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21 Feb 2016 - Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

Penitential Act Invitation We ask for forgiveness in this year of mercy from our merciful, forgiving God. Invocations O God, you save us from all worry. Lord, have mercy. O God, you seek us when we wander. Christ, have mercy. O God, you reconcile us to you over and over. Lord, have mercy. Prayer of the Faithful The universal prayer We seek your presence, O Lord. Do not hide your face from us as we offer you our prayers. That Christ’s church may keep its promises to God as God keeps a covenant with us, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. That all peoples may live according to values that are greater than the world’s, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. That all who live in the darkness of oppression and want may find God’s light, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. That this faith community stand strong in faith, we pray. Lord, hear our prayer. Saving God, see the faith we put in you, and through our prayers grant us the gift of your salvation. This we ask in the name of Jesus our Lord.

Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

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Prayers

28 Feb 2016 - Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

Penitential Act Invitation As we begin the remembrance of our Lord’s Passion, we call to mind the failures and sins from which he saves us. Invocations For when we have not always lived humbly. Lord, have mercy. For when we have not witnessed to our faith in you. Christ, have mercy. For when we have not trusted in God’s salvation. Lord, have mercy. Prayer of the Faithful The universal prayer Our God never forgets us and always hears our prayers. With that faith, we pray to the Lord. May the church follow the ways of God that God has made known, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. May the nations of the earth follow the example of the Lord and seek justice and the protection of the rights of the oppressed, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. May the God who witnesses all affliction bring relief to those who suffer, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. May this community never become complacent in its readiness to serve the Lord, we pray, Lord, hear our prayer. As the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is the Lord’s kindness. We ask God to hear the prayers we raise to heaven, which we make to God our Father, who showed compassion for the world in Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with him, now and forever.

Third Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

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Baptist theologian makes the case for Lent

26 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this season of conversion, at least one Baptist theologian is coming around to the idea of Lent and in so doing striking a refreshing note for ecumenical unity in a time plagued by divisive religious rhetoric. “If you're like me, you grew up in a Baptist church where Lent was a foreign word,” said Jim Denison, theologian-in-residence for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. “Like all things Catholic, Lent was ignored if not rejected. “In recent years, I have come to see the error of our ways,” Denison said. “I am now convinced that Lent holds enormous promise for us. This ancient discipline can be a pathway to healing and hope in our fractured, fearful world.” Why is Lent relevant for Baptists? Denison offered three reasons: “One: We need to live in community with the larger body of Christ. Since the vast majority of Christians practice some form of Lenten observance, joining them in some way is a good step toward solidarity of faith and ministry. This is also an important witness to others, answering Jesus’ prayer, ‘May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me’ (John 17:23). “Two: We cannot fully appreciate Jesus’ resurrection unless we have experienced something of his sufferings. A fast of some sort is an appropriate means of spiritual identification with our Lord's suffering for us. Three: We need a period each year for intentional spiritual introspection and contemplation. . . . We need a time every year for spiritual renewal. “Just as students need a spring break, so do souls,” Denison said. “Lent is a wonderful season for such renewal: As the physical world is renewing itself, so should the spiritual. Can a spiritual discipline practiced for more than 17 centuries by the vast majority of Christians be irrelevant for Baptist souls today?” Source: Jim Denison for the Associated Baptist Press

Lent baptists jim denison

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Giving up carbon for Lent

25 Mar 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Now is the time of judgment on this world,” Jesus affirms in this Sunday’s gospel as he explains his approaching death and resurrection to his followers. Most environmental scientists believe the time of reckoning for the world’s ecosystem is here as well, due to the steady increase in greenhouse gas emissions. In response, thousands of Christians worldwide are giving a new twist to Lenten abstinence by engaging in a “carbon fast.”From taking on ecologically minded practices like walking or biking to work to engaging in national advocacy and carbon-reduction campaigns, a growing number of faith groups are raising awareness of human involvement in climate change and promoting stewardship of the earth this Lent.The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington created a “Caring for Creation” Lenten calendar this year, with spiritual reflections, sacrificial actions, and practical suggestions everyone can consider during the season. “They are a way to help you grow in your commitment to be a wise steward of God’s Creation now and for future generations,” a statement on the archdiocese’s website said.A major focus of the carbon fast is poverty and the environmental injustice of climate change, a concept that is appearing more frequently in the concerns of both secular and religious green groups. An organization called Interfaith Power & Light also circulated a Lenten calendar of daily actions ranging from the straightforward (“Turn down your thermostat by one degree”; “Remember to bring reusable bags to the store”) to the symbolic (“Remember your baptism today, and the power of water. Try to conserve: Leave a bucket in the shower or kitchen sink, and collect ‘grey water’ to water the plants”). Sources: An article by Catherine Woodiwiss for Climate Progress via Alternet.org and postingsto the websites of the Archdiocese of Washington (adw.org) and Interfaith Power & Light (gwipl.org)

