13th Week in OT 2019 - Tuesday - Stormy Weather

Billy Holiday sang, “Life is bare/Gloom and misery everywhere/ Stormy weather, stormy weather/And I just can't get my poor self together/Oh I'm weary all of the time/The time, so weary all of the time.”

Earthly life is certainly not without stormy weather. For Billy Holiday, it was the break-up with her man. Stormy weather. Dissatisfaction with work, or loss of a job and one’s economic stability. Personal illness. Sickness of a child or a parent or a spouse. A marriage or a friendship or a close relationship can end through death or through an argument.  The obligations of life can overwhelm us. We can be the victim of an act of violence or a betrayal or terrible luck.

The storms of life can become so violent that we feel like we are in a boat being tossed about on the seas like the Apostles in the Gospels today. And today’s Gospel immediately follows yesterday’s account of Jesus’ invitation to “follow him” and become his disciples. It is St. Matthew’s way of emphasizing that following Jesus won’t guarantee that our life will be free from stormy weather. But it will guarantee a relationship with the Lord who has all power to calm those storms, to grant peace, and courage amidst the storms.

Our Christian faith enables us to experience peace and courage in the face of life’s storms because the Lord is with us always.

Now sometimes we might wonder if the Lord is asleep in the boat, as our stormy weather ceases to dissipate according to our plans. And in those cases, I believe the Lord is inviting us to trust him, to allow him to calm our inner storms before he calms our outer storms. Where we are still experiencing inner storms: anger, impatience, lust, bitterness, confusion, anxiety, and hurt, we do well to open ourselves to the calming presence of Christ.

Having our inner storms calmed by the Christ, the Christian, then is to be a calm, steady presence in the world—to be a lighthouse amidst the storms, shining with the light of Christ, pointing to Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For abundant blessings for the whole Christian people.
For those who lack faith.
For those who hold public office.
For favorable weather and abundant fruits from the earth.
For the sick and the suffering.
For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed.
O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church; grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith, we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

11th Week of OT 2018 - Monday - Turning the Other Cheek (Short Homily for Nursing Home Mass)

“When someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.”  This teaching of Jesus was counter-cultural back then, and it is counter-cultural now. The world would say, when someone slaps you on the right cheek, slap them back, harder, get them back, teach them a lesson so they never think to slap you again.  Rather than responding with vengeance, Christians respond to violence as Christ did. Remember, during his Passion, as he was beaten and mocked by Roman Soldiers, he offered his sufferings to the Father for our salvation.

To turn the other cheek, sounds like weakness, it sounds like foolishness.  Our abuser might continue to slap us, they might continue to take advantage of us.  But the way of forgiveness, the way of peace, transforms weakness into a strength that glorifies God and witnesses to Jesus who is Prince of Peace. So when we are hurt, by a neighbor or someone in authority over us, we must resist the impulse to immediately retaliate with a violent word or action. We must remain calm when things don’t go our way.

Instead of returning “evil for evil”, we are to return “good for evil”. This not only stops the cycle of violence, but allows God to reverse and transform it.  Injury suffered with forgiveness will be rewarded in eternity. Christians should stand against injustice, especially toward the most vulnerable, but never out of vengeance or malice toward the perpetrators of violence..

Through our Eucharist today, may our hearts be opened to ever-deeper faithfulness to Christ’s Way of Peace, his way of transforming love for the glory of God and  salvation of souls.

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That all Christians may be faithful to Christ’s way of mercy.

For all those who suffer from violence, war, famine, extreme poverty, addiction, discouragement, loneliness, and those who are alienated from their families.  May they know God’s mercy and be gathered to the eternal kingdom of peace. 

For all those who suffer illness, and those in hospitals, nursing homes and hospice care, that they may be comforted by the healing light of Christ. 

For the response of the souls of our beloved dead, the deceased members of our families friends and parishes, for those who fought and died for our freedom, and for Ken Cole, for whom this mass is offered