4th Sunday of Lent, Cycle C - March 10, 2013

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4th Sunday of Lent

 Cycle C

Saint Margaret Parish

March 10, 2013   9:30 and 11am

A Memorable Story

Fifteen years ago, a priest – a spiritual mentor – introduced me to a famous painting by Rembrandt.

The painting is titled The Return of the Prodigal Son.  It was Rembrandt’s attempt – in the year 1669 – to depict the scene in today’s gospel.

Some of the details of Rembrandt’s painting help to break open the rich meaning of Jesus’ parable.  I ended up buying a print of Rembrandt’s painting and I brought it here this morning.

It is in the foyer and you may enjoy taking a look at it after Mass.  Now, as you know, Jesus’ story centers on three persons.

The Father

First, there is the father.

We have to imagine him as a wise, older, compassionate man, seasoned by experience.  He has created a warm, welcoming home for his two sons.

The father represents God – our heavenly Father.  He conveys that God provides a home for us, a home that is always there and that we can always count on. 

God is the place, the home where we are certain that we will be taken for who we are and where our self-worth is absolutely assured.  Artists point out an interesting detail related to this in Rembrandt’s painting,

The father’s left hand seems to be pulling his son – the younger son – toward him.  The left hand has the strength and power of a father.

The father’s right hand seems to be gently stroking his son’s back.  The right hand has the softness and tenderness of a mother.

So, in the father of Jesus’ parable and of Rembrandt’s painting, we see God as the complete fulfillment of our deepest needs.  God is our home where we find self-worth, security, and all the basic for we need for the fullness of ourselves as persons.     

The Younger Son

Then there is the younger son.

The younger son asks for his inheritance right now.  In that culture, this is tantamount to saying that he no longer wants his father in his life.

The younger son represents us when we drift away from our spiritual home with God.  He represents us when we make no space for God in our lives.

The younger son represents us when we get hooked on messages like, “You’ll be okay if you wear these Abercrombie jeans,” or “You’ll have peace of mind if you use this Calvin Klein deodorant.”  These messages can lead us, as they did the younger son, to become quite self-absorbed.

They can lead us to drift way from our home with God.  They can lead us eventually to feel homeless, unsure of ourselves, our worth, and our purpose, and even lost – just like the younger son.

The Older Son

Finally, there is the older son.

This older son has stayed home with his father, at least physically.  But in truth, he has also left home spiritually.

We know this because the older son resents his father’s “Welcome Home!” to his younger, prodigal brother.  He represents us when we get caught up in our own rightness or goodness.

The older son represents us when we forget that God’ acceptance of others does not lessen his acceptance of us.  He represents us when we wonder why good things happen to people who don’t measure up to our standards.

The older son represents us when we leave the home of God’s wisdom.  He represents us when we leave behind the unusual, divine combination of strength and compassion.

The Father Again

All of this brings us back to where we began – to the father.

Like the two sons in the parable, we need to remember that our home is with the father, with God.  It is only here that we find our true selves.

It is only here that we get a true sense of self-worth and purpose and direction for our lives.  God is always there for us, always our home, and it is up to us to be home with God.

I think this is one reason why Sunday Mass is so important.  It is a checkpoint, a making sure that we are home with God. 

It helps us to stay at home with God the other six days of the week—doing our job, studying at school, caring for our families, coaching or playing sports, in everything we do.  Sunday Mass has a way of bringing us home to God instead of wandering off like the two sons in today’s parable. 

2nd Sunday of Lent, Cycle C - February 24, 2013

2^nd Sunday of Lent

 Cycle C

Saint Margaret Parish

February 24, 2013         9:30 and 11am

Rothschild Mansion

There is a story that back in the nineteenth century, some tourists were passing by the famous mansion of the Rothschild family in London.

These tourists noted that on one end of the mansion, the cornices and exterior wall were unfinished.  They wondered why this was so since the Rothschilds were one of the wealthiest families in Europe.

The explanation is interesting.  Lord Rothschild explained that he was an orthodox Jew and according to Orthodox tradition, the house of every Jew was to have some part left unfinished. 

Why?  To bear witness that the occupant of the house is like Abraham, in a sense unfinished, a person on a journey with no lasting home on this earth.   

Life as Circle

That practice helps us to appreciate today’s Scripture readings.