Justice Lent environmentalism interfaith power light archdiocese of washington ecology carbon fast carbon emissions

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Prince of peace reigns in New York—for a day, anyway

02 Dec 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s second reading exhorts us to “conduct yourselves to please God” with a prayer that “the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.” New York City seems to have taken the message to heart, at least for a day. The city of more than 8 million passed a day without a single report of a person being shot, stabbed, or subject to other sorts of violent crime for the first time in recent history, police said.The rare day occurred on Monday, near the end of a year when the city's murder rate is on target to hit its lowest point since 1960, according to New York Police Department chief spokesman Paul Browne, who said it was the “first time in memory” the city's police force had experienced such a peaceful day."In a city of 8 million people, this is extremely rare," said Tom Repetto, an expert on police work. He attributed the city’s success to "proactive" police department tactics, including its controversial stop-and-frisk policy. While critics have charged that the dramatic increase in stops hasn't led to a similar rise in gun seizures, police officials have countered that proactive tactics have made criminals think twice about taking their guns out on the street.Homily hint: “As love increases, hearts are strengthened and conduct falls into line with grace,” PreparetheWord.com’s Sunday Summary tells us this week. The first Sunday of Advent provides a good opportunity to invite the gathered community to keep the season in a faith perspective, treating one another peacefully and waiting with patience and grace, both in crowded stores and streets and in our hearts. Source: An article by Chris Francescani for Reuters

new york city crime stop and frisk police paul browne tom repetto violent crime

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More cameras shooting for fewer police shootings

12 Apr 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Seeing is believing, suggests this Sunday’s gospel narrative of the apostle Thomas wishing to see the resurrected Lord with his own eyes. The mayor of North Charleston, where a white police officer fatally shot a black man in the back last Saturday, says every officer in uniform on the street will get a body camera after a phone video shot by a passerby led to Officer Michael Slager being charged with the murder of Walter Scott. Homily hint: We’d like to believe that those in authority tell the truth and act wisely but in the real world, things aren’t always as they seem. May the tragedies on our streets lead our society to reevaluate our use of lethal force in upholding the law. Work for nonviolent conflict resolution at home and in your community. For more on the South Carolina shooting, see: South Carolina shooting: Officer charged and fired; protesters demand justice; Latest on police shooting: Bystander fears for safety

