Search

Results

The inner word

02 Aug 2015 - Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

The Israelites “grumbled” many times during their sojourn through the desert to the land God had promised them. In many cases God’s reaction was anger at the people’s failure to trust in God’s guidance, despite the circumstances. In this week’s reading, however, God’s ultimate response was an act of care: sending them the “flesh” and “bread” they desired. Complaints against God are not in themselves a sin; they figure in scripture on many occasions. It’s what they lead to that’s important. Doubt can lead to belief; even questioning shows you value in a relationship. Don’t be afraid to bring your uncertainties to God. You just might be opening a door to greater faith.

Doubt distrust uncertainty

Restricted
Amtrack goes off track in tragic crash

17 May 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s Exploring the Word offers a quote from 1 Peter that speaks of Christ’s suffering and death. These realities were front and center for the passengers on an ill-fated Amtrack train that crashed near Philadelphia Tuesday night, killing at least seven. Several passengers are still unaccounted for as the probe turns to the train engineer and high speed at which the train was traveling before it derailed. Homily hint: In the blink of an eye the ordinary events of daily life, such as a train or bus ride, can turn tragic. Living in faith allows us to move through the uncertainties of life with the conviction that at every moment, as Saint Paul says, whether we live or we die we are the Lord’s. For more on the Amtrack crash, see: Investigators: Train in deadly wreck was going 106 mph

tragedy and uncertainty faith in the lord

Restricted
Homily stories

16 Jan 2011 - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Many people do not handle transition very well. It's easy during that time to lose equilibrium. My parish found itself in a state of transition, as did I personally, when my term as pastor ended a few years ago. I prayed it would go well for the parish. At the same time, I worried a little bit about myself and how I would react. The readings from scripture this weekend still have us in transition. Isaiah still proclaims the coming of the Messiah but necessarily with both feet planted firmly in the Old Testament. Paul, on the other hand, begins his letter to the Christians in Corinth, reminding them that they should call upon Jesus as their Lord. The transition from Old to New Testament comes in the gospel as John the Baptizer, who could be considered as the very last of the Old Testament prophets, calls down the Spirit to anoint Jesus as the Messiah so that he can begin his ministry. This would not be an easy transition. Most would not accept Jesus as the Messiah, which will lead to his death and resurrection. Even then, his followers would be persecuted. Two thousand years later, shouldn't the transition from the Old Testament to the New have been completed? That depends. If we hang on to an image of a jealous God who punishes us in our unfaithfulness rather than a forgiving God whose gift of Jesus is a sign of God's unconditional love for us, we have not made the transition yet. For us, with all the church has to offer it should be easier. But transition always seems hard, perhaps harder than it has to be.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

transitions uncertainty Acceptance

Restricted
Homily stories

21 Mar 2010 - Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

Does this happen to you? You’re at work or at a party and somebody says something snide, and it’s only later—on the way home—that you think of a snappy comeback. Don’t you wish you were like Jesus, who was always so good with the one-liners? He always had a great comeback to those who tried to trap him. Just when it seemed there was nothing he could say, he came up with the perfect quip that reframed the situation and turned the tables on those who sought to trick him. How did he do that? A clue comes from the first line of today’s gospel, “Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.” Before he went into the temple to teach (and be cornered by those who sought to trap him) he had gone to the Mount of Olives to pray and to connect with the one he called Abba, Father. This is the same place he suffered in agony but said, “Not my will but thine be done.” With the clarity that came from union with God, Jesus didn’t get caught in traps. We don’t have to either. We don’t have to rely on our cleverness. We can rely on our connection to God.

Unity Connection uncertainty

Restricted
Who's listening?

