16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B - July 18, 2021

 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle B

July 18, 2021

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 5pm, 8:30 and 11am 

 

Why Follow?

 

Today, I want to ask the question: Why? 

 

Today’s gospel says that there were so many people wanting their attention that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to get a bite to eat – not even a burger at McDonalds! So, my question is: Why?

 

Why were so many people attracted to Jesus? In a way, the answer is rather simple: these people believe in, hope in, and love Jesus.

 

To Believe, Hope and Love 

 

First, these folks probably have nothing and no one to believe in. They are ordinary, hard-working people.

 

They have been made to feel like second-class, maybe even low-class by the higher-ups. They have been forgotten often by the leaders in their society.  

 

And so, they are open to believe in God intervening in the world in the way that Jesus is talking about. They are willing to believe in Jesus who seems so wise and compassionate.

 

These people also have nothing to hope for. Fifteen percent of their children die at birth, 60% before they are teens, and their life expectancy is 35 years.

 

They work hard on farms that they don’t own. They see no real future for themselves.

 

And so, they are attracted by the hope that Jesus is offering them – that the meek will inherit the land and that their sorrows will be turned into joy. They are willing to hope in Jesus and his message.

 

And then, these people also need love. They are not treated with respect.

 

They don’t feel valued. They have little self-esteem.

 

And so, they are attracted to a man who tells them that every hair on their head is valued by God and that God loves them no matter what. They are moved to love Jesus in return. 

 

Today’s Challenge with That

 

Now, I wonder if today it has become more challenging, especially in our Western countries, to follow Jesus. 

 

Today, all of our knowledge may make faith more difficult. Every month we are discovering something new in the universe and in medicine and in technology. 

 

We may become skeptical about anything that cannot be proved scientifically. And so, we may be less inclined to believe in God and in Jesus.

 

Today, we also may feel less need to hope. We may get immersed in the latest smartphone or smart TV or whatever. 

 

We may live just for today and be giving little thought to the long run of life. And so, we may be less inclined to hope in God and in Jesus.

 

And, today we may even be foggy about love. We may have a high expectation of instant gratification and little tolerance for any suffering.

 

This may lead us to quickly to give up on the commitment that is involved in loving. And so, we may be less inclined to love God and Jesus.

 

Our Choice to Believe, Hope, and Love

 

In the face of all of this, I ask: is it still possible and even attractive to believe in, to hope in, and to love God? I think so and here’s why.

 

When we get the insight and then remain aware that we don’t have all the answers and that the big questions of life and death remain a mystery, we feel different about things. We are much more inclined to believe in God and in Jesus.

 

When we get the insight and then remain aware of the problems in our lives and in our world and realize that we are not fully in control, we again feel different about things. We are much more inclined to hope in God and in Jesus.

 

And when we get the insight and then remain aware of our deep, inner longing for love that we can always count on, again we feel different about things. We are much more inclined to love God and Jesus, the One who is unconditional love.

 

So yes, it is possible and even attractive to believe in, to hope in, and to love God.  This is the invitation and reminder that I see in today’s gospel.

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B - July 11, 2021

 15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Cycle B

July 11, 2021

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 5pm and 8:30am

Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center 11am

 

Meeting Others in a Pandemic  

 

There is a columnist for Time Magazine named Belinda Luscombe. About a year ago, in the midst of the first wave of the pandemic, she did an interesting thing in her personal life. 

 

Belinda Luscombe started walking around her New York neighborhood just to get out of the house and to make some human contact. In her recent, May 24^th essay in Time, she talks about some of the persons she met.

 

The Persons

 

There was the postal carrier whose name was Archimedes.

 

He had been delivering the mail for years, but he and Belinda had never met. Now, they talk just about every day.

 

Then there is Kenny, the superintendent of a nearby building. 

 

Belinda describes Kenny as “a lovely man with a beautiful spirit” who knows everything that’s happening in the neighborhood. Belinda now checks in with him regularly.  

 

And then there is Ram. He is the owner of one of the few nearby restaurants that stayed open during the pandemic, an Indian restaurant. 

 

Belinda’s family became regular take-out customers. Ram has come to know each family member’s preferences and has, as Belinda says, an “optimism that is as nourishing” as his food. 

 

Then there is Elijah. He lives in the building next door, but it had felt like a world away from Belinda’s. 

 

Elijah is a survivor of abandonment, addiction, divorce, incarceration, and an arrhythmia that could kill him at any time. In their conversations, Belinda and Elijah have been able to share their different life experiences.

 

Finally, Belinda says that the most unexpected rapport that she developed during the pandemic has been “with this interesting young woman who lived in my house. I already knew her a bit, since I gave birth to her about two decades ago.”

 

Belinda’s moody daughter had moved away for college and then came home when the campuses closed. She has now become a reasonable, charming and engaging young adult. 

