In this Sunday’s Gospel we encounter Jesus being tempted by the devil with temptations to power, fame and pride. Some Scripture scholars have argued that it was through his experience of forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert that Jesus came to a deeper understanding of his true identity and his mission.

As we begin Lent it is appropriate for us to reflect a bit on our own lives, our own desert experiences and our own temptations. Most all of us, as humans, are tempted by pride, arrogance, selfishness, anger and greed…the real question is whether or not we give in to those temptations. For some, who give in, they are led to disgraceful acts of greed and ego with catastrophic results. All we need to do is to read the headlines in the newspapers or listen to the nightly news…we know who they are and are able to judge the seriousness of their acts.

For most of us, sins are somewhat more contained…a white lie here and there…a small theft once in a while…a few carelessly chosen harsh words that wound. Most of us are basically good people, trying to live as God has called us to live. In the recesses of our hearts we know we’ve been tempted…we’ve stood on the precipice of surrender to our baser desires…enticed by money, recognition, or power to take advantage of situations or people, neglect of our responsibilities towards others, or treat ourselves or others with disregard and disrespect.

As we reflect on our own personal sins let us not forget the structural sins of our society…greed, arrogance, pride, violation of human rights,vengeance and war feebly masked as “just war”, turning a blind eye to the tens of millions of displaced persons, refusal to aid those in the midst of famine and the list goes on. As Jesus came forth from the wilderness of the desert proclaiming the coming of the Reign of God bursting forth in the world through the preaching of the Gospel, he forever linked the “Gospel imperatives” to theReign of God. To the extent that we live out the imperatives of Jesus...to love one another as he has loved us, to love our enemies, to actively seek to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the marginalized…to that same extent we participate in the building up of the Reign of God.

Lent is meant to be a time of reflection and of action! We are called to a conversion of heart…to turn away from self-centeredness and sin and all that gets in the way of our living as true disciples of Jesus Christ. What can I do, or stop doing, in order to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ? What acts of almsgiving, prayer and fasting can I commit to this Lent that will help build up the Reign of God, to be a living sign of hope in the midst of a suffering and wounded world?

Blessings,
Fr Tim

In today’s Gospel Jesus seems to be questioning or challenging his disciples to be more aware of their own behavior before they go about judging the behavior of others. The image of having a log in one’s eye and attempting to remove a splinter from the eye of another person is quite ridiculous but clearly makes Jesus’ case to his followers. It appears that Jesus is condemning his disciples of being too quick to judge others while remaining blind to their own shortcomings and missteps. They have missed Jesus’ example of being quick to forgive rather than to judge. Even though they have been the recipients of the lavishness of Jesus’ mercy they themselves evidently have failed to in turn act as Jesus has acted. In this they have failed as students, for the teacher has taught the lesson but they missed the meaning.

He then goes on to instruct them that what is inside will be manifested on the outside…”a good person out of the goodness in their heart produces good…just as a rotten tree produces rotten fruit and a good tree produces good fruit. Jesus instructs them that the goodness or the rot of the heart will show forth in a person’s speech.

It seems that in our age we do not value truth in speech, we find it hard to trust the words of political leaders, church leaders, our newscasters; they often say one thing but do another. Most of the time we are able to spot dishonesty and the lack of integrity in someone’s words and none of us likes to be deceived. Just as Jesus called his disciples to reflect on how quick they are to judge others so we too have the opportunity to remove the log from our eye in order that we might be able to remove the splinter from our neighbor’s eye.

And as we prepare for the season of Lent we can begin to reflect on what is the fruit that our lives bear? How quick am I to show mercy and forgiveness to those who have wronged me or hurt me?

Blessings,
Fr Tim 

​“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

In this Sunday’s gospel we find Jesus returning home to Nazareth just as word about him has begun to spread throughout the region. He was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and people were talking about him. He comes to his home synagogue and from the scroll handed to him he proclaims the Word of God from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Imagine for a moment what must have been going through the minds of his neighbors and childhood friends. This was Mary and Joseph’s son…how can he claim to be “the anointed one” of God? They must have wondered “who does he think he is?”. Jesus proclaims that he is filled with the Holy Spirit and has come to do the work of God. And as members of the Body of Christ we too are filled with the Holy Spirit and are called to do the very things that Jesus proclaimed he was sent to do! We are called to “be” good news for the poor and help those held captive by war, poverty, racism, by anything that diminishes them or holds them back from being who God made them to be. We are called to bring recovery of sight to all those who are blinded by anger or hatred by loving them and walking with them in their darkness. We are called to proclaim that the mercy of God lavishly pours down upon all women and men!

