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The inner word

24 Aug 2014 - Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

When you go hiking you probably look for a path with a solid foundation for your feet to proceed to your destination. You need that “rock”-like support and you’re grateful when you choose a path that gets you there safely. What does your path look like: overgrown, dark, unsure? Is your path too short or doesn’t take you where you want to be? Seek, know, and find Christ. He is your life-path now and forever.

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The inner word

18 Aug 2013 - Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

At Masses around the world every day, millions of people, in the words of the gospel, “eat and drink” with the Lord—would Jesus disown any of them, the way the master does in the gospel story? Maybe more than most folks would assume. He didn’t want followers who tagged along for a meal and a few pieces of wisdom; he wanted disciples to walk next to him on the hard road to Jerusalem and beyond. Not merely people to “do” the ritual and say that’s good enough but those willing to embrace him, his Way, and his fate. Which one of those people will you be?

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07 Jul 2013 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Saint Paul said he could boast only in the Lord, not in himself and not with pride. He depended on God, just as in the gospel Jesus told the 72 to take nothing with them except their faith—and not to take pride in their mission successes. In the relationship with God there’s also peace. “Peace and mercy,” Paul said, follow the followers of Jesus, who go on mission with the word of peace; and is there a more peaceful scene than a mother nursing a child? And don’t forget that true mission is grounded in Christ who sends others ahead of him, who have the same task to heal. From all this it’s clear that something has changed. The city of God, Jerusalem, has found wealth and prosperity once again. “New creation,” Paul said, overcomes human divisions and distinctions, and Jesus’ vision of the kingdom overcomes all evil.

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Exploring the word

30 Oct 2011 - Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

THE MOON IS a far cry from the Sun in more ways than one. It is not a fiery orb that emits heat and light but a cold satellite that simply reflects the light it receives from elsewhere. That’s on one side, anyway. The other side is in shadow. That makes the Moon an apt metaphor for the religious person. We don’t generate truth, light, and love on our own but reflect what comes from God. Of ourselves we can do nothing. And whatever part of us fails to turn to God remains in darkness, hidden and dangerous. What happens if we make a pretense of our religious lives and do not genuinely turn any aspect of ourselves over to God? Ah, now we not only endanger ourselves but others as well. For those who are not yet religiously minded see our false emissions of truth and read them for honest ones. Now the darkness of the world becomes doubly dark. Those who have avowed themselves as religious people—by getting baptized, going to church, going through the motions of the spiritual life, identifying in public as Catholic, even hanging the rosary from the rearview mirror—are declaring in effect: This is what it means to follow Christ. Watch me. This is how it’s done. The responsibility for saying yes, yes, and doing no, no, is serious of course, as Jesus teaches elsewhere. How much more confusing is it for highly visible religious people—those in leadership roles—to present themselves as God’s representatives and then to fail to live up to their obligations? Today, on Priesthood Sunday, it’s worth considering these things. Bad religion is so much worse than no religion at all because of the damage it does, in effect, to God’s reputation. The prophet Malachi declares that God will make the blessing of a bad priest into a curse for the people. Honestly, God doesn’t have to. The curse is already on its way, as the last decade of suffering for the whole church has proved. The way to avert the curse and recover the blessing is to enter deeply and fervently into the spirit of humility. The humble will be exalted, Jesus promises—but let’s let God do the exalting, shall we, and work on the humble part ourselves. Today’s Psalm 131 is the perfect prayer for instilling the proper spirit. It’s also short and easy to memorize, which makes it a portable reminder when we’re tempted to arrogance. If we strive to be model Moons, reflecting the glow of divine love to those around us, we’ll join the ranks of the many lights who’ve gone before us and now wear that halo permanently. Related scripture links Advice for leaders: 1 Tim. 3:1-13, 4:6-16; Titus 1:5-9; James 4:6-10, 5:16; 1 Pet. 5:1-4 Imitate Paul as he does Christ: Gal. 4:12; Phil 3:17; 1 Thess.1:5-7; 2 Tim. 3:10-11 Humility is our model: 2 Cor. 12:7-10; Phil 2:3-11

Authors Alice Camille

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26 Dec 2010 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle A

LEADERSHIP SKILLS ARE desirable qualities. Girls’ and boys’ clubs promise to develop them. From academic programs to the armed forces, turning lemmings into leaders is a constant theme. We need people to take the lead in families, church, the local community, and government. It raises the question: If being a leader is so important, why do we need followers? Shouldn’t we just transform everyone into a self-propelled leader and let it go at that? If so, we’d have to skirt around that mantra in the gospels: Come follow me. Jesus invites his crew to fish but also to follow. They will lead others but follow their Teacher. That suggests that while we do need every good leader we can get and should cultivate leadership skills in children, we also have to develop their “followership” skills. Discipleship, as it’s more normally called, requires it. What does that have to do with the Feast of the Holy Family? Plenty, as the gospel unfolds. This week Joseph is once more our protagonist, and again the righteous man shows us that following divine guidance is the wisest course—not to mention the route to survival. Joseph’s actions are never the obvious choice: Many would not have married the girl, fled to Egypt, or returned to the danger zone afterwards. Joseph doesn’t reason things out: He trusts in God. He’s a grand follower. And as we learn in Luke’s version of the story, Mary’s not so bad herself when it comes to knowing how to balance self-determination with resting in God’s counsel. She does one at Cana and the other at the Annunciation. She’ll have to do both, grimly, at the cross. Though it may be strange to think of Jesus as a follower, his moral compass pointed to the true north of God’s will and not his own—right up to that final hour in the garden of Gethsemane. We come to appreciate that there is no genuine leadership without dedicated followership first. Even a leader needs to know where he or she is going. That requires a map, a star, a compass—or a Higher Power the leader must consult and to whom he or she must finally consent to bow. The leader who refuses to follow any authority higher than himself or herself has a fool for a guide. Sirach reminds us of the interdependence of generations: First, elders lead children and later are led by them in the natural order of things (another reason to teach the children well!). The Letter to the Colossians offers love as the best needle pointing in the right direction. Those who walk the path of love will not be lost. Related scripture links Fourth Commandment: Exod. 20:12; Deut. 5:16; Mark 10:19; Matt. 19:19; Luke 18:20; Rom. 13:9 Paul and subordination: Rom. 13:1-10; 1 Cor. 7:3-4, but also 11:3-12; Eph. 4:11-16, 5:21-6:9 Subordination in creation: Gen. 1:26-31, 3:14-19 Catechism links Jesus' early life: CCC 525-534 Binding virtues: CCC 1827-1829 Family: CCC 2197-2233

