Homily Notes for the Fourth Sunday of the Year

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Father Joe
Image

The Gospel this evening is the presentation of the Beatitudes by our Lord. It is essentially a guide toward holiness or sainthood. As Catholics we ordinarily ponder the men and women canonized by the Church. Here at Holy Family, we even celebrate a monthly saint, requesting intercession and seeking our own emulation.  But in truth, there are far more saints than those few on any list that we might keep.  The saints of God are listed in heaven.  While we struggle with our sinfulness, how many living saints have we encountered over the years? I think of all the good Catholics that helped their fellow man and were faithful to the sacraments.  There are likely some in this Church as I speak who are very close to God.  Sainthood is not an unreachable goal.  By God’s grace, we can all know sanctification and holiness of life.  It is the one goal we have in life. Nothing else matters other than becoming holy and eventually finding ourselves with the Lord in his heavenly kingdom. Years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the mount upon which Jesus preached the Beatitudes.  There was a small but beautiful chapel there. Just as our Lord instructed his apostles, today there is a seminary on that hill where men are prepared for the priesthood. What do these benedictions teach us? 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The word for poor here is (’anāwîm), taken from the Old Testament it refers to the destitute who have nothing but God.  It came to infer the qualities of lowliness or a profound humility.  The addition of the words “in spirit” are added by Matthew to clarify that being materially poor would not necessarily save anyone.  We know that in our own society, poverty is often a catalyst for jealousy and crime.  Hearts can be poisoned by resentment toward the rich or because of struggle. Disappointment can twist or corrupt the soul. Poor people often suffer from the rich man’s dreams.  By contrast, poverty in spirit might be voluntary, as with religious who embrace poverty for the kingdom.  Christian poverty also implies acceptance in whatever comes.  We see ourselves as unworthy and all that we have as a gift.  It also implies generosity.  We would not want to be well off at the cost of a neighbor who is homeless, hungry, naked and afraid. Poverty in spirit means that we might have things, but we would not allow the things to have us.  True richness is not found in material things but in standing in right relationship with God.  We are all the poor man or woman, dependent upon God.

“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Many question God because of the problem of pain or suffering. This blessing would turn that around. We should not get angry or run away from God because of loss or a hard life.  Rather, we should trust that God will make all things right. This implies not only that God will give comfort, but that as his stewards we should try to bring a healing presence to the pain of others. The ultimate response of God to pain is solidarity with Christ in his passion and death.  God is present with us, and we must be present to one another.  We are together in this.  We are not alone or abandoned.  

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.”

Just as in the story of salvation, the Jewish promise of Jerusalem and a land of their own was only made possible by the power of God.  Human strength of arms would always fall short.  However, if we keep the covenant, God will keep us.  As Christians, this land refers to the kingdom of Christ, realized in the Church and in the promise of heaven. We must acknowledge our profound dependence upon God.  

“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”

This benediction gives root to the Church’s teachings on social justice. We yearn for a world where the right prevails and evil is thwarted. Unfortunately, then and now, there is so much injustice and prejudice.  Good people suffer and the bad seem to flourish.  Ordinarily we understand righteousness as moral conduct that conforms to divine law or God’s will. Here it means something more. Righteousness is literally the saving power of God.  We cannot make ourselves good, only God can do that.  Only the Lord can save us.  We cannot save ourselves.  We are sinners who need a Savior.  We must submit to God’s plan of salvation.  Jesus is faithful to this mission from the Father, unto the Cross. 

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

It is as in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  It is only by forgiving others that we open ourselves to divine mercy.

“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.”

Just as one had to be ritually pure to worship God in the temple, our Lord takes it one further and teaches that we must be clean of heart or pure to see God in heaven.  We must become perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  This appreciation is behind our understanding of penance, absolution and prayer for the poor souls.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Ultimately this peace is about more than avoiding hostility or violence. It means a radical imitation of Christ. Our Lord would have us joined or united with him in how we confront earthly power and injustice.  The peace of Christ demands trust and sublime courage in facing the mystery of evil. This unity is in terms of adoption into the family of God.  

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

We will know that we are on God’s side because the world will target us as signs of contradiction.  If there is no tension with the world and no opposition, it means one of two things: either we have converted the world (which is unlikely) or that the world has compromised us. 

“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

I suspect this last beatitude is where our Lord lost some of his disciples.  Who wants to be insulted or persecuted or even murdered.  We naturally turn away from such prospects.  And yet, as a parable people, we are to find joy in such adversity. It is not because we love suffering or pain, that would be sadistic. No, the overriding reality in this scenario is that we walk with the Lord. Whatever the world takes away. God can give back many times over.  The natural man must give way to the supernatural man. There is a crown in heaven waiting for the saints who have followed the Lamb.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary as Mediatrix & Co-redemptrix

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Father Joe
Image

QUESTION:

Recently the Vatican repealed the use of two Marian titles. Father Maurizio Gronchi, a Christology expert and consultant to the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, warned that considering the Virgin Mary as “Co-Redemptrix” or “Mediatrix” distorts the Christian faith and leads to a superstitious view.

