Month: February 2017

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Disappointment and Renewal

Sixth Week of Ordinary Time

Disappointment. It’s an experience as common as death and taxes. Who has not felt disappointed in someone or something? Who has not felt disappointed in our own selves at times? Is it possible to get through a week – or even a day – without feeling some form of disappointment? Where do all these disappointments come from?

At every stage of our lives – friendship, school, work, marriage, family, or parish, to name but a few – we bring certain hopes and expectations to the table. We have expectations as to what our role and contributions will be, and hopes and expectations as to what others who are involved will be and do. The more important something is to us, the more important it will be that our hopes and expectations are met. When they are not met, the more bitter our disappointment will feel.  Continue reading “Disappointment and Renewal”

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Fulfilling, Not Abolishing

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A): Matthew 5:17-37

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” – Matthew 5:17

Calling something – or, God forbid, someone – old is never a compliment. In our society, with constant technological improvements, we have come to assume that the new is better than the old. In our ads which glorify youth (because young people are more vulnerable to advertising as a rule), we have come to assume that being or looking young is better than being or looking old. Therefore, when we look at the Bible, we will instinctively prefer the “New” Testament over the “Old”, and view the “Old” as somehow obsolete. It’s as though, in computer lingo, the Old Testament was the beta version of the Bible, and the New Testament the official release.  Continue reading “Fulfilling, Not Abolishing”

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Noise and Silence

Friday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time: Mark 7:31-37

Whenever we approach any passage in Scripture, it is good to ask ourselves, “Where do I see myself here? How does it speak to me? How does it speak to us?” This is just as true for accounts of Jesus healing someone. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus heals a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. If we are not physically deaf – or hearing-impaired in any way – it may be tempting to see this simply as a moment when Jesus is compassionate to someone else in need. But what is my need here? What is yours? How are you and I deaf? What impedes our speech? How do we need healing now?  Continue reading “Noise and Silence”

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GPS

Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Have you ever seen one of the old silent movies – or heard stories about people who saw them? You know, the ones where the villain would appear, dressed in black and playing with his mustache, and the audience – as well-trained as Pavlov’s dogs – would immediately hiss and boo? Whenever the Pharisees are mentioned in the Gospels, we almost instinctively begin to hiss and boo – inwardly, at least. We tend to see them as the villains in the story of Jesus (black clothing and mustache optional).  Continue reading “GPS”

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Salt, Light, and a City Set on a Hill

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) – Matthew 5:13-16

As we continue to hear from the Sermon on the Mount, we once again hear familiar images coming from the mouth of Jesus: “salt of the earth”, “light of the world”, “city set on a hill”. Even people who aren’t members of any church will recognize these images. But what do they mean for us? How are we salt, or light, or a city on a hill?

Jesus says, “You (plural) are salt; you (plural) are light; you (plural) are that city”. So, who is this “you”? It is all those who follow Jesus: his disciples, his Body, his Church. All believers, together. And who are we as believers? We are the people, first of all, whom Jesus has just described in the Beatitudes, which came just before this passage.  Continue reading “Salt, Light, and a City Set on a Hill”