Blog Archives - Roncalli Newman Catholic Parish

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a ______

7/31/2017

A thought for the day
Monday, the 17th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Ignatius of Loyola

Readings for today’s Mass

In the current section of Matthew's gospel, Jesus in on a role with his use of parables and metaphors. In the last few gospels we have learned that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out to hire workers; like a net throw into the sea; or a merchant looking for fine pearls; it's like a man who sowed good seed in his field. The kingdom is like a treasure buried in a field; it's like a mustard seed; and it is like yeast for the baker. What a diverse and colorful representation of the Kingdom of Heaven. What does it all mean?
First, there is a great variety of images that many listeners would be able to relate to. Jesus is speaking to fishermen, bakers, farmers, vintners, landowners and laborers. The wide use of metaphors speaks to people from many walks of life.
The pearl and the buried treasure suggest that the kingdom is something to be greatly desired, so much so that much is put at risk to have it. Yeast and the mustard seed teach us that a lot can come from just a little, and there are great rewards for those who participate in the kingdom. It is clear, as well, that there will be a judgement based on one's participation. Some of the fish will the saved and some will be thrown away.
How do these images factor into your understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven? Do you have a favorite metaphor for the kingdom? What does it say about what you believe about Jesus and his message?

The wisdom of Solomon

7/30/2017

A thought for the day
Sunday, the 17th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Peter Chrysologus

Readings for today’s Mass

Give to your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong. There are a few times in the Old Testament when God invites someone to ask for something. One deals with Ahaz from the Book of Isaiah: "Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask!" On the other hand, Solomon of today's first reading is not too proud to ask. In fact, he has thought about it, he knows what to ask for. He wants to be a good leader of the people but he knows he has shortcomings. Solomon was aware of his own weaknesses and vulnerabilities and knew he needed God's help. Unashamed, he tells the Lord for what he needs. Notice the assertive nature of his words: Give to your servant . . . Even from the beginning of his reign, King Solomon had the wisdom of Solomon. His career is pretty much summed up in the story of two women fighting over a baby.
I knew a bishop who had the wisdom of Solomon in a decision about a parish church. It was an old and beautiful church that was in great disrepair, but the congregation was split down the middle on what to do. One half wanted to restore the church, the other half wanted to renovate. Unable to agree, they appealed to the bishop, asking him to tell them what to do. The bishop declined, telling them that, until the parish agreed on a plan as a whole, they could do nothing at all to fix their church. They could let the church fall to the ground around them. Now they have a beautiful worship space that everyone is pleased with and very proud of. That was the product of the wisdom of Solomon.
When you find yourself in conflict and consensus seems far away, consider bringing in an objective third party. Who knows, someone else might have the wisdom of Solomon.

Will the real Jesus please stand

7/29/2017

A thought for the day
Saturday, the 16th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Martha

Readings for today’s Mass

Over the years, the art community has given us many portrayals of Jesus. They range from a Jesus totally devoid of human emotion to an eccentric Jesus over-emoter. Some paintings of Jesus make me wonder if he had any facial muscles. There are poems about him that offer insights to who he is. Not all poetry works for me. Some can be really heavy on yuk! How about this line - "O my dear heart, young Jesus sweet," There are a lot of books that try to shed light on the real Jesus. And then there was the Jesus Project.
And let's not forget about Hollywood. Movies present Jesus as the Stoic, too busy walking above the ground gazing at the sky to notice anyone. This Jesus is often totally incapable of feeling anything. One film of Jesus left me wondering if he should have cast seven demons out of himself! There is an older feature about Jesus i've always appreciated and a not so old film i find quite dreadful.
If i really want to know Jesus, i rely on none of these. i go to the gospels. If you read carefully, you will find Jesus who is, at times, very happy, who gets angry, sad. Sometimes his celeb status gets him tired of all the people pressing in and he runs away to be by himself.
One good example of the character of Jesus is found in today's Gospel story. It's the death of Lazarus, a dear friend of Jesus, as are Martha and Mary, Lazarus' sisters. Jesus is late getting there and the funeral was four days earlier. Martha went out to greet him with, "Had you been here, this never would have happened!" Whoa! That's rough. Good to see you too, Martha! And then comes the shortest verse in the Bible: "And Jesus wept." Jn 11:35. And everybody noticed and said, "See how much he loved him."
Can you imagine the grief Jesus felt with Martha's greeting? It sounds like she is blaming him for her brother's death. With that, came the blunt realization that his friend was dead and he lost it right in front of everyone.
That's happened to me. It's good for me to know that Jesus knows the extent of all our emotional responses to the stuff of life. Sometimes we deify him to the point that he loses something really important, his human identity. Sometimes, talking to Jesus the person can open new doors to finding Jesus the Christ. Give it a try sometime. When you spend time with the scriptures, look for those windows of opportunity that can reveal the reality of Jesus who walks the streets with you. i bet you'll find him there.

