Posted on 06/16/2012 7:50:40 PM PDT by Salvation
From: Ezekiel 17:22-24
The allegory come true (continued)
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Commentary:
17:22-24. Chapters 15-17 contain a number of allegories. The special feature of
the cedar tree allegory describing the eventual restoration is the way it puts the
stress on God’s action by explicitly repeating the first person singular: “I myself”,
“I the Lord will bring low”, “I the Lord have spoken”. Some commentators think
that these verses might have been inserted in the text later, but the style and
content of the oracle are perfectly in line with Ezekiel’s thinking.
“In the shade of its branches birds of every sort will rest” (v. 23): the same words
are used in the account of the flood about all sorts of birds entering Noah’s ark.
It points therefore to the eschatological nature of the oracle: after the exile, just
as after the flood, everything will be completely new, although it will derive from
something that already existed. Also, the reference to “birds of every sort” points
to the catholic nature of the new Israel. It is no surprise therefore that our Lord
should use similar imagery to describe the Kingdom of God: it is like a grain of
mustard seed that grows and “becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come
and make nests in its branches” (Mt 13:32).
“I the Lord bring low the high tree” (v. 24): here again we see the Lord as the pro-
tagonist in the history of the chosen people. He is the author of life, which makes
what is dry flourish, and of death, which withers the green tree. He has set his
might against those who, in their arrogance, do not accept him (cf. 31:10-14).
The New Testament will have much to say about the value of humility; for exam-
ple: “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will
be exalted” (Mt 23:12).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10
He is sustained by hope of heaven
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Commentary:
6. St Alphonsus says apropos of this verse: “This is not our fatherland; we are
here, as it were, passing through, like pilgrims [. . .]. Our fatherland is heaven,
which we have to merit by God’s grace and our own good actions. Our home is
not the one we live in at present, which serves only as a temporary dwelling; our
home is eternity” (Shorter Sermons, XVI).
However, as St Paul himself shows elsewhere (cf. Acts 16:16-40; 22:22-29; Rom
13:1-7; 2 Thess 3:6:13), this “being away” from the Lord does not mean that a
Christian should not concern himself with the building up of the earthly city. On
the contrary, he should do everything he can to build a world which is more and
more like what God wants it to be. Vatican II, for example, exhorts “Christians,
as citizens of both cities, to perform their duties faithfully in the spirit of the Gos-
pel. It is a mistake to think that, because we have here no lasting city, but seek
the city which is to come (cf. Heb 13:14), we are entitled to shirk our responsibi-
lities; this is to forget that, by our faith, we are bound all the more to fulfil these
responsibilities according to the vocation of each one (cf. 2 Thess 3:6-13; Eph 4:
28) [.. .]. The Christian who shirks his temporal duties shirks his duties towards
his neighbour, neglects God himself and endangers his eternal salvation. Let
Christians follow the example of Christ who worked as a craftsman; let them be
proud of the opportunity to carry out their earthly activity in such a way as to inte-
grate human, domestic, professional, scientific and technical enterprises with reli-
gious values, under whose supreme direction all things are ordered to the glory
of God” (Gaudium et spes, 43).
7. St Paul here speaks of faith as light which shows us the way as we progress
towards eternal life. However, when we reach our home in heaven we will no long-
er need the light of faith, because God himself and Christ will be our light (cf. Rev
21:23).
8-10. Here we can see the Apostle’s firm conviction that he will meet the Lord the
moment he dies. In other passages of Sacred Scripture the same truth is stated
(cf. Lk 16:22-23; 23:43), and the Magisterium of the Church has defined that souls
will receive their eternal reward or punishment immediately after death — or after
they pass through purgatory, if they have to do so (cf. Benedict XII, “Benedictus
Deus, Dz-Sch”, 1000).
