Observation - September 6th, 2023, Wednesday

The cool air is welcome

through the open windows

 

A large truck rolls down the lane

            noisome, belching diesel

 

Yellow light flashing

 

like a rolling ball

filtered through

the window shade

 

There is a road crew preparing asphalt

A Homily - The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – Jeremiah 20:7-9 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 62(63):2-6, 8-9 ©

Second Reading – Romans 12:1-2 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18

The Gospel According to Matthew 16:21 - 27 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 Do not ask God, the creator of the universe, to adjudicate on your behalf or to administer the justice you desire. God’s justice is loving and kind, divine justice works toward the benefit of all creatures; rather, find it in your heart to administer the justice that God desires.

 Consider the words of the psalmist:

 It is right to thank God, for the good things that come our way; it is right because it is good to be thankful. We do not thank God for those good things out of a belief that God delivered them to us or put them in our path. God does not intervene in our affairs, not even a little bit. By the same token we do not blame God for the hardships we suffer in this life, God did not beset us with them.

 While all of us plan for good things to happen to us, and work toward those ends, and credit should be given where credit is due, especially where credit is due to chance; few of us plan for bad things to happen to us, and yet bad things happen nevertheless, mostly as a result of poor decision making, with the remainder belonging to the vicissitudes of luck and fickle fortune.

 We do not experience the bad, we do not suffer sin and evil as just retribution for anything we have done or wished that we could do. Divine justice does not work this way; God’s justice is patient, it is merciful and it is compassionate, it finds its resolution in eternity.

 The good and the bad come to us irrespective of who we are, regardless of what we do or what we have done, without regard to who we have been or who we might become. There is no plan to it; God is no respecter of persons, and God does not love anyone of God’s children more than God loves any other…more or less than God loves you.

 Praise God and give thanks for the good things, do not dwell on the bad.

 Be mindful!

 There is peace to be had in the exercise of patience, in contemplation, meditation and prayer.

 Make of your life a prayer, a prayer for grace, for the grace which comes from God, for rest in the divine.

 Let the peace of God within you bubble up like a fountain, let it flow over with abundance, let others quench their thirst and be nourished by the wellspring of your soul, for it is the wellspring of theirs, as you are united in God.

 Consider the words of the apostle:

 The essence of faith is trust in God, it is the belief that God loves you, that God knows you and that God has a plan for you beyond this world. Faith is trust in this belief, a thing we cannot see, but that we hope is true, we hope that it is true for you, for ourselves, and true for every one of God’s children.

 Trust God, and allow your hope in those beliefs to transform you now, to transform you here and now, in this world; live as God desires you to live: justly, mercifully and lovingly.

 Remember the life of Jesus, and God whom he called father!

 Is God glorious?

 Yes, it is fair to say so; though if it be rightly told, you will know that God is not concerned with glories.

 God is the creator of the universe and everything in it, but God’s most exalted place is with us, in relationship to us; we are God’s children, and God greatest glory is the glory felt by a loving parent.

 Know this!

 There is hope in the knowledge of God; remember, that the hopes you have for yourself and those you love are meant to be extended to everyone; even those you do not love, extend the scope of your hope to all people, that is the way in which God leads us.

 Be mindful!

 If you should fall into the error of thinking that God has promised riches and glories the saints, remember the words of Jesus: the first will be last and the last will be first, and that true riches are not counted in gold and silver and precious things.

 Consider the gospel reading for today, the most salient point we can take from this reading does not concern the prophecy of Jesus regarding his death in Jerusalem, or the resurrection that followed,

 That prophecy is merely an exercise in propaganda foisted on us by the early church.

 The most salient reading from the gospel for today is not the suggestion that those who follow Jesus must suffer and die for their faith as Jesus did, a calling to endure that kind of suffering is situational and particular, not universal; that is not what all Christians are called to.

 The most salient reading from today is not the notion that there is a divine quid pro quo, that life is restored to those who sacrifice it; the economy of salvation is not a system of barter and trade.

 The most salient reading is not the notion that there is a reward waiting for us at the end of days, a reward meted out according to measurable behaviors that are quantifiable as either good or bad.

 It is important to note that the disciples, with Peter as chief among them, did not understand the mission of Jesus; while he was alive and with them the disciples rejected his mission and actively worked against it, even scolding Jesus for his intention to follow the mission he had accepted, because it placed his life at risk.

 Jesus went so far as to name Peter the enemy, calling him Satan; and shortly thereafter Peter would publicly deny Jesus and deny having any association with him. Peter denied him even in the hour of his greatest need.