​How have I felt the Spirit of God wash upon me? In the midst of all the world’s woes, what is the Spirit calling me to in my life at this time? How and to whom am I being called to proclaim the Good News?

Blessings,
Fr Tim

The scene of the Wedding Feast at Cana unfolds as Mary seemingly “pushing” Jesus out into his public ministry, ignoring his reticence to perform a miracle in the midst of the crowd of guests gathered for the wedding feast. It seems that it was a moment when Mary called on Jesus to let his true identity shine forth for people to see! Jesus may well have felt that it was not the time but he responds to her request, eventually. For the Gospel of John  "signs" like the turning of the water into wine are very important as they point to the true identity of Jesus as both human and divine.

St Paul is also interested in our identity as members of the living Body of Christ. Paul challenges each one of us to reflect on what is our “gift”, What is our charism? The gifts that each person is given is given them, not for themselves but for the sake of the whole, for the Body of Christ.

On this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend I cannot but help to think his gifts of leadership, passion, vision and ultimately martyrdom…a man who shared all he had, his very life, for the sake of the moral soul of a nation. As the struggle for racial justice, equality and recognition the human dignity of all peoples continues, we must ask ourselves: What are my gifts that God has given me for the sake of this struggle? What gifts have I been given that I need nourished that they might grow for the sake of the whole Body of Christ? How do I put my gifts at the service of the Reign of God?

Blessings,
 Fr Tim

Today as we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by John the Baptist, we call to mind the transforming power of discipleship. As we struggle to faithfully follow Jesus in our lives, our lives are transformed by the very struggle to be the presence of Christ in the world. Think for a moment about the baptismal ritual itself: first the calling out of the name in the midst of the assembly for all to hear…the sign of the cross traced on a forehead, a profession of faith, holy water poured and the sacred words are uttered…“I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of Son and of the Holy Spirit”…then an anointing with sacred oil…the passing of the “Light of Christ” and a white garment, symbol of a new life born of this ancient ritual.

But with this new life comes great responsibility…to live a life as a Christian…as a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is no easy task; to be a follower of Jesus Christ and live our baptism in concrete ways in our everyday lives. Our baptism calls us to put Christ at the center of our lives and to try and be a healing presence in a wounded world, by doing good works, being compassionate, and actively working for justice and peace in the world around us that is at war in so many ways. We are called to be healers of the wounds of divisions that separate us and cause us to be blind to the fact that we are all sisters and brothers, all of us, the children of God.

Is it outwardly evident that I am a disciple of Jesus by the way I live my life? What could I do in my life to follow Jesus even more closely than I already do to better live my call to discipleship received in my baptism?

God's Blessing,
Fr Tim

The word epiphany comes from the Greek; meaning to “appear”…or to be “revealed”. In some cultures the feast of Epiphany is referred to as “Little Christmas” or “the Feast of the Three Kings”, and is the day of exchanging gifts with friends and loved ones. Regardless of what we call it, it is a day on which we tell the story of the arrival of the magi who have come from afar to see the newborn king and to offer gifts. Epiphany is a time of celebrating the first acknowledgement of “a new beginning”…a time to celebrate the Reign of God bursting forth in the midst of creation! For sure we dwell for a while on the visit of the magi and the wonder of their journey…led by only a star that shown brightly in the deepest of the night sky. It is a time of wonder and awe…a time to allow ourselves to enter the story and reflect on our own journey… our spiritual journey.

For the magi the signs were in the heavens…a star that led them to Bethlehem, to a shabby little stable…where our God came among us as one of us. Perhaps the Magi’s real wisdom was that they knew that they didn’t know everything… they valued learning, they looked for signs, they paid attention to dreams…they expected God to talk to them… they believed that they encountered God in their daily lives. Ultimately the story of the Magi is a story of encounter, an encounter of the greatest kind…an encounter with God.

Am I open to “following a star”…to paying attention to the signs of God’s presence in my life? Where do I encounter God in the ordinary routine of my daily life? The Magi came bearing gifts…what gift of self might I offer to God?

Christmas Blessings,
Fr Tim