Love, simply love

7/28/2017

A thought for the day
Friday, the 16th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Leopold Mandic

Readings for today’s Mass

Today's first reading continues the saga of God leading the Israelites from Egypt. Today offers one of the versions of what we all know as the Ten Commandments. They offer a framework of moral behavior and guidelines for how we encounter and respect God and other people. The commandments are later added to and interpreted by more than 600 laws found in the Torah. Why is it that we can start with something simple, beautiful and to the point only to amend it until we no longer recognize what we started with?
It's good that, now and then, someone draws us back to the heart of the matter. My favorite example is from the prophet Micah: You have been told what is good, what the Lord requires of you; only to do the right and to love goodness and to walk humbly with your God Micah 6:8. Basically, it's what we all know as the golden rule. Here is another version of it. According to a very old Jewish story, the Rabbi Hillel was asked to teach the whole of the Torah while standing on one foot. The Rabbi responded with, “That which is hateful to you, do not do unto another. This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary.”
And Jesus offers a version of the same in his response to the Pharisee. "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments" Mt 22:37-40.
For some aspects of Orthodox Jewish ritual, men wear a small box on their heads. It's a phylactery, or tefillin, and it contains verses from the Torah, the Law of Moses. It serves a a reminder of the law. For those who can peel away the layers of law and get back to the heart of the law, only a very small box is needed.
What serves as a phylactery for you? What reminds you of what God asks? Does it have a lot of words?

Who do you say I am?

7/27/2017

A thought for the day
Thursday, the 16th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Antonio Lucci

Readings for today’s Mass

What has been hidden from the wise, he has revealed to the children. As i reflect on today's first reading, just one word comes to mind, drama! It's the story of Moses in the desert with the Israelites and God coming to speak to them. This is no social call; no knock on the door and a "Is anybody home?" This is big; real big. Here's how it reads: "On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the Lord came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God answering him with thunder." That is drama. That's how to make an entrance.
Many Old Testament experience with God are sort of like that. Descriptions of God were so huge and awesome that the lowly can only crawl under a rock and hide. i don't hear of too many such experiences today.
The way we are invited to encounter the Lord today is a refreshing change. Pope Francis' presentation of God offers someone we look forward to getting close to. The Jubilee Year of Mercy offered an image of God who is most gentle, caring and loving. The Pope's gentle touch of those infirmed and in prison speaks of a God of tenderness and compassion. His now famous quip - "Who am I to judge?" shows the heart of God that is forgiving, reconciling and healing. You can find many more examples from the Bishop of Rome if you watch for them. In them, the Holy Father is telling us something about the Father/Mother God.
Tho Jesus sometimes talks in riddles, as in today's gospel, Francis' simple words and actions reveal true nature of the God we continue to encounter on the streets, in the classroom and in the workplace of our day. Look for an occasion in your day to see God in those around you and to be an example of the same for others to see.

Sow the word

7/26/2017

A thought for the day
Wednesday, the 16th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Joachim and Anne

Readings for today’s Mass

Today's gospel parable might also read like this: A man
went out and planted a big garden. He planted all kinds of good things that he would later harvest for his family to eat. As the garden grew, rabbits came and ate some of the plants that were their favorites. Deer also came by the garden and ate some of the plants they enjoyed. Likewise, woodchucks and other creatures, too, would stop and eat different plants from the garden.
All summer long, the garden keeper tended the rest of the garden and sometimes planted new seeds. When the harvest time came, he went out to gather the garden to feed his family. The man was quite pleased with his garden; and even tho he did not get the benefit of everything he planted, he was able to feed his whole family and even had enough left over to share with the neighbors. His long summer's work produced more that he expected.
The sower of seeds from today's gospel did not expect all of his seeds to grow. He was a farmer. He knew about hungry birds. As he scattered the seed, he knew some of it would land in the ditch and other places where it wouldn't do well. He didn't expect a harvest from each seed he planted. But he also knew that if he tended the rest of the field, his work would reproduce itself even a hundredfold. Growing a garden can be a long struggle. But perseverance to the work at hand, in the end, will bring a plentiful harvest.
We are called to be sowers of the word of God. Like the farmer, not all of the seeds we scatter will be fruitful and multiply. That cannot discourage us from tending the fields. Like the gardener, our persistent labor will also produce a harvest a hundred times over. After all, that is not our work but the work of the Spirit who tends the garden and nurtures the seed we sow.

