The Feast of the Holy Family – Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

     Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. In today’s Gospel we are presented with an event known as the “Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple” (see Luke 2:41-52). Although considered to be one of the “Joyful Mysteries” of the Rosary, we can imagine Mary and Joseph certainly were far from joyful once they discovered him missing.

     Their frantic return to Jerusalem, and their search for him, was undoubtedly filled with anxiety and heartache.  I’m sure any parent who has lost sight of a child in a crowd can certainly understand the turmoil Mary and Joseph experienced in that moment.  We might even be put off a bit by the reaction of Jesus when they finally found him in the temple–he said, “did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?”  I imagine that many parents would be quite annoyed, and would react very strongly, if their twelve year old child “talked back” to them in such a manner.

     This story clearly demonstrates that everything wasn’t always “perfect” as the members of the Holy Family went through the events of their lives.  There’s no doubt there were occasional “bumps in the road” and obstacles for them to overcome as the child Jesus lived and was raised in their home in Nazareth.  I think some people believe the opposite to be true–that somehow that “perfect family” never faced any difficulties or trials.  The truth for us is that when Jesus was born into this world, he embraced humanity in all of its fullness–even within his home.  His experience as a member of a family then was probably much like that of our own.

     This may give some of us hope as we think about the families from which we come.  It seems every family has one issue or another, and often there are problems to be resolved.  With this in mind, let us rejoice that the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph can be for us an example to follow.  Like any other family, they faced their trials and difficulties, and they learned from their many experiences, good and bad.  They also placed their trust and hope in God, and were given whatever graces they needed to function as well as possible as a family under God’s protection.  Let us pray that our families will always strive to do the same!

     And as we continue to celebrate this joyous season, Merry Christmas everyone!
                                       
Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Christmas Day, 2015

My Sisters and Brothers:

     Like many people, when I was a small child I was very afraid of the dark.  I remember a few times being out with my family and returning to our darkened home late at night.  The house without any light always seemed like a very frightening place to me!  It was only after my father would enter the house and put on a few lights that I would feel safe to enter there again.  Those lights literally chased away whatever seemed frightening about the darkness.

     A number of years ago, I gave a lot of spiritual reflection to my childhood fear of the dark while I spent some days of silent retreat in a very simple and remote hermitage cabin.  I was by myself in that place, and had no electricity, no running water and only very few creature comforts.  It was really the first time I had ever stayed in such a place.  While there, I had to rely completely on candles and/or flashlights to see through the darkness that came after the sunset.  While I recalled my childhood fear of the dark, I reflected a lot on the great power the light has over both fear and darkness.  I found that even the smallest and seemingly most insignificant candle was able to spread a great amount of light in the darkness of that place–and could provide me with great comfort!  I think we can then say a small candle that effectively cuts through the darkness is very significant indeed! 

     In the Christian imagination, “the darkness” is associated with sin and all of its accompanying anguish and grief, while “the light” is compared to God’s presence and grace among us.  I came to a much better understanding of that imagery when I spent those nights at that hermitage!  On this Christmas day, all of us might be able to understand what I believe to be a parallel between the small, apparently insignificant candle I used in that primitive hermitage, and the birth of the Baby Jesus in that small and very humble town of Bethlehem.

     Jesus came as a light in the darkness of our world, and was born into poverty as a tiny child in an out-of-the-way and lowly town.  And although that tiny child, and the circumstances of his birth, seemed rather insignificant and unrefined, it actually was he who was to be the hope for a world shrouded in darkness.  He who seemed completely “lowly” was sublimely the greatest human ever to be born!  The birth of the Baby Jesus decisively brought the enduring and eternal light of God to the world, and would definitively chase away any darkness that could threaten it.  The grace of God he brought with that light gave people hope that they would be able to overcome the darkness of sin in their lives, and this promised all people the hope of reconciliation and peace with our loving Father in heaven.  That’s amazing and awesome!

     My sisters and brothers, the Gospel tells us that “the light shines on in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (see John 1:5).  Let us then be confident that the darkness indeed has been conquered, that sin has been chased away, that our own dignity has been lifted, and we have been made holy and true sons and daughters of our Most High and Eternal God.

     On this Christmas Day, let us thank our mighty God for giving us the great gift of Jesus his Son.  With him, let us believe in our own greatness, and let us live without fear and always walk as children the light!
                           
Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Visitation, the Fourth Sunday of Advent – Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:  

     During the previous three Sundays of Advent, we have been encouraged to prepare for the coming of the Lord.  The Scriptures have challenged us to stay awake and to be ready, to repent and to turn away from sin, and to rejoice with the knowledge that we are promised salvation!  Today, on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we reflect on the very humble situation into which our Savior would be born.

     In today’s Gospel we are presented with an event from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary called “the Visitation.”  We know this involved the meeting of Mary with her cousin Elizabeth, both of whom had become pregnant after miraculous events.  Mary of course would become the mother of Jesus, while Elizabeth was destined to be the mother of John the Baptist.  These women were poor and humble, and would have seemed unlikely to become the mothers of such great men.  But it was these very women who were to bring about the advent of the Christian faith–just think about how amazing and spectacular that truly was!

     If we read a bit further into the chapter from Luke’s Gospel today, we hear the words of Mary as she said: “God has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the lowly” (see Luke 1:52).  In today’s Gospel, Elizabeth says to Mary: “Blessed are you among women . . . how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (see Luke 1:43).  I think it’s awesome that our Almighty God made these two “lowly” women the chosen “vessels” and mothers of Jesus and John.  This is certainly an example of how God “lifted up the lowly” in order to bring about great things, and both Mary and Elizabeth acknowledged this with their own words.

     It seems to me this idea of “lifting of the lowly” is a paradigm for an important concept anchored in our faith.  That’s to say, God always desires to give strength to those who are weak.  Our first reading today draws attention to this idea as well.  The words of the Prophet Micah, written ages before the birth of Jesus, speak of the greatness that will come out of the very humble and seemingly insignificant town of Bethlehem.  The Prophet wrote “You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel” (see Micah 5:1).  Even Jesus the Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world, would have poor and humble beginnings as a child born among us!

     As we contemplate today’s readings, may we be strengthened with the thought that whatever might otherwise make us “lowly” can surely be conquered by God’s power and love.  Our God wants to lift us out of our weaknesses and he wants to give us whatever strength we need to overcome any obstacles to our true happiness and peace.  And so, as we continue to contemplate the coming of the Lord Jesus, let us be confident and unafraid!  Although we ourselves might be poor and humble, and perhaps we might even think ourselves to be insignificant in this world, we are actually called to greatness, and with God’s grace and power we too are called to do amazing things.  Let us encourage each other with this message of hope!
                                       
Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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John the Baptist and "the Chaff," the Third Sunday of Advent – Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:  

     It seems to me that the words of warning by John the Baptist in today’s Gospel are as clear as they can be; in fact, they are likely to sound very somber to many of us!  John spoke of the coming of Jesus and he proclaimed that Jesus would use a “winnowing fan” in order to “clear his threshing floor” (see Luke 3:17).

