October 20, 2024 at Saint William & Saint Peter Catholic Churches in Naples, FL

Isaiah 53: 10-11 + Psalm 33 + Hebrews 4: 14-16 + Mark 10: 35-45

When I read these verses from Mark’s Gospel, I always wonder exactly why the other ten were so angry. Was it because they didn’t ask first and James and John beat them too it? Or, was it because it was such an inappropriate question. We’ll never know the answer, but it is worth thinking about if we put ourselves into the moment. What we see is that self-interest and a quest for power have fractured the very community Jesus has been forming. The whole situation sounds too much like us these days. The ideal of a more perfect union has fractured by a lot of self-interest and a quest for power. “It shall not be so among you” says Jesus Christ. My bet is that he shouted that at them in frustration and disappointment. 

What is on display here are the symptoms of communal life disrupted by distrust and division. They don’t want to serve. They want to be served. With that, the entire mission of Jesus is revealed, and its success or future is called into question.

I think it is important here to realize that Jesus does not criticize James and John for asking to sit at his right or his left in glory. He simply suggests that they are not clear about how you get there. We have the benefit of knowing what they did not know. At the time this discussion happens, they have not yet been to Calvary. They do not yet know that the “glory” of Jesus will be revealed from a Cross. Even though we may understand that intellectually, our position of privilege in this world still makes it hard to see what this gospel makes clear. Glory is not about power or winning. It is about something quite the opposite.

Jesus asks a question here, “What do you want me to do for you?”  He will ask the exact same question of a blind man named, Bartimaeus a little later when he gets to Jerusalem. Guess which one sees clearly enough to follow Jesus “on the way.”

This is the question at the heart of this story. What do you want Jesus to do for you? If we have some power or influence and use it for a good purpose then we might want Jesus to keep things as they are or even increase our influence so that we can do even greater things in his name. If we are somehow powerless against neglect or abuse, a victim of prejudice or hate we might ask Jesus to make this world more fair, just and loving. We might ask Jesus how a whole community like us might change things, give up something and give ourselves away on behalf of others and give us enough love and courage to really want to serve rather than be served.

I’m glad that Jesus did not scold or judge James and John but rather continued patiently to teach them his way and the possibilities they could not see at the time. He came as a ransom to set us free. If we can only begin to acknowledge how we have been enslaved by a desire to secure our privileges and to be served grace has begun to set us free, free to ransom others by service and sacrifice. This is not an idea. It is a frame of mind and a way of life called discipleship.

October 13, 2024

This homily was not delivered as I am attending the 100^th anniversary of the Cathedral in Oklahoma City.

Wisdom 7: 7-11 + Psalm 90 + Hebrews 4: 12-13 + Mark 10: 17-30

This man who stops and questions Jesus at the beginning this week’s Gospel introduces two key terms worth our thoughtful reflection: “good” and “inherit.” In the conversation with this man, Jesus is not trying to deny his own goodness, but he is asking the man if he really knows what he is saying and why he is saying it. Not interested in flattery, Jesus pushes the conversation further suggesting that this man is confused about what is good. He can’t seem to distinguish between what is good from goods.

Goodness is an attribute of God. One look at the two words in print might give us some clue. Any thing that is good in this world is good because it comes from God or comes from God’s creation. On the other hand, the word can be used to identify riches or material possessions not because they reflect God’s glory but because they satisfy our desire to possess and consume. What we see is that this man cannot let go of his “goods” because he can’t see what they are and where they come from. Then, there is this matter of inheritance. An inheritance implies a relationship or a kinship with a willingness to wait and receive. The man does not seem to understand this. He wants some “thing.” What he needs is some “one.”

What we hear in this story today is not a critique of this man, but an invitation to look at our own lives and evaluate what we own and how what we own leads us to see and express the glory of God remembering the source of all that is good. There is nothing in the Gospel that demands that we become like Saint Francis and give away all our possessions. However, at the same time, every line of the Gospel warns us about the ways a desire for more goods, more prestige, more luxury or more power diverts us from our greatest potential.

