The King's Corner

Brothers and sisters: Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. (Romans 12:9-16) True words of wisdom.  Paul had it right.  We only wish we all did.  “One nation under God” is what our country is.  If only we all lived up to God’s expectations especially having love for one another – having regard for one another at the very least. Deacon David Pierce

“With his Communion ban, Cordileone harms the church more than Pelosi does” by Michael Sean Winters who covers the nexus of religion and politics for NCR.  The following article is timely as we are about to enter June and approach the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. (begin) Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone assures us that his decree barring U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving holy Communion has nothing to do with politics: "I assure you that my action here is purely pastoral, not political." The assurance is laughable. As Melinda Henneberger pointed out in the Sacramento Bee, Cordileone's claim is "a silly thing to say, since no one who would believe him needs to hear it, and no one who wouldn't will be at all persuaded by it." The fact that Cordileone misunderstands the politics, however, is the least of his and the Catholic Church's problem. The larger difficulty is that his understanding of the religious values at stake is lousy,

Catholic leaders react to Texas school massacre: ‘Don’t tell me that guns aren’t the problem.’  By Michael J. O’Loughlin, national correspondent at America and author of Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear. (begin) Catholic leaders are reacting with anger and calls to restrict guns following the latest mass shooting that left at least 19 children and two teachers dead. “It’s time to say, ‘Enough!’ to the indiscriminate trafficking of guns,” Pope Francis said Wednesday after offering prayers to the victims of the Uvalde, Tex., shooting. “Let’s all work to ensure that such tragedies never happen again.” Several bishops in Texas released statements, calling for prayers and, in one instance, expressing frustration at attempts to deflect attention away from guns. “Don’t tell me that guns aren’t the problem, people are,” Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Tex., tweeted. “I’m sick of hearing it.” “The darkness first takes our children who

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.  So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” (John 16:20-23) So many children dead from gun violence!  We weep and mourn for them, while the NRA and politicians they “own” rejoice in solid opposition to gun control measures – even background checks.  Joy has been stolen from so many families.  

Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.   But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.” (John 16:5-11) According to John speaking for Jesus, the Holy Spirit – the Advocate – will only come to us if Jesus “goes.”  But when the Spirit comes, the outcome will not be very pleasant because we will be convicted and condemned.  Why?

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. “I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.” (John 15:26-16:4) John and his disciples were expelled from the synagogue because they thought Jesus was the Messiah who had come.  Most Jews we still waiting; therefore, those followers of Jesus were shown the door, so to speak.  

  May 22, 2022, the Sixth Sunday of Easter Congratulations: Today we join together as a parish family in offering one of our own, Christopher Hughes, congratulations upon his ordination as a deacon this weekend. For men who are advancing toward the priesthood, becoming a ( transitional ) deacon is their entrance into major orders and thus the final step before being ordained a priest. Being ordained a deacon then entails a most solemn commitment which is reflected in the three promises that those who are about to enter major orders are required to make before the bishop in the presence of the clergy and laity assembled for the liturgy of ordination in the Cathedral Church. • In the presence of God and his Church, are you resolved, as a sign of your interior dedication to Christ, to remain celibate for the sake of the kingdom and in lifelong service to God and mankind?” • “Are you resolved to maintain and deepen a spirit of prayer appropriate to your way of life and, i

Today Christopher Hughes is ordained a transitional deacon on his way to become a priest.  We thank him for his dedication and service.  The name "Christopher" means Christ-Bearer, and so he will have that role and responsibility. I and other deacons who are "Permanent" will welcome him at the Fall River Cathedral at an 11:00 AM ceremony. Deacon David Pierce

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Many of us fall into the category of “old age.”  Therefore, Pope Francis’ recent catechesis is quite relevant. (begin) Continuing his catechesis on the elderly at the weekly General Audience, Pope Francis draws inspiration from the biblical figure of Job, who witnesses a God of tenderness behind His silence. In his continuing catechesis on the meaning and value of old age in the light of God’s word, Pope Francis turned to the great biblical figure of Job. He told the faithful gathered at Wednesday’s General Audience in St Peter’s Square that Job’s persevering faith amid profound suffering led him to understand that God, who often appears silent in the face of evil, is nonetheless mysteriously present with His redemptive mercy and love.

What follows is today's Boston Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham's opinion piece.  I share her views.  Many Catholics do not.   There's the pity. (begin) What do you want from us? When will you finally feel satisfied, unafraid? How much of other people’s suffering will it take to make you — the Trumpists, the Tucker Carlson cultists, the white supremacists, the Christian nationalists, the voters who embrace the hate, or do not reject it, which amounts to much the same thing — feel better? You keep saying we are ruining your America. That we are taking your pride, your tax dollars, your jobs; erasing your culture; diluting your votes; replacing you. You live in a zero-sum world, where every atom of care and comfort provided to others steals something from you. Every bottle of formula allegedly given to an undocumented infant is thievery. Better to let those babies go hungry, so that innocent babies — your babies — have plenty.