Is it superstition to think that the Virgin Mary has the role of holding back God’s wrath? Is it true that those who claim such are not thinking in accordance with the Gospel?

RESPONSE:

I knew a Mariologist back in 1978 who argued with us on retreat, saying that the notion of Mary holding back the wrath of Christ was heretical. However, I suspect that he needed a more nuanced appreciation of matters. The wrath of God is not divine anger but rather divine justice.  Mary intercedes for her spiritual children, that they will NOT be punished as they deserve but rather saved by God’s mercy. Mary, as a special intercessor and conduit for sanctifying grace, helps to bring the forgiveness of Calvary to those for whom Jesus died. I would argue that the very substance or fabric of Mary’s protective mantle of mercy is her Son, the Divine Mercy. There is no clash between wills. The immaculate heart and the sacred heart both beat as one in love for us.

Father Maurizio Gronchi is right about doctrine, but I suspect he is too fearful about superstition in Mary’s regard.  Indeed, the challenge today is not any organized heresy about the Blessed Mother, but rather an ignorance (both in and out of the Church) about what we believe regarding Christ.  The recent promulgation against the Marian titles “co-redemptrix” and “mediatrix” was unnecessary. The Vatican has even walked back the document somewhat, admitting that the prohibition for the terms was not absolute.

Father Gronchi states that Mary is not a goddess. Yes, she is a blessed creature.  He teaches that Jesus is our one Mediator and Redeemer. Again, the answer is yes— this is at the core of the Christian faith. The problem with the titles, which is a hurdle mostly for our Protestant friends, is that they are misunderstood or poorly defined. Mediatrix has to do with Mary’s role as the one hailed by an angel as “full of grace.” The graces of God pass from the head to the body of the mystical body through Mary. Co-redemptrix refers to Mary’s cooperative role with her Son in his saving work.  As the Immaculate Conception or new Eve, she says YES to God for all humanity at her annunciation. Indeed, this YES is threaded through her entire life, climaxing at the Cross on Calvary where she surrenders her Son (the new Adam) to our heavenly Father. The final proof of her cooperation with Christ is when Jesus commends her to our emissary John, “Behold your mother!”

Most Mariologists I have read feel that the prohibition of the two titles is itself dangerous given that the they are found throughout tradition and in the writings of popes, including recent ones.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pastor’s Christmas Letter 2025

Posted on December 10, 2025 by Father Joe
Image

Have a blessed Christmas!

A secular world can make no sense of the Incarnation. Instead of celebrating Christ, the world would have us focus upon ourselves. Children increasingly sing songs in school about a red-nosed reindeer or a snowman that came to life one day or a merry old elf who brings presents— but next to nothing about a child in a manger, shepherds, wise men or the joyous hymns of angels. Not wanting to offend those with non-Christian beliefs, we end up offending all religion and people of faith.

God pours himself into Mary and enters the human family. Mary’s free consent offsets the disobedience of the first Eve. Christ, the new Adam, will assail the forbidden tree (now made into a cross) so that there might be a new birth of sons and daughters, remade in his likeness. Mary always brings her spiritual children to her Son.  One might say that her mission is symbolized by the star of Bethlehem that led the wise men.  Indeed, one of her titles is that of our Lady, Star of the Sea.

While our chief preoccupation at Christmas is the coming of Christ, it is quite natural to reflect upon the motherhood of Mary. We regularly recite the angelic salutation: “Ave Maria, Gratia plena, Dominus tecum!” Mary is full of grace (gratia plena) and preserved from sin.  Jesus came into the world that we might know grace and be saved.  The angel also says, “the Lord is with thee,” and like the words of consecration at Mass, the Lord is conceived in her womb.  Christmas really begins with the Annunciation. Wise men follow a star and come as witnesses for the Gentiles. Shepherds answer the hymn of angels and gather to pay reverence as fellow Jews. In other words, the whole world will pay homage to this newborn king, because he will bring about a new kingdom and a new people. Astrologers give Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:1-12). But we have been given the greatest gift, the Son of God and of Mary. Never in the way, Mary welcomes us to Jesus. Why did God in become a man? Human nature is not only restored in dignity but is complemented by the supernatural presence of God. The unity between God and man disrupted by sin is bridged in Jesus Christ. “When the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). Remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Keep Christ in Christmas!