With all his wealth, a man who seems to lack nothing ends up being told by Jesus that he does lack something. All of his abundance has created a lack that can only be filled or satisfied by a relationship with a person rather than with things. He lacks what he needs most, an ability and willingness to follow the way of Jesus Christ. This rich man is really a poor man too content with his riches or his “goods” to see what is really good – a relationship with the one Good – God. All those goods have led him to settle for less because they seem to be the best offer around. The inheritance he could have is a reward that comes when goods become good by being circulated, both given and received not possessed or owned.

In the end, keeping the commandments does not make any of us good. It just makes us keepers of the rules. This man in the Gospel keeps the rules, but yearns for something more. He has a lot of stuff, and he knows and feels that it still is not enough. He needs someone. He comes to the one who can give him what he longs for. But, at that moment, he is too confused about what is good and how to inherit failing to understand that having an inheritance means having a relationship. It seems like a sad story the way it ends, but maybe it is more of a beginning. Maybe he will, having reflected as we do now on the message of this Gospel, he will return ready and open recognizing what is really good and where it all comes from.

October 6, 2024 at Saint William Catholic Church in Naples, FL

Genesis 2: 18-24 + Psalm 128 + Hebrews 2: 9-11 + Mark 10: 2-16

These verses of Mark’s Gospel are not about divorce at all. The troublemakers are there to trap Jesus with a question about divorce. They want to get Jesus to say something that will get him into trouble with Herod whose divorce was a hot topic at the time – a topic that cost John the Baptist his head. Jesus does not fall for their tricks. He talks about marriage.

Reaching deep into the well of our heart’s desires Jesus repeats the words of the Creator, “It is not good for man to be alone.” Going further to reveal God’s will and God’s plan, the Genesis story puts Adam to sleep so that it is clear that this is only the work of God. A rib is taken. Unlike the creation of every other creature, this creature will not be less, separate, or different from man. This is bone from bone, flesh from flesh. There is equality here intended by God, and that is the real revelation and response Jesus gives to those troublemakers. For them, this idea had to be disturbing.

At the time, marriages were arranged. There was no thought about love and commitment in marriage. As a result, divorce was a constant issue that could even upset the economy. When the response of Jesus brings the suggestion of God’s action in this relationship there is something new to think about. This is no longer about economics or providing children to help with work. Marriage, like everything else, has changed with the coming of Christ. The purpose of his Incarnation and the motive for his mission is to restore the perfection of that Garden where everything was perfectly in harmony and peace as God had intended.

No longer just a relationship between two people, Jesus speaks of God’s intention for marriage to be a covenant between two people and God. The binding force in marriage, as Jesus sees it, is not vows or even the love of the two people for each other. The binding force is God’s own presence in that relationship. He makes the point by saying: “What God has joined together……” Recognizing and cultivating God’s presence in a marriage brings joy in good times and hope in sorrow. As God intends and Jesus teaches, marriage is a living sign of God’s presence in our midst. It is the manifestation of the love of God, a love that knows neither condition nor limit in its ability to give and forgive. Jesus appeals to all of us to embrace the Spirit of love that is the basis of God’s love.

Yet, we know only too well that no human relationship is without sin, and sometimes promises are broken. While living with this reality, we must hold fast to the promise that God is always radically faithful, and there is nothing that will divorce us from God’s love. Entering into and maintaining a marriage relationship requires a commitment that must rely on God. What these verses ask of us is a serious consideration of radical faithfulness. First comes faithfulness to God, and with that, we can be faithful to one another in the promises we make.

September 29 2024 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, FL

Numbers 11: 25-29 + Psalm 19 + James 5: 1-6 + Mark 9: 38-42, 45, 47-48

It’s easy to let our attention be drawn to John or Jesus in this scene. I suspect that many are preaching about them today speaking about a host of issues that may arise from this incident. Hospitality could be one of the issues since there seems to be a refusal on the part of the disciples to welcome this outsider. The issue of who is “in” and who is “out” would make a great sermon too. Cups of water given could be another theme. At the same time, digging into what this says to the early church for which Mark is writing may reveal a great deal about their challenge.

As you might have guessed by now, I’m not going there. After more than 50 years of praying and listening to this Gospel, I have worn out those themes. Weeks ago, as I began to study and listen once again, I began to think about the third person in this episode. He’s the one with no name. I’ve decided that I like this guy, and I like the way he works.

