“Who do the crowds say that I am?”

The scripture readings for this blog can be found at https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092520.cfm

Over the last several days during daily mass we have been reading from the Gospel of St. Luke. In these readings from Luke we see that Jesus has been building up a reputation as one who heals the sick and expels demons. We also heard of Jesus giving his disciples power to heal and to expel demons. Further, King Herod was greatly perplexed when he started hearing of the reputation of Jesus, and people saying, “John has been raised from the dead.” Herod was concerned since he was the one that put John the Baptist to death. 

As a result of all that Jesus was doing, he was developing a following and a reputation as someone sent from God. People were drawn to Jesus because of all they saw him do. They assumed he was one of the great prophets from the past, or, more recently, John the Baptist raised from the dead.. When Jesus first asks his disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” they respond “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, one of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Jesus persists in his questioning, and asked, “But who do YOU say that I am?” Peter responds, “The Christ of God!” Peter recognized Jesus as Messiah, the Son of God. Because of Peter’s relationship with Jesus, Peter was able to see Jesus for who he really was: the Messiah, the Son of God! 

In our own day and time, we have people who feel that Jesus was just a holy and devout man. They feel he was a great teacher and one who taught about peace and love, but nothing more than that. They fail to see beyond his teachings and fail to see who he really is: The Son of God. 

Our life of faith is based on the fact that we ourselves join with Peter and have made this confession of faith in Jesus. The Lord appreciates our act of faith in him, especially when we thank him for the depth of the love he has shown through his Passion, Death and Resurrection. This is the space out of which we make our prayer to God – from a place of thanksgiving in our hearts. 

As we approach the Lord in Holy Communion today, let us pray to Him, “You are the Christ of God” and thank him for His presence in our lives and for being our Savior. Amen.

“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:20

The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091820.cfm 

 In our first reading for today St. Paul is talking about something central to our faith in Jesus Christ: the resurrection of the dead. This is something that we, as Catholic Christians, are called to believe. Every Sunday at Mass, when we pray the Nicene Creed we pray: “For our sake he suffered death and was buried and rose again on the third day.” Further, we believe that at the end of time, on judgement day, we all will rise from the dead and be brought before the Judgement seat of God. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 994, we read, “It is Jesus himself who on the last day will raise up those who have believed in him, who have eaten his body and drunk his blood.” Encountering Jesus in our lives can and should change how we live out that faith in the resurrection. 

St. Paul, before coming to faith in Jesus Christ, was well known as Saul, and for his zealousness in going after the early Christians and putting them to death because of their faith in Jesus and the resurrection. Then on the road to Damascus, Paul encountered Jesus, with a flash of a bright light, and falling to the ground Paul heard the Lord say, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” After encountering Jesus and learning that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, Paul came to faith in Jesus and the resurrection. The women in today’s gospel, after encountering Jesus, and being cured of the issues they faced, came to believe in Jesus as Messiah, and the message of the resurrection in the life to come. 

 We, too, come face to face with Jesus at every Holy Mass we attend. We encounter Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament, where we receive Him completely, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. This daily encounter with Jesus should strengthen our faith in the Resurrection. The women in the gospel provided for Jesus and the apostles out of their resources, and Paul preached the resurrection of Christ from the dead. We, also, are called to share this faith in the resurrection in whatever way we can, whether it’s with the financial support of the Church or by serving Christ in those who the Lord has placed in our lives. We are to bring the Good News of the Resurrection to everyone by how we live out our faith. 

 Lord Jesus, increase our faith in You and in Your Resurrection! Amen.

“When I preach, I offer the Gospel free of charge…”

The scripture readings for today can be found at https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091120.cfm

On this date, September 11, in the year 2001, we lived through the most horrible event of our lives. The terrorist attacks on the United States. Here in New York, thousands of people died at the World Trade Center because of this most terrible event. It is a day that none of us will ever forget.

One hero that stands out during that day is Fr. Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar who was also a chaplain for the Fire Dept. of New York. That day he rushed down to the World Trade Center from his home at St. Francis of Assisi Church on West 31Street to bring comfort to those who were suffering, hurt, and dying. Not caring for his own safety, he rushed to the World Trade Center to give last rites to those who were in most need of the presence of God’s healing. He was there to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the victims and firefighters at the World Trade Center, not with words, but with his presence.

While administering the Sacrament of the Sick, Fr. Judge was struck in the head by debris from the buildings and died instantly. He was heard all throughout the day praying aloud, "Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!" You may have seen a photograph of the firefighters carrying his body from the wreckage to St. Peter’s Church that is just a block from the World Trade Center. This image of Fr. Judge being carried into St. Peter’s is an image of loving service and a message of hope during a time of fear. Fr. Judge knew well the words that St. Paul spoke, “All this I do for the sake of the Gospel, so that I too may have a share in it.”

Fr. Judge joined the Franciscans at the age of 15, and all throughout his ministry as priest and friar, he followed the call of Jesus Christ by ministering to the poor and homeless, alcoholics, those with AIDS, and those alienated from society. He was called to see Christ in all people he ministered to.

We, too, are called to be of service to others as Fr. Judge was. Like him, we need to see the face of Christ in all those that God has placed in our lives, whether they are family, friends, or those we encounter during the day. We are to be a loving presence of Christ to others as Fr. Judge was to those in his life. In doing so, we offer the Gospel free of charge to all who we meet in our day to day existence.

Lord Jesus, help us to bring your love and peace to a world full of anguish and pain. Amen.

Do Not Make Any Judgement

Following is my reflection on the scripture readings for Mass for the Friday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090420.cfm

We have in our gospel for today another confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees. They are comparing the apostles of Jesus to that of the followers of John the Baptist and their own followers:  “The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees dothe same; but yours eat and drink.” The Pharisees were feeling threatened by how Jesus was teaching others to live in relationship with God. They felt His teaching was deviating from how God expected people to respond to the His Commandments. Jesus was not denying that fasting and prayer is important. Rather, Jesus was indicating that there is more to relationship with God than just fasting and prayer. It is through serving others with love and charity that fulfills our call to love God with our whole heart & mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

All throughout His ministry, Jesus taught about love of God and love of neighbor. To Jesus, this is central to what it means to be a faithful servant of God. Further Jesus reached out to those people rejected because of their sinfulness, such as the prostitutes and tax collectors. Central to Jesus’ teaching is that all people, no matter where they are in their relationship with God, is loved by God. They are all called to repent from their sinfulness and turn to God to seek forgiveness.

In the first reading for today from Paul to the Corinthians, Paul was teaching the Corinthians not to be judgmental. Paul says, “…do not make any judgment before the appointed time.”He goes on to indicate that judgement is finally up to God, not to anyone else. The Pharisees were busy judging Jesus and his disciples for not following the laws of God as they interpreted it. Instead, what they should have been doing is to take the Law of God, which is love and mercy, and try to bring all people to God with love and understanding.

As we live out our faith in Jesus Christ, let us not only fast and pray out of love of God, but let us show love and acceptance towards all those who may not be following God in the way we feel they should.