The only thing Kelli could offer
Kelli was a third-year medical student, on a rotation in oncology. This particular day she was not her usual enthusiastic, upbeat self. She was having doubts.
“The only thing I have to offer is my compassion,” she confided to her supervisor. “But now I wonder what my words can mean as I look at Sheila. It’s all overwhelming. I’m not sure I can keep doing this.”
Kelli’s supervisor understood; her doubts are an occupational hazard for doctors and nurses who treat the terminally ill.
But over the next month, Kelli had several opportunities to practice her “only” contribution.
Sheila was the 35-year-old mother of four whose husband, Michael, was a nurse at Kelli’s hospital. A persistent bout of “walking pneumonia” was finally diagnosed as metastic lung cancer. Sheila began a demanding protocol of chemotherapy. Sheila was able to share with Kelli the full range of emotions common to all who struggled with cancer: fear, anger, sadness, joy at small successes, and gratitude. Kelli’s innate kindness and approachability helped Sheila get through those difficult weeks.
Another of Kelli’s patients was being treated for a condition called bronchiectasis. Quite unexpectedly, his cough worsened and he went into respiratory distress, requiring him to be put on a ventilator. The poor man was terrified as the medical team went to work. Kelli stayed with him the whole time and explained every step of the procedure.
“Now, Mr. Bernard, I know this tube is uncomfortable, but we need it to help you breathe. Hold my hand. I’ll stay with you.” And she did until he was settled and comfortable in the intensive care unit.
Sheila’s husband, Michael, was on duty in ICU when Kelli and Mr. Bernard arrived.
Later in the day, at the end of rounds, Kelli and the other students were meeting with the supervising physician to review the day. During the conversation, Michael poked his head into the room.
“Is Sheila alright?” the doctor asked, fearing the worst.
Michael seemed shaken and didn’t speak for a long time.
“I just wanted to tell you,” he began, “all of you, how much Sheila and I appreciate the care she’s getting. It’s not just the medical stuff. I mean that’s important, and we know she’s getting the best medical treatment available. But’s it’s the way you take care of her — and me — that makes it so different.”
He then turned to Kelli. “I was watching you hold that man’s hand. I listened as you talked to him and I tell you, do you know how long it’s been since I’ve held anyone’s hand in there, or thought about how it must feel to be on one of those things . . . I want you to know, Kelli, that you, and each of you, have reminded me of something I had long forgotten. And I won’t forget again to comfort those I take care of.”
Sometimes compassion — the only thing we can offer — is the most important and remembered gift we give.
[From “Regaining Compassion” by James W. Lynch, Jr., M.D., Journal of the American Medical Association, May 13, 1998.]
Kelli has learned that compassion is the “rock” of her work as a physician. It is on that same “rock” that Jesus establishes his church, a community of men and women whose lives mirror the love, peace and justice of God. In taking on God’s work of reconciliation, in our struggle to forgive selflessly and humbly, in our often less-than-successful attempts to imitate the compassion of Jesus, our church and parish reflect the face of God to our world.
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In the first reading, God promises to give the keys of the house of David to Eliakim with full authority over his royal household. Eliakim was among the leaders in Jerusalem during the critical Assyrian siege. Here he succeeds Shebnah to the office of chief steward. He will hold the ‘key of the house of David’. In the Biblical world, officials were invested with keys as a sign of stewardship and power. In the New Testament the text is applied to Jesus. Peter is given the keys of the kingdom. God shares His power with those whom he chooses.
Search and you may find…
Late one evening Jerry lost the key of his moneybox and went down on fours looking for it outside. His neighbours joined him in searching under streetlights until all were exhausted. “Where did you lose the key?” asked a concerned friend. “Inside my house,” replied Jerry. “Then why look for it outside?” “Because,” explained Jerry, “there is more light outside than inside my house!” We often look for keys in wrong places and, ironically, the key to understand today’s readings is a key: of the House of David in the first reading and of the kingdom of heaven in the gospel. On April 24, 2005, at his installation as Pontiff, Benedict XVI described himself as “weak servant of God” showing deep awareness of being servant of servant. Likewise, on Oct. 22, 1978, when Pope John Paul II began his ministry he said, “Open wide the doors for Christ!” It is heartening that those who hold the keys are aware of their responsibility to serve and open Church doors for the Spirit’s action. Have we been given the key to the kingdom of God? Francis Gonsalves
In today’s world, we have a glut of opinion polls especially around election times. These opinion polls show the variety and often contradictory views people can have about particular issues or personality. In the gospel we have an example of an early opinion poll conducted by Jesus himself. Though it was a limited one, it concerned a vital question, namely the identity of Jesus. ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ Jesus knew who he was. The question was for the benefit of the disciples. In his time, the question was on everybody’s lips: Who is this man Jesus? The question echoes through the entire gospel. Jesus rejected the inadequate answers of others and demanded that the disciples speak for themselves: “And you, who do you say that I am?” “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter answered. All of us as believers have to give our personal answer to that question. A person cannot be baptized without a profession of faith. The more people we have in the Church who believe out of personal conviction, the more the Church will be founded on rock. The profession of faith is only the beginning. We must live our faith. We must allow our lives to be shaped by our faith. Peter is the centre of today’s gospel, he is the leader but he has his weaknesses and faults. He denied Jesus, He did not fall simply because he was weak. He fell because he felt he was strong. In giving authority to a man who denied him, Jesus showed that he was establishing his Church not on human strength, but on his own love and faithfulness. God does not choose perfect people to do his work. God chooses people who are flawed, but nevertheless have the capacity for greatness and holiness. Peter’s story helps us to understand ourselves and shows us how to develop a close relationship with Jesus.