It helps us to realize that we are all on a journey.  About ten years ago, I read a book entitled The Gifts of the Jews by Thomas Cahill.

Cahill states that up until the time of Abraham, ancient peoples viewed life as a circle.  They believed that what had happened in the past would happen again in a continuous circle.

They also believed that everything was determined by heavenly powers.  And so, our task was to meditate on the ceaseless, circular flow of life.

We were to do this until we came to peace with this and with our own death as part of that great circle.  Now, as I said, that was the ancient view of life, but one of the gifts of the Jews was that Abraham changed this way of thinking.

Life as Journey

The background to today’s first reading is that Abraham has listened to God’s call and set out to an unknown land.

He sets out on a journey and ever since then the way to look at human life is as a journey.  This change of outlook now means that there is much more to life than the past simply repeating itself.

Now there is the possibility of a different future and we have responsibility for creating it.  The Old Testament also reveals that this journey is not just from one country to another, as it was for Abraham and Moses.

It is not just an outer journey, a journey outside me.  Instead, it is primarily an inner journey, a journey to our inner self where we can find God.

It is a journey of becoming one with God and becoming more and more like God.  In the long run, it is a journey back to God.

A Journey with No Tents

This understanding carries right over into Christianity.

The gospels consistently show Jesus on a journey to Jerusalem.  They also call us to see our lives as a journey and they add an important caution about this.

The caution is that we have to resist the temptation to pitch our tents, in other words, to stay put.  In today’s gospel, Jesus will not let Peter do this because he knows that there is still a lot of the journey ahead and a lot of work to do.

The question is: how might we find ourselves pitching our tents today?  We might be doing this when we say things like: “This is the way I’ve always done it.”

Or, “This is the way I learned it and have always understood it.”  Statements like these might be saying that we are closing ourselves off to looking at things differently or doing things differently. 

For example, we can pitch our tents in the understanding of ourselves.  Maybe we just turn off any comment that calls us to examine our attitude or way of speaking about certain persons or groups of people.

We can also pitch our tents in the understanding of our faith.  Maybe we resist understanding faith as primarily a relationship with God that is to grow and deepen – a living relationship instead of just a static list of truths.

The point is that like Peter in the gospel, we need to resist the temptation of pitching our tents.  This is what the Season of Lent that calls us to do – to keep growing, to keep on the journey of life.

1st Sunday of Lent, Cycle C - February 17, 2013

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1st Sunday of Lent

Cycle C

February 16-17, 2013    10:30 and 12 noon

Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air

The Desert and Demons

Today’s gospel tells us that Jesus goes into the desert east of Jerusalem to face his demons.

His doing that symbolizes the need we all have to go into a desert-like place, into the silence of our own hearts.  It symbolizes the need we all have to wrestle with the dark sides of our lives. 

If Jesus finds it essential to wrestle with these dark sides, shouldn’t we also find this essential?  And beyond that, isn’t it possible that the demons or dark sides Jesus has to face are some of the basic ones we have to face?

1. Stone to Bread

The first demon Jesus faces is the temptation to change stone to bread.

Jesus responds, “One does not live on bread alone.”  Those who first heard Jesus and observed his lifestyle realized that he was in touch with a life that went beyond the physical and the earthly.

Jesus is saying that we are to live on bread, but “not… on bread alone.”  The early Christians believed this and fed hungry spirits with the food of God’s Word and also fed hungry stomachs with real bread.

Their commitment to do this came from following Jesus’ invitation to make a 180-degree change in their value system.  They were to look upon all others with a different mindset – as God’s sons and daughters.

With this different frame of mind, we are moved to take care of the immediate needs of others.  And we are also moved to examine the social structures that probably helped to create these needs in the first place. 

No question, Jesus’ plan to change mindsets will be more difficult and it will take longer, but in the long run it will produce lasting good.  So, the demon here is the temptation to reject doing this.

2. Power over All

The second demon Jesus faces is the temptation to gain power over everything.

In Jesus’ time, people expected the Savior to come with great power.  Jesus’ response again shows a different plan: “You shall worship God alone.”

It is tempting to worship power, to resort to power and force to do even good things.  The problem is that this usually leaves some death and destruction in its path – what is sometimes called “collateral damage.” 

We can see this in the relationships between nations and also in our personal relationships.  Jesus cautions about power and force and calls us to be respectful of others and seek what is good for both sides. 

