The King's Corner

God is my strength – Gabriel.  He who is like God – Michael.   God heals – Raphael.    These are the well-known archangels, and today is their feast.   God should always be our strength.  God is always there, even when we may be unsure.    God can be found in silence and in the sounds of everyday life.    The noise of children and the music of our choir provide occasions for God’s voice.  God lifts us when we’re down and helps us battle the demons that tempt and hurt us.  Help us Gabriel! God wants us to follow the Son and to be like him.   Forgive!  Love!  Protest injustice!   Feed the hungry!  Be like God, except use the arms and legs God has given us to do God’s will.   We are the Body of Christ.   Michael, help us act like God!

One of these days I’m going to hike Hadrian’s Wall, the one that stretches from the Irish to the North Sea.  Originally it was 15 feet high and up to 10 feet thick.  It was built by the Romans around 122 A.D. commanded by the emperor-architect Hadrian.  This wall defined the edge of the Roman Empire and separated Roman soldiers from the pagan armies to the north in Scotland.  It was used to control the movement of people.  Today Hadrian’s Wall is an 84-mile-long National Trail winding through some of England’s most scenic countryside. Similarly, we have the Israeli West Bank barrier or wall that is “a separation barrier in the West Bank.  Israel considers it a security barrier against terrorism, while Palestinians call it a racial segregation or apartheid wall.   It will be 440 miles upon completion.  It controls movement of people.”

Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.  Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.  And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them." Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases.   (Luke 9:1-6) The dictionary definition of being “diseased” is: “sick, evil, twisted, corrupt, vicious, distorted, abnormal, perverted, impaired, warped, unhealthy, unnatural, immoral, deviant, wicked, kinky (slang), depraved, debased, debauched, aberrant, vitiated, pervy (slang), sicko (slang).  Or, and quite relevant to today’s Gospel reading, “the product of a diseased and evil mind.”

The word “brotherhood” can mean “an association, society, or community of people linked by a common interest, religion, or trade.”  Today’s very brief Gospel reflects that meaning.  Jesus had a mission, and he wanted followers.    That need was met because of what he taught and who he was.  He was about God’s kingdom and how to bring it to earth. In Luke 8:19-21 we read: “The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd.  He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you." He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it."

Jesus said to the crowd: "No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away." (Luke 8:16-18) There are two points made by Luke in this Gospel reading.  First, we all have talents and abilities making us shine.   They should be allowed to glow through strong and abiding faith leading to good works.  Shutting ourselves off from others and retreating to the solace of our lonely rooms preventing us from sharing and helping is to be like a tree falling in the woods.  No one is there to hear it, so it seems like it doesn’t make a sound.  We do no good when only we can see our own light, as if in a room

September 24, 2017 Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Celebrant, Fr. Marek Chmurski Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Have we planted any seeds today?   Are we seeds planted on rich soil?  Today’s Gospel asks these questions, and we should respond (Luke 8:4-15). “When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear." Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered, "Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that they may look but no

What do these four movies have in common?  Ben Hur, The Godfather, The Count of Monte Christo, and Kill Bill?  The answer is revenge – getting even. There are many current TV shows also focused on revenge such as Game of Thrones which has a huge following all over the world.  Revenge through violence is one theme that runs throughout the plots.  For those of us who are honest about ourselves, we tune into this and other shows like it to witness the evil ones get their just desserts – in spades.  We want to see and cheer revenge, and for the bad guys and gals to fall, and fall very hard.  Many of us want those who have harmed us to be punished and to suffer the same way we have suffered at their hands.  Revenge is a powerful, difficult-to-resist motivation.  It’s compelling and hard to resist like iron filings to a magnet.  The expression revenge is sweet has a ring of truth to it for those of us wanting so-called justice – in other words, an eye for an eye.

On Thursday I spoke of spiritual wisdom and fish – a rather strange connection.  I said that to have spiritual wisdom, we must focus on what Jesus told us such as: “For I was hungry and you gave me food.  I was thirsty and you gave me drink.  A stranger and you welcomed me; naked and you clothed me; ill and you cared for me; in prison and you visited me.”    The wise of spirit do these things because Jesus told us so.  But it’s not easy.  There’s always a catch – obstacles that prevent us from acting.   The “catch” can be laziness, ambivalence, fear, selfishness, and aloofness.   We’re guilty at one time or another of not be able to climb over those obstacles.    But we can with a little effort, prayer, and self-examination helping the Holy Spirit to move us and make us wise.  We’re not fish that cannot swim without water.   There are no stairs we cannot climb, no catch we cannot overcome. Deacon David Pierce

Today’s Gospel ends with “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us."   So many of us think that God is with us and not with them, whoever they are.   How terribly wrong because God is with us all even though many don’t feel that is true especially when disaster occurs such as in Houston or when we lose someone close to us.   Where is God? There is no easy answer, but a useful one is provided by Kevin O’Neil published in the 2007 book “All Your Waves Swept Over Me: Looking for God in Natural Disasters.” O’Neil said,

This evening I will lead a Communion Service for the Diocese of Fall River candidates for the Permanent Diaconate.  This is part of their continuing formation with all deacons offering examples of styles of presiding and homilies.   I share my homily with you in hopes that some men might seriously consider discernment for the diaconate that soon will begin for the next class.       We pray for you.  Deacons, priests, your family and friends, even those you don’t know.  We all pray you will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.  That’s what Paul says in the first reading. What is the meaning of “to be worthy of the Lord?” The answer is provided in the synagogue – in the place where the Jewish Jesus worshiped and prayed.  Before all the other Jews, Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bri

I learned a new word last Sunday.  It’s called gloatrage.   The Boston Globe had in its “Ideas” section an article entitled “Our epidemic of gloatrage” by Mark Peters.   It means “triumphant satisfaction that a person’s behavior is as bad as expected combined with outrage at that behavior.”   According to Peters, gloatrage is when we are secretly thrilled that someone is proving him/herself to be just as bad as we thought.   Or, Peters quoting Karla McLaren (“The Art of Empathy”) it’s when people “get a real charge out of being continually reminded that the people they hate are indeed deserving of their hatred and dehumanization.” Calling gloatrage an “epidemic” might seem to be an exaggeration, but likely not and certainly not in the world of politics, and that is alarming.    It’s all quite contrary to our Christian need to see and understand the other perspective – to listen and mend fences: to forgive.   We all must recognize when we are “gloatraged,” when we are hating and d

I just started to read the 2015 book “The War That Forged a Nation: Why the Civil War Still Matters” by James McPherson.  I’ve never been a Civil Way buff but all the talk about removing the statute of Robert E. Lee got me thinking about who Lee was and why the furor over his image. It also got me to focus more on slavery, and not just the slaves held by Northerners and Southerners in the 1880s, but today’s cruel slavery that boggles the imagination in terms of its magnitude and impact around the world.   Otherwise known as “human trafficking,” it’s slavery in no uncertain terms.   Google “modern slavery” for startling and horrifying stories, especially about sex slaves with children as victims.  Lee was a Virginian who fought for the south because he was a Virginian first and would not heed President Lincoln’s request that he command the northern forces against the south starting in Virginia.  Lee had a distinguished career as a West Point graduate serving in the Mexican War. 

"Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day.  He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.  He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, ‘Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." Today is Labor Day.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national trib