Blog Archives

August 27, 2023

8/28/2023

In today’s Gospel Jesus asks the disciples “who do you say that I am?” Peter proclaims that he is “the Christ”... the Messiah! And from this declaration, Jesus proclaims that “Simon” is blessed and that he has come to this insight, not by human knowledge, but Divine inspiration.

In the Gospel of Matthew this is yet another pivotal moment. Jesus acknowledges that he is more than a prophet, more than a messenger...He is the “Son of God”! From this moment forward Jesus’ public ministry takes on cosmic proportions...from now on his mission is to the whole world...not just the People of Israel.

But what does this mean for me as a disciple of Jesus? Who do people say I am, when I am not there to
hear? Who do “I” say I am, by the way I live my life...by my words and by my actions?

The great American educator, Parker Palmer, once proclaimed... “let my life speak”...but speak of
what? Can people tell that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ by how I live my life?

Is the message of God’s deep and passionate love for all people of every race, and Jesus’ clarion call to us, his followers, to love and care for all others evidenced in the way I live my life?

As a Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ I am called to love God with my whole being and to love and care for my neighbor as myself! And yet down through history to this very moment in time Christians have perpetrated sins of racism, bigotry, antisemitism and misogyny and outright hatred of their neighbor whom Jesus has commanded they love.

And yet we call ourselves Christians, followers of Jesus.

We cannot, hate our neighbor, act with racist and bigoted hearts and believe that we are living as Christ has called us to live. We must ask ourselves: do I harbor hatred, distrust or ill will towards my neighbor?

We must name and call out the sins of racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, homophobia and misogyny when and where we see them! It is in this way that “our lives will speak” to the world the truth of who Jesus Christ is; it is how our lives become prophetic voices!

And so let us ask ourselves, what prophetic witness will I give to who Jesus Christ is by my words and actions today?

Blessings,
Fr. Tim

August 20, 2023

8/18/2023

Today’s readings overturn our presumptions about the relationships between “insiders” and “outsiders”. From the Prophet Isaiah to Psalm 67, from Paul’s letter to the Romans to the Gospel of Matthew....we are treated to God’s vision of who is “in” and who is “out”. Some of us may feel a bit disconcerted by what we encounter in today’s readings. It seems there is something innately human about drawing boundaries between those who are like us and those who are different...“insiders and outsiders”. Those who are part of the clan and those who are not; those who are part of the family and those who are not...“insiders and outsiders”.

Down through the centuries wars have been fought, nations destroyed, and societies pulled apart in efforts to protect social boundaries that delineate who are part of the clan -- who are the insiders and who are the outsiders. Slavery would be a perfect example of a social construct that delineated between peoples and that destroyed individual human lives, families and entire nations! All based on social constructs of what made a human life matter and be of value.

Today’s readings call on us to reflect on our own social constructs...who we treat as insiders and who we treat as outsiders...whose lives we believe matter and whose lives we believe don’t matter! And whose lives matter more than others! How do we look upon refugees and immigrants to our country and upon the tens of millions of refugees roaming the world in search of a safe home? Do we see them as sister and brother or as alien and foreigner, outsiders who don’t belong.

What scripture makes clear is that we are called by God to work to eradicate all social structures and attitudes that exclude and marginalize “the other”.

In today’s Gospel we see a shocking moment where Jesus is challenged by a Canaanite woman to “revision his mission, and to open it up and expand his mission” and to proclaim the Reign of God goes beyond just to the People of Israel and that it includes absolutely everyone!

Because human being is a child of God and, yes, even the Canaanites are included! There is no place for racism or bigotry or xenophobia or misogyny in the Reign of God because we are all God’s children. And racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, homophobia, and misogyny are all sins against God’s children and against the Reign of God!

Everyone is invited, and as St. Paul reminds us, “the gifts and the call are irrevocable”! The Word has gone out...all are invited to be part of the Reign of God...and the Word of God once spoken cannot be called back!

I believe that all of us who call ourselves Christians and disciples of Christ are called to reflect on all of this in light of the racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism and outright hatred displayed in the violence in what we saw in Charlottesville and the violence we continue to see today against our Black and Brown sisters and brothers, even perpetrated by our very own local, state and national government officials. As well as the rise in the overt hatred and violence aimed at our LGBTQ sisters and brothers.