This sentence of reward or punishment — given at the particular judgment and ra-
tified at the general judgment at the end of time — is based on the person’s merits
gained during his life on earth, for once he has died he can no longer merit. In
view of this judgment St Paul exhorts us to do everything we can in this life to
please the Lord. “Does your soul not burn with the desire to make your Father-
God happy when he has to judge you?” (St J. Escrivá, “The Way”, 746).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Mark 4:26-34
Parables of the Seed and of the Mustard Seed
[30] And He said, “With what can we compare the Kingdom of God, or what para-
ble shall we use for it? [31] It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown
upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; [32] yet when it is sown
it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
The End of the Parables Discourse
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Commentary:
26-29. Farmers spare no effort to prepare the ground for the sowing; but once the
grain is sown there is nothing more they can do until the harvest; the grain deve-
lops by itself. Our Lord uses this comparison to describe the inner strength that
causes the Kingdom of God on earth to grow up to the day of harvest (cf. Joel 3:
13 and Revelation 14:15), that is, the day of the Last Judgment.
Jesus is telling His disciples about the Church: the preaching of the Gospel, the
generously sown seed, will unfailingly yield its fruit, independently of who sows or
who reaps: it is God who gives the growth (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9). It will all hap-
pen “he knows not how”, without men being fully aware of it.
The Kingdom of God also refers to the action of grace in each soul: God silently
works a transformation in us, whether we sleep or watch, causing resolutions to
take shape in our soul—resolutions to be faithful, to surrender ourselves, to res-
pond to grace—until we reach “mature manhood” (cf. Ephesians 4:13). Even
though it is necessary for man to make this effort, the real initiative lies with God,
“because it is the Holy Spirit who, with His inspirations, gives a supernatural tone
to our thoughts, desires and actions. It is He who leads us to receive Christ’s tea-
ching and to assimilate it in a profound way. It is He who gives us the light by
which we perceive our personal calling and the strength to carry out all that God
expects of us. If we are docile to the Holy Spirit, the image of Christ will be found
more and more fully in us, and we will be brought closer every day to God the
Father. ‘For whoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God’
(Romans 8:14)” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 135).
30-32. The main meaning of this parable has to do with the contrast between the
great and the small. The seed of the Kingdom of God on earth is something very
tiny to begin with (Luke 12:32; Acts 1:15); but it will grow to be a big tree. Thus
we see how the small initial group of disciples grows in the early years of the
Church (cf Acts 2:47; 6:7; 12:24), and spreads down the centuries and becomes
a great multitude “which no man could number” (Revelation 7:9). This mysterious
growth which our Lord refers to also occurs in each soul: “the Kingdom of God is
in the midst of you” (Luke 17:21); we can see a prediction of this in the words of
Psalm 92:12: “The righteous grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” To allow the mercy
of God to exalt us, to make us grow, we must make ourselves small, humble
(Ezekiel 17:22-24; Luke 18:9-14).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
First reading | Ezekiel 17:22-24 © |
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Psalm | Psalm 91:2-3,13-16 © |
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Second reading | 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 © |
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Gospel Acclamation | Jn15:15 |
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Or |
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Gospel | Mark 4:26-34 © |
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We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary
By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.
The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
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From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"
PLEASE JOIN US -
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The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.
INVOCATION
O Heart of love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART
Devotion to the Sacred Heart was the characteristic note of the piety of Saint Gertrude the Great (1256-1302), Benedictine nun and renowned mystic. She was, in fact, the first great exponent of devotion to the Sacred Heart. In our efforts to honor the Heart of Jesus we have this prayer as a model for our own:
Hail! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. Thou art my refuge and my sanctuary, 0 my amiable Savior. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Thine is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Thy love, and let my heart be so united with Thine, that our wills may be one, and mine in all things be conformed to Thine. May Thy divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions. Amen.
Saint Gertrude
FOR THE CHURCH
O most holy Heart of Jesus, shower Thy blessings in abundant measure upon Thy holy Church, upon the Supreme Pontiff and upon all the clergy; to the just grant perseverance; convert sinners; enlighten unbelievers; bless our relations, friends and benefactors; assist the dying; deliver the holy souls in purgatory; and extend over all hearts the sweet empire of Thy love. Amen.
A PRAYER OF TRUST
O God, who didst in wondrous manner reveal to the virgin, Margaret Mary, the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart, grant that loving Thee, after her example, in all things and above all things, we may in Thy Heart find our abiding home.