social justice nonviolent conflict resolution police tactics

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The light of the world

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Occasion: Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle A Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 WE DO NOT SEE as God sees. We see the appearance, but God looks into the heart. That message came home to the prophet Samuel, as he looked down the row of Jesse's fine and handsome sons. He was on a quest for the next leader of Israel. Israel's first king, Saul, was large and powerful, charismatic and courageous in battle. But in fact Saul had made a dreadful ruler, vain and unwise. So Samuel was taking his time in reviewing Jesse's able sons. God told him this was the right house, but Samuel feared these were the wrong sons. Being a seer, he knew which question to ask: "Are these all the sons you have?" Samuel knew there was nothing wrong with what he was seeing. It was what he was not seeing that was the key to his mission. And so he met David and anointed the rightful king over Israel. That is our first lesson in discernment, which could be defined as learning to see as God sees. Beyond the surface of things lies the essence of reality that we often call the heart of the matter. At the core of people and circumstances is a truth much more powerful than what we observe with our eyes. But because it takes time and wisdom to navigate to the core, mostly we dismiss it in favor of what delights us at first glance. On the surface of things the man born blind was a luckless individual. Either he was a terrible sinner or a product of sin. At least that was the popular theory of the day. God had deprived him of his sight for a reason. Jesus did not disagree with that assessment. And he suggested that the reason was not what people thought. The blind man wasn't a signpost of the effects of sin; he was a receptacle for God's imminent glory. Jesus took the apparent situation and turned it on its head. Which is what Jesus often did with accepted reality. Think about the popular assumptions Jesus overthrew: Suffering wasn't payback for sin but an opportunity for grace. Death was not the trapdoor of the underworld but the gateway to eternal life. The poor had the kingdom given to them. The meek would inherit what the powerful had to surrender. The last, incredibly, would be first. Think about the popular assumptions Jesus overthrew: Suffering wasn't payback for sin but an opportunity for grace. Death was not the trapdoor of the underworld but the gateway to eternal life. Because Jesus saw to the heart of the matter, he knew the man born blind could see far better than the religious leaders around him The comedy that emerges from the cure demonstrates that. All of a sudden the man's neighbors aren't sure this is the fellow they've seen on his stoop all their lives. Isn't this man supposed to be blind? The Pharisees study this act of God and absurdly conclude that its roots are in sin. They drag in the parents to testify on behalf of a grown man, which is lunacy of course; but that's how little the personhood of this man is respected. Finally they put the man formerly known as blind back on the witness stand and insist he disavow the "sinner" who cured him. Naturally, this he cannot do. With utter simplicity, he declares: "If this man is a sinner, I do not know. But one thing I do know: I was blind and now I see." Clarity of vision in the face of the miraculous is one thing the authorities cannot take away, not with all their arguments and certitudes. The fellow now more properly known as "the man who sees" encounters Jesus a second time. Jesus asks him if he believes in the apocalyptic figure of the Son of Man. The man who sees knows instinctively which question to ask. He doesn't engage in theological queries about the meaning of this figure. He asks only, "Who is he?" Like the prophet Samuel he waits only to be pointed in the right direction. And Jesus points to himself: "The one speaking with you is he." We recognize these words from the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. The one people are seeking is always the one whose words they are already hearing. We, too, stand in the presence of Jesus. We wait for truth like a compass to point us to the way of life. We hear the word of God proclaimed in our midst and recognize that the one who speaks is the one our hearts have been yearning for. To our hearts Jesus is true north. If we follow the sound of his voice, we can never be lost. Jesus, we believe and profess, is the light of the world who opens the eyes of the blind so they might see. Elect and baptized, we want to see as God sees, with the clear vision of discernment. We seek to know the heart of the matter as we make choices in our relationships, in our labor, in the things dearest to each of us. We know the cure for our blindness: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

Authors Alice Camille

Special occasion Lent Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle A scrutinies rcia rite of christian initiation of adults catechumens 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41

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The light of the world

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Occasion: Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle A Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 WE DO NOT SEE as God sees. We see the appearance, but God looks into the heart. That message came home to the prophet Samuel, as he looked down the row of Jesse's fine and handsome sons. He was on a quest for the next leader of Israel. Israel's first king, Saul, was large and powerful, charismatic and courageous in battle. But in fact Saul had made a dreadful ruler, vain and unwise. So Samuel was taking his time in reviewing Jesse's able sons. God told him this was the right house, but Samuel feared these were the wrong sons. Being a seer, he knew which question to ask: "Are these all the sons you have?" Samuel knew there was nothing wrong with what he was seeing. It was what he was not seeing that was the key to his mission. And so he met David and anointed the rightful king over Israel. That is our first lesson in discernment, which could be defined as learning to see as God sees. Beyond the surface of things lies the essence of reality that we often call the heart of the matter. At the core of people and circumstances is a truth much more powerful than what we observe with our eyes. But because it takes time and wisdom to navigate to the core, mostly we dismiss it in favor of what delights us at first glance. On the surface of things the man born blind was a luckless individual. Either he was a terrible sinner or a product of sin. At least that was the popular theory of the day. God had deprived him of his sight for a reason. Jesus did not disagree with that assessment. And he suggested that the reason was not what people thought. The blind man wasn't a signpost of the effects of sin; he was a receptacle for God's imminent glory. Jesus took the apparent situation and turned it on its head. Which is what Jesus often did with accepted reality. Think about the popular assumptions Jesus overthrew: Suffering wasn't payback for sin but an opportunity for grace. Death was not the trapdoor of the underworld but the gateway to eternal life. The poor had the kingdom given to them. The meek would inherit what the powerful had to surrender. The last, incredibly, would be first. Think about the popular assumptions Jesus overthrew: Suffering wasn't payback for sin but an opportunity for grace. Death was not the trapdoor of the underworld but the gateway to eternal life. Because Jesus saw to the heart of the matter, he knew the man born blind could see far better than the religious leaders around him The comedy that emerges from the cure demonstrates that. All of a sudden the man's neighbors aren't sure this is the fellow they've seen on his stoop all their lives. Isn't this man supposed to be blind? The Pharisees study this act of God and absurdly conclude that its roots are in sin. They drag in the parents to testify on behalf of a grown man, which is lunacy of course; but that's how little the personhood of this man is respected. Finally they put the man formerly known as blind back on the witness stand and insist he disavow the "sinner" who cured him. Naturally, this he cannot do. With utter simplicity, he declares: "If this man is a sinner, I do not know. But one thing I do know: I was blind and now I see." Clarity of vision in the face of the miraculous is one thing the authorities cannot take away, not with all their arguments and certitudes. The fellow now more properly known as "the man who sees" encounters Jesus a second time. Jesus asks him if he believes in the apocalyptic figure of the Son of Man. The man who sees knows instinctively which question to ask. He doesn't engage in theological queries about the meaning of this figure. He asks only, "Who is he?" Like the prophet Samuel he waits only to be pointed in the right direction. And Jesus points to himself: "The one speaking with you is he." We recognize these words from the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. The one people are seeking is always the one whose words they are already hearing. We, too, stand in the presence of Jesus. We wait for truth like a compass to point us to the way of life. We hear the word of God proclaimed in our midst and recognize that the one who speaks is the one our hearts have been yearning for. To our hearts Jesus is true north. If we follow the sound of his voice, we can never be lost. Jesus, we believe and profess, is the light of the world who opens the eyes of the blind so they might see. Elect and baptized, we want to see as God sees, with the clear vision of discernment. We seek to know the heart of the matter as we make choices in our relationships, in our labor, in the things dearest to each of us. We know the cure for our blindness: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

