Ordinary Time Cycle A

Christ the King Cycle B

November 21, 2021

 

 

 

This is...the Last Sunday of the Liturgical Year B

Next comes Advent Week One the start of Liturgical Year C (Nov 30th)

 

The first reading was written some two centuries before Christ.  It was a time when earthly kingdoms were trying to destroy the religion of the Jews.  The prophecy gave them hope and assures them that a king and kingdom will come that is for all people  and will last forever. It is good news for us too, especially when we feel judged, persecuted, or misunderstood because of our making Christ present for others we meet. 

 

 

 

 

 

The second reading was written in Greek and is dates 165 AD.  It was given the Greek word, Apocalpse, which means the uncovering or revelation.  

 In the reading, we hear that Jesus is the one who is the king that was predicted to come, and to establish a kingdom for all people, Jew and Gentile alike. We know that He will come at the end of time, but He also comes everyday in our present lives.  He is in the people we encounter today; in the troubled, the poor, the distressed, the hungry, the one by the side of the road with a sign, etc. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The words from this Gospel reading, we are given the event in which Jesus claims that He is the king.  The king of a new and everlasting kingdom.

Each of us through, our Baptism, were anointed to be prophet, priest and king.  We were chosen by God and, were made a part of that kingdom.

The kingdom of Christ was not to make us healthy, happy, or prosperous in this world but to bring us and others to the eternal life and true happiness.

 

 

 

 

Jesus gives us, through his life the model of king and kingdom builder.  

He shows us that we are to make Jesus the king present in the world today.  We do this by doing what Christ did for us. 

compassion

mercy

forgiveness

love

etc.

 

Each of us are to make the kingdom present today by our compassion, mercy, forgiveness, love, etc. for all people.  That means to both friend and foe, to both the deserving and to the non deserving.

We all have a part in making the kingdom of eternal life present.  The kingdom is now and we are to make it present daily through our lives.  

 

He was the beginning of the kingdom and is a part of it everyday through his presence in his followers, us, the baptized that have been called and chosen for this mission.  

 

So, there is good reason to look at our own failures, our sins.  Those are the moments that we say, "no", to our part of His kingdom, and our part in making His Kingdom present.  Our sins, when we clearly see them, allow us to experience  the qualities of Jesus as King.  This happens when we experience God's mercy, compassion, and love.  We can then continue to grow in being able to do the same for others and thus continue leading others to the kingdom.

Alleluia

 

Thirty Third Sunday Cycle B

November 14, 2021

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When we hear the words, The end is near, we think first of all of some crazy person on a street corner.

 

But, the reality is that we are coming to the end of the liturgical year. The current liturgical year, Cycle B, is ending after next Sunday, and we will begin Advent, in the liturgical year Cycle C.  

Who knows who will not be here for the whole of the coming liturgical year.  

The end of life here on earth will end for some of us this coming liturgical year.

This Sunday's readings help us to reflect on...

 The end is near

We all have a tendency to not want to think about those words. But for each of us they are a truth. We experience that when each day ends,  a new day begins..

The end of our current liturgical year cycle B will be ending after next Sunday, the celebration of Christ the King.  That celebration will help each of us to look at the fact that...

The end is near...

has been conquered by Christ the King.  

We have all been given a way to eternal life where there is no end.

 

So, now without fear, we can look at this Sunday's readings, and reflect on our own life to see if we are  ready to accept the kingdom Christ has prepared for us?

 

In the first reading from the book of Daniel, which, by the way, was not named after the author, who is unknown, but after one of the principal participants, who is described as living in Babylon during the last years of the Babylonian empire.

 
This reading is a chance for each of us, to once again, think about the end of our life here on earth, and the beginning of our gift of eternal life that is waiting for us.

 

We hear in the Gospel  Jesus telling that the earth will end. 

 

 

 

 

 

But we do not need to be filled with fear.

 

 

In the second reading the author of this letter, tells us that Jesus is the high priest.

Remember, that for Jews in the time of Jesus, the high priest had to offer sacrifice in the temple for his sins and the sins of all the people. And this needed to be repeated, year after year.

 

 

 

However we have Jesus Christ as our high priest, who made the one sacrifice that has paid the price for our eternal salvation.

 

 

 

 

 So what are we afraid of?

 

 

 

 These readings are wonderful in helping each of us to realize that not only The end is near...

 

but also that  The end is near which leads us to the eternal life and the  eternal peace that we have each been searching for all our lives, often thinking we could find it now with our material things, power, possessions, money, etc.