Fr. Joseph A. Jenkins, PASTOR

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

[7] Third Sunday of Advent

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Father Joe

Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 / Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 / James 5:7-10 / Matthew 11:2-11

Image

We are celebrating the Third Sunday of Advent.  Three candles are burning before the altar, including the one that is rose colored.  It signifies our joy in knowing that Christmas will soon be here.  I have fond memories as a seminarian when we would light the candles of the Advent wreath before meals, offer a blessing prayer, and sing a stanza of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. My favorite goes as follows:

Image

We remember the first coming of Christ as we await the second coming and the consummation of the world. What was started will be finished. Christ is the light which dispels the darkness of a cold world enraptured by sin and death. Between the two comings, Christ has not utterly abandoned us; he pours himself into our souls as saving and actual grace. We need no longer fear the twilight or the day of tomorrow. The victory has been won in Christ. Jesus became a human being so that he might take our punishment for sin upon his shoulders. Our sins delivered Christ to the cross and to the grave. The loving Spirit of God liberated him from the tomb and us along him.

The first reading prophecies about the coming of the Messiah as the catalyst for a whole series of reversals:

  • desert/parched land/steppe → exult/rejoice/bloom
  • feeble hands → strengthen
  • weak knees → make firm
  • frightened hearts → fear not
  • blind eyes → opened
  • deaf ears → cleared
  • lame → will leap
  • mute tongue → will sing
  • exiles → will return
  • sorrow and mourning → will meet joy and gladness

The ransom mentioned here is paid by Christ on the Cross.  He comes to offer “divine recompense” or to pay the price for our redemption that we could not pay. He comes “to save” us. We are reminded that the Lord comes as a child into the human family but he is still a divine person— he comes with a mission.

The responsorial echoes the first reading in that the Lord comes to “save us.”  While not entirely spelled out, it also implies a number of reversals:

  • an unfaithful people → a God who “keeps faith forever”
  • the oppressed → secures justice
  • the hungry → given food
  • captives → set free
  • the blind → given sight
  • the bowed down → raised up

It adds that “the fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts.” He is the God of justice and compassion.

The epistle from James would have us set our sights on the second coming of Christ when all will be consummated.  He urges us to be patient and not to lose heart, no matter how long we must wait and despite adversity.  As true sentinels, we must always be about the master’s business— loving and forgiving one another. It is this posture that will preserve us on the Day of Judgment.

When John the Baptist asks about Christ, the Lord’s identity is affirmed precisely through the many reversals associated with the coming Messiah. Jesus tells them “Go and tell John what you hear and see.”

  • the blind → regain their sight
  • the lame → walk
  • unclean lepers → are cleansed
  • the deaf → hear
  • the dead → are raised
  • the poor → made rich by the “good news proclaimed”

Our Lord then affirms John as a prophet who pointed to something greater than himself— the Christ.

A tender Christmas hymn is O Come, All Ye Faithful . . . Note that the hymn invokes the Lord to speed swiftly to us. We, in return, must rush toward him. One stanza reads as follows:

Image

Who would not love thee? And yet, dear friends, that is the puzzling question we face as commercialism and fable seeks to displace the child of Bethlehem. One point fourteen million babies in 2024 were aborted in America – everyone a reflection of the Christ-child – who would not love thee? Let us continue to show by our words and actions, that we are very much in love with our Savior – where ever he is to be found. He is the God of reversals— able to soften hardened hearts— granting life where there is death and joy where we find sorrow.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

[4] Second Sunday of Advent 2025

Posted on December 8, 2025 by Father Joe

Isaiah 11:1-10 / Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 / Romans 15:4-9 / Matthew 3:1-12

Image

The first reading from the prophet Isaiah points to the coming Messiah, a future leader from the line of Jesse and thus counted as a son of David. While often imaged in terms of military might, he will herald peace, justice, and right standing with God. The Spirit of the Lord will be upon him. He will inherit the wisdom of Solomon. The harmony lost in the garden will be restored to creation. This prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Note that he is conceived by the Holy Spirit, and the dove announces his presence in the waters of the Jordan before John the Baptist. Jesus is eternal wisdom, the Word taken flesh. He comes to heal the rift caused by sin. We read that “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,” signifying a restoration of a fallen Israel and Judah. More than that, we are looking to the rebirth of a world wounded by sin, suffering and death. The gifts of the spirit are listed. Harmony will prevail where previously there was enmity and division. His justice will be truth and definitive. Just his breath will slay the wicked. Such is his mysterious power. This imagery points to one more than human but divine. Enemies will become friends. Jews and Gentiles will join as one people. The responsorial psalm affirms the Messianic age as one of justice and peace. The second reading emphasizes the value of Scripture and prophecy for formation and unity in the Lord.  We take instruction from the living Word, and he grants us patience and hope. We obey by taking up our crosses and following him. We glorify God with one voice. The Old Covenant makes room for the New. Jesus is both the Jewish Messiah and Christ as well as the Savior of the world.  We further our Lord’s mission by proclaiming the Good News. Following Jesus means not only imitation of the Lord but a transformation into Christ.