     These images were easily understood by those who harvested wheat for a living.  The agricultural people who first heard John’s preaching would have completely understood his analogy.  They knew that if used properly by the harvester, the winnowing fan would separate the good grains from those that were nearly useless.  Those remains of the harvest, “the chaff,” would then be swept away from “the threshing floor” and would either be mixed in with the fodder fed to animals and/or simply be incinerated like rubbish.

     Because they were “sinners,” some of those in John’s audience might have understood themselves to be akin to the unworthy and useless, good-for-nothing chaff.  As they listened to John, who did not mince his words, they may have seen themselves as “the chaff that would be burned with unquenchable fire.”

     Could it be possible that such people were not worthy to receive the presence of Jesus into their lives?  Of course, this is exactly opposite of the real message of John the Baptist–the one who came to preach repentance from sins and of hope for a new life in Jesus!  As we hear his message today, we are invited to have a similar hope.

     Unfortunately, there are still many people who believe they are destined to be treated in the same way as the “chaff” of the harvest.  Such people may believe they are unable to be lifted out of the darkness of sin and despair.  They might live with self-perceptions of great sinfulness, with addictions, with weaknesses and with other such difficulties that cause them to be demoralized and to suffer from low self-esteem and self-hatred.  Some of these people may simply have come to the conclusion that they are destined for eternal damnation simply because of who they are, where they have been, or because of what they have done in their pasts.

     In contrast to such thinking, John’s real message, one that is affirmed by the words of the Prophet Zephaniah in our first reading today, is that God graciously invites all people to turn away from all that might enslave them, and instead to live in freedom and in happiness!  Zephaniah proclaimed “shout for joy, O daughter Zion . . .  sing joyfully . . . be glad and exult with all your heart . . . the Lord has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies . . . you have no further misfortune to fear . . . do not be discouraged” (see Zephaniah 3:14-16).

     This is the very “good news” that John in fact was preaching.  He promised the people that all they had to do was resolutely turn away from “disorders” of the past.  The warning of John then was simply meant to encourage people to look with confidence to the future, and to the One who would bring salvation to the whole world.

     My friends, there is no need to fear that we who have faith will suffer the fate of the “chaff.”  Instead, let us rejoice because we believe that we are like those precious golden grains of wheat held close to the heart of the harvester!  Therefore, as we continue this journey through Advent, we pray with enthusiasm: “Come Lord Jesus, Come!” 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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John the Baptist and "Making Things Right," Second Sunday of Advent – Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:  

     On this Second Sunday of Advent, I believe a clear message given by our Scriptures is that our God empowers us to change if necessary, and that we can rise above any type of sadness and darkness that might otherwise “disorder” and take control of our lives.  This of course, is a wonderful message to contemplate as we prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!

     The first reading tells us to “take off our robes of mourning and misery and to put on the splendor of the glory of God forever” (see Baruch 5:1).  This same reading tells us that “God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground” (see verse seven).  I believe this imagery of straightening out and of leveling things, used often in the Old Testament, and even to describe the preaching of John the Baptist in our Gospel today (see Luke 3:4-5), challenges us “to make right” whatever might otherwise be any type of “disorder” in our own personal lives.

     These “disorders” can cause us to live in “darkness,” but our God would rather that we are free of such things–so that we might live in the light of his presence, and always be happy!  Unfortunately, all of us may know someone who has really struggled with some type of hidden or obvious  “disorder” in his or her life.  Such people may have great difficulty “making their lives right” and they may seem incapable of freeing themselves from whatever binds them.  Some of us may need to be honest and admit that we have personally struggled in just such ways.

     The “disorders” causing such struggles may be the result of any one or more of the following circumstances: a lack of faith, an inordinate sense of guilt because of past “sins,” an inability to control personal weaknesses, a lack of control over addictive and/or codependent behaviors, a heart hardened by a life lacking in fortune, an inability to be forgiving of self and/or others, an unending sense of emotional pain, an angry disposition, and the list goes on . . .  And isn’t it so very sad when people are so enslaved by such “disorders” that they live in denial, and simply seem content to walk in their own “darkness” without hope for change? 

     In contrast, our Scriptures today give us very hopeful messages about conversion and renewal!  Baruch tells us that “God is leading his people in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company” (cf. Baruch 5:9).  In the Gospel, we hear that John the Baptist “went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (see Luke 3:3).

     During these days, as we look forward to the celebration of Christmas, we also live in hope for that day when personally we will meet the Lord face to face!  And so we are called to be ready for that day!  As we continue our preparation during this time of Advent, let us trust that our God has power over any “disorder” that might otherwise control our lives.  Our God promises us forgiveness from our sins, and he wants to free us from all of those forces of sadness and darkness that could threaten to control us.

     My friends, let us be confident and hopeful as we contemplate today’s message!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Be Vigilant At All Times, the First Sunday of Advent – Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:  

     We don’t have to look too far these days to see that very soon we will be at the peak of the celebration of Christmas.  Trees and ornaments have already been displayed for weeks at our local shopping centers, holiday music has filled the air all around us, the parties have started, and the pressure of gift shopping has come upon us as well!

     Many of us can experience a great amount of anxiety and stress during this so called “holiday season.”  It can be very easy for us to get caught up with all things “commercial Christmas” at this time of the year.  This may cause us to lose our spiritual focus during the Advent season we are just now beginning.

     Today, on this First Sunday of Advent, we are reminded to take some steps back from all of the material pressure that may be placed upon us at this time.  Our Scriptures today encourage us to reflect on the true meaning of this current season–a time in which we are reminded “to be prepared” and “to wait” for “the coming of the Lord.”

     Oh yes, it's a good thing to recall with joy that soon we will once again be celebrating the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem–even if this includes “holiday activities” that are really more secular than faith-based.  But as Christians, we must never lose touch with the more important reality presented to us during our observance of Advent.  That reality is our hope that Jesus will come again, and that we must be ready for that day!  Advent for us is a time of hopeful expectation of things yet to come.

     With regards to this, Jesus tells us in the Gospel today:  “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy . . . and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap . . .  be vigilant at all times and pray that you have strength” (see Luke 21:34-36).

     And so my sisters and brothers, let us not be too overtaken by all that “commercial Christmas” out there, and certainly may we not be overcome by the concurrent anxiety it could possibly cause!  May we fully and cheerfully enjoy those trees and the bright lights, the fun of holiday shopping, the Christmas carols filling the air with cheer, the social gatherings and all the food that comes with them, and the joy of these days, but let us not lose our true spiritual focus!  As people of hope during this time of Advent, may we encourage one another in the faith that our Messiah, Jesus the Christ, will actually come again.

