On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Luke 18:1-8
We are all weary in our prayer. Yet, we pray so that hope may live within us. We claim God in the center of anguish. We open our lives to the healing God has for us alone.
“…do not be afraid…” Sketch: Ronald Raab, CSC
At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
“Those who belong to Christ” Drawing: Ronald Raab, CSC
“For Freedom” Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC
Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
“The Emotional Leper” Sketch: Ronald Raab, CSC
(Text from my column in the Sacred Heart parish bulletin)
Dear Believers in Jesus,
This gospel today (Luke 17:19) is a favorite of mine because Jesus breaks down so many barriers. In our culture, it is difficult to understand how countercultural this passage really is for the early Christian community.
The trauma of leprosy was real. People were moved to the margins of their community because they were not only contagious but thought to be possessed by demons. Usually the leper died alone, separated from daily meals with loved ones, education, care, compassion and hope. Jesus steps in the center of the turmoil. I believe that Jesus still does this, even now in our lives and world.
The gospel suggests that people have always separated out those they did not want to deal with. This human action is deep. We still divide. We still separate out. We still draw lines about who is in and who is out. We live in a time where division is profoundly real. We see this during our national campaigns for the presidency. We see this in our families when children and parents do not get along and siblings still fight for attention. We see this in the way we blame people for mental illness or disease, or when we draw lines in the Church about who stands on which side of Vatican II. Divisions, lines drawn, isolation and fear are all real, even today.
For Jesus, there are no outcasts. Jesus’ presence heals. Today, in our prayer, we understand that we are challenged to be the healing that we desire. We are to become Jesus’ presence among outcasts. We are to be converted into the dying and rising of Jesus.
This encounter Jesus has with outcasts also shows us how to be grateful. Gratitude in this text is the grand healer. One man who was healed comes back to Jesus in gratefulness. This suggests that gratitude is hard to come by and that a grateful heart is the full expression of faith, love and hope. Being grateful is also contagious.
Here are some ways to pray through this gospel:
Jesus, help us realize our own trauma and the ways in which we separate other people…
Jesus, help us to cross the boundaries of how we shun people or think that only some deserve you…
Jesus, come to us and heal all the separations even in our own hearts….
Jesus, help us always to remain in full gratitude…
Blessings,
Fr. Ron
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 9, 2016
Luke 17:11-19
This week’s edition does not have the usual opening and closing due
to technical difficulities
The leper comes back to give thanks to Jesus. The leper is marginalized. The ill are given new life in Jesus. God heals us no matter how broken we are. The touch of Jesus is all we need.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ABOUT POPE FRANCIS
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Gracious God, today we remember Saint Francis of Assisi who stood among the rubble of the Church so many years ago. Through his simplicity and prayer, he brought the Church to a new awareness of your Son, Jesus the Christ and our place among people of the earth. He restored dignity to our relationship with nature and brought hope again to people destitute and forgotten. Today we see Pope Francis, named for Francis of Assisi, standing among the rubble, among the ruins of a city. We are reminded of all the ways the Church needs re-formation as well. Give us all courage to help people in need, to offer food to the starving, homes to people lost among the fray and give us courage to pray on behalf of others to restore the world in our relationship with one another. Give dignity and joy to all who believe this day. Give us courage to stand among the ruins and bring hope to those in need of your love. Through the intercession of Francis of Assisi, give courage to our Church this day in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen
Domestic Violence Awareness: Drawing: Ronald Raab, CSC
“The Mustard Seed” Sketch: Ronald Raab, CSC
Gospel Luke 17:5-10: Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.
“Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from the plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'”
Life is beautiful. The seed of who we are is unique for each one of us. Yet, the core of who we are is our relationship with God. Faith is not something to be increased, it is not a commodity. What needs to be increased is our awareness of God’s fidelity. Faith is a treasure of relying on God for our total lives. This humility changes our lives. We are servants of this seed. We glory in the God who calls us into uniqueness, love and service toward others and toward the Seed-Giver, the God who loves us.
How is God calling you to recognize your true gifts, your ability to use your voice and talents in the world?
How is the seed of faith changing your perceptions of who you are and your life of serving others?
What is God asking of you? Do you believe in this call even though it may seem impossible?
On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR
October 2, 2016
The Twenty- Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 17: 5-10
(THIS WEEK’S EPISODE DOES NOT HAVE THE USUAL OPENING AND CLOSING BECAUSE OF TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES)
Faith is not a commodity but a relationship. This relationship is with the person of Jesus. The disciples wanted to be on stable ground. They wanted to make sure that they belonged to the Father’s love. Mustard seeds grow to the largest of all trees.
