The King's Corner

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.  Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our f

  We can never change the past.  Then again, we sure can! Seeking forgiveness can change the past.  Saying we are sorry puts us into a time machine to fix the past so we can move forward into the future.  We do not need an H.G. Wells contraption.  Just our mouths and a changed heart. Deacon David Pierce

Vatican politics can get nasty.  Every Pope has his critics.  However, it seems unusual for a Pope to be so blunt with his response to critics.  It's even more unusual for a Pope to go after an extremely influential Catholic news outlet, i.e., EWTN.  Pope Francis has, and I'm glad he has.   There is something quite foul about blistering and orchestrated attacks on this Pope who is pastoral and just plain smart.  He does not demur.  Jesus speaks through him, and we should carefully listen.  What follows is an article from America entitled "Pope Francis responds to attacks from EWTN, other church critics: ‘They are the work of the devil.’" by Gerard O’Connell (September 21, 2021) (begin) When a Jesuit in Slovakia asked Pope Francis “How are you?”, the pope stunned them with his answer: “Still alive, even though some people wanted me to die.”

Hypocrisy and lies mark opposition to the COVID vaccine.  I suspect at least some CTK parishioners fall into the camp described in this Boston Globe editorial of September 21.  I hope those numbers are just a few.   (begin) Nearer my God to thee, but not to a COVID vaccine: No major religious denomination has forbidden any of the COVID-19 vaccinations. That’s not stopping the vaccine-resistant from claiming religious exemptions. Suddenly, a lot of Americans are getting that old-time religion. With more cities, schools and universities, and businesses enacting vaccine mandates, some trying to avoid getting vaccinated are claiming religious exemptions. Federal civil rights law states that companies must recognize “sincerely held” religious beliefs.

At that time, John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Bet

While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”  But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. (Luke 9:43-45) Jesus has told us many things, but how much of that telling has had an effect on us? Do we really pay attention to what he tells us, even today?  Do we understand his meaning?  Do we simply pretend that his meaning is hidden from us?  Are we afraid to know his truth?  Do we lie and scapegoat even though we know liars and scapegoaters are anti-Christ?  Are we lip-servicers? Do we hand over our friends and acquaintances to other men through acts of betrayal?  Would Jesus be amazed and shocked at our every foul deed? It’s the beginning of fall.  Winter approaches.  The cold and darkness of this time of year should prompt some soul-searching.  We who are

In the second year of King Darius, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: Tell this to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people: Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes? But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD, and take courage, Joshua, high priest, son of Jehozadak, and take courage, all you people of the land, says the LORD, and work! For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts. This is the pact that I made with you when you came out of Egypt, and my spirit continues in your midst; do not fear!  For thus says the LORD of hosts: One moment yet, a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come in, and I will fill this house

Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist, wrote the following September 15 article, “The sins we commit with words: Yom Kippur teaches the importance of seeking forgiveness from those we have hurt.”  It’s well worth reading!  Jesus, the Jew would agree.  So, would Pope Francis. (begin) Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and awe-filled day of the Jewish year. For millennia, Jews have spent this highest of holy days — which begins Wednesday at sundown and lasts until nightfall Thursday — in fasting, prayer, and contrition. Synagogues will be crowded. Jews, including many not normally given to religious observance, will gather to confess their sins, express repentance, and seek God’s forgiveness. The singular promise of Yom Kippur comes from the Book of Leviticus. Chapter 16 prescribes the elaborate sequence of offerings and rituals carried out in ancient times by the High Priest, who was required to publicly atone three times — first for his own transgressions, then for those of hi

