whom we come into contact. Although we cannot raise the dead, we can help people to recover interest and a zest for living. People can be physically alive but dead in many other respects. Cleansing the lepers means rehabilitating and bringing back fully into our communities all those who, for one reason or another, are marginalized, rejected, despised, ostracized on the basis of race, nationality, marital status, religion, gender or sexual orientation. In our day, demons are all those suffocating and enslaving forces which dominate, manipulate and restrict our freedom to live in truth and love. They include many elements of our contemporary society, the pressures to conform to what is in fashion, whether it be in clothes, food or drugs of all kinds - prescribed and non-prescribed, the tendencies to hedonism, extreme individualism and violence of all kinds. Our abortion culture is simply one of the symptoms and effects of all this. We have to start by casting out these demons from our own hearts first before helping others to true liberation.
3) "You received without payment; give without payment." Every thing we have is a gift of God. God's gifts to us are literally price-less. They are meant to be used freely and liberally for the benefit of all. We are not in the business of sharing our faith for the money or the admiration it brings. To paraphrase President John Kennedy: "Ask not what others can do for you; but what you can do for others." But God's freely given gifts must be used with care, with responsibility. Exercised wisely, they can bring great joy and peace in life. They can be a means to care for others. We must always remember that our good works, the things in which we take pride, ultimately find their source in Christ, not in us. What gifts, both material and spiritual, have we received from God? How have we passed those gifts onto others? How have we thanked God and given him the credit for those gifts? The passages from Matthew's gospel present us with a challenge, to pass along grace. Jesus gave his followers this key to evangelization. (For details confer CCC 2006-2011)
4) Pray for priests who carry God’s people on “eagle’s wings.’ Priests are with us at all the most important moments in our lives; baptism, marriage, forgiveness of sins, celebration of the Eucharist, sickness, death. Every priest could tell you personal stories of times when he prayed with the sick and they improved or the times when he anointed the sick and they received new strength. Every priest could tell you many personal stories about the many people he helped when they were going through a difficult time. Every priest has helped to heal broken lives and has given encouragement. Every priest has been surprised to see the power of Jesus work mysteriously through him. Hence Bishops, priests and deacons are in need of prayer because they too have the same human limitations and weaknesses and temptations as everyone. When was the last time we prayed for bishops and priests? If we don’t pray for bishops and priests why are we surprised if there are scandals? Bishops and priests cannot survive without our prayer. Here are Bishop Sheen’s words to priests, "You have souls at your fingertips." It is a question of praying to the Lord to give the priests the energy and enthusiasm to bring them in. We need to pray also for future priests as instructed by Jesus in today’s gospel by praying for an increase in the quality and quantity of vocations to priesthood and the religious life.
Humour of the week:
God's Missionary People: "At a Pentecostal revival in Sevierville, Tennessee, a barber was 'saved.' The preacher told him that since he was a barber and got to meet a lot of people, he could do a great work for the Lord if he would talk to them about religion and salvation. When he asked how he could get into a conversation like that with his customers, the preacher said, 'Just do it casually. Talk to them about their soul, ask if their house is in order, if they are prepared to die, and so on.' "The first man to come in the next day wanted a shave, so the barber put a hot towel over him, talking about the weather and what-not, and then after he had lathered the man up good, he figured it was time to get down to the religion part. He grabbed up his razor, stropped it a few times, pointed at the man, and said bluntly, 'Brother, are you prepared to die?' "The man jumped up and ran out of the barbershop with the lather still on his face."
The 19th century Robert Bridges wrote to Jesuit poet Gerard Manly Hopkins. He said he was struggling with faith. "What should I read?" Hopkins replied, "Give money to the poor. A book on faith cannot be a substitute for living the faith."
As this Gospel opens, Jesus has put in a hard day. Everyone wanted his own miracle. He packed His followers into large fishing vessels and sailed across the Lake of Galilee. He wanted quiet.
He led His party up a large hill looking down on the moonlit lake. He may have had as many as 120 disciples - men and women.
This was graduation. From the 120, He chose the apostles. He chose Peter and his brother Andrew, the brothers James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James and his brother Jude, Simon, and Judas. Three sets of brothers in all.