You may have noticed that there is no suggestion that his work casting out demons is a failure. John did not say that this man was “trying to cast out demons.” He was doing it successfully. So, I wonder what’s the problem here? Then I remember that just a few verses earlier, the disciples came to Jesus disappointed and frustrated because they had met failure in casting out a demon. It almost seems that they are a bit jealous of another’s success or that they are frustrated because someone can do what they cannot.

For me, this whole scene is a reminder that the work of Jesus Christ, the work of the church, the work of healing, forgiving, feeding, and caring for people troubled by all sorts of demons and evil is not just for the official, approved, or designated persons. It is not reserved for those with time to spare or those trained in some special way. 

There is no doubt that things done through all kinds of Church programs are beneficial. However, at the same time, we can often get so focused on the program that those who do not have the time for training, meetings or reports get ignored and discouraged. They may well have other responsibilities that go with raising a family, caring for a loved one, while working to put food on the table. When they are done with that, they are tired and do not have the energy for “Church Work.” Sometimes they may even feel as though they are not good disciples.

I would suggest that this Gospel might give us cause to re-think all of this and recognize what Jesus sees. The work and ministry of Jesus Christ and his Church can and even must continue within and without the official program or approval of the Church. I think of men and women working doing double shifts in hospitals. I think of daycare workers who wear themselves out caring for little children for more hours than the parents do. I think of our first responders who are there when we need them, of mechanics who keep our cars running so that we can be where we need to be. 

There are no boundaries when it comes to the need to continue the work of Jesus Christ. It takes no “religious vocation” to be forgiving, healing or kind. There is no “them” or “us” when it comes to charity and offering that cup of water. You don’t need a membership card to let people see the face of Christ and know the love God. I do know for sure that those who serve in the name of Jesus will be drawn into deeper friendship with him, and we can all do that.

September 22 2024 at Saint William Catholic Church in Naples, FL

Wisdom 2: 12, 17-20 + Psalm 54 + James 3: 16- 4:3 + Mark 9: 30-37

Jesus is slowly making his way toward Jerusalem. He knows what has happened to every prophet before him. Aware of the animosity and power of his opponents, he knows what is likely to come when they get to Jerusalem. He has left the safety of Galilee where his opponents have no power and moved into their territory. I think it is important to realize that Jesus Christ did not choose that cross. The choice he made was not to avoid it or fight it. Jesus did not want to die on a cross. His prayer after the last supper in that garden should make that clear to us. His Father did not want that either. But having set us free in this life, God does not use power to coerce or force us to do anything. God so loves the world that God will have nothing to do with coercion. God just makes the best of our mistakes and bad choices, and with love saves us sometimes in spite of ourselves.

So, here are the chosen twelve. They hear what Jesus says about what is to come. The first time he told them about it, Peter argued with him, and he got a scolding for it. So, it’s not surprising that this time, they all just keep quiet. Probably because they were beginning to understand what he was saying, they are afraid what it might mean for them. Their talk among themselves tells us what they were afraid of, giving up their ambition and dreams of glory.

Knowing their ambitions Jesus decides to redefine it. In place of ambition to rule others he substituted the ambition to serve others. For the ambition to have others do things for them, he substituted the ambition to do things for others. He did not tell them that they should not seek greatness. He simply showed them where true greatness was to be found not in being the master of others, but rather in being the servant of others, especially the weakest members of the community.

This tends to be a problem for us, because we sometimes define or evaluate people in terms of the job they do. If we learn that a person is a doctor, our estimation of the person soars. But if we learn that a person is mowing grass for a living, our estimation stays earthbound. It’s silly business because we know that there is something more important than the job, namely, the kind of human being behind the job.

The mistake the apostles made was to put the job, or the position, first. In their eyes, the greatest among them was the one who had the highest position still hanging on to their hope that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom where they would be important and in charge. The message they get is that to earn the top spot, they had to go to the bottom. In order to be served, they would have to serve first. They would not be sitting on high thrones and soft cushions. They would be on their knees with a basin of water in one hand and towel in the other washing the feet of the little ones.