Take this and drink

7/25/2017

A thought for the day
Tuesday, the 16th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - James the apostle

Readings for today’s Mass

Jesus said to James and John, "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My cup you will indeed drink." Sometimes i think of Jesus as a poet. His use of imagery and the parables of his teaching style reveal the insight and creativity of a right brained person. Recall Sunday's gospel with the parable of the wheat field and the weeds; or the multiple times he begins a teaching with a line ole this, "The kingdom of God is like a . . ." and then he spins a lesson around that.
One object he also uses as a metaphor is the common drinking cup. Throughout scripture it has a variety of meanings. Everyone has heard the verse from the 23rd Psalm, my cup overflows. It is used to suggest abundant blessings and prosperity. In today's gospel, it has quite a different meaning: Can you drink the cup that I an going to drink? Here the cup is a foreshadows his own suffering and death endured for the sake of goodness. It isn't what he looks forward to; If it is possible, let this cup pass from me. . ., but he accepts it. Surely he wishes this cup to pass from all his followers, but he knows what looms ahead.
Jesus put this question, not just to James and John, but to all who profess to follow him. It is not an easy road, but is, at times, wrought with hardship and struggle. Discipleship can cost a lot. When you see it coming, can you drink from the cup or would you rather let this one pass?

A grateful heart is the beginning of greatness

7/24/2017

A thought for the day
Monday, the 16th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Sharbel Makhluf

Readings for today’s Mass

i must confess to having never heard of today's saint, Sharbel Makhluf of Lebanon who died at the end of the 19th c. As a hermit, he lived a life solitude and prayer. He never achieved great prominence, did not excel academically but became known as a meek and humble man of great holiness, prompting the faithful to come to him for a blessing or to ask his prayerful intercession. He was canonized by Pope Paul XI.
Sharbel is an example of holiness of a different kind. We are much more familiar with saints who stood out as great theologian or preachers; men and women who did great acts of charity while suffering with the poor and infirmed. We know about them because they were active in the world. Hermits, on the other hand, tend to be quiet and unassuming.

Another example of such heroic virtue can be seen in Fr. Solanus Casey who will be beatified in November. Originally from the Diocese of La Crosse, he went to Detroit and entered a franciscan monastery. In the seminary, he did not excel academically and was ordained a simplex priest, denied faculties to preach or hear confessions. He was found suitable to be the monastery porter, answering the front door and welcoming visitors when they called. It was in that most humble ministry that his holiness was brought to light. Like Sharbel, people came from far and wide to seek his blessing and ask his prayers in their times of need.
Do a little research in these two holy men the next time you find yourself struggling to know what God wants of you. Not all are destined to be Dorothy Day or Thea Bowman. It could be that your life of quiet prayer is what keeps the big hitters going.

I do not see the road ahead

7/23/2017

A thought for the day
Sunday, the 15th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday
Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Saint of the day - Bridget of Sweden

Readings for today’s Mass

We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. Sound familiar? Students often seem to struggle with their prayer lives. So do most older folks. At times, we all do. We should be praying more, or harder, pray this way or that. Something always seems to be missing. The problem often enough is that we feel we always have to be pouring something out to God; that God is nothing more than a giant ear. And since we don’t like quiet time, we are always searching for something to say. Paul has been there. Check this out from his letter to the Romans from today’s 1st reading: “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will.”
Maybe we don’t know what we want from prayer; what our prayer should be like. But God knows of our desire to pray. What is in our heart counts for a lot, even when we have difficulty expressing it. Next time you find yourself struggling with prayer, trust what is in your heart; and let God take care of the rest.
Spend some time with this poem from Thomas Merton. He's been there too.

The Road Ahead
Thomas Merton

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think
that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire
in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this
you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear for you are ever with me,
and will never leave me
to face my perils alone.

"Who am I to judge?"

7/22/2017

A thought for the day
Saturday, the 15th week of Ordinary Time

Mass at noon: Tuesday - Friday - Saturday at 5:00 - Sunday at 9:00 and 11:15am
When the people gather for prayer, all are welcome.

Readings for today's Mass

Saint of the day - Mary of Magdala

Some would call Mary Magdalene the Patron Saint of the Slandered. She was badly misrepresented by Pope Gregory the Great in 591 when he declared that "She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary [of Bethany], we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark," (Mary of Magdala.) This misunderstanding endured until 1969 when Paul XI finally set things right with Mary, declaring that there is no evidence linking the woman caught in adultery with the companion of Jesus and the post-resurrection Mary at the empty tomb and the first to see Jesus in the cemetery. (It is good that we did not have papal infallibility until the end of the 19th century!)
It would seem, however, that this story of Mary the Slandered should be a reminder to us to be a little slower to judge. In this age of information and misinformation, of fake news, Photoshop and now AI technology, how easy it is to build a story from the latest tweet or some viral "news" bit tweeted or posted on Facebook. Today, it seems that some of the latest "truths" have a shelf-life.
As we celebrate the memorial of Mary Magdalene, let us be reminded of the goodness that others bring to our lives. There are things to be learned from Jesus' relationship with Mary the prostitute, Mary of the seven demons, Mary the sinner and Mary of Magdala. Leave the need for judgment to other hands, and work instead with reconciliation as the end.
A few years ago, Pope Francis made the cover of a lot of magazines when he asked the question of himself, "Who am I to judge." Had someone asked the question long ago, Mary of Magdala would have gotten a better shake.

Eagle Catholic

is a daily devotional based on the Mass readings of the day, the saint of the day or any other topic worthy of reflection in light of Catholic tradition.
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