Sometimes it may not be possible to do this, but Jesus calls us to this way whenever we can.  He calls us to stop playing the power games of win/lose with each other where I come out on top and the other person is diminished.

Instead we are to seek the mutual flourishing of ourselves and others whenever possible.  The demon here is the temptation to reject what Jesus calls us to do.       

3. Proving Our Greatness

The third demon Jesus faces is the temptation to jump off the roof of the temple to prove his greatness as God.

Jesus responds, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”  The issue here is that sometimes we want to make ourselves the center of focus.

Sometimes we want to impress others with how much we know or how successful we are.  Sometimes we do not really listen to others but interrupt and get things focused on ourselves again.

We need to recall that the risen Jesus did not feel the need to appear at the front door Pilate’s home with a TV crew and say, “Look at who I really am and how stupid you were.”  Instead, he just appeared to his followers as a way to continue his work.

So for us, we can become more and more God-like and even feel better and better about ourselves not by calling attention to ourselves, but by living responsibly and doing the best we can in everyday life.  The demon is the temptation to reject Jesus’ example here.

Conclusion

So, the demons Jesus confronts in the desert are probably the same ones we need to confront in the silence of our hearts. 

This Season of Lent invites us to go into the desert of our inner selves.  It invites us to deal with the demons we find there.

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C - February 10, 2013

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5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Cycle C

February 10, 2013         7:30 and 9am

Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air

Being Aware of Who We Are

Usually, in our Catholic Lectionary, the first reading, the passage from the Old Testament and the Gospel are complementary.

They have a similar or identical theme.   Often the gospel passage is a kind of fulfillment of the message in the Old Testament reading.

The middle reading pretty much stands on it own.  We hear over the years many passages usually from Saint Paul, and the idea is just to give us a sense of Paul’s thinking and teaching.

In this way, the middle reading usually has little to do with the other readings.  Well today, all three readings have virtually the same focus.

Isaiah in the first reading, Paul in the second, and Peter in the gospel, all have the same experience.  Let’s just look at Peter.

With the great catch of fish, Peter becomes aware of the presence of the divine in Jesus.  He responds by saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

In other words, “I am nothing, O Lord; I am nothing.”  So Peter has this intense experience of God in Jesus and with this awareness, he becomes aware of himself and his own humanity.

This awareness – first of God, and then of self – this enables Peter to do great things.  It enables him to grow toward being the kind of person God calls us to be.

This awareness is also important for us – the awareness that I and we are all equally human and all in need of God.  Now there are three moments here in the celebration of Mass for us to be aware first of the presence of God, and then of our humanity and our need for God.

Moments for Awareness

The first moment comes right at the beginning of Mass in what we call the penitential prayer.  The core of this is our becoming aware first of God, of God’s presence with us. 

Then, with this awareness, we can get in touch with ourselves.  We realize that we are not God.

We become aware that we are human, a mix of light and darkness.  With the openness that this awareness brings, we can then allow the Lord little by little to make us whole and permeate our lives more and more.

Then the second moment for being aware of who we are is with the readings.  We believe that these are inspired passages – that the human authors are inspired by the Holy Spirit and this is really the Word of God.

The readings consistently place before us the unconditional love of God.  They consistently express the compassion, wisdom, and holiness of Jesus.

And again, with this awareness and comfort, we also become aware of some discomfort, some area where we need to live up better to our side of the relationship with God.  So again, this is an opportunity to be aware of God and of ourselves, our humanity.

And then the third moment for being aware of who we are is when we receive Communion.  We believe that Jesus is present and comes to us in the bread and wine.

Our receiving the Eucharist gives us an intimate relationship with God.  This is why we call it Holy Communion.

And so again, with this awareness of God’s presence, we are also aware of our raw need for relationship with the divine and for the strength that comes from this for everyday life.  We are aware that without this, we will be lost, without purpose, and probably sinful.

Conclusion

So we have these moments for awareness right here at Mass – to be aware of God and aware of self.

And perhaps the important insight is this.  We are only really aware of our humanity when we are aware of God.

It is only in the presence of God, the all-holy One, that we can gain the fullest and most accurate sense of self.  This is one reason why our participation in Mass is so very important week after week.