The chosen were a happy bunch. They had won the lotto. They had not the faintest idea this selection would cost them their lives and a brutal death.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke each list the twelve. In these listings, Peter as chief always is the first mentioned. Judas brings up the rear.
Though Jesus called these men apostles, Matthew, Mark, and Luke refer to them as the twelve.
Scholars see in the number twelve wonderful symbolism. Just as the Old Testament mentions but twelve major patriarchs and twelve tribes in Israel, so Christ selected twelve to run His fledgling Church. Nor were the twelve themselves unconscious of this number significance. When Judas withdrew from their company, they quickly chose Matthias to bring them back to full strength.
Many of us look upon the twelve as a pick-up gang who had no smarts and empty wallets. We think the Saviour made giants out of dirt. We are off base on this count.
The twelve were not all unschooled. Many, perhaps all, could read and write. "Why can't Johnny read?" was not a big query in those days. The Jewish educational system was good.
Every village had a synagogue. Attached was a parochial school. Jewish youngsters were obliged to spend years there. That is where Jesus was educated. Imagine Mary and Joseph paying tuition.
Nor were the twelve getting government food stamps. Their stock was middle class. Poverty was an unknown among them.
Peter, Andrew, John, and James were fishermen. Their boats, fitting as many as twelve, belonged to them. They owned their lake homes. You know the price of lakefront property. Though the Sunday weekly envelopes had not yet been invented, there is Gospel evidence that Salome, the mother of John and James, funded Jesus.
Scholars feel there was more than one tax collector among them. Some go as high as four. Have you met met a tax collector on food stamps?
These men gave up a great deal to follow Jesus.
Stumbling about Palestine in 100-plus degrees heat was not easy duty. The twelve cooked outside amidst bugs. They slept on damp grass. They were on the run from cops. They were courageous. But they were not that much different from us. It would be a long time before they would climb into the stained glass windows of the world's cathedrals. One of their biggest problems was faith. They had to be filled with doubts. Was this wandering preacher really the Messiah? Or were they following a loser? Hadthey been insane leaving their families, homes, and jobs?
An indication of this questioning is seen in a line that Jesus hurled at them. "There are some, even among you, who do not believe."
However, His faith in them was justified with the exceptionof you know whom. Eleven of them would be assassinated cruelly, and perhaps what is worse, alone. John would be a prisoner for life on the gulag Patmos.
We are living our lives when the Church with a major public priest scandal is evolving into the next phase of its life.
Some Catholics have abandoned Jesus and the Church. The rest of us would do well to consider the faith of the twelve. Their faith moved in sputters but, when the chips were placed on the green felt table, they dug in up to their life's blood.
Faith is the key. The word faith is mentioned 166 times in the New Testament.
Remember in John 6. People were abandoning Jesus by the thousands. He turned to the twelve and asked, "Will you too go away?" And Peter answered with the famous line, "Lord, to whom shall we go?"
The trick is not to wonder about the faith but, as Gerard Manly Hopkins advised, to live it. Jesus is looking for a few good people today to do just that.
Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino
http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
Spreading the Gifts
Seven year old David was spending Saturday with his grandfather. He always had fun with Grandpa. Well, this one day, David was in his inquisitive mode. He started asking all sorts of questions. Including, “Grandpa, what happens when you die”
Now his Grandpa was only in his early fifties and had not done a whole lot of thinking about his dying, but he answered the question the best he could. He told David that when people die they go before God, and if they have lived their lives the best they could, God unites them to himself.
“Does, that mean, Grandpa, that when you die you won’t be here anymore?”
His Grandfather said, “Yes David, I won’t be here anymore.”
“Does that mean you won’t be able to play catch with me anymore?”
“Yes, David, I won’t be able to play catch with you.”
“And you won’t be able to fly a kite with me?”
“That’s right, David.”
“And you won’t take me fishing?”
“No, Buddy, I won’t.”
“Well,” David asked, “who’s going to do those things if you can’t?”
Grandpa responded, “David, hopefully when that time comes, it will be your turn to do all those things and more for another little boy.”