Our personal and Church responses to Covid-19 restrictions that greatly benefit public safety are woven into the following commentary by Gloria Purvis. She makes some valid points. Her piece published in America Magazine is entitled: "Pro-lifers expect sacrifices from pregnant women. Why do so many balk at the sacrifices of Covid-19 restrictions?"  (begin) When Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C., announced in March 2020 that the Mass would be closed to the public because of Covid-19, I was not angry. His concern for my physical health was prudent. He did not use spiritual bromides to lull us into believing our bodies are impervious to the effects of the world or tell us that defying public health orders in an effort to attend Mass is a true witness of our devotion to God. The Mass was not cancelled and was still being celebrated by priests, even if the mode of participation by the laity changed. It was available online for those who wanted to watch it, and bishops is

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. 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.” (Matthew 9:9-13) Now this is a very powerful passage from Matthew (and Hosea)!  When we follow Jesus, we eat with sinners and are merciful.  We don’t just associate ourselves with the “good” and those who think like us.  When we “eat” with sinners, others of unlike minds might ask, “Why do you bother?  Why do you not simply sacrifice by attending Mass and participating in the Liturgy, and then receive Communion?  That’s how you c

The Boston Globe recently published an article entitled: “Pope faults political use of Christianity.”  The Pope addressed populist leaders.  He spoke in Slovakia.  He might as well have spoken in America.  I include a portion of the article here. (begin) Pope Francis to populist leaders: Do not use the cross for political purposes: Pope Francis speaks during a meeting with the Roma community in the Lunik IX neighborhood in Kosice, Slovakia, Sept. 14, 2021. “Let us not reduce the cross to an object of devotion, much less to a political symbol, to a sign of religious and social status,” Pope Francis said in an inspiring homily in eastern Slovakia on his third day in the country, challenging the tepid religiosity of many and the use of the cross for political purposes by populist leaders in Europe and elsewhere.

Today's 5:30 homily There was a massive tree – sort of a treasured landmark – where students had met for decades. No one could even imagine the college campus without the mighty oak that spread its giant limbs for all to enjoy. It seemed to be a perpetual part of the landscape until one day with an enormous nerve-jolting CRACK, the mighty giant crashed to the ground.   Once down, all who grieved its passing could see what no one had bothered to notice over the years. A downward spiral of internal erosion, month by month, season after season, had been taking place. Just because it was silent and slow didn’t mean it was not dying. The seemingly eternal, mighty oak tree was hollow from years of decay. All that was seen by passersby was simply a shell of an oak tree. What was true of the mighty oak tree can also be said for people. Ever so slightly, invisible moral and ethical decay can invade, beginning the stages of a terminal disease. One cause of that disease and ethical decay is o

I recently was told about Joyce Rupp's 1997 bestselling, contemporary classic having sold more than 200,000 copies.  Her new edition continues a fifteen-year tradition of helping individuals and groups pray.  I find it very helpful.   Now with a new preface and fresh design, The Cup of Our Life is available to anyone seeking a more intimate and disciplined life of prayer. Joyce Rupp, the bestselling Catholic woman writer today, illustrates how the ordinary cups used each day can become sacred vessels that connect readers with life and bring them into closer union with the Divine. She explores how the cup is a rich symbol of life, with its emptiness and fullness, its brokenness and flaws, and its many blessings. With daily devotions for six weeks, this book is ideal for individual usage as well as group usage in parish settings, religious communities, and small Christian communities. One book review read: "I have found the cup to be a powerful teacher for my inner life," w

Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong died last Sunday at the age of 90.  According to his obituary written by Harrison Smith of the Washington Post: (begin) Bishop Spong was an outspoken leader of the church’s liberal wing, known for his efforts to open the faith to marginalized groups and preach a message of love and justice that would resonate in an increasingly secular age. He acquired an international profile while writing more than two dozen books, appearing on TV shows such as “Oprah” and “Larry King Live,” and serving as bishop of Newark, where he was the spiritual leader of some 40,000 northern New Jersey Episcopalians from 1979 to 2000. As a theologian, he was known for questioning some of Christianity’s fundamental doctrines, including the virgin birth, the resurrection of Jesus and the existence of miracles. Those views infuriated Christian leaders who labeled him a heretic, although he was part of a long tradition of theologians who argued that taking the Bible literally w

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.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He s

Today’s Sequence for Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows At the cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last. Through her heart, his sorrow sharing, All his bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword had passed. Oh, how sad and sore distressed Was that Mother highly blessed Of the sole begotten One!

