3^rd Sunday in Lent, Year A
Exodus 17:3-7
Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
John 4:5-42
March 23, 2014

The Samaritan woman comes about noon to the well to draw water.  In those days without indoor plumbing drawing water from the well was a daily task but it was usually a morning task before it got hot.

This Samaritan woman waits till later when she thinks no one will be there but finds Jesus there.  Jesus asks for a drink.  She is astonished by this.  She is a Samaritan and she recognizes him as a Jew.  The Jews and the Samaritans did not talk to each other.  And men would not talk to a woman alone.

Jesus does.

Why?  Because he cares about the woman.  It doesn’t matter that she is a Samaritan.  Jesus still offers her all that he brings.

As the conversation continues, Jesus and the woman are thinking from two different perspectives.  She takes what Jesus says literally but it is not the water in the well that Jesus speaks of but the living waters of the Holy Spirit.

As a Samaritan, she would have been a woman of faith but a faith somewhat different from the Jews (hence, the Jews and Samaritans didn’t talk to each other).

So she is capable of knowing more than the literal but she takes Jesus literally when he asks for a drink.  They are sitting next to a well.  Who would ever guess that Jesus is speaking of water other than what is in the well?

As Jesus describes the living waters to her and tells her that all who drink on this water will never thirst again, she still takes him literally and asks for this water, thinking she wouldn’t have to come to the well just to get a glass of water.

At this point the conversation shifts.  Jesus knows she is still thinking literally because she doesn’t know who he is.  Jesus tells her to go get her husband and this leads to Jesus speaking about the five husbands she has known.

In doing so, Jesus displays knowledge that she would not expect him to know.  Remember she is a Samaritan and a woman of faith.  So, she recognizes Jesus’ words as the words of a prophet.

The woman has taken a great step in her faith but there is still more to learn.  Jesus is not just a prophet.

The woman herself speaks of the Messiah to come.  Jesus offers the simplest of responses, “I am he.”

The Samaritan woman goes off to the town and tells people what Jesus has said to her.  She knows Jesus is an amazing person and wants to share that with others.  She tells them what Jesus has said and says to them “Could he possibly be the Christ?”

She hasn’t come to full faith herself but she shares what she does know and in doing so, leads others to Jesus.

Two lessons here.  First, we come to faith in stages.  There may be great leaps in our faith but faith is an ongoing learning process for us.  We never know everything.  Growing in faith requires more than just coming to Mass.  We need to come to Mass but we also need to learn more.

We sometimes think learning is just for kids.  It isn’t.  We never know everything about our faith.  I know I don’t.  This is why we offer Small Christian Communities.  It’s why Pat and I do talks.  It’s why we have the CD’s in back of church.  It’s why our religious ed program involves not just the children but the whole family.  We need to grow in faith.

The second lesson from this passage is that we are called to share our faith.  Sometimes we think we don’t know enough about Jesus to talk to others.  The Samaritan woman had only just begun to know Jesus when she shared what she did know with others.

It’s called evangelization.  Recent popes use the term New Evangelization.  The new evangelization is not just about evangelizing others.  We need to evangelize ourselves to deepen our own faith.

It is a never-ending process in this world.  What do you do to learn more about our faith?

2^nd Sunday in Lent, Year A
Genesis 12:1-4a
2 Timothy 1:8b-10
Matthew 17:1-9
March 16, 2014

God tells us Abram (Abraham) to leave the land he has known and his father’s house to go to “a land that I will show you.”

Abram could have asked a lot of questions.  Where is this land?  What am I supposed to do when I get there?  Why leave here?  What will it be like and what will I need to take with me?

Abram doesn’t ask any of that.  He doesn’t ask anything.  We are simply told that “Abram went as the Lord directed him.”

Abram had a great faith in the Lord.  Won’t it be nice to have that same faith?

Paul writes to Timothy, “Bear your share of hardship with the strength that comes from God.”  We like to think that if we just believe in Jesus, then we won’t have any problems.  Unfortunately, that isn’t the way it works.  In fact, it can actually add to our hardships because people ridicule us for our faith.

Oh, to have the faith of Abram.

There are various stories in the Bible and even today in the lives of the saints for those who persevered in faith.  There are also stories of those whose faith wasn’t perfect.

Peter became the first among the Apostles but his faith was not perfect.  When Jesus asked the disciples “But who do you say that I am?”, Peter was the one to say “You are the Christ” showing a strong faith but then immediately Peter rebukes Jesus.  Peter has faith but it is an imperfect faith.