Today’s Gospel from Matthew introduces John the Baptist as the prophet or voice in the wilderness, making ready the way of the Lord.  He offers a water baptism of repentance to make room for genuine faith. He does not mince words about the Jewish leadership. He is surprised that some of them have come out. Are they only curious or are they seeking to avoid the coming judgment of God? He demands that they provide proof of repentance. John explains that the one coming after him will “baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.” That which has no value will be separated out and burned. The language here seems less about the first coming of Christ as it does the second, when our Lord will return to judge the nations. His harvesters, the angels, will separate the good from the bad. No pretense— because God’s justice, while harsh, is honest or just. Only Contrition, Charity and Conversion can save sinners.

A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT FIRE

Giant Sequoia and certain Pines have “serotinous” cones that require the heat of fire to melt resin, open the scales, and release seeds for germination. While we might judge a forest fire as a natural evil, these trees cannot exist unless there is an occasional fire to clear the ground for its life cycle. I have often thought that we might be the same in a spiritual sense.  Even our redemption required the passion and death of Christ. Our discipleship consists of taking up our crosses and following Jesus. The Church, herself, seems to grow best, not in times of peace and plenty, but in the crucible of adversity and hunger.  The Lord Jesus comes with a baptism of Spirit and fire, wherein we must die to self to be reborn for the kingdom. Jesus enters the human family, becomes a man so that we might know the divinization of grace and enter the family of God. Even our views of the afterlife include the notion of fire. The saints of God bask in the heavenly fire of God’s love.  The poor souls are purified and perfected by the fire of God’s mercy.  The damned are punished by the fire of divine justice.  It always comes back to fire.  The natural world also gives us many purposes or meanings for fire.  It provides warmth against the cold. It cooks our food and warms our drink that sustains us. It lightens our way through the darkness. And yet, as necessary as fire is for life, we fear it for its power to destroy.  We seek to master it but sometimes it masters us.  The fire that is God’s Spirit is even more mysterious. 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

[1] First Sunday of Advent 2025

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Father Joe

Isaiah 2:1-5 / Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 / Romans 13:11-14 / Matthew 24:37-44

Image

Today we begin the Advent season and Advent is a time of preparation. Look into your lives as you prepare for the non-spiritual celebration of Christmas – a time of shopping and cooking – of tree-buying and decorating – a time of cleaning. It is also a time of renewal. Before texting, Facebook and emails, many of us would write letters and holiday cards to friends reconnecting and telling them about the past year with its joys and sorrows. We would renew old friendships. Given the current cost of postage and the intrusion of modern technology, letters and cards are increasingly out of fashion.

It is still a time of travel. Families and friends try to get together. If this is so physically, I would remind us that Advent is a season of spiritual travel. We travel into the Light and by the Light. Today, we ignite one candle on the Advent wreath and as the weeks go by we will light the second, third, and fourth. It is hoped that the Light of Christ will burn evermore brightly in our hearts. While we might be surrounded by darkness, we are called as pilgrims to follow the one who is the Light of the World. He illumines our way into the kingdom.  The promise of the first reading is realized: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” Without the Lord, we would be lost.

Advent is a time of coming home.  It is also a season of becoming, knowing both growth and fulfillment in the Lord. Advent is the pregnant time in the history of salvation. We make ready for the Second Coming of Christ by remembering his first coming hidden in the womb of Mary.  Advent signifies the ancient promise given the Jews for a coming Messiah. Christmas is the realization of that promise.  Later Lent and Easter will celebrate the work of our Savior to redeem a people and to give us a share in his divine life.

Today’s first reading speaks of a day of promise when God’s justice will be fulfilled and peace will reign.  The responsorial recalls Jerusalem as the city for the first people chosen as we await a new house of the Lord. “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.” This admonition is fulfilled with the house Jesus built, the Church. The second reading urges us to read the signs of the times. The days grow short and we must be awake or alert as watch-persons for the Lord, ready when he comes. We read: “You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed . . . .” The Gospel continues this theme. We are urged to be steadfast, awake sentinels for the Lord’s return and judgment.  Jesus says, “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

In our readings over the next few weeks, we will hear of a call to peace, and a call to justice. There is a joyful hope. Indeed, we will be told to rejoice because the Lord is near, because the Lord has removed the judgment against us. We also begin a new liturgical year. We have a fresh start; a chance to set our spiritual lives on a path that will lead us to that joyful welcoming of the Christ-child on Christmas morning. We will also heed the words of John the Baptizer when he says, make ready the way of the Lord; and when he tells us to receive a baptism of repentance. In the light of the liturgical renewal and in response to the Baptist’s cry, we would do well to reflect upon the sacrament of reconciliation.

