For Sunday, November 22, 2009

Solemnity of Christ the King
Daniel 7:13-14
Revelation 1:5-8
John 18:33b-37

Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer we say “thy kingdom come.” Now that we’re celebrating the feast of Christ the King, we hear him say in the Gospel to Pilate, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here” (John 18:36). So what kind of kingdom are we praying for when we ask that it to come?

Certainly not the civil order of the day. No political party, economic system, or national government embodies the kingdom we pray for. The news we hear day after day-on the state of the economy, on unemployment figures, on housing foreclosures, on bankruptcies-makes it clear that the worldly realm is a different kingdom. With Thanksgiving coming, there are many people who will be grateful for what they have, and others who will find solace in the kindness of others. This weekend many parishes take up collections for local food pantries, St. Vincent de Paul Societies, or other programs that help the needy (like that Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection that will be taken up in many dioceses).

On Monday the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report that showed that 49 million Americans lived in households that lacked consistent access to adequate food, the highest since the government began tracking what it calls “food insecurity” 14 years ago (See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/us/17hunger.html?ref=us).

That same day, the Holy Father addressed the Food and Agriculture Organization’s world summit on food security. In his speech he said, “Hunger is the most cruel and concrete sign of poverty. Opulence and waste are no longer acceptable when the tragedy of hunger is assuming ever greater proportions” (#10).

Royalty are often surrounded by opulence. Kingdoms usually have great treasure. Many monarchs have a crown, most likely encrusted with jewels. Commonly, these riches signify the power of the ruler and the strength of the kingdom.

But Jesus tells Pilate that his kingdom is not here. None of these usual standards to kingliness prevail in his realm.

But there is another story of wealth that does apply. It is a legend really, but it is so embodied in the life of the church that saints like Ambrose and Leo the Great and many others passed it along in their writings.

Ambrose lifts up the example of Lawrence the deacon, martyred in 258 during the persecution of Valerian. As deacon, Lawrence was entrusted with the wealth of the church which he administered to the needy. After Pope Sixtus II was killed, the emperor sought the treasures of the church of Rome. Ambrose continues, “Such gold the holy martyr Lawrence preserved for the Lord. For when the treasures of the Church were demanded from him, he promised that he would show them. On the following day he brought the poor together. When asked where the treasures were which he had promised, he pointed to the poor, saying: These are the treasures of the Church. And truly they were treasures, in whom Christ lives, in whom there is faith in Him” (De officiis, 2:28).

So what kind of kingdom does Christ rule? Maybe he reigns most effectively in those who give of themselves for people in need. Christ’s kingdom may be found in the hearts of those who are, as the pope said on Monday, “inspired by love [that] goes beyond justice.”

Paul  Michaels

Prayer

God and Father of us all,
your Son reigns over all creation
as the sovereign Lord who gave his life for all.
May we, who are baptized in his name
and share in his royal priesthood,
care for those in need
with the same eternal love he showed for us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Notices

PILGRIMAGE/RETREAT
Maryknoll is offering a pilgrimage/retreat to the sites of the Central American Martyrs, January 11-22, 2010. For more information about this prayerful opportunity to engage in cross-cultural solidarity, visit: http://maryknollpilgrimage.org/.

PROMOTE HISPANIC VOCATIONS WITH FREE MAGAZINES
!OYE! 2010 is a new and free, bilingual faith and discernment guide from Claretian Publications. Encouraging young Hispanics to consider a call to a priestly or religious vocation or just to deepen their faith commitment, !OYE! is distributed free of charge through parishes, schools, and other ministries. To order as many free copies as you can distribute, please call 800-328-6515 or order online.

LEAVE A COMMENT
You can leave a comment and enter the dialogue the clicking on the “Comments” link below. Leave your comment and it will be posted as soon as it is reviewed.

For Sunday, November 15, 2009

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daniel 12:1-3
Hebrews 10:11-14, 18
Mark 13:24-32

Semiotics is the academic discipline that studies signs and symbols, including words, as a means of communication and signification. As human beings, we are constantly interpreting the meaning of symbols and acting upon the information that we understand them to convey.

