The King's Corner

Today is the Major League Baseball trade deadline – the last time this season that teams can trade players.  Teams around the league evaluate where they might need improvement.  It can sometimes be a historic day; I remember where I was the day I found out that Nomar Garciaparra was traded to the Cubs on the trade deadline years ago! The trade deadline can apply to us, too.  Perhaps it could be a reminder for us to reevaluate ourselves and “trade” out some of our bad habits, weaknesses, wrongdoings, etc. for good habits, actions, characteristics.  Our actions affect others around us.  Maybe the Sacrament of Reconciliation would be a good “first step” in this trade. Oh, and maybe say an extra prayer for the Red Sox.  They need it! Chris Hughes

Today we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Martha.  I think that we can relate to Martha very well, and should strive to be more like her.   Saint Martha is the patron saint of cooks – who knew? In John’s Gospel we hear “Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus.”  We can fill in that statement too with our own names – Jesus loves us, too.  There are times that we feel alone, in the darkness, or troubled; however we must remember that Jesus loves us unconditionally! In turn, Martha loved Jesus very much and welcomed Jesus into her home.  We too, have to love Jesus and “welcome” him into our homes.  To “welcome” him, we can make prayer a part of our lives – as a family if possible.  Gathering for prayer daily, praying before meals, attending Mass together, or simply not being afraid to discuss faith in our own homes. Lastly, Martha’s unwavering faith in the resurrection following her brother’s death is a reminder for all of us.  Martha was human and was in our shoes when her brother

Image Source As we continue reading from Exodus, we hear today that Moses would go into a tent and speak to God as one person would speak to another.  It reminds me of what Anthony de Mello, a Jesuit from India, wrote once, talking about the empty chair method of praying. He talked about a person that was confined to his bed that found it very difficult to pray.  Someone suggested that he have an empty chair placed by his bed and imagine Jesus sitting – and just talk to him as one person would talk to another. It worked for that person; de Mello said that’s not a bad way for all of us at times to pray.  Not to some abstract concept, but imagine Jesus sitting with us and talking to Him, as one person would talk to another. Monsignor Daniel Hoye

Think Small!  That seems to be the message in the Gospel today; counter-cultural to the message Think Big to be considered a success.  Christ used the images of the mustard seed, and a little bit of yeast added to the dough, in talking about the Kingdom of God. Maybe you and I can hear this today urging us and be aware of the small things that we can do in life that really matter and impact another; or an impact on ourselves.  If we make just a small effort to be kind, to be charitable, to be forgiving, to be compassionate, that God can use that in a way that is beyond our imagination. Sometimes we just need to think small. Monsignor Daniel Hoye

Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ July 26, 2015 Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

“The apostle to the apostles.”  That’s the title of Mary Magdalene according to John’s Gospel.  She is told to go tell the disciples that the Lord is risen.  But as we heard in the account, Mary didn’t recognize Christ in the beginning – she thought he was the gardener.  It was not until He called her by name that she understood that the Resurrected Christ was right in front of her. As we hear the Gospel this morning, perhaps we can be invited to recognize the presence of Christ in the other – whom we think is the “gardener” – someone else. We have to hear the Lord call us by name, so we too might be an apostle to the apostles. Monsignor Daniel Hoye

There’s an old saying “You can choose your friends but not your relatives.”  Usually we say that when we have one of those “fringe” relatives that does crazy things.  Well the Gospel today turns that phrase around and says you can indeed choose your relatives.  You can be brother, sister, mother, or father to Christ if we hear the Word of God and try to do the Will of the Father. How is it that we are being invited to be a relative of Christ today? Monsignor Daniel Hoye

The disciples had just returned from a mission of faith experience and Jesus, after listening to their stories, said to them, "come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile." In other words, take a vacation.  Sound familiar?  There are a number of us here who are on vacation from whatever we do for a living, but, in this day and age, it seems like we need to be connected.  Our cell phones are constantly keeping us in touch with our work, our families, our friends and the peace and quiet we really need evades us and keeps us on edge. I'd like to tell you a story that a Franciscan pries by the name of Albert Haase relates.  The story is about a man who is a music lover.  One day the man is given a ticket to a symphony.  The ticket is for the best seat in the house.  It is "The Spot" where the sound puts the individual in the center of the best music the ear can hear.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I am aligned with the scribes and the Pharisees who say to Jesus, “We wish to see a sign from you.”  We want a sign to see that we are doing the right thing or that you really are present in our midst.  Jesus says to the scribes and the Pharisees, and to me or you when you are inclined to ask for the sign, “The only sign you’ll have is that of Jonah.” Most commentators agree that the sign of Jonah is the sign of the resurrected Christ.  Just as Jonah was in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights, the Lord will be in tomb for 3 days – but He resurrected. So it’s really not a sign that we need but faith and trust – and that’s what we ask from the Lord this day. Monsignor Daniel Hoye

Today we hear a lot about sheep and shepherds.  In our first reading “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture says the LORD.”   In the psalm we hear the familiar passage: “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.  In verdant pastures he gives me repose.” Then in the Gospel we hear that Jesus saw a vast crowd, and his heart was moved with pity for they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So, we have sheep and shepherds on our minds this afternoon reminding many of us of 1950s & 1960s TV westerns such as: Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Big Valley, Rawhide, The Virginian, and many more.  Those shows often were about cattlemen’s sheep wars with sheepherders over grazing rights.  Cattlemen saw sheepherders as invaders who destroyed public grazing lands.  When left on pastures too long, sheep would graze the grass right down to the roots.  They could kill a pasture.  This month Pope Francis very bluntly has told all of us – the world – that

Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ July 19, 2015 Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

The other night at dinner, my family and I were reminiscing about years past.  My mother was telling each of us stories from when we were very young – lots of laughs were shared!  It is hard to believe how fast time flies.  My younger brother is now heading off to college in another month or so.  My “baby” sister turns 16 next week and will soon be driving.  It seems like yesterday that I was almost 4 years old and visiting her in the hospital the day she was born.  Now, I am getting ready to turn 20.  Time flies! In less than a month, I will be moving back to Maine to begin RA Training and my junior year at Saint Joseph’s College.  I just received my RA Contract and paperwork in the mail, meaning that another year is just around the corner. Many things occur and change over the years.  Loved ones pass away, friends move out of town, and household pets have come and gone.  However, one thing that has grounded both my family and myself is FAITH .  It is amazing to look back on on

“Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.”  The thought occurred to me that what happens to children as a punishment, could be for an adult a reward.  I’m talking about a timeout.  The child, as a result of bad behavior, but for the adult it is a gift that we are given – just to take a timeout, pause, be quiet, and be conscious of the gifts that God has given us.  Gifts in nature, in other folks, and in situations.  Sometimes we’re so busy getting through the day that we don’t acknowledge how much God loves us and cares for us. During this next 24 hours, take a few timeouts. Monsignor Daniel Hoye

Pope Benedict called us to evangelize the “digital continent,” the online universe where we communicate daily.  How best do we bring the person and message of Jesus to the digital world?  Does online spirituality satisfy too easily? How can the online presence of the Church draw people to our sanctuaries on Sunday mornings? For the past eight years he has written a daily blog on prayer, spirituality and the liturgy: A Concord Pastor Comments. Click for printable handout

Our faith brings us much joy – it’s who we are.  Don’t we want our brothers and sisters in Christ to experience that joy, too?  We are all called to share our faith, our journey, our joy with others.  Some ask, how can I do that? There are many ways to share your faith.  Ministry allows you to share your gifts and talents with others, while practicing your faith at the same time.  Here at Christ the King, we are extremely blessed with numerous ministries and organizations.  The Food Pantry, Thrift Shop, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s Club, 50+ Club, Youth Ministry, Faith Formation, liturgical ministries (servers, lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, ushers, Music Ministry)…list goes on and on!  I enjoy taking part in many of these ministries while being home from college;  it brings me more joy than I could ever describe (as does writing for this blog!). On Tuesday night, we were blessed to have Fr. Austin Fleming of Holy Family Parish in Concord, MA with us to speak about

“I will praise you Lord, for you have rescued me.”  That’s Psalm 30, and it’s suggested that we have that psalm in our mind as we read the story of Moses being rescued from the water – having been put there by his mother. As we do so, perhaps we could be grateful for the times in our lives that we have been “rescued.”  Where God has helped to overcome some personal difficulties in our own lives – maybe with health, with addictions, or with habits that have crept in – we can be grateful for having been rescued.  Perhaps we pray that in a more immediate way – that we ask to be rescued from what might be going on in our lives today. “I will praise you Lord, for you have rescued me.” Monsignor Daniel Hoye

“All you need is love” is what The Beatles say. From one perspective, it’s true. Augustine says, “Love, do as you will.” But Matthew’s Gospel brings a different perspective this morning, where he says to his apostles, “I haven’t come to bring peace to the earth, but I have come to bring the sword. There will be tensions - even in families - if you choose me first.” Then he says, “Unless you take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy.” Perhaps it’s a sense of balance – that Saint Benedict said, “Moderation in all things.” Maybe as we look at our own life, we see the love aspect, but we also see the give aspect – self-giving; the denial of self in taking up whatever cross might be ours today. It’s moderation in all things. Monsignor Daniel Hoye

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ July 12, 2015 Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Pope Francis’ 76-page encyclical has an astounding 246 sections ending with his prayers for us.   In a way, he tells us to stop and smell the roses.  He insists we don’t need a large bouquet – just a few on which to focus and enjoy.  The smell is just as sweet.  “Living life to the full” doesn’t mean shop until we drop.   It means “less can be more.”  He tells us: 222. Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more.” A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment.

We have the four Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John.   Pope Francis gives another one that is key to our survival and counters what many of us may think, or at least reminds us of the way we seem to act regarding our treatment of planet Earth:  The Gospel of Creation.    Some excerpts are: 67. We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us. This allows us to respond to the charge that Judaeo-Christian thinking, on the basis of the Genesis account which grants man “dominion” over the earth (cf. Gen 1:28), has encouraged the unbridled exploitation of nature by painting him as domineering and destructive by nature. This is not a correct interpretation of the Bible as understood by the Church. Although it is true that we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures.

When we get deeper into Pope Francis’ encyclical (#47), we find a mirror into which we all should look.    47. Furthermore, when media and the digital world become omnipresent, their influence can stop people from learning how to live wisely, to think deeply and to love generously (my emphasis).  In this context, the great sages of the past run the risk of going unheard amid the noise and distractions of an information overload. Efforts need to be made to help these media become sources of new cultural progress for humanity and not a threat to our deepest riches. True wisdom, as the fruit of self-examination, dialogue and generous encounter between persons, is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data which eventually leads to overload and confusion, a sort of mental pollution.

Much of what Pope Francis says about our environment and the way we have abused it reminds me of Earth Day, April 22, 1970 – 45 years ago!  He said: 21. Account must also be taken of the pollution produced by residue, including dangerous waste present in different areas. Each year hundreds of millions of tons of waste are generated, much of it non-biodegradable, highly toxic and radioactive, from homes and businesses, from construction and demolition sites, from clinical, electronic and industrial sources. The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish. Industrial waste and chemical products utilized in cities and agricultural areas can lead to bioaccumulation in the organisms of the local population, even when levels of toxins in those places are low. Frequently no measures are taken until after people’s health has been irreversibl

“The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.”  This section of Matthew’s Gospel is often used as an invitation to pray for more vocations – vocations of the baptized for sure, but also vocations to religious life, priesthood, and diaconate. Here at Christ the King, we’re blessed that we have one young woman that I think is still in her novitiate down in Virginia.  And yesterday, Matt Laird, who recently graduated from the College of the Holy Cross, received his acceptance as a seminarian for the Diocese and is going to St. John’s in Boston next year.  And he told me I could mention his name – there’s another young man, Chris Hughes, who is discerning his vocation.  That won’t be for another couple of years; hopefully to be accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese. Maybe today as we hear Matthew’s Gospel, we can pray for an increase in vocations, as well as praying for those that are discerning – that the Lord may give them insight as to what He is asking of them. Monsi

Not too far into his encyclical, Pope Francis reminds us of Pope Benedict’s request: Pope Benedict asked us to recognize that the natural environment has been gravely damaged by our irresponsible behavior (my emphasis). The social environment has also suffered damage. Both are ultimately due to the same evil: the notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives, and hence human freedom is limitless.  We have forgotten that “man is not only a freedom which he creates for himself. Man does not create himself. He is spirit and will, but also nature.” 

Being interested in whatever popes have to say, I have looked forward to reading Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si .  Few of us actually will read the encyclical he and his advisors have given us.  We should.  This week I’ll highlight some of his points, and the first is as sharp as a needle.  It hurts.  He tries to puncture our collective passiveness and preoccupation with pursuit of pleasure and comfort.   For us on Cape Cod, his encyclical is a reminder that we live in paradise in contrast to many other parts of the world where people have little except sadness and hurt.  Let’s consider the Pope’s introduction: 1.    “LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord.”  In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produ

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ July 5, 2015 Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Sometimes when you watch a drama series on TV, I don’t know about you, but I get frustrated when I discover that the story is only half told – it’s going to be continued next week.  Then if you tune in next week, it will say previously, and it might give you a little summary. Well that’s what we need as we are reading Matthew’s Gospel this week.  We need to remember what happened previously.  Jesus had calmed the storm, and the disciples said, “Who is this person, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”  Well according to the commentators, Matthew partially answers the question “Who is he?” in the story that we hear today.  He casts out demons, puts them into the swine, and they’re destroyed.  The answer is, “Who is this man? He has power, even over evil.” We need to hear that as we might confront the evil in our own lives or the evil in the world.  Who is this person?  He has power, even over the evil one. Monsignor Daniel Hoye