 

In her essay in Time, Belinda concludes: “That’s the weird thing about the people you meet during a pandemic. They’ve been there the whole time.”  

 

A Lesson for Us 

 

I think that this columnist has a good lesson for us.

 

Our lives can be a walking tour where we encounter God in the people we meet. And, if we do it right, they can also see something of the love of God in us.

 

Belinda Luscombe writes about how her life has been enriched by the people whom she met during her walks through the neighborhood. In that same spirit, Jesus sends forth the twelve apostles in today’s gospel.

 

And I suggest that he sends them first and foremost not to accomplish a task, but to accompany people – not to accomplish but to accompany. They are first to accompany others in their journey. 

 

In doing this, they will know who others are, what they need, and how to relate to them. They will lead people respectfully, maybe slowly to God. 

 

So, Jesus sends the apostles and now us to do this. Again, our approach is not first to accomplish a task, but rather to accompany – to accompany others on the journey of life. 

 

Notice that Jesus tells the apostles to travel lightly – no extra clothes or money or food. For us, travelling lightly probably means leaving behind our preconceived ideas about others, leaving behind our prejudices toward certain groups, and leaving behind our fear of those who are different. 

 

Jesus calls us to respect the life experience of those we meet along the way. And, of course, he calls us to try to share our own life and faith experience in return.

 

Based on my experience as a person and a priest, with persons of different races and cultures and faith traditions and educational and economic backgrounds, I believe that this is the way to live and relate and do God’s work in the twenty-first century. This is the way to do the mission of Jesus and to make God more and more present in today’s world.

 

 

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B - July 4, 2021

 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Cycle B

July 4, 2021

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 5pm

 

Weakness and Strength

 

“When I am weak, then I am strong.”

 

These are the last words in today’s passage from Saint Paul. “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

 

The idea here seems contradictory. When we feel weak in some way, we don’t usually see ourselves as strong. 

 

This idea is also counter-cultural. We pride ourselves on being strong.

 

We often see any weakness as a deficiency. We want to project at least an appearance of strength.

 

Paul’s Weakness

 

So, what is Saint Paul getting at here when he says: “When I am weak, then I am strong”? To understand this, we have to look back to something that he says earlier in today’s passage.

 

Paul says: “[A] thorn in the flesh was given to me.” He repeatedly asked God to remove this “thorn in the flesh,” but it was not removed.

 

Paul never tells us what this was. Some speculate that the “thorn in the flesh” was a chronic physical ailment.

 

Or maybe it was an emotional problem or maybe a moral fault. We just don’t know what it was.

 

Our Weakness 

 

We do know, if we think about it, we do know that we all have some “thorn in the flesh.”

 

We all have some weakness that we wish God would remove from us. Maybe it is physical pain – like migraine headaches or arthritis in our joints.

 

Or maybe it is an emotional problem – like depression. Or maybe it is a moral fault – like getting angry and often flying off the handle. 

 

My bet is that we all have some weakness. We all have some “thorn in the flesh,” to use Paul’s expression.     

 

Weakness and Power 

 

Now God gives Paul an insight into this “thorn,” this weakness, and this is the key to the entire passage.

 

God says: “Power is made perfect in weakness.” Think about that: “Power is made perfect in weakness.”

 

This is a great insight. The idea here is that each of us has a certain amount of “power”.

 

By “power” I mean that each of us has a certain amount of self-sufficiency and a certain amount of influence over others. The insight that God gives Paul is that our “thorn in the flesh,” our weakness, whatever it is, can lead us to use our power much better.

 

So, if my “thorn” or weakness is some physical issue, this can lead me to be more empathetic with a family member who is having significant back pain. If my” thorn” or weakness is an emotional issue, it can lead me to be more understanding of a child who has ADD.

 

Or if my “thorn” or weakness is a moral issue, it can lead me to be less judgmental of others. These are examples of what God means in those profound words: “Power is made perfect in weakness.”

 

So, my “thorn” or weakness can have a good side to it. It can lead me to grow and become a better person.

 

Weakness and Divine Power

 

Finally, God also says: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

 

God is speaking here of the divine power that helps us to deal with our “thorn” or weakness. This is a great irony of our human condition.

 

When we feel the most broken, divine power is potentially at its greatest. Why?  Because when we know our weakness, we can be most open to the presence and power of God. 

 

This happens because we realize that we cannot do it by ourselves. And then, the divine power helps us to deal with our weakness. 

 

So, when we are aware of that “thorn” or weakness, we can turn to the divine power of God, in Jesus Christ. This power can empower us. 

 

Conclusion

 

Okay, to wrap it up:  God says: “Power is made perfect in weakness.” And: “My grace is sufficient for you.” 

 

And that is why Paul asserts: “When I am weak, then I am strong.”