My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs | USCCB

In our gospel for today we hear what we may think of our Lord showing disrespect to His Mother and his relatives. He seems dismissive to the fact that they were present to see Him. But was he disrespectful or dismissive to them?

The Virgin Mary, who said yes to the angel Gabriel, knew and understood what Jesus was all about. She was the first of His followers and willing to always be obedient to the Holy Will of God. Our Lord, in today’s gospel, is calling all of us who follow Him to be His mother and brothers and sisters by listening to the Word of God through Holy Scripture, which we hear each day at Mass, and bring what we know about the Lord from scripture into our daily lives with those in our family and those who we either work with or come into contact within our day-to-day existence. We are called to live out our Christian lives in a way that’s pleasing to God and obvious to others that we are indeed Catholic Christians.

Being followers of Christ is not always easy. The saints we commemorate today are Saints Andrew Kim Tai-gon, and Paul Chong Ha-sang and their companions. It was during the mid-1800’s that Missionaries entered Korea to bring the Good News of the Gospel to those in that country. Eventually more than a hundred people were Martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ, including the priest and pastor, Andrew Kim, and a layperson Paul Chong. Additionally, there were laity, men and women, married and unmarried, children, young people and the elderly that died in Korea for faith in Jesus Christ. They knew and lived these words Jesus spoke in today’s gospel, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” They chose to die rather than to give up their faith in Jesus Christ.

We ourselves more than likely will not face martyrdom for our faith in Jesus Christ, but we need to remain steadfast in our sharing our faith with all we come into contact with. There will be times that people will argue with us about our faith in Jesus Christ, but like today’s Martyrs from Korea, we are to be living examples of what it means to be Christian in a world that rejects all we hold holy and dear: that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.

 

Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs | USCCB

In our first reading from St. Paul to the Corinthians, Paul is addressing the central reason for our faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ not only was crucified and died on the Cross on that Good Friday 2,000 years ago, but he also rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. This is central to who we are as Christians.

Paul goes on to say that if Christ did not rise from the dead, our faith in Him and His resurrection is foolish. In other words, what would be the point of being a follower of Jesus Christ if he did not rise from the dead on the Third Day and then eventually ascend into heaven?

We all pray and know the words to the Apostles Creed. In addition to believing in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, and of Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, the creed goes on to say that he suffered under Pontius Pilot, was crucified, died and was buried. Then on the Third day he rose again from the dead. Do we really believe these words of the Apostles Creed when we pray them? Or are they just empty words we say, without any meaning? Paul goes on to say in Corinthians, “…if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:15) In other words, if Christ has not been raised, we are wasting our time in coming to church to worship God.

Further, St. Paul is suggesting that some Corinthians assumed that there is no Life beyond this life, that death is the end of existence. While Paul preached that Jesus walked out of his tomb on his own two feet, it seems that some claimed that his adopted siblings will never rise from the dead. They thought God may (or may not) have raised Jesus’ whole person from death. But some Corinthian could not accept Paul’s promise that God would do the same for those who love the Lord.

Let us not imitate the Corinthians in being uncertain in our faith in the Risen Christ. Let us trust that Jesus did indeed not only die on the Cross for our salvation, but rose again on the Third Day, and is now seated at God’s right hand in heaven.

When we doubt in the Lord’s resurrection, and our own resurrection at the end of time,  let us turn to the Him and pray for the gift of faith to know and believe that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead for our salvation.

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

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest | USCCB

Our readings from today are giving us a two-fold teaching. In our reading the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, we hear of the importance of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul is teaching that it is important to remember that we are to share our faith in Jesus Christ with all those in our lives without worrying about recompence. We are to be concerned with bringing others in our life to faith in God. But that doesn’t mean that we are called to come up and preach from the altar or preach on street corners about Jesus Christ. We share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in how we live out our lives as Catholic Christians: whether as a husband or wife, son, or daughter. We are called to live out our lives sharing the gospel with our family and friends by the regular practice of our faith and in how we treat those in our lives with love and respect. We are to love God with our whole being, and we are to love and respect those God has placed in our lives. This is how we preach the Gospel.