How to have a God-experience?
A young boy approached an enlightened person and asked him what he must do to have a God-experience. The enlightened one closed his eyes and remained silent for some time. The young man asked again, “What must I do to have a God experience?” The enlightened one opened his eyes smiled at him and closed his eyes again. The young man in his restlessness repeated his question a third time. Now the enlightened one opened his eyes, smiled at the young man and told him, “I told you twice. Seek the Lord in the silence of your heart and you will have a God-experience. The closed eyes help you only to open your inner eyes to see God enthroned in your heart. The atmosphere of external silence is only an attempt to experience inner silence. Once you open the cave of your heart with the keys of inner silence and deeper awareness you stand face to face with God.”
Robert D’Souza
She may not know but I know…
Every day Tim would go to the nursing home and visit her. And each time Tim would explain who he was and why he was visiting. He would tell the story of his children and grandchildren, all the activities and all the news of his family. And while he was feeding her lunch each day, he would gently remind her that he was married for 52 years to the same woman and that woman was her. Then each time she would smile brightly as if told for the first time. That woman was Margaret, and Margaret suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, she moves in and out of reality. Tim tends to her each and every day before he leaves, he caresses her gently, kisses her and tells her that he loves her dearly, knowing well, that tomorrow he will have to repeat the whole routine over and over again. His friends plead with Tim as to why he continues to put himself through this. They tell him, “She does not even know who you are anymore.” And he would always respond in the same way, “But I know who I am.” Do I know Jesus? Do I know who I am? John Pichappilly
Who is Jesus?
During the Second World War, in his famous BBC Radio talk- ‘Mere Christianity’, C.S. Lewis said, “I am trying to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people say about Him: “I am ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg –or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make a choice. Either this man was, or is the Son of God; or else a man or something worse.” If we accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, then we must necessarily accept Him as god, for great moral teachers do not tell lies. One person who fascinates and baffles everyone –both believers and non-believers, is Jesus Christ. One is surprised by the simple life of Jesus, and the tremendous impact He had on history. John Rose
One Solitary Life
Jesus was born in a manger, in a simple carpenter’s family; He never went to school, nor attended college; He never wrote a book. Until the age of thirty he was a village carpenter. At thirty he became a nomadic preacher; but he never travelled more than 200 miles from the place of his birth. When he was thirty-three years old, public opinion turned against him; He was betrayed by his friend and deserted by the others. He was unjustly condemned to death and was nailed as a criminal between two thieves. When he died, they laid him in a borrowed tomb. Twenty centuries have come and gone. Till today he is the central figure of history. No library is complete without his biography. All ages and dates are numbered from His birth; He never led an army, never held a gun; but all the armies that ever marched and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of a man on this earth like that ONE SOLITARY LIFE.
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From Fr. Tony Kadavil’s Collection:
1: “Who do you think I am?” In 1896, after fifteen centuries, Athens renewed the Olympic Games. You can imagine how proud the Greeks were to host the first modern Olympics. The Greeks were by far the most successful nation in terms of total medals (forty-six), 26 more than the U. S. Nevertheless, their number of first-place finishes (10) was one fewer than the Americans who gained 11. The last competition was the marathon. Greece’s entrant was named Spyridon Louis, a water carrier with a little military training, and not much competitive background. He learned endurance by transporting mineral water from his village to the city. When the race started, Louis was far back in the pack of marathoners. But as the miles passed, he moved up steadily. One by one the leaders began to falter. The French hero fell in agony. The hero from the United States had to quit the race. Soon, word reached the stadium that a lone runner was approaching the arena, and the emblem of Greece was on his chest! He even slowed down for a glass of wine. As the excitement grew, Prince George of Greece hurried to the stadium entrance where he met Louis and ran with him to the finish line.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece_at_the_1896_Summer_Olympics). — In this sports tale, we have something of the history of the human race. Jesus Christ started from way back in the pack. He was born in relative obscurity, never had many followers, commanded no army, erected no edifices, wrote no books. He died young, was buried in a borrowed grave, and you’d think he’d be quickly forgotten. But, no! His reputation has grown, so that today Jesus is worshiped on every continent, has more followers than ever before and sixteen times has been pictured on the cover of Time magazine, while Jesus’ sayings have been translated into more than 200 languages. Consider: Socrates taught for forty years, Plato for fifty, and Aristotle, forty. Jesus Christ only taught for three years. Yet which has influenced the world more, one hundred thirty years of classical thought or three years of Christ’s? In the Library of Congress there are 1,172 reference books on William Shakespeare, 1,752 on George Washington, 2,319 on Abe Lincoln, and 5,152 on Jesus Christ. Perhaps H. G. Wells best summed up the runaway difference in interest. “Christ,” he wrote, “is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.” As Emerson once noted, “The name of Jesus is not so much written as PLOUGHED into the history of the world.” Today’s Gospel challenges us to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior as St. Peter did at Caesarea Philippi. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
2: “Who is Jesus?” In his teens, C.S. Lewis was a professed agnostic. He was influenced in his conversion to Christianity by reading G.K. Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man, and through the influence of two of his Christian friends. After his conversion, he wrote a number of books defending Christianity. During the Second World War, in his famous BBC radio talk, “Mere Christianity,” he said, “I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Jesus: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.” — If we accept Jesus as a moral teacher, then we must necessarily accept Him as God, for great moral teachers do not tell lies. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
3: “Suppose Jesus were to come here.” Without the 19th century essayist Charles Lamb, William Shakespeare would be “missing in action.” It was Mr. Lamb’s essays that snatched the 17th century playwright from undeserved obscurity after he had been famous for Andy Warhol’s fifteen minutes. One night, Lamb and his guests were chatting about the Bard over Spanish port and Cuban cigars. “Supposing,” someone asked Lamb, “Shakespeare were to stroll into our dining room at this moment.” The essayist replied, “We would raise a glass of port to the great man.” “Supposing,” said another, “Jesus were to come here.” Lamb answered, “We would all get down on our knees.” — There is the essential difference between the Man from Nazareth and all other great people you can think of. “The Christ is God, and all others, no matter what their deeds, are but fools who strut on the stage for a brief time and then exit.” (Fr. Gilhooly) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
4: “I am the governor of this state.” When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (and no lunch), he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon and Herter was famished. As Herter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line. “Excuse me,” Governor Herter said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?” “Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person.” “But I’m starved,” the governor said. “Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.” Governor Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around. “Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the governor of this state.” “And do you know who I am?” the woman said. “I’m the Lady in Charge of the Chicken. Move along, Mister.” —This is a short, and simple, and humorous story about two people viz. Governor Herter and the Lady in Charge of the chicken, each trying to exert authority over to the other by telling – “who I am”.
