A Homily - The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 84(85):9-14 ©

Second Reading – Romans 9:1-5 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Luke 19:38, 2:14

Alternative Acclamation – Psalm 129:5

The Gospel According to Matthew 14:22 - 33 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 God, the creator of the universe: God is not appoint kings, christen or ordain them. God is not a general leading armies to war, and God does not desire the smoking ruin of sacrifices offered in flesh and blood.

 God comes in humility, expressing the divine love through justice, mercy and compassion.

 Consider the words of the psalmist and know that all things belong to God: all lands and all the ocean seas, every planet and every star, all of the galaxies throughout all time; everything and everyone. God has providence over the entire expanse.

 Know this.

 God did not bring about the end of Israel’s captivity in Egypt, the Israelites did that for themselves. Give the credit where the credit is due, it belong to human agency, the triumph of self-liberation, and the tragedies that ensued in the campaign that led to it, all of it belongs to human agency and none of it should be ascribed to the intervention of God.

 This is not hubris.

 What is hubris is thinking that God loves a special people above all others, and that God would do for them things that God would not do for others, including countless acts of genocide, infanticide and murder.

 Know this,

 God was never angry or indignant with the people, it is not due to God’s anger that people suffer. God does not rescue us from our travails nor will God free us from the miseries of the world; that is for us to do, we must free ourselves from our plights, and work for the freedom of all others.

 Be mindful!

 There not a single individual whom God loves more any other. There are no families, tribes or clans that God prefers above all others. There are no nations that enjoy a greater share of God’s favor.

 Do not chase after vanities.

 Trust in God’s judgement, in God’s plan for creation, trust that God loves everyone and desires their salvation.

 Have faith that God will accomplish what God wills.

 This is the essence of Christian hope.

 Do not seek glory in the struggles you endure on the way toward salvation.

 Follow the way Jesus pointed toward and seek the lowest of the low, not the highest heaven. Seek to serve those in the deepest dark, to find them and return them to the light of love.

 God is patient, loving and kind. God is merciful and just; God is humble and desires that we emulate the divine in these ways.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today:

 Bear in mind that the events it describes never happened, the myth is a metaphor. It is intended to communicate the idea that Jesus is not merely the Son of God, but the king of the gods. In it Jesus is depicted as master of the storm and lord of the deep, like other God-Kings, in the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean region.

 The image of Jesus walking on water, abating the winds, mastering the weather and calming the storm, is analogous to the triumph of Zeus over the sea monster Typhon, or Marduk over the forces of Chaos represented in the dragon Tiamat.

 This image is analogous to those, depicting Jesus as triumphant over the same forces, walking over the water just as Zeus and Marduk stood victoriously over the bodies of their vanquished foes.

 The myth is also convey an image of the early church, represented by Simon Peter, that was not entirely comfortable with this narrative, though it set aside its fears and embraced it nonetheless.

 In the narrative Peter is the Church (Peter is always the Church in Matthew’s Gospel), and the Church has been shaken by the death of Jesus.

 The messiah had disappeared, returning as an apparition.

 Peter moves toward the ghostly figure seeking to embrace it, but he is terrified and begins to lose heart. This signifies that Peter does not know if they can transform the life and death of his friend and teacher into the grandiose and spectacular god/king that the people who had followed Jesus, and were still following the disciples, were hungry for.

 Peter does not know if they can do it, and he does not know if they should do it. Despite his reservations, he embraces the mythology. The Church sets aside the historical Jesus and embraces it, in so doing the chaos that was shaking their movement in the wake of the crucifixion settles down. The mythological narrative is advanced and Jesus rises from the dead,  no longer an ordinary man, no longer the rabbi from Galilee; he is now the Son of Man, the Son of God, he is Christ the King.

 

First Reading – 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13 ©

The Lord was Not in the Wind, or the Earthquake, or the Fire

When Elijah reached Horeb, the mountain of God, he went into the cave and spent the night in it. Then he was told, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ Then the Lord himself went by. There came a mighty wind, so strong it tore the mountains and shattered the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there came the sound of a gentle breeze. And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 84(85):9-14 ©

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.

I will hear what the Lord God has to say,

  a voice that speaks of peace.

His help is near for those who fear him

  and his glory will dwell in our land.

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.

Mercy and faithfulness have met;

  justice and peace have embraced.

Faithfulness shall spring from the earth

  and justice look down from heaven.

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.

The Lord will make us prosper

  and our earth shall yield its fruit.