     May we be prepared for that day with peace and joy, and may we know that it will bring us to completion as both individuals and as a people of God!  Happy Holidays my friends!

     Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Kingship of the Servant Jesus, the Thirty-fourth Sunday, Christ the King–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers: 

     Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.  As I contemplate the meaning of this feast, I am compelled to recall that Jesus is also known as the “Servant King.”

     From a Christian perspective, it seems to me that there are very close connections between the ideas of “service” and of “love.”  This also compels me to recall that Scripture passage which states: “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him/her” (see 1 John 4:16b).

     It seems to me then that the best way to understand the “kingship” of Jesus is to see that it has everything to do with service to others rooted in the enduring love of our eternal God in heaven!  It’s interesting to note that although we acknowledge Jesus as “king,” he tells us in today’s Gospel that “his kingdom does not belong to this world” (see John 18:36).   And so it might be good for us on this feast to “think outside of the box” with regards to how we understand Jesus in comparison to the power and authority of earthy kings and other such political leaders.

     The most typical images of worldly monarchs and potentates might depict them as wearing flowing purple robes, holding royal scepters in their hands, and as being seated on lofty golden thrones.  In fact, there are even many examples of religious art that depict Jesus exactly in such a manner!  While this may help us to comprehend Jesus Christ as Lord, as truly divine, and as all-powerful and eternal, understanding his “kingship” from some limited worldly perspective risks missing a much greater idea of who Jesus really and truly is as King of the Universe.

     Isn’t it true that genuine and enduring love is more powerful than any type of earthly potentate–whether these things are money, possessions, weapons, prestige, political and/or military power, and etcetera?

     When I think of the omnipotence of Jesus, the words love and service seem best to describe what he is for all men and women of all times and places!  For many, and in countless manners even in our own personal lives, Jesus has shown us the purest of love, and this love is always made manifest in the way he places himself in service to the human family.  Our faith tradition tells us that he did this through his incarnation into the world as one of us, during his life and ministry among us, by his care for and service to the needy and the marginalized, and by embracing his passion and death on the cross.  Ultimately, we believe that Jesus serves us and shares with each of us this abiding love of the Father through the glory of his resurrection to new and eternal life.

     Therefore, the kingship of the servant Jesus simply has everything to do with the profound and enduring love of God, a reality that will forever be more powerful than any fleeting and worldly assertion of power and control.  This eternal love is the same one that motivates our own hearts to be grateful, and it inspires us to love and to serve others.  This love is precisely who Jesus Christ is as our Lord and King!

     And so my friends, may we swear our allegiance, and be completely dedicated to this enduring love of God!  May the love of Jesus Christ, our King, always motivate us to place ourselves lovingly in service to others, especially to those who are most in need! 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Today is the Day to Change, the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:  

     In our Christian lives, and as we look to the promise of future glory, I believe we must ask ourselves the following: Do we always say what we mean and do what we say?  With this in mind, today we are challenged by our Scriptures to make ourselves ready and to be prepared for both our personal and our communal “final days.”  These Scriptures should motivate us to examine the ways in which we do or do not authentically live out our lives as Christians in our own day and time.

     It is no coincidence that on this Thirty-third Sunday of the liturgical year, our Scriptures warn us about the “end times” – those days when all things on the earth will cease to be, and when only heavenly realities will remain.  Next week, on the Thirty-fourth Sunday, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and then our liturgical year will come to an end.  We will then look to the new liturgical year that will begin on the First Sunday of Advent, November 29th.  We should recall today that the Scriptures presented to us on the Sundays of a three-year cycle, and during each liturgical year, are progressively designed to illustrate the life of Jesus and the acts of the early church, and they “tell a story.”   This story, like any good book and indeed just like each one of our own personal lives, has a very definite beginning and a certain final chapter. Very soon we will renew this cycle of the Christian “story” when we once again begin the hopeful season of Advent!

     And so today, as we begin to close out another liturgical year, and as we literally come to the end of a time, we are reminded that our very lives, and the world and all within it will one day likewise experience a final, definitive day.  About that day, the first reading tells us: “many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake . . . and the wise shall shine . . . like the stars for ever and ever” (see Daniel 12:2-3).  Jesus also tells us in today’s Gospel that “the Son of man . . . will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (see Mark 13:26-27).

     As we contemplate these descriptions of that final day, we are obliged to simply ask ourselves the following question: Are we ready?  The truth is, if we are good Christians we will always live our lives in such a way as to be ready for the final judgement.  With this in mind, we note that Jesus also tells us “but of that day or that hour no one knows” (see Mark 13:32).  In other words, we may not have time to “get ready” if our attempts at making ourselves right before God and others are constantly put off for another day.

     There is no room for “spiritual procrastination” within mature faith-filled Christian lives.  And so my sisters and brothers, if there are things in our lives that keep us from “loving the Lord, our God, with all of our hearts, our beings, our strengths, and our minds, as well as our neighbors as ourselves” (cf., Luke 10:27), then TODAY is the day to change.  Not forgiving someone?  Now is the time to do it!  Not serving the less fortunate?  Now is the time to do it!  Not praying with devotion every day?  Now is the time to do it!  Not striving to be the best person possible?  Now is the time to do it!  Not truly acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?  Now is the time to do it!

     My sisters, my brothers, let us always be prepared for that final day!  May we also always encourage each other, on each and every one of our present days, “to walk the walk, and not simply talk the talk!” 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Image of St. Francis at St. Ann Church

      Today, I found this image of St. Francis in a closet on the 3rd floor of the rectory (now known as the Anchorage) at St. Ann's.

     Thirty-two years ago, I spent a summer living and working at St. Ann's as a "seminarian" with the College Candidate Program of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. I was guided that summer (and the during the following Christmas semester break when I returned) by a wonderful pastor, Joe Muth!

     This very framed image hung on a wall just outside of my bedroom back then. At the time, I was contemplating the possibility of becoming a Franciscan friar. One evening, during a time when I was very prayerfully doing some serious contemplation on the 58th Chapter of Isaiah, I found myself standing in the hallway, and gazing upon this image, and I became nearly entranced by it (St. Francis receiving the Stigmata by El Greco).

     It was just then, just at that moment, that I made the definitive decision to become a Conventual Franciscan friar! It was as if St. Francis himself had told me what to do! That was very definitely a "God Moment" in my life that I will never forget, and so I can't even explain how excited I was to find this image in the closet today!

     And little did I ever imagine back then that someday I would return to St. Ann as the Pastor (God certainly works in mysterious ways!).

     Interesting to note is that the original of this painting is on permanent display right here in Baltimore at the Walters Art Museum. Praise God!

