16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C - July 20, 2025

16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C 

July 20, 2025            

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton   8:30am 

 

Dinner with Friends

 

So, Jesus is visiting with some friends: Martha and Mary. 

 

Mary is sitting and listening to Jesus. We are not told what they are talking about, but Mary is interested and taking in Jesus’ words.

 

Martha is busy putting dinner together and she eventually feels resentful of her sister Mary. She asks Jesus to tell Mary to get up and help her.

 

And, as we know, Jesus doesn’t do that. Instead, he says: “Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

 

“There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

 

Well, the passage just ends there, but I have to think that Martha had some response. Maybe like: “Okay, Jesus, how about if you get up and fix this plate with humus and chips.

 

“Oh, and then put the rolls in the oven and keep a watch on them. And while you’re doing that, clean out this pan that I cooked the lamb in.”

 

Martha may have resented Jesus saying that “Mary has chosen the better part.” Wasn’t getting the food ready just as important or even more important than what Mary was doing? 

 

I’m thinking that many of us would identify with Martha. We might not feel so good about Jesus’ response.

 

So maybe the question to ask is this: what does Jesus mean by “the better part”? I have two ideas: one – what it definitely does not mean – and two – what I think it does mean.  

 

Definitely Not Prayer Above Action 

 

First, some commentators interpret Mary as an image or figure of prayer.

 

She is sitting, conversing with Jesus, and taking in his wisdom. These commentators say that “the better part” means that prayer is more important than our work or activity. 

 

Many other Scripture commentators – and here is where I stand on the matter – many others say that this is not the case. “The better part” definitely does not mean that prayer is better or more important than work or activity.

 

Why do they say this? Because this passage comes right after what we heard last week in the gospel – the parable of the Good Samaritan. There Jesus was lifting up compassion for others who are hurting  as being most important in our following of him.

 

So, it just doesn’t make sense to think that here, today, Jesus is teaching that prayer is more important than work or activity. This is not what he means when he says that “Mary has chosen the better part.”  

 

Definitely Awareness

 

What then does Jesus mean? 

 

 A number of good Scripture commentators hold that “the better part” means awareness. It means that we are with the Lord, aware of the Lord whether we are praying or working.  

 

Look at it this way. Jesus is a guest in the home of his friends. 

 

Mary is really with Jesus, keeping him as her focus and aware of what he is saying. On the other hand, Martha gets so deeply involved in the details of the meal that she loses the focus. 

 

She’s not really aware of Jesus. The meal has become more important than her friend and guest.

 

So, “the better part” means keeping our focus and awareness of Jesus. It means doing this no matter what we are doing.

 

Our Awareness 

 

So, for example: we are honest with our boss at work in filling out our timesheet – because of Jesus.

 

We are truthful with our parents about whether we did our homework – because of Jesus. We don’t join the crowd in bullying a classmate – because of Jesus.

 

We do grocery shopping and get meals together for our family – because of Jesus. We feel compassion for those who are homeless or impoverished – because of Jesus. 

 

This, I recommend, is “the better part.” Living our lives with some awareness of Jesus – no matter what we are doing – that’s what Jesus is reminding Martha and us to do today.

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C - July 13, 2025

 15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C 

July 13, 2025            

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton   5pm 

 

Good Samaritan 

 

Probably we all know that in the northern part of Baltimore City, there is the Good Samaritan Hospital. 

 

I did a quick check on the internet and learned that there are at least ten hospitals in our country named Good Samaritan. There are also numerous social service centers with this name. 

 

And then, all fifty states and the District of Columbia have Good Samaritan laws. These laws differ in each jurisdiction, but they all try to encourage us to help a person who is in some emergency need.

 

These Good Samaritan laws give assurance to a person who helps that they will be free of prosecution or lawsuit. So, the term Good Samaritan has a very favorable meaning for us.

 

Because of that, we can easily miss the punch - and there is a punch in Jesus’ parable today. To get to that, let’s look at each of the persons in this classic story.       

 

The Persons in the Story

 

First, there is the victim. The story tells us that he was robbed, stripped, beaten, and left half-dead.

 

He was probably unconscious, and it was difficult to tell whether he was alive or dead. Also, without clothing and without speech, you couldn’t tell what nationality he was – and that is significant and we’ll come back to that.

 

Then there is the priest. The priests worked in the temple and led the temple sacrifices.

 

If they came into contact with a deceased person, they were seen as ritually unclean and had to go through a purification ritual. This is probably why the priest sees but doesn’t stop to help the beaten man who might be dead.

 

Next there is the Levite. The Levites were assistants to the priests.

 

The same rules for ritual cleanness applied to them. So, he also sees but doesn’t stop to help the beaten man.

 

The Samaritan

 

Finally, there is the Samaritan and here is Jesus’ punch.