Roman Missal
ACT OF LOVE
Reveal Thy Sacred Heart to me, O Jesus, and show me Its attractions. Unite me to It for ever. Grant that all my aspirations and all the beats of my heart, which cease not even while I sleep, may be a testimonial to Thee of my love for Thee and may say to Thee: Yes, Lord, I am all Thine;
pledge of my allegiance to Thee rests ever in my heart will never cease to be there. Do Thou accept the slight amount of good that I do and be graciously pleased to repair all m] wrong-doing; so that I may be able to bless Thee in time and in eternity. Amen.
Cardinal Merry del Val
MEMORARE TO THE SACRED HEART
Remember, O most sweet Jesus, that no one who has had recourse to Thy Sacred Heart, implored its help, or sought it mercy was ever abandoned. Encouraged with confidence, O tenderest of hearts, we present ourselves before Thee, crushes beneath the weight of our sins. In our misery, O Sacred Hear. of Jesus, despise not our simple prayers, but mercifully grant our requests.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
Only for Love: The Sacred Heart and the Priesthood [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Word of the Day: LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART, 10-19-09
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart Today
The Biblical Foundation of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [Ecumenical]
Heart to Heart (Sacred Heart of Jesus Devotion) [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
(June) The Month of the Sacred Heart {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
The Heart of the World (On the Sacred Heart of Jesus) (Catholic Caucus)
The Sacred Heart Is The Holy Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Origin of the Sacred Heart Badge
Importance of Devotion to the Sacred Heart
An Awesome Homily on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Father Edmond Kline
Catholic Prayer and Devotion: June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Devotions: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pope Urges Jesuits to Spread Sacred Heart Devotion
Homilies preached by Father Altier on the Feast of the Sacred Heart
Catholic Meditation and Devotion: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Daily Recomendation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus powerful prayer!
The Sacred Heart and the Eucharist
The Love of the Sacred Heart
On the Sacred Heart - "We Adore God's Love of Humanity"
HAURIETIS AQUAS (On Devotion To The Sacred Heart) - Encyclical by Pope Pius XII
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sacred Heart a Feast of God's Love, Says John Paul II
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: Symbol of Combativity and the Restoration of Christendom
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus-The Early Church, Middle Ages up to St. Margaret Mary
See this Heart
God Will Act and Will Reign
About Devotion To The Sacred Heart:The Story Of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Rediscover Feast of Sacred Heart, John Paul II Tells Youth
"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."
- Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary
Our Lord also made 12 promises to St. Margaret Mary for those that are devoted to His Sacred Heart.
June 2012
Pope's intentions
General Intention: Christ, Present in the Eucharist. That believers may recognize in the Eucharist the living presence of the Risen One who accompanies them in daily life.
Missionary Intention: European Christians. That Christians in Europe may rediscover their true identity and participate with greater enthusiasm in the proclamation of the Gospel.
In this weeks Gospel account from the fourth chapter of Mark, we read in Verse 33, With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private. In addition to offering his hearers and readers a straightforward account of the actual parables of Jesus, Mark deliberately includes an insight into Christs pedagogy and reasons why Jesus chose to teach in parables.
It should be noted that the aforementioned verse describing St. Marks insight into the manner in which Jesus taught was not an isolated mention of this concept. In Mark 4:10-14, we find an additional description of Jesus deliberate use of parables. It reads, And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. And He said to them, To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven. And he said to them, Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
The parables of Jesus employed elements of common life and daily living from which hearers could cull spiritual truths. Parables bridged the gap between earthly realities and heavenly ones. However, the parables were not meant to exhaust the insights into the kingdom of God that Jesus wanted His hearers to know. Thus, the parables were not merely allegories. In an allegory, every element of the image presented contains an inner meaning. Since parables were intended to be heard and not read, they were designed to produce an immediate reaction in the hearers minds. Parables could be understood at once without a detailed study. In order to give the deeper levels of understanding, Mark tells us that Jesus taught His disciples the meaning of the parables in more detail. In turn, these first disciples the first leaders of the Church have handed on this deposit of faith down through the ages in what constitutes the tradition of the Church.
Similarly, Jesus used parables to help His new followers better understand the kingdom of God, as they were able. By this, St. Mark reminds us that not everyone perceived the meaning of the parables with the same acumen. The hearer of the parable could only respond to the parable according to his disposition toward Jesus Christ and his capacity to understand the parables meaning. In order to avoid any semblance that the parables contained secret knowledge that was only accessible to some but not others, Mark infers that Jesus desired each person to understand that which he could understand about the kingdom and react accordingly. Not everyone would have the theological insights of a St. Paul or a St. Thomas Aquinas some understood Jesus and others did not.