That is what Jesus taught his disciples in today’s Gospel. They had witnessed his teaching as related in the fifth through seventh chapters of Matthew. They had witnessed his power in the miracle stories of the eighth and ninth chapters of Matthew. Now, when the time comes, they, the disciples of the Lord, would have to do for others what was done for them. They would have to bring the compassion and forgiveness of God to the poor, the needy, the helpless and hopeless, the rejected and the abused. The would have to bring the Good News, the Gospel to others.
It is wonderful for me to witness the cycle of life here at St. Ignatius. It is wonderful to see so many of you being such determined parents when it was not all that long ago that you were right here in these pews as children and teens with needs. It is wonderful to see your determination to provide for the growth of the faith.
During the last sixteen years I have spend a lot of time mentoring our seminarians. There are a dozen members of the “Pellegrino Survivor’s Club,” priests who have spent their time here as seminarians or right after ordination. The great Fr. John Latondress did this for me when I first came here in 1979.I remember saying to him, truthfully, “I really don’t have a clue as to what I should do as a parish priest.” I had been trained by the Salesians of St. John Bosco to be a teacher, coach, etc.Fr. John took me under wing, and spent untold hours sharing his knowledge. So it is only natural and right that I should do this for the seminarians who have come through St. Ignatius.
It is also only natural and right for you to continue sharing the faith you received from your parents and mentors. There are a lot of David’s out there that need someone to tell them to distinguish right from wrong as others taught us to choose well. There are a lot of David’s who need someone to tell them that God is with them, as others taught us to treasure the presence of God. There are a lot of David’s out there who need someone to give them hope, as others have given us hope.
Back in the days of the Lord, the main means of communication was through speech. The written word existed, true, but paper was expensive. Most people learned through word of mouth, the words of traveling teachers or preachers.
Even in our day of emails and facebook and cell phones, nothing surpasses face to face, word of mouth in efficacy. Those of you in the world of sales know this. So do those of you who have children.
We have to talk to our children. We have to teach them about Jesus. We have to give then what we received.
We have to talk to our neighbors. We have to teach them the Hope of the Lord. We have to give them what we receive. On Pentecost Sunday our Director of Catholic Faith and Formation, Tom Hickey, asked us all to bring invitations to the faith to others. This our responsibility as Christians to spread the Gospel of Christ.
The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Why? Is it because we think others should do the work? Do we think that we are not good enough? Who is? Are we afraid to be apostles? We shouldn’t be. He called us with the Gospel and empowered us to spread the Gospel. The Power He gives us is the Holy Spirit.
Our faith is alive. Our faith is vital. Our faith is strong. It is dynamic. Today we pray for the courage to share this Gift of Faith with others.
Homily from Father Phil Bloom
http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_
A Firm, But Compassionate Father
Bottom line: God is a firm, but compassionate father; he wants us - especially the dads among us - to imitate that firmness and compassion.
On this Father's Day we are praying for our dads, whether they are near or far away, living or deceased. And especially for the dads here in our congregation. It is not easy being a parent. Someone wrote: "The great defect of young people today is that they are rebellious and that they do not pray. And the great anxiety of our day is that prices are constantly rising."* You would think those words came from a recent newspaper, but they didn't. They were found on an Egyptian papyrus from the sixth century B.C.! So, parents, if you are troubled by children who don't listen to you and who resist prayer - and by the constant increase in prices - take heart. You are in noble company and your sacrifice will not be in vain.
Today I would like to tell you about a father who had an unruly son. The boy constantly broke the family rules. The father told his son that if he disobeyed one more time, he would send him to the attic, with only bread and water to eat. Well, he disobeyed again and the father ordered the boy upstairs. The father then became quiet. His wife said to him, "I know what you are thinking. But you must not bring him down from the attic. It would cause him to keep disobeying. He would have no respect for your word." He knew that his wife was right, but the father couldn't eat, thinking about his son. Finally, he grabbed a blanket and a little bit more bread. He joined his son and spent the night with him in the attic.