07 Dec 2008 - Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle B

We are living in turbulent times. Unemployment is up. The number of people caring for elderly parents is up. The number of grandparents having full-time responsibility for grandchildren is up. Around the world we see war and rumors of war. Many people are struck with the sense that their life is not what they expected it would be. In fact some may feel that life has thrown them a curve. As Alice Camille writes in the scripture reflection that follows, for many waiting means “waiting for the other shoe to drop.” In that situation, religious promises can seem awfully empty. Isaiah promises comfort to the people—that God will be like a shepherd who feeds us, gathers us, and leads us with care. What comfort can you offer the people in your community in light of the challenges of modern life? Where is the hope that rests on a solid foundation? Where is the light that will shine through this darkness? Make it known to your listeners that you are aware of their concerns. Offer them opportunities to share their worries with you and the rest of the community.

comfort caretaker uncertainty Tragedy challenges Modernity

Restricted
Exploring the word

07 Dec 2008 - Second Sunday of Advent, Cycle B

Some things take forever to get here. Whether it’s the arrival of a friend, a birthday, or the holiday season we’re anticipating, the day can’t come fast enough. Even if it’s bad news we’re waiting on—something that will determine the future of our job or a relationship or even our health—the waiting period can tie us up in knots. Anything seems better than living with uncertainty and anxiety. At least we can move forward into the future when what we’re waiting for finally comes into view. The readings of Advent remind us that, as people of faith, we’re waiting for two seemingly contradictory things. We’re waiting for the end of the world as we know it: for this broken history of ours to be rolled up like a carpet and laid at the feet of the One Who Is to Come. We’re waiting for the dissolution of all things, as the Second Letter to Peter puts it. And none of us can feel sorry at the thought that sin and death, evil, violence, cruelty and injustice, war and crime, and disease and pain will be wiped out at last. When we listen to the nightly news, we may all be ready to shout: Come, Lord Jesus! But that’s not all we’re waiting for, of course. The coming of our Lord isn’t only about saying good riddance to the bad old days forever. We’re also eagerly awaiting an astonishing new world “in which righteousness dwells.” We’re waiting for rebirth as innocent and beautiful as the baby at the heart of our Advent longing. We can dare to hope for these wonderful things because we’re preparing nothing less than “the way of the Lord” here. Forget the stairway to heaven. We’re building a superhighway! John the Baptist, the highway’s advance man, was one of those rare pivotal figures who appreciated exactly where he stood in human history. As a prophet he had the ability to read the future as accurately as the past. He could see the ax poised at the root of the tree of his generation. Heck, he could feel its weight in his own hands. Everything had to come down: that’s why he preached repentance. John also knew someone mightier was on the way. That gave him the courage to speak an unpopular message and then to fall like a tree himself, chopped down by the same injustice he came to denounce. Baptism with water could wash away the past. The baptism of the Holy Spirit would ignite a future beyond every story ever told. Related scripture links Faith as the evidence of things hoped for and not seen: Heb. 11:1 Confidence in hope: Prov. 23:17-18; 1 Thess. 5:8-11 We hope with all of creation: Rom. 8:18-25 Catechism links Season of Advent: CCC 524; 1095 John as voice of consolation: CCC 719 Spiritual gifts: CCC 768; 798-801; 1266; 1830-1831 Spiritual fruits: CCC 736; 1832

Authors Alice Camille

anticipation uncertainty end of the world kingdom coming kingdom of god

Restricted
Exploring the word

28 Dec 2008 - Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Cycle B

Most of us like to keep things simple. In life we draw up a plan and then step-by-step try to put it into action. Get an education, get a job, start a family, build up savings, then retire. It sounds so easy and straightforward, doesn’t it? Our plans don’t generally include the unforeseen contingencies. Maybe you train for a career that doesn’t even exist in ten years. Maybe the family you create unhappily comes apart. Maybe you build up savings that are wiped out when financial institutions collapse. Maybe you don’t live long enough to retire. Despite the uncertainty of our plans, we continue to make them. How many of you keep a to-do list? We make a plan each day when we rise and hope to carry it out, item by item and hour by hour. Among the most frustrating episodes we face is the encounter with a person who thwarts those plans: swerving into our lane unannounced, or calling with news that changes everything. Like most couples, Abraham and Sarah had counted on having children. After long years of disappointment, they faced old age without heirs. Then God made a promise to miraculously change their fate. Abraham committed his faith to the bargain, and the child arrived who would make his descendents like stars in the sky. Parenthood in the senior years is not the usual destination, but the word impossible is not in God’s dictionary. A simple plan it wasn’t. But it fulfilled the divine purposes just fine. The circumstances around the birth of Jesus were far from simple as well. Conception before marriage is not the usual plan. Nor is accepting paternity for a child not your own. But the most atypical part of this situation was the conception of a virgin and the adoption of a divine Son. Mary and Joseph were stepping way out of the normal scheme of things to embrace this unique family plan-this Holy Family blueprint. Simeon, a man who’d spent his life waiting for God’s atypical activity, and Anna, a prophetess used to spotting divine markings whenever she saw them, both blessed and announced the revelation of this child. As far as they were concerned, their life plan was achieved with the arrival of Jesus. But then, they were the sort of folks who didn’t mind when God swerved into view without warning, or called in news that changes everything. Simeon was clear that the great news contained its own share of pain: for Mary and Joseph, for the child’s bitter enemies, and also for his devoted friends. As old Abraham might remind us, you have to commit your faith to the bargain. Impossible’s just not a word God recognizes. Related scripture links Other advice for families: Deut. 5:16; 30:19; Mark 9:36-37; John 19:26-27 Plea for unity: Phil. 2:1-4 Be ye perfect: Matt. 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36 Fruits of the Spirit: Gal. 5:22-23 But above all, love: 1 Cor. 13