 Take this away from the reading for today:

 Peter and the disciples lived with Jesus, they were closer to him than anyone, they ate with him, prayed with him, walked with him, slept next to him, and even they were confused about his mission.

 If you find yourself confused about the way, do not worry, you are in good company

 

First Reading – Jeremiah 20:7-9 ©

The Word of the Lord has Meant Insult for Me

You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me: you were the stronger.

I am a daily laughing-stock, everybody’s butt.

Each time I speak the word, I have to howl and proclaim: ‘Violence and ruin!’

The word of the Lord has meant for me insult, derision, all day long.

I used to say, ‘I will not think about him, I will not speak in his name any more.’

Then there seemed to be a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones.

The effort to restrain it wearied me, I could not bear it.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 62(63):2-6, 8-9 ©

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;

  for you my soul is thirsting.

My body pines for you

  like a dry, weary land without water.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary

  to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,

  my lips will speak your praise.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

So I will bless you all my life,

  in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,

  my mouth shall praise you with joy.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

For you have been my help;

  in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.

My soul clings to you;

  your right hand holds me fast.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

 

Second Reading – Romans 12:1-2 ©

Offer Your Bodies as a Living Sacrifice

Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God. Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind, so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 16:21 - 27 ©

'Get Behind Me, Satan!'

Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. ‘Heaven preserve you, Lord;’ he said ‘this must not happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?

  ‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.’

 

The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

A Homily - The Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

First Reading – Isaiah 22:19-23 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 137(138):1-3, 6, 8 ©

Second Reading – Romans 11:33-36 ©

Gospel Acclamation – 2 Corinthians 5:19

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 16:18

The Gospel According to Matthew 16:13 - 30 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

 Be mindful when you are reading from the prophetic books; all too often the authors mistake their own sentiments and dynastic ambitions for those of God. It is a common human failing, to mistake one’s own desires for the will of the divine, and this is not the way.

 Know this:

 God does not intervene in human affairs or anywhere at all in the whole of creation, when you read from the book of Isaiah today, remember that God loves the house of David no more and no less than God loves your own house, or any other house so defined.

 God does not play favorites; God loves everyone.

 Consider the words of the psalmist.

 It is right to praise God, the creator of the universe.

 It is even better to praise mercy wherever you see it, because mercy is what God desires most from us; it is through the exhibition of mercy and compassion that we approximate most fully the will of the divine.

 Trust in God; trust in God who does not desire glory, have faith in God who points to the way that passes through humility.

 Listen to the apostle!

 Everything that exists come from God; know that God is opposed to nothing and that God’s ways are inscrutable.

 The apostle tells us in the simplest terms that the mission of the church is to announce the reconciliation of all things in God. This is the good news and we are meant to shares this hope with everyone, proclaiming the forgiveness of sins and the reconciliation of all things and beings in the divine.

 Paul instructs us that the church and its members are meant to serve as messengers and ambassadors of this good news, this is the work of Chrisitan mission.

 Know this:

 The church is not, nor should it ever be functioning as a recruiting agency, signing up members while holding out hope for the reward of reconciliation as a benefit that belongs only to those who join.

 Be mindful of Paul’s wisdom.

 He teaches that the reconciliation has already taken place, it occurred in Christ at the beginning of time and carries on through the end.

 The mission of the Church is not to effectuate reconciliation, but to proclaim it!

 Now consider the Gospel reading for today:

 Matthew’s Gospel was written roughly one hundred years after the death of Jesus of Nazareth.

 Saint Paul, the apostle, was the first person to call Jesus the Christ, the anointed one. This was not a term his disciples used of him, nor a term Jesus would have ever used of himself.

 You should keep this in mind anytime you refer to Jesus as the Christ. The appellation is a literary invention of Paul’s, a man who never met Jesus while he lived.

 Note well: Jesus and his disciples did contend with the title “Son of Man,” or attempt to dissuade people from using it.

 Among certain sects of the Jewish people the phrase “Son of Man” is associated with the coming of a messiah, an individual(s) who could represent humanity before the divine, as humanity was meant to be, as the human being in its most exalted state. The messiah was also expected to free the Children of Israel, Jerusalem and Judah (at a minimum) from the grip of foreign rule.

 Some groups believed that there would be two messiahs: one royal, and one priestly. Others believed that there would be a singular messianic figure with both the royal and priestly functions fully harmonized within them.

 The title, “Son of Man,” had been circulating in Jewish literature for about two-hundred years prior to Jesus, it is most closely associated with the books of Daniel and Enoch in the Old Testament. Apart from scripture, the “Son a Man” was a wildly popular archetype in a period of time known as the “inter-testamental era”, this heroic figure the “Son of Man” proliferated among non-canonical and apocryphal writers throughout greater Palestine.