Today's readings tell us that God is like that father - firm, but compassionate. He says to the Israelites, "If you hearken to my voice and heed my covenant, you shall be my special possession." God is firm. He insists that we hearken to him, that we pay attention to the covenant we have made with him. His covenant is not complicated. It means doing things like telling the truth, honoring our parents and attending Sunday Mass. But then, instead of doing those things, instead of listening to God, we listen to other voices. When we fall, God deals firmly with us - not because he is vindictive or because he likes to see us suffer. No, he deals firmly so that we will get back on the right path.
There is more. Yes, God deals firmly with us, but he is also full of compassion. We see that in the reading from St. Paul. While we were still sinners - even while we were in rebellion against God - he sent his Son. Where the Son is, there also is the Father. Like that father who slept on a hard floor - and ate a supper of bread and water - so God has come to us in Jesus.
And he stays with us. God knows that we often feel troubled and abandoned - like sheep without a shepherd. For that reason his sent his Son. Jesus continues to shepherd us through the apostles and their successors. I heard about a man in Holland who named his son after the apostles, all twelve: Simon, James & Jude - squared - Andrew, Philip, Matthew, Bartholomew, Thomas and John. Can you imagine his email address? Even if you can't remember the names of the twelve, remember this: Jesus has given us shepherds whom we should respect and support - as you have done, for example, in the Annual Catholic Appeal. He also call us to care for others with firmness and compassion. Today we remember especially our dads. May they we be like God our Father: firm, but always compassionate.
Homily from Father Andrew M. Greeley
http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
Background:
FATHER’S DAY - Scriptural and Liturgical Reflection
Some liturgical purists don’t like this feast. It is medieval in origin and arose when people thought that the Eucharist as sacrament could be separated completely from the Eucharist as ceremony. The Mass as continuation of the Last Supper was thought to be almost completely distinct from the Body and Blood of Jesus. Thus today’s feast with its great processions and its marvelous hymns really ought to be phased out because it is not liturgically correct. However, it is the genius of Catholicism at its best to say “both. . .and” instead of “either. . .or.” We should say both the mass as our central worship and devotion to the Body and Blood of Christ as part of that central worship. There is no reason in principle why the feast cannot be integrated into our new understanding of the liturgy, no reason other than that some people find it very hard to say “both. . .and.”
Story:
Once upon a time in a summer resort parish there was a deacon from the seminary who was assigned to help out during the summer rush. He was a nice enough young man, though a little shy and kind of conservative. On a very hot Sunday he lost his temper with the way people dressed. None of the men wore a coat and tie. None of the women wore dresses and stockings the adults came in shorts and polo shirts, the women even in sleeveless dresses. The kids appear in swim trucks and t shirts and bare feet, some of the teenage girls even wore t shirts over their bikinis. The young man shouted at them, have you no respect for the Body and Blood of Christ? How dare you desecrate the Eucharist with such inappropriate clothes? If you go out for dinner tonight, won’t you dress up for your hosts? If people should come to your house for dinner, wouldn’t you be deeply offended if they came in swim suits? Why shouldn’t God be offended by your lack of reverence? What makes you think that God’s house is a cabana on the beach? The people were a little surprised but they figured he didn’t really understand. Besides, they thought they had a lot of respect for the Body of Christ? They had come to receive it, had they not?At supper that night the wise old monsignor (who appears frequently in these stories) said to him, you have a good point but have you ever gone to Mass in a church near a European resort? There’s hardly anyone there. At least our people come. They may look a little sloppy sometimes. Yet I believe that God loves them no matter how they’re dressed.
Homily from Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe,Pa
http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/archabbey/Weeklywords/Weeklywords.html
Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B.
Gospel Summary
The heart of Jesus is moved with compassion at the sight of the crowds who are like frightened, helpless sheep abandoned by their shepherd. He asks his disciples to pray that God send more laborers to bring in an abundant harvest. Thereupon, Jesus summons his twelve disciples, gives them power over unclean spirits and the power to cure every illness. He then sends them to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus' final admonition is that what has been given to them without cost ought to be given to others without cost.
