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05 Jul 2015 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along. On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?” But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “He’s just a carpenter—Mary’s boy. We’ve known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?” They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further. Jesus told them, “A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child.” Jesus wasn’t able to do much of anything there—he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that’s all. He couldn’t get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching (from Mark 6). Taken from The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition by Eugene Peterson (ACTA Publications, 2014 ); actapublications.com; 800-397-2282.

Disbelief

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In other words

18 May 2014 - Fifth Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?” Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!” Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.” “You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act. “Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing” (from John 14). From New Message 4 Next Week (actapublications.com/newmessage4nextweek) based on The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition by Eugene Peterson (ACTA Publications, 2014).

Faith Disbelief

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Exploring the word

06 Apr 2014 - Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle A

Going to church is one thing. Believing what you profess there is another. You may know when to stand, speak, kneel, and come forward in the setting of the assembly, but do you know how and when to act in the many challenging situations of your life? Everyone in today's gospel gets a summons to do something when Jesus sets his redemptive action in motion. His disciples, for example, are incredulous that he wants to return to Judea, a place where he recently risked his life. Thomas rallies the group with the rather faint appeal that it's better to remain with Jesus if only to die with him. These are prophetic words, and poor Thomas has no idea how wisely he's spoken. Martha, known elsewhere for her deeds rather than her contemplative side, gets a chance to prove she's been paying plenty of attention from the kitchen all the same. In the midst of deep personal grief, she musters one of the three greatest acts of faith in the gospels, along with Peter's confession and Thomas' repentant recognition. When Mary shows up, all she has to give Jesus are her tears. At his feet once more, this time on the road to her brother's tomb, she trusts Jesus absolutely to be her teacher here as elsewhere. Finally there's Lazarus himself. If anyone has to do the heavy-lifting of faith in action today, it's the man in the tomb. Generally speaking the grave is a one-way street. The dead are trussed up pretty definitively because you don't expect them to move from their assigned resting places. Yet Lazarus rallies at the sound of his master's voice. His response echoes all the moments when Jesus called his disciples and they "immediately" followed him. Thomas, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus may have known how to behave in the ritual moments of their religion, but the test comes when faith is summoned to reveal itself in the wider context of life: in taking a risk, by telling the truth, with confidence in God, and most of all by stepping away from the inertia of death toward the word that calls you to new life. If you believe what you say in church, you'll know how to respond in the midst of the hours and events which comprise each day. You'll know when to stand, what to say, when to get on your knees, and when to move forward. Genuine disciples who listen to Jesus always know what to do. Related scripture links Where the heart is, the treasure is: Luke 12:34 Freedom of the children of God: Rom. 8:20-21 Catechism links Lazarus’ raising—and Jesus’: CCC 640; 646 Resurrection of the body and the flesh: CCC 988-991