 

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The Poor Widow, the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers: 

     In Biblical times, widows had far greater problems than simply losing their husbands to death. In those days, women in general had no “rights” apart from their husbands, and so they were basically property-less and disenfranchised people. As such, women were totally dependent on their fathers, their husbands or upon other male family members for their security and their livelihood. If a woman became a widow, and she was “fortunate” enough to have living parents, a caring brother-in-law, or an adult son, she could likely depend on them to provide for her needs in order to survive. Without such people, she was doomed to desolation and begging, or even worse.

     Throughout the Gospels, we find that Jesus champions many types of people who were as “unfortunate” as widows. Such people were the most humble within society, and within the religious culture of the time. It was for those very needy people that Jesus spent a lot of time and energy demonstrating God’s unconditional and eternal love!

     With this in mind, I don’t think it was a coincidence that just before Jesus pointed out the faith and generosity of a poor widow, he made a point of criticizing the “religiously righteous,” the scribes who were “those who went around in long robes and accepted greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets” (see Mark 12:38-39). We could say that many of the scribes, and other such people (such as the Pharisees and the Levites as well) enjoyed prestigious lifestyles, the likes of which were completely opposite of the experiences of struggling and poor widows. Unless they happened to be from unusually wealthy families, “Biblical widows” were certainly not able to wear fancy clothes, and they were not given great respect in public places; nor were they were given seats of honor at important gatherings. Unlike the scribes, the widows were people who could depend only on God, and upon the generosity of others, in order to survive.

     As I contemplated this, I found myself pondering the following question: In our own time, which types of people might we compare to the “Biblical widow?” My answer to this is to look to those people who by some might be considered to be “on the margins of society.” These people might be the homeless, the disabled, those addicted to drugs and alcohol, impoverished families, those overwhelmed with debts, forgotten elderly people left alone in nursing homes, gay, lesbian and transgender people, undocumented foreigners and migrants, beggars on the street and so on. Our faith teaches us that such people, like every human being, deserve to be respected and cherished as children of God.

     I believe we must never forget that people who are thought to be marginalized deserve as much human respect as doctors, lawyers, successful business people, politicians, priests and others who might be the social equivalent of the Biblical scribes in our own modern society. We must not be tempted to think otherwise; all men and women, no matter their social status, or the amount of wealth or power they have, are equal in the eyes of God.

     On the final day, there will be no distinction between men and women, the fortunate and the unfortunate, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the educated and the uneducated, and so on.

     May we always have the attitude of Jesus as we consider the value and dignity of others, especially those for whom even basic human rights are often denied; may we never be pretentious about whom we ourselves are, and may we always reach out to those who need an understanding of God’s unconditional and eternal love!

Praise God! Friar Timothy

 

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All Saints Day and the "Celebration of Diversity"

My Sisters and Brothers:  

On this Solemnity of All Saints, I believe it is a good and very holy thing to proclaim that the Christian Church “celebrates diversity.”  Today, and in a special way, we rejoice with all of the saints, those faithful sisters and brothers who when on earth lived in every part of the world, spoke every possible language, and embraced every culture!  What they completed in whatever place they lived on earth, and what they have now become in heaven, is exactly what each one of us aspires to do and to be.  That is, no matter whom we have been, who we are now, or from where we have come, and/or are today, we too hope to be saints with them in our own future heavenly glory!  We have confidence that, when that time comes, we too will enjoy forever the fullness of life in the presence of our Loving God with them, that vast multi-cultural assembly!

In today’s first reading, and contemplating this heavenly reality, we heard in the words of the Apostle John that he “had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue . . . and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands” (see Revelation 7:9).  These words give me both comfort and joy as they indeed and clearly proclaim the saints in heaven to be a very diverse and dynamic community.  Doesn’t this exactly describe the Church on Earth, the community of the faithful assembled in so many different and diverse places throughout the world?

Aren’t we too, the people of our parish, a wonderful example in miniature of the same kind of diversity found in the Universal Christian Church?  Can’t we then say that the community that meets right here in our own parish church is striving as best as it can to be an image of that diverse and dynamic community of saints in heaven?  That surely is what we are called to be!  We are people who come from different nations and states, we have different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and some of us even speak different languages!  Although we are not yet perfected, we are indeed a smaller version of both the broader and still journeying Christian Church, and that very great and diverse, and now unblemished multitude of saints in heaven described by the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation!

Therefore, we can boldly proclaim that those of us who now form a very diverse and multi-cultural Church on Earth surely desire to attain that same holiness now enjoyed by that dynamic community of our sisters and brothers who are already saints in heaven!  They inspire and motivate us, because like us they represent every nation, race, people, and tongue!

My friends, may we celebrate the fullness our diversity and all of those things that make our community such a multi-patterned quilt of people!  Let us march onward together to our promised heavenly home, always respecting and celebrating that diversity that brings such variety to who we are as a community of people-striving-to-be-saints!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Blind Beggar Bartimaeus, the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that “the Good Shepard . . . calls his own sheep by name” (see John 10:1-21). With this in mind, today’s Gospel presents us with the story of the “blind beggar named Bartimaeus” (see Mark 10:46-52). The “name” given to this blind beggar is very interesting to me because the word really was not a bona fide name at all, but rather was a description of who he was. “Bartimaeus” simply meant “the son of Timaeus” (see verse 46).

     In Biblical times, many “people on the fringe” were thought to have had very little or no value at all as members of society, and like the blind beggar of today’s Gospel were essentially “nameless” to others. These would have included those who were sickened, crippled, blinded, possessed, impoverished, widowed and/or orphaned (just to mention a few). It was thought that many, if not all of those people, were stricken as such because of their sins, or because of the sins of their parents or relatives. It was believed as well that such “sinners” deserved little, if any, favor with God, and certainly why those who were in contrast regarded as “the righteous ones” deprived them of the dignity of being respectfully called “by name.” Those “sinners” therefore, the most marginalized of society, were completely shunned, discriminated against, and even treated with “holy contempt.” 

    Let’s not miss the subtle irony then presented by the blind man’s “name” given in today’s Gospel account! For those who actually witnessed this event, and for those who first heard about it in the earliest days of the church, even the “non-name” given to “Bartimaues” would have further underscored and highlighted his “worthlessness.” 

     According to Mark, “on hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, ‘Bartimaeus’ 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’” (see verses 47-48). The people in the crowd, undoubtedly many of them “religious people,” must have felt justified as they tried to silence this “sinner” who cried out to Jesus. But the radical Jesus introduced to faith filled people a whole new way of thinking about and affirming the dignity of every single human being, even those previously thought to be unworthy of God’s love. 