5. “But how did the other ear get burned?”: On Sunday morning, a man showed up at Church with both his ears terribly blistered, so his pastor asked, “WHAT happened to YOU?” “I was lying on the couch watching a ball game on TV while my wife was ironing nearby. I was totally engrossed in the game when she went out, leaving the iron near the phone. The phone rang, and keeping my eyes on the TV, I grabbed the hot iron and put it to my ear.” “How dreadful,” gasped the pastor. “But how did the other ear get burned?” “Well, you see, I’d no sooner hung up and the guy called back!” He just didn’t get it. Lots of folks never get it, never understand how life really works, even at the simplest levels. That’s why Jesus is pressing his followers — and us — so insistently in today’s Gospel: “Do you understand Who I AM,” he asks, “and what My being here means for you?” (Msgr. Dennis Clarke)
6. “But on the other hand..” Three of the clergy—a Lutheran, a Catholic, and an Episcopalian—ended up at the Pearly Gates one day. It was St. Peter’s day off, so Jesus was administering the entrance exam. “The question is simple,” he said. “Who do you say that I am?” The Lutheran stepped forward and began, “The Bible says . . . ” but Jesus interrupted and said, “I know what the Bible says; who do you say that I am?” The Lutheran said, “I don’t know,” and fell through a trapdoor to that other place. The Catholic stepped forward and began, “The Pope says . . . ” But Jesus interrupted him and said, “I know what the Pope says; who do you say that I am?” “I’m not sure,” said the Catholic, and promptly fell through the trapdoor to that other place. Jesus turned to the Episcopalian and asked, “Who do you say that I am?” The Episcopalian replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” Then, just as Jesus smiled and gestured for the Pearly Gates to be opened, the Episcopalian continued, “but on the other hand…”
21- Additional anecdotes:
1) “To draw out all his savings?” A teacher was giving her students a lesson in logic. “Here is the situation,” she said. “A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help. His wife in her riverside house hears the commotion, knows he can’t swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank instead of calling for help?” A girl raised her hand and asked, “To draw out all his savings?” In today’s Gospel, the disciples are faced with a similar situation – like being in class when the teacher asks a very important question. We want to seem intelligent so we blurt out an answer – not always the right one – but an answer nonetheless. In today’s Gospel lesson Peter blurts out an answer that is theologically correct, inspired, and amazing. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
2) Mount Rushmore National Memorial: When one thinks of South Dakota, one thinks of Mount Rushmore. Carved into the mountainside by Gutzon Borglum are the heads of four of the great leaders of the United States. It’s ironic that this monument is in the heart of an area sacred to the Lakota and Dakota people whose ancestors possessed the land centuries before George Washington’s family came to America. Thousands of Americans visit Mount Rushmore each year. Many come away with flags, patriotic symbols and T- shirts reading, “God Bless America.” Perhaps they feel a rush of pride and make resolutions to be better Americans in the future. Let us remember that Christians are part of the Rock. Jesus built his Church on the Rock of Peter as a reward for his great confession of Faith in the Divinity of Christ. The members of the Church are given a new face on the same Rock, the face of Jesus, as they proclaim his love, mercy, and forgiveness in their daily lives. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
3) “But I know who she is and I know who I am:” Every day Tim would go to the nursing home and visit her. Each time she would ask Tim who he was and why he was visiting her. And each time Tim would explain who he was and why he was visiting. He would tell the story of all the children and grandchildren, all the activities and all the news of his family. And while he was feeding her lunch each day, he would gently remind her that he was married for 52 years to the same woman and that woman was she. Then each time she would smile brightly as if told for the first time. That woman was Margaret, and Margaret suffers from Alzheimer’s disease; she moves in and out of reality. Tim tends to her each and every day and before he leaves, he caresses her gently, kisses her and tells her that he loves her dearly, knowing well, that tomorrow he will have to repeat the whole routine over and over again. His friends plead with Tim as to why he continues to put himself through this. They tell him, “She doesn’t even know who you are any more.” And he would always respond in the same way, “But I know who she is, and I know who I am.” — The reality of our lives is that we are known by our actions. How we treat one another is how we first know who we are for ourselves and that is how others come to know us. It is our actions that we will be known for. And that is what Jesus asks today, “Who do people say that I am?” Do I know Jesus? Do I know who I am? (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
4) Who is this Jesus? Where do we find Him? In his book, Pray from Where You Are, James Carroll recalls something many of us remember from our childhood. Every Sunday, the comic page of our newspapers used to carry a series of printed games. One of everybody’s favorites was a picture showing some scene, like a family enjoying a picnic in a park. Printed beneath the picture were the words, “Can you find the man hidden in the picture?” You’d look and look, and at first wouldn’t see anything that looked like a man. Then you’d turn the paper this way and that to get a different view of it. Suddenly, from the edge of a fluffy white cloud you’d see an ear. Then, from the green leaves of a tree you’d see a mouth, and so on, until you’d see an entire man’s face smiling out at you from the picnic scene. Once you saw the man, that picnic scene was never the same again. For you had found the hidden man. You yourself had seen the smiling face. It’s the same way in our own lives. We Christians know by Faith that there is a Man hidden away in every scene of daily life. And that Man’s name is Jesus. Once we find Jesus, up close and personal, no scene in our lives is ever the same. That is part of the message of today’s Gospel. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