The sacrament of reconciliation, as we shall see is also a means of preparation. It allows us to be healed and restored. It joins us more closely to Almighty God as it is his life, his grace, which we receive every time we celebrate the sacrament. Oftentimes we think that we only receive God in the Eucharist. We receive God every time we celebrate any of the sacraments; because each sacrament was instituted to be a channel or instrument of God’s life – God’s grace. The sacrament of penance is a sign of hope and loving trust in God’s forgiveness. It is a call to justice, a justice which forces us to examine, in truth, our relationship with God, with our brothers and sisters, and with our very selves. The sacrament also brings us peace. Oftentimes, the emotional burdens of guilt can weigh heavily upon us. It causes stress and disruption in our lives. By celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation, we can put much of this behind us. We can be at peace with ourselves and with those whom we encounter. Finally, this sacrament allows us to begin again— to be restored— to be made whole.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

[144] Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on October 12, 2025 by Father Joe
Image

2 Kgs 5:14-17 / Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 / 2 Tm 2:8-13 / Lk 17:11-19

There are a number of interesting features about the encounter between Naaman the Leper and the Prophet Elisha.  Following the same legal prescription as Jesus, the prophet tells him to wash himself.  Ordinarily, lepers would then show themselves to the Jewish priests and if declared clean they could return to their families and communities.  Naaman comes back to Elisha and acknowledges a transformation beyond that of the flesh.  He has undergone a conversion.  He says, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”  This fits with the psalm response, “The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.”  This is somewhat exceptional given that Judaism is a faith rooted in heredity and roots, not so much one of evangelical outreach like Christianity. The healed man wants to repay the prophet but Elisha refuses to accept it.  Naaman, acquiesces, but he says, “Please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD.” In other words, he will also count himself as a believer in the God of Israel.  Since the Jewish people associate their faith with a promised land, Naaman wants to take something of it with him— the soil or dirt.  The closest thing I have ever seen to this was back in seminary.  One of my classmates, Martin Holley, who later became a Catholic bishop, would keep bottles of different colored sand from various beaches in Florida which was his home.  During the cold of winter, he would put a blanket on his room floor, pour out some sand and just imagine he was relaxing on a Florida beach.  I think he even sometimes said his prayers that way. 

The second reading affirms that while our faith is derived from the first people chosen by God, our conversion or belief centers upon the person of Jesus Christ.  Paul lays out the fundamental truth: “If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us.”  This speaks to the depth of faith in each of us— a shallow or part-time discipleship will not save you. We must enter into the paschal mystery.  We must join our sacrifices and struggles to the one saving oblation of Christ.  Like Paul, we must share this faith if it is truly real.  The Christian faith is relational— to individuals and to communities.  The only way to keep it is to give it away. 

Note the similarities between the stories of the Old and New Testament today.  Jesus encounters ten lepers.  Given that the law forbade the close approach of lepers for fear of contagion, they cry out from a distance, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”

Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests.  They are all cleansed and only the Samaritan leper returns to Jesus.  No doubt the others went to the priests and then home.  But given the enmity between Samaritans and Jews, this one “former” leper falls at the feet of Jesus and offers thanks. This foreshadows the coming new covenant.  Jesus is the one high priest of Christianity.  He is priest and victim— the one who offers the sacrifice of his life for the salvation of souls.  He is the true source of healing and life.  Jesus tells him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

When we come to Church, we also give thanks to God.  The ground upon which we walk is holy because of the one present here.  Jesus feeds us and heals us and frees us.  All of us come to the Lord as spiritual lepers, disfigured by sin and wounded.  As with the Samaritan man healed from leprosy, at the end of Mass Jesus also dismisses us but with the summons to go forth in mission and to spread the Good News. 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

[141] Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on October 5, 2025 by Father Joe
Image

Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4 / Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 / 2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14 / Lk 17:5-10

The prophet Habakkuk ministers at a time that is difficult for Israel.  The Assyrian forces have destroyed cities and many have been killed.  It will not be long before the Babylonians will attack Jerusalem and force God’s people into exile. During this in-between time they reflect upon past violence and feel helpless to stop what is coming. The prophet is overwhelmed by what they have suffered.  His cry to God is not simply rhetorical.  He really wants to know why God has allowed this oppression of his nation.  I suspect that we have sometimes felt like the prophet.  We look around and we see corruption among our leaders, widespread injustice and oppression, and wars and the rumors of war.  Why do the wicked flourish and the just suffer? He laments as he speaks to God for his people, “How long, O LORD?  I cry for help but you do not listen!”