     In response to “Bartimaeus,” and as with so many others who begged him for forgiveness, Jesus demonstrated a different way of treating “sinners.” Jesus was merciful, he was patient, he was loving and he was kind. Jesus looked into the eyes and into the hearts of those who were bowed down; Jesus lifted them up and called them by name, and he assured them they were loved by God! Jesus rejected attitudes that negated the value and dignity of other human beings, especially when those others were marginalized and essentially rendered as “nameless.” Instead, Jesus forgave those who were thought to have been “sinners,” he welcomed the outcasts, the marginalized and the scorned. 

     It’s no surprise to me then that when “Bartimaeus” called out to Jesus with faith and persistence, Jesus immediately cured him and gave him sight. Therefore, let us model our behavior towards others after Jesus who reached out those who were thought to be sinful and unworthy, and like Jesus may we value and cherish all of the people with whom we come into contact every day of our lives. Like “Bartimaeus,” may we also have faith and always believe that we are forgiven and precious in God’s eyes, and may we know that because of his great love for us, our God calls each one of us “by name.”

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Jesus, the Perfect Servant, the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     Today’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus came “to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (see Mark 10:45).  As faithful followers of Jesus, we are therefore called to take upon ourselves the identities and attitudes of “servants.” The Gospel clearly tells us that if we want to be “great” then we must place our lives in the service of others.

     As we contemplate this, it may be helpful to think about the sacrifices and contributions to our society that “modern-day servants” make for all of us. Although an actual list of the jobs done by such people is probably nearly endless, I believe there are many types of work that can be regarded as contemporary examples of this, and I think those who very responsibly take on these jobs clearly exemplify lives of service. Let’s consider the great, and often thankless duties of nurses and hospital orderlies, maintenance personnel, housemaids, cooks, teachers and child care providers, parking attendants, commercial drivers, construction workers, sales associates and cashiers, secretaries, security guards and even firefighters and police officers (just to name a few). We might also ponder the way such people, especially those who remain forever dedicated and dutiful, are often denied the proper respect and admiration they ought to be rightly given!

     As I thought about this, a good friend who works for the New York City Department of Sanitation came to mind. When I was a youth, if I had aspired to be a “trash man” I might have been ridiculed by my family and friends; they might have told me that such work was undignified, or that it was only for those incapable of doing anything else. Certainly, the value of such work and service to society would have been negated by those who might have encouraged me to aspire to something “greater.” Now that I have a perspective on the dedicated life of public service done by my friend the sanitation worker, I know for sure that the possible advice my friends and family might have given would have been completely misdirected. Such work in service to others is in fact very dignified, not for the fainthearted, and certainly worthy of great respect and admiration. I now have no doubt that sanitation workers, and so many other types of “modern-day servants,” form a most critical and very necessary layer of the system we call “human society.” What they do is truly “great!” And where would we all be without them?  Because of the work my friend the sanitation worker tirelessly does for others, I believe he is truly a hero in our society, and this can also be said about so many others who are our “modern-day servants!”

      Not all of us may have the privilege of holding such service related jobs, but Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel that our attitudes must be one with theirs. He says: “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” (see Mark 10:43-45).

     As Christians, may we always be grateful to those faithful “modern-day servants” who so clearly demonstrate the very mind and disposition of Jesus! May we follow the example of their humble attitudes, especially in the manner in which we share their desire to give complete and loving service toward others. Let us encourage each other with this goal, and may we always desire to serve rather than to be served. May Jesus, the perfect servant, continue to inspire and nourish all of us in our lives of faith.  

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Rich Young Man, the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

 

     I wonder if today’s Gospel story simply challenges or criticizes wealthy people who value their riches more than spiritual things?  Perhaps.  It does present us with an account of a rich young man who, although asked to give up his possessions in order to follow Jesus, was unable to do so (see Mark 10:17-30).

 

   Even though the rich young man had strictly observed all of the Ten Commandments during the course of his life, Jesus told him there was still more he was called to do. I think Jesus challenged him to make a deeper faith commitment that involved the total surrender of not really just his possessions, but actually his heart and his will as well. The young man’s failure to do as Jesus asked might be symbolic of all of those struggles we too may have as we try to overcome our own selfish temptations.
 
    I believe the message of today’s Gospel can challenge us to think about those things in our own lives that might occupy too much of our attention, our hopes and our desires. We might ask: Are there things upon which we might be tempted to place more value than for God or for his people? And does being distracted by these things indeed cause us to be insufficiently dedicated to the very noble and the many responsibilities and attitudes that our faith places upon us?

 

     And so, what are those things in our lives that possibly control us and upon which we might place too much value? Using the “seven deadly sins” as a guide, a few things on this list perhaps might be as follows: uncontrolled and selfish desire for physical pleasure, inability to maintain a healthy diet of food and nutrition, constant craving for power, money and/or prestige, lethargic and/or lazy approaches to responsibilities at work or school, over-exaggerated feelings of anger when struggling with the challenges of life or when dealing with perceived faults of others, extreme envy and/or jealousy towards others who have been blessed with success and good fortune, and lastly (and perhaps most “deadly”), bloated pride in our own accomplishments that leads us to a self-perceived sense of superiority over others.
 
     Unlike the rich young man presented in today’s Gospel, can we in contrast truly give up those things in our own lives that might “possess” us? And then, in contrast to these things, might we instead strive to be unselfish and genuinely loving towards others, good stewards of our personal health, joyfully generous with our resources, enthusiastic about our work and responsibilities, mercifully patient with and towards others, always full of kindness, and authentically humble about who we truly are?

 

     We may not have so many riches like the young man in today’s Gospel, but there may be things in our lives that prevent us from serving the Lord with our whole heart, mind and soul. To paraphrase today’s Gospel message then, I believe Jesus tells us: “Turn away from those things that possess you, place yourselves in service to others, and then you will have treasure in heaven and will be able to follow me with all that you are!”

 

     My friends, may we do this well!

 

     Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Do Not Work for Food that Perishes, the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     Beginning today, and for next two Sundays, we will hear nearly all of the “Bread of Life Discourse” as recorded and found only in the Gospel of St. John (see chapter 6:22-59).

     As we contemplate the message contained in today’s passage, we might simply ask ourselves: “At the present time, and in this life, what are those things that matter to us the most as we attempt to remain faithful to Jesus?”  I believe we can ask this question in light of how we relate to others, the desires and needs we have as we live today, and as we contemplate our hope for the fullness of grace, and for eternal life.

     In last week’s Gospel, we heard the story of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes.  We saw that Jesus had performed a very “temporal” miracle in order to satisfy the hunger of a crowd of people for whom he had so much compassion (i.e., he had pitied them, and then he satisfied their need to eat at that moment).  Those very same people are featured once more in today’s Gospel; it seems they continued to follow him, and were captivated by him, because they wanted even more “temporal” satisfaction.  Because they did not yet understand the heavenly and eternal purpose of Jesus’ mission, and they likely hoped Jesus would become a type of earthly king, Jesus needed to instruct them about the imperishable nature of his mission and purpose.