Justice shall march before him

  and peace shall follow his steps.

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.

 

Second Reading – Romans 9:1-5 ©

I Would Willingly be Condemned if it Could Help My Brothers

What I want to say now is no pretence; I say it in union with Christ – it is the truth – my conscience in union with the Holy Spirit assures me of it too. What I want to say is this: my sorrow is so great, my mental anguish so endless, I would willingly be condemned and be cut off from Christ if it could help my brothers of Israel, my own flesh and blood. They were adopted as sons, they were given the glory and the covenants; the Law and the ritual were drawn up for them, and the promises were made to them. They are descended from the patriarchs and from their flesh and blood came Christ who is above all, God for ever blessed! Amen.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Luke 19:38, 2:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessings on the King who comes, in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens!

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – Psalm 129:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 14:22 - 33 ©

Jesus Walks on the Water

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now far out on the lake, was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind. In the fourth watch of the night he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’

 

The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Observation - August 8th, 2023, Tuesday

The fans blow white noise

 Still sleepy after waking

 The scent of coffee

drifting in the soft air flow

 My head feels stuffed with cotton

Observation - August 7th, 2023, Monday

Soft, the morning light

 

The dappled silhouette

of the maple tree

Against the window shades

 

Crooked branches, jagged leaves

moving in the breeze

Observation - August 6th, 2023, Sunday

There is a dog barking in the distance

 The air is cool, but thick

 The sky is gray

 There is the promise of rain

A Homily - The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), The Transfiguration

First Reading – Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,9

Second Reading – 2 Peter 1:16-19 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 17:5

The Gospel According to Matthew 17:1-9 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 The writers of the book of Daniel are more interested in pomp and circumstance, in titles and royal courts than they are in the true work of the living and loving God, the creator of the universe.

 Know this!

 God is not a king. Jesus was not a king. God is a servant, as was Jesus, the anointed one.

 Do not seek glory; rather seek to do good by your neighbor, your family, the stranger.

 Do not look for the God at the head of an army, riding in the vehicles of war; rather look for God among the marginalized, the hungry and the poor.

 God is Abba, father; Amma, mother; Jesus is our brother, teacher, friend.

 God is the keeper of a garden, not a king, a general or emperor.

 Let the Earth rejoice and all people in it, knowing that all people are God’s children, and God has no enemies. God is the creator of all things, and all things flow from the will God: just, merciful and loving.

 Know this.

 In the presence of God there will be no dismay, this is the promise of our faith. God will wipe away the tears from every face, and everyone is invited to the table.

 If you have never worshipped a carved image, do not think you are superior to those who have, because idolatry can be found in more than the worship of objects, it is most insidious in the form of ideology and doctrine, and dogma as systems of belief.

 Beware the false prophet.

 Prophecy does not come from the well of an individual’s imagination. The impulse to issue prophecy must be vetted in community, and even that is no guarantee of its certainty, because communities are just as capable of self-deception as individuals.

 A prophecy is not a portent of future events, even though a prophet may talk in terms of possibilities, probabilities and eventualities.

 Prophecy is a call to justice, to goodness and the merciful ways of God, who desires nothing more than that we love one another, with all of our heart.

 That is the test of prophecy.

 As Christians we are bound to read the Gospel in the context of its truthfulness.

 Let the Spirit of Truth guide us, even if it means rejecting a passage such as this.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today:

 There may have been an event when Jesus together with James and John went up the mountain together. It may have been that at such event Jesus connected for his followers the essential message that his ministry was in line with that of Moses, the liberator, the law giver; and Elijah, the truthteller. Jesus may even have meant for them to think of his work as an extension of the work of Enoch, a popular literary figure of his time whom people also referred to as the Son of Man, and whose return was expected imminently.

 Know this:

 The supernatural events described here did not happen.

 God is not a magician or a miracle worker; God is the author of nature and its laws, and God does not violate these laws for any reason.

 Jesus warned the disciples that his ministry would lead to his death, but like Enoch, the Son of Man, death would not stop him; he would return.

 Always read the gospel in such a way that you strip it of its fantastical elements, reconfigure them in your mid as the metaphors and allegories they are intended to be.

 Stories of the supernatural do not elucidate the way, rather, they cast shadows upon it.

 

First Reading – Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 ©

His Robe was White as Snow

As I watched:

Thrones were set in place and one of great age took his seat.

His robe was white as snow, the hair of his head as pure as wool.

His throne was a blaze of flames, its wheels were a burning fire.

