The King's Corner

September 30, 2018 Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

According to James, “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.  Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire.  You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.  You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter…”  This condemnation of the rich made sense in Jesus’ days.  The rich got richer by stealing the land of the poor who were driven off their lands by those taking advantage of their misfortune caused by droughts and failed crops.   Those who owned the land lost it and became tenant farmers on the land they lost to those with the means to buy – the rich landlords. James warned those landowners

From the Book of Revelation we read: War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.  The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it." This is great imagery and offers a biblical explanation as to why the Devil (Satan) roams the earth.  He and his demons were thrown out of heaven after losing their battle with Michael and his angels. Thanks a lot Michael!   That “huge dragon, the ancient serpent” simply sought safer ground after you and yours booted them out.   The bad dudes took up residence in a new neighborhood with little opposition.   The “occupiers” arrived and likely licked their chomps at the fertile grounds for foul play and evil deeds. Of course, these are fanciful thoughts trying to make sense of why

There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for everything under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Again, from Ecclesiastes – two days a row.   These are lyrics to a famous song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s.  It became very famous in 1965 when sung by the Byrds.   It was a plea for world peace.  Here we are in 2018 – about 60 years later – and the plea is still the same. Our clocks

“Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!  What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun?  One generation passes and another comes, but the world forever stays.  The sun rises and the sun goes down; then it presses on to the place where it rises. This quote from the beginning of Ecclesiastes reminds me of the song “Sunrise Sunset” from “Fiddler On The Roof.”  Some of its lyrics are: Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play? I don't remember growing older When, did, they? When did she get to be a beauty? When did he grow to be so tall? Wasn't it yesterday when they, were, small? Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset Swiftly flow the days Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers Blossoming even as we gaze Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset Swiftly fly the years One season following another Laden with happiness and tears…

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 everywhere. Sorry Jesus.  I would have brought a walking stick at the very least.   Good for the gait and fending of those wild creatures along the way.  You might have given me power and authority over all demons, but bandits and wolves, likely not. While my power and authority over demons is questionable, I do have both to welcome strangers.  We all do, especially those in need of help and he

"Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue is chasing a bubble over deadly snares."  Today’s first reading is a list of proverbs with this 6th one being about lies.  I cannot stomach lies which is why politics is so challenging for onlookers and those wanting to base their votes on the truth, not on spin and obfuscation.    Politicians seeking fortune through donations/contributions or by other means (legal and illegal) on the right as well as the on the left seemingly or outright lie attempting to preserve their power and erode their opponents’ standing.  They have “lying tongues.” Jesus called Satan the “father of lies.”  Consider John 8:42-44 that reads: Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.  Why do you not understand what I am saying?  Because you cannot bear to hear my word.  You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He

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." Does our faith shine so those with us see that light?   Is our faith dimming due to the repeated, never-ending newspaper articles about past abuse of minors and young men by priests with cover-ups occurring in some instances.   Perhaps our dimmer switch has been pressed by all this coverage of nefarious behavior. What doesn’t help are recent statements in a homily given by Pope Francis: “In these times, it seems like the Great Accuser [Satan] has been unchained and is attacking bishops. True, we are all sinners, we bishops.  He t

September 23, 2018 Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?  Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess.  You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask.  You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. This passage from James reminds me of Abraham Lincoln who ended his first inaugural address with this impassioned plea about saving the Union by calming the South’s fears: “I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

So, too, it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being, "the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven.  As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.  Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.” It’s very rare for the spiritual to be first.  When we are born, the Spirit is with us, but the effects of that Spirit only manifest themselves when we get older and Christ is made known to us through our family and Church.  When born, man and woman become living beings; we are natural and earthly, for a while.  In a sense we bear the images of Adam and Eve, the earthly ones – the “first” man and woman (notwithstanding the fact that both result from great biblical story-telling). Later, perhaps many years later, we b

The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." God requires mercy for all in need of forgiveness meaning that’s what we are expected to do: show mercy.   Attending Mass is not a substitute for our obligation to be merciful.   Jesus tells us to learn the meaning of the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”  We should all be physicians healing the sick of heart and mind.   The righteous can remain in the waiting room.  Sinners see the doctors right away.   Are there doctors in the house?!  Who will raise their hands? Deacon David Pierce

A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.  Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.  Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.  When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner." …………………………….. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.  And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.   If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude,  it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things,  hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.  If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.  For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass awa