Jesus was going up on the mountain to pray and he takes Peter, James, and John with him.  Why?  Jesus wants them to see what happens!

And what happens is not small thing!

Jesus is transfigured!  His face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white.  In essence, he was transfigured so that Peter, James, and John could see Jesus as he really is in his glory.

That alone would have been an incredible site to see.  But that isn’t all they saw.  With Jesus standing there in his glory, Moses and Elijah appeared there with him.

To see Moses and Elijah would have been incredible by itself but with Jesus transfigured it serves to reveal who Jesus really is.  Moses is the image of the Law, the Law that was given by God.  Elijah is one of the great prophets, deliverers of God’s message.

Moses and Elijah standing there with Jesus serve as confirmation that Jesus is not some random prophet but comes in fulfillment of the Law and the prophets.

Imagine yourself standing there.

Peter is amazed and says “Lord, it is good that we are here.”  That much is clear but Peter continues, “If you wish I will make three tents here.”

It may seem silly to us that Peter would speak of putting up tents when Jesus is standing transfigured before him with Moses and Elijah.  Two thoughts, first this could be a reference to the Feast of the Tabernacles.  Secondly, I would suspect that Peter is so stunned by what he sees that he doesn’t know what to say but feels he must say something.  He realizes he is in the presence of something incredible.

Would we feel or do any different?

Jesus was transfigured to be seen as who he truly is.  We hear this reading today in the context of Lent.  Lent is about conversion so we can listen to this passage asking ourselves what it is we need to change in our lives, how do we need to be transfigured.

It isn’t easy to make changes in our lives.  It takes a great faith and Jesus wants us to have this great faith.

Jesus knew Peter did not realize what it meant to say Jesus is the Messiah.  Jesus knew Peter’s faith was weak.  That’s why he allowed Peter to see him transfigured.

Jesus knows our faith is not perfect.  That is why the Holy Spirit inspired the gospel writers to write down stories like the Transfiguration so that we might understand who Jesus truly is so that we might have a great faith in him.

1^st Sunday in Lent, Year A
Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11
March 9, 2014

Temptation!  We all know what it feels like to be tempted.  Jesus also knows.  The devil, aka the “tempter” was so bold as to tempt Jesus.

The “tempter” knows when to strike.  Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights.  So, he was hungry.  Knowing his hungry could make him vulnerable, the tempter comes to Jesus and invites him to use his power as Son of God to turn stones into bread.

It would seem like a reasonable thing.  Jesus needs food doesn’t he?  Why not turn the stones into bread?

But Jesus does not.  He will not use his power for selfish reasons.  He knows his power is not given for his earthly needs but for a much greater spiritual purpose.

Do we use power/authority for selfish gain?

Jesus had a great faith and trusted the Father completely.  The “tempter” tries to use that against Jesus by telling him to throw himself down, believing that God will protect him.  The “tempter” actually quotes scripture here.  Jesus quotes scripture too, “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

Do we put ourselves in situations that we shouldn’t, expecting God to bail us out?

The “tempter” offers Jesus the world but Jesus isn’t interested in it if Jesus just worships him.  Jesus won’t because he is more interested in the heavenly kingdom and the Father.

Is there a price where we would ‘sell our souls to the devil?’

As we enter this first full week of Lent, we hear how Jesus is tempted and successfully resists the temptation.  Jesus shows us it is possible to resist temptation but it is something we struggle to do.

Jesus knows it is hard for us to resist temptation so in the end, Jesus gives his life for us on the Cross for the times when we fail to resist temptation.

Still, we must strive to resist temptation to show that we are genuinely interested and committed to be Jesus’ disciples.

The “tempter” is “cunning” and knows how to strike.  He knew to strike Jesus after fasting.  The “tempter” knows when we are weak.  I don’t mean just weak from physical hunger.  I’m thinking more of when we are stressed over something.

We all face temptations.  Each one of us can find our struggle lies in different places.  What is tempting for one person may not even be inviting to the next person.

There can be times when we find it hard to resist temptations that normally don’t them that hard.  As I said, the “tempter” is cunning.  He will attack when we are stressed and/or exhausted over an unrelated event and our guard is down.  We can be so busy fighting another struggle in our lives that we never see the “tempter” coming.

