On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Gospel MT 16:13-20

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.

LISTEN to this report of Bill’s ordination

William Wack, CSC at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Pensacola, Florida

Today is the Mass of Ordination and Installation of Bishop William Wack, CSC as the Sixth Bishop of Pensacola/Tallahassee Diocese in Florida. Last evening we gathered at Sacred Heart Cathedral for Vespers and Blessing of the Pontifical Insignia. Please pray for Bill today and for his new ministry among the people of Florida.

Dear Followers of Jesus,

I adore the Canaanite woman. Matthew 15:21-28 invites us into the dialogue with Jesus and a woman who is considered to be an outsider. She comes to Jesus with a burdened heart. She knows intuitively that Jesus can heal her daughter who is tormented by a demon. She loves her daughter and wants the best for her.

Jesus really gives her the cold shoulder. In fact, the disciples try to talk with Jesus about sending her on the road, to get her out of their hair. The woman persists. Jesus says that his presence is for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The woman turns the conversation around and stops Jesus in his tracks. She insists that even the dogs can eat the scraps that fall from the table. I love this. Jesus finds such great faith in the stranger and foreigner. Jesus proclaims, “ O woman, great is your faith!”

Most of us live our lives flying by the seat of our pants. We do not know where to turn when something major happens. Most people are not connected with the scriptures or the stories of Jesus and we feel left out when our lives take a turn for the worse. We blame God for not healing us, or at least stopping the suffering.

If your life feels out of control, then listen to this woman. Sit with this story and find your place in it. These gospels are not just cozy little stories that we tell at Mass because we do not know what else to say. These stories are brim full of grace, saturated with hope and overflowing with God’s real presence.

The woman was an advocate for her daughter whom she loved. I have to believe that she is also an advocate for people she has never met. It is easy for us to pray for people we love, too. We face more difficult times when we come to Jesus on behalf of people we do not know or who have never seen. I invite you to come to Jesus especially for people you have never met. We must do so. We need to pray for people engrained in the deep racism that shreds people’s dignity. We need to offer our lives in prayer for people who sell drugs to our children without our knowledge. We need to be at peace when the threats of war and violence capture us.

I hope you learn something from this woman. Pray for couples that are struggling to be faithful with each other. Pray for runway teens and children you have never known who face sex trafficking. Pray for our immigrants longing to find a safe place. Pray for your neighbor who is depressed. Allow the Canaanite woman to call you out of your shyness about coming to Jesus. Jesus is the one who heals us.

Blessings,

Fr. Ron

On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Gospel MT 15:21-28

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus’ disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

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Dear Believers,

I grew up on a small lake in Michigan. Often during the summer while enjoying boating, swimming and skiing, a storm would blow across the lake. We learned to spot the warning signs such as white caps on the growing waves, the tree leaves at the shoreline would flip over, and the lake itself would turn blue-black. We always knew the ten minute timing to get safely to shore, put our gear away and snap on the boat cover.

Today’s gospel, Matthew 14:22-33, shows us a summer storm. The disciples do not make it to safety, so Jesus walks on the water towards them. In the panic of the disciples, Jesus offers them words of hope once again, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

No matter where we live, we all face various storms we cannot control and many storms we cannot see coming. The warning signs sometimes are not quick enough. One such storm is happening right now. Our country is in the midst of a drug abuse storm where we do not know when it will end. We face an increasing storm of addition to opioids and heroin. The storm is becoming overwhelming for families, including unprecedented numbers of deaths. As part of the storm, grandparents and other relatives are raising thousands of children whose parents are incapacitated from addiction. We are also in a storm of people aging without healthcare, a “gray tsunami.” Other storms that prevail include depression and various forms of mental illness, storms from divorce and infidelity, and the continuing grand threats of war and violence.

As we listen to this gospel story today, we take note of the word, “courage.” Jesus speaks to the disciples, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Courage is not just a grand or heroic notion. “Courage” comes from the Latin word, “cor” which means, “heart”. In French, Sacred Heart is “Sacra Coeur.” In the center of our fear then, we are to invite Jesus into our hearts because his heart will calm us. The Heart of Christ, the Sacred Heart will show us how to navigate our storms. His Heart will reveal to us how to pray and how to live and how to serve. No matter the storms we face in our lifetime, we turn in faith to the one who walks on water to save us. The Sacred Heart of Jesus instills courage within us to move to safety, to travel back to shore with delight and hope. The Sacred Heart also shows us how to walk with people in the storms that may never be stopped or healed. Courage means that we give our hearts to people. Courage invites us to share our hearts with the lost, the forgotten, the orphan and the widow. Courage is heart to heart hope in Jesus.

What are the storms in your life that you can hardly navigate? Take courage. Take heart.

Blessings,

Fr. Ron