Jesus tells us that all we need to do is ask and God will be generous with us.  And yet, like Habakkuk, we cry to heaven and sometimes it seems that we are not heard.  Why is this?  Are we asking for the wrong things?  Are we undeserving of help?  And then we remember the witness of Jesus on the Cross.  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Our Lord quotes a psalm that gives words to this basic experience of abandonment that is part of the human condition.  The psalm goes on to affirm God’s presence and concern, but this signifies the full reality of Christ taking upon himself our wounded humanity.  Jesus is echoing the lament of all humanity and Jesus as a divine Person come to save us is the response to that cry or prayer.  We have not been forgotten.  Jesus would have us imitate is confidence in divine providence.  The scene of his agony parallels the crucifixion.  Jesus prays, “Father, if this cup can pass me by” but then immediately asserts, “Not my will by thy will be done.”  Our Lord speaks to the Father on the Cross and says, “I commend my spirit.  It is finished.”  He redeems a people by taking upon himself the sins of the world.  The prophet Habakkuk prayed that his nation might know healing and peace but there was still much to endure.  Jesus grants us a share in his kingdom but it will also come at a terrible price.  A pattern is established in both the Old and the New Testaments— it is through suffering and forbearance that we make ready for the Lord’s intervention.  

How often have we as a people and as individuals been worried or afraid.  Believers speak a lot about faith and some have a very unrealistic notion about it, reducing religion to Pollyanna platitudes.  “If you trust in the Lord, everything will be okay.  God always provides.  You just have to trust God’s will and he will keep you safe.”  No, we as Catholics know the truth is not so simplistic and naïve.  The martyrs who trusted the Lord as they were ravaged by lions knew that such sentiments are not true. Jesus tells us not to fear but he never says everything will be okay.  When he speaks about beatitudes and gifts he promises that we will know persecutions besides.  We still live in a broken world where we must contend both against the evil of men, a disharmonious nature and the affliction of disease and accidents.  Bad things happen and sometimes they happen to good people.  Indeed, it may seem that the wicked are more likely rich or powerful or happy, at least in terms of how the world judges such things.  But Jesus is the divine justice.  We trust the scales will be balanced.  God is not deaf to the cries of the poor and the hurting.  We might pray that he will take away our crosses but what he wants us to do is to petition him for the courage and strength to take them up and follow Jesus.  Habakkuk is given a vision and is urged to be patient.  We are told that “The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” The heroes among the first people chosen by God and later the saints of the new dispensation witness to us that faith alone is not enough, that faith must be fierce and brave. Paul tells Timothy in our second reading: “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

Loving obedience under adversity requires courage and a profound trust.   Even if we should return to dust, we trust that the one who first formed us can make us brand new. As the psalm rejoices, we acclaim the LORD as “the ROCK of our salvation!” Jesus tells the apostles that with faith the size of a mustard seed they could command a mulberry tree to be uprooted and to plant itself in the sea.  Our Lord also said that a genuine faith can move mountains.  But none of this reduces the faith to magic or our prayers into wishes.  Remember, the apostles are transformed by grace and yet all but one would die a martyr’s death.  They follow Jesus in a literal fashion.  John is spared because he has already undergone a virtual martyrdom in following Jesus to the hill of Calvary.  None of them escape the Cross.  The prayer of the apostles must be our own, “Increase our faith.”

  • When we begin to doubt or become weary or even worst, afraid, “Increase our faith.”
  • When we have trouble understanding and weep for the way our life has gone or for the world we live in, “Increase our faith.”
  • When we find it hard to love but easy to hate, “Increase our faith.”
  • When we are tempted by every sin and suppose that God is absent or unconcerned, “Increase our faith.”
  • When we tremble at the depths of our mortality and the onrushing prospect of death, “Increase our faith.”  

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

[138] Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Father Joe

Image

Am 6:1a, 4-7 / Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 / 1 Tm 6:11-16 / Lk 16:19-31

The Old Testament reading of this Sunday is from the prophet Amos. Amos is known for the constant theme of judgment.  If one is to understand this strong thread in the Old Testament, it must be appreciated in terms of a loving God who has called a people to himself. The LORD shows compassion to his people but his justice demands obedience and it is for that reason judgment must be real and exacting. 

When a parent disciplines his child, he might say, “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” A child might not fully appreciate this, but any loving mother or father knows it is true. God disciplines his children, first and foremost, because he wants them to change their ways.  Divine justice moves us toward contrition and amendment of life.

As Catholics, we would part ways with what is considered the most famous sermon in America: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” written in 1741 by the Protestant minister Jonathan Edwards.  Ours is not a God out-to-get-us.  The LORD is not vengeful and he takes no delight in damning souls to hell.  Ultimately, judgment is not so much imposed as it is freely chosen by those who dishonor God and refuse his friendship. 

It is a constant challenge to leave judgment to God.  We are tempted to catalogue the sins of others while turning a blind eye to our own.  Accordingly, I have always been hesitant to preach a “hell-and-brimstone” sermon.  I would not want to fall prey to the hypocrisy of pointing the finger at others while not honestly pondering my own faults.  We are all sinners.  We have all fallen short of the glory of God.  We all deserve punishment.  Fortunately, we know that ours is also a God of Mercy. 