For all of us, it is not what I do but what I am that is important. We have to do things that we can be proud of. Feelings follow actions. Jesus tells us what they are. They are deeds of love and service. He set the example himself by never taking the easy way or avoiding the difficult way. He gave his life in the service of others. No one can go higher than that. He is the greatest in the Kingdom.

September 15 2024 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, FL

Isaiah 50: 4-9 + Psalm 116 + James 2: 14-18 + Mark 8: 27-35

Mark has no pity when it comes to Peter, and I have always thought that the tradition suggesting that Peter is Mark’s primary source might well be true. Peter never seems to sugar-coat anything, and he has no trouble sharing his struggles with understanding, loyalty, and faith. He gets it wrong today as he often does. He has the right word, but the wrong definition. He says: “Christ,” but he has no idea what that means. It is much the same for all of us. We may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah and Savior, but we may be even more confused than Peter about what that actually means.

So, Mark sets this up at Caesarea Philippi. It was a circus of worship places and temples with altars set up to every concept of divinity from the gods of the Greeks to the god-head Caesar.  In that setting, Jesus asks the Twelve that question about what people are saying and what they have to say about his identity. Up to this point of Mark’s Gospel Jesus has been reluctant to have people believe in him because of miracles, and for the first time in this Gospel he speaks about dark things ahead, rejection, suffering, death and resurrection. These are all things the Twelve are unable to grasp.

Peter speaks up for everyone confessing his faith in Jesus as the Messiah using the word: Christos. In his mind this is the Messiah of victory and salvation. But when Jesus begins to speak of a Messiah who will suffer rejection and death, Peter objects. His objection is not hard to understand because we often do the same thing.

Everyone prefers a popular, happy, Jesus who heals and comforts. Peter wants to write a job description for Jesus, and we do too. Jesus gets fashioned according to a prosperity gospel that turns him into the dispenser of a comfortable, trouble-free life of prosperity, easy to like.

Jesus get fashioned according to a psychotherapeutic gospel who makes us feel good with kind of “I’m OK and You’re OK” so let’s just skip along avoiding challenges that might suggest I need help.

No matter, we cannot make Jesus be what we want and do what we want. We cannot have the kind of Savior who is going to pop up and fix everything that bothers us. That is, what I like to call, a new kind of idolatry. That is a false God of my own creation. The practice of fashioning a god that does what we want goes on all the time. I once read that John Calvin claimed that man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.

There is stern warning in this Gospel ordering disciples away from that kind of thinking because they will not understand what it means to confess Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, until they have stood beneath the cross. The temptation to look for someone of power; one who claims the earth, rules it with strength, and will drive off anything that frightens or hurts us is great and dangerous. It is always easier to believe in a distant God of power than in the Suffering Servant of Isaiah who cries out in pain on the crosses of the world and suffers in humanity. It’s easy to believe in Jesus when we feel good. It’s not so easy when he does not stop our hurt. 

The life of a disciple has both joy and sorrow. A life of joy with no sorrow becomes like the earth with only sunshine and no rain; a barren desert. Both suffering and joy, are always part of life for a real disciple.

September 8 2024 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, FL

Isaiah 35: 4-7 + Psalm 146 + James 2: 1-5 + Mark 7: 31-37

The route Marks provides at the beginning of these verses would suggest that he knew nothing of that geography or that there was something wrong with his GPS. It would be like going to Baltimore via Seattle and Houston. For Mark, travel details are just a way of moving the story along. What matters is the destination. Jesus is out of his own neighborhood. He has gone to the other side of the tracks, so to speak. He is not now in friendly territory among his own kind. His compassion and healing presence are in no way limited to a select or privileged few. The inclusiveness of the Kingdom cannot be ignored or dismissed. 

The early church Mark writes for originally was struggling with the challenge of including people who were different, who spoke other languages, had other customs and different color skin. What Mark reveals here is just as important for us as it was for them, and we may not dismiss the Word of God and still claim our faith in Jesus who so easily ignores all borders and boundaries. He does not see them.

For those who first witnessed this event and for those who heard of it from them, their excitement is not hard to understand. As promised in the book of Isaiah, the Messiah’s arrival would be marked by the blind receiving their sight and the deaf being able to hear. What Jesus is doing fulfills this promise in a way that no one can miss. It’s no wonder people can’t stop proclaiming what he has done.

