Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Bond of Marriage

Gen 2:18-24 Heb 2:9-11 Mark 10:2-16

Today's first reading from Genesis 2 is a joy-filled account of the relationship of marriage. Men and women are created by God as equals who are free to enter into a complementary, mutually fulfilling relationship; they have the capacity to offer one another a love and a joy like no other.

This love is a sharing in the very life and love of God. Unselfish married love is itself a way to God that enriches and fulfills the human personality. Through their lifelong, life-giving union, each partner in the marriage helps the other become his or her best self. Together, and by God's grace, they become a new entity called "couple" or "family."

The version that we read today is part of the second account of creation included in the book of Genesis. Even though it appears as the second account, it is also the earlier one, predating the first Genesis creation account by almost four centuries.

In this account, the reason for creating woman is beautifully sympathetic on God's part: "It is not good for the man to be alone." That divine sensitivity prompts the creation of a partner made from man himself. The ancient author explains that she is called "woman" because she came from "man." Human beings are a special creation of God and their affinity for each other reflects the divine intent.

In this text, the man beautifully voices the divine intention when he calls the woman "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (v. 23). However, as experience reveals, relationships – particularly the relationship of marriage – can be fraught with difficulty and threatened by conflicts that are inevitable when two free wills collide. With devastating frequency, these collisions often lead to divorce.

Because the dissolution of their relationship results in the end of their living entity called "couple" or "family," divorce can readily be compared to a death. With that "death" comes mourning for what was and what might have been. When Jesus' contemporaries confronted him with the issue of divorce in Mark's Gospel account, he did not say what they may have wanted to hear. When they were consulted about it, other rabbis offered specific reasons for which a marriage could be ended.

Rather than follow their lead and give in to public demand, Jesus refused to offer a ruling. Instead, he elevated marriage, citing the text from Genesis that we proclaim in today's first reading. Even today, Jesus' non-answer causes consternation and distress, especially among those already wounded by the pain of divorce. Therefore, we need to look at where this reading is placed in Mark to understand exactly what Jesus is doing.

Mark has placed this text on marriage (vv. 1-12) along with Jesus' teaching about children (vv. 13-16) and possessions (vv. 17-31) within the framework of the formation of the disciples. One who follows Jesus must not look for concessions. Discipleship, like marriage, is an all-or-nothing proposition. Marriage, like discipleship, cannot be entered into lightly or blindly, only deliberately and heavily fortified with prayer.

This is one of the major reasons why our church today asks for a commitment of time to explore the decision to marry through prayer and marriage preparation courses designed to ask the questions that lead to deeper understanding of each other and how we mean to live our lives together.

In a very real sense, marriage can be likened to a conversion experience because the sacred union between the spouses requires that they turn from self to the other in a wholehearted commitment that places the other above all others. When the two who marry are believers, there is an added dimension of conversion, for now the two turn from self and all others to look together toward God and vow to live as one in God's presence.

Although the Genesis author's convictions about marriage are expressed in words more beautiful and with imagery more graphic, the reality expressed here and in the Gospel reading is the same: God has created human beings to complement one another and in that complementarity to find their union and their companionship in loving and being loved.

Jesus saw what his contemporaries were doing and understood what was driving their ‘rules' around divorce. Jesus was mending the loose morality of his day. Those who entered into marriage only for pleasure had to be reminded of its responsibilities. Those who looked to marriage only for romance had to be reminded of its deeply spiritual nature.

In teaching as he did, the Marcan Jesus was building a rampart around the home. Try as we may, sometimes that rampart is breached. When that happens, as it so often seems to do through the ages, this same Jesus remains present to the married and the unmarried, the separated and the divorced with mercy and acceptance and healing love for all.

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, Oct. 6

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Joaquin Miguel Santos

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Mary Waychison

THURSDAY, Oct. 8

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † George Inacay

FRIDAY, Oct. 9

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Antonio Berardinis

may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom . . . that all those who grieve may know God's comfort and consolation . . . We pray . . . .