For example, we come to a crossroads and see a bright light. That light, pointing in our direction, is colored red. We stop. While many of us may stop at a traffic signal multiple times in a day without much thought about the process, in reality a complex set of functions is taking place literally within the blink of an eye. One of those functions that quickly takes over at a red light is cultural understanding. Over time, we have come to common agreement that red means warning or danger (along with a host of other meanings), and that a red light at an intersection means stop. While driving down a street, none of us would ever interpret the red traffic light as a sign of love-another meaning of the color red, especially on Valentine’s day (Do you see how I’ve just changed the concept for you?).

Interpreting signs is a much larger endeavor than the preoccupation of those who study semiotics. In fact, interpreting religious signs is part and parcel of the human experience. Whether discerning a meaning from animal sacrifice, perceiving divine action in meteorological events, or imagining that certain actions by outside forces represent the will of God, humans look for signs to convey a meaning (which may or may not be there). [By the way, all three of those examples are in the Bible: Abel's sacrifice (among others), Genesis 4; thunder and lightning, Exodus 19; Cyrus in Isaiah 45.]

American religious experience, in particular, seems to have a penchant for interpreting some events as pointing to the end of the world. Before the Civil War, the Baptist preacher, William Miller, convinced many that the end of the world was near. A newspaper called Signs of the Times fostered his views. Up t0 the present day, you can hear preachers on television or the radio use the creation of modern day Israel as a “true sign” that the end is near.

Reading the “signs of the times” is exactly what is expected of Christians, but not in some kind of apocalyptic sense. I received an e-mail today with the subject line: “Connect the Dots - Fort Hood was Not and Isolated Incident.” The shootings at Fort Hood last week have occupied the media since they took place (over 23 million hits for “Fort Hood shootings” on Google alone). Today, President Obama led a memorial service for the fallen (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/us/11hood.html?hp). But the shootings do not mean the end is near, nor do they predict the imminent collapse of civilization (as the e-mail implied).

While good or bad things can happen each day, reading the “signs of the times” takes place in a much broader context than trying to figure out when the world will end. The Gospel this weekend reminds us that we know not the day or the hour, hence the need to always be prepared. The soldiers slaughtered at Fort Hood were in a state of readiness. They had learned to be attentive to the signs of war before they were to be deployed. Indeed, the place where the shootings took place was called the Soldier Readiness Processing Center.

As Christians, our readiness processing center is the life we live in the world each day. And the signs of the times that we read are not so much directed at trying to imagine when the world is going to end, as seeking to discover what God is asking of us right now, in the present moment. Just as our common cultural understanding tells us that a red light means stop, so does our Christian cultural understanding tell us that the needs of the world mean that we must be prepared to love.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

Loving God,
you protect all who trust in you.
Give wisdom and insight to all believers,
that we may discern your will each day
and conform our lives
to the love you have shown us
through the death and resurrection of your Son.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Notices

PILGRIMAGE/RETREAT
Maryknoll is offering a pilgrimage/retreat to the sites of the Central American Martyrs, January 11-22, 2010. For more information about this prayerful opportunity to engage in cross-cultural solidarity, visit: http://maryknollpilgrimage.org/.

CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
This collection will be taken up in many dioceses the weekend of November 21-22. For more information about CCHD visit: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/. Liturgical Publications Inc (LPi) has clip art and announcements from the USSCB for use in parish bulletins and newsletters. To learn how your parish can receive free access to these materials, click here.

PROMOTE HISPANIC VOCATIONS WITH FREE MAGAZINES
!OYE! 2010 is a new and free, bilingual faith and discernment guide from Claretian Publications. Encouraging young Hispanics to consider a call to a priestly or religious vocation or just to deepen their faith commitment, !OYE! is distributed free of charge through parishes, schools, and other ministries. To order as many free copies as you can distribute, please call 800-328-6515 or order online.