None of what I have said should be used to make excuses or to make it sound like it is OK to fall to temptation.  It isn’t but it is important to know how the “tempter” works so we can be better able to resist him.

Regardless, we fail at times.  The good news is that God wants to forgive us for our failings.  If God didn’t stand ready to forgive us, He won’t have sent his son Jesus to redeem us.

God’s forgiveness is a gift we see expressed in Jesus’ Crucifixion but it is not enough just to know about the Crucifixion.  We need to be repentant for our sins.  Part of repentance is to be willing to admit our sins.  When we admit our sins, we open ourselves to God’s gift of forgiveness.

Jesus has given us the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a means of showing repentance and receiving the gift.  We offer this sacrament every Saturday from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.  Our diocese is again offering a Day of Penance this year on March 25^th from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Last year, some many people came that I didn’t finish till almost 9 p.m.

What temptations have you failed to resist?  Not sure where to begin?  Start with an examination of conscience that can be found hanging outside our confessional or on my website.  Not sure how to go to the sacrament?  We have a handout on that too.

What is your greatest temptation?  What do you need forgiveness for?

8^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Isaiah 49:14-15
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Matthew 6:24-34
March 2, 2014

The Israelites had been in exile in Babylon.  While in exile, many felt that the Lord had forgotten them.  What is the Lord’s response to this?  “I will never forget you.”

Do you ever feel like the Lord has forgotten you?  If you have, it’s probably because something bad happened.  Maybe you prayed for something and didn’t get what you wanted.

When we face problems in our lives, do we really turn it over to the Lord or do we spend a lot of time worrying about it?

What do you worry about?  Jesus tells us not to work about what we have to eat or drink, our bodies, or what we will wear?

These things are things we really need.  It would seem that we have every reason to worry.  When we don’t have these basic needs fulfilled, we might feel forgotten.

When we feel “worry” we should remember the words of Jesus and ask ourselves “Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?”

Worrying accomplishes nothing but what are we supposed to do?

First, we must ask ourselves if whatever causes us to worry is that important.  If it isn’t, then why are we worrying at all?

If it is important, we can ask ourselves what we can do about it.  Our actions must always be good and should be rooted in prayer but we must also realize we can’t do everything ourselves.  Some people worry about not having enough but they won’t accept charity.

Maybe the precise way that God wants to answer our prayers is through the charity of others.

St. Catherine believed that worry indicates a lack of trust in God.  We might ask ourselves why we won’t trust God.  The first answer might be that if God really cared we won’t have problems in the first place.  Or we might feel that God hasn’t answered our prayers in the past, then we can’t count on him for help now.

I would also wonder how hard it might be for us to trust anyone.  Sometimes we have people in our lives that we can’t count on.  Unfortunately, not only does that make it hard to trust the individual, this can make it hard for us that we can trust anyone, God included.

Jesus tells us that we cannot serve both God and mammon, mammon being earthly riches and/or material things.  Unfortunately, it can be easier to focus on worldly things.  Worldly things are here and now.  We know they are real.

Godly things are more abstract.  Sometimes we have to wait for heaven’s reward so we might doubt it will ever come.

The things we worry about can be very real.  We think if we just make a little more money, have a little bit bigger house, all our worries will go away and we will find rest.

The psalmist reminds us of this says “only in God is my soul at rest.”

True spiritual rest does not come from material things.  It is rest in the peace of Christ that we are created for.

Sometimes it came seem so hard to know the peace of Christ but when I do, for me, it changes everything.  It’s not that all my problems and concerns go away.  I just realize they aren’t so important.

When I am finally able to let go and find peace, one of the amazing things for me is I get more done.  Everything falls into place.  Why?  Because when we let go and enter into God’s peace, we let God into our lives.

Lent starts this week.  Our church calls us to give something up for Lent.  If you are a worrier, I suggest you think about giving up “worrying” for Lent.  It might seem odd or impossible but the reward can be good.  Hand it over to God.

If you’re not a worrying, whatever you do choose to give up for Lent, don’t let it be something trivial.  Pick something that is important to you and in giving it up, you show that God is more important and you put your trust in him.

6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Sirach 15:15-20
1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Matthew 5:17-37
February 16, 2014

Jesus told his disciples that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.

It might have been nice if he had abolished the Law.  The history of the Law and the people is clear, it often wasn’t followed.  There are a few reasons it wasn’t often followed.