A stream of fire poured out, issuing from his presence.

A thousand thousand waited on him, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

A court was held and the books were opened.

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man.

He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence.

On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.

His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,9

The Glory of God in His Judgements

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice.

The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice,

  let the many islands be glad.

Clouds and dark mist surround him,

  his throne is founded on law and justice.

Fire precedes him,

  burning up his enemies all around.

His lightnings light up the globe;

  the earth sees and trembles.

The mountains flow like wax at the sight of the Lord,

  at the sight of the Lord the earth dissolves.

The heavens proclaim his justice

  and all peoples see his glory.

Let them be dismayed, who worship carved things,

  who take pride in the images they make.

All his angels, worship him.

Zion heard and was glad,

  the daughters of Judah rejoiced

  because of your judgements, O Lord.

For you are the Lord, the Most High over all the earth,

  far above all other gods.

You who love the Lord, hate evil!

The Lord protects the lives of his consecrated ones:

  he will free them from the hands of sinners.

A light has arisen for the just,

  and gladness for the upright in heart.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord

  and proclaim his holiness.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice.

 

Second Reading – 2 Peter 1:16-19 ©

We Heard this Ourselves, Spoken from Heaven

It was not any cleverly invented myths that we were repeating when we brought you the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; we had seen his majesty for ourselves. He was honoured and glorified by God the Father, when the Sublime Glory itself spoke to him and said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour.’ We heard this ourselves, spoken from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain.

  So we have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Matthew 17:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

This is my Son, the Beloved: he enjoys my favour.

Listen to him.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 17:1-9 ©

His Face Shone Like the Sun

Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but only Jesus.

  As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’

 

The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

The Transfiguration

A Homily – The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 118(119):57, 72, 76-77, 127-130 ©

Second Reading – Romans 8:28-30 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 15:15

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 11:25

The Gospel According to Matthew 13:44 - 52 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 There is a great deal of sensationalism and propaganda in the scriptures. There is much in the sacred text that is untrue; some passages contain outright lies, not merely misinterpretation of history or the mythologization of narrative (which is commonplace), but deliberate prevarication on the part of the authors written with the intention of deceiving their audience.

 Today’s text from the First Book of Kings is this type of propaganda.

 It is well known that Solomon was a despot. He was not the wisest of kings.

 Solomon enslaved his people, he exploited their labor for his building projects, public works and vanities. Because of his malign rule the kingdom of David fell apart in the generation following Solomon, dividing into two.

 Solomon was not the wisest king, neither was he the richest. He was a spoiled child who inherited the throne in Jerusalem and subsequently abused it, misusing his power and authority, squandering his wealth, treating the people unjustly.

 Know this.

 Where the reading says that discernment and wisdom are more valuable than gold and riches, this is an articulation of divine wisdom, as if it were an echoe of the voice of God…here is the truth in today’s reading. Pay attention, you can hear it murmuring in your own heart.

 Consider the words of the psalmist!

 Shake the scriptures free from lies.

 Know this!

 We are free in the world and the world itself is free, God does not intervene in our affairs and the future has not been determined. Have faith in God’s mercy, emulate yourself, for even though the future has not been fixed in its particulars, God’s mercy is forever.

 Follow the teaching of God:

 Live a just life and be humble.

 Judge the decrees of men and the laws of human society and determine for yourself what their worth is.

 If you are looking for salvation, turn around; salvation has already found you.

 Remember.

 God is good to all people, because God loves all people, the good and the bad alike (and we are all both good and bad at times), the lawful and the unlawful alike; God loves us like a parent loves a child.

 Do not make the mistake of believing that the good things or the bad things you experience, or the experiences of others come in some way at the direction of God.

 Be mindful.

 When people claim to be favored by God, they are lying, first to themselves, then to everyone else.

 Remember.

 God is not responsible for your suffering, even though the capacity to suffer is a precondition of the existential experience.

 If you seek peace in God’s refuge it will make the suffering of the world a little easier to endure than it otherwise would have been; if you seek peace in God’s refuge and are committed to following God’s commandment, you must live your life in a way that strives to reduce the suffering of others.

 Do not make yourself a victim.

Protect yourself from the proud and the dishonest, protect yourself from criminals, but love them as God loves them; love them because they are God’s children.

 Be mindful.

 The consolation that will come from God, will not come in this life.

 God’s law is simple:

 Love God with all your strength and all you heart and all you mind…demonstrate this through the love you show your neighbor, every other decree must harmonize with this.

 Be mindful.

 A law is just, only insofar as it promotes mercy and demonstrates compassion. God’s justice is not retributive it is restorative.

 Those who fear God, do not understand God; if they are speaking to you of the fear of God, they are communicating their doubt and mistrust of God. Either that or they are pretenders, claiming to speak for God when they do not, and what they really want is for you to fear them.

 If you strive for righteousness and justice, do so in the knowledge that you will fall short of the mark. Have mercy on those who, like you, also fall short.

 Be wary of your own pride, especially when you assume a special place because you belong to a Christian church, proclaim to love God, and follow God’s ways.

 Remember God’s statute:

 Love…love your neighbor as yourself, serve God in serving them.

 A little bit of  Love is better than all the gold.

 Be mindful.

 If you hate deception, hate first the deception that lies within yourself; free yourself from it, then allow yourself to be forgiven for having clung onto it for so long.

 Give thanks to God for making you a vessel of love, capable of receiving love and capable of expressing it.

 Now, consider the words of the apostle and remember; we are all created in the divine image, we are all children of God. Each of us carries a seed of the Word within us, and where God is, God is present fully.

 When we were called, we were called as we are; sinful, compromised and in a state of becoming.

 When we are called we were called to be justified, knowing that we are justified through the love and mercy we express to those around us.

 Remember.

 God does not merely co-operate with those who love God, God co-operates with all of those whom God loves, and God loves everyone.

 Know this:

 There is no condition on the friendship God extends toward God’s children; we are friends with God first and foremost because God loves us. Our friendship with God comes from the superabundance of love that God bears toward all human beings; it is not the love of a lord for his subjects, or a general for his soldiers, it is the love of a friend, like the love of a sister or brother or parent.

 The teachings of Jesus cannot be treated like a shell game, though they often are, and have been since the beginning, as Matthew’s Gospel illustrates.

 The way of Jesus is not a long con, it is not a bait and switch, it is a simple teaching that cannot be controlled or owned by any one group of people.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today.

 The authors of Matthew’s Gospel should have stopped their writing with the good news, the really good news as it was presented in the first two examples from today’s reading concerning God’s garden.

 It is the most priceless thing, it is to be guarded, protected, invested in, like a field with a hidden treasure or a pearl of great value.

 This is true, and it is wise to see it as such.

 God’s garden is like a fisherman’s net, full of a great and diverse quantity of fish, none of which are set aside for destruction.

 Be mindful.

 Every fish will encounter God’s fire: the drying heat, the broiling pan. Every person will encounter the fire as well, but know this, in scripture, fire is always an image of our encounter with God.

 Every fish will be kissed by the flame of the Holy Spirit, everything and everyone it touches will be changed.

 God’s fire may be like a blazing furnace, but the fire in the furnace is the fire that refines; it is the fire of transformation not the fire of destruction.

 The refining process may be painful, there may be weeping; we must endure the suffering of the world, die and be reborn, but after the tears there will be joy.

 

First Reading – 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 ©

Solomon Chooses the Gift of Wisdom

The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, ‘Ask what you would like me to give you.’ Solomon replied, ‘O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in succession to David my father. But I am a very young man, unskilled in leadership. Your servant finds himself in the midst of this people of yours that you have chosen, a people so many its number cannot be counted or reckoned. Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil, for who could govern this people of yours that is so great?’ It pleased the Lord that Solomon should have asked for this. ‘Since you have asked for this’ the Lord said ‘and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I do what you ask. I give you a heart wise and shrewd as none before you has had and none will have after you.’

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 118(119):57, 72, 76-77, 127-130 ©

Lord, how I love your law!

My part, I have resolved, O Lord,

  is to obey your word.

The law from your mouth means more to me

  than silver and gold.

Lord, how I love your law!

Let your love be ready to console me

  by your promise to your servant.

Let your love come and I shall live

  for your law is my delight.

Lord, how I love your law!

That is why I love your commands

  more than finest gold,

why I rule my life by your precepts,

  and hate false ways.

Lord, how I love your law!

Your will is wonderful indeed;

  therefore I obey it.

The unfolding of your word gives light

  and teaches the simple.

Lord, how I love your law!

 

Second Reading – Romans 8:28-30 ©

Those He Called, He Justified

We know that by turning everything to their good, God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 15:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 13:44 - 52 ©

He Sells Everything He Owns and Buys the Field

Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

‘Have you understood all this?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’

 

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)