Weekend of 11/24-25/12 … Sister Kate’s “Gospel (Mark 11: 9-10) Question for the Week”… Today’s Holy Gospel is quite short…just two verses, but these two verses present a very considerable image. The image we receive from this Gospel passage is the victorious Christ as King in heaven in all his glory. THIS is the kingdom we are working to achieve…both here on earth and in heaven. We need to make sure that we apply to be a member of this Kingdom, knowing that we can belong to HIS Kingdom only when we try to walk with Him daily, only when we try to live our lives fully in the spirit of the Gospel, and only when the spirit of the Gospel penetrates every facet of our living. If Christ is really King of our life, then He must be King of every part of our life. He must reign in all parts of our life. We become Christ the King’s “subjects” when we sincerely respond to his loving invitation: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble of heart" (Matthew 11:29).By cultivating in our lives the gentle and humble mind of Christ, we show others that Jesus Christ is in indeed our King and that he is in charge of our lives. Citizens of Christ’s kingdom are expected to observe only one major law--the law of love. "Love God with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Jesus expects a higher degree of love from His followers: “Love one another as I have loved you.” On this great Feast of Christ the King, let us resolve to give Him the central place in our lives and promise to obey His commandment of love by sharing what we have with all His needy sons and daughters. St Thomas More is the patron saint of politicians. He was a brilliant lawyer and diplomat in 16th century England. His patriotism and loyalty to the throne attracted the attention of King Henry VIII who made him Lord Chancellor of England. What Henry VIII did not know was that Thomas More’s first loyalty was to Christ, the King of kings. When Henry VIII, decided to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, marry Anne Boleyn, and make himself head of the Church of England, More thought this was not right. Rather than approve what he believed to be against the divine will, he resigned from his prestigious and wealthy position as Lord Chancellor and lived a life of poverty. Since he would not give his support to the king, More was arrested, convicted of treason, imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534 and beheaded in July of the following year. On his way to public execution, More encouraged the people to remain steadfast in the faith. His last recorded words were: “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” For More, it was not simply enough to confess Christ privately in the safety of one’s heart and home; one must also confess him in one’s business and professional life as well as in the laws and policies that govern society. Question for the Week: Who sits on the throne in your heart?!
Weekend of 11/17-18/12 … Sister Kate’s “Gospel (Mark 13: 24-32) Question for the Week”… In today’s Holy Gospel, we read a passage that can make us uneasy. The words describe the “end time.” However, the Gospel gives us the assurance that our God will be with us all the days of our lives. AND…we will have the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit of Jesus also in our midst guiding, protecting and strengthening us in spite of the uncertainty concerning the end times when “Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” As a matter of fact, each year at this time, the Church asks us to mediate on the “last things” – death, judgment, heaven and hell – in an effort to push us into the realization that death and judgment will come for all of us. All of the readings from Scripture this weekend assure us that in the end God will welcome the righteous…that those who are “ready” will survive the ordeal and will find a place with Him in everlasting peace. Through the parable of the fig tree at the end of the Gospel passage, Jesus tells us to keep our eyes open to read the “signs of the time,” reminding us that we must each be prepared to give an account of our lives to Jesus our judge because we do not know “either the day or the hour” of his second coming. Are there other messages for us in this passage of the Holy Gospel? Hmmm…how about this one? Today’s Holy Gospel reminds us of a “coming” of God which we tend to forget, namely, God’s daily coming to us in the ordinary events of our lives. We must learn to recognize and welcome Him in these everyday occurrences whether they be happy, encouraging, painful or disappointing – always remembering that He comes without warning. Let us remember that the Lord is present wherever people treat each other with gentleness, generosity, and thoughtfulness. Hence let us try to bring Jesus to earth, as Blessed Mother Teresa puts it: “by doing little things to others around us with great love.” A certain man, Herbert Washington by name, was so taken up by the nearness of Christ’s second coming and “the rapture” that he became a pain in the neck to his coworkers. So his coworkers hatched a plan to pay him back. One day, when Herbert went to the washroom, they laid their work clothes on their chairs and hid in the supply room. When Herbert came back from the washroom, he thought the rapture had taken place. The Muslim janitor, who was part of the joke, pretended to have witnessed everyone disappear and ran around the office feigning panic. Herbert fell to the ground clutching his heart and screaming, "I knew you'd forget me, Jesus! What did I do wrong?" He was rushed to a local hospital with what was diagnosed as a mild heart attack. Question for the Week: Are you looking for Jesus in the face of the people you meet each day?