For Sunday, November 8, 2009

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 17:10-16
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44

"The Widow's Mite" James Tissot, 1836-1902. Brooklyn Museum

This weekend’s Gospel, with its story of the widow dropping a few small coins into the Temple treasury, is a touchingly human account of generosity. Jesus is so moved by the tableau that he comments about it to his disciples. The story of the widow’s mite is regularly used by preachers to spur donations and call reluctant givers to reach more deeply into their pockets. While shame can be a strong motivation, I’m not convinced of its lasting effect. It may get someone to give at the moment, but you have to keep shaming them to get them to give again. Good stewardship is not built on shame.

I don’t know what the motivation of the widow in Luke’s Gospel was. I would like to think that she gave her gift because she was aware of her blessings, that even in her widowhood, God’s provident hand was at work in her life, and she knew it. The recognition that one is blessed by God can spur a willingness to share those blessings.

The harvest season may be a particular opportunity to reflect on the abundance of food that is ours (and the needs of so many around the world). Certainly we are blessed. Just walk into any grocery store in the United States and the abundance is clear. Even our food pantries that serve the poor in this nation have a variety that is rarely seen in many parts of the world.

The Food and Agricultural Organization based in Rome estimates that there are about 1 billion hungry and malnourished people in the world. From November 12-18 meetings on different levels will take place at the FAO, concluding with a World Summit on Food Security (http://www.fao.org/wsfs/world-summit/en/?no_cache=1). As FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said, “The silent hunger crisis - affecting one sixth of all of humanity - poses a serious risk for world peace and security. We urgently need to forge a broad consensus on the total and rapid eradication of hunger in the world.” The private sector meetings in preparation for the summit will involve representatives from some of the largest multi-national food companies, such as Unilever, Pioneer, Nestle, Cargill, and others.

The Vatican has announced that Pope Benedict will visit the FAO on November 15, the opening day of the World Summit on Food Security. The Vatican has long participated in the work of the FAO, and places special emphasis on the ways that food policy affects the impoverished people of the world.

There will continue to be much debate about the best ways to feed the hungry. Last week, the New York Times included a special section on its “Room for Debate” web page entitled, “Can Biotech Food Cure World Hunger?” (http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/can-biotech-food-cure-world-hunger/?scp=6&sq=food%20policy&st=cse). Six commentators offer different assessments, even though all agree on the need to plot a course of action. In an editorial published in the Times last Tuesday, Verlyn Klinkenborg advocated restraint, and “a far more modest idea of food prosperity, more limited and almost certainly less meat-driven than the present American model” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/opinion/28wed3.html?scp=13&sq=food%20policy&st=cse).

Maybe my local grocery store doesn’t need to be stocked with EVERY good thing. (I noted the other day that just one brand (Kemps) had eight different kinds of vanilla ice cream. It seems that vanilla is no longer “just plain vanilla.”)

I think that if we can be aware of how truly blessed we are, we will, as a country and as individuals, rise to the challenge of sharing those blessings. But the awareness has to come first. We’ve become so used to having an incredible abundance in front of us in the store aisles, that the great beneficence can go unnoticed.

God’s provident hand is at work in our lives. It’s not too hard to imagine Jesus sitting over in the corner watching to see how we will use the provender given to us.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

All-powerful Father,
God of goodness,
you provide for all your creation.
Give us an effective love for our brothers and sisters
who suffer from lack of food.
Help us do all we can to relieve their hunger,
that they may serve you with care free hearts.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Excerpt from the English translation of The Roman Missal (c) 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Notices

HEALTH CARE BULLETIN INSERTS FROM THE USCCB
The USCCB has prepared bulletin inserts on the health care debate for Catholic parishes. These inserts outline the bishops’ advocacy for reform and promote Catholic teaching on access to health care and the limitation of abortion. To get access to these fliers, as well as bulletin covers and promotional announcements, click here.

CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
This collection will be taken up in many dioceses the weekend of November 21-22. For more information about CCHD visit: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/. Liturgical Publications Inc (LPi) has clip art and announcements from the USSCB for use in parish bulletins and newsletters. To learn how your parish can receive free access to these materials, click here.

LEAVE A COMMENT
You can leave a comment and enter the dialogue the clicking on the “Comments” link below. Leave your comment and it will be posted as soon as it is reviewed.

For Sunday, November 1, 2009

Solemnity of All Saints
Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12a

Fra Angelico -- The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs

We honor the saints because they inspire us to holiness. The more famous ones have slipped into popular culture, even if all the facts of their lives aren’t known, or if only a part of their story is remembered. Ask most people about Mary Magdalene, and they’ll recount their understanding of her as a woman of ill repute, something totally inconsistent with the portrayal of her in John’s Gospel. Often forgotten is Mary’s greatest act of witness. She was the first to proclaim the risen Lord, and so bears the title of Apostle to the apostles.

Many religious people think of St. Anthony as the saint to whom you pray to recover something that is lost. Less remembered is the fact of Anthony’s eloquent preaching which captivated and converted his listeners.

Francis of Assisi is popular with everyone. My elderly non-Catholic neighbor has a statue of him in her garden because she likes birds, and as she’ll tell me, “He liked birds, too.” But Francis also gave up everything to be married to Lady Poverty, unconcerned about what to eat or what to wear, because God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field. But the fullness of his story (so often forgotten) includes the stigmata, wearing on his own body the mark of Christ’s crucifixion.

Of poor Joseph, the spouse of Mary, we know almost nothing. There are more apocryphal tales than biblical witness about this man. And now, in the midst of the modern-day housing crisis, he suffers the indignity of having his image buried (sometimes upside down) in hopes of achieving a quick sale of a family home. Maybe being a saint isn’t such a great gig after all!

What seems to be a thread in every holy life is the ability to bring something good out of sinful human nature. It is this cooperation with God’s grace that in some way seems to be the hallmark of every saint. They take to heart the words of the John in his first letter when he writes, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God” (3:1).

One child of God that continues to provide inspiration even though she is gone is Elena Desserich. At the age of 5 she was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer. As the cancer spread, first ending her ability to speak, then her eyesight, then her mobility, Elena started hiding notes all over the house, notes that said, “I love you Mom Dad Grace [Elena's younger sister].” Elena’s parents, Brooke and Keith, kept finding the notes after Elena died-a reminder of her presence and the inspiration she gave to the community of Cincinnati as she battled cancer. A five minute video from WCPO Channel 9 in Cincinnati tells the story of Elena’s incredible love (http://www.wcpo.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=25833@wcpo.dayport.com&navCatId=23).

The simple notes of six-year old Elena Desserich, and of her response to the trials of childhood cancer, motivated the creation of the foundation, The Cure Starts Now, which today helps children everywhere in their fight against cancer. The story of her final 135 days is told in the book, Notes Left Behind. This week, a hard-cover edition of the book with reproductions of Elena’s private messages that she secretly hid around her home will be released in bookstores and on Kindle (http://www.notesleftbehind.com/).

The saints inspire us. They give us hope. They remind us of “what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God” even when the trials may be incredibly burdensome. In some ways, the saints themselves are notes left behind to remind us of God’s incredible love, addressed not just to Mom, Dad, Grace, but to us all.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

God of holiness and love,
your goodness is mirrored in the saints
who inspire us by their lives.
Watch over and protect your people
through the intercession of the saints.
May we live according to your will
and come to enjoy the blessed vision of your glory.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Notices

THE CURE STARTS NOW
There are many groups that work to find a cure for cancer. One of them is The Cure Starts Now (http://www.thecurestartsnow.org/).

CATHOLIC NEAR EAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION
For more than 75 years, CNEWA has provided education, health care, relief services, and pastoral support in the Near East. This papal agency works quietly, often behind the scenes, to assist in places where others may not be able to go. To learn more visit: http://www.cnewa.org.

CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
This collection will be taken up in many dioceses the weekend of November 21-22. For more information about CCHD visit: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/. Liturgical Publications Inc (LPi) has clip art and announcements from the USSCB for use in parish bulletins and newsletters. To learn how your parish can receive free access to these materials, click here.

For Sunday, October 25, 2009

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Hebrews 5:1-6
Mark 10:46-52

International terrorism has been around for a long time. Unfortunately, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.

Last week saw the 150th anniversary of the raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia by John Brown and his band of abolitionists. Condemned as an anarchist, John Brown was hanged just six weeks later, convicted of treason against the state of Virginia and of murder.

This past weekend saw descendants of the raiders gathered at Harpers Ferry to honor those who were judged criminals 150 years ago (See: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113911976). Scholars today assess Brown’s actions (and the reaction to it) as contributing significantly to the beginning of the Civil War.

The last five decades has seen their own cavalcade of terrorist activities: airplanes high-jacked, the kidnappings at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the 1985 seizure of the Achille Lauro, the Tamil Tiger insurgency, suicide bombings in Spain, Britain, Israel, Indonesia, Pakistan, and a dozen other countries, and of course the events of 9/11 in the United States. All of these acts, and many more, were carried out in hopes of being noticed. Unfortunately, they are hopeless acts.

Now comes the news of double suicide bombings at the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/20/world/AP-AS-Pakistan.html?scp=1&sq=pakistan%20university&st=cse). This school, popular with foreigners, has over 18,000 students. It is a seat of Islamic learning, and revered by many. The bombings are considered retaliation for the Pakistani government’s recent moves to end the inroads made by terrorists in the restive tribal regions near Afghanistan.

Incidents like this are sure to make the news. That’s why terrorists carry them out. They want to be heard!

Unfortunately, in today’s world, the terrorists’ bellows drown out wails of another kind: the cries of the poor, the oppressed, and the down-trodden. Like Bartimaeus in this weekend’s Gospel, these people in need also cry out. Jesus was able to hear Bartimaeus over the objections of many in the crowd. And in hearing him, he was able to help.

When we hear the clamorous news of all that is happening in the world, and take note of the hopeless actions of those who would make themselves known with a bomb or a gun, it might be good to open our ears just a little more-to listen attentively to hear the cries of those in need. We won’t be able to cure every blind man, nor will we be able to secure peace in every land. But we can each do a little bit to console, as the vision of Jeremiah in the first reading promises. Whether it is helping the victims of typhoons, supporting education efforts for the poor, or feeding the hungry through a donation to the local food pantry, we can be attentive to the cry of the blind beggar who once cried out, “Son of David, have pity on me,” and who cries out today for us to have pity as well.

Paul Michaels

Prayer

Provident God,
you give us a rich and abundant harvest
and bless us with every good gift.
May we use what you have given us
for our own good,
and for the benefit of others.
Open our ears to hear the cry of the poor,
and open our hearts to share the blessings
you have bestowed on us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Notices

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES RESPONDS TO FOUR EMERGENCIES
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is responding to four emergencies in the Asia Pacific region. The Philippines and Vietnam have been hit by typhoon Ketsana, while a tsunami struck Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, and an earthquake affected the island of Sumatra. CRS is working with Caritas Internationalis to plan for the long-term reconstruction vital to recovery efforts even while providing immediate emergency relief. For more information, and to learn how you can encourage parishioners to help, visit: http://crs.org/.

CATHOLIC NEAR EAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION
For more than 75 years, CNEWA has provided education, health care, relief services, and pastoral support in the Near East. This papal agency works quietly, often behind the scenes, to assist in places where others may not be able to go. To learn more visit: http://www.cnewa.org.

CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
This collection will be taken up in many dioceses the weekend of November 21-22. For more information about CCHD visit: http://www.usccb.org/cchd/. Liturgical Publications Inc (LPi) has clip art and announcements from the USSCB for use in parish bulletins and newsletters. To learn how your parish can receive free access to these materials, click here.