Robert Barron’s series on Catholicism recently was completed at Christ the King.  A description of the video series went like this:  “For the first time, in breathtaking and high-definition cinematography, the truth, goodness, and beauty of Catholicism are illustrated in a multimedia experience.  Journey with Bishop Robert Barron to more than 50 locations throughout 16 countries.  Be illuminated by the spiritual and artistic treasures of this global culture that claims more than one billion of the earth's people. Learn what Catholics believe and why.  Discover the full meaning of the faith.” The series was based on his 2011 book “Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith.”   A more recent book (2017) of his written with John Allen, Jr. was “To Light a Fire on the Earth: Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Age.” I recommend visiting his website “Word on Fire.”  Bishop Barron has a very well stated position/opinion on sexual abuse by priests and our Church’s grossly inad

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my Body that is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.   Paul’s words are powerful.  I also like to turn the words around so they are spoken by those who receive.  When we receive we should say to ourselves, or out loud:  “This is my body that is for you.  What I do in my life I will do in remembrance of you.  My body is the cup that holds the blood I will shed on your behalf through good works, kindness, and love.   As often as I eat the bread and drink from the cup, I will proclaim your presence since you are with me now

September 16, 2018 Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Today’s readings are about “speaking truth to power,” and what is truth?  This phrase originated with the Quakers in a 1955, pamphlet entitled: Speak Truth to Power: A Quaker Search for an Alternative to Violence.”  I happen to be a birthright Quaker or Friend as well as a Catholic deacon.  Good combination, although I’ve never been much of a Quaker, unlike my grandparents on my father’s side. That pamphlet promoted pacifism in the belief that love can overcome hatred.  It has come to mean "speaking out to those in authority" and is now used in politics and human rights activism. We Catholics can learn something from the Quakers.  Politics and religion do mix at times.  In our first reading Isaiah speaks truth to power.  Isaiah speaks of acts of defiance against oppressors and tyrants – acts of defiance by those with no power, such as the poor, the dispossessed, and the weak. Yet, to resist with whatever little force we have seems fruitless and can result in punishment

Brothers and sisters: Someone may say, "How are the dead raised?  With what kind of body will they come back?" You fool! What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind. So also is the resurrection of the dead.  It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful.  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.  St. Paul gives us a clue to resurrection.  We are raised as a spiritual body, not a physical one.  We will be different.   But we are still left guessing.   There is no other option than to place our faith in God, and then time will tell, especially when we have no more time on earth – just eternity.  Ever wonder how we will keep busy?  Should be easy because in eternity there is no time, as we know

The subject of nonviolence recently appeared in the July issue of Sojourners magazine.   An article entitled, “Is Nonviolence Naïve?” by Andrew Klager is a must read.  He asks, “ What counts as violence?” His reply was: Violence is any action that undermines the dignity of another human being, whether direct, structural, or institutional. This can be emotional, psychological, spiritual, or physical abuse; actions that dehumanize the Other; forms of injustice, oppression, or marginalization; and war, genocide, mob violence, and armed insurrection.  But violence is not the same as conflict. Conflict provides the space to air grievances and expose injustice; nonviolence entails ending conflict by eroding its causes without succumbing to the allure of violence. Nonviolence requires “the willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it, and to make it a link in the chain of a new process,” explained Pope Francis.  He concludes with: Christian nonviolence is hard; that’s why we ne

…But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.  Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. This command from Jesus given to us by Luke muddies the definition of “love.”  Personally, I will never love my enemies; however, I will try to understand them and that may even lead to respect  then discussion and perhaps compromise.  That’s the best I can do.   I suspect the vast majority of us feel that same way.   “Doing good to them” is a step in the right direction to sow seeds of reconciliation, but not if our enemies have no interest in reciprocating.   Hence the worldwide mess we have. Our “reward will be great” when we love them, and we will become “children of the Most High.”  Some of us find it impossible to believe that the Most High is “kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.”  I suppose the wicked and u

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus 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.” All well and good, but waiting for death and heaven for rejoicing and leaping for joy seems unreasonable and a false promise for those who are poor, hungry, sad, and hated.    It appears to be a ruse by the rich telling the poor, “The Kingdom of God is yours. What’s your problem?  Think about us rich and what Jesus says to us: ' But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.  Woe to

Brothers and sisters:  How can any one of you with a case against another dare to bring it to the unjust for judgment instead of to the holy ones?  Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world?  If the world is to be judged by you, are you unqualified for the lowest law courts?  Do you not know that we will judge angels?  Then why not everyday matters?  If, therefore, you have courts for everyday matters, do you seat as judges people of no standing in the Church?  I say this to shame you.   Can it be that there is not one among you wise enough to be able to settle a case between brothers?  But rather brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers? Is there wisdom to settle a case between brothers?    On 9/11, 2001 there was no wisdom, only abject evil.  All men and women throughout the world are brothers and sisters in the eyes of God.  Yet, certainly not in the eyes of those who hate.  Hatred has reasons why it is fostered around the world.   It

