Month: July 2015

Exodus 16, 2-4, 12-15 + Psalm 78 + Ephesians 4, 17, 20-24 + John 6, 24-35

St Joseph Old Cathedral, Oklahoma City

Recently I was listening to talk during which the speaker expressed his wonder about how God treated Moses after Moses disobeyed God’s instructions about striking a rock. Just because Moses struck the rock twice instead of once as God instructed, he did not get to cross into the Promised Land. Like the speaker, I have always that this was extraordinarily harsh treatment for a man who had accomplished so much as God’s servant. The speaker went to on propose something I had never thought of. The “Promised Land” was not really a geographical location, a parcel of land; but rather it was a personal relationship with God. … more »

Saint Joseph Old Cathedral Oklahoma City

2 Kings 4, 42-44 + Psalm 145 + Ephesians 4, 1-5 + John 6, 1-15

This multiplication of the loaves is the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all four Gospels. That fact alone should signal to us that there is something essential to faith here. Philip and Andrew are introduced by John as players in this drama. The people are tired and hungry. Jesus looks up and sees them. Philip expresses a kind of helplessness – a sense of inadequacy or lack of resources. It is a feeling we have all known too often in the face of the enormous challenges life can throw at us. A sense that there just isn’t enough to go around, that we don’t have what it takes, that what we need to face the challenge is greater than we could ever imagine. … more »

Jeremiah 23, 1-6 + Psalm 23 + Ephesians 2, 13-18 + Mark 6, 30-34   +   St Francis of Assisi Parish, Castle Rock, Colorado

The Gospel of Saint Mark is in many ways an instruction manual for disciples of Jesus Christ. Every detail of the Gospel; the stories, parables, exorcisms, healings, and everything Jesus says is preparation for what he will say at the end: “GO!” Last week he sent the twelve out on a practice run, so to speak. After making sure that they took nothing, were focused on their mission, trusting only him he gave them power and authority. I always like to think it was the power of love and the authority of humility. Unlike the kind of power and authority we find abused by too many on this earth, love and authority are effective, and so the apostles come back reporting success with the consequence that people were coming and going in great numbers. … more »

The Wedding of Hilary Nixon and Robert Dehn

St John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Loveland, CO

17 July 2015 Sirach 2, 1-11 + Psalm + Colossians 3, 12-17 + Luke 9, 1-6

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Rachel, Ruth and Boaz, Hosea and Gomer, Elizabeth and Zachariah, Mary and Joseph, the list goes on and on. It can include others like Peter and Paul, Andrew and James, Timothy and Mark who teamed up with Paul. People like Sylvia and Bob, Ruth and Ted, Betty and Nick, Bob and Betty, Robert and Debra, Norma and David all the way down to this day when the list will include Hilary and Robert. For you see, when it comes to the lives of people who are rooted in the life and mission of Jesus Christ, people whose lives are touched by the Divine, there is no going it alone. … more »

Amos 7, 12-15 + Psalm 85 + Ephesians 1, 3-14 + Mark 6, 7-13

It is on only the sixth chapter of Mark’s Gospel, and the disciples have not been with Jesus for very long, just long enough for them to see what he is doing, and long enough for us to know that they are not too sure of themselves and not too dependable. None the less, before they seem to be ready, he sends them out with power and authority. Given the conditions of the world we live in, those two things spell danger. I don’t know about you, but I am cautious around people with power and authority, and the scandals of the last few years give us all reason to on guard. … more »

Saint Andrew Church in Moore, OK

Ezekiel 2, 2-15 + Psalm 123 + 2 Corinthians 12, 7-10 + Mark 6, 1-6

The ministry of Jesus in Galilee is over. Having set a possessed man free, calmed the raging sea storm, raised up the daughter of Jarius, and cured the woman who touched him, he turns back to his own region of the country, and we find him at what Mark calls, “His own native place.” The mood is different, and it is not friendly. The startling report from Mark is that apart from curing a few sick people, “he was not able to perform any mighty deeds”. The implications of this report ought to leave us stunned. Is there a limit to the power of God? … more »