5 Confusion most confounded: Just take the world of medicine. Anyone confused the way I am? Does it seem to you that one study is always negating the finds of the previous study? Hormone replacement therapy is great. No. Hormone replacement therapy causes cancer. Saccharine causes cancer; NutraSweet is good. No. NutraSweet causes cancer and Saccharine is good. LowCarb/HighFat is the best diet. Whoops, no, we meant to say NoFat/LowCarb is the best diet. Being slightly underweight is best. No. Being slightly overweight is best. Stock market recommendations and economist’s predictions are equally confusing. Watch Fox’s Saturday morning stock market analysis. The experts end up calling each other’s advice ridiculous, completely wrong, amazingly erroneous, and downright stupid. Same thing happened at Caesarea Philippi where Peter declared Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of the living God. Jesus congratulated him as the spokesman of God the Father’s revelation. At the same time Jesus warned his disciples not to tell this truth to anyone. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
6) What is in a name? In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says to Romeo, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” The Journal of the American Medical Association did a study on the names of people in the medical profession in the United States. Doctors’ names included: Needle, Probe, Lance, Ligate, Drill, Scope, Bolt, Pin, Croak and Klutz. On the up side, we find physicians named Fix, Cure, Heal, Brilliant, Able, and Best. Our vet’s name is Dr. Fish. There is an Episcopal priest in New York City named Donald Goodness. Do names make a difference? Can a person’s name determine his or her destiny? If you had the choice, would you pick Dr. Brilliant or Dr. Klutz? Many actors will take a stage name because their real name is considered unattractive, dull, or amusing for the wrong reason, or because it projects the wrong image, or is considered too “ethnic.” Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus, who gave Simon a new name, Peter, made him the bedrock foundation of his Church. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
7) Film –Shoes of the Fisherman: When the Italian pope dies in the latter part of the twentieth century, the Cardinals debate who will succeed him. Some want a conservative pope, while others feel that modern times call for a different approach so that the Church can speak to the real needs of the people. The conclave elects a Slavic cardinal who was imprisoned for twenty years by the Communists. He becomes Pope Kiril I. He feels constricted by Vatican protocol, so he ventures out one night to meet the real people of Rome. He also relates with theologians in difficulties with pastoral kindness and understanding. At his papal coronation, he gives away the tiara. He tries to negotiate an accord between the warring nations, China and Russia, and he says he is ready to sell the treasures of the Vatican to alleviate starvation in China. When Morris West’s novel, Shoes of the Fisherman, first appeared in 1963, it was regarded as prophetic. When John Paul I died in 1978 after barely a month in office, the Polish Cardinal, Karol Wojtyla, was elected, and Pope St. John Paul II is considered to have been one of the chief influences in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Morris West was even more prophetic than people realized. Shoes of the Fisherman takes past perceptions of the papacy and papal authority and looks at them in new ways. Like Pope Kiril in the film, Pope St. John Paul II traveled outside Rome and tried to enter into dialogue with everyone. He exercised spiritual authority and tried to show that the role of the papacy was for service, especially in the political and economic arenas. The film shows the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. Shoes of the Fisherman continues to challenge audiences to understand the papacy more deeply. Shoes of the Fisherman was almost a blueprint for the papacy of Pope St. John Paul II. The film expresses a different yet converging definition of what ‘Church’ means and what authority and service entails. (Peter Malone in Lights Camera….Faith!) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
8) Pray TV and the dog Spuds MacKenzie: The ABC television network carried a program titled Pray TV. Actor John Ritter played the role of an evangelist. Incredibly, some 22,000 people called local television stations wanting to pledge financial contributions to Ritter’s work. These figures were verified by various telephone companies who had monitored and logged the incoming calls. Just after a scene in which the evangelist said, “We need your prayers,” a fictitious toll-free number was flashed on the screen. Many viewers around the country tried to phone the number to offer prayers and money. It pays never to underestimate the gullibility of the American people. Characters in soap operas tell horror stories about viewers who confuse the actors with the roles they are playing. In 1968, when actor Leslie Nielsen played a brutal sheriff in the television film Shadow Over Elviron, he received more than two hundred poison pen letters, mostly from women. Some of these were shockingly vulgar. Even Spuds MacKenzie, the dog on certain beer commercials, receives an average of five thousand letters a month. Not the trainer, not the sponsor, not the agent, not the handlers – the dog herself receives the fan mail! Winston Churchill once was congratulated on the size of a crowd that turned out to hear him speak. He said the crowd would be twice as large if he were being hanged. Jesus wasn’t really that concerned about what the masses were thinking about him. He knew that some in the crowds cheering him would later shout the loudest for his crucifixion. So, he wasn’t really all that concerned when he asked, “Who do men say that I am?” However, he was concerned when he turned to his disciples and asked them, “And who do you say that I am?” Jesus’ plan for the salvation of the world lay with this small group of men. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