Weekend of 11/10-11/12 … Sister Kate’s “Gospel Question for the Week”… In today’s Holy Gospel, we hear an invitation from Jesus…an invitation to sincerely commit ourselves to God’s people in service. And He asks that this service be given with humble and generous hearts… free from pride and free from prejudice. The latter part of the Gospel passage gives us an image of a poor widow who sacrificially gave her whole means of livelihood to God. Her act of giving herself over in trust to the Lord symbolizes the supreme sacrifice that Jesus offered by giving His life for others. The first part of the Gospel is a startling contrast to this poor widow. In the initial few verses of the Gospel, Jesus compared the external signs of honor coveted by the scribes with the humble, sacrificial offering of the poor widow and declares that SHE is the one who has found true honor in God’s eyes. Unlike the Scribes, the poor widow gave away all that she possessed for the glory of God. The message for us? We often judge people by what they possess. We give weight to their position in society, their educational qualifications, and to their “celebrity status.” But Jesus measures us in a totally different way. He is more interested in the inner motives and intentions hidden behind our actions. He evaluates us on the basis of the sacrifices we make for others and on the degree of our surrender to His providence for us. The offering God wants from us is not our material possessions, but the intentions of our hearts. What is hardest to give is ourselves in love and concern, because that gift costs us FAR MORE than reaching for our purses. Do you know the old joke about the chicken and the pig? They saw the church sign saying "Help feed the hungry." The chicken said "That's a good idea! Let's help by putting in our 'widow’s mite.' Let's give ham and eggs." The pig said "That's easy for you to say, but for me it's a total commitment!" Question for the Week: What is the depth of your commitment to the Lord?
Weekend of 11/3-4/12 … Sister Kate’s “Gospel Question for the Week”… In today’s Holy Gospel, we hear about a Scribe asking Jesus, “What is the first and greatest commandment?” Jesus gives a straightforward answer, quoting directly from the Law itself and astounding them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the all-important law of God. Jesus cites the first sentence of the Jewish prayer: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Then He added its complementary law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself"(Leviticus 19:18). True religion, Jesus says, is loving God and loving our fellow human beings at the same time; actually the only way a person can demonstrate real love of God is by showing genuine, active love for neighbor. Seems simple, doesn’t it? Not the case!!! The command to love our neighbor as we love ourselves is a very demanding one because it includes loving EVERYONE, not just the people we like! Jesus wanted to teach His listeners…and us…that everyone in need is their/our neighbor. And “love of neighbor” doesn’t involve just thinking about it. Loving others is a matter of deeds, not feelings. It means sharing with others the undeserved love that God pours on us. Since every human being is made in the image of God and the dwelling place of the Spirit of God, we are actually giving expression to our love of God by loving our neighbor. How do we act this out? We show our love by helping, supporting, encouraging, forgiving, and praying for every one without discrimination based on color, race, gender, age, wealth or social status. Loving our neighbor can cost us! We may have to seek forgiveness…or sacrifice something we think we need in order to fill another’s need…or give up our time to help someone. The possibilities are endless...let’s pray that our “giving” is endless as well. A few years ago, on a routine visit to a Soviet collective farm, a Russian commissar demanded of one of the laborers in the fields: "How was the crop this year?" "Oh, we had a fantastic harvest -- many, many potatoes. So many potatoes, in fact, that if you piled them up to the sky, they would reach the foot of God!" The commissar scolded, "There is no God, comrade." The laborer retorted, "Then I guess there aren't any potatoes either." Jesus Christ completely embodied the mandates of the Law of God -- reflecting God's love, and loving the neighbor with all His heart, mind, soul and strength. Let Jesus coach us as we progress on our journey home to God… loving God and neighbor with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Question for the Week: How do you express your love of God? Is it by loving others?