Archive for August, 2011

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Jeremiah 20:7-9     Paul to Romans 12: 1-2      Matthew 16:21-27

“My real power is in surrender.”
                          Rev. Celeste Frazier

The Scripture readings for this new week are pregnant with the push/pull experience of some of the greatest friends of God and Jesus Christ as these followers struggle with battles of will: their own and those of their higher power. The joy of reflecting on these situations is, they are so much a part of today’s world as well as they were a part of the world of the Psalmist, the world of Jeremiah, a highly political prophet possessing a sense of humor as well as a strong sense of integrity, and the worlds of St. Peter “the rock” who gets up close and personal with Jesus, and St. Paul whose writings urge us to go against the desires of our own bodies, minds, and wills for the sake of a greater good.

Psalm 85 is a song of beauty and praise credited to the sons of Korah of the offspring of Noah, sometime in the early history of Israel. It is a plea to God to restore God’s blessing on the people. We in this age are familiar with prayers of restoration: “Forgive us our trespasses…”

Our first reading: Jeremiah 20:7-9 “You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped”…(give yourself the pleasure of reading this whole passage. It is a smiling Sabbath moment when we realize as Jeremiah did that we have our own times in life when God gets what God wants from us in spite of our stubbornness!)

Jeremiah’s accusation indicates that God forced him to prophesy against his will. Jeremiah can therefore claim to be a true prophet, not one who sends himself out with his own message. We have had a plethora of false prophets in every age!

In the second reading: Paul to Romans 12: 1-2, Paul urges us, “do not conform, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…be able to discern what is the will of God in your life; what is good, pleasing, and perfect.”

The Gospel: Matthew 16:21-27 We are struck by the force with which Jesus commands silence until his listeners (we as well as those present at the time), realize what sort of Messiah he is. Peter was being his usual lovable, open-mouth-insert-foot, self. Jesus has no more time for those who “don’t get it.” He had to respond to his calling, as do we all.

Everyone who shares in reading this reflection has realized or is in the process of recognizing a calling by God to a certain way of life or ministry. We were called from conception and our God never ceases to call. The maturing to response may involve some confusing, contradictory experiences. One is that we must give up in order to win! Jesus backs that up when he says, “For whoever desires to save their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 25.

Elizabeth Lowe,
Chaplain

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Elizabeth Lowe, The Scribes | No Comments »

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Matthew 16:13-20

This is an interesting Gospel reading. Though it is not long I will divide my reflection into two parts. Jesus asks the disciples two questions: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” and “But who do you say that I am?” As a human being, I believe that Jesus needed some affirmation and some encouragement just as we do. The extroverted Peter was always ready with an answer. He tells Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Quite an answer! Jesus is impressed, saying that this couldn’t have come only from Peter, but from a revelation from God his Father to Peter’s mind and heart.

I also believe that Jesus continues to ask each one of us that very same question about who he is for each of us. As post Resurrection Christians, we might have many different answers. Some might answer that Jesus is the Christ, Savior of the world. We may be feeling saved by his mercy and by his death and resurrection, from our sins and from fear of death since he overpowered death. Others who read the Scriptures often, may answer that Jesus is the Master Teacher. He teaches us how to live, how to love and serve others and even how to die. Other persons who have a very close relationship with Jesus might see him as their Friend or Brother, always there with loving support and constant companionship. People who have dealt with a lot of illness among their loved ones, in their own life or in their work might see Jesus as the Healer. We realize that Jesus heals minds, hearts and/or bodies and can use the instruments of modern medicine to do so. Jesus is all of these and much more…

In the second part of the reading today we hear Jesus giving the keys of the kingdom to Peter, making him the visible head of the Church on earth, the first Pope. Too often we think of the Pope and other Church leaders as being the ones in authority. It is in fact true. However, Jesus called them above all to be shepherds of his people. In the Gospel of John after the resurrection Jesus says to Peter: “Feed my sheep.” Elsewhere in the Gospel, Jesus reminds the apostles not to lord it over others but to be servants. In fact at the Last Supper when Jesus said “Do this in memory of me,” it was about giving us the Eucharist but also about service. Jesus had just given the Apostles the example by washing their feet, the work characteristic of servants at that time.

Often some people are put out and even scandalized by the ceremonial regalia of gold and red worn by the hierarchy, by the riches of the Vatican or by the numerous rules and regulations that come from authority. At those times, let us remember that the true mission of the Church is to teach the commandment to love one another as Jesus loves us. Its mission is to manifest the tender love of God for each human being. Since we are the Church, the people of God, it is our mission as well. Let us not be afraid to kneel and “wash feet.” As healthcare workers in St. Mary’s Health System we have daily opportunities to show respect, compassion and kindness and to serve others in so many ways as signs of God’s tenderness and love for every human being.

Sr. Suzanne Beaudoin, SSCh
Director of Pastoral Care

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Sr. Suzanne Beaudoin, SSCh | No Comments »

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Isaiah 56:1,6-7      Romans 11:13-32       Matthew 15:21-28

I have always thought that mothers are more powerful than God. In nature a mother animal is more ferocious in protecting her little ones than the fathers. That’s one of the reasons that I deplore the fact that we know very little about God’s feminine side. For centuries we have diminished our perception of God by calling God a “HIM.” We have, in fact, created a god in our own image and that’s not right.

In today’s gospel story, Jesus meets up with a loving, worried, and even panicked strong mother. She is a Canaanite woman who wants to “save” her daughter. (At that time, the gospel story tells us that Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. People who lived in these places were non-believers. But in this case, it was Jesus who crossed those boundaries and who went to Tyre and Sidon. But Jesus is known to cross boundaries and barriers that no one else dared to.)

As Jesus and his disciples were walking and minding their own business, this woman kept yelling: “Have pity on me, Son of David.” At first Jesus does not acknowledge her, so the woman keeps yelling: “Have pity on me, Son of David!” The disciples are getting annoyed and say: “She won’t stop yelling. She’s a real pain. Please make her stop.” Jesus says to her: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But “mom” keeps on yelling. Then Jesus says to her: “It’s not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs!” Mom should have been insulted but motherhood pre-empted her personal feelings, and she got in Jesus’ face and said: “Please, Lord, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters!” Mom would not take no for an answer, and she challenged Jesus. She got the best of that argument!!! To Jesus’ credit, he bowed before motherhood. (I wonder if this intense mother reminded Him of His own mother?) Jesus looked at her and said: “Great is your faith!” (He was probably thinking to himself “ . . . and you’ll keep yelling until you get what you want!”) Her daughter was healed from that hour. Mom wins again! Yay!!!

Those of you who are reading this reflection and who are mothers know what I’m talking about. To you, this way of acting is not unusual or outrageous at all! For mothers, this way of acting is everyday “normal”! Isn’t it?

Motherhood is a direct sharing of how God loves us. It’s not rational. It doesn’t have to make sense. We are loved by God because God loves us. Period. We had nothing to do with it. God loves us first as only a mother can.

If we personally realize and accept this, we will forever be secure and safe and God’s love will never let go!!!

Yay for us!

Kenn Rancourt
Chaplain

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Kenn Rancourt, The Scribes | No Comments »

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Friday, August 5th, 2011

Sunday, August 7, 2011

1 Kings 19:9,11-13            Romans 9:1-5                  Matthew 14:22-33

Scripture scholars tells us that the phrase “Do not be afraid” occurs 350 times in Scripture, including the readings for this week.  Both the first reading about the prophet Elijah and Matthew’s Gospel featuring Peter and the disciples show us people in great fear, feeling helpless and overwhelmed.  They also experience God’s power and ultimately God’s peace.  In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus went to a mountain to pray leaving the disciples in a boat.  After his prayer Jesus walked across the water to the boat and the disciples were afraid.  Peter wanted Jesus to prove it was really him by commanding Peter to walk on the water.  Jesus did so and at first Peter could walk on the water, but then he became afraid and began to sink; he cried out for Jesus to save him.

Many of us have experienced this type of fear in our own lives–maybe not literally sinking–but certainly fears about economic security, a family crisis, or physical pain.  Our patients experience this too, and sometimes that fear can overtake reason and hope.  One patient I worked with was in her 30s and had advanced cancer.  She and her children lived in the inner city and though she did not have many resources, she gave her children all the gifts and wisdom that she could by telling them stories, riding the bus around the city to keep them warm in winter until she ran out of bus tokens, and teaching them about a God who would never abandon them.  As her cancer progressed, she became afraid and expressed her fears about what would happen after she died.  She became so overwhelmed with fear that she couldn’t deal with making plans for her children.  We read some of her favorite Scripture stories together and she reminded herself about her faith and belief in a God who wouldn’t abandon her.  One day her fear was gone and she recounted a dream that she had the night before: she was in heaven and a beautiful bus came along and opened its doors.  Inside St. Peter was driving and said to her, “Welcome.  Come aboard; you can ride wherever you’d like and the trip is free.”  The dream gave her courage and a sense of peace, similar to Jesus offering an outstretched hand to Peter to save him in Sunday’s reading.  She began to imagine her transformation after death like that of a caterpillar into a butterfly.  On the day she died she told me, “Today is a good day for butterflies.” After her funeral I was feeling deep sadness so I went for a walk.  A butterfly came and landed on my shoulder and stayed on my shoulder for a full 5 minutes as I walked.  That experience gave me a sense of peace and hope.

We can help each other find courage so that fear does not overwhelm hope.  As Patricia Sanchez writes, “we are strengthened by the assurance that there is nowhere God is not, no heart in which God does not choose to dwell, and no hand that God will not reach out to save.”

Elizabeth Keene
Mission Integration

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Elizabeth Keene, The Scribes | No Comments »