The King's Corner

Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “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, “Quiet!  Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee. (Mark 1:21-28) Unclean spirits destroy us!  They scream inside us and tear at our insides, especially at our minds that are under constant attack.  

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)

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”  He said, “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”  With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private. (Mark 4:26-34)

Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”  He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Mark 4:21-25) Take care what we hear. There is much to hear, and a lot of what goes in our ears comes out our mouths as falsehoods planted by those seeking to seduce us to their way of thinking, and then acting.  Their motivation tends to be the pursuit of personal power and our money.  

On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, “Hear this!  A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”  He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the Kingdom of God

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God for the promise of life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dear child: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God. (2 Timothy 1:1-8)

The following statement on the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as 46th President of the United States of America is from Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles, President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  It should be referenced.  What should stand out for us is his statement: “We are Catholics first, seeking only to follow Jesus Christ faithfully and to advance his vision for human fraternity and community.”    Some of us may not entirely agree with everything the Archbishop has written.  For example, according to one report, Cardinal Cupich, a key U.S. ally of Pope Francis, said that the statement was drafted without input from the conference’s administrative committee, “a collegial consultation that is [the] normal course for statements that represent and enjoy the considered endorsement of the American bishops…The internal institutional failures involved must be addressed, and I look forward to contributing to all efforts to that end, so that, in

The word of the LORD came to Jonah, saying: “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.” So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD’S bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it.  Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed, “when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out. (Jonah 3:1-5, 10) Missing from this reading is Jonah’s refusal to go to Nineveh, the Assyrian capital and the temporary ride in the belly of the whale.  We all know that story of the “big fish.”  Jonah was to announce God’s grace to those people who were powerful and oppressive.   They brought su

Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3:20-21) Quite the short reading! Was Jesus “out of his mind?”  The expression “out of his mind” can mean “crazy.” Was Jesus crazy?  Probably because one would have to be crazy to believe people can love one another, even enemies.  He was crazy because he put a premium on forgiveness, even forgiveness for those who have done unspeakable things to us or those we love.  He was crazy in many ways.  Actually, Jesus was crazy like a fox.  According to English Language & Usage, this expression means someone’s behavior appears insane or nonsensical at first glance, but there is really something very clever and subtle to it that is working toward their interest in unexpected ways.  There is some ulterior motive to that behavior.  That describes Jesus pretty well. Are we c

R. Kindness and truth shall meet: Show us, O LORD, your mercy, and grant us your salvation. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. R. Kindness and truth shall meet: Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. R. Kindness and truth shall meet: The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps. R. Kindness and truth shall meet.

Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea. Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.  He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. And whenever unclean spirits saw him, they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” He warned them sternly not to make him known. (Mark 3:7-12) Unclean spirits fell down before Jesus.  If only the same would occur for us!  Hate, anger, and envy, to name a few of those spirits, make us unclean. We are all part of a large number of people who follow Jesus, and being so close to the sea, we can imagine him withdrawing to a boat perhaps off Mashpee in shallow waters, just before he put off in

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.” Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”  But they remained silent.  Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death. (Matthew 3:1-6) Today is Inauguration Day when a new President leads our country.  An un-withered hand is placed on a bible with the other hand raised, and the following words are said: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best

Most of us learn from Jesus’ parables.  Aesop’s fables can be just as instructive.  Here’s one especially relevant the day before the Presidential Inauguration.   A crow was sitting on the branch of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak when a fox observed her and set his wits to work to discover some way of getting the cheese.  Coming and standing under the tree he looked up and said, “What a noble bird I see above me! Her beauty is without equal, the hue of her plumage exquisite.  If only her voice is as sweet as her looks are fair, she ought without doubt to be Queen of the Birds.”  The crow was hugely flattered by this, and just to show the fox that she could sing she gave a loud caw.  Down came the cheese, of course, and the fox, snatching it up, said, “You have a voice, madam, I see.  What you lack is wits.” Jesus always used his wits.  Do we do the same, or do we caw and let slip what is valuable from our grip? Deacon David Pierce

Well said! Jesus

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”  Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” (Mark 2:18-22)

Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was. The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.” Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am.  You called me.” “I did not call you,” Eli said, “Go back to sleep.” So he went back to sleep. Again, the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said.  “You called me.” But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son.  Go back to sleep.” At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD, because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet. The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am.  You called me.” Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”

The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.   (Hebrews 4:12-16) We are all capable of being double-edged swords.  We can cut both ways and deep separating soul from spirit. A double-edged sword was useful in battle because there was no need to turn the blade, and sweeping left-right-left cuts were needed in close-quarter combats.  The doub

Ants were once men and made their living by tilling the soil.  But, not content with the results of their own work, they were always casting longing eyes upon the crops and fruits of their neighbors, which they stole whenever they got the chance, and added to their own store.  At last, their covetousness made Jupiter [Zeus] so angry that he changed them into ants.  But though their forms were changed, their nature remained the same. And so, to this day, they go about among the cornfields and gather the fruits of others’ labor and store them up for their own use.  The moral of this fable from Aesop?  You may punish a thief, but his bent remains.   In other words, we cannot get leopards to change their spots or zebras to change their stripes – or ants to gather their own fruits. 