We have to ask ourselves: who are the people in my clan and are there people I exclude? How could I be more inclusive of “the other” in my life? And what socio-political and religious structures does the Gospel call me to work to change to be more inclusive so that no one is left out and all people feel loved, seen, respected, and embraced -- just as Jesus calls us to treat them?

Blessings,
Fr Tim

August 13, 2023

8/11/2023

An eerie and frighting scene unfolds in today’s Gospel. While Jesus is quietly off at prayer, the disciples asleep in a boat in the sea of Galilee, are suddenly set upon by a violent storm.

Their tiny boat is tossed about and nearly swamped, and the disciples fear for their lives. Jesus arrives on the scene and calmly “walks on the water,” towards the boat -- a figure of serenity in the midst of chaos.

But the disciples, in the grip of fear, are unable to accept the serenity he brings to the chaos swirling around them, threating their very lives. What is so interesting is that Jesus invites Peter to venture into the tumultuous waters and meets him in the midst of the storm.

This point is, I believe, very important for us today: that Jesus comes in the midst of the storm and reaches out to us, not after the storm has been calmed. And even though we may doubt, as Peter did, Jesus still extends his hand to raise us up, to assure us that indeed it is he!

Today we may need this Gospel message more than ever with the sickening number of armed military actions, military coups and outright wars swirling all around us.

Having just remembered the awful bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan, and the tremendous human loss and suffering they brought about, still some world leaders threaten to unleash “fire and fury” with the specter of the use of nuclear weapons. It seems we have learned nothing!

Clearly the horrid storm of wars and violence are not the answers to the troubles our world faces. Let us pray, listening for that “still small voice of God” within us, calling us all to work for peace and reconciliation, in our own lives, in our communities, in our nation and in our world. May the SHALOM of God be upon us all!

Blessings,
Fr Tim

August 6, 2023

8/4/2023

This Sunday we hear Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus...right before the eyes of three of the disciples, Jesus’ true identity bursts forth and in one brief luminous moment , and Peter, James and John are themselves forever changed....they are ”transfigured” with a growing awareness of who Jesus really is!

I believe that each one of us have our own “moments of transfiguration”, moments in which we see or feel the very presence of God. They are moments when, “deep inside” we come to know with certainty that God is present...that God is real.

These moments of awareness hold the potential to transfigure our lives into something new, something wonderful. The great challenge is to learn “to live out of” these transfiguration moments... keeping these moments alive in our hearts and minds allowing them to deepen our understanding that we are all formed in the image and likeness of God, and that the very Spirit of the Living God dwells within each one of us!

Each one of us carries within us experiences of the tenderness, mercy and love of God. Too often it is the chaos of our lives that “dim” the luminous moments of encounter with our God...and we forget we ever had them in the midst of the rush and busyness of our daily lives.

This Gospel we hear today, calls us to step back to reengage those moments of grace when we realized God’s ever- presence in our lives...when we realize that we are not alone... that there is something more to life...more than what we can
see or touch...more than we can imagine...”God moments”! When was my last “God moment”? How was I transfigured by that moment, and how does it impact my discipleship and what does it call me to in the world today?

In the midst of reflecting on the glory of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, we also have to take a moment to reflect, on this the 78th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on the growing threat of the proliferation nuclear weapons in our world and the very real and present danger it presents for the future existence humanity and our of our planet.

We along with other nations have committed ourselves to a moratorium on the proliferation of nuclear weapons and we must work to make sure that agreements such as the New START Treaty remain in place and are adhered to by all parties. And we much work with other countries around the world to bring into line those nations that are outside accepted and agreed upon restrictions for the production and use of nuclear arms.

Let us pray that we may never see another horrendous mass destruction of human life as we witnessed 78 years ago at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And may all the souls lost on those two days and the months and years following, rest in peace. And may all of the survivors and those affected by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki find healing and peace and may their lives be transfigured by God’s amazing grace. For this let us pray to the Lord.

Blessings,
Fr Tim

August 27, 2023

August 20, 2023

August 13, 2023

August 6, 2023

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