For ourselves, we are expected to bear fruit for the kingdom according to our capacity. We will be judged according to how much fruit we have produced vis-a-vis the talents we were given for production. As for parables, we may hear a parable many times and each time, it may mean something different to us, according to our life circumstances. The parables remain evergreen sources of insight into the kingdom and should inspire us to advance it.
Fr. Magat is parochial vicar of St. William of York Parish in Stafford.
The readings today speak of Gods providence often displayed in humble, hidden and mysterious ways. While it is true that God and does work in overpowering ways, yet, his more common method would seem to be using the humbler and even unlikely things of the created order to accomplish his goals.
For we who are disciples, there are three related teachings given us that speak of how God will make use of us and others. It will also be good to link these teaching to Fathers Day which occurs this weekend in the US. In a word, each of these three teachings are described as: Adaptability, Awe-Ability, and Accountability.
I. ADAPTABILITY. We hear in both the first reading and the Gospel how God can take what is very humble, and adapt it to be something very mighty and powerful.
Perhaps it is the tender shoot of the first reading that becomes a mighty oak: I, [the Lord], will take from the crest of the cedar a tender shoot, and plant it on a high and lofty mountain; It shall put forth branches and bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar. (Ezekiel 17:22-23)
Perhaps it is the mustard seed of the first reading which becomes a great shade tree: The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade (Mk 4:32-33).
Yes, God adapts us for his purposes and no one should say, I cannot be used. An old song says, If you can use anything Lord, you can use me.And old litany says,
The next time you think God cant use you, remember:
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses was murderer had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt and depressed
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer.
Lazarus was dead!
No excuses then, God chooses the weak and makes them strong
In fact, it is often our very weakness that is the open door for God. In our strength we are usually too proud to be of any use to God. Moses was too strong at age forty when he pridefully murdered a man, and thought he was doing both the Jews and God a favor. Only forty years later, at age 80, was Moses weak and humble enough to depend on God. Only then could God use him.
Yes, God often uses the humble things, and the humble people of this earth to do his greatest work. St Paul says,
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised thingsand the things that are notto nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Cor 1:25-29).
Therefore, we are invited in this principle to consider that it is not merely the biggie-wow things that we do, where God can work. It is also in the humble and imperfect things about us, the mustard seed faith, the tiny shoots and humble growth, that God can magnify his power.
When I think of my father, I do not remember all the wise sayings he bestowed, but I do remember who he was: a man passionate about what was right, a man who did what was right, often a great personal sacrifice. I remember how he fought for my mentally ill sister when the insurance company wanted to forsake her. I remember how strong and manly my father was. I remember that I always had food, clothing and shelter. I remember that I had a college education, all paid for. I remember his love for learning and his capacity to speak and write with persuasive power. I remember how he cared for my mother in the struggle of her final fifteen years and how he almost never left her side.
In all these things, great and small, but especially in the small, daily duties, that God worked through my father to sustain his family and give us the most lasting example of what it means to be a man, a father and a disciple.
My Father was not perfect. Among other things he struggled with anger, but it was also that anger that made him passionate about what was right and which pointed to his integrity. Yes, even in the humblest things, our shortcomings, God can work and bring forth mighty things.
So the first principle is adaptability, that God can take and adapt even the humblest, ordinary and lowly things and bring forth might and lasting fruit. Never despair of what is most humble about you, or that you are of little account on the world stage. It is precisely our humble state which God will most often use to bring forth his greatest and most lasting works.
II. AWE-ABILITY, the capacity to reverence mystery and to have wonder and awe at what God does. In the Gospel Jesus emphasizes that, though a man plants seeds he does not really know the deeper mysteries of life and growth:
This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. (Mk 4:26-27)
Despite our often self-congratulatory celebration of our sciences, and of how much we think we know, there is much more we do not know or understand. We do well to maintain a reverential awe of the deeper mysteries of Gods works, and his ways. We are also rather poor at assessing whether, and how effective, our methods may be. We may come away from a project and consider it to have been very effective, and little comes of it in the long run. And then too, some of what we consider a poor effort, and ineffective, may often bear great fruit. God works in his own ways and we do well to remember that God may well surprise us and remind us he is able and is in charge.