     In the teaching contained in today’s Gospel, the people were challenged to understand a greater reality; they were taught about what really mattered for those who understood the meaning of life from an eternal perspective.  Jesus said to them: “You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled . . . do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life . . . I am the bread of life and whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (see John 6:24-35).

     We cannot interpret this teaching aside from our understanding of who and what Jesus is for us as we come together to celebrate the Eucharist.  For us, Jesus himself is the “bread from heaven given for us to eat” (cf.,  John 6:51), and in the sharing of this heavenly food, we are given a glimpse into heaven, and are allowed an understanding of those things that really matter the most–in both the present and in the next life.

     Jesus fed the multitudes with the loaves and the fishes in order to satisfy their temporal needs, and he calls us to do the same in the way that we reach out and serve the less fortunate, but there is something much greater that we must never forget: Jesus himself is the Bread of Life, and he gives himself to us completely and eternally!  He does this so that we might be nourished today, and so that we might also experience the fullness of life and live forever!

     May the faith we have, how we live it in this life, and the manner in which we associate and place ourselves in service to others, be like the imperishable, eternal and sanctifying Eucharist we receive and share–may these things matter to us the most, and may they foreshadow that future glory of ours where Jesus already reigns forever!  Today, let us confidently hope for the fullness of grace, for the promise of life eternal, and for that day when all will be satisfied, and no one will ever hunger or thirst again!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     Isn’t it true that a good celebration, a party, a banquet, a family gathering, an evening with an old friend, a date with a special loved-one, etc., nearly always involves the sharing of some type of meal?  Isn’t it also true that when good and plentiful food is shared generously among friends and family, that such exchanges bring life and joy to all (to both those who give and to those who receive)?  It’s obvious to us that eating and drinking are more than simply basic survival needs; we also know that at the same time we share our food, we celebrate our lives together!

     The sharing of food, an action even echoed by our Eucharistic celebration, really is a paradigm for all of life’s activities, and the way we are called to relate to one another; when we nourish others by giving of ourselves in service to them, especially those who are less fortunate, then we affirm the value and the dignity of their very lives.  With this thought in mind, we might gain some insight into the message of today’s Gospel account.

     St. John speaks of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes, and the feeding of the five-thousand.  This story is a continuation of the same narrative we encountered last week from the Gospel of St. Mark (see Mark 6:30-34 and John 6:1-15).  It tells us that not only did the compassionate Jesus think the crowds of people who had been following him were “like sheep without a shepherd” (see Mark 6:34), but he was also concerned that they be nourished as well.  St. John tells us that Jesus wanted to be sure that those people had something to eat, and so he asked “where can we buy enough food for them?” (see verse 5b).

     After the disciples complained that the cost of feeding such a large amount of people would have been impossibly expensive, suddenly they encountered a small child who gave them his five loaves of bread and his two fish.  These offerings were then presented to Jesus, who then “took the five loaves and gave thanks” (see verse 11).  The provisions were then miraculously multiplied, so much so that “five-thousand men” (and perhaps as many women and children) were then given more than plenty to eat (see verse 10).  As if to illustrate even greater the magnitude of the miracle, the Gospel also tells us that afterward “the fragments left over . . . filled twelve wicker baskets” (see verse 13).

      Exactly how this miracle occurred, and the particulars of how the five loaves and two fishes were multiplied and distributed, is something of a mystery to us.  What we do know for sure from this story is that the generous sharing of food among all of those people brought life and joy to all who were there!  Through his preaching and by his own actions, which were motivated by compassion and love, Jesus made it clear to his followers how he expected them to treat others.  In this example, he also taught that by sharing even what at first seemed to be an insignificant amount of food, an abundance of life itself could be given to many!

     Just as our Lord felt it was important to meet the physical needs of the people by feeding them, so we too must live our Christian lives in ways that generously reach out to those in need.  I believe this is a very important dimension of the Christian way of life.  Today, may we once again recommit ourselves to sharing our lives with others by the way we feed and serve those who are less fortunate than ourselves, especially the neediest among us.  May we faithfully bring life and joy to all we meet, not only as we gather to share meals, and to join together in celebrating the breaking of the bread, but through all of the actions of our lives!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Like Sheep Without a Shepherd, the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     I believe the message of today’s Gospel for us is that we are each called in our own way to do the best we can to bring the Good News of healing and salvation to others–especially to those around us who might be confused or lost, but who at the same time hunger and thirst for purpose and direction in their lives.  These are the kind of people to whom Jesus refers in today’s Gospel, those who are “like sheep without a shepherd” (see Mark 6:34).

     As authentic followers of Jesus, we are each called to reach out generously to a needy world, and to those among us who want peace, health, forgiveness, sustenance, strength, acceptance, and a sense of God’s love in their lives.  In truth, isn’t this a great part of what it actually means to “evangelize” or to “preach the Gospel?”  Isn’t it as simple as that?  I believe if we do this with great enthusiasm, then the message of our faith will be very attractive to others in the world, and they will want to flock to our churches and to be part of our faith communities.

     This is exactly what Jesus and his disciples did so well, and that we find so poignantly illustrated in today’s Gospel story.  Those holy men had been such effective ministers that they had become nearly overwhelmed by the frenzied crowd of people who had come to the small seaside fishing village of Capernaum to see them, so much so that the men “had no opportunity even to eat” (see Mark 6:31b).

     In response to this predicament, Jesus said to them:  “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (see Mark 6:31a).  It’s believed that they then set out by boat and sailed approximately two miles southwest along the shores of the Sea of Galilee to an area now known as Tabgha.  In a place there very close to the seashore, could be found a garden with abundant and fresh springs of pure and clear water, palm trees and flowers, and soft grassy fields (this sounds like a nice place to visit, right?).  It was the perfect place to go for rest, relaxation, peace and prayer, and probably Jesus and the disciples often went to Tabgha for that purpose.  Today, visitors to the Mount of the Beatitudes, which is located on a tranquil hillside just outside of Capernaum, can gaze over the magnificent Sea of Galilee and its glistening blue waters, and from there they can see many miles of the sea’s rugged shoreline; from that place on the hillside, it’s also possible to see both Capernaum and Tabgha and to realize just how close they are to one another.

     With this in mind, and as we read today’s Gospel story, it’s not difficult to imagine how the people who were scrambling to see Jesus and his disciples could have chased them on foot from the one place to the other; they could see where they were going, and it was easy to follow them.  The fact that Jesus and the disciples wanted to rest and to “get away from it all,” was not important to that frenzied crowd of people who were demanding their complete attention!  I think this story dramatically illustrates how much of a thirst and a hunger the people of that time and place had for the Good News Jesus was offering to them.  Jesus recognized this, and so the Gospel tells us that “when he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them” (see Mark 6:34).

