​“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you.” Jesus is not calling the disciples to become “door mats” but rather he is attempting to make a key paradigm shift from violence to nonviolence. He is challenging his followers to be willing to go beyond what the law allowed, “an eye for and eye”, and embrace something much more difficult, to embrace “the other”! He calls us to be merciful as God is merciful, to love our enemies, to give to whoever asks of us.

How is all of this humanly possible? It seems too much! God’s goodness and mercy is so great, how can any human act be as good and merciful as God? Some theologians say that God’s goodness and mercy comes down to “generosity” -- a generosity so grand that it created all known reality, that even the incarnation is self-giving, as was Jesus’ death, as was his resurrection and as is our salvation. So then this “generosity”, this “out pouring” of God’s self into the world empowers us, fills us, emboldens us and ultimately changes us to become more generous, less violent, less bent on getting even and more moved to be kind and loving to “the other”.

So we begin to work for ways in which our society makes room for the immigrant and the migrant rather than ways to keep them out. This spirit of generosity calls us to let go of racist, misogynist and other bigoted attitudes towards others and to work for justice and peace in our homes, our communities, our nation and in our world. Perhaps this generosity of spirit grows from first finding our own gratitude for being loved so deeply and passionately by God, just as we are. And from that gratitude grows our ability to be generous and merciful towards “the other”, who is my sister, my brother. For what am I grateful for today? To whom will I be generous and merciful towards today?

Blessings,
Fr Tim

This Sunday we hear Luke’s account of Jesus’ famous sermon on the beatitudes ,“The Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew. But in Luke it takes place on a great stretch of level ground. We’ve heard it over and over since we were children and are hardly shocked by Jesus’ description of the reign of God. Undoubtedly some of those who gathered on that great stretch of land to listen to Jesus were shocked by the picture he painted of the Reign of God…it made no sense and ran contrary to the sociopolitical reality of their lives. What was he thinking, the meek will inherit the land? We all know that it is the powerful who control the land. And the “peace-makers”?…well they usually get run over by the armies! And what was he saying about the “poor”, theirs is the Kingdom of God? Wait a minute…I though the Kingdom belonged to the righteous and those who followed the letter of the law.

Well the truth is that Jesus had a different take on the whole matter. The beatitudes name the ways in which peoples’ lives and well-being are threatened: grinding poverty, grief, landlessness, hunger, war and persecution. Jesus does not advise that those so afflicted simply wait for a reversal of fortune in the hereafter, though the final verse does speak of great reward in heaven. Jesus calls for attitudes and actions that will more fully bring about the reign of God. The poor are the humble whose wealth is found in their relationship with God and not in gold. The meek are not to be “shrinking violets” who accept injustice, but rather, those who know their proper place as children of God, and who stand up to ensure that all people are treated with dignity and as full heirs to God’s Reign.

The beatitudes are really “Be - Attitudes”…they call us to a way of holiness through reaching out to all who suffer in this world, and promise us that to the extent that we reach out to and work on behalf of the suffering we will become more fully the “blessed of God” and in the process we help to build up the Reign of God! One of the major differences in the sermon in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke’s are the “woe unto you” verses. These verses serve as warnings so that people will take stock of their lives and reflect on how they are living and building up the Reign of God. As we take time this week to reflect on this Gospel let us focus on the beatitudes and ask ourselves: in what concrete ways will I live out the “Be – Attitudes” today?

Blessings,
Fr Tim

This weekend’s readings touch on the themes of God’s call, our unworthiness, God’s grace and ultimately our response to God’s call. In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah we find Isaiah declaring himself doomed for he, a man of unclean lips and yet with his own eyes, beholds “the Lord of Hosts”. By an angel sent by God his wickedness is removed and he offers himself to God, “here I am Lord, send me.” And thus the formerly wicked one becomes the very mouthpiece of God to a whole nation.

Then we hear Paul declare that he is not worthy to be an apostle but it is by the grace of God that he is indeed an apostle, and “God’s grace has not been ineffective.” Paul is chosen by Jesus and given a mission to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul, like Isaiah, responds in the affirmative to the call he has received even though he is keenly aware of his unworthiness. He recognizes God’s grace is greater than his sinfulness.

And in the Gospel we hear of the encounter between Jesus and Peter, who is astonished by the words and power of Jesus and who is brought to his knees as he proclaims “depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man”. To which Jesus responds “do not be afraid; you will be a fisher of people…and they left everything and followed him.” In each of these stories the chosen one is keenly aware of their own unworthiness but God’s grace is greater than their sinfulness and empowers them to be able to respond in a positive manner to the call they have received.

It is in the midst of our brokenness and sinfulness that God calls us to be disciples on mission, in the world building up the Reign of God in the here and now. Each one of us is a living manifestation of the abundance of the gifts God has placed in the world that the brokenhearted and the wounded might be healed and that we might proclaim the Good News to the world through our words and actions! And all of this happens in the midst of our own brokenness by God’s grace which is always sufficient for the day! What do I hear God calling me to do in my life? Where have I seen or felt God’s grace acting in me or in the world around me? What do I most need God’s grace for in my life right now?

Blessings,
Fr. Tim

In today’s Gospel Jesus goes home and is not well received by his neighbors and boyhood friends. Large crowds from other towns and villages followed him around causing a great commotion throughout the region…and even though ”his people” were “astonished” by his words, they did not believe in him. Perhaps their familiarity with Jesus and his family blinded them to his awesome power and their lack of faith prevented Jesus from working miracles in their presence. Aware of their lack of acceptance of him, Jesus acknowledged that a prophet is seldom if ever accepted in his/her home town!

Perhaps it was jealousy or fear that kept Jesus’ neighbors and friends from accepting and acknowledging his power and true identity. Often enough our own insecurities prevent us from rejoicing in the successes of our family and friends…how sad when we cannot rejoice in and raise up the prophets in our midst…perhaps because they challenge us to see things with new eyes…perhaps it is because they challenge us to change how we live our lives!

Being a true disciple of Jesus means that we are all called to live prophetic lives, witnessing to the Gospel through our words and actions…and we, like Jesus, will be rejected in some places by those who refuse the challenge of living a Gospel centered life. How am I being called to be a prophet? How much time do I make to listen for what God is calling me to? Am I willing to risk being rejected by neighbors and friends to speak the truth of the Gospel?

Blessings,
Fr Tim