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.  I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (John 15:1-8) I recently burned all the branches that had fallen from my trees during winter storms. 

Excellent summation!  Are we angry?  Time to break the engagement. Deacon David Pierce

Here's some good advice from Flor McCarthy SDB: Though the stream was in a hurry to reach the plains; nevertheless, it took time to form pools.   Around these pools grass grew;  from them animals quenches their thirst;  within them frogs jumped for joy. Today people are always rushing.  They seem unable to slow down and spend time with one another. No wonder they offer one another so little. It is hard to drink from a fast-flowing steam.

10:30 Mass homily Most of us like to travel to see the beauty and majesty of our country and the world.  Many of us simply travel from Mashpee to Falmouth, then to Bourne followed by Sandwich, Barnstable, all the way to Chatham, Truro and Provincetown, and back again. We plan day trips or longer vacations to get away, relax, and perhaps meet new people.  Today’s first reading is a travelogue of sorts. Paul and Barnabas traveled throughout southern, present-day Turkey to Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, Pisidia, Pamphylia, Perga, and Attalia. But they were not on a vacation. They were hard at work with the task of spreading the Word of God and the good news to new people and opening the doors to the faith and the way of Jesus for the Gentiles. They were Christ’s ambassadors, as we should be.  Being an ambassador – a disciple of sorts – is a difficult, demanding role because as Luke said in the Acts of the Apostles, it’s necessary to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God especially

Oftentimes, a simple cartoon says it all.  No words are needed. Deacon David Pierce

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6)

  Our Adam and Eve story intrigues must people - religious or not.  The snake's role is especially intriguing.  With racism being such a prevalent topic in our nation, and in our Church, this cartoon furthers concern about racist behavior - even by crocodiles. Deacon David Pierce

Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.  Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.” (John 12:44-50) John speaks for Jesus, but I suspect he puts words in Jesus’ mouth that he would not have spoken.  John wrote his Gospel in the 90s, many decades after Jesus’ crucifixion.  Because John has Jesus speak of judging and condemning, i.e., “Whoever rejects me and does

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (John 10:22-30)

Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;

Yes, I do place many "Pearls Before Swine" comics in my blogs.  Please forgive me.  I need inner peace. On this fourth Sunday of Easter, let's think like goat and not a rat.   Deacon David Pierce

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:60-69)

I offer the following contribution by Marcelo Gleiser [ Professor of natural philosophy, physics, and astronomy at Dartmouth College. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a recipient of the Presidential Faculty Fellows Award from the White House and NSF and was awarded the 2019 Templeton Prize. Gleiser has authored five books and is the co-founder of 13.8, where he writes about science and culture with physicist Adam Frank. ]  The universe is unfathomable in terms of its size and mystery.  Even so, right here on planet Earth there are marvelous creations of God, and we are just one. (begin) While some colleagues conjecture the existence of more than one Universe, today we will restrict ourselves and our imaginations to our own bubble of information: the sphere with a radius equal to the distance light has traveled since time began some 13.8 billion years ago. Factoring in the expansion of the Universe, our information bubble has a radius of about 46 billion light years. Oth

  What is the truth?  Jesus, of course, and what he proclaimed.  We don't have to seek him on a mountain top.  He is there wherever we look provided we have eyes to see.   Truth is not in the eye of beholder.  It is not subjective, although many of us seem to think so and favor alt truth, that is, whatever fits our view of the universe and our political or religious leanings.   Clinging to alt truth (alternative truth) generally means we believe and follow false teachers and false prophets.  Seeking real truth means we use Jesus as our guide and as the guru we call the Son of God. Deacon David Pierce

I’ve always been fascinated by the phrase “the world, the flesh, and the devil,” especially as it pertains to evil.  I’m also taken by the phrase: "powers, principalities, thrones, and dominions.”  For these reasons, my attention was caught by Father Richard Rohr and his recent reflection in which he said: “the cycle of violence mirrors the cycle of evil.” Considering the divisiveness, anger, hatred and politically motivated, nasty shenanigans occurring throughout our country and what is happening throughout the world, especially in the Ukraine, I offer his reflection:  Brazilian archbishop Hélder Câmara (1909–1999) was a brilliant nonviolent activist who offered a model for understanding how structural injustice leads to greater violence. He wrote: “If violence is met by violence, the world will fall into a spiral of violence” (emphasis mine). [1] I overlay Dom Hélder’s teaching with traditional Catholic moral teaching which saw the three primary sources of evil as the world, the

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you

Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyreneans, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.”  They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who testified, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:8-15) Stephen was the first deacon, and his fate was determined by his