 

We will finally have that peace in the kingdom of God for all eternity.

 

Wow!

What great hope we have!

The end is really the beginning

Think of all we have learned through the endings in our life thus far.

The best is yet ahead

Alleluia

Thirty Second Sunday Cycle B

 

November 7, 2021

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Do you???

It is always important to remember that many of the stories that were told in the Bible were written to help people look at their lives and see where they were spiritually.  

It is called conversion.  

The same is true in our time, and the important thing, as we hear the readings, is that we not get defensive and give excuses as to why we can't do what is being asked of us.  

If we find ourselves in that position, it is the moment to pray for the grace to change,

and to fulfill what our Baptism has called each of us to.

 

 

 In this first reading, we meet the prophet Elijah who preached in the northern kingdom from the year 908 until 850 B.C. 

 

Elijah enters the city as a stranger and sees the widow. He asks her for a cup of water. She leaves everything and goes and gets him a cup of water.

 

I know that for me, when I am doing things that seem important as the widow was doing, it is almost impossible to drop everything and go out of my way for the other.  That is the moment I need to pray for a change of heart.  Help me, Lord, to be open to be ready to help others even when it seems inconvenient 

 

Then after getting the cup of water, Elijah then makes another request of her for some food.

She is at her wits end because she is almost out of the last amount of food which she intends to feed to herself and her son, and then they will die.

 

The story illustrates how this poor widow was willing to go out of her way and help the stranger.

 However she decides to do what  Elijah asks and prepares a meal for him.

 

 

 

Each of us need to ask ourselves...

Are we willing to go out of our way and to help the other?

 

 

 

In this Gospel we hear the story of the widow who comes to the temple and offers the last amount of money that she has.

 

 

In the second reading we hear the story of Jesus as high priest. 

This letter was written to Jewish Christians who were used to the tradition of the high priest going to the temple year after year and offering sacrifice for his sins and for the sins of all the Jewish people.

Paul tells the story of how Christ, as high priest ,died once and for all, for the forgiveness of sin. There was no longer need to go and offer sacrifice again and again and again, as was done in the past tradition.

For each of us, in our baptism, we were called by God to be prophet, priest, and king.  As priest, we are called to sacrifice, to go out of our way for the other, as Christ did.  He was willing to give his sufferings and his life for each of us, so that we could find eternal life.

 

Every day we need to pray for that grace, for that gift, to be able to go out of our way for other, even when it's inconvenient, even when we have other things to do.

 We may discover that at times...

 

The gift of that discovery in ourselves, is that we now know what to pray for.  

 

Give me the grace to...

 

 

Thirtieth Sunday Cycle B

Thirtieth Sunday Cycle B

October   24,2021

  

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Are you Blind?

 

Spiritually Blind?

 

 

This Sunday gives us the Gospel story of a blind man, who is sitting by the roadside, begging, when Jesus passes by.

 

He recognizes knows that he is blind and has great hope that Jesus will cure his blindness.

 

As Jesus passes by he calls out, "Son of David; have pity on me."

 Jesus stops and heals his blindness.

 

 

But what does that Gospel story have to do with us?

Often, we can be like the people found in the Hebrew Scriptures that are proclaimed in the first reading.

 

Remember that both the Northern and the Southern kingdom had abandoned God, and eventually, lost everything, and were taken into exile.

 

Jeremiah, rather than call them to conversion as he had done in the past,  in this reading, he assures them that God will never abandon them.

Jeremiah tells them the reason for the exile is that they had abandoned God; that they were blind. Yet Jeremiah assures them that God does love them, and will care for them in spite of all the things that they had done in their abandonment of God.  

 

 

 

That story is also good for us to hear, especially when we are in that moment of feeling in exile, blind, and so far away from God.  

 

Will we be able to recognize our own blindness?  

Will we recognize Jesus when He passes by in our lives?  

Will we see the need for ourselves to call out for mercy?

 

Remember that it took generations for the people of the Old Testament to recognize their blindness.  

Only then were they able to experience God's great love and mercy.

 The same is true for us.

 

Often we don't recognize our own blindness until things really go downhill  in our struggles; then we begin to see how spiritually blind we  are at that moment.That certainly is the moment to cry out for mercy from God so we can be healed.

 

I suspect that for each of us, at one time or another, we have been  able to see

just how spiritually blind we are. 