Authors Alice Camille

integrity belief

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Exploring the word

15 Dec 2013 - Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

I learned one valuable liturgical lesson living in the southern California desert for nine years: Deserts do bloom! It’s not a miracle but a fact of nature. A desert is geologically defined as a place that is very short on water, so some years spring comes and there is no bloom. You have to wait for the flowers. You have to be patient. You have to believe in the colors and soft textures that seem impossible to produce out of brown sticks and sand. But when there’s enough water, maybe in two years or three, the desert will bloom. Cactuses, shrubs, trees of many arid varieties will summon up purples, pinks, yellows, golds, and scarlets you can hardly imagine. Soft, gentle petals out of prickly, uninviting places! With only a little water, and a lot of patience, a barren land becomes a riot of beauty. The same is true of every human heart. We’ve all been hurt. Some of us carry deep wounds and scars that the people sitting next to us do not suspect. Some of us wait long years for love, for something to relieve the pain and loneliness and barrenness of time. We may wait through seasons of boredom, purposelessness, illness, recuperation from some terrible loss or difficult betrayal. We wait through times of anxiety. We drift. We rage. We feel nothing at all. And nothing blooms in us during these lost seasons. It’s as if we’re sleepwalking through our lives and not really living them. I’ve had seasons like that—I had a decade like that once! The desert was inside me, swallowing up hope as months passed and nothing on the landscape changed. It’s hard to believe in the blooming time when you don’t seem to give or receive love; when kind words are not heard, tender touch is not felt, and soft eyes are never turned your way. The desert may seem stagnant, but it isn’t. It continues to encroach and engulf all terrain along its borders, battling even the towns with wind and sand, trying to claim more territory. The inner desert threatens faith, hope, and love. It tells you to stop waiting, nothing is coming, no one is listening. John the Baptist, a man of the wilderness, understood the desert very well, so he came bearing the gift of water and watched as desert people all around him burst into bloom. Jesus praises John for being a prophet, for seeing what the rest of us might have missed. Then Jesus astounds us by saying we can see farther than John if we accept his invitation to see with Kingdom eyes. From the Kingdom perspective, we’ll perceive the bloom hiding in every desert and rejoice as we await its bursting through. Related scripture links Possessing our souls in patience: Luke 21:19 [KJV] Other harvest meanings and metaphors: Exod. 34:22; Ps. 126:5-6; Prov. 22:8; Isa. 9:2; Hos. 8:7; 10:12-13; Matt. 9:37-38; 13:36-40; John 4:35-38; 1 Cor. 9:10-11; Heb. 6:7-8; Rev. 14:14-20 The virtue of Christian hope: Rom. 5:1-5; 8:24-25; 12:12, 15:12-13; 1 Cor. 13:13; Heb. 3:12-15; 6:11-12; 11:1 Catechism links Faith and doubt: CCC 26; 142-175; 2087-2089

Authors Alice Camille

john the baptist Desert patience belief

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More (spiritual) is less (religious)

01 Nov 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the reading from Revelation this Sunday heavenly beings gather around the divine throne and worship God. While the number of Americans who are praying is increasing, more of them say they have no formal religious affiliation, a survey of religious trends has found. The twin trends suggest a growing number of people are "spiritual but not religious," said study author Tom W. Smith, director of the General Social Survey at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. "Americans' attitudes toward religion are growing more complex," Smith said. While fewer people identify with a particular religion, belief in God remains high. "When asked simply about belief in God, most people include a range of God images, from a personal God to believing in a 'higher power' or a 'spirit or life force,' " he said. Although belief in God remains strong, the survey found that 22 percent of people said they had never attended a religious service, compared with 9 percent in 1972. In the most recent survey, 16 percent of people reported "none" when asked about their religious preference, a figure that stood at 5 to 8 percent in surveys taken between 1972 and 1991. "The number of people identifying as 'spiritual but not religious' has been growing perhaps for three decades. This of course has implications for traditional religious institutions, which may feel pressure to revitalize or altogether repackage their spiritual offerings," said Omar M. McRoberts, associate professor of sociology at the University of Chicago and cochair of the Working Group on Spirituality, Political Engagement, and Public Life at the Social Science Research Council. Source: University of Chicago News Office, via Newswise.com

god religious affiliation spiritual religious tom w smith general social survey omar m mcroberts university of chicago surveys belief Prayer religion americans

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Religious belief highest in developing, Catholic countries

29 Apr 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Peter gives witness to his vigorous faith in a defiant speech to his accusers in this Sunday’s first reading. These days, according to a new poll, while belief in God is slowly declining in most developed countries around the world, the most fervent believers can still be found in developing countries and Catholic societies.The "Beliefs about God Across Time and Countries" report, released last week by researchers at the University of Chicago, found the Philippines to be the country with the highest proportion of people of faith, with 94 percent of Filipinos saying they were strong believers. At the opposite end, at only 13 percent, was the former East Germany.“The Philippines is both developing and Catholic,” said Tom W. Smith, who directs the General Social Survey of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. “Religion, which is mainly Catholic, is very emotionally strong there.”In 29 of the 30 countries surveyed in 2008, belief in God increased with age: It was highest for those 68 or older—43 percent—compared to 23 percent of those younger than 28. While overall belief in God has decreased in most parts of the world, three countries—Israel, Russia, and Slovenia—saw increases. In general, however, the report said religious belief had "slowly eroded" since the 1950s in most countries of the world. Source: An article by Annalisa Musarra for Religion News Service

god Faith belief university of chicago general social survey tom w smith national opinion research center beliefs about god across time and countries

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Religious belief highest in developing, Catholic countries