FOR THE SICK, ESPECIALLY FOR

All those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those in hospitals, nursing homes or confined to their homes by illness or infirmity . . . for those who feel forgotten . . . We pray. . . .

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

God's Wisdom Offers Challenges

Wisdom 7:7-11      Hebrews 4:12-13      Mark 10:17-30

Have you ever thrust your hand into a candy jar and grabbed all you could only to find out that then you couldn't remove your hand? Your sweet tooth would urge you to keep your grasp closed around the goodies to get as much as possible. Nevertheless, in the end, you would have to search for a better solution. Aside from breaking the jar, the only sensible way to get your hand out would be to take less of the candy.

Solomon, whose wisdom is believed to be celebrated in the Book of Wisdom, learned to apply this childhood lesson to matters of greater importance. When God gave him the choice to put his hand into the great candy jar of worldly pleasures and possessions ("Ask something of me and I will give it to you," 1 Kings 3:5), Solomon let go of all else in order to be blessed by God with the gift of wisdom.

Enlightened by that gift, Solomon challenged others to be willing to let go, even of what they most treasured, in order to live by God's wisdom. Recall the two women who claimed to be mother to the same child. When Solomon offered to divide the child in two, the true mother was willing to let go of her son in order to spare him (1 Kings 3:16-27).

Today's Gospel issues a similar challenge to let go. As he was setting out for Jerusalem, Jesus was approached by a man who desired to inherit eternal life. He had kept God's law and may have thought that he was well-prepared for the kingdom Jesus came to preach. But Jesus pressed the man toward a holiness he had not anticipated. Let go of your possessions, challenged Jesus; give them to the poor and come follow me, unencumbered and free.

Mark leaves his readers hanging at this point. He does not give us an example to follow. He simply states that "the man went away sad, for he had many possessions." The sad man's departure leaves us with questions.

What would I do? What am I willing to let go of in this great candy jar of life in order to respond fully to Jesus' call to discipleship? Am I able to unclench the fists that hold tightly to the things that give my life a sense of security and well-being? Can I let go of my nest egg, my rainy-day fund? Can I even let go of relationships that ground me and make me who I am?

Jesus promises that the letting go he asks of his disciples is not without its positive rewards (rewards a hundred fold – houses, brothers, sisters, eternal life), and it also has its negative repercussions (persecutions). Nevertheless, the choice is ours alone to make.

Do we accept this very hard word of Jesus (sell, give, come, let go) or not? Do we, like Solomon, prefer God's word and God's wisdom to all else? Do we hold word and wisdom above power and prestige? Above riches and financial security? Above health and beauty?

This word's profound challenge is ably presented by the author of Hebrews, who in today's second reading says it is as penetrating as a two-edged sword. The word of God is always there – directed at the very heart of who we are, aimed at all that we hold dear, focussed upon what we clutch close in order to feel safe and sound and secure.

Making its relentless queries, issuing its inexorable requests, the word of God does not only ask questions and extend challenges; it is a living and effective force, one that graces our every attempt to answer.

This enabling grace has been beautifully described in the Gospel, where the Marcan evangelist adds a touching detail to his narrative. He tells his readers that when the rich man presented himself, "Jesus, looking at him, loved him."

With this same love, Jesus looks on every one of his disciples. His love empowers each of us to hear the hard, challenging words that mould and shape and direct our faith. His love assures us that when we let go of all that may come between ourselves and Jesus, we are by allowing God and grace and goodness to enter into our lives – there to live, there to act, there to accomplish God's loving plan for us and for all.

In today's Gospel, the Marcan Jesus suggests that an inordinate attachment to possessions might make it difficult for someone to be grasped by God. For that reason, Jesus challenged the man who came to him to loosen his grip on what he owned, in order to follow him.

Before any critical thoughts rise up in our hearts for this man, let us take notice of his attitude. Mark tells his readers that he ran to Jesus and knelt before him, showing both the eagerness and the reverence worthy of a disciple. He was a just and upright person who had grown up in faithful observance of the law.