 

Unlike our positive feeling for the expression Good Samaritan, in Jesus’ day the Jews really hated the Samaritans. This antipathy had been going on for centuries. 

 

So here, in his parable, Jesus is driving home a lesson by portraying the hated Samaritan as the hero. The passage simply says, “he was moved with compassion.”

 

He doesn’t try to figure out if the victim is a Jew or a Samaritan or some other nationality. He’s not concerned about whether the victim is worthy or deserving of his help.

 

The Samaritan just sees him as a person in need. He feels compassion and helps him.

 

So, Jesus is saying: if a Samaritan, someone you look down on and think is no good, if he does this, you also are to do it. You are to have compassion for others just because they are hurting – because they are beaten and at the side of the road in some way. 

 

Neighbor

 

Jesus makes this same point in how he flips the question that the scholar of the law asks him. 

 

After he and Jesus agree on the two great commandments, this man asks: “Who is my neighbor?” He seems to be thinking: if I know who my neighbor is, then I will know whom I have to love and, therefore, whom I don’t have to love. 

 

But, as we know, Jesus flips the question. Instead of asking, “Who is my neighbor?”, Jesus wants this man and us to ask: “To whom must I become a neighbor?”

 

And, of course, Jesus’ answer, as the parable highlights, is: everyone. Anyone who is beaten and lying at the side of the road.

 

So, I may show compassion by listening to a son or daughter who is feeling lost and unsure of where they are heading. Or by texting a hello to someone who just their job. 

 

I may show compassion by offering a few dollars to a man begging at a traffic intersection. Or by praying for the more than 100 million refugees in our world, and yes, praying for the immigrants in our own country.   

 

Jesus’ lesson is to be compassionate. We cannot literally help everyone, but we are called to be compassionate in some way to all those who are beaten and lying at the side of the road. 

 

This isn’t an easy lesson for me and maybe for you. But it’s pretty central to what it means to follow Jesus. 

 

 

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Cycle C - June 22, 2025

 The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – C 

June 22, 2025

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

“Took, Blessed, Broke, and Gave” 

 

In a few minutes, I will stand here at the altar and lead the Eucharistic Prayer.

 

I will repeat some words that we have heard many times. The prayer says that Jesus “took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples.”

 

This morning, I want to focus on those four action words. Jesus “took, blessed, broke, and gave.”

 

And I want to do in a slightly different way. What I am thinking is that we have also been takenand blessed, broken and given. 

 

We Are Taken and Blessed

 

First, we are taken and blessed.

 

I remember when I was growing up in the Northwood community of Baltimore City, we would often organize our own baseball games on a field in the neighborhood. Each time we did this, two of us would be the managers of the teams and we would take turns choosing players from among the guys who were there.

 

Well, it was a big deal to be taken or chosen first. It meant that you were a good player and it was a real ego-booster.

 

Thank God, almost always, everyone was taken. No one was left out.

 

Well, the first thing we have to realize in the spiritual life is that God has taken and blessedeach one of us. God has spoken over us the same words that the Father speaks over Jesus at his baptism: “You are my beloved son. You are my beloved daughter.”

 

In this, God transforms us. In and through Jesus, God makes us valued and worthy.

 

This is so important as our foundation for life. In our world, value and worth are often conditioned on being a good student or a good athlete or successful in our job and on it goes. 

 

But Jesus assures us that God has already taken and blessed each one of us. Everyone is valued and made worthy by God. 

 

What a wonderful sense of self and what a strong personal grounding this is for life! We are taken and blessed by God.

 

We Are Broken and Given 

 

And then, we are broken and given.

 

Here we have to understand the word broken a bit differently. Jesus has not broken us. 

 

Instead, he wants us to realize that we are broken. Each one of us is broken in at least some way.

 

This is true first of all because we are all human. We are incomplete in our own humanity and we are restless for the wholeness that only God can give.

 

We may also feel broken for any number of other reasons: because of some trauma that has happened to us, because of some physical or emotional disability, because of some sin we have committed and now regret, or because our family is split apart. We may feel broken for lots of reasons.   

 

Jesus wants us to be aware of our brokenness. And then, with that awareness, we can be given.

 

We can be given or give of ourselves caringly to others who also have some brokenness. Maybe a family member or friend who just needs a listening ear, or someone who is sick or anxious or lonely or grieving, or those who come to Our Daily Bread in Baltimore for a hot meal. 

 

The important thing is that we are to be given or to give of ourselves authentically. We will do this because we remain humbly aware that we too have some brokenness. 

 

This is why at the Last Supper, Jesus coupled the giving of the Eucharist with the washing of the feet. He wanted us to know that the Eucharist empowers us to be given, to give of our ourselves for one another.

 

Conclusion

 

So, Jesus “took, blessed, broke, and gave.”