9) “You are the Christ.” Fr. Herbert O’Driscoll uses a wonderful image to explain the structure of the Church. His idea is to look at all of the last 20 centuries as rings of time, or as concentric circles of time. Today’s Christians, in the 21st century, are in the outermost circle, farthest away from the center – which is a Cross. We are brought into the circle, into the Faith, in large part because somewhere, somehow, someone in the circle just before ours took us by the hand and said, “Come,” and so drew us in. That is one very important reason why we are here. That person was able to do this for us because someone had taken him or her by the hand and had drawn that person in. And so it went, back through all the centuries until we reach the hands that had actually touched the mark of the nails. In this way, Christ builds his Church. We constantly re-live this Gospel story. When we say to Jesus, “You are the Christ,” he says to each of us—“You, too, are Peter, you too, are a rock, and with you, also, I am building my Church.” What happened to Peter continues to happen and actually includes us. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
10) Peter Johnson the Rocky: It is said that Winston Churchill never liked talking to subordinates. He always wanted to go to the top because he figured that was the only way he could get any action. So, as the story goes, when Churchill went to heaven, he met St. Peter at the gate and said, “Who are you?” When Peter said, “I’m St. Peter,” Churchill said, “To hell with you, get God!” How did poor Peter get this job in the first place? It all started with the story recounted in this text when Jesus renamed him “Rocky” and gave him the keys to the Kingdom. Actually he called him Cephas, an Aramaic nickname meaning rock. Its Greek counterpart is Petros which also means rock. Thus, on that day at Caesarea Philippi about 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, Simon Johnson, as he was known to his fishing buddies and his family, got a new name — Rocky. Rocky was the big one, bigger than the boxer by that name: Marciano or the character Sylvester Stallone played in the movie called Rocky and all its sequels. I can just hear him calling the other disciples with a tough Brooklyn street kid accent, “Hey you’se guys, let’s go get some fish.” (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
11) “Catholic Church” or “universal church”: A woman was talking to her Presbyterian minister, taking him to task for using, in praying the creed during a worship service, the words, “I believe in the holy, catholic church” instead of saying “universal church” or something similar, because, she said, it was “not Presbyterian.” “Well,” the minister replied, “you don’t mean to say that you believe that the only way you can get to Heaven is by being a Presbyterian, do you!” She thought a minute and said, “No, not really. But no genteel person would think of going any other way.” [B. Clayton Bell, Moorings in a World Adrift: Answers for Christians Who Dare to Ask Why, (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990) p. 87.] (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
12) “The powers of death (Gates of hell) shall not prevail against it.” There is a story about a poor guy who died. Much to his surprise he was sentenced not to Heaven, but to Satan’s domain. Before he was admitted, however, he was interviewed by Satan himself. “It’s pretty bad down here, isn’t it?” asked the man. “Not at all!” said Satan. “You’re surrounded by people who know how to enjoy! Each day we have a theme. Monday, for example, is Party Day! We party around the clock. Tuesday is Alcohol Day! An open bar, take all you want! Wednesday is Tobacco Day! The finest Havana cigars, all the best cigarette blends.” The guy begins to brighten up. He says, “I’m sold. Let me in!” They let him in the gate and he promptly falls into a fiery pit where he is prodded by a nasty looking thing with a pitchfork. “Hey,” he cried, “what happened to those Theme Days?” “Today is Thursday,” Satan giggles with glee. “Thursdays, we tell lies!” (The Jokesmith). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
13) “The powers of death shall not prevail against it.” No. 2 Elaine Pagels is a distinguished professor at Princeton University who studies and knows a lot about the human phenomenon of religion. She begins her book, Beyond Belief, with an unusual anecdote and a very powerful witness. On a bright, cold Sunday morning in New York, she interrupted her daily run by stopping in the vestibule of a church to get warm. Two days earlier, her two-and-a-half-year-old son had been diagnosed with an invariably fatal lung disease. Two-and-a-half years old. Barely born and already dying. Imagine the pain in her heart, if you can. But here is how she describes that scene in the Church that day: “Since I had not been in Church for a long time, I was startled by my response to the worship in progress–the soaring harmonies of the choir singing with the congregation; and the priest, a woman in bright gold and white vestments, proclaiming the prayers in a clear resonant voice. As I stood watching, a thought came to me: Here is a family that knows how to face death…Standing in the back of that church, I recognized, uncomfortably, that I needed to be there. Here was a place to weep without imposing tears upon a child; and here was a heterogeneous community that had gathered to sing, to celebrate, to acknowledge common needs, and to deal with what we cannot control or imagine.”