Authors Alice Camille

Special occasion Lent Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle A scrutinies rcia rite of christian initiation of adults catechumens 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41

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Go with God's word

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Occasion: Rite of Sending WHAT CAN BE MORE POWERFUL than the Word of God? My friends, what other force on this earth or beyond it has the ability to create and transform the world like the initiating, sustaining divine Word? God spoke—and worlds came into being. When God speaks, the Bible tells us, mountains move, valleys are filled, and highways appear in the desert. Once God calls a thing into being, it exists, it happens. And when God chose to speak a word-made-flesh into human history, Jesus became one with us in the same way he is one with God. God’s Word is alive, scripture says, and it penetrates our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). This living Word can renew our hearts when they have grown tired of love’s betrayals, and this Word can transform our hearts when they become full of the darkness of our own poor choices. This Word is so powerful, in fact, that according to today’s gospel, even the devil wants to use it! Did you listen to the story of how Jesus faces off with the tempter in the desert? The first two times the devil speaks, Jesus answers him with a quote from scripture. So the third time the devil speaks, he quotes the Bible twice! But the words are misused in the mouth of one who does not have faith. That’s what Saint Paul tells us: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” We have to do both: Say it and believe it! We can profess all the creeds we want, call ourselves Christians, use all the right formulas, but without taking God’s Word into our hearts and letting it transform our lives from within, we’re no better than the tempter. This is the real definition of “using God’s name in vain”—not cussing with it, but rather speaking about God and performing the rituals of religion and not intending to change our lives at all. So let’s not make this mistake! We have an opportunity given to us in every single moment to get serious about our faith, to say it and believe it and let it go to work in our lives. God’s Word was powerful enough to create worlds, remember: Surely there’s enough oomph in it to change your heart and mine. We have an opportunity given to us in every single moment to get serious about our faith, to say it and believe it and let it go to work in our lives. IN OUR COMPANY TODAY are some special folks who have been praying and studying God’s Word with us for months in preparation for adult baptism into the life of faith [as well as those Christians who have been preparing to be received into full communion with our Catholic Church]. These catechumens [and candidates] will be presenting themselves before the bishop this afternoon at the cathedral and celebrating what is known as the Rite of Election. When we hear that word, election, we presume that votes are to be cast. And in a real sense, votes have been cast in favor of these women and men. Our RCIA team with its catechists and supporters has voted on behalf of the readiness of these friends in our midst. And their godparents [and sponsors] will stand with them today and cast their vote of approval as well. And we, the people of [N.] parish, are participating in the election of these hopeful new members by our presence in this assembly. As we send them off to the cathedral today, they go with God’s blessings and our prayers and support. The Word of God has reached into these women and men, enlivening them with the desire to join our community and share the adventure of faith with us. We who have been “church” for a while now also have a responsibility to admit this active Word into our lives if we haven’t already done so; or to embrace it more deeply and deliberately if we have. “The Word is near you,” Saint Paul reminds us. It’s all around us this morning: in the readings from scripture, in Jesus our word offered to us in the sacrament, in the words-made-flesh of every person here in this gathering of the church. God’s Word is alive in our midst, and it won’t disappoint. If we invite this transforming force into our lives, every dream God ever had for us will come true. SO LET’S LEAVE IT to the forces of darkness to spout pious words and not to live them; or to speak God’s name in vain and not put faith in divine goodness. As we begin this Lenten season together, we confirm that we cannot live on bread alone—or on any of the empty promises of worldly goals. Every word that comes from the mouth of God brings life. If you were offered even one more day of living, wouldn’t you take it?