The Holy Spirit says: Oh, that today you would hear his voice, “Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert, where your ancestors tested and tried me and saw my works for forty years. Because of this I was provoked with that generation and I said, ‘They have always been of erring heart, and they do not know my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter into my rest.’” Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end. (Hebrews 3:7-14)   Hebrews gives us a very relevant message for today.   First, we must take care – take care of our faith by serious observance and reflection, and not just on dogma and Church teachings, but on Christ and our duty as Catholics esp

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) This last line in today’s first reading indicates Jesus helps us when we are tested because he was tested through suffering. And, we are frequently tested through fear of death especially when we suffer from physical and/or emotional pain.  Christ is always with us and always accompanies us in this pain and grief.  Christ cannot take the pain away but does help us endure it when we

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “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, “Quiet!  Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee. (Mark 1:21-28) Most of us, no all of us, have unclean spirits living within us and sometimes taking control over our lives.  We let them.  They are slick tempters.  Skilled spiritual con men and women convince us to do what we otherwise would never consider.  

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him. (Mark 1:14-20)

Thus says the LORD: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street, a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching.  I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7) Today is the Baptism of the Lord.  With baptisms we emphasize the Holy Spirit.  According to Marcus Borg in his 1997 book “The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion To a More Authentic Contemporary Faith:” “…I suggest ‘Spirit’ as a root image for this model of God [God as Sp

Beloved: We have this confidence in him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly. We know that anyone begotten by God does not sin; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the Evil One cannot touch him.  We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One. We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Children be on your guard against idols. (1 John 5:14-21) Is the whole worl

According to Aesop, A Woodman went into the forest and begged of the trees the favor of a handle for his Axe.  The Principal Trees at once agreed to so modest a request, and unhesitatingly gave him a young ash sapling, out of which he fashioned the handle he desired.  No sooner had he done so than he set to work to fell the noblest Trees in the wood.  When they saw the use to which he was putting their gift, they cried, “Alas! Alas! We are undone, but we ourselves are to blame.  The little we gave has cost us all: had we not sacrificed the rights of the ash, we might ourselves have stood for ages.” Have we given anyone the favor of a handle for his or her Axe?  This favor often is given by our slavish devotion to websites and social media that promote and spread anger and hate instead of tolerance and understanding.   Many wish to wield their axes to hurt us and our country.  Do we know any Woodman having “begged” us “noble trees” for a handle?  Who have we sacrificed to grant that fav

Jesus always reminds us not to hate.  Yesterday was an example of hate and violence running wild.    Jesus always reminds us of the consequences of lying.   Evil prevails.  Yesterday, it prevailed in the Capitol.    We hope this year we will heal, and our 'One Nation Under God" will be so. Deacon David Pierce

Beloved, we love God because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. (1 John 4:19-5:4) The first part of this reading is one of the most powerful in the New Testament.  We Catholic God-lovers should take it to heart.  We say we love God, but perhaps we simply fear God and pretend love.   After all, loving that which we cannot see i

Pope Francis the Dreamer is the title of an article in the January issue of America.  According to the authors, “Pope Francis wants Catholics to dare to dream of better politics.”   He is optimistic.   The authors end their article with this conclusion: “Pope Francis asks the church to disentangle itself from the world’s moribund realisms, which only serve to excuse our indifference to the weakest and poorest around us.  His politics are neither liberal nor conservative, but a vision of fraternity grounded in utopian hope.  We can remain frightened, grasping at the security of a sentimentalized past.  We can remain captive to the market logic of the present, unable to imagine an alternative to its endless violence.  Or we can devote ourselves to the task of audacious dreaming of a radically different future, waiting the most unexpected solidarities to come.” Dreaming is the Pope’s theme in his 2020 book “Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future.”  In his Prologue with an emphasis on t

Aesop’s fables were written by this man, believed to have been a slave, about the sixth century before Christ.  They all have morals that stand the test of time.  Here is one quite appropriate for 2021, the year after the infamous 2020. A cat heard that the Birds in an aviary were ailing.  So he got himself up as a doctor, and, taking with him a set of the instruments proper to his profession, presented himself at the door, and inquired after the health of the Birds.  “We shall do very well,” they replied, without letting him in, “when we’ve seen the last of you.”  The moral of this fable is: “A villain may disguise himself, but he will not deceive the wise.”  We all know disguised villains, although many of us are still duped.  

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.  From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyo

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying," Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel." Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." 

This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”  Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.  (John 1:19-28)

The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace! So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27) It is January first, the new year to follow the past one of great difficulties, partisanship, division, even hate and racist behavior.  Notably, Catholics have become tribal and many one-issue voters.  We all had challenging perspectives at odds with many of our fellow neighbors we were supposed to respect and attempt to love, as Jesus taught us.  Like the LORD, we were to look kindly on each other and have our faces shine on each other.  We were to be gracious.  An appropriate New Year’s resolution would be for us to pledge to bless each other and give each other peace.   One way to accomplish these objectives would be to take t