(http://www.uccseb.org/Sermons/2004/March%2028,%202004.htm ) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
14) “God does not always settle accounts in October.” There is a story about an irreligious farmer who gloried in his irreligion. He wrote a letter to a local newspaper in these words: “Sir: I have been trying an experiment with a field of mine. I plowed it on Sunday. I planted it on Sunday. I harvested it on Sunday. I carted the crop home to the barn on Sunday. And now, Mr. Editor, what is the result? This October I have more bushels to the acre from the field than any of my neighbors have.” He expected applause from the editor, who was not known to be a religious man himself. When he opened the paper the next week, there, sure enough, was his letter printed just as he had sent it, but underneath it was the short but significant sentence: ‘God does not always settle accounts in October.’” Let us ask ourselves, when did we last show ourselves disciples of Jesus, or witness him in public? (Gerard Fuller in Stories for all Seasons; quoted by Fr. Botelho). V
15) Under Rock and Key: Late one evening, Jerry lost the key of his moneybox and went down on fours looking for it outside. His neighbors joined him in searching under streetlights until all were exhausted. “Where did you lose the key?” asked a concerned friend. “Inside my house,” replied Jerry. “Then why are we looking for it outside?” “Because” explained Jerry, “there is better light outside than inside my house!” We often look for keys in wrong places, and, ironically, the keys to understand today’s readings is a Key of the House of David in the first reading, and the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel. On April 24, 2005, at his installation as Pontiff, Benedict XVI described himself as “weak servant of God” showing deep awareness of being “servus servorum Dei” (servant of servants of God). Likewise, on October 22, 1978, when Pope St. John Paul II began his ministry, he said “Open wide the doors for Christ!” It is heartening that those who hold the Keys are aware of their responsibility to serve and open Church doors for the Spirit’s action. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Gospel Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
16) “I am a Christian. I refuse to give up my Faith.” Neo-martyr Michael Paknanas was less than twenty years old, and he worked as a gardener in Athens in the 1800s. The Turks, who enslaved Greece at the time, were trying to convince him to give up his Faith. When flattery and wealth failed to persuade him, they put to use some of their more convincing standard missionary work by torturing the teenager. When all the tortures proved to be futile, the executioner was preparing to behead the young man, but at the same time he was feeling some compassion for him. So he began cutting his neck slowly with the sword by administering very light blows, while asking the martyr to reconsider. The martyr’s response? “I told you, I am a Christian. I refuse to give up my Faith.” The ax-man struck with another light blow to make some more blood flow, to possibly convince him. The martyr repeated, “I told you, I am a Christian. Strike with all your might, for the Faith of Christ.” This totally aggravated the executioner. He did exactly that, and St. Michael was sent to the Heavenly mansions. These are the people who understood who Jesus is, and what his place is in their lives. (Fr. Bobby Jose). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
17) “There are five things you need to know:” There is a beautiful story about the pencil. The pencil maker took the pencil aside, just before putting it into the box. “There are five things you need to know,” he told the pencil, “before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be. One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand. Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil. Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s inside. And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.” The same applies to each one of us too. When we find an answer to Jesus’ question (“Who do you say that I am?”), we will be able to make ourselves useful to our contemporaries. We have to undergo the process that the pencil undergoes. One: We will be able to do many great things, but only if we allow ourselves to be held in God’s hand, and allow other human beings access to the many gifts we possess. Two: We will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but we’ll need it to become a stronger person. Three: We will be able to correct any mistakes we might make. Four: The most important part of us will always be what’s on the inside. And Five: On every surface we walk through, we must leave our mark. No matter what the situation, we must continue to do our duties to the best of our abilities. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
18) Ready to Serve? Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was a former professor of psychiatry at the University of Chicago. She wrote a best-seller called Death and Dying. The book grew out of interviews with hundreds of people who had been declared clinically dead and then revived. Repeatedly these people report that during their near-death experience they underwent a kind of instant replay of their lives. It was like seeing a movie of everything they’d ever done. How did their instant replay affect these people? Did it reveal anything significant? Commenting on this, Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross says: “When you come to this point, you see that there are only two things that are relevant: the service you rendered to others and love. All those things we think are important, like fame, money, prestige, and power, are insignificant.” Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus gave authority to Peter and his successors in his Church to serve God’s people. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
19) “Pioneers of Persuasion” In his book The Image Makers, William Meyers has a chapter called “Pioneers of Persuasion.” One of the stories tells how an ad executive, Rosser Reeves, used carefully spliced television commercials during the 1952 presidential campaign to sell General Eisenhower to the public “like a tube of toothpaste.” Ever since then, professional image makers and marketing experts have been employed to package political candidates in a glamorous way so that they will appeal to the voters’ emotions. To be successful today, office seekers have to be as concerned about their image as about the campaign issues. Appearance and performance on television are as important as one’s experience and programs. — In the Gospel today, it seems that Jesus, too, was worried about his public image. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” he asks his disciples. In response, they give sort of the latest Gallup poll readout of their day: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But as we read further, we see that Jesus was not interested in his popularity rating. He is interested in the more profound question of his essential identity. “Who do you say that I am?” Moreover, Jesus is not aiming so much at finding out who he is -he knows that already – but is leading his disciples to discover this for themselves. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
20) God Has His Own Reasons to use His authority and power when He wants: : Annick Theuroueville, a 20-year old French girl who had been paralyzed from birth, took part in a Rosary pilgrimage to Lourdes on October 7, 1975. In her wheelchair, she joined the procession of more than 40,000 pilgrims, and then bathed in the pool fed by the original stream Our Lady had Bernadette find, and use to drink and wash in, some distance from the grotto. After bathing, she complained of being very tired. At three o’clock the next morning, she awakened in her hotel room. On a sudden impulse she got out of bed and walked. Apart from painful efforts to use crutches, she had never in her life done this. The other pilgrims at the hotel were amazed to see Annick come down the stairs for breakfast. Doctors who examined her on October 8 could find no medical explanation for her recovery. Of course, the medical bureau at Lourdes is very cautious about pronouncing cures miraculous. Conclusions are reached only after several years of observation. Naturally everybody was interested in asking Annick’s own reactions. Many knew that she had long since accepted her disability as the will of God. “It means joy” she answered, “but also sadness. For I ask myself, why me and not the others?” …Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? (Romans, 11:34. Today’s second reading). (Father Robert F. McNamara) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
21) To really know is to be transformed by what one knows: The following story shows that a simple, receptive heart is necessary for truly knowing Christ (cf. Anthony De Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 112). We are witnesses of Christ. Our personal transformation testifies to his saving presence in our life. A dialogue between a recent convert and an unbelieving friend: “So you have been converted to Christ?” “Yes.” “Then you must know a great deal about him. Tell me: what country was he born in?” I don’t know.” “What was his age when he died?” “I don’t know.” “How many sermons did he preach? ”I don’t know.” “You certainly know very little for a man who claims to be converted to Christ!” “You are right. I am ashamed at how little I know about him. But this much I know. Three years ago, I was a drunkard. I was in debt. My family was falling to pieces. My wife and children would dread my return. That’s what Jesus did when I turned to Him and asked for help.” (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony
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From Sermons.com
Jesus and his disciples ventured into the District of Caesarea Philippi, an area about 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee. The region had tremendous religious implications. The place was littered with the temples of the Syrian gods. Here also was the elaborate marble temple that had been erected by Herod the Great, father of the then ruling Herod Antipas. Here also was the influence of the Greek gods. Here also the worship of Caesar as a God himself. You might say that the world religions were on display in this town. It was with this scene in the background that Jesus chose to ask the most crucial questions of his ministry.