 

 

 

The author of the letter that we hear from in the second reading today, reminds us that we have in Christ, the High Priest.  

He is the Son of God who by his human nature has experienced the same struggles and difficulties that we have experienced.

 

 

He is the one who has offered his body and life and gained our salvation.
Whenever we call out for mercy, for healing,

 

 

 

But......

.
Are we willing to look at your spiritual blindness?

Are we willing to see that at moments we are all spiritually blind.

It can be those moments when we are called to have mercy, compassion, forgiveness, comfort, understanding, and we say...

 No

At that moment we are  blind. 

We can give excuses and say that we are only human.  

That is the moment we are spiritually blind and can't even recognize the blindness.

That can be God's gift to us when we see we are spiritually blind.

.

That is the moment to pray for our own conversion, so that we will be in a position to call out to the Lord for healing.

How many times will He passed by in our lives, giving us the opportunity to call out and ask for spiritual healing and we do not recognize Him?  

 

 

How many times will we fail to look at our own blindness?

 

 

If today you are spiritually blind today, call out to Him.

 

Video Clip Franciscan Greg Friedman

 

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Twenty Eighth Sunday Cycle B

October 10, 2021

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The author of this book says that the gift of wisdom is greater then any of the riches of the world.

 

King Solomon  preferred  the gift of wisdom to anything that the world could give.

 

Although the book of wisdom was written over 2000 years ago, the message is very true for us today as followers of Christ.. 

 

 

We all need that gift of wisdom so we can understand that the Lord asks us to bear our crosses, our troubles and trials in this life.

 

 

It is so easy in today's world to think that worldly pleasures are what we really need in order  to be truly happy.

 

Yet our Christianity tells us to embrace our struggles and difficulties as our own cross and that they will lead us to eternal happiness and life.

 

How hard that can be to believe, for be have been taught to avoid all difficulties at any cost.  What a lie!

 

 

 

The author wrote this letter to Jewish converts who were well aware of their ancestors history of God leading them out of Egypt and then into the desert journey to the Promised Land.  They often turned away from God.  They did not believe that God  would take care of them. Because of their unbelief they did not enter the Promised Land of Canaan.

 

That gift of Wisdom helps us to be realistic with ourselves.  

Are we followers of Christ in our actions or is it just in our words?  

Wisdom helps us to hear at the Word of God so that we are are not fearful of seeing our failures, our sins, our turning from God as we ignore the neighbor, the friend, or even the enemy.

 

That gift of Wisdom encourages us to ask for forgiveness, not just once, but time after time, again and again.  And when we are sincere we are always shown compassion, mercy, and love.

 

One of the biggest errors we can make so easily is not to look at our sins, or to believe that we don't sin.

The danger becomes that we fool ourselves and do not seek the forgiveness of God, the compassion of God, or the mercy of God.

 

We hear the story of the rich man who came to Jesus and asked him  what do I have to do to have you eternal life?

Jesus told him to sell his riches and to follow the Lord and he finds that impossible to do.

 

 

 

For each of us also have riches, not just material wealth and possessions, but our own mind set.

Are we willing to go out for the other person even when it's not convenient.

Are we willing to give forgiveness even to the one who does not deserve it.

 

Are we willing to give away our riches of leisure time,

Are we willing to give away our daily plans and help the other person...even when it is inconvenient?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video on the Gospel...Fr. Greg Friedman Franciscan

 

 

 

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Twenty Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time Cycle B

September 26, 2021

 

 

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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

 

.  

 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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THE ASCENSION Cycle B

Celebrated the Ascension on Sunday May 16, 2021

 

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As we look at the readings for the Ascension, let's try to place ourselves in the mindset of the Apostles. They do not understand why Jesus has to suffer and die. That is not what they expected the Messiah to have to go through. The Messiah was to take away all their worldly problems, solve all the political problems of that day; to rid them of the Roman control and to become a political leader.
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I find myself, at times, in the same mindset, especially when God does not work in my life as I think He should. No more problems, no more conflicts, no more...etc.

 

This first reading was  to remind those early Christians of the promise of the Holy Spirit, who would  give strength and courage.  

Why do we fear?

Why do we doubt?

 

It is so easy to forget, or to not believe, that we  too, have been given that same promise.  

So we can, at times, just wait around for God to work as we expect Him to act.

A good reminder for us are the words of the angel to those watching the Ascension of Jesus,

"Why do you stand there looking up?"

 

Don't we do the same thing when we find life difficult, and when God does not seem to work in the way we expected?

 

Paul's letter is his prayer for the early Christians; that they would become more  open to how God works, even in suffering and persecution.  You

That prayer is also for each of us, especially when life presents us with people and situations that are difficult and are not what we expected.  

So again...

Why do we fear?

Why do we doubt?

 

 

Mark 16:15-20
The Gospel let's the Apostles and us know that we have been sent to make Christ present in the world, to bring...

...His mercy,

...His compassion,

...His patience,

...His understanding

...to all, even to the enemy.

 

 

Why do we, at times, doubt?

 

 

"I am with you always," He says.

 

 

Alleluia, Christ is Risen!

 

 

Go into the world of our daily life!

Make Christ present!

 

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Fifth Sunday of Easter Cycle B

May 2, 2021

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Acts 8:26-31
This reading deals with Saul, later to take the name of Paul, and his trip to Jerusalem several years after the death of Jesus Christ.

 

 

We have all heard the story about the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus.  

 

It is important to remember that, as a youth, Saul (Paul) studied Mosaic law and he did become a rabbi.

 

We know, too, that he persecuted the early Christians, and thought that Christianity needed to be overcome.

 

He began preaching Christianity after his conversion, and finally went to Jerusalem to join up with the disciples.
Needless to say, the disciples of Christ were all afraid of him because of his persecution of Christians in the beginning, before his conversion.

This certainly is a story of conversion, and also a story of how God can work in each of our lives today.  At times we may think it is impossible for us to change, and that's exactly what they thought of St. Paul.

All of us can have sins and failures in our lives, and we may even get to the point of thinking that we will never change, never convert.

But the story of Saint Paul is also a story for each of us to give us courage.  We all know that nothing is impossible with God.

 

This letter, written to the early Christian communities gives us, today, the same message... that our Christian faith is not just not just in our words, but is must be also in our actions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are we able to love the one who is difficult or seems impossible to deal with, in other words, the enemy?

 

 

 

The gospel reading is an excerpt from the farewell address that Jesus delivered at the Last Supper on the eve before his death.
His words were to encourage and help them to persevere after his Passion and Death.

He encouraged them to stay close to his teachings, and in effect to stay close to him.

 

 

That same message is for each of us, especially in those moments that we are taking in with the ways of the world, which say that the most important thing is to think of ourselves first.

However, we all know that the message of Jesus Christ is to love the others as ourselves, which is not the message of the today's world.

Jesus gave his disciples the image of the need to stay connected to Him and to his teachings.  He is the vine and we the branches.

 

Jesus was willing to give his life for the other, and that same call comes for each of us every day, even when we are dealing with difficult or even impossible people.

We are called to love the other with our patience, our understanding, our compassion, our forgiveness, even to the enemy.

 

 

This is a good time for each of us to look and see in the events that happen today; are we staying connected to the vine with our love for the other or have we separated ourselves and are only thinking of ourselves first?

For sure, there will be moments we fail at this, but that is not the time to give up.  It is a time to pray for our own conversion, our own wake up call.

 

 

 

 

Video Clip on the Gospel...Fr. Greg Friedman...Franciscan

 

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Second Sunday of Advent Cycle B

December 6, 2020

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In the first reading the Jews had been in exile in Babylon because of their turning away from God, their sins, and the end of their Babylonian exile was near. The pagan king Cyrus would free them.

 

 

 

 

 

Isaiah gave them, while they were still in exile, the words we hear in this reading...

 

 

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.

 

What good news.

The Jews would return back to Jerusalem.  This was a second Exodus for them, and God, once again, showed them that He was the loving father who cared for them.

 

Those words of Isaiah can also help us when we find ourselves in Exile.

Our Exile happens when we are in the midst of our struggles, depressions, disappointments, or difficulties.  It happens when we doubt that God knows what He is doing in our lives, or when we cease trusting in God's timing, in other words, when we sin.  These times are a period of exile for us.

Jesus Christ, by his death and resurrection, brings us hope when we recognize our sins, which can be very hard to do, our exile.

The words of Isaiah can give us courage...

 

Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.

 

We know that God, in his plan, has called each of us to make Him present in our world today...

 

 

When we struggle, the words of  this second letter of Peter can help...

 ...The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,”but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

 

 

 

God gives us this time of Advent so we can reflect on our lives and enter into conversion for our failings, our sins, and then experience His great love, mercy, and compassion.