Life Implications
The New Testament authors use at least ninety images to help us gain some understanding of the mystery of God's self-giving to human beings. This divine-human communion of life is said to be a kingdom, a marriage, a building, a vine and branches, a living body, a family, a field of wheat and weeds, a people in exile journeying to their homeland.
This Sunday's passage from Matthew's gospel uses the image of shepherd and sheep to remind us that at times, like sheep, we are helpless, feel abandoned and lost. The simple image aptly symbolizes the human condition of alienation so graphically described in the first chapters of Genesis and so often experienced in our own lives.
Today we can be grateful for the good news proclaimed in all the gospels: we are not abandoned -- the divine and human heart of Jesus is moved with compassion for us. We are not lost sheep paralyzed by fear, afraid to live. Our meditation this week might be on a verse of the twenty-third psalm: "Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil because you are at my side with your rod and staff . . . "
A further life implication is that Jesus, the good shepherd sent by God, in turn sends his disciples as shepherds to continue his mission of compassion, now not only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but to the whole world. Perhaps we as Catholics have a tendency to restrict the mission Christ gave to the twelve to those in Holy Orders who offer the sacraments of reconciliation and anointing of the sick. Rather, we are all as disciples of Christ sent out to the world to be good shepherds. In the particular circumstances of our lives we are to actualize Christ's compassion and forgiveness for those who are lost, and to actualize Christ's healing power for those who are sick and beset by demons.
Finally, today Jesus also reminds us that we, who have received so much without cost, ought in turn give to others with a generous and cheerful heart.
Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B.
Homily from Father Cusick
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We have returned to what us called the "Ordinary Time" of the liturgical year. This name is something of a misnomer, for there is nothing at all ordinary about this time, in which we explore the manifold riches of the mystery of Christ our Redeemer. Throughout the year as marked by the Church, we follow the extraordinary events of God's work of redemption, which finds its fullest manifestation in Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Gospel today details the commission of the Apostles, who were given the authority of Christ Himself to teach, sanctify and govern the Church which He founded on the person of His Vicar, Peter, the first "Pope", meaning “papa” or f ather of the Church. This sending of the Twelve is the response of the pity which moves the heart of God for us. "At the sight of the crowds, the heart of Jesus was moved with pity", Matthew tells us in verse 36 of Chapter 9.
Divine compassion, or pity, is one of authentic love, extending even to the our utmost need for mercy. We sing in the Psalm: “His mercy endures forever”. We implore God for pity, a love of tender mercy, as we experience our sinfulness. The heart of our heavenly Father is filled with love and tender compassion for us,“the crowds” of humanity, as he sees us weary with sin, sometimes even to despair. In all of the sacraments of the Church, celebrated by the Apostles and their successors in the bishops and priests, he extends his most lavish graces upon his, particularly to forgive us of the sin which threatens to destroy us.
His pity is met in gratitude by our piety, which we is defined for us by the Catechism:
“Respect for parents (filial piety) derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace. ‘With all your heart honor your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother. Remember that through your parents you were born; what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?’ “ (CCC 2215)
The gift of divine life in Christ moves us to practice a superabundance of piety toward our Father, the source of this supernatural sharing through redemption. Our natural piety toward earthly parents is a mere shadow in comparison to the love of gratitude we owe to God for the unmerited gift of eternal life. And we express our piety, a gift of the Holy Spirit, by doing the will of the Father as we celebrate the sacramental life through which his gracious mercies are superabundantly bestowed. In baptism we are “birthed” by God, in Communion fed, in Confirmation sealed with the Spirit, and in Confession restored to life again after the death of sin. It is out of infinite love and pity for weak and sinful humanity that Christ empowers and sends forth the Apostles to both preach the Word of truth and make present the "reign of God" through the graces of the seven sacraments. His authority is given also for the expulsion of "unclean spirits and to cure sickness and disease of every kind ". The divine love of Christ is evident in the fact that he holds nothing back from the Church, His Body. He gives his very self, particularly His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, so that we may have nothing less than His very own life, His holiness.