Acknowledging his goodness with love, Jesus called him beyond the customary requisites for holiness and invited the man to forgo his earthly base of security (many possessions) to entrust himself and his future completely to Jesus. That act of trust would also reach out to embrace the poor with whom the man was invited to share his wealth.

Notice that Jesus did not invite the man to put his wealth into a trust that he might later access after spending some time in Jesus' company. On the contrary, the willingness to risk all is an inherent aspect of commitment to Christ. The man was challenged to make a life-altering choice that would benefit himself and others as well.

When the disciples reacted to Jesus' challenge with surprise and dismay ("Then who can be saved?" v. 26), they were reminded by Jesus that discipleship, like salvation, is a graced endeavour. On a purely human level, such efforts seem impossible, but with God, it is indeed possible to give the gift of oneself, one's possessions and one's future.

The commitment of the disciple will also be positively rewarded. In the final verses of this Gospel, Jesus talks about these rewards in terms of family, friends and fellowship. Ever the realist, however, Jesus also affirmed that the road to eternal life would be paved with persecution.

This affirmation, like the Gospel's earlier challenge to go, sell, give to the poor and then come and follow Jesus, could cause those who rely solely on their own resources to go away sad. But for those who continue to let go of all else, to invest all they have and all they are in Jesus, all things become possible.

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, Oct. 13

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Joaquin Miguel Santos

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Yvonne Chiu

THURSDAY, Oct. 15

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Yvonne Chiu

FRIDAY, Oct. 16

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Antonia Fung

may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom . . . that all those who grieve may know God's comfort and consolation . . . We pray . . . .

FOR THE SICK, ESPECIALLY FOR

All those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those in hospitals, nursing homes or confined to their homes by illness or infirmity . . . for those who feel forgotten . . . We pray. . . .

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Come , follow me"

Isa 53:10-11     Heb 4:14-16     Mark 10:35-45

What would motivate a person to suffer for the sake of another? What could possibly lead someone to put their life in jeopardy or even forfeit their very existence in order to spare another? Several months ago, the captain of a ship seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia offered himself as a hostage so that his crew might be set free. What moved him to such bravery?

What could have inspired Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest and prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, to offer to die so that another man would be spared? The other man, a husband and father condemned to die a tortuous death in the camp's so-called "starvation bunker," cried out, "My poor wife! My poor children! What will they do?" At that, Kolbe called out to the commandant and asked to replace him in the bunker. That he did and there he died a slow and extremely painful death. Why?

Together, the prophet Isaiah, the author of Hebrews and the first evangelist have collaborated to explore the mystery of Jesus' vicarious suffering for the salvation of sinful humankind. The Hebrews author affirmed that Jesus Christ has sympathized with us in our weaknesses. From the Greek syn, "together," and pathos – "feeling," "suffering," "emotion" – sympathy means to share the feelings of another.

As one of us in all things but sin, Jesus was able to develop not only sympathy for sinners but also empathy. A word coined by the German philosopher Rudolf Lotze in 1858, einfühlung (from ein, "in," and fühlung, "feeling"), meaning "empathy," describes Jesus' willingness to enter so profoundly into the human condition that he knew and felt and experienced humanity in every way.

From that vantage point of absolute union, Jesus took upon himself every human suffering, every sense of dread, every burden of guilt. He made every deserved punishment for sin and willful evil his own, and transformed these through his suffering and sacrificial death into an act of redeeming love (Isaiah).

Aided by the inspired insights of Isaiah, early Christians were able to represent Jesus not as a helpless victim of circumstances beyond his control, but as a willing participant in the saving plan of God. They were able to understand and to help others appreciate Jesus' death not merely as an execution but a freely offered sacrifice.