He looked at his disciples and in a moment of reflection said: "Who do men say that I am?" The disciples begin sharing with Jesus what they have heard from the people who have been following Jesus: Some say that you are Elijah; others say John the Baptist, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. It's always been this way, Jesus as seen by the masses is seen in so many different ways.
You can speak of Jesus as prophet, holy man, teacher, or spiritual leader, and few will object. But speak of Him as Son of God, divine, of the same nature as the Father, and people will line up to express their disapproval.
Who do people say he is? Who do you say he is? And what are we called to do? Let's take a look at the answers to these three questions...
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Sin is less something we succumb to or fall into than it is something we are seduced by. And the greatest seduction is pride. Pride is holy halitosis. Like all bad breath, you're the last person to know you have it.
Last week in Zurich, the pride of a gold medal champion, a 3000 meter steeplechase runner, managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. French runner Mahidine Mekhissi, already a two time European champion, found himself in the final 100 meters of his race. He was well ahead of the rest of the pack. After a long backwards glance confirmed his apparent victory over the trailing field of runners, Mekhissi began to celebrate early. He stripped off his jersey. With the jersey went his identifying race number. He put the jersey and number in his mouth as he cavorted to the finish line, taunting his competitors with the pride of victory.
Mekhissi's antics did not sit well with his colleagues. Or the race authorities. After multiple complaints were filed by the other competitors, Mekhissi was disqualified. He won. But he lost. He won the race. But he lost the game. Mekhissi was so proud of his prowess that he managed to turn a clear victory into a humiliating defeat.
The line between pride as honor and pride as hubris is often a hair's breadth distance. The honors that come with personal accomplishments are worthy and welcome. Showcasing one's successes is a bit trickier. Proving one's skills and self-worth in action is one thing. Proclaiming in words one's worthiness to the world is another.
Our reading for this morning is a portion of Paul's communication to a Gentile congregation in the heart of Rome...
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The Authority of the Church
There is general agreement that the phrase "the gates of Hades" is poetic language for the power of death (see Isa. 38:10). What is meant is that the congregation of the new covenant will persist into the age to come despite all the efforts of the powers of darkness to destroy it. "The gates of Hades" may here represent a defensive posture: death will strive to hold in its prison house all who have entered its gates, but the Messiah's congregation will triumphantly storm the gates and rescue those destined for the life of the age to come. Douglas R.A.
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Without the Struggle, There Are No Wings
A family brought in two cocoons that were about to hatch. They watched as the first one began to open and the butterfly inside squeezed very slowly and painfully through a tiny hole that it chewed in one end of the cocoon. After lying exhausted for about ten minutes following its agonizing emergence, the butterfly finally flew out the open window on its beautiful new wings.
The family decided to help the second butterfly so that it would not have to go through such an excruciating ordeal. So, as it began to emerge, they carefully sliced open the cocoon with a razor blade, doing the equivalent of a Caesarean section. The second butterfly never did sprout wings, and in about ten minutes, instead of flying away, it quietly died.
The family asked a biologist friend to explain what had happened. The scientist said that the difficult struggle to emerge from the small hole actually pushes liquids from deep inside the butterfly's body cavity into tiny capillaries in the wings where they hardened to complete the healthy and beautiful adult butterfly. The lesson? WITHOUT THE STRUGGLE, THERE ARE NO WINGS. Collected Sermons, David E. Leininger
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The Triumph of Jesus
In 1896, after fifteen centuries, Athens renewed the Olympic Games, thus fulfilling the dream of Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France. You can imagine how proud the Greeks were to host the first modern Olympics. You can also imagine how disappointed they were at their athletes' lack of success in event after event.
The last competition was the marathon. Greece's entrant was named Louis, a shepherd without competitive background. He'd trained alone in the hills near his flock. When the race started, Louis was far back in the pack of marathoners. But as the miles passed he moved up steadily. One by one the leaders began to falter. The Frenchman fell in agony. The hero from the United States had to quit the race. Soon, word reached the stadium that a lone runner was approaching the arena, and the emblem of Greece was on his chest! As the excitement grew, Prince George of Greece hurried to the stadium entrance where he met Louis and ran with him to the finish line.
In this sports tale we have something of the history of the human race. Most historical figures make their impact, achieve a measure of fame, books are written about them, but as the years go by they begin to fade. Less and less is written or spoken of their lives until they rest in relative obscurity.
With Jesus Christ, however, one finds quite an opposite phenomena! Christ started from way back in the pack. He was born in relative obscurity, never had many followers, commanded no army, erected no edifices, wrote no books. He died young, was buried in a borrowed grave, and you'd think he'd be quickly forgotten.
But, no! His reputation has grown so that today he is worshiped on every continent, has more followers than ever before, sixteen times has his picture been on the cover of Time magazine, and his sayings have been translated into more than 200 languages.
