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Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time 2020: MT 8:1-4, Homily

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Gospel MT 8:1-4

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it.  Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2020: Bulletin Cover, Column, Prayers of the Faithful

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Dear Believers in the Christ,

God desires us. This simple sentence is so often ignored and even may be unfamiliar to many Christians. Many people have been educated to think that God has an iron fist, waiting to smite his people. I think many of us were told that in the second grade to make us sit up straight in our school desks or not to bully the weak on the playground. Actually, I think some people were told that just so a teacher or parent could maintain control.

From where ever our reluctance to believe God’s love came from, we do in fact belong at the center of his mercy and forgiveness. This is why Jesus was born into our world, for us to know first hand that we are not condemned. The Incarnation makes every human being and all flesh holy. Jesus aches for us to finally come to him with all the brokenness, pain and anxiety within us. He holds our hands when we are ill and sits with us when we are living in shame. Jesus desires us. His Father taught him well.

In Matthew 10: 37-42, Jesus tells us that any human relationship on earth cannot get in the way of his presence in our souls. He even says that we can’t love our mothers or fathers more than God. I wonder if he is going too far. His message is strong. However, it takes a direct message to cut through our earthly pride and what we think are solid plans. We are pretty stubborn when it comes to our hearts. It is difficult to see that God loves us when our lives do not turn out the way we think they should. In this case, Jesus says to the weary in order to find me, you must take up your cross and follow me.

To top it all off, Jesus says to us that we even need to lose our lives in order to find our lives. What he means is that our pride is an obstacle to real life. We must learn to surrender to such a mystery that is Jesus. His life within us is vital and real. It can topple walls of pride, addiction and hatred. We are born again in baptism and our second birth is not something we think about very often. However, from this second birth comes all the courage, strength and love we need. We are given the Holy Spirit to direct and guide our lives and futures. God within us teaches us how to surrender our pride and dismiss the notion that we live for only ourselves.

Jesus is trying to make this easy on us, but we seldom understand that he even desires the lonely, the anxious, the abandoned and the condemned. Jesus says that when we offer a drink of water to a little one, we will be given a ticket to heaven. When we get out of our own way and realize the dignity of another person’s life, we then are on the road to believing that God desires not only us, but also all people.

When we finally come to believe that God desires us, we understand that God heals our hearts and our wounds, our tears and our fears. This power of God will also help us get over our fear that other people are threats to us. God created all of humanity and wants us to live in unity and peace. We remain fearful of people who are different from ourselves because we have yet to believe that God desires all people.

God give you peace,

Fr. Ron Raab, CSC, Pastor

 

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let us pray for our Church leaders. That they will speak out for the dignity of all people and become examples of hope for us all.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to sustain the rich values of family life. Let every family live in God’s fidelity and reconciliation.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us live in humble awareness of our own need for God, and learn to take up our cross of hope, especially when we are most afraid.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to speak up with prophetic voices for the benefit of people who are oppressed by society, and who struggle to make ends meet.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to witness hope among the discouraged because of joblessness and uncertainty about the future in these days of COVID-19.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us set our grief in the hands of God and bear witness to the peace of heaven. We pray for our dead, and in this Mass…

We pray to the Lord.

 

Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time 2020: MT 7:21-29, Homily

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Gospel MT 7:21-29

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist 2020: LK 1: 57-66, 80, Homily

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Gospel LK 1:57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?”
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.

Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time 2020: MT 7:6, 12-14, Homily

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Gospel MT 7:6, 12-14

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.

“Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”

Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time 2020: MT 7:1-5, Homily

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GospelMT 7:1-5

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2020:MT 10:26-30, Homily, Prayers of the Faithful

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Gospel MT 10:26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve:
“Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

 

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let us pray that the Church may speak out in support of people longing for justice in our day. May we seek reconciliation among those condemned by our hatred.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our sisters and brothers who hold on to fear as a way of viewing relationships, family, and the world.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who are oppressed by our power and greed. May we wake up to the cries of the poor.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to see our worth in God as greater than the sparrow. May we seek God’s faithfulness for all people who live in fear under heaven.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for those who are ill and filled with anxiety in these days of COVID-19. May we seek the healing of God and the support of our neighbor.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for those who have died and those who grieve here on earth. May God lead us all into the hope of heaven. In this Mass…

We pray to the Lord.

 

 

 

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2020: LK 2: 41-51, Homily

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Gospel LK 2:41-51

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

 

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2020: Bulletin Column, Cover art

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Reflection based on MT 10:26-30

June 21, 2020

Dear Followers of Jesus,

 Many of us fall into the trap of thinking we need to save ourselves. We may believe in a punitive God who will not love us until we get our spiritual, sexual and emotional acts together. When we fall into this notion of God, we are never good enough, no matter what we do, no matter what we say, no matter how we pray, no matter how much we pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps. This notion of God only leads us into despair and hopelessness. So many people have been raised in the Church to think they are not good enough for God. They also live with shyness and an uncertainty about living and serving in the Church.