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Cycle C - January 13, 2013

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

 Cycle C

January 13, 2013 9:30 and 11am    

Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air

Humpty Dumpty

I am sure that most of us are familiar with the storywriter Lewis Carroll.

Besides his famous story Alice in Wonderland, Carroll also wrote Alice through the Looking Glass.  In this story, Alice meets Humpty Dumpty.

Humpty Dumpty is sitting on top of a high, narrow wall.  Alice looks up and says, “And exactly like an egg he is!”   

Humpty Dumpty responds, “It is very provoking to be called an egg – very provoking!”  Alice explains, “I said you looked like an egg, and some eggs are very pretty.”

But Humpty Dumpty is not amused and says, “Tell me your name and your business.”  Alice responds, “My name is Alice, but…”

Humpty Dumpty interrupts, “It’s a stupid name; what does it mean?”  Alice asks, “Must a name mean something?”

And Humpty Dumpty retorts, “Of course it must; my name means the shape I am – and a good handsome shape I am too.  With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost.”  

Baptism: Name and Shape

It may sound surprising, but this story of Alice and Humpty Dumpty helps us to appreciate something about our baptism.

We have all been baptized “In the name… of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  As Humpty Dumpty says, this name or each of these names – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – means something.

These names say something about our shape.  In other words, we are to allow our baptism to shape us around God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Our Shape: The Father

First, around the Father.

The Scripture tells us that God is the creator of all that is.  And so, we are to see all of creation as sacred, as a gift from our Creator.

This means especially in our times that we are to be alert to environmental issues.  On a personal level, we might make sure that we recycle paper, glass, plastic and whatever else we can.

On a public level, we might support sensible policies that reduce carbon emissions.  Being baptized in the name of God the Father means that we shape our lives around our Creator and the gift of creation.

Our Shape: The Son

  

And then, we are to allow our baptism to shape us around God the Son.

From the time of his baptism in today’s gospel, Jesus lives with a sense of mission and service.  And so, we are to view our lives as a mission from God.

This means that we are to do something to benefit the kingdom of God on this earth.  On a personal level, we are to be attentive to each member of our family and make their well-being a priority.

On a community level, we might volunteer some time teaching religion or coaching soccer or baking a casserole for Our Daily Bread.  Being baptized in the name of God the Son means that we shape our lives around Jesus who lives with a sense of mission and service.

Our Shape: The Holy Spirit

And finally, we are to allow our baptism to shape us around God the Holy Spirit.

Today’s gospel tells us that the heavens open and the Spirit comes down from above.  And so, God is now with us and with all humanity.

This means that we are to live with an awareness of God’s presence.  On a personal level, we are to live prayerfully, not just saying prayers, but living with a sense of God’s care and guidance.

On a relationship level, this means that we are to respect God’s presence in the unborn child or in the adult with whom we disagree, in everyone.  Being baptized in the name of God the Holy Spirit means that we shape our lives around God who lives within us and makes all human life sacred.

Conclusion

So, as Humpty Dumpty says, “My name means the shape I am.” 

We are baptized “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Let’s make sure that we allow our baptism to shape us around those names. 

Feast of the Epiphany, Cycle C - January 6, 2013

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Feast of the Epiphany

 Cycle C

January 6, 2013   7:30 and 9am

Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air

A Star

I think each of us has some star in our lives.

What I mean is that each of us has something leading us from inside ourselves or drawing us from outside ourselves to some goal.  Today’s gospel passage tells about the magi from the East following a star.

The star they follow is leading them to the newborn Christ.  The question is: what star are we following?

Maybe it is the star of getting as close to Christ as possible as we age and realize that our time for going home to God is getting closer.  Or maybe it is the star of a college student pursuing her dream of becoming a physical therapist.

So what is our star?  And, like the star that the magi are following, will our star lead us to God or in some way give glory to God?

Journey

Now these magi or wise men are on a journey.

The passage says that they come from the East, maybe present-day Iran or Iraq, and arrive in Jerusalem.  They have left the comfort of home and are on a journey to see the newborn king.

A good way for all of us to understand our lives is as a journey.  And a journey makes some demands on us.

It may mean that recent graduates from high school leave home for college to pursue their education.  It may mean that a young man and woman take the risk of commitment to one another in marriage.

Seeing our lives as a journey is challenging, but also life-giving.  So the question is: what journey are we on right now?