In every Eucharistic Sacrifice we perfectly express and fulfill the virtue of piety. The Mass is our thanks to our heavenly Father perfect offered in Jesus our Savior through the indwelling Spirit of God’s love. In every Mass we perfectly fulfill our duty to render gratitude through the virtue of piety. God’s pity is thus met love for love by our piety. Knowing this truth cannot fail to fill our hearts once again with loving thanks. We pity, with God, those among us particularly weighed down by life’s cares and illness. We celebrate the Sacrament of the Sick with them to exercise this love, extending to them communion with the healing of God in Word and Sacrament.
" ' Heal the sick!' The Church has received this charge from the Lord and strives to carry it out by taking care of the sick as well as by accompanying them with her prayer of intercession. She believes in the life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. This presence is particularly active through the sacraments, and in an altogether special way through the Eucharist, the bread that gives eternal life and that St. Paul suggests is connected with bodily health." (CCC 1509)
When sick in mind, body or soul, therefore, our first concern should be a regular reception of the Eucharist, with active participation in the Sacrifice of the Mass. We approach the Lord in communion through the Sacrament of Confession when conscious of serious sin and also ask for the Sacrament of the Sick when facing serious surgery or diagnosed with serious illness.
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/ (Publish with permission only.)
Homily from Father Alex McAllister SDS
http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
We are today commemorating the 160th anniversary of the birth of Father Francis Jordan, the Founder of the Salvatorians.
Actually this year we celebrate three important anniversaries: 160 years of his birth, 130 years of his death and 90 years of his ordination. And so Salvatorians, their friends and parishioners throughout the world are keeping 2008 as a special “Jordan Year” and using it as an occasion to stress the importance of prayer for his Beatification. Perhaps it would be appropriate to begin by giving a brief overview of Father Jordan’s life.
He was born, as we have said, on 16th June 1848 in a small town called Gurtweil in the Black Forest in South West Germany. It was a difficult time, there was political unrest and the effects of the Industrial Revolution were beginning to be felt. There was unemployment in the countryside and mass exploitation of workers in the industrial cities. It was a time when for these reasons many people across Europe emigrated to the New World.
The young Jordan was quite a bright boy but he had to leave school early to help with the family finances. He learned the skills of painting and gilding and travelled widely in search of work. This meant that he saw the problems of the country at first hand.
There was also a political struggle going on between the Church and the Prussian State. The Prussian Government was secular in outlook and sought to control the power and affairs of the Church. One consequence was that it became difficult for the clergy to minister to the many workers in the rapidly expanding cities. Church building was restricted and the state tried to control the education of the clergy.
These political problems exacerbated the existing difficulties of meeting the spiritual needs of the people in a completely new situation. Jordan saw these things and felt called by God to found a work which would help to resolve these problems. It was in this way that he began his journey to the priesthood.
It was a hard journey for him; having to seek scholarships and live in poor lodgings while he went back to the schoolroom to finish his secondary studies so that he could ultimately enter the Diocesan Seminary. Despite the hardships he proved to be an able student with a particular gift for languages. And it was for this reason that when unable to give him a parish appointment his Bishop sent him to Rome for further language studies.
After completing his higher studies in Rome Jordan wished to improve his Arabic and other Middle Eastern languages at first hand and so obtained commission as a courier from the Vatican to its Nunciature in Cairo. Over a period of several months he travelled to Jerusalem and then to Lebanon and Turkey.
All this time the idea of founding a work which would serve the spiritual needs of the working classes grew in him. And he lost no opportunity to speak to the various Bishops and Patriarchs he met on his journey in the Holy Land. Without exception they encouraged him and he began to draft rules for his new institute.
On his return to Rome he had an audience with Pope Leo XIII and obtained his blessing for his new religious society. On December 8th 1881 he received the temporary vows of three companions and in this way our Religious Society was born.
There were difficulties, too numerous to mention, in getting the male and female branches of the Society fully established. Jordan published magazines to make his work known and it was through these that many new recruits came. But though they were very welcome they brought their own problems since they had to be accommodated, fed and educated and in this way these first years were totally occupied.
As these young priests were ordained and the Sisters and Brothers made final profession it was time to expand into new territories and we started to accept missions. As early as 1889 Father Jordan sent missionaries to Assam in India and then others to South America; then came North America, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium and England. Jordan had entered a completely new phase of his work and travelled widely trying to establish houses and provide for their future.