Some years ago, a friend of mine had at her desk a God can. In was a metal cookie box, and on the cover was the saying, He worketh in strange and mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. Into this box she would place slips of papers on which were written the challenges, struggles and failures of her life. These were the things where, when she met the limits of her strengths and abilities, she would say, I cant ..but God can. And into this metal God can went the slips of paper, placed there in hope that God could make a way out of no way. And, quite often He did.
We do well to cultivate a sense of wonder and awe and who God is and what and how he works. Not only does this bring us joy, but is also opens us to hope, and to the possibilities that God can work in hidden ways to exult what is humble and to bring great transformation to those who are cast down and troubled, including ourselves and our culture. As we saw in point one, it is often in the humblest things that God does his mightiest works.
III. ACCOUNTABILITY. If it is true that we cant, but God can; if it is true that God can use us mightily despite our humble state, our weakness, and even our sin; if all this is true, then there can be no excuses for not bearing fruit in our life. And, to one extent or another, all of us are accountable to the Lord as to how we let him use us and work through us, to further his Kingdom,
The second reading reminds us For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil (2 Cor 5:9-10)
For, as we have seen God is able to adapt, and to work in wondrous and hidden ways to lift us up, even if we are humble and struggle. Given this capacity of God, we must one-day render an account to how we have responded to Gods grace and his invitation to be exulted.
On that day of judgment the expression I couldnt will ring hollow, because as we have seen: God CAN Todays readings remind us to be open to what God can do, often in mysterious ways, and even with the most humble things in our lives.
On this Fathers Days, all men who are fathers are asked to stand up and be counted; to stand up and receive a blessing. Fathers, of course, have great obligations. But as we have seen, God can do mighty things even in our imperfections and struggles.
The first thing every Father must do is turn to God and say, If you can use anything, Lord, you can use me. He then has the obligation to let God go to work through him and to realize that he will be held accountable if he blocks Gods grace or refuses to let God work.
My father, in his later years became something of a penitent. He had been away from the Church for more than twenty years, and returned in 1989, the year I was ordained. I know my mother and Grandmother had surely prayed for his return.
But my father never did anything halfway. When he returned he went to weekday Mass (never missed a day, even on vacation), daily rosary, daily Stations of the Cross, daily Chaplet of Divine Mercy. One day I said to him, Wowsa Dad, thats really high octane! He said, Listen son, I did a lot of sinning early on, and Ive got some serious ground to make up!
Yes, for all the prayers he had not said and all the masses he missed, he surely made up lost ground, and then some. And while one may argue as to the theology of grace operative in his thinking, he surely had his judgment in mind and knew that, whereas once he had blocked Gods grace from flowing through him, now he would open the floodgates and let Gods work flow through like him a mighty stream.
I know his family and this world benefited enormously from his largely hidden hours in Church and at other hours of the day. I have little doubt that I am in great debt to him for his many prayers for me, and now I render some of the debt by praying often masses for the repose of his soul and that of my mother.
In my own parish, I am calling the men to account in this year. I am summoning them to spend a year preparing, with prayer, Bible study and fellowship to make the following pledge:
I DO solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.
I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
This resolution comes from the movie Courageous, which I strongly recommend you see, if you have not already done so. We will gather with men from, I pray, five other parishes, study, pray and prepare, so that the men can knowingly, and with reflection. make this resolution.
Indeed, all of us, men and women will be held accountable. For even if we cant, God can. And even if we feel too humble and insignificant, God does his greatest work with humble things and people. For us it is simply to say that we have an adaptability that God can use, and this should inspire in us an Awe-ability that joyfully acknowledges Gods often secretive and hidden power. If that be the case, then, knowing our accountability, it simply remains for us to say, If you can use anything, Lord, you can use me!
26 And he said: "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground,
27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how.
28 The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
30 And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?
31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;
32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;
34 he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
The reign of God will grow to its fullness, despite all obstacles.
Sunday, June 17, 2012 Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. |
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