Your boasting is not appropriate.  Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?  Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened.  For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.  Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. A little love heals old wounds.  Unleavened bread symbolizes the hurt that damages and flattens relationships.  Clear out the old yeast means to forgive.   A resurrected relationship is a “fresh batch of dough” leavened and raised. Those unleavened-bread hurts are caused by malice and wickedness, but when countered by sincerity and truth, the feast begins.

My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? This second reading from James likely makes most of us a bit ashamed.   After all, those in finery capture our attention and more than a few of us wear those rings and fine clothes.   We’re a society fixated on how we look and whether others will admire our appearance.  I’m reminded of ZZ Tops’ 1983 “Sharp-Dressed Man” with these lyrics:

The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.  Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar.  Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab.  Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab.  Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth.  Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king… Quite the ancestry!    John became the father of Henry, Henry the father of Edward.  Edward became the father of David, the deacon.   My knowledge of all those Pierce’s is miniscule compared to that of Jesus.  According to Matthew, Jesus goes all the way back to Abraham, many centuries of forefathers and mothers.  I go back to the mid-1800s.    One wonders.   Matthew didn’t have the internet an

The LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said: Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place.   For taking hold of the ends of the earth, till the wicked are shaken from its surface? The earth is changed as is clay by the seal, and dyed as though it were a garment; But from the wicked the light is withheld, and the arm of pride is shattered. Have you entered into the sources of the sea, or walked about in the depths of the abyss? Have the gates of death been shown to you, or have you seen the gates of darkness?... Many people find themselves in a storm – a storm of dismay, depression, loneliness, and fear.   It’s as a storm at sea with sinking into the abyss being expected.  The light is withheld for it is dark in the depths.  We’d love to have God speak to us from out of the storm as in this reading from Job.  Better yet and more reasonable, we need to pray and today’s responsorial psalm provides the text:

…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. Most of us are afraid of deep water, especially here on Cape Cod with white sharks galore.

Father Richard Rohr is one of my favorite authors.  I’m read many of his books, and he gives wonderful guidance based on his own insights about the Church and God.   He has a great following exemplified by the recent book “Richard Rohr: Essential Teachings on Love” selected by Joelle Chase and Judy Traeger (2018). “My hope, whenever I speak or write, is to help clear away the impediments to receiving, allowing, trusting and participating in a foundational Love.  God’s love is planted in each of us as the Holy Spirit who, according to Jesus ‘will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you’ (John 14:26).  Love is who you are.” “This all makes sense because we were all created in the ‘image and likeness of God’ – who is love.”  This is what he said in 2007 in his book “Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality.”  Many quotes and excerpts are taken from his books, recordings, and website.

In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"  Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, "What is there about his word?  For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region. All of us have unclean demons inside of us.  Some would say there are seven deadly ones.  They try to control and destroy us.   A demon called envy is especially powerful.  A demon called greed is close behind.  When they assemble within us they can dominate compassion, understanding, and even love. One good reason to attend Mass and to be involved in charit

One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them.  And the LORD said to Satan, "Whence do you come?"  Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming the earth and patrolling it."  This text is from the Book of Job (Chapter 1) – not from today’s reading but one that recently came to mind.  This is scary stuff!  Satan is among the angels!  Makes one think about the danger we all face each day with Satan on alert and looking for us – and Satan is in our midst, likely in disguise. Many of us pooh-pooh Satan, or believe he is a fictional character.  Evil is not fiction; evil roams the earth; angels seem to be sleeping.   For the sake of Jesus Christ, wake up will you!?

September 2, 2018 Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Today’s reading from Mark reads in part, “He summoned the crowd again and said to them,  ‘Hear me, all of you, and understand.   Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.  From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.  All these evils come from within and they defile.” Mark’s list pretty much captures that which darkens our hearts.  All represent dark dragons and self-destruction.  We do it to ourselves even though we have the power to say “no” to each one of these typical human behaviors.  If not, we defile ourselves. It’s not easy to keep our hearts “clean.”   I suppose that’s why we often refer to the heart of Jesus – the heart we call sacred and we wish to emulate.

“…Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents.  See, I have made two more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.  Come, share your master's joy.'   Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.  Here it is back.'   His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant!  So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?  Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.  For to everyone who has, more will be given