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”  For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:13-17) According to Numbers, Yahweh punished the people by sending serpents to bite them.  The people complained against Moses and God.  The people then turned to Moses for help; they confessed they had sinned; and they asked Moses to pray to Yahweh to remove the serpents.  

What follows is Pope Francis' weekly Wednesday audience given on August 25, 2021.  It's entitled  "Hypocrisy in the church is ‘particularly detestable’"  I provide it here because hypocrisy often seems to reign supreme in many facets of our lives, especially in our politics. (begin) Brothers and sisters, good morning! The Letter to the Galatians reports a rather surprising fact. As we have heard, Paul says that he reproached Cephas, or Peter, in front of the community at Antioch, since his behavior was not that good. What had happened that was so serious that Paul felt obliged to address Peter in such harsh terms? Perhaps Paul was exaggerating, allowing his character to get in the way without knowing how to control himself? We will see that this is not the case, but that, yet again, what was at stake was the relationship between the Law and freedom. And we must return to this often. Writing to the Galatians, Paul deliberately mentions this episode that had taken plac

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. Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. (James 2:14-18) “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”  This quite a departure from later thinking marked by Martin Luther's understanding of faith.  Luther believed that salvation is a gift God alone granted to sinners who passively affirm their faith in Christ, rather than something a sinner can actively obtain through the performance of good works.  This divergence in thinking about the importance of works or deeds led

Jesus said to his disciples: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?  I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act, is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.” (Luke 6:43-49) Today is 9

Jesus told his disciples a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite!  Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.” (Luke 6:39-42)

Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one Body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17) This letter attributed to Paul is very attractive.  In fact, I’d like it to be part of our formal Mass and recited along with the Creed that is lofty and theological rather than pastoral.  This Pauline

What follows is part of a contribution to “ANGER” Volume 6 No. 1 A Publication of the Center for Action and Contemplation (2018).  It was written by Brian McLaren. Because I love, I am angry.  Really angry. And if you are not angry, I think you should check your pulse, because if your heart beats for something, someone, anything, you’ll be angry when it’s harmed or threatened. To paraphrase Rene Descartes (1596-1650): I love; therefore, I’m angry. The question is what are we going to do with our anger, because Friedrich Nietzsche (1840-1900) was right at least once: “Beware that when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.”  In other words, because I love, I become angry when what I love is threatened.  But my anger can lead me, if I am not careful, to become a hateful person.  How can I manage or harness anger without being embittered and “monsterified” by it?  A good place to start is by seeking to understand it…

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.  And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all. (Luke 6:12-19) Jesus prayed to God.  Luke doesn’t label Jesus as divine.  That was John’s interpretation.  Jesus clearly was a healer with large numbers of peop

I thought so.  It wasn't the snake.   Deacon David Pierce

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? 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? (James 2:1-5) Now this reading from James strikes at the heart of the matter and lays bare who we tend to be; that is, we judge people by jewelry and clothes – by their appearance and by their social status. Faith in Jesus Christ involves non-judgmental behavior and not making distinctions as to who is worthy of our attention and where they should s

Brothers and sisters: You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds; God has now reconciled you in the fleshly Body of Christ through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him, provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23) Aren’t we still?  Aren’t we still alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds?  Are we holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before Jesus because we persevere in our faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel?  Each of us must truthfully answer these questions.   The challenge is to acknowledge what are evil deeds.  Many people believe distinguishing between good versus evil is subjective.  They have concluded it’s all in the eye of the beholder.  They are wrong.  The distinct

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” And he also told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’” (Luke 5:33-39)

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret [Galilee]. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.  Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “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.

After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them. At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them. And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.” But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4:38-44)