Stephen M. Crotts / George L. Murphy, Sermons For Sundays: After Pentecost (Middle Third): The Incomparable Christ, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
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Call Him God
In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis addressed the inclination to say nice things about Jesus, but to stop short of calling him God.
He wrote, "I am here trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg-or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any of that patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. Nor did he intend to." C.S. Lewis,
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Public Notions of Jesus' Identity
Some, said Peter, say that you are Elijah. Now why would people think that Jesus was the long deceased prophet Elijah. Elijah was, of course, a highly revered personality in the religious life of the Hebrews. His defeat of the 450 prophets of Baal on the top of Mt. Carmel was a story that was known even by the little children. It was a commonly held belief among the Hebrews that one day Elijah would return and that would mark the end of the world. In the very last passage in the Old Testament, in the Book of Malachi, we find these words: "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes."
Most of you have read Charles Schultz's comic strip Peanuts. One day we see that the television is on but there is no one in the room listening to it. The announcer is talking about a golf tournament that is in process. He says: Smith has to make this putt to win the championship. There will be no tomorrow." And just as he says, "There will be no tomorrow," in walks Lucy. She immediately goes into a panic and starts running around and yelling to the other children: The world is coming to an end. They just announced it on television. Her panic quickly spreads as we see all the peanuts kids as they go wildly screaming about. Finally in the last square we see all of the children huddled on top of Snoopy's doghouse waiting for the end of the world. And Charlie Brown finally speaks up with a puzzled voice: I thought that Elijah was supposed to come back first."
Well Charlie Brown knew his Bible. Elijah was supposed to come back before the end time. When the disciples told Jesus that some people thought he was Elijah, they were expressing a common thought among the people that the end was very near.
Staff, www.Sermons.com
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A Point of Reference
The state highway department in Pennsylvania once set out to build a bridge working from both sides. When the workers reached the middle of the waterway, they found they were thirteen feet to one side of each other. Albert Steinberg, writing some time ago in the Saturday Evening Post, went on to explain that each crew of workmen had used its own reference point. No wonder they did not connect.
In that same article Steinberg tells about a small disc on the Meades Ranch in north central Kansas where the thirty-ninth parallel from the Atlantic to the Pacific crosses the ninety-eighth meridian running from Canada to the Rio Grande. The National Oceanic Survey, a small federal agency whose business it is to locate the exact positions of every point in the United States, uses the scientifically recognized reference point on the Meades Ranch. So far, no mistakes have been made, and none are expected. All ocean liners and commercial planes come under the survey. The government can build no dams or even launch a missile without this agency to tell it the exact location to the very inch. "Location by approximation," the article goes on to say, "can be costly and dangerous."
That's why there is so much chaos in our society today. Everyone's using their own reference point. What we need is a universal reference point so that we can say, "Here. Here is how the good life is lived."
For Christians there is such a reference point - and that is Jesus. What would Jesus do? That is the question that continually helps us in our quest for right living. Jesus not only revealed the character of God but he also patterned the ideal life for humanity. King Duncan
One Generation Away from Extinction
It has been pointed out that the Church is always one generation from extinction. If we don't spread the Gospel, it will be just one generation away from disappearing from the face of the earth. It's a compelling idea, isn't it? It enhances our sense of Christian responsibility. We need to get out there and work for the Gospel or the Church could fade into history.
Perhaps you have heard the old story about Jesus appearing in heaven just after his resurrection. Jesus is giving a progress report on all that has happened while he was on earth. Moses is there and he asks him, "Well Jesus, did you leave things in capable hands?"
Jesus responds, "I did. I have left behind Mary and Martha and Peter and the other disciples."
Moses said, "What if they fail?"
Jesus said, "Well, I have established the Church and filled it with the Holy Spirit and they will carry on."
And Moses said, "What if they fail?"
Came the reply, "I have no other plan."
There's a great tension there. God is at work here in our church but we've been given the keys of the Kingdom. We have work to do and Christ calls us to it. The prophet Micah put it this way: "do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with thy God."
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com
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People See Things Differently
People see things differently all the time. For example, three people - a minister, an archaeologist, and a cowboy - were getting their first look at the Grand Canyon one day. The minister exclaimed, "Truly this is one of the glories of God!" The archaeologist commented, "What a wonder of nature this is!" And the cowboy said, "Can you imagine trying to find a lost steer in there?" People see things differently.
The Messianic hope of those in the Jewish community who held such a belief was that the Chosen One would reestablish the supremacy of Israel among the great nations of the world. The assumption was that this would be accomplished in a violent and vengeful manner, with the forceful overthrow and total destruction of the current ruling powers. But before this happened, the prophet Elijah would return to herald the coming of the Chosen One. As a result of these hopes, Jesus had to somehow communicate to his disciples and others who had such high hopes for him that what he was offering was something completely different from what they expected.
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Irom Sharmila of Imphal India fasting last 14 years and force fed through tubes by the Govt fighting for a cause - against extra ordinary powers to the military.
Lata Tare of Baramati, MH, India ran at a marathon beating all experienced and well clad young runners. She was 61, grand mother, wearing a Maharashtrian 9 yard saree, no shoes or sandals. She needed the money for her husband's surgery. She didn't care for the trophy.
Yellavva from Yadgir Dt of Karnataka-400 Km north of Bangalore was 9 nine pregnant with her first child. Her village was totally marooned by flood waters. No ferries, no road connections. She tied pumpkin and other gourd pods on her body for floatation and buoyancy and swam 1 km across 14 feet deep waters and reached a hospital to give birth.
Ramesh Ramanathan is the founder of Bangalore based NGO Janagraha. Studied in US with his wife. Cycling at night from class to pick up his wife working at a McDonald's. They both resigned the jobs to come and work for people.