Hurdles

The magi are wise enough to detect a hurdle on their journey.

Their hurdle is King Herod.  Herod pretends to be interested in this young child, but the magi sense that in truth Herod is threatened and wants to do violence to the child.

There will also be hurdles for us as we journey and follow our star.  Maybe we will get distracted by comforts and pleasures that lure us off the journey and lead us to waste our talents and opportunities.

Or maybe someone will try to discourage us from following the star that seems right for us.  The question is: what hurdles can we identify for ourselves? 

Giving

The gospel tells us that the magi give gifts to the newborn Christ.

Maybe this is a good test of the star we are following or the journey we are on.  Does it lead us to be giving?

Maybe our giving needs to be limited to taking care of those in our family.  Or maybe we can give something of our time and talent to God’s work beyond our family.

Maybe teaching religion or advising on the Finance Committee or helping to decorate the Church for special seasons like this one.  The question is: What are we giving to God on our journey? 

Change

Finally, the gospel tells us that the magi had to change their plans.

After seeing the child, they are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, but to return home by another route.  The insight here is that getting closer to the Lord Jesus will also change us.

In fact, remaining unchanged is not necessarily a virtue.  Change and growth seem to be what the star and journey are all about. 

Maybe our journey leads us to see things from the perspective of others first instead of just being close-minded or judging others as wrong.  The question is: How are our star and our journey calling us to change?

Conclusion

I guess what I am really saying is that this simple, little story of the magi is really our story. 

The star, the journey, the hurdles, the giving, and the change – these elements in this Christmas story reflect the human experience of each one of us.  In that way, they call us to take a look at our own lives.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Cycle C - January 1, 2013

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Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

Cycle C

January 1, 2013 8:30 and 10am

Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air

Our American Calendar

Our American calendar is marked with certain days that we celebrate each year. 

For example, we observe Martin Luther King’s birthday in January, President’s Day in February, Independence Day on July 4, and on it goes.  These annual observances help us remember who we are as Americans. 

Year after year this regular calendar helps to deepen our appreciation of our heritage.  It helps to keep us together as a people.

Our Church Calendar

Our Catholic Church also has a calendar. 

We have an annual cycle of observances and celebrations in our liturgy.   Each year, we have Advent and Christmas, and then Lent and Easter.

We have thirty-three Sundays that we call Ordinary Time, and this parallels everyday life and our efforts to live well and even grow spiritually.  And, of course, there are certain special days, like All Saints Day, or today, Mary the Mother of God. 

This Church calendar helps us to remember year after year what our relationship with God is.  It helps us to deepen our spiritual identity. 

Mary

Mary, whom we honor today, seems to have centered her life around the religious observances of her day.

For example, today we hear that when Jesus was eight days old, he was circumcised and given his name.  In this past Sunday’s gospel, we heard that each year, Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover.

The gospels also mention other instances of synagogue or Passover observance.  So I am saying that Mary gave herself to this religious calendar and this helped her to remember who she was in relation to God.

Mary’s faith was enriched by following year after year the cycle of observances on the religious calendar.  This enabled her to cooperate with God in bringing the divine into our world.  

Our Observance of Calendar

Today we begin a new calendar year and I recommend that we approach our Church calendar with the same spirit that we see in Mary.

It can be tempting to see this as repetitive, as just the same thing over and over again.  I recommend, instead, that we view our Church year as a positive opportunity for strength and growth.

First, the Church calendar allows God to speak to some important human needs.

These are needs for joy, hope, peace, trust, and also for challenge and forgiveness.  These human needs are re-occurring in us and each year the rhythm of the Church calendar speaks to these in a helpful way.

Second, the Church calendar allows for the deepening over time of our inner self and our relationship with God.

It puts us in touch with where we came from, where we are going, and how we are to live this earthly journey.  It also leads us to know God more and more fully and to grow in our inner relationship with God.

And third, the Church calendar forms us as a community.

It gives us an identity as God’s people, as Christians and as Catholic Christians.  It forms us into a people united in the basics of faith, in the hope of the fullness of life, and in the love of God and neighbor.

Conclusion

So, a new calendar year, 2013, leads me to look at Mary as one who lived the religious calendar of her time.

Her example is a good one for us.  Our observing the Church year will enable us to be instruments of the divine entering more and more fully into our world, much as Mary did as the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God.