Authors Alice Camille

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The inner word

20 Jun 2010 - Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

How do you define discipleship for yourself? What are the ways you follow Jesus in your everyday life? Say to yourself, "I follow Jesus by . . ." and list as many ways as you can. In a sense, such a list might become your personal profession of faith.

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28 Oct 2012 - Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. Who is the model disciple? If it’s the Gospel of Mark, chances are it’s not “the disciples.” They’re too busy deciding who can and cannot talk with Jesus. They may be walking with him out of Jericho, but they’re not necessarily following. No, that role goes to Bartimaeus, who though “blind” is the only one who sees the Messiah in Jesus. He has faith: He’s persistent; he won’t be shushed. In the whole Gospel of Mark only he calls ChristMaster. And he’s willing to get up and follow not his “own way” but the way of Jesus—even though that road goes to Jerusalem.

Authors Joel Schorn

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07 Feb 2016 - Preaching the News for Sunday

There are times we complain that cell phones are controlling our lives and how we would just like to get rid of them. Yet if they control us, it’s because we let them. We decide who we are going to call. And we can turn them off if we desire to do so. On the positive side, they keep parents connected with children, make us feel a little safer driving through the snow at night, let us check on a shut-in, and so much more that we now take for granted. In today’s gospel, Peter is busy doing his fisherman’s work. Jesus calls him, totally unexpectedly, by hopping on his boat. Peter does what Jesus asks, only to be asked to do more, to lower his nets for a catch. Jesus is telling Peter how to do his job. Lots of fish were caught. Peter is confused by it all. He didn’t search Jesus out. Jesus found him. Peter can’t ignore the call or put Jesus on hold. He’s hooked. In the midst of the confusion in life that surrounds us and the noise that envelopes us we need to listen. Jesus is calling us. And it brings us, like Peter, to follow him. Exploring the Word for Sunday, February 7, 2016

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

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10 Apr 2016 - Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle C

"Follow me.” These are the first words the disciples of Jesus ever heard him address to them. They’re also the last two words of today’s gospel. But so much has happened since the first time those words were spoken to Peter and the others! At the shore of Galilee, “follow me” must have sounded like a lark, a young man’s game, an adventure with all sorts of wonderful possible outcomes. This teacher might become famous, and they would have been the first graduates of his school. This preacher might wind up being a great leader, and they could assume powerful positions in his coming regime. This healer might be a holy personage in God’s plan, and who doesn’t want to be at the side of the next Moses? At the very least, it all beat normal life as a fisherman and family man by a nautical mile. So why not follow, and see where it leads? That was 20 chapters, three years, a legend ago. Before miracles that rocked the senses; deep clashes with powerful authorities; terrible signs that made lips quiver and legs wobble. It was before the supper, the arrest, the trial, the cross. Before horrible days and nights spent in hiding. Before the dawn of Easter, whispers of an empty tomb, and the searing ache of hope. “Follow me” didn’t sound so innocent now. It wasn’t a game, no mere adventure. It was for keeps. And it would cost everything they had to give. “Follow me” had a very different ring to it, now that they’d seen Jesus hauled away, saw him beaten and abused, saw the lifeless body and gaping wounds. Once you’ve stood at the tomb, walking in the footsteps of Jesus doesn’t sound like a stroll along a sandy beach. Even with the full knowledge of Easter under your belt, you couldn’t fall in step behind this man with the same jaunty air. Jesus asks Peter for his love three times. But not just words of love: Jesus asks for a devotion that translates into specific deeds of leadership, service, and care. He asks for the absolute surrender Peter thought he was giving the first time—before he read the fine print on the contract. Now when Peter answers, his response will be more meaningful. Not unlike the renewal of vows taken by couples married for 25 years, or 50. The first exchange was mostly bravado and romance: of course, together forever, you and me! When two people say those words to each other after a quarter century or more, “forever” is better perceived, and “together” is more clearly defined. If Jesus asks us to follow today, after all this time, how many would get up right now and do it? Related scripture links Peter’s track record: Mark 10:28; 14:29-31, 37; Matt. 14:28-31; 15:15-16; 16:22-23; 18:21; 19:27; 26:33-35, 40; Luke 18:28; 22:31-34; John 13:6-9; 13:36-38; 18:10-11

Authors Alice Camille

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