This brings us to the 2^nd part of what we are learning from today’s readings. In the gospel, our Lord calls us to be more concerned with how we live our lives in relationship with God, rather than worrying about how those around us are living their lives. Our Lord says, “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first.” We are all sinners in need of forgiveness. Each one of us have different struggles in how we develop that relationship with God. What our Lord is teaching us is that we are no better than those in our lives who we may feel are not living out their faith as well as we may feel they should. We need to look inward towards ourselves first to see where we need improvement. Then, by the regular use of confession and frequent reception of Holy Communion, we can be in position to “remove the splinter from our brother’s eye.” Through these sacraments of healing, we will be able to see where we fall short in our relationship with God and with others.  Then, once we receive that healing and forgiveness from God, we can in turn be there for others who may be struggling with their faith in God.

May God give us the grace to seek out His love and forgiveness in order to be good examples of what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ in a world that needs His love, peace and forgiveness.

 

 

This is Troubling

XXIII Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

Article for Blog of Dcn. Thomas Tortorella 9/4/22 XXIII Sun. of Ord. Time

© All rights reserved by Fr. Arthur F. Rojas 9/3/22 ©

 Today we have a recurring guest blogger:  Fr. Arthur F. Rojas, administrator of PRESENTATION OF THE B.V.M CHURCH, PORT EWEN AND SACRED HEART CHURCH, ESOPUS. For more information on this parish, check out their website at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary & Sacred Heart Churches - Port Ewen - Esopus, NY (presentationsacredheart.org) 

            Although science teaches us that the season of summer expires with the autumnal equinox, which according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac will take place this year at 8:04 p.m. on September 22^nd, culturally many Americans associate the end of summer with Labor Day weekend, which is this weekend.  After a season of vacations, day trips, barbeques, picnics, and perhaps, boredom, we Americans prepare to resume a busier calendar with school, Religious Education, organizational commitments, etc.  The time is ripe to consider work and the dignity of working people in the light of the readings of today.

 

            Let us recall that Adam, the first man, had two jobs in Eden, namely to tend the garden and to name the animals that God brought before him (cf. Book of Genesis, chapter 2). Thus, we human beings have the use of our caring, helping, and protecting hands and the use of our reason and intelligence as means to cooperate with God in the wise use, care, and right order of creation.  The readings today remind us, however, that the wisdom, knowledge, and designs of God are infinitely superior to our own, even with the talents, ingenuity, and prayerful inspiration that God Himself has endowed us with.  We are called to revere God as the source of wisdom (cf. Wisdom 9, our first reading), to acknowledge and honor our dependence on God’s power, teachings, and blessings (cf. Psalm 90), to respect and love our fellow Christians even with class differences among us (cf. Philemon, source of our second reading), to understand that God has first place in our loyalties, plans, and priorities (cf. Luke 14:25-33, our Gospel reading).  Although God is almighty and completely self-sufficient, out of love for us He chooses to involve you and me in His “work” of building the Kingdom of God, to sanctify the world, and to prepare the world for the second coming of Christ. 

 

            Starting with Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891) and subsequent teachings and pronouncements, the Catholic Church has sought to distinguish between work and mere toil as she applies Biblical values to avoid the dehumanization of people and their efforts to support themselves and their families.  The “social doctrine” of the Church, which is one of the least appreciated treasures of our Catholic faith, acknowledges the right to private property while reminding us that the economy should be at the service of people instead of persons and families being subordinated to an exaggerated importance of efficiency, profits, and technology.  Catholic social doctrine defends the dignity of working people as beings of body and soul whose efforts to earn a living and get ahead in life should never discount our need to rest in God and with God because He is supreme and because human dignity is founded firstly from us being made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1-2), an image that we are called to respect from conception until natural death.  Finally, Catholic social doctrine proposes a Christian alternative for persons and peoples to defining ourselves and human relations primarily as consumers or primarily in terms of class warfare, in other words neither a selfish, amoral capitalism nor the errors of atheistic, materialistic philosophies such as socialism and communism (or their “woke” variations today). 

In sum, by the two principles of solidarity (i.e., we are all our brother’s keeper, we are all in this together) and subsidiarity (i.e., as much as possible, individual and social needs should be met by individuals, families, and then entities closest to the matter at hand),  Catholic social doctrine presents the value and meaning of human labor in terms of the work of God and His call for us to participate in His work and then, to the dignity and the responsibility of each and every worker, whether unionized or not, whether the person is a small businessman or a freelancer, as well as of managers, investors, owners, and public and private authorities.  “Let your face shine upon your servant, and teach me Your laws.” Psalm 119:135.