The whole point of these verses though is not the disability of that man, but the identity of Jesus as the Christ who heals and redeems bringing a new creation of mercy and wholeness. As the story goes on, more details reveal the human tenderness and compassion that leads Jesus to take this man away from the crowd. There is a suggestion of personal intimacy as Jesus he touches him, and by taking him away from the crowd Jesus saves him from embarrassment and the stares of onlookers. There is here a wonderful suggestion of respect for someone often avoided and ignored. Then with that, Mark describes a very real human emotion when he tells us that Jesus sighed. There is here a solidarity with human suffering that leads Jesus to sigh with distress and sadness. 

All of these details clarify the identity of Jesus Christ as God’s presence, giving us every reason to believe that God knows no limits or borders, and that God still looks with distress upon any of us who suffer and with compassion on anyone who has been pushed to the sidelines for whatever reason. That personal relationship nurtured in the privacy of one’s trust in Jesus will save, restore, and open our ears to the Good News we find in the Gospel and open our mouths to proclaim God’s love and mercy.

September 1, 2024 at Saint Peter the Apostle and Saint Agnes Churches in Naples, FL

Deuteronomy 2: 1-4, 6-8 + Psalm 15 + James 1, 17-18, 21-22, 27 + Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Well, that wasn’t much fun listening that list of our sins was it? It wasn’t any fun reading either! After almost 55 years of hearing confessions, I can tell you that this list just about covers it all. My guess is that those Pharisees were sorry they ever brought up the whole matter of the law. Being publicly called hypocrites and having the teaching of one of your own prophets thrown in your face didn’t exactly open the door to a polite conversation. So, Jesus turns to the crowd, that’s us, and asks us to “hear and understand.”

Jesus attacked the thinking of those Pharisees for two reasons. First, they believed that if they would just carry out correct external practices they were a good person no matter what their hearts and thoughts were like. Second, their definition of religion depended upon rules that were mostly made by people rather than God. This kind of thinking leads to believing that keeping the law will guarantee salvation. And so, this episode could lead us back to that old question, “What must I do to be saved?”

Christ did not come to do away with the laws and commandments of religion. Those old rules the Pharisees are disturbed about kept people healthy. Washing was and still is, a good thing. What Jesus is saying is that keeping the rules is just not enough. He gave us the Beatitudes. He said, “Be humble. Be just. Be charitable. Be merciful. Be gentle. Be forgiving. Be respectful.” 

In spite of what Jesus teaches, Phariseeism isn’t dead. It is alive and well in government and in every bureaucracy where people put red tape before the needy. They say they are only doing what they have to do, and are never uncomfortable when doing their duty hurts another. As a current example, some on the Arizona border with Mexico are accusing Catholic Charities there of breaking the law by feeding hungry people who cross the border.  It’s the same thing still going on. It works in religion too. Some who call themselves religious often claim to be keeping tradition while they confuse human tradition with God’s commands. This Gospel warns against the tendency to equate human precepts with God’s will.

This Gospel speaks not to Pharisees or Scribes, but to all of us disciples with a warning about anything that pollutes the human heart and destroys human relationships. We have to examine all the ways we behave, looking into our own hearts. All these sins we just heard of are external offenses against others, and they are first conceived in the heart.

When the word of God has taken root in us, everything becomes a religious practice. This word can come to us through the teachings of our faith, through the example of good people around us. However it comes, when it does take hold of us our inner eye is opened, our heart is softened, and we turn instinctively to God like a flower turns to the sun. When this happens to us, God’s law becomes sacred, religious practice is cherished, and we are filled with the power that saves. 

August 25, 2024 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, FL

Joshua 24: 1-2 15-17, 18 + Psalm 34 + Ephesians 5: 21-32 + John 6: 63-68

Now comes the final piece of John’s sixth chapter, and a crisis of faith is unavoidable and unmistakable. Some find this a hard saying, difficult to accept. It is not clear what they find difficult; eating flesh, bread from heaven, or that Jesus says he came down from heaven. It is most likely that he came down from heaven since Jesus seems to address that directly by asking what if they were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before. He seems to say: “If you have difficulty accepting my claim to have come down from heaven, how much more difficult will it be for you when I return there.” Of course, that will be by way of the cross.