 

He gives us his own body and blood to nourish and strengthen us on our journey. And he wants us to be aware that we also are taken and blessed, broken and given.

Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Cycle C - June 15, 2025

Solemnity of the Holy Trinity – C 

June 15, 2025 – 11am        

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

Nicaea

 

Exactly 1,700 years ago, in the year 325, the bishops of our Church met for the first ecumenical council.

 

The word ecumenical means that all the bishops of the Church at that time met together. And in the year 325, this was the first time that this happened. 

 

It set a pattern that has continued right down to the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. This first council took place in a town called Nicaea, located in the northwest corner of what is now Turkey.

 

And it was this Council of Nicaea that put together the nucleus of the Profession of Faith that still bears its name. It is called the Nicene Creed, and we recite it every Sunday.

 

Why?

 

Why did the Church find it necessary to do this? 

 

Basically, it was a response to various passages of Scripture. Up until this time, the word Trinity had been used only by one or two theologians.  

 

Our doctrine about God as one God with three persons had not yet been taught. But the Scriptures were filled with references to this.

 

Take today’s gospel. Jesus says: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. 

 

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all truth.” And a few sentences later: “Everything that the Father has is mine.”

 

So here and in other places, Jesus speaks about the Father, himself as the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And then take a look at today’s second reading.

 

Saint Paul says: “We have peace with God [the Father] through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And then: “The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”

 

And, of course, there is the greeting that Paul used in several of his letters and that we use at the beginning of Mass. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

 

So, we had these statements in Scripture but with no clarification or explanation. The early leaders felt that they had to clarify our faith in some way.

 

One God/Three Persons 

 

So, they first clarified that we, the followers of Jesus, were not departing from the Old Testament belief in one God.

 

The Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed make it clear that there is one and only one God. But then, they also clarify that in some way, this one God is three persons.

 

The Creed is clear that God is the Father or creator of all that is. He – the creator – has brought into being everything that is.

 

Then, the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed make it clear that there is a Son, an only-begotten Son. Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, is this Son here on earth.

 

And he is also called Lord – the “one Lord Jesus Christ.” So, he is also God, of the same substance or being as the Father, “consubstantial with the Father.”

 

And finally, the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed make it clear that God remains with us through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also God, as the creed says, “the Lord and giver of life.”

 

The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. And again, he is one with Father and the Son in being one God.    

 

Trinity 

 

So, ever since Nicaea, we believe in one God as a Trinity of persons.

 

We cannot fully explain or understand this. In fact, God or the Trinity is not a problem to be solved.

 

Instead, the Trinity points us to the transcendence of God and calls us to accept the mystery of God. That’s what faith is.

 

Ultimately, it is trusting in mystery, in the mystery of a power greater than us and greater than anything we can know. With that said, I hope we will now have renewed awareness as we recite our Profession of Faith today and in the future.  

 

I hope we will feel our connection with Christians from over the past seventeen hundred years. And I hope we can recite the Nicene Creed as a way of entrusting ourselves to the mystery of God – a Trinity of persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

Feast of Pentecost, Cycle C - June 8, 2025

Feast of Pentecost – C 

June 8, 2025            11am

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Bel Air

 

Receiving Gifts 

 

I think it’s safe to say that most of us enjoy receiving a gift.

 

Usually, we don’t waste much time unwrapping the gift or pulling it out of a gift bag. Seldom would we just put a wrapped gift away somewhere and not open it. 

 

And maybe we would never end up with a whole shelf or closet of gifts that we have never opened. We just wouldn’t do that.

 

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit 

  

I’m thinking about these ordinary gifts that most of us receive from time to time because of today’s celebration of Pentecost.

 

Today we celebrate the Holy Spirit. And we believe that God, the Holy Spirit gives us some gifts. 

 

We call these the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. We receive these at baptism and then again at Confirmation. 

 

In religion classes, we learn about these seven gifts. But maybe it is fair to ask: have we ever really unwrapped them?

 

Have we really allowed them to come alive in us? This morning, I want to look at these gifts with you and let’s try to see which one we especially need to unwrap and allow to come alive right now. 

 

There are handouts in your seats, and I would ask you to pass them down so that everyone has a copy. I think this will make it easier to follow along and reflect on these seven gifts. 

 

1. Wisdom

 

So, first, the Gift of Wisdom frees me from living on the surface. With this Gift, I look beyond actions and statements to what they really mean.

 

Wisdom helps me to see the long-range consequences of what I am doing. It helps me to see the big picture of life and make decisions or form opinions based on that. 

 

2. Understanding

 

Then, the Gift of Understanding frees me from being narrow-minded.  With this Gift, I “stand under” – to flip the syllables of the word – I “stand under” another person and see things from their perspective.

 

Understanding or “standing under” helps me to think and feel what another person is thinking and feeling. It helps me to experience common ground with persons who are different from me.  

 

3. Counsel

 

Next, the Gift of Counsel frees me from feeling alone when I am trying to make an important decision. With this Gift, I am willing to turn to another person for some advice. 

 

Counsel also helps me to offer guidance to others. It helps me to listen well and to know when to speak and how to say what I feel called to say.

 

4. Fortitude

 

Then, The Gift of Fortitude frees me from caving in when the going gets tough. With this Gift, I will be consistent and steady.

 

Fortitude helps me to have the courage to do what I believe is right. It helps me to do the good thing even when I feel pressured to do something else. 

 

5. Knowledge

 

Next, the Gift of Knowledge frees me from spiritual ignorance. With this Gift, I am able to see light and not just darkness.

 

Knowledge helps me to live with a sense of where I came from and where I are going. It helps me to know the way to live that is grounded in the gospel.

 

6. Reverence

 

Then, the Gift of Reverence frees me from insensitivity. With this Gift, I don’t hurt or diminish others.

 

Reverence helps me to respect the dignity of all persons. It also helps me to be especially respectful toward what is sacred, like the Mass and the sacrament of the Eucharist.

 

7. Wonder

 

Finally, the Gift of Wonder frees me from self-absorption. With this Gift, I can stand in awe of God’s presence. 

 

Wonder helps me to hold all reality as loving parents would hold their children – with tenderness and great care.  It helps me to pray and seek to become closer to God.

 

Conclusion

 

So, these are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 

I recommend that you pick one, pick just one of these Gifts that you especially need to unwrap and allow to come alive in you. Just pick one for this Pentecost, make it part of your prayer, and allow it to come more fully alive in you. 

 

5th Sunday of Easter, Cycle C - May 18, 2025

 Fifth Sunday of Easter – C

May 18, 2025           5pm

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton

“Love one another”

Today’s Gospel brings us into the Upper Room, just after Judas has departed to betray Jesus. 

The mood is heavy. The disciples do not yet grasp what is unfolding. 

And it is in this moment—this intimate, quiet moment between Jesus and His closest followers—in this moment He gives a new commandment: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.”

This is not merely a suggestion. It is not just a moral ideal.

 

It is a commandment. And not just any commandment— Jesus says it is a “new” one. 

 

“As I have loved you”

 

In the Old Testament, the people of God were already told to “love your neighbor as yourself”(Leviticus 19:18). 

 

So, why does Jesus say, “I give you a new commandment”? What makes this “new”?

It is new in its measure: “As I have loved you.” Jesus doesn’t call us to love according to our own strength, our own convenience, or our own preferences. 

Instead, He calls us to love as He loved. Completely. Sacrificially. Humbly. Unconditionally.

Let’s remember where Jesus is when He gives us this commandment: at the Last Supper, only hours before His crucifixion. He has just washed His disciples’ feet—a task normally reserved for the lowliest servant. 

He knows that Peter will deny Him. He knows the others will flee.

He knows that Judas has just gone to betray Him. And still, His final instruction to them is: love each other with the same love I’ve shown you.

This is a love that even endures rejection, that serves even in suffering, that forgives even in betrayal, that is willing even to die. This is the newness in his commandment: to love “as I have loved you.”

“This is how all will know”

 

And then Jesus adds this: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In our world today, we Christians are sometimes known for our doctrines, our traditions, even our debates. But Jesus tells us that the true sign of discipleship is love: as he has loved us.

1. Love Begins at Home

The first place to live out this commandment is at home. 

Love must begin with our families—between spouses, between parents and children, between siblings. And this can be one of the most difficult places to practice this.

Because in our families, we are fully seen. Our flaws, our weaknesses, and our wounds all get exposed. 

And yet, this is the first place where love must shine. When we listen and try to understand, when we forgive for a past hurt, when we are patient with idiosyncrasies – then we are doing as Jesus calls us to do. 

So, let’s take time this week to ask ourselves: Is there some way that I need to love someone in my family better? Let’s begin there. 

 

2. Love Beyond Our Comfort Zone

 

And then, we need to love those outside our comfort zone. 

It’s easy to love those who are like us or think like us or treat us well. But what about those who disagree with us or are different from us on politics or religion or lifestyle? 

Jesus loved the leper, the marginalized, the sinner, the stranger, even his opponents. So, let’s look around. 

Is there someone with whom we are uncomfortable but is in some kind of need? As Catholics, as Christians, we must be known not for exclusion or judgment, but for loving as Christ has loved us, even going beyond our comfort zone. 

Conclusion

So, Jesus’ new commandment is not just about feelings; it is a decision, a choice we make. 

And it is by this love—by loving as he has loved, that the world will recognize Christ in us and know that we are Christians or Catholics. Today let’s renew our commitment to this, both at home and beyond our comfort zone.