Authors Alice Camille

Preparation uncertainty future disappointment

Restricted
Homily stories

12 Nov 2017 - Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Prepare for the coming of the Kingdom? I’m stressed out just preparing for my upcoming move to another state. After 27 years of living in Chicago, I’m moving to a very small town in rural Michigan. I’m in the thick of getting ready for it: packing boxes, calling movers, visiting with friends to say goodbye. I’m worried about getting my things there in one piece, worried about how much it’s going to cost, worried about how I’ll handle the transition to a very different kind of lifestyle. While the uncertainty is scary, it’s also the best part. I can’t wait for all the new people I’ll meet, all the new adventures I’ll have, all the new places I’ll explore. I have no idea what awaits me in this new chapter of my life, but I can’t wait to find out. Of course, there will be a million logistical hassles of settling in on that end, too, but I’ve done it enough times to know that’s just the external busy work necessary for the internal work of change. Which is the whole reason I’m moving: I think God is calling me to grow in a different direction and it’s my job to keep my heart prepared with openness to what comes.

Authors Jennifer Tomshack

uncertainty Preparation Change

Restricted
Homily stories

01 Apr 2018 - Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Cycle B

I’ve always had a hard time with Easter. Maybe it’s that I don’t do well when I eat too much candy, which I inevitably do on Easter Sunday. But I find Easter a difficult day to celebrate. I feel a lot like the disciples who, even after Jesus’ Resurrection, scurried back to the upper room uncertain and confused. The fact is that I can’t fully wrap my mind around the enormous truth of the Resurrection. It’s easy to understand the joy of a newborn baby as we do at Christmas. And I can even relate to the experience of being inspired to action by the Holy Spirit as at Pentecost. But the empty tomb is simply beyond my ability to comprehend. And so, as a religious holiday, Easter leaves me feeling more the loss of Jesus than the finding of Christ. I’ve come to believe that there is a lesson here for me. As a parent I often exist in that uncertain place between the excitement of beginning and the satisfaction of things coming to fulfillment. I’ve come to believe over time that what God asks of me is to simply hang in there, to keep showing up no matter how confused or uncertain I am. As with the frightened apostles, more will be revealed as time goes on if I keep showing up.

Authors Tom McGrath

Resurrection empty tomb uncertainty

Restricted
Prayers

10 Jun 2018 - Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Penitential Act Invitation We ask God for the courage to live with uncertainty. Invocations Lord, help us focus on faith, not fear. Lord have mercy. Christ, lead us out of despair to a land of faith. Christ have mercy. Lord, come to our assistance as we face an uncertain future. Lord have mercy. Prayer of the Faithful The universal prayer As we gather in community, let us take strength in our solidarity. May we continue to believe the good news, despite the bad news that captures the headlines. Lord, hear our prayer. May we be promoters of peace in an age of division. Lord, hear our prayer. May we unite in our commitment to extend our loving compassion to all who suffer injustice and harm. Lord, hear our prayer.

uncertainty fear

Restricted

← Previous 1 2 Next →