The servant did not submit to affliction through pathetic resignation but as a bold choice to participate with God in an act aimed at breaking the stranglehold of evil. In the servant's death-defying commitment, he doesn't really lose his life but redefines the nature of life as light that pierces the darkness, as forgiveness that erases alienation forever. Followers of Jesus who are committed to sharing in his passion can begin to accept their own suffering for the sake of discipleship, not as a travesty of justice or a waste of human potential, but as a vital and necessary aspect of God's redemptive design.

With love and selflessness that far exceeds any example we care to name, the bravest of all heroes, Jesus has borne our guilt and enabled sinners to know God's forgiveness, mercy and grace (Hebrews). Because of their belonging to Jesus in faith and through baptism, the disciples of Jesus will necessarily travel the path that he has. Like Jesus, believers will be called to cultivate sympathy that will gradually but surely grow into empathy for others.

Not to be confused with pity or with the sad feeling for the plight of another that might prompt an occasional charitable act, empathy is a personal commitment to the other. Empathy will move sincere disciples to serve the needs of others as Jesus did, to alleviate the suffering of others as Jesus did, to defend the helpless as Jesus did, to speak for the voiceless as Jesus did, and to reach out with unquestioned and unmeasured love to the poor, as Jesus did.

The first disciples of Jesus have much to teach us about him and also about themselves. Happily, the New Testament writers have been honest in their portrayals, representing their weaknesses as well as their strengths. For that reason, we can learn from an impulsive Peter, a doubting Thomas, a questioning Philip, a driven and sometimes impatient Paul.

In today's Gospel, it will be the brothers James and John who will humbly share with us the lessons they learned from Jesus about greatness. Like their contemporaries, the brothers anticipated a messianic reign that would restore Judah to the prominence it had enjoyed under David and Solomon. When that reign was firmly established by Jesus, they who were his closest friends and supporters hoped to bask in the aura of his messianic power and glory.

However, as the Gospel unfolded and Jesus' ministry progressed, it became clear that the disciples did not yet understand the character of Jesus messiahship, the manner in which he would exercise his power and the repercussions of their belonging to him. In this Gospel, Jesus clarifies his position.

For those who continued to look for a regal, militant messiah, he emphasized the suffering aspect of his mission. Jesus' question concerning the cup of which he would drink and the baptism in which he would be immersed was misunderstood by the brothers Jesus, who had already predicted his passion three times in the Marcan Gospel, was obviously concerned with the cup of suffering, which he accepted to drink to the dregs.

In the same way, the baptism to which Jesus referred was not the sacramental rite but the experience of an almost overwhelming plunge into suffering. With reference to his cup and to baptism, Jesus redirected his disciples' desire for glory away from places of honour at his right and left. Glory, insisted Jesus, would be theirs only if they were willing to follow him through suffering and death to eternal life. Jesus further defined the path to glory as one of service. Offering himself as an example, Jesus declared that he had come to serve, and in his serving to give his life.

The gift that Jesus offered for sinners is a gift that cost him no less than everything. Jesus' example challenged his first disciples and continues to call upon us, his followers, to test our willingness to be similarly spent for the sake of the kingdom. "Come, follow me."

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, Oct. 20

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Daniel Jude Florentino

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Joaquin Miguel Santos

THURSDAY, Oct. 22

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Mikko Acosta

FRIDAY, Oct. 23

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Mary Waychison

may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom . . . that all those who grieve may know God's comfort and consolation . . . We pray . . . .

FOR THE SICK, ESPECIALLY FOR

All those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those in hospitals, nursing homes or confined to their homes by illness or infirmity . . . for those who feel forgotten . . . We pray. . . .

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let me see!

Jer 31:7-9       Heb 5:1-6      Mark 10:46-52

There is even more to see and appreciate in this story about Bartimaeus if one stands back to take in the whole picture. The cure of Bartimaeus echoes the narrative of another similar healing told earlier in the Marcan Gospel (8:22-26). That first healing of a blind man at Bethsaida marked the beginning of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem; the second healing took place on the last leg of the journey, just as Jesus was leaving Jericho, some 15 miles from the capital city.