God is being revealed here. This is a God that has come down from heaven, taken human flesh, given that flesh through death on a cross for the sake of giving those who believe a share in divine life which is eternal life. That’s what is at stake here. The only way to grasp this is through the Holy Spirit. That is where the faith to accept this comes from.

In that Capernaum synagogue, Jesus is addressing the fundamental longing of every human heart, eternal life. We do not want to die. We want life. He is teaching us how to quiet that longing and how live forever. Eat this bread that is my flesh, and abide in me. Just as food and water are essential for physical life, so his flesh and blood are essential for eternal life. Without his flesh and blood for food, we shall not live.

When they start to murmur among themselves, they have ended the conversation with the one who can lead them to truth. Broken then is the very relationship necessary for them to “abide” in Jesus. It must not be so for us. When we do not understand, murmuring among ourselves will only lead us away from the one who has come to dwell with us. We must stay in the relationship unafraid of what we do not understand and willing to live by faith, listening and exploring the Word of God while relying on the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what God’s will for us may be.

There is only one reason for John’s Gospel, and that is to confirm who Jesus is. Communion with Jesus is really a participation in the intimate communion that exists between the Father and the Son. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke record the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, John explains what the Eucharist does for those who believe and come to eat his flesh and drink his blood that has been poured out for us.

August 18, 2024 at Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, FL

Proverbs 9: 1-6 + Psalm 34 + Ephesians 5: 15-20 + John 6: 51-58

After a while with this Gospel, you might begin to get the idea that this quarrelsome group chasing Jesus around are really more interested in having an argument rather than a conversation. A conversation might lead them to some answers. But no, they want to know how. Any of us with even a little faith know that understanding how God works is the final test of our ability to live with ambiguity and mystery. People who cannot live without knowing the how and the why God words are not long in a relationship with God.

Jesus knows that the language he is using with them is going to offend and upset them. It’s a challenge to let go and rethink what they thought they knew about God. Only then can God do something new, and that’s exactly what’s happening here – something new. Even some of his disciples push back. Next weekend we will hear their grumbling. This whole chapter is about believing without knowing how.

There is a shift in this sixth chapter with these verses. Now John introduces the Eucharist. His description of the Last Supper has more to do with washing feet than bread and wine. So, it is here in these verses that John gives us the institution of the Eucharist. No longer are we told that eternal life comes from believing in Jesus. Now we are told that feeding on his flesh and drinking is blood is what gives us eternal life. John’s use of the word “flesh” is very important. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all use the word “body” when they record the Last Supper words of Jesus. What is important to know is that there is no word for “Body” in the language of Jesus. “Flesh” is what he meant and said.

When he speaks of this Bread that came down from heaven, there is almost an echo of the Incarnation again and the entrance of the Word into the world as “the Word became flesh.” This is the same flesh given to us as the living bread that came down from heaven.

When that quarrelsome group objects to eating flesh and drinking blood, Jesus never backs down. He never explains it away. He means what he says, and he waits for the believer to accept. With that said, Jesus move on to speak of what happens to the one who will eat and drink. They will abide in him, because belief in him is impossible without a close, personal relationship with the Son of Man who is in heaven. This “abiding” proposes an almost unheard-of intimacy – a kind of living another person’s life and it is his life, divine life that is without end.

At the beginning of this section it is about believing without knowing how. Now, it is about believing without seeing. The Body of Christ is his flesh. It is his flesh given for the life of the world. His Blood poured out takes us through the whole mystery from that moment when the word was made flesh in the womb of a young virgin in Nazareth until his death and his blood is poured out. For this reason, it is the Body of Christ – the anointed risen one we receive. Abiding in him then is an invitation to enter into all of his life with its joy and sorrow, its laughter and pain, and ultimately even to enter into his death through our own suffering and death. If we stay with him through it all. If we believe and abide, we will rise from everything, even death itself. If you can believe without seeing when someone says “The Body of Christ” and placed the Bread of Life, his very flesh, into your hands, then say Amen