Nov 22, 2009 The Solemnity of Christ the King

Jn 18:33b-37
Pilate said to Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “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.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Nov 15, 2009 Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk 13:24-32
Jesus said to his disciples: “In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. “And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

He died for you, me and everybody

Nov 8, 2009 Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk 12:38-44
In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.” He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

Nov 1, 2009 Solemnity of All Saints

Mt 5:1-12a
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

Must we lend money?

Sharing an article from the “Dear Padre” column.

Dear Padre,
My daughter is $30,000 in debt. On her last payday, a friend asked to borrow $600 for his house payment. My daughter lent him the money because she heard a reading in church that if you have money and your friend needs it, you should lend it. Is that what Jesus would have my daughter do in her current situation? ~ Ellen

Dear Ellen,
If your daughter had $600 she didn’t need immediately and was quite sure her friend would pay it back in a timely fashion, then yes, it was good for your daughter to have lent the money in that situation. It’s a sign of your daughter’s generosity and kindness. But there are a lot of “ifs” in the above scenario. If someone had lent that money to your daughter and, because she then lent it to her friend, the lender was denied her payment in a timely fashion, your daughter shouldn’t have lent the money. Putting the question in simpler terms, if I have two chickens and I need only one for supper, and someone asks for something to eat, I should give him the extra chicken. But I needn’t give away all that I have to feed the hungry, thus becoming hungry myself, so if I have only one chicken I don’t have to give it away. We’re always called to be generous, but not at the expense of our own well-being. Lending money is a different issue because it seems everyone owes money. People have mortgages on their homes, loans on their cars, and debt on their credit cards. If your daughter is paying her debts in a timely fashion, she’s not obligated to pay more, and she can continue to be generous.

Patrick Keyes, C.Ss.R.

Oct 25, 2009 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk 10:46-52
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Oct 18, 2009 Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk 10:35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Does God have a plan?

Sharing an article from the “Dear Padre” column.

Dear Padre,
Does God have a plan? Every time something awful happens that can’t be explained, people say it’s all part of God’s plan. I was always taught we have free will, but how can that be if there’s a plan? ~ Beverley

Dear Beverley,
The Catholic Encyclopedia says the question of free will is one of the most important philosophical questions ever asked. We do have free will; unless we’re completely free, we cannot be held accountable for our actions (www.newadvent.org/cathen/06259a.htm). So does this mean God doesn’t have a plan or that God’s plan is to let us do whatever we want? No. God does have a plan, and everything that happens is part of it. That doesn’t mean God determines our actions and decides how we’ll act in a given situation. We can choose to drink and drive, or we can choose to take a cab. And if we do drive drunk, there may be terrible consequences. Quoting Saint Augustine, the Catholic Encyclopedia talks of God’s omnipotence and omniscience – God is all good, all powerful, and all knowing. This means that, though God doesn’t predetermine which choices we’ll make, God knows which choices we’ll make. It’s important to note that evil is never part of God’s plan. God doesn’t want us to choose evil – God allows us to choose evil. So, in a sense, everything we do is part of God’s plan. God’s plan is much larger than anything we can imagine, so big that even our free will is part of it.

Patrick Keyes, C.Ss.R.

Oct 11, 2009 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk 10:17-30
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.” He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”