     Isn’t it true that our world today is full of similar people who thirst and hunger for the same Good News (even though they may not yet fully realize what they desire)?  Jesus and the disciples enthusiastically and always did the work of the Father, and they were able to bring healing, meaning and purpose to the lives of others whom they had evangelized.  May we compassionately do the same for those around us today, especially by the way in which we invite them to our feast, and by the manner in which we serve them in their needs (and may we get a little rest when necessary too)!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Actions Speak Louder than Words, the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     It is believed that St. Francis of Assisi often said to the friars: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.”  Isn’t it true that “actions always speak louder than words?”

     Our Gospel today tells us that Jesus sent his twelve Apostles into the world to share the Good News and to preach about repentance.  Jesus wanted all men and women to turn away from sin, and he wanted them to be freed from unnecessary burdens, so they would know God intimately and live happy and holy lives.

     While the leaders of our church, especially our bishops, are called in a special way to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles (and to do their work), all Christians in some way or another share in this calling.  As members of the Christian community, I believe we must not only embrace the message of Jesus, but we must also imitate the Apostles’ mission of sharing the Good News and their vocation of “preaching.”  We are called to do these things, each according to our own gifts, talents and abilities.

     In today’s Gospel, we hear that the preaching of the Apostles was accompanied by many good deeds and acts; they went out and expelled demons, anointed the sick with oil and worked many cures (see Mark 6:7-13).  Before sending them, Jesus had advised: “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave . . . whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them” (see Mark 6:10-11).

     This advice about “shaking dust” may seem a little harsh to us, but looking at it from another perspective, we can ask ourselves how such a directive might be applied to our own lives and experiences.  To answer this, and in light Jesus’ desire for people to repent from sin, it seems to me that we could “shake off some dust” if we would actually, earnestly, and genuinely strive to live holy lives!  If so, we certainly would always endeavor to keep ourselves free from the seductions of those materialistic, moral and ethical ways of thinking and doing that are so contrary to God’s will and grace.  This would really and always enable us to put the words of our faith into action!

     I’ve always found it interesting, even perplexing, that some who call themselves “Christians” find it very easy to excuse themselves from some of the most basic obligations placed upon those of us who are people of faith.  When Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (compare Matthew 22:37-40 and Mark 12:30-31), he actually meant every word of the admonition!

     So therefore, modeling our lives after those of the Apostles, and likewise completely dedicated to our God, let us always respect the privacy, the dignity, the property and the rights of others; let us be quick to forgive their weaknesses; let us serve them–especially the poor, the needy and the marginalized; let us be generous with our time, talents and financial resources; let us always treat our family members and neighbors with respect–especially those who are different or less fortunate than ourselves; let us always strive to be instruments of God’s loving presence to all we meet!  If we never excuse ourselves from these basic directives of the Christian way of life, then I believe our actions will speak as loud as any words we might also choose to use.  In this way, we will surely be able to “shake some dust” out there in our world!

     My sisters and brothers, may we always preach the Gospel with our lives, and when necessary, use words!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Funeral Homily for Santina P. Cricchio (July 9, 2015)

Santina P. Cricchio (July 9, 1929-July 4, 2015)
(Funeral: 10:30 a.m., Thursday, July 9, 2015 at St. Leo Church, 227 S Exeter Street, Baltimore, Maryland)

I would be fibbing if I told you I wasn’t a bit nervous to be standing here before you to preach for the funeral Mass of this very beautiful woman who was like a mother to so many!  I’m actually honored and humbled at the same time to have this opportunity to share some thoughts with all of you.

How wonderful it is to see so many people here, so many who have been “mothered” by Santina over the years.  I know that Santina’s family is very consoled by the presence of so many priests and friars, family members, friends, and even the large group of parishioners who traveled from Most Holy Trinity–St. Mary in Brooklyn to be here today.

As I was thinking about what I wanted to say in this homily, I realized that Santo (also known as Sam and Sammy) and I have known each other since I was fourteen years old–from the time we were both students at that “other” Catholic high school (Calvert Hall) here in Baltimore!  As I thought about and prepared for this moment, I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t stand here today and not somehow talk about celebrations, parties and food!  In fact, I find it no coincidence that we are gathered here today on what is Santina’s birthday–a day that would normally be an occasion of celebration and promise.

Gathering at the table, and celebrating and sharing food were always an important part of Santina’s life.  Santo and I lived together in Brooklyn for many years, and I always knew that when Santina and her family came to visit that their stay would also involve reservations at one or another great New York restaurant.  I knew those meals would also always involve a commitment of many hours of time, as the meal experience and the family time together was to be relished and savored.

My earliest memories of Santina were from my visits to her family’s home on the Alameda.  There was always lots of love evident there, and Santina was no doubt the queen of her kitchen in that house, and of course there was always plentiful and delicious Italian food served at her table!  Having this memory of course made me think of my many visits to the family restaurant here in Little Italy, Caesar’s Den, or “the Den” as it was affectionately called.  I remember one of my visits there on a Sunday evening, when the whole family was present and where, believe it or not, I was actually “affectionately chastised” by Santina.

My brother and dear friend Santo relished the opportunity to share the restaurant, and the life of his parents and his family with so many of his friends and the friars, and I too on many occasions shared the blessing of that experience in that home of theirs.  In that place it was obvious that their family members truly loved one another and were people of great faith–in their home it could be said that their family truly “remained in God’s love” in the same manner so beautifully described in today’s second reading (see 1 John 4:11-16).

On one of those visits, Santina proudly stood at the table as she truly fulfilled her role as matriarch of her family; Nino had one eye on the family, and the other eye on some intense Italian soccer match playing on the television, Tina went back and forth, from the table and our friendly conversation to warmly greeting the restaurant patrons who came to the door; Guido spent much of that evening back in the kitchen and masterfully presided over the preparation of all the delicious food that kept arriving on the table; Tony was there, and I remember that he offered an impassioned discourse about some important political or social issue, and Francesca, much younger than she is today, sat quietly and lovingly doted on her grandmother.

Glasses full of fine Italian wine were poured, and then the food started to arrive, and it just kept coming, one dish after another!  First there was the antipasto, with delicious salads, salami, cheeses and those wonderful olives; then came the arancini, the capunata and the fried calamari; then a fantastic pasta course, and there was plenty of it; next to arrive at the table were samples of saltimbocca and chicken parmesan.

After really feeling that I had greatly indulged myself, I started to think that I couldn’t possibly eat any more food, even though the choices continued to be abundant and plentiful.  I quietly whispered to Santo that I thought I had reached my limit–and then I noticed a kind of incredulous look on Santina’s face.  She glanced at Santo, then she took a look at my empty plate, and then darted a stare back to Santo and finally looked me straight in the eye and sharply proclaimed and asked at the same time: “That’s not all your going to have, is it?”