God wants us to use the gifts given us and to realize our capacity for holiness and for faithful service.  Sin dishonors God whom we are to love above all things.  As we see in the Old Testament reading today, we disappoint and displease God when we fail to reflect his concern and charity to others, especially the poor and the oppressed.  Sins against human life and the dignity of persons cry out to heaven for retribution.  It is along these lines that Jesus would speak about how hard it is for the rich man to enter heaven. 

The setting for the first reading is around 760 BC and God’s people imagine they are secure from the fate that is befalling their neighbors.  The Assyrians are swallowing up villages and nations for their empire.  They become self-indulgent presuming that the Lord will protect them, even though they have neglected the things of God. There is an important lesson to be learned here: an ungodly people should not presume God’s help or get upset when he fails to protect or provide for them.  Indeed, even the most faithful should not be presumptuous that God will take away all the ills of life.  Christians appreciate this with the admonition of Jesus: “Take up your cross and follow me.”  God will give grace, strength and hope to his own.  Others will merely have their own resources and thus only themselves to blame when they stumble against adversity.  

Speaking for the LORD, Amos says “woe” or let there be judgment upon the “complacent” of Zion. Zion is another name for Jerusalem.  The prophet is criticizing those who have a comfortable life and literally do not care about the hurting and starving. They bathe in oils and have the best of food and drink like David or royalty. All this is a distraction to what is their great sin.  The prophet laments that “they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!” This alludes to the story of Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers.  Here the name “Joseph” is used in a collective sense.  They are selling out their own people.  The affluent tax the poor so as to support their life of luxury, not to help the needy or to prepare for any coming onslaught against Judah or Israel.  Because of this neglect and hardness of hearts they will forfeit all they hall and be forced into exile.

The affluent of Zion have beds of ivory while most sleep upon thin woven mats on the floor.  The well-to-do dine upon choice meats while most Israelites subsist upon grains, vegetables and fruits. The prophet Amos is speaking to power.  Sometimes we need to do the same.  We regard ours as “one nation under God” but are we always godly?  Many say they care about immigrants and the poor, but get angry when the bus stops to let them out at their doorstep or they find beggars on the sidewalks of their streets. Today we are surrounded by enemies far more dangerous and powerful than the Assyrians and yet many go on with life as usual.  Indeed, we may be on the verge of a nuclear conflict but where are the long lines for confession and the crowds squeezing into Sunday Mass?  If judgment is coming, are we ready?      

The words of Amos constitute a challenge, not only to the leaders among us, but to all whom God has been generous and have been given a divine charge or mandate.  The Christian laity can reflect upon how they use their resources and the degree to which they take seriously their obligation to foster justice, exhibit charity and be prepared for spiritual combat. Think about it, does everyone in the pews understand that he or she is a missionary of the Lord?  Who have you brought to Mass with you?  Have you spoken to others about Jesus and the sacraments?  The devil is laying waste to the entire world around us.  None should presume that we are safe.  

Each verse of the responsorial places a positive spin on the cry of Amos: “Blessed is he who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free.”

The epistle to Timothy also takes up this message and the judgment is understood as with the coming of Christ. If we want a share in “eternal life” then we must be men and women of God who “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.”

The alleluia verse reminds us of how we are to see and minister to Christ in the poor and hurting.  Selfishness against neighbor is a rejection of Jesus.  All this is because of our profound solidarity in Christ who put aside the wealth of his divinity and made our poverty his own.  He gives us a pattern.  We must be poor to be rich.  We must die so as to truly live. 

The Gospel gives us the familiar story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus.  It is a poignant story.  The poor man is covered in sores and craving the scraps that fall from the table.  Dogs lick his sores— literally he is reduced to dog food.  All who come to the rich man’s home have to deliberately step over him. Both men die as death is the great equalizer. The rich man finds himself in torment.  Is it hell or purgatory?  I cannot say but it is pretty bad as the rich man is on fire and parched.  He sees Abraham and Lazarus “far off” if not in heaven then in the limbo of the fathers waiting for Christ. The rich man cries to Abraham for pity but there is none to give— not because of any deficiency in God or lack of concern from Abraham— but because the rich man’s selfishness demands justice.  He has brought this upon himself.  He only has himself to blame.  The same will be for his brothers. Abraham’s last words in this story are a warning to you and me.  He says, “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.”  Jesus has redeemed us by his Cross.  He takes up his life and offers us a share in eternal life.  But how many live their lives as if there be no God and no judgment?  How many give little thought to the Lord except for when they take in vain the saving name of Jesus?  The prophet Amos tried to stir a people who did not care.  We need to care before it is too late.