29 Apr 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Peter gives witness to his vigorous faith in a defiant speech to his accusers in this Sunday’s first reading. These days, according to a new poll, while belief in God is slowly declining in most developed countries around the world, the most fervent believers can still be found in developing countries and Catholic societies.The "Beliefs about God Across Time and Countries" report, released last week by researchers at the University of Chicago, found the Philippines to be the country with the highest proportion of people of faith, with 94 percent of Filipinos saying they were strong believers. At the opposite end, at only 13 percent, was the former East Germany.“The Philippines is both developing and Catholic,” said Tom W. Smith, who directs the General Social Survey of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. “Religion, which is mainly Catholic, is very emotionally strong there.”In 29 of the 30 countries surveyed in 2008, belief in God increased with age: It was highest for those 68 or older—43 percent—compared to 23 percent of those younger than 28. While overall belief in God has decreased in most parts of the world, three countries—Israel, Russia, and Slovenia—saw increases. In general, however, the report said religious belief had "slowly eroded" since the 1950s in most countries of the world. Source: An article by Annalisa Musarra for Religion News Service

god Faith belief university of chicago general social survey tom w smith national opinion research center beliefs about god across time and countries

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Homily themes

15 Apr 2012 - Solemnity of the Second Sunday of Easter; Divine Mercy Sunday, Cycle B

"Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” When many people read or hear this appearance-story of Jesus, they tend to focus on the character of Thomas and his relationships with the other disciples and Christ. For some, Thomas is the one who gave his name to doubting (bad), while to others he is a hero of faith for sticking, Job-like, to his guns and believing only after he has seen and heard the genuine article (good). The ultimate point of the story, though, is directed to its future audience: That believers to come—who aren’t able to say they have “seen the Lord!” or touch his wounds in the same way the disciples were privileged to say and do—are just as blessed; they “believe that Jesus is the Christ” nonetheless. Jesus “sends” them out just as much and with the same Spirit he did with the original crew. Even the power to forgive goes out to the whole church—the “you” in “whose sins you forgive” means the entire community, then as it is now. The call to faith has always been both a great privilege and a tremendous responsibility.

Authors Joel Schorn

Thomas Doubt belief Holy Spirit sending forgive call

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Homily themes

08 Apr 2012 - Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle B

"You know what has happened all over Judea.” Repeatedly in the early church Christians were called upon to defend their beliefs—and thereby themselves—and some of these explanations, like Saint Peter’s speech in Acts in this weekend’s readings, sound a lot like a creed. God, Peter reminds his audience, gave Jesus the Spirit and was with him. While this power allowed Christ to heal and do good, he was still put to death. Yet God raised him to life and he appeared to those who believed in him, a presence especially visible when the disciples “ate and drank with him.” Before his final glorification to judge of the world, he commanded the apostles to go out and preach his gospel. Faith in Jesus and his message still offers healing. He remains the just judge, and believers can still eat and drink with him. Just as important, he continues to call his followers to spread the Good News about him.

Authors Joel Schorn

belief preach Gospel message good news

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Homily stories

01 May 2011 - Solemnity of the Second Sunday of Easter; Divine Mercy Sunday, Cycle A

No one saw much potential in Billy. It's not that the staff at the orphanage thought badly about him; they just didn't think much about him at all. He seemed to feel comfortable floating beneath everyone's notice--not getting in trouble but not getting much attention either. That continued until he moved to Sister Gertrude's hall. Sister Gertrude was a no-nonsense nun, a woman who expected the same from everyone in her care--a lot! So Billy couldn't hide anymore in a muddle of mediocrity. She started checking his homework every night. And correcting his manners. And having him report daily on his school projects and requiring that he try out for a sports team at school. Everyone else thought she was wasting her time, but Sister Gertrude wasn't one to waste time--or lives. Billy didn't become a famous millionaire or best-selling author or a well-known anything. But he did finish college, meet a nice girl, fall in love, get married, and raise a family. And maybe he would have done all that anyway, but in his own mind and heart he regularly thanks Sister Gertrude for believing without seeing, that is, believing in him even before anyone could see the potential. Family life often calls on us to believe even before we can see--from the first time we hold our children through the terrible twos, the turbulent teen years, and beyond. Sometimes believing leads to seeing.

Authors Tom McGrath

belief believing

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