I have described till now what Father Jordan did; but now we must look at the spirit of his new Society and what ideas it incorporated. He initially described it as the Catholic Teaching Society and then when this faced objections he renamed it the Apostolic Teaching Society and after yet further objections it was changed to the name we know today The Society of the Divine Saviour—The Salvatorians.
But this idea of teaching remains absolutely central to what we do. Although our Society has some schools, we are not primarily a school-teaching order. But what we do is teach in the broadest sense and what we are teaching is the Eternal Truths i.e. The Gospel. It is our task to implement the words of Christ spoken on the Day of the Ascension and take his Gospel of love to the very ends of the earth.
Our spirituality is focussed, as you would expect from a Society that bears his name, directly on the Divine Saviour and we see ourselves as his Apostles in the modern world. The definition of the word Apostle is “one who is sent” i.e. someone sent on a mission, someone with a task to perform. We regard this task of proclaiming the Gospel as one of the highest and most responsible roles anyone could be given.
Universality was one of Father Jordan’s wishes for his Society and this means that we Salvatorians are drawn from every nation and sent to every nation. There is nowhere we will not go and no work that we cannot do if it furthers the progress of the Gospel.
With this broad and adaptable mission you might wonder how we decide what to do. There are, of course, some criteria such as the signs of the times, needs of the Church and the gifts and talents of the members. Although we also have our own secondary school in London, in Britain we are mostly to be found doing parish work. But our parish work does not restrict us to the life of a Diocesan Priest because we approach it in the spirit of Father Jordan and with the idea of empowering our parishioners and instilling in them the same worldwide sense of mission.
We celebrate this day in honour of our Founder, Father Jordan, and one of the things we will do today is to pray for his Beatification. He had a unique vision and through his work several thousand of men and women over the last hundred or so years have committed their whole lives as a member of one or other of his Orders to the spread of the Gospel. If this does not deserve the recognition of the Church through Beatification then nothing does.
Today the Gospel fortuitously happens to be the one from St Matthew about the naming of the Twelve Apostles. These once simple men became true pioneers and literally gave their lives to spread the Gospel.
They were the first chosen by Christ to fulfil this task; but he continues to choose people as his special messengers giving them the selfsame mission: to proclaim the Gospel and to bring light to those in darkness.
Please pray not only for Father Jordan’s Beatification but also for us Salvatorians gathered here today that we may live up to the mission we embraced on the day we took our first vows. Pray too that many more will be inspired by Jordan’s vision so that all people everywhere will come to know the Saviour.
Homily from Father Clyde A. Bonar, Ph.D.
A Priestly People, Chosen To Be Laborers
Introduction
Picture this. You’re in school, in physical education class. The coach names two classmates, both good athletes. Tells them to pick players for a game of soccer.
For you, these are dreaded moments. You're not a very good soccer player. You know you’ll be the last to be picked. You shuffle your feet, head down, looking at the ground. You listen for the names of the other kids to be called out.
But, surprise. A team captain calls your name. He picks you, not last, not after everyone else had been picked, he picks you first.
Chosen By God:
That's what God did to the Israelites. God picked the Israelites. Chose them first. God said to the Israelites (Exodus 6:7), "I will take you as my people, and I will be your God." By sheer grace, because God wanted to. God made the Israelites his "special possession, dearer to [him] than all other people."
God did not choose Israel because it was strong. The Hebrew people had no army. God did not choose Israel because the Israelites were wealthy. Far from being well off, the Israelites suffered the poverty of slavery. God did not choose the Israelites because they were very faithful to God. In fact, the Hebrew people often had been stubborn and rebellious and unfaithful to God.
God chose the Israelites for one reason only: because God loved the Hebrew people (Deuteronomy 7:8). With beautiful language we hear of God's love for Israel. God bore the Israelites "on eagle wings." The eagle, impressive for its great size, strength, speed, ability to soar to great heights. With all the power of the eagle, and more, God promises to protect the Hebrew people.