 

Sometimes it can be so difficult to wait for the Lord and to believe in His timing. 

 

His timing can be different from ours. That is one of the lessons we can learn from Advent.

 

Are we willing to wait?

Are we willing to watch?

 

...or do we still think that God should time things as we want?.

 

 

 

In this reading, God sent St. John the Baptist as a messenger, preparing the way for Christ.   Every day God sends us to prepare the way so that we can welcome Christ into our lives.

 

Remember that means we have to go into the wilderness, into the dryness or the failures of lives.  

Often it is a strange person like John the Baptist, who dressed strangely and ate strange things, that can lead us to conversion; can lead us to seeing our sins, our lack of compassion and mercy to those that we disagree or struggle with.

We usually try to avoid going into this wilderness.  But that is exactly where we must go to find God's call to conversion and to experience His mercy and love.  

Are we willing to look at those moments of difficulties, doubts, and frustrations, which are a form of our going into the wilderness?

Are we willing to go there?

Each of us, at our baptism, were called to be messengers from God, and to prepare the way for the daily coming of Christ into our world.

Are we willing to do this by having mercy, compassion, and forgiveness to all, even to the enemy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait

and

Watch...

...and we will make discoveries about ourselves 

 

 

 

Courage

First Sunday of Advent Cycle B

November 29, 2020

 

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Video Clip Fr. Greg Friedman Franciscan

 

 

Advent is, once again, a time for us to prepare for the coming of Christ.  

It is a time to focus on His Coming everyday of our lives, and not just at our death.  

 This Sunday's readings remind us to take the time of Advent to reflect on His daily coming. 

 

 

So, we wait and we watch everyday for the presence of Christ in our lives.

 

 

 

Isaiah reminds the people of his time what happened to the Northern Kingdom- Israel.  They were taken into exile in 722 BC because of their infidelity to God.  They had turned to pagan gods.  

The same was  happening in the Southern Kingdom- Judah.  

 

 

 

Isaiah hoped that Judah would return to God and avoid disaster.  But in spite of his warning, they did not change and eventually they too lost everything and were taken into exile.

 

 

 

 

Isaiah still gave them hope that God would never abandon them in spite of their unfaithfulness.

 

We hear in the reading  the prayer that he made to God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We know that in all that happens, God is in charge; yet He gives us freedom to do as we want and sometimes that is where we can get into trouble and sin.  

We do need a times to prepare for His daily coming and make what Isaiah said in his prayer..."You are the potter", true in our lives.

 

 God never abandoned his people and He will never abandon us.

 

 

 

 

 

St. Paul wrote to the community at Corinth which he was with from 50-52 AD.  He had heard that they were having problems.  He reminded them of what they have been given and that God would always  sustain them to the end.

 

That is especially good news for each of us during those  times when when we are in great stress or difficulties.  

God has chosen us and called us by name, as were the Corinthians.  

God will not abandon us.

  

There is always the temptation to hide or to turn away or to even escape from the problems, the stresses, in our lives.

 

 

 Paul encouraged the Corinthians,  when they were faced with doubts and fears.  

Christ had not abandoned them, and we need to remember that Christ called each of us in our Baptism and is always with us, always.  

But do we recognize Him???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the gospel we hear we are to wait and watch; we do not know when the Lord will come, but the fact is that He comes everyday and many times we just do not recognize Him.  

He may come in the moment we are not expecting Him.  

He may come in the poor or difficult person.

He may come in the enemy.

He may come in the demands of another person. 

He may come in the situation that is difficult for us.

He may come in our loneliness.  

 

 

 

It is almost always difficult for us to wait, especially when we struggle or suffer.

Isn't that true of our world today; we cannot wait?

 We want everything now, instantly.  

We do not want a period of Advent, a period of waiting and watching.

The gift of Advent becomes a time of daily waiting and watching for the Lord.  It is  a time of looking deep within ourselves to see what prevents us from everyday recognizing the Lord; or perhaps discovering that we are not willing to wait and watch.  

Perhaps we really don't believe that God will not abandon us in our daily struggles.

We want the joys of Christmas now without any struggles or difficulties.

Perhaps this Advent we will be inspired to hold off on the Christmas decorations until the end of our waiting and watching, the end of our Advent. 

Advent can become a time of great growth in seeing our selves as the Lord God sees us so that we can know his great compassion, mercy and love for us, even in our failures

Courage...

 

 

Come Lord Jesus

Maranatha

 

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