I knew I had to save a little room for the promised tiramisu, gelato and expresso, so for a second, I feared Santina’s “motherly wrath,” but I quickly realized it was actually truly affectionate and loving.  She wanted me, and all of us, to enjoy that moment to the fullest!  She had a deep perspective on what it meant to share time with family and friends, and with food and plenty, and that such would nurture not only the body and the spirit, but the soul as well.

With this memory of Santina’s “wrath” in mind, I very intentionally asked Santo if today I could use the Gospel about the “Wedding Feast at Cana” (see John 2:1-11).  So there they were, Mary and Jesus and some of his disciples, and they had been invited to a family celebration, a wedding feast, a banquet, a party, an event where there was lots of joyful celebration, and where it could be expected that there would be lots of delicious food and good wine.  When it became apparent that they had run out of wine for the banquet, Mary, the mother of Jesus essentially said to him “do something about this!”  In a way, we might say that Mary’s words at Cana were something like Santina’s words to me that I just mentioned.  Mary essentially said to Jesus:  “That’s not all we’re going to have, is it?”

The miracle of the turning of water into wine at Cana was the first of many miracles that were meant to reveal to the people who Jesus truly was.  At Cana, after Jesus performed the miracle and suddenly the banquet was replenished with the best of wine, the Gospel tells us that “the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now’” (see John 2:9b-10).

This miracle is said to be a metaphor for whom Jesus himself was.  He himself was “the better part” and the fulfillment of all that had come before him as preached by the prophets and lawgivers of the Old Testament.  When Mary essentially asked “that’s not all we’re going to have, is it?” the answer was clearly an emphatic “no, the best is yet to come.”

There were much greater things to be had in the person of Jesus who as it turned out was the promised Messiah and the one who would be the Savior of the World!  Jesus demonstrated this by giving the best of the wine to the people after the lesser, inferior wine had previously been served.  In this sense, the lesser, inferior wine represented the old ways which preceded the incarnation of Jesus and his saving presence among all men and women. Jesus himself was “the good wine.”

Today, as we bring Santina to this church of St. Leo, we gather around this altar, this table where we will receive the true food from heaven, the bread of life and our salvation.  Over very many years, and many times, Santina and her family came to celebrate their faith in this very building, and at this same altar.  With her in mind, and celebrating her life, we come here again today.

During her life, Santina relished sharing food at the table in her home and in the restaurant.  She delighted in being “mother” to all of us in the way that she nourished and brought us joy.  She was also a person of great faith who no doubt knew that a greater feast, a heavenly banquet, would be awaiting us all someday.  And now we are confident that she is at that table in heaven, and gathered there are her husband Nino, her parents Santo and Maria Presti, her in-laws Salvatore and Maria Cricchio and so many other friends and family members who have gone before us.

If we listen closely, Santina says to each one of us today, as we remain here in this life: “That’s not all your going to have, is it?”  Today, as we affirm our belief that Santina now sits at that heavenly table, we also remember that today marks the day of her birth into this life.  And although we will not celebrate today with a cake and candles, what we will celebrate in this church and at this altar today, is our shared opportunity to enjoy the “the good wine, the better part.”  Through this sacred meal we can be confident that “the best is yet to come” and that someday we too will forever enjoy the fullness of this promise with Santina and all of the angels and saints in heaven.

We celebrate today the promise of life eternal where there is no more suffering, no more sickness, no more pain and sorrow, but only happiness and joy forever with our God.  With Santina someday, we will again sit at the table with her, and forever we will enjoy the food of the heavenly banquet, the feast of heaven.

Tina and Guido, Santo, Tony, Francesca and David, we are all with you in our love, our thoughts and our prayers today. Thank you so much for lovingly sharing your beautiful mother and grandmother with us.  We are all eternally grateful, and we look forward to the day when all of us will once again be sitting at the same table, where we will all celebrate with great love and joy!  Amen.

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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The Carpenter, the Son of Mary, the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year B

My Sisters and Brothers:

     Throughout all of his public ministry, Jesus enthusiastically served the sick, the suffering, the poor, the lonely, the marginalized, the outcasts and the sinners.  He constantly brought dignity, power and strength to those who were otherwise treated as “the lowly” in this world!  Care and acceptance of others, the idea of forgiveness for sinners, and illustrations of the overwhelming and great love of the Father for all, were constant themes of Jesus’ preaching–and his actions matched his words!  By what he said and by what he did, Jesus replaced sin with forgiveness, weakness with might, humility with confidence and death with everlasting life!

     Through Jesus, many people from regions surrounding the town of Nazareth had come to know God’s love, they had turned away from sin, they had changed their lives, and they had become his enthusiastic disciples.  Jesus had become a kind of celebrity in those places, and people scrambled to see him or even to touch him; they also gradually came to believe Jesus was the Son of God, and that he was the great Messiah promised by the prophets of old!  What was even more marvelous was that he existed completely and fully as a man, as one who was born into the world just like those to whom he had been sent!  While Jesus said and did great things, he was always still the simple son of a humble carpenter!  As such, he could completely identify with other people in their own “lowliness!”

      In the Letter to the Hebrews, the author casts some light on this idea when he writes: “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin” (see Hebrews 4:15).  With regard to what it meant to be a living, breathing, suffering and “tested” person, Jesus “got it!”

     Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse into a moment when Jesus himself was treated as a kind of outcast in his own hometown.  And Nazareth was an out of the way, in-the-middle-of-nowhere, small and insignificant town.  According to the account, Jesus was confronted there by a group of people who did not accept him for who he was, and they acted negatively toward him, even to the point of wanting to cause him harm.  Greatly offended by him, they sneered and clamored with great indignation: “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?  And are not his sisters here with us?” (see Mark 6:3).  They were unable to show him respect, and they failed to act with true humility given who they were themselves (i.e., poor and simple people).  Although Jesus had been preaching and doing great works throughout all of Galilee, the people of his hometown could not accept the possibility that someone they viewed as “lesser than themselves” could in fact be “greater than them.”

     This manner in which the people of his hometown of Nazareth did not accept him was a foreshadowing of the way that the religious leaders of his own faith community would eventually reject him as well–something that would ultimately lead to the way in which he was humiliated and punished through his suffering and his death on the cross.  We might then say that he who ministered to the outcasts, himself willingly became an outcast as well!

     May we imitate Jesus in the way that he humbly served others!  Let us never become so full of pride and arrogance toward others that “we forget who we are, and from where we came.”  May those in our own time who are “different,” (the sick, the suffering, the poor, the lonely, the marginalized, the outcasts, the sinners, etc.) also always know we are Christians by the manner in which we lovingly accept, serve and honor them!  

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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