 The authors of Matthew’s Gospel are doing a couple of things, they are connecting the ministry of Jesus, and so by extension their ministry, to this wider body when they refer to Jesus as the “Son of Man,” as well as when they call him the Christ in keeping with the very popular writings of Paul.

 Thy make these claims in order to redirect popular understanding of who the expected “Son of Man” might be, in order to say that the “Son of Man” was not John the Baptist, and neither is Jesus, John the Baptist returned.

 They also wanted to make clear that the “Son of Man” is not Elijah or one of the other prophets, neither is Jesus the second coming of any one of them.

 The Authors of Matthew are clear that the “Son of Man” is Jesus, the Christ, uniquely able to claim the mantle of sonship in relation to the living God…this is their most artful piece of propaganda, speaking in a symbolic language that all of the Jewish people, and their northern cousins, the Samaritans, understood.

 It is important to know these things and to be mindful that the Gospel for today propagandizes the ministry of Jesus, the ministry of the disciples and the faction of the church most closely associated with Saint Peter. There are no cosmic truths being disclosed here, there is only the record of the Church’s struggle lay claim to that symbolic language and through it to establish an identity for itself that both carries on the most popular traditions in and around the apostolic era, while differentiate itself from those traditions at the same time.

 It is instructive.

 

First Reading – Isaiah 22:19-23 ©

I Place the Key of the House of David on My Servant's Shoulder

Thus says the Lord of Hosts to Shebna, the master of the palace:

I dismiss you from your office, I remove you from your post, and the same day I call on my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

I invest him with your robe, gird him with your sash, entrust him with your authority; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the House of Judah.

I place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; should he open, no one shall close, should he close, no one shall open.

I drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a throne of glory for his father’s house.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 137(138):1-3, 6, 8 ©

Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the work of your hands.

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart:

  you have heard the words of my mouth.

In the presence of the angels I will bless you.

  I will adore before your holy temple.

Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the work of your hands.

I thank you for your faithfulness and love,

  which excel all we ever knew of you.

On the day I called, you answered;

  you increased the strength of my soul.

Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the work of your hands.

The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly

  and the haughty he knows from afar.

Your love, O Lord, is eternal,

  discard not the work of your hands.

Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the work of your hands.

 

Second Reading – Romans 11:33-36 ©

All that Exists Comes from Him; All is by Him and from Him.

How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen.

 

Gospel Acclamation – 2 Corinthians 5:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 16:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.

And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 16:13 - 30 ©

You Are Peter and On this Rock I Will Build My Church

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said, ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’ Then he gave the disciples strict orders not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

 

The Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

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

First Reading - Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 ©

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 66(67):2-3, 5-6, 8 ©

Second Reading – Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 10:27

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 4:23

The Gospel According to Matthew 15:21 - 28 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

Listen to the promise of God, creator of the universe; God who promises to save all people.

God’s will that all people come to the mountain Isaiah spoke of. God wills that we all ascend it, take a seat at the table, and make a holy offering of our lives to God, a sacred gift to be shared with all.

Be mindful.

The conditions the prophet sets for a seat at the table, are conditions that God fully intends for everyone to meet.

Have no fear, the way is clear.

We cannot exhaust the patience of the divine; it is everlasting.

Consider the words of the psalmist:

It is right to ask God to bless all peoples and all nations, to have pity and to merciful, even knowing that God will not intervene in our affairs. As we pray we are meant to look forward to the promises of God fulfilled.

Know this!

God is not confined to one place, nor one time, neither does God belong to one people, one nation, one church or one tribe.

God, is the God of everyone.

Be mindful of the meandering-mind of the apostle.

Paul often allows himself to wander into legalisms that distract us from the way, erecting barriers to the faith, placing obstacles in the path of hope, obscuring the flame that enkindle love and illuminates world.

Allow you mind to skip across the mire, do not get bogged down in the traps of language and tricks of the mind, look to the other side of the morass and see this:

It is God’s will to show mercy to every human being; God, intends to save us all.

Know this!

The sheep do not choose the shepherd; rather the shepherd chooses the sheep.

Everything and everyone belongs to the divine, the divine infuses everything and indwells us all.

There is just the one shepherd, there is only one sheepfold.

Listen for the voice of the shepherd and do not trouble yourself with how the shepherd speaks to you, in what language or in what text. Do not concern yourselves with how the shepherd speaks to your sister or brother, to your neighbors or the stranger, to your mother and father, to your children or to your adversary; the shepherd speaks to them to, and as we all do, they listen as they are able.