Clergy are not exempt from the charges leveled by Amos or by the dire warning in the parable from Christ. Do clergy preach and teach hard truths or do they dish out Pablum so as to avoid conflict and to live a comfortable life?  Do priests and bishops view themselves as sentinels for Christ and signs of contradiction?  I suspect today we have wrongly made “toleration” the ultimate virtue, not just for peace but so as to be liked.  Clergy need to be on fire for the salvation of souls.  If ministers are not on fire then how can they light the candles in the souls of others? 

It seems to me that Holy Family Parish has been served by many priests, deacons, religious, catechists and other volunteers over its 135 years who have taken seriously the need for charity, justice and an informed faith.  We affirm our many efforts in this parish for Christian formation and education.  We plead that those around us will reaffirm or explore for the first time the Catholic faith.  We implore parents to raise their children in our holy religion and to insure they receive the sacraments.  This is their fundamental mission from the Lord.  The readings emphasize poverty and hunger.  This is well and good.  But we must not forget that there are many around us who are spiritually starving and maybe even dying.  It may be your next door neighbor or a colleague at work.  I might be someone in your own household.  Do not be ashamed of Jesus or your faith.  We must feed souls as well as bodies!  This brings us to the whole point of catechesis— the catechists function in this ministry both as extensions of a pastor’s charge to teach the faith and as collaborators with parents who are the primary educators of faith to their children.  Everyone has a part to play.  And finally, remember, that ours is not just any faith, but the true faith directly instituted by Jesus Christ!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

[135] Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Father Joe
Image

Amos 8:4-7 / Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8 / 1 Timothy 2:1-8 / Luke 16:1-13

The Church’s teachings about social justice find their roots in the Old Testament. Later Jesus will confirm that God has a preferential option for the poor.  The first reading from Amos speaks about the violation of human rights and the inescapable justice of the Lord. The dishonesty of men does not escape the gaze of God.  A reckoning is coming. Amos is critical of the greed among those of the northern kingdom. It is not wealth that is criticized but rather the exploitation of the poor.  Business for some becomes their whole lives, a kind of idolatry, where the Sabbath is broken by them and by those in their employ.  There is something of this mentality in our own day. Many businesses are open seven days a week and workers are required to report on Sunday, making rest, time with family and worship near impossible. 

The “ephah” was a dry measure about equivalent to a bushel. Reducing it on the scale meant short-changing customers. The motivation was inherently dishonest:  less product for more profit, thus adding to the coin or “shekel.” There was no hesitation to sell “the refuse of the wheat” to the poorest of the poor.  The poor were desperate. They would literally sell everything and anything to feed their families. They accepted the “sweepings of wheat” that were ordinarily given to animals or thrown away. Things change but they do not change.  Today the poor still eat what they can afford, even if it is not the best or even good for them.  The exploitation of the poor is regarded as a terrible sin for which God will judge harshly.   

Business owners reduced human beings to commodities.  The text says: “We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals.” Did we miss this when it was read in the church?  Due to their debts, the poor were sold into slavery for a few coins, worth a pair of cheap shoes! This treatment of the poor emerges today in Asian sweat shops, global human trafficking, and here at home with those not paid a livable wage for their toil. Any company or government that reduces the worker from a person with dignity to a cog in the wheel in an economic machine should take note.  Treating people like this calcifies the human heart, both to the giving of compassion and the receiving of mercy. God will hold us accountable.       

The prophet would have us feel a foreboding about the outcome that is coming; but the cost will be both personal and corporate.  Treating our brothers and sisters unfairly deadens our souls and brings down judgment upon the nation.  There will be consequences for runaway greed.  God will turn his face away from his people. Division and enmity will be promoted instead of harmony and brotherhood.   

The responsorial focuses upon “raising up” the poor. This literally means commending them to the Lord “who is enthroned on high.” We are all dependent upon the Lord. He can raise us from the dust, and he can seat the poor with princes.   The Bible often regards the reward to the faithful with the chastisement that comes to the unfaithful. Repeatedly, there have been great reversals.

The second reading from 1 Timothy admonishes supplication or prayer for all.  This belies a mentality of viewing other human beings as persons and not things.  If we really care about each other then we will not try to take advantage of another. The reading says that God desires the salvation of all, not that everyone will be saved. We are realists about the world we live in and the presence of evil.  If virtue and grace always greatly value the other as a beloved subject; vice and sin devalue the other as a disposable object.  If Jesus as divine and the one mediator could surrender his life for the lowest of the low, then we must also prize the poor and most vulnerable with a cost beyond measure.     

The Gospel gives us the familiar parable of the dishonest steward. He makes concessions with his master’s debtors, not because he really cares about their struggles but because he hopes they will open their homes to him when he is dismissed.  His master commends his prudence even though he is stealing from him.  He has not fully learned his lesson and is only going through the motions of charity. Jesus then makes somewhat detached statements about being trustworthy and not serving two masters. What we do or not do for others speaks about the state of our souls and the quality of love. 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment