Ordinary Time Cycle A

Twenty Seventh Sunday Cycle B

October 3, 2021

 

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L:isten to the Readings

 

Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it." 

Do you accept God's work in your life as a little child?

I am sure we do when we agree with what God has allowed in our individual lives, but what about those times when things don't go as we wish?

 

This Sunday's readings can give us some insights, because we do live in a world that has taught us to accept its ways and reject God's intentions.  So get ready to struggle a little.

The Word is about man and woman, children, marriage, divorce.  

Perhaps some will struggle with this Word and that can be a time to pray for the grace of conversion.

 

The words we hear in the first reading were for the ancient people who often had many wives and also believed in divorce.  They were for a people who struggled with what God intended for man and women.  

 

 

But the words are also for each of us today, and this is where the struggle can be, because we like what the world says about man and woman, marriage, and divorce, and we reject what God has intended in marriage

 

 

 

In the Gospel reading from Mark,

Jesus talks to a Pharisee who is asking about divorce and makes it clear that divorce was not what God had intended for marriage.

 

 He then goes on to talk about accepting like a little child

in order to enter the kingdom of God.  

That is only something we can pray for when we find ourselves at odds with God's Word.

 We, modern man, think that we should always be able to use our intellect to figure out God's intention.  

Unfortunately that is not always true for us.  

Sometime we have to struggle and that is something most of us will resist.

 

 

 

 

Saint Paul in this letter to the Hebrews speaks about Jesus, being God, comes down to earth and humbly takes on our nature as humans, which includes suffering, doubts, fears, etc.  

 

What Jesus was freely willing to do can give each of us courage when we find ourselves struggling. 

 

 

 

Let us pray for the courage to become like little children and to be open to whatever happens to us each new day tin the  week ahead.

 

 

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Twenty Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time Cycle B

September 26, 2021

 

 

Review the Readings

 

:Listen to the Readings

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

From this Old Testament reading, we can see how generous God is with his gifts.  He is so loving to the human race that He shares his gift, the spirit he gave to Moses and  also gives it to others for the good of the people

 

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 God continued to guide and provide both spiritually and materially for His People following Moses to the Promised Land.  

  

 

 

In the Gospel we hear a similar story of God's gift of healing, given to the Apostles and to one who did not follow Christ.  

Some complain to the Lord to stop that person.

 Through the response of the Lord they came to understand that God could work in many ways, even through those who were not followers of Christ.

 

God loves us so much that He gives his gifts to many for the sake of all humans.  

 

At our baptism we were called and gifted to be prophet, priest, and King.

As prophets we are to make God present in the world today.

 

We do this by the mercy, compassion and forgiveness that we have toward all people we encounter, even the enemy.

 

In his letter, St. James points out how easy it is for the desire for material wealth, possessions, etc. to turn us away from our gift and call to make Christ present in the world.

 God will place people in our path this coming week so that we can clearly see ourselves.

 We will have to make a choice.  

 

 

 

 

 

Do we go out of my way for the other

or

Do we place our own needs first?

 

 

 

 

We may, at times, discover that we place our own needs first and to see that itself is a gift from God.

Then we know that we need to again pray for our own conversion.

 

 

Take some time this week to examine yourself. 

 

 

 

How often did you place yourself,

your ideas, your talent, your ways,

your wants, your time, your money, your knowledge,

your judgement, your feelings,  etc. first?

 

 

Video reflection by Fr. Greg Friedman Franciscan

 

 

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Twenty Fifth Sunday Cycle B

September 19, 2021

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This Book was written in Egypt where many of the Jews had left their belief in God and had turned to pagan gods and the ideas of those around them.

Even more, those who had left the faith of Judaism had also turned against those who remained faithful Jews.  They became very critical those who continued the faith.

 

In our own faith we may have experienced that those who have fallen away from the faith have become very critical of the Church, its teaching of Jesus, its liturgy, etc.

These words of the Book of Wisdom certainly applied to Christ and can also be applied to us when the worldly ideals turns against Christian belief.  We are not crazy!

 

 In his letter St. James addressed the converted Jews that had found their new Christian faith.

He explained what it meant to be Christian and how to live that new life.

 

 

 

We are called today not be like those, who out of human weakness, are jealous and selfish people and who envy the success of others.

 

We are called by Christ to live in charity toward all people, even toward those who can be a real pain.  And of course, that also means charity to the enemy.

As we reflect on this Gospel, remember that the apostles were very worldly minded and they had the hoped that Christ would take all of their problems away and establish and earthly kingdom.  

Don't we too, at times, want God to take all of our problems and difficulties away?

 

But we, like the apostles, are called to be a servant to all.

We too, can have great difficulty in excepting those words because we live today in the world that says put our own needs first, and that we must always think about ourselves before all else.

 

That is totally the opposite of Christianity.

 

 

If we are not careful. we too can also fall into the belief of today... that we want an earthly paradise, we want and deserve prosperity,  comfort and happiness in this world.

 

So the challenge for us this week is to look at ourselves and see if we find that there are situations where we think of ourselves first.  

Are we willing to become servant,

to go out of our way,

to give a listening ear,

to show compassion and mercy,

to forgive,

even when we think our own needs are more important?

 

 

 

 

For all of us, we may discover that we don't want or think we need to be servant.  If that is the case, we know that we need to pray for our own conversion and change of heart.

 

 

 

 

Click here  for A Reflection on the Gospel Fr. Greg Friedman Franciscan

 

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Twenty-fourth Sunday Cycle B

September 12, 2021

Cycle B

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Everyday, in every situation, Christ asks us this question. 

 

 In this Sunday's gospel from Mark, Peter answered  the question asked of the disciples, "You are the Christ" and when Jesus tells them He will suffer and die, Peter cannot understand how the Messiah will suffer and die, and he tells Jesus something like, "no way, Lord."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How can this be part of the plan of salvation for all?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  In the Book of Isaiah, we are given a preview of what the Messiah will have to endure.  It is also a description of a part of our lives as being called by God in our Baptism.  

 

 

 

We like the fact that God has called us to eternal life through our baptism when things go well, when good things happen to us, when life is without suffering, when all think well of us.  

 

But...

...there will also be the times when we too will be rejected, be persecuted, be faced with bad health, etc. just as we to as disciples of Christ, called to be His Presence in the world.  We too will have to carry the Cross.

 

Often the Cross, the difficulties in our lives, just seem like too much.  That is the time to pray like crazy to have the grace to endure and come to realize this is part of the way to eternal life for ourselves and for our loved ones, and for the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint James gives us a hint of what we need to pray for.  It is all well to say that we are Christian and that we love the Lord and will follow Him. That means we do the following... 

 

...Love the enemy, carry the Cross, have compassion, even on the one who does not deserve it, go out of our way for a difficult person or situation, etc., are all the ways that we are what St. James says that we are to be... doers of the Word.  And today he tells us what Faith is.

We receive a gift when we can truly be... doers of the Word, but it is also gift when we can see that we too, like Peter and the Apostles say, "No Way Lord."  That is the moment to pray for our own conversion.  Lord, help me through all situations to love as you loved.

 

To give excuses is never the way to eternal life.  

When we discover how small our Faith can be at moments, the Lord is still loving us and calling us to Him and too, asking us to begin again to be a reflection of His Love and His presence in the world today.

 

So, in every situation we find ourselves, let us remember to ask ourselves, at this moment...in this situation...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for video reflection clip by Fr. Greg Friedman

 

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Twenty-third Sunday Cycle B

September 5, 2021

 

 

Review the Readings

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As we look at our world today...

it is so easy to wonder if God has forgotten all about us.

 
The world seems to be such an unchristian place,

and even our own lives at moments,

can seem like God is not listening to our prayers.

 
Has God forgotten us?

 

 

 

The people that Isaiah was addressing, approximately 750 years before Christ, were also asking that same question.

 

Had God forgotten them?

 

 

We hear words in the first reading that say to those who are struggling or doubting,  be strong, fear not, behold your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God he will come and save you.

 

 

 

 

Those words are as much for us today,

as they were for the people Isaiah was addressing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is interesting to note that in the gospel, which is proclaimed today, Mark writes mainly for the Gentile converts.

We all know that God's plan was that the Messiah would come through the Jews. But that does not mean that he forgets the Gentiles, which most of us Christians are today.  Remember that in the days of the Old and New Testament it was hard for the Jews to believe that the Messiah would come also for the Gentiles, yet that is exactly what St. Mark wants us to understand.  The Messiah comes for all.

 

In the event that we hear about today, Jesus heals a Gentile.

God loves all of us, saint, small sinner, biggest sinner.  He comes to heal us.

 

It is so easy for us today, as we are influenced by the world around us, to think that God comes only for the good guy, for the one who tries so hard, for the one who does not cause problems, for the one who is Christian.

In the part of the letter that we hear today, St. James writes to his brothers and sisters and says to them that there should not be any separation among them, rich or poor; that they respect each other because that is their mission to show that God loves all.

Each of us, through our Baptism, are called to make the love of God for all present in the world.

Watch this week and see who God allows in our lives, saints and sinners.  

Pray that we may have the grace to make the love of God present to them all, even to the ones that make life difficult or that we don't care for. 

 

It takes courage and the grace of God to love those that are a difficulty in our lives.  We may even find that we are not yet the Christians that we hope and pray to be one day...

Pray for that day every time we fail

at loving the other as God loves us all,

saint and sinner

 

To View video another reflection Click on...   Reflection..Fr. .Greg Friedman Franciscan

 

 

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