Everyone who is…everyone who has been or ever will be…everyone, without exception, every thing in existence--exists in the way, follows in the way of God, belongs to the way of God, and there is no other way.

Do not trouble yourself if you do not understand the journey that another person is on, God is guiding them, just as God is guiding you...God will bring everyone home.

If you resist, God will be patient; God will wait for you, just as God waits for everyone.

The God of Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, the God of all people, the God of creation…our God is love; love is patient and love is kind.

Have faith!

God will not lose a single one of us. Neither will any one of us lose God.

God is with us until the end; there is not place, not a single place where God is not.

Be mindful of the scriptures, especially when the authors are attempting to fit their narrative of the life of Jesus into a picture that makes it look as if he is fulfilling a prediction made by a prophet from past ages.

In these cases the literal story is always false and cannot be relied on for anything, such stories are even unreliable as metaphor. When a narrative rests on a false foundation even an allegory which comes from it should be treated guardedly.

Let me tell you the truth!

The future is not predetermined, it never has been and it never will be. God made us, and creation free.

Prophets only speak of the future for two reasons; to engender hope and to warn of danger, there is no other purpose and there is no predictive power in it.

The words of a prophet are always addressed to the people in their own time, in their own place. Prophecy is never meant to guide the lives of future generations, except in cases when the prophet is addressing an issue of universal truth, such as the nature of justice itself, which is unchanging, and therefore, to speak of justice in any generation is the same as speaking to nature of justice to all.

Consider the Gospel reading for today:

There are multiple currents taking place in this passage.

This is the only place in any of the Gospels, or in all of the scriptures where Jesus is rebuked and corrected by another person.

The woman he encounters pleads to Jesus, recognizing him as the son of God, she pleads to him  for aid and she is among the first people in the entire gospel narrative to recognize Jesus as King, and the Heir to David.

She corrects him, and it is enormously significance that the one person who corrects Jesus is a woman. Furthermore, she is not a woman of Judea. She is not instructed in the law and yet she knows better than Jesus how his gifts are to be directed.

Pay attention to the disciples. They uncharacteristically call for Jesus to give the woman what she asks for. However, in so doing they are not moved by the spirit of love and mercy, but rather they bothered by her, they are irritated at her insistence and they want her to leave.

At the outset, Jesus is not inclined to give in to her demands; he refuses her, stating in error that his mission and his gifts are only intended for his fellow Israelites.

The woman does not relent, she asks for his help again.

Jesus responds by comparing her to a dog, stating that it would not be right to take food away from the children of Israel and give it to the unworthy.

At this point the woman issues her corrective; she humbly accepts being likened to a dog, as Jesus calls her by analogy, using his analogy to make her point, stating that even dogs are fed scraps from their master’s hand beneath the table…and so why should not she?

Finally Jesus gets it; he stands corrected and remarks on the strength of her faith, suggesting to the disciples that because her faith is so strong she will receive the gift she has asked for, a gift of healing for her daughter.

Here the gospel writers get it wrong, they get it wrong again; they make the entire matter transactional: a demonstration of faith in exchange for the miracle.

Know this!

God, does not offer God’s favor in exchange for anything. God gives because God loves. God loves all people, and gives to all people. God loves all of God’s children without exception or qualification; God loves because that is the nature of the divine.

First Reading - Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 ©

I Will Bring Foreigners to My Holy Mountain

Thus says the Lord: Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest.

Foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love his name and be his servants – all who observe the sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their holocausts and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.

 

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 66(67):2-3, 5-6, 8 ©

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

O God, be gracious and bless us

  and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth

  and all nations learn your saving help.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and exult

  for you rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

  you guide the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

  let all the peoples praise you.

May God still give us his blessing

  till the ends of the earth revere him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

 

Second Reading – Romans 11:13-15, 29-32 ©

With Israel, God Never Takes Back His Gifts or Revokes His Choice

Let me tell you pagans this: I have been sent to the pagans as their apostle, and I am proud of being sent, but the purpose of it is to make my own people envious of you, and in this way save some of them. Since their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, do you know what their admission will mean? Nothing less than a resurrection from the dead! God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.

Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience, so those who are disobedient now – and only because of the mercy shown to you – will also enjoy mercy eventually. God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord, I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

 

Alternative Acclamation – Matthew 4:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.

Alleluia!

 

The Gospel According to Matthew 15:21 - 28 ©

The Canaanite Woman Debates with Jesus and Saves Her Daughter

Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, ‘Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.’ But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. ‘Give her what she wants,’ they said ‘because she is shouting after us.’ He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’ But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. ‘Lord,’ she said ‘help me.’ He replied, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ She retorted, ‘Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.’ And from that moment her daughter was well again.

 

The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)