Instead, what we need to learn is that God desires us and in God’s endless flow of mercy, we come to new life over and over again. The one thing we need to hear more of in the Church is that God invites us to be with him, that mercy and kindness is the core of God’s fidelity toward all creation. God is waiting for us to be invited into our desperation, our anger, and our conflicts. Our sacramental life in the Church is not based on God’s anger, but on the mercy that overflows from the Trinity into our hearts.

On this side of the grave, we are to seek God’s love. We also need to let our sense of unworthiness be cleansed with a new attitude. In our gospel today, Matthew 10:26-33, we hear of God’s tenderness toward us. As all creation, we are brought into the joy of life in God. Even the sparrows find flight, and food and song, and nest in him. We are worth more than many sparrows, so our fear needs to melt away. We belong to God, even down to the very number of hairs on our heads. Our sin is just an excuse to grow closer to the burning mercy of God that forms our lives, our consciences, and our patterns of love.

This notion that we live in the tenderness of God’s love, embraced within his arms of mercy, is difficult for many people to comprehend or to enjoy. Somewhere along the line, we are told of God’s wrath, and that anger has formed our spiritual lives and how we live on earth. In my ministry throughout these years, many people feel they are never good enough to come to God. So they either give up and leave the Church or stay and grow even more bitter and angry toward their own lives and even toward those they love.

So if we have been told we are never good enough to enter into relationship with God, then how do we find our way to freedom and forgiveness? Well, first we need to find our home in God through profound prayer, through silence, within scriptures, through acts of charity, and perhaps through spiritual direction with a competent director. Life is too short to hold on to an image of God that is destructive, that zaps life from our souls. Instead, we all need to be brought into the understanding that we are worth more than many sparrows. The very reason for our lives on earth is to learn to live with God who created us to become the people we are meant to become.

This gospel is a beautiful companion. We come to know who we are and whose we are when we acknowledge God before others. God will care for our stubbornness if we believe he is not an abusive parent, but our Creator who desires the best for us. Our understanding of our spiritual journeys has consequences for how we view people around us, as well as how we view the world. If we believe that God is punitive, then we take that action upon ourselves and judge others who are different from ourselves. We may place this notion of God’s action on people’s race, their beliefs, and all the ways we think people are different from our norm. We are not God’s spiritual police in world, but we are to live among people who are doing the best they can in life just as we are.

The gospel says to us today that all secrets will be known, that nothing is concealed. Perhaps the secret that will be revealed is a new image of God. God’s tenderness toward all creation is sheer gift and hope for us. As followers of Jesus, we desire to be touched by his embrace of forgiveness and his desire to dine with us at Eucharist.

“So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

 God give you peace,

Fr. Ron

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Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus 2020: MT: 11: 25-30, Reflection, Art

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“The Sacred Heart” Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2019

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Gospel MT 11:25-30

At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

 

 

Reflection: 

My dear Followers of the Sacred Heart,

Several years ago, a man in utter distress spoke with me on the phone. He had lost his health and searched out many doctors for relief. As a result, he lost his job and his family disowned him. He traveled around his city going to Mass and the priests usually did not have time to sit with him and listen.

Through his own prayer, he truly understood the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As I listened to him, I was in awe of his incredibly deep faith and perspective on God. He experienced physical, emotional and spiritual loss. This loss was not his fault. His bodily diminishment taught him to rest in the Heart of Christ Jesus. He heard through his pain the voice of Jesus in today’s gospel, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

After a long phone conversation, he said to me, “Father Ron, why don’t people understand suffering?” Unless we have experienced a sense of loss or ongoing physical or emotional pain, we may be unable to hear the suffering of our brothers and sisters. I had no sufficient answer for his profound and yet simple question.

I continue to have many teachers who uncover the mystery of this Solemnity of Jesus for me. I admit, the question he posed me a few years ago has reached a new depth in me. In my own prayer, I have to ask this question as a pastor. I have to lift up this question as I live in this time of racial division, fear, and our common confusion living on the face of earth at this time.

COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd are incredible teachers of conversion for us if we allow our own ears to take in the anger, the frustration, and the hopelessness of those around us. There is no excuse for the Christian to hide from what we truly believe. There is no door that we can close that can keep the pain away anymore. Now is our time. Now is our day to lift up those bowed down by hardship and who have been shunned, diminished, and put down by our privileged existence.

Today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, love itself, let it be known that believers in Jesus understand suffering. Let our places of worship ring out in praise of the Sacred Heart who teaches us to tend the weary and the lost. The invitation of Jesus is not only for the rich and the powerful, but also the weary, the broken, and the discouraged.

I want to be among those who find their way into the Heart of Jesus. I have been invited by many who speak to me on the phone and those I encounter along the path to love.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

God give you peace.

Fr. Ron