Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 78

Reading I

Jer 17:5-8

Thus says the LORD:
            Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
                        who seeks his strength in flesh,
                        whose heart turns away from the LORD.
            He is like a barren bush in the desert
                        that enjoys no change of season,
            but stands in a lava waste,
                        a salt and empty earth.
            Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
                        whose hope is the LORD.
            He is like a tree planted beside the waters
                        that stretches out its roots to the stream:
            it fears not the heat when it comes;
                        its leaves stay green;
            in the year of drought it shows no distress,
                        but still bears fruit.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
            the counsel of the wicked,
nor walks in the way of sinners,
            nor sits in the company of the insolent,
but delights in the law of the LORD
            and meditates on his law day and night.
R Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
            planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
            and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
            they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
            but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Reading II

1 Cor 15:12, 16-20

Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Alleluia

Lk 6:23ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 6:17, 20-26

Jesus came down with the Twelve
and stood on a stretch of level ground
with a great crowd of his disciples
and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
            “Blessed are you who are poor,
                        for the kingdom of God is yours.
            Blessed are you who are now hungry,
                        for you will be satisfied.
            Blessed are you who are now weeping,
                        for you will laugh.
            Blessed are you when people hate you,
                        and when they exclude and insult you,
                        and denounce your name as evil
                        on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
            But woe to you who are rich,
                        for you have received your consolation.
            Woe to you who are filled now,
                        for you will be hungry.
            Woe to you who laugh now,
                        for you will grieve and weep.
            Woe to you when all speak well of you,
                        for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”
 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

We have received promises and guarantees from our God. How awesome is this? Our God has chosen to interact with us and tell us that, regardless of the circumstances that we find ourselves in, that we will be okay. The Prophet Jeremiah offers us a challenge. What are we going to put our trust in: the secular world or in the promises of our God? Think about this for a moment. How arrogant are we that we think that we can solve all our problems without the help of God? Why do we constantly limit God and what He can do to help us in our times of need? This is part of our fallen nature and the results of Original Sin. Here we are, living our lives the way we want to. When things go right, we pat ourselves on the back. When things go wrong, we quickly raise our hands in frustration and blame God for the calamities that have befallen us. We cry out in frustration, “Why has God done this to me?” At no time do we look at ourselves and examine the choices and the desires that led us into the bad situation that we find ourselves in. How arrogant are we and how lost are we when we refuse to let God in and help us?

 

This world is filled with such great things. How can it not be since God created it? Upon this great canvass we then took control and added things, trying so hard to make it better and take responsibility for all things, regardless of if we were the originators of it or not. Either consciously or subconsciously we entered a competition with God. God reminds us of this through the story of The Tower of Babel in The Book of Genesis. We strive to take command of God’s Creation, distorting it and bending it to our own will, wants, and needs. Monuments are erected, bridges are named, and trophies are given. Unfortunately, all these things eventually crumble and return to dust. The words uttered during The Receiving of Ashes on Ash Wednesday ring true: “Remember man, from dust you were created and to dust you shall return.” This statement extends to everything that is the product of the work of our hands. Whatever we do, whatever we create, will not last forever. This is not a morbid proclamation but more a statement of fact and a reminder of our mortality. If we only invest in things of this material world, then we will perish along with those things that we created.

 

There is so much more out there than what is directly in front of us. That is what The Prophet Jeremiah is trying to tell us: “ Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD,  He is like a barren bush in the desert

that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth.” In the end, there is only emptiness and bareness. Recently, in the last couple of years, there has been a common saying that has been uttered repeatedly that has become a sort of self-justification for many things that people do for the best intentions, but still results in the same end that can be described as a material trap for many of us: “Making memories.” We can easily be motivated to do things to stamp what we think is a lasting memory on those whom we love and interact with. We will do things and give things with the intent on making a lasting impression on all the people involved. We might make decisions based on giving things to fulfill material desires and material wants, thinking these things will have a lasting impression on those whom we love. Unbeknownst to us, these things will not have the impression that we desire because they are not lasting and will just fade away along with everything else that we have created here on this earth by our material hands. These things that will have a lasting impression will be those things of the spirit which have their foundations in love and interactions that go above and beyond any type of material gift or action. These actions go beyond the material and enter the realm of the spirit where we find God. These actions have their origin in love, which comes exclusively from God. Where we express our love in emotion and in the spirit, they have a more lasting impression than anything that can be provided materially.

.

A friend of mine who is under my spiritual direction was facing a dilemma. He was hard working and provided for his family. At times, he found himself working two and three jobs to provide for his family. Because of this, he found himself outside of his household and not present with his family. He justified this by pointing out that his family never lacked anything in their lives and received everything that they needed to lead a comfortable life. Even though this was the case, his wife and children were unhappy. They constantly complained that he was never around and wasn’t there to support them. My friend was confounded. How could his family complain when they were provided for? How could anyone be upset with him when they were provided for regarding food, shelter, and everything materially that they could ever want. Cell phones, food, shelter, clothes, and all the amenities were always given freely and abundantly. Yet, there were complaints, arguments, and dissatisfaction. There was an obvious disconnect and it ran deep. His wife and children constantly complained, “You are never here. You don’t love us. Why are you going out?” These comments and complaints say more than anything that The Prophet Jeremiah could say. Even though the family’s material necessities were taken care of, that is not what they were looking for. They were looking for my friend’s presence and love. It is through love that the presence of God is realized. Love comes from God and God is manifested through it. Material things and things of the flesh while love remains.