Authors Alice Camille

Special occasion Lent First Sunday of Lent, Cycle A Rite of sending scrutinies rcia rite of christian initiation of adults catechumens

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Go with God's word

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Occasion: Rite of Sending WHAT CAN BE MORE POWERFUL than the Word of God? My friends, what other force on this earth or beyond it has the ability to create and transform the world like the initiating, sustaining divine Word? God spoke—and worlds came into being. When God speaks, the Bible tells us, mountains move, valleys are filled, and highways appear in the desert. Once God calls a thing into being, it exists, it happens. And when God chose to speak a word-made-flesh into human history, Jesus became one with us in the same way he is one with God. God’s Word is alive, scripture says, and it penetrates our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). This living Word can renew our hearts when they have grown tired of love’s betrayals, and this Word can transform our hearts when they become full of the darkness of our own poor choices. This Word is so powerful, in fact, that according to today’s gospel, even the devil wants to use it! Did you listen to the story of how Jesus faces off with the tempter in the desert? The first two times the devil speaks, Jesus answers him with a quote from scripture. So the third time the devil speaks, he quotes the Bible twice! But the words are misused in the mouth of one who does not have faith. That’s what Saint Paul tells us: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” We have to do both: Say it and believe it! We can profess all the creeds we want, call ourselves Christians, use all the right formulas, but without taking God’s Word into our hearts and letting it transform our lives from within, we’re no better than the tempter. This is the real definition of “using God’s name in vain”—not cussing with it, but rather speaking about God and performing the rituals of religion and not intending to change our lives at all. So let’s not make this mistake! We have an opportunity given to us in every single moment to get serious about our faith, to say it and believe it and let it go to work in our lives. God’s Word was powerful enough to create worlds, remember: Surely there’s enough oomph in it to change your heart and mine. We have an opportunity given to us in every single moment to get serious about our faith, to say it and believe it and let it go to work in our lives. IN OUR COMPANY TODAY are some special folks who have been praying and studying God’s Word with us for months in preparation for adult baptism into the life of faith [as well as those Christians who have been preparing to be received into full communion with our Catholic Church]. These catechumens [and candidates] will be presenting themselves before the bishop this afternoon at the cathedral and celebrating what is known as the Rite of Election. When we hear that word, election, we presume that votes are to be cast. And in a real sense, votes have been cast in favor of these women and men. Our RCIA team with its catechists and supporters has voted on behalf of the readiness of these friends in our midst. And their godparents [and sponsors] will stand with them today and cast their vote of approval as well. And we, the people of [N.] parish, are participating in the election of these hopeful new members by our presence in this assembly. As we send them off to the cathedral today, they go with God’s blessings and our prayers and support. The Word of God has reached into these women and men, enlivening them with the desire to join our community and share the adventure of faith with us. We who have been “church” for a while now also have a responsibility to admit this active Word into our lives if we haven’t already done so; or to embrace it more deeply and deliberately if we have. “The Word is near you,” Saint Paul reminds us. It’s all around us this morning: in the readings from scripture, in Jesus our word offered to us in the sacrament, in the words-made-flesh of every person here in this gathering of the church. God’s Word is alive in our midst, and it won’t disappoint. If we invite this transforming force into our lives, every dream God ever had for us will come true. SO LET’S LEAVE IT to the forces of darkness to spout pious words and not to live them; or to speak God’s name in vain and not put faith in divine goodness. As we begin this Lenten season together, we confirm that we cannot live on bread alone—or on any of the empty promises of worldly goals. Every word that comes from the mouth of God brings life. If you were offered even one more day of living, wouldn’t you take it?

Authors Alice Camille

Special occasion Lent First Sunday of Lent, Cycle A Rite of sending scrutinies rcia rite of christian initiation of adults catechumens

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