Sometimes it was a person’s choice.  Some knew what the Law said but did what they wanted, ignoring the law.  Some didn’t understand the Law and broke it.  Some tried to follow the law but found it too hard.

For any of these, it would have been simplest to abolish the Law.  That isn’t the case.  The Law comes from God and is good.

Jesus doesn’t come to change the Law.  He doesn’t need to.  Jesus tells us that he comes to fulfill the Law.  He comes to help us understand what the Law is all about.

God does not give us the Law to suit his needs.  God is an infinite God and does not need us to tend to his needs. God gives the Law not for his good but for ours.  Why would God do this?  Because he loves us.

In Sirach we hear, if you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you.  When we break the commandments bad things happen.  When we follow the commandments good things happen.  The good or the bad are not simply God’s retribution or reward, they often follow directly from what we do.

That’s why God gives us the commandments.  Knowing God does this for our good, we place our trust in him.  In reading the Old Testament, we can see how when the people followed the commandments, they prospered.  When they turned away from the commandments, things turned bad quickly.

That alone should be enough to show us that we can trust in God.  However, as Christians we have a further sign that we can trust in God.  Jesus’ Crucifixion reveals to us that God’s love has no limits.  God is totally committed to doing what is good for us.

All this being said we are free to choose to follow the commandments or to follow another way.  I pray that we all choose to follow God’s commandments.

So far I have only talked in terms of either following God’s commandments or not.  If only it were so black and white!

I’ve already mentioned that sometimes when people break the commandments it is because we don’t understand.  Sometimes we just want it very clear what the rules are and we also want to do the minimum amount necessary.

Jesus was not a minimalist.  In fact, he expands the commandments.  Thou shall not kill!  Jesus says don’t even get angry.  Thou shall not commit adultery!  Jesus says don’t even look at another person in that way.    Thou shall not bear a false oath!  Jesus says you should not have to make an oath because you should always mean what you say so people will trust you without asking for an oath.

Jesus reveals to us what the Law is truly about, loving God and loving our neighbor so we can take what we have learned in the commandments and apply it to life today.

Some people say that if it isn’t specifically in the Bible we are free to do whatever we want.  We are always free to do whatever we want but that doesn’t mean we should.

I don’t think it is reasonable to expect everything to be covered word for word in the Bible.  It was written 2,000 years ago.  God would have known what the world would be like today but if Jesus tried the people 2,000 years ago about things like the medical technology we have today, they would have thought him nuts.

That’s why Jesus sought to teach the disciples what the Law is about.  It’s also why Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit, to help us interpret the Law as it applies in our world today.

Some say that the Catholic Church has added to the teachings of Jesus.  The Catholic Church, our church, does not seek to add anything to Jesus’ teaching.  What our Church has done throughout the ages is to try and help us apply Jesus’ teachings to everyday life.

We should never see the Law as a burden.  It is a gift God has given us that we might live a good life in peace and harmony.

5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Isaiah 58-10
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Matthew 5:13-16
February 9, 2014

Jesus says to us as his disciples “You are the salt of the earth.”  Of course, the question becomes in what way are we “salt.”

We use salt to flavor our food.  For those who use salt, it adds flavor to the food.  It makes it better.

We are called to make the world a better place just like salt is used to make food taste better.  What can we do to make the world a better place?

There are people who do not have enough food to eat or a decent place to live.  We make things better for them when we heard the words the Lord offers through the prophet Isaiah to share our bread, shelter the homeless, and to clothe the naked.

People who face these struggles can feel darkness in their lives.  We bring light in offering them help.  We can help make their day a little brighter.

We can bring light to people in need in three ways.  The first is charity, meaning giving them food, clothing, and shelter right now.

The second is to change systems that keep people from being able to do better in life.  Must often this can take the form of advocacy for programs and/or regulations that make things better.

The third way we can bring light is to share our faith.  We must let them know that God cares and that we care.

It’s the second way, justice, that I would like to focus on today.  How do we make life better in the long run?

There are a lot of good programs out there but funding is being cut.  We feel overtaxed but we need to look at not just what changes can be made today.  We must also consider the effects of those changes in the long-term.  Is the money an investment for the future?

Each year our diocese selects an issue for us to reflect upon and then ask us to sign petitions for the issue.  I think the issue and programs in this year’s petition drive qualify as an investment for the future.

This year our petitions ask the government to restore some funding for two programs, Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation, and Healthy Families New York that offer assistance for pregnant mothers and new parents to make sure the children get started on the right foot.  A good start makes for a better life.