And so too, we Christians. By sheer grace, because God wants to, God chooses us, you and me. Not because we are so faith-filled. Remember the words in our second reading. Paul wrote to the Romans (5:8): "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God’s "enemies," Paul calls us. Precisely when people were godless sinners, God chose us to be his adopted sons and daughters.
God give us love not because we’re worthy, not because we are that lovable. Rather as His free gift, God embraces us with love, with "agape" love.
Because God loved them, God chose the Israelites. Because God loves us sinners, God chooses us to be his adopted sons and daughters.
Chosen To Make God’s Love Present:
Chosen by God, loved by God, God asks us to do something. God wants us to make His love present in this world. Christ "summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness."
In our first reading, from Exodus, we heard God tell the people of Israel: "You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation." Christ calls us to this same glory. During Mass, on some Sundays1 we pray these words: "through his cross and resurrection [Christ] made us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart."
A royal priesthood, a kingdom of priests. Each of us, you and me, has been elected priest by Jesus Christ. Each of us, you and me, belong to a royal priesthood. By baptism we are consecrated to the holy priesthood of all believers.2 Called to a special closeness to God. Our lives to be examples of faith, hope, and charity.
As the priesthood of all believers, we have authority over "unclean spirits." In our Gospel, Jesus said, "cure the sick, cleanse lepers, drive out demons." That's what each of us does in our ministry. To the sick, we bring care. All of us, by our common priesthood of all believers, pray for the sick person. By the Anointing of the Sick, the ordained priest blesses the sick person. Our Ministers to the Sick bring Holy Communion, divine nourishment for the sick person. We drive out demons by bringing good tidings to the lowly, to the brokenhearted. To those who mourn, we offer comfort. That's what we do as Christians.
When God told Israel they were a "kingdom of priest," when Jesus told us we are a people set apart, God the Father and God the Son called us to a holy priesthood of all believers. Called us to spread God’s love throughout the world, to act like priestly people.
Make God Present Where You Are:
Christ calls us, commissions us to do the work of priests in the world, but where? Listen to the words of Jesus: "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." In other words, make God present where we are. Be aware of God in the people around us, bring the holy into the midst of everyday life. "Bloom where you are planted."
By our daily rituals we bring God into our lives and into the lives of family and friends. At family meals, we say grace before we eat. Even in restaurants, we stop for a few seconds and thank God for our food and for our many blessings.
We might keep our Bible in the TV room, and read a passage a day before we turn on the idiot tube. And, don't forget spiritual reading. Lives of saints read better than most novels. There's St. Francis, who lived in the Assisi. Francis lived when morals were very loose and when city fought against neighboring city. Or, another Francis, St. Francis Xavier, preached Christ amongst the Hindus and maharajahs of India. Lives of saints make good reading.
To keep attuned to God, we practice the art of quieting down. We schedule in our days a few minutes to just be quiet and be with God. Perhaps some time before the tabernacle here in church. Or at home, we pick out a corner of a room and a chair, and always pray when we sit in that chair. Soon, that chair becomes our prayer chair, and when we sit there, we find ourselves almost automatically turning to God.
As a family, we pray. One of my classmates at seminary told of praying the Rosary every evening with his family. Standing in the living room, Rosary in hand, father, mother, son, and daughter, praying together. Another woman tells of copying short meditative ideas, writing them on stick-on paper, and putting them on the refrigerator door. Every time she goes to the refrigerator, she reads a stick-on note, and remembers all we do, we do in God's presence.
We pray for Christian workers. Jesus instructed us, "ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers." For Jesus, always, prayer came first. Here at our parish, each week, at each Mass, a family takes a chalice, a symbol of priesthood, and a lantern, to represent men and women dedicated to religious life, and the family prays throughout the week for vocations. We pray for all priestly people, that each Christian may help gather the harvest God has prepared.
God chooses us to be a priestly people. And the very first place we need to be holy, the very first place we need to remember God, is at home, in our daily routine, with our family and friends.
Conclusion
Christ tells us one more thing; Jesus says: "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." The gift we have received, we give as gift.
Being loved by God, we are to bring God’s love into this world. We give with no thought about what we might get in return. When we give, we ask no favors.
