The King's Corner

Thus says the LORD: If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; Then the LORD will guide  you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails. The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; “Repairer of the  breach,” they shall call you, “Restorer of ruined homesteads.”  (Isaiah 58:9B-14) Today’s first reading reminds us of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops 2007 publication “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.”  How do we remove from our midst oppression, false accusation, and malicious speech?  How will the gloom become f

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.  Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! (Isaiah 58:1-9A) It’s Lent, and we’re at our first Friday during this Lenten season.  We’re reminded to fast.  Today we are supposed to give up meat.   Sorry, but big deal.   What kind of sacrifice is that?   I’ll have fish and enjoy the meal.   A far better way to fast is suggested by Isaiah in today’s reading.

Moses said to the people: “ Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.  I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land that the LORD swore he would give to yo

J esus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.  When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.  “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to

Beloved: 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.  Adulterers! Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says, The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy? But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  So submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Begin to lament, to m

Beloved: Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace. (James 3:13-18) If only these words from James were part of a successful campaign for the 2020 Presidential election!  I’d vote for that candidate.  If only voting Catholics will have the same criteria.  We all should simply by referencing and being guided by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizens

February 23, 2020, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”    (Matthew 5:38-48) All of us can accept the last part of this Gospel reading.   We should not be tribal and only associate with those who are like us.  However, loving our enemies seems a bit too much and, frankly, impossible for all of us who are far from perfect, unlike the Father. Consider the first reading: “You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fell

Beloved: I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.  Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5:1-4) Today’s first reading with its reference to sufferings reminds me of Bishop Robert Barron’s “Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis” (2019).  Abusing priests have not tended the flock of God.  They have been horrible and destructive examples for the flock.  They will not be received with the unfading crown of glory.   They made shameful profit from their many sexual abuse exploits. Our gospel reads: “…Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?   Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.   (James 2:14-24, 26) All this week we have heard from James who wrote his letter after Mark but before Matthew, perhaps in the 70s or 80s.  Much of James is early tradition.  After reading him all this week, I have a much better appreciation for acting on our faith: "faith without works is dead."  His examples of works are focused on compassion such as clothing the naked and feeding the hungry. He contrasts wisdom from above against earthly so-called wisdom marked by envy and selfish ambition all leading to disorder and wickedness of every kind.  He indicts the humanly created wo

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 with 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? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom that he promised to those who love him? But you dishonored the poor.  Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves not haul you off to court? Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you? However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you com

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Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger for anger does not accomplish the righteousness of God. Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts; such a one shall be blessed in what he does. (James 1:19-27) James gives us great advice.  Always be quick to hear – to listen to the other person’s views and opinions.  Hear them out.   Be slow to speak meaning do not interrupt.   When disagreeing with that person, be slow to anger for anger accomplishes nothing and is contrar

Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. No one experiencing temptation should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one.  Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.  (James 1:12-18) You came, I was alone I should have known you were temptation You smiled, luring me on My heart was gone, you were temptation It would be thrilling If you were willing And, if it can never be, pit

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:1-11) The author of James makes it appear that those who doubt are of two minds and, therefore, are unstable.  They are like waves of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. I have a different opinion. Those who doubt likely are in the majority but still hold onto their faith because too much of our faith is simply true.   Those with doubts wrestle

February 16, 2020, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Once upon a time there was a wealthy king who ruled the hearts of his subjects. Time passed, and the king started to become old and frail.  He worried about who would take care of his kingdom after his death. The king had three loyal and respectful sons. However, he wanted all three to prove themselves fit to be a king so he called his three sons and gave them 100 gold coins each. He said, “Whoever brings me a golden dog shall be my successor.  You have one year." The eldest of three brothers went to the city and hired some men at great expense. They were sent in all four directions with the order to find the golden dog. After a few weeks these men returned empty handed.  They spent all his 100 gold coins in their search.  The eldest son lost the fight for the throne then and there.

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.”  His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets. There were about four thousand people. He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with h

In today’s Gospel we read that Jesus touched a man’s ear and suddenly the man could hear.  He then touched the man’s tongue and the man could then speak. He made the deaf hear and the mute speak.  If only Jesus would do the same for all of us who need his healing power. Well, Jesus does through the miracle of bread and wine that we call our Eucharist – the body and blood of Christ.  It heals us.  In a way it makes us hear that we are all loved by God through God’s son Jesus.  In a way it makes us speak to remind those around us that we need care, compassion, and love.  For those who physically cannot speak, Jesus speaks for us and says, “care for each other; love one another.” Here’s a story to help us better understand the Gospel.  A blind man and a lame man happened to come at the same time to very bad piece of road with ruts and rocks and much uneven ground. The blind man begged the lame man to guide him through his difficulties.

Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.  He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”  Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.  (Mark 7:24-30)

Jesus 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.” When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, 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 7:14-23) Jesus declared all foods were clean.   That was quite a departure for a Jewish man, for a rabbi to claim.   He shifted the focus to what was wi

Three apprentice devils were preparing to come to earth to finish their apprenticeship.  Satan, the Prince of Darkness, appeared before them and questioned them about their plans to tempt and ruin people. The first said, “I will tell people that there is no God.”   Satan answered, “You will deceive only a few that way because deep down people sense there must be a God.” The second apprentice spoke, “I will tell them there is no hell.”  “You will fool only a few that way,” replied Satan, “because deep down people know one day they will have to answer for their misdeeds.”

Peter Kreeft published his book “Making Choices: Finding Black and White in a World of Grays” in 1990 – thirty years ago.  What he wrote then is even more pertinent today. In his chapter “Telling the Truth.”  He said, “Consciously or unconsciously, we must make a fundamental decision right at the beginning of every act of thinking: Are we believing in, hoping for, and loving truth, or not?  That decision is made not just by our intellect but by our free will.  The will commands the intellect.  The will decides which job to give to the intellect: either to court truth which dwells above the mind, or to serve feelings and sensations which dwell below the mind.  Modernity has substituted ideology for truth…”  He highlighted that which occurred in 1990, and even more so today.   He said: “Watching TV and movies is replacing reading books in our lives, and as this happens, images replace words and passivity replaces active thinking.  When we read words, we have to actively create the

February 9, 2020, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Thus says the LORD: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.  Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday. (Isaiah 58:7-10) Today’s first reading needs no explanation or elaboration especially: “…If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech…then light shall rise for you in the darkness…”    Let there be light and midday in 2020! Deacon David Pierce

A meaningful Peanuts cartoon, especially during these turbulent times, is provided here.   Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty are leaning against a tree on either side, and Patty asks: “What do you think the secret of living is, Chuck?”  Charlie Brown answers, “The secret of living is to own a convertible and a lake.”  Surprised, Patty asks, “A convertible and a lake?” Charlie explains: “If the sun is shining you can ride around in your convertible and be happy.  If it starts to rain, it won’t spoil your day because you can just say, ‘Oh, well.  The rain will fill up my lake.’”   Snoopy arrives, and Patty asks the same question.   In reply, Snoopy gives her a kiss on the nose.   Charlie Brown turns his head and notices.

Today’s world and political events might make us think we’re reliving part of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland following the white rabbit down the hole and witnessing a tea party with the Mad Hatter front and center. Then there’s the Queen of Hearts who had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small.  “Off with his head!” she would say without even a second thought.  I suspect many of us will lose our heads or at least our minds as we get deeper into 2020 and we must endure the campaigning and madness leading up to the Presidential election. Off with the head of John the Baptist was the demand of King Herod’s daughter. She did the bidding of her mother Herodias who harbored a grudge against John who complained about Herod unlawfully marrying his brother’s wife – Herodias. After promising his daughter that he would grant his daughter a wish, Herod quickly regretted that wish which was John’s head.  So, off went his head; it was brought on platter to the girl who gav

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick–no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mark 6:7-13) We all have authority over unclean spirits be they manifested as greed, envy, anger, hatred, arrogance, and sloth.   In other words, we have free choice – free will – and we can use that choice and will for good or bad.  It’s all up to us. We can drive out the demons if we chose to do so.   Often we don’t, perhaps because we have “no food, no s

[Left: Coronovirus]   “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I offer you three alternatives; choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.’” Gad then went to David to inform him. He asked:  “Do you want a three years’ famine to come upon your land, or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you, or to have a three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me.” David answered Gad: “I am in very serious difficulty. Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful; but let me not fall by the hand of man.” Thus David chose the pestilence. Now it was the time of the wheat harvest when the plague broke out among the people.  The LORD then sent a pestilence over Israel from morning until the time appointed, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died. But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD regretted the calamity and said to the angel cau

Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.  When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.  So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping?  The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him.  Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat. How many of us fathers and mothers through inattention or failure to praise and love have made it seem to o

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.  Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name.  There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. Now a large herd of sw

February 2, 2020, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

Since the children share in blood and flesh, Jesus likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the Devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life. Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. (Hebrews 2:14-18) Jesus destroyed the Devil according to this reading from Hebrews.  By Jesus’ death the Devil was destroyed.   As a consequence, we were freed from the fear of death, so says the author of Hebrews, and our Church.   Truly? Believing that the Devil has the power of death seems to give this creature too much power.  It instills in us a great fear of the Devil who constantly l

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.  And other boats were with him.  A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.  Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.  They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet!  Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Mark 4:35-41) “Let us cross to the other side.”  How many of us are willing to make that passage with Jesus.   When we do, we act to understand and associate with those who are strange or foreign to us – perhaps with those we fear or dislike.   We awake the Christ within u