If you want it in terms of dollars, a good start should lead the children to be able to better provide for themselves in adulthood, reducing the need later on.

Some people might want to say no one helped me get ahead.  I did it myself, let them fend for themselves.  Where is the compassion and faith in that?

I would look at it from the opposite perspective.  If we struggled to get ahead, we should be motivated to help others who come after us.

For instance, in another town I served in, the parish hosted talks by the Alzheimer’s Association geared to help families with a loved one with dementia.  The parish I was in provided refreshments for these talks.  Our hospitality coordinator made a phone call to the volunteer at the top of the list to ask them to bake something.  They immediately said yes and offered to do it for all the talks.  It was several months before I found out why they were so eager to help.

The husband’s father was the first person diagnosed in that area with Alzheimer’s.  There was no support for the families in those days so they knew what it was like to face it “alone.”  So, when these talks started, they were delighted to hear about it even though the father had long since past because they knew what that support meant.

Here in Ithaca, we are fortunate to have Birthright to help people in similar ways to these two programs.  Birthright can be a light to hope.  So can these programs.

So I hope you see the Lord’s calling to help those in need and I invite to sign petitions that will be available at the various entrances after Mass today.

Presentation of the Lord
Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40
February 2, 2014

Normally we would be celebrating the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time today but instead we are celebrating the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

There are not many feast days that take precedence over our normal Sunday celebrations.  The way the secular calendar aligns with the church calendar, there will be four or five this year.

So, if it is uncommon for this to happen, what makes this feast so important?

First, today is forty days after Jesus’ birth at Christmas.  In the Jewish customs of Jesus’ day, forty days after the birth of a child, the mother went to the temple for a purification ritual and the male children were brought to the temple to be consecrated to the Lord.  These are the events that we hear about in today’s gospel.

With its ties to the birth of Jesus, this feast used to mark the end of the Christmas season, highlighting the importance of this feast.

When this feast was still part of the Christmas season, the blessing of candles became part of the celebration.  In Simeon’s words in the temple he identifies Jesus as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”

Jesus is our light in that through him we see things differently.  We regularly use candles to remind us of the Light of Christ.  Every time we celebrate Mass we use candles to symbolize Jesus becoming present in the Eucharist.

We always have a sanctuary lamp with a candle burning next to the tabernacle to signify Jesus is present.  We also use the Paschal Candle at Easter and for baptisms and funerals to remind us how we receive the Light of Christ in baptism and carry that light to our death.

Just like we use candles to remind us of Jesus, we use other “things” in our sacraments.  We use water, oils, and bread and wine.  Let’s face it, we are a sacramental people.

Please note that I said sacramental, not sacrament.  We have our seven sacraments where we receive God’s grace in very special ways.

But being a sacramental people goes beyond the sacraments.  It is to see God present in the things around us, not just candles, water, and the bread and wine but also in the flowers and the trees and the animals.

As a sacramental people we are also people of ritual.  It should be no secret to anyone that in the Catholic Church that we have a lot of rituals and devotions.

Following rituals is not something new with Jesus.  The Jews had many rituals, many of which are found in the Book of the Leviticus.  The presentation in the temple is one of those rituals.

Our rituals are important as moments of special connection with God.  God is always present with us but our sacraments, rituals, and devotions are all meant to help us be aware of God’s presence.

Thus, these rituals are important for us.  People who realize our society is in decline ask why?  I think a significant part of this is that we have lost this sense of ritual.  It’s as basic as our attendance at Mass.  If we don’t arrange our lives to make it to Mass each week, we say the ritual isn’t so important.

This isn’t the first time the sense of ritual has declined.  Our first reading today comes from the Book of the Prophet Malachi.  It is the last book in the Old Testament.  People, including the priests are not keeping the prescribed rituals yet they wonder why things keep getting worse.

Ritual is important.  When we get busy, it’s easy to lose sign of the importance of ritual.  It can become something we simply do out of obligation.  We forget why we do the ritual.

Sometimes we don’t see the value of our rituals or we feel like we don’t get anything out of our ritual because we don’t understand why we are doing these things.  The rituals we do are based on symbolism and tradition.  If you want to understand better our postures and practices at Mass you can find out more on my website, renewaloffaith.org, or by asking questions.

When we know why we do “stuff” we can find new meaning so that the rituals we celebrate can bring us closer to God.

And is God not what we seek?