On their way, Jesus had been trying to show his followers how to be disciples. However, as Mark has pointed out repeatedly, they were for the most part "blind" and confused as to Jesus' purpose and plan. Ironically, they had eyes, but did not see, while the two blind men "saw" Jesus and prevailed upon him in faith. In response to their belief, Jesus gave each man the gift of physical sight.

Unlike the healing process at Bethsaida, which is told in great detail, the cure of Bartimaeus is told simply and hinges upon his believing: "Your faith has made you well." Like that of the woman with the hemorrhage (Mark 5:54), the physical healing of Bartimaeus signified the even greater healing of salvation. Although Bartimaeus believed and addressed Jesus by the messianic title Son of David, Bartimaeus did not fully understand how Jesus would actually lay claim to that title.

Despite the inadequacy of his theology, the son of Timaeus had faith. His experience continues to teach us that although we may never fully comprehend the mystery of Jesus, we can believe! Faith begins with a personal response to Jesus, a response of love that sees in Jesus the one person who can know and meet our every need. The response of the human heart is enough. Bartimaeus' newfound sight and budding faith prompted him to follow Jesus, as Mark tells us, "on the way."

Although Jesus had told him, "Be on your way," Bartimaeus had made the way of Jesus his own. Jesus' way was more than his itinerary to Jerusalem, although Jerusalem would prove to be central in Jesus' saving ministry. Jesus' way centred in his relationship to God – all else was seen from that perspective. Jesus' way would lead him to suffer, to die and to pass from death to eternal life and glory. Little did he know what following Jesus on the way would entail – but Bartimaeus followed.

Little do any of us know what will come from our following the way of Jesus. But follow we must, for he is the light by which we see and believe and hope. Many of us are blessed with the ability to see both physically and spiritually. Physically, we can take in and appreciate the ordinary as well as exotic beauties of the created universe. Our spiritual sight leads us to look beyond those beauties to believe in the One who has brought everything and everyone into being. Seeing and believing – one action leads to the other, and together both lead to God.

So it was for Bartimaeus. In response to his "I want to see," Jesus relieved him of his blindness. Once he was able to see, Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way. Seeing and believing marked his path to discipleship. We rejoice with Bartimaeus and are grateful to share in his experience. Who among us does not want to see God? To see and be seen by Jesus? Who has not wanted to cry out to God, "I want to see! I want to actually behold with my eyes the wondrous face of God!"

We do not see God with our physical eyes. We do not see Jesus, present in the Eucharist, nor did we see him rise from the dead. We do not touch God with our hands or hear God's voice with our ears. So, in a certain sense, we are all blind Bartimaeuses who cry out, "I want to see!" In response to this insistent, prayerful request, God directs our eyes and ears, our hearts and minds to the sacred word. There, those who want to see and touch and hear God will find a running commentary offered by inspired witnesses.

Their fidelity to the message entrusted to them encourages our own faith. Their attentiveness to God's word sharpens our own acuity; their passion for the challenge of the word reaches out and grasps us. If we allow them, the word and its messengers will enable us to see God.

That all our beloved dead, especially

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 28

St. Simon and St. Jude

8:30 a.m. - † Shirlee Szamosi

THURSDAY, Oct. 29

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Phillip Fontaine

FRIDAY, Oct. 30

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Florencia Austriaco

may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom . . . that all those who grieve may know God's comfort and consolation . . . We pray . . . .

FOR THE SICK, ESPECIALLY FOR

All those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those in hospitals, nursing homes or confined to their homes by illness or infirmity . . . for those who feel forgotten . . . We pray. . . .

In Praise and Thanksgiving . . . on Tuesday, Oct. 27 and always . . . . We pray in thanksgiving and for the increase of all that makes our lives delightful: for loving companions and human conversation; for all occasions of celebration with good food and drink; for music and art and poetry and all manner of expression of what is divine; for true worship among truth-seeking people; for minds to muse and hands to hold and hearts to reach out to others . . . We pray.