 

When things coming from God are focused on and embraced, our lives then become ordered correctly. Jesus presents this vision in The Sermon on the Plain. Being in the Sunlight of the Spirit, thus being with God, brings about a balance with pieces of the puzzle of life falling into place. The calamities of life are overcome with the presence of God and we can become capable of overlooking all of these while being raised to a higher awareness of life itself. Those who embrace the life of the flesh will be left empty while those embracing the spirit will be filled. Those who embrace the life of the flesh will go the way of the flesh while those embracing the spirit will go the way of the spirit which is eternal. All that is of the flesh dies while the spirit remains forever. Jesus Christ wants us journey with Him in the spirit. With the spirit comes many gifts and joy beyond comprehension. To live a fulfilling life means striving to live in the spirit, thus living with God.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

A QUICK WORD TO MY EVENING PRAYER FRIENDS

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

For the past two years or so, since the beginning of this pandemic, I have been doing Evening Prayer Live on my Facebook Page. This has been a great spiritual experience for me and, I have been told, for all those individuals who participated. It was a comforting moment in the evening that was much needed. It brought many people together and had a tremendous effect. Unfortunately, as the demands of my ministry expand, I find it harder to commit to the time demands allotted to this. My schedule has not only returned to where it was, but it has also expanded. I find myself taking on more duties and responsibilities. I now find myself in a transitional phase where I am starting up new things that demand my time, especially in the areas of new programming and new re-entry concepts in the prison system. Because of this, I will no longer be posting Evening Prayer, but instead will be bringing it back to where it was: quiet time with Jesus. 

I would like to thank all of you who have participated over the two years and would also like you to know it was a very special time for me.

You will all always be on my Prayer List.

God Bless.

Deacon Tom

 

 

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 75

Reading I

Is 6:1-2a, 3-8

In the year King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above.

They cried one to the other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

He touched my mouth with it, and said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8

R. (1c) In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
            for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
            I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
            for you have made great above all things
            your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
            you built up strength within me.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
            when they hear the words of your mouth;
and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD:
            “Great is the glory of the LORD.”
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Your right hand saves me.
            The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
            forsake not the work of your hands.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

Reading II

1 Cor 15:1-11

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, Christ appeared to more
than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.
For I am the least of the apostles,
not fit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.

OR:

1 Cor 15:3-8, 11

Brothers and sisters,
I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures; 
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more
than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one abnormally born,
he appeared to me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed. 

Alleluia

Mt 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them. 
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

WOW. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians really puts forth some testaments of our faith that we are required to acknowledge. We need to understand that, regardless of the situations we find ourselves in, there are certain things that will never change. These things, if we acknowledge them, can create a solid foundation in our lives where we can then proceed to build ourselves a future with no regrets and no tribulations that cannot be overcome. Jesus Christ did indeed die for our sins. We are broken and beyond repair if we stay alone. With Jesus Christ we can be healed and restored to the perfection and glory that God intended for us in the first place. The challenges that we face are nothing when we accept the help and guidance of Jesus Christ. Let us put ourselves in the position of The Apostle Paul for a moment. He was shipwrecked three times, imprisoned, beaten, and received forty lashes minus one five times. He was also stoned and mistreated. These things he faced with the knowledge that Jesus was with him throughout it all. There were times when he had his doubts, as we all do, but these he faced the same way he faced all challenges before him: with the understanding that his sufferings were only for the moment while the Glory of God lasts forever. The darkness is never constant, and it can never overcome the light.

 

Paul continues with own testimony regarding his conversion, describing how what he received was received undeservedly. He was beyond lost before receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ. He was a persecutor and murderer of Christians. If anyone thought someone was beyond redemption, it would be Paul. Yet, it was through Jesus Christ that he was healed and transformed into a new creation. This serves as good news to us. If Paul wasn’t beyond redemption, then we cannot be by comparison. This understanding can serve as comforting news when we are faced with the pain of sin and the embarrassment of not conducting ourselves rightly as receivers of the Christian Message. Nobody is perfect. Nobody will be perfect. We all do the best we can do and strive to do better when we fall short. Through this journey we are encouraged to make the adjustments necessary when we gain wisdom through our mistakes and missteps. We can then repent for our wrongdoings and make a commitment to do better.

 

Jesus did not call his first disciples because of their perfections, but more for their imperfections. It was through a relationship with Jesus that they were then molded and shaped into a new creation. We all can expect the same thing through a relationship with Jesus. The gifts that we receive will never cease if we only stay open to receiving them. This does take constant work on our part, but the results truly speak for themselves. Can any of us say with any conviction that we are better off without Jesus Christ? Gathered together in Christian Community to worship our God and to share each other’s joys and pain can only bring about positive results in comparison to being alone. Jesus does not want us to be alone, nor does He want us to be in a constant state of suffering alone without an opportunity to be relieved from that which ails us. He wants to be our remedy. He wants His love for us to heal us and make us better people.

 

Just as the disciples were called, we too are called. We are called to serve Him, live with Him, and to love Him. It is up to us to answer that call and to accept what is being offered to us. As the Psalm says, “As morning breaks, I look to you, O God, to be my strength this day.” Looking to God enables us to put our focus on that which is pure good and pure love. With our attention on that, everything that we experience can be put into its proper perspective with God as the guiding force in our life. Why would we want to be guided by anything else?

 

Deacon Tom