The King's Corner

 

Sunday, October 30, 2022, Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Why the Ghosts are Knocking on Your Door: Halloween will find many of us keeping vigil by the front door awaiting those who show up in costumes asking trick or treat? Why this strange custom? Even back to ancient pagan times it was believed that the barrier between this world and the next, though never completely sealed, is particularly permeable at the end of the month of October. Therefore, one might expect visitors at this time, perhaps the ghosts of loved ones or not so nice goblins from the other side asking favors “treats” and should one ignore or refuse them, it is likely that the less benevolent among them might play a trick on you. Christians transformed pagan beliefs with the Gospel and so adapted these customs with our belief that the souls of the departed faithful are never far from us, and some among them still need our prayerful help to get into heaven. What better day to be admitted there than

[From the internet] (begin) The road to Hell is paved with good intentions is a proverb or aphorism. An alternative form is “Hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of good works.” Another interpretation to consider would be one is naive and acts in good faith with no altruistic objective. It merely seems as the proper or even sensible thing to do. In this scenario the act, regardless of its virtue, leads the actor to unintended negative consequences. Example: “I took the initiative and replaced the toner in the copy machine, only to be lectured about its poor quality. The boss said we are stuck with using it until the end of the month. I guess the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Stephen Garrard Post, writing about altruism, suggests that good intentions are often not what they seem and that mankind normally acts from less worthy, selfish motives: “If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, it is partly because that is the road they generally start out on

What follows is Father Richard Rohr’s summary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s principles of nonviolence.  Jesus could have written them.  Unfortunately, too few of us subscribe to these principles.  (begin) (1) Nonviolence is a way of strength and not a way for cowards. It is not a lack of power which allows us to be nonviolent, but in fact the discovery of a different kind of power. It is a choice, not a resignation. It’s a spirituality, not just a tactic. (2) The goal of nonviolence is always winning the friendship and the understanding of the supposed opponent, not [their] humiliation or personal defeat. It must be done to eventually facilitate the process of reconciliation, and we ourselves must be willing to pay the price for that reconciliation. King based this on Jesus’ lifestyle and death and on Ephesians 2:13–22 and Romans 12:1–2.

  This cartoon from Non Sequitur comic strips provides a 1990's perspective about the political identification process at that time.  Seem familiar?   Jesus treats us as his sheep in need of protection and his insights.  Unfortunately, too many of us are sheep when it comes to following the herd.  We tend not to think for ourselves and think critically.  Many of us don't know how.   It's fair to say many of us fall into the same trap with the Religious Identification Process.  Step 3 applies, and Step 4 follows.  This leads to divisiveness and houses built on sand.   Deacon David Pierce

Two important and influential men died very recently.  Their works live on, although I’m uncertain as to what extent today’s seminaries introduce men-in-formation to their ideas.  I certainly hope so.   Father James Martin published an article in America Magazine on October 21.  It’s entitled: “How two scholars introduced me to the ‘historical Jesus’—and sent me on a lifelong quest to know more.”  I’m aware of both men and their work.  I’ve read Nolan’s, and now I’ve targeted Meier’s whose books are on my bookshelf, but still unread.  Martin wrote: (begin) In 1988, my first year as a Jesuit novice in Boston, I spied a slim paperback book on the shelf of the novitiate library with a strange title on its cover: Jesus Before Christianity. At first, I couldn’t get my mind around what seemed a bizarre notion: How could Jesus exist before Christianity? Such was my understanding of the Christian faith that the idea seemed threatening, even dangerous. But the blurb on the cover, from the famou

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, willingly serving the Lord and not men, knowing that each will be requited from the Lord for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying, knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven and that with him there is no partiality. (Ephesians 6:1-9) This reading from Ephesians has been misused.  “Slaves be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling…”  The part about being “sl

 

  This cartoon in the National Catholic Reporter newspaper highlighted that only 1% of all U.S. Catholics participated in the Synod process (now extended through 2024).  For a variety of good reasons 99% said or wrote nothing about the status and future of our Church.  Perhaps this is one reason why Pope Francis has extended Synod discussions.   For those who participated what has been recommended is truly "radical stuff," but critically important and certainly consistent with Jesus' teaching and preaching.  Pope Francis' leadership is being tested, and his opponents within the Church will keep pushing back.  Such is the consequence of divisiveness and clericalism the Pope has fervently criticized.  He is a brave Pontiff. Deacon Pierce

  October 23, 2022, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Hurricane Disaster Relief: Baskets remain at the entrances of the church to receive your donations given to assist those turning to the Church for help in South West Florida and in Puerto Rico. Let us enable the Church to be a living sign of the compassion and charity of Christ to those in crisis as a result of the devastation to their homes and businesses recently caused by these powerful storms. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated. Mission Sunday: Today we join with the Church throughout the world to offer our spiritual and material support to those who go out in our name, carrying the gospel to the far reaches of the world in spite of the sacrifices and hardships this work may entail. This annual observance must also serve to remind us of our own responsibility to bring the gospel to places where it is presently absent, sometimes in homes, workplaces and other locations not so far away and very familiar to us!

Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise, your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” (Luke 12:54-59) Are the seas rising?  Are the glaciers melting?  Are storms becoming more frequent and severe?  Is climate changing and causing major flooding, fires, and hurricanes? Is the Gulf Stream slowing down?  Isn’t a cloud rising in the w

 

  Being one such former junior high school student told to climb a long and high gym rope by a despot-like gym teacher, I feel this "Requiem" is appropriate. We all hope when it's time to receive our final reward, we will not face a rope, perhaps just a few stairs. Deacon David Pierce

On Sunday I provided a blog and homily about Jesus and nonviolence.  Two days before teacher and author Brian McLaren had his thoughts published by the Center for Action and Contemplation.  According to the CAC, “McLaren has spent years calling Christians to a practice of faith that reflects the loving, nonviolent Jesus of the Gospels instead of the conquering Jesus of colonialism and empire.”  McLaren wrote the following interesting perspective: (begin) The God imaged by Jesus exerts no dominating supremacy. In Christ, we see an image of a God who is not armed with lightning bolts but with basin and towel, who spewed not threats but good news for all, who rode not a warhorse but a donkey, weeping in compassion for people who do not know the way of peace. In Christ, God is supreme, but not in the old, discredited paradigm of supremacy: God is the supreme healer, the supreme friend, the supreme lover, the supreme life-giver who self-empties in gracious love for all. The king of kings an

  Actually, in most cases we are to blame for what we have done or for what we have failed to do.  However, we are vulnerable to brainwashing from different sources and outlets, especially television.  We all should sharpen our critical thinking skills to avoid being ignorant sheep following false shepherds and prophets.  Modern ethics must be based on love of God and our neighbors.  Otherwise, we play the blame game and never look in the mirror to see the plank in our eyes. Deacon David Pierce

Back in March Pope Francis gave this address at the Vatican Apostolic Palace with an audience of participants in the International Congress “Educating for democracy in a fragmented world”, promoted by the Pontifical Foundation Gravissimum Educationis .  I provide just part of it here. (begin) We are used to hearing news of wars, but far away. Syria, Yemen... the usual. Now the war has come closer, it is on our doorstep, practically. And this makes us think about the “savagery” of human nature, how far we are capable of going. Murderers of our brothers.  Thank you, Msgr. Guy-Réal Thivierge, for this letter that you brought, which is a wake-up call, it draws attention to what is happening. We talk about education, and when one thinks of education one thinks of children, young people... We think of so many soldiers who are sent to the front, very young, Russian soldiers, poor things. Think of the many young Ukrainian soldiers; think of the inhabitants, the young people, the young girls, b

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” (Lu

 

Today’s 5:30 homily The Old Testament, otherwise known as the Hebrew Bible or Hebrew Scriptures, is instructive but not so much in today’s first reading that tells us to find our enemies and destroy them with a belief that God is on our side, not theirs. Then we can mow them down with God’s approval.   Our reading from Exodus has this deadly theme – deadly because today too many people and nations have that belief leading to chaos and war – to heightened division, racist attitudes, and tribal thinking such as that which permeates and has soaked our nation – and the world. Moses used the staff of God to mow down Amalek and his people. The Amalekites harassed the Hebrews during their Exodus from Egypt and are believed to have attacked them near Mount Sinai. As long as the staff was held above Moses’ head, with the help of Aaron and Hur, the Hebrews had the better of the Amalekites, so the story goes.

October 16, 2022, Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Organ Delivery Scheduled: Thanks to the great generosity of our parishioners, we have been able to make the final payment on the new organ and it is now being scheduled to be delivered and installed by the end of this month! Many thanks to all those who contributed and so have made this essential purchase possible!

What follows is an article from the Catholic News Service: “Complaints, coupled with inaction, are poison, pope says” by Carol Glatz (begin) “Complaints without any desire to do anything about the situation are poison,” Pope Francis said. Complaining can be “a poison to the soul, a poison to life” and “almost a sin” when it prevents people from building and strengthening “the desire to move forward,” he said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 12. The pope continued his series of talks about discernment by reflecting on the role of desire in discovering what one truly wants or needs in his or her life. Desire, he said, “is the compass to understand where I am and where I am going,” and it can indicate whether a person has just given up and is “standing still.”

 

At that time: So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees. “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:1-7)

The Lord said: “Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’ in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building.  Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.”  When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say. (Luke 11:47-54)

What follows is yesterday’s reflection for Monday of the 28th week in Ordinary Time by Joe Hoover, S.J. It’s about slavery and the Bible’s use of allegories to tell stories and make religious points.  It’s about the chains we put upon ourselves. Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman… Now this is an allegory. These women represent two covenants. One was from Mt. Sinai, bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar. Hagar represents Sinai, a mountain in Arabia; it corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery along with her children. But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother. (Galatians 4: 22-26)  (begin) The slavery Paul speaks of in this passage is not physical, bonded slavery. It is not about slavery of the kind that centuries later would play out in the raids of African tribal chieftains, the horrors of the Middle Passage, the brutality of a plantation owner. This reading from Galatians is rather an allegory, as

After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.  The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” (Luke 11:37-41) How many of us are like coffee cups left overnight and less than half-full?  It takes a while to clean the inside stains.  We are like the cups – all stained inside and needing to be cleaned.   Our faith is an all-purpose cleaner, but a little elbow grease is still required to remove the discoloring.  In other words, deeds are needed, not just faith that can be shallow without its application to improve our lives and the lives of others.  Love is our Ajax.  We fools must get scrub

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation, and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.” (Luke 11:29-32)

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests."  As they were going, they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." (Luke 17:11-19) Are we the “one?”  If, so, then how come?  Humility is the answer, as well as thankfulness.  The one leper who was a Samaritan actually returned to Jesus to give him thanks.  The others just went on their way. Perhaps the message

 

  October 9, 2022, the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time What Day Is It? While we certainly don’t wish to overlook the contributions of indigenous peoples who populated the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, at the same time we should not fail to appreciate the truth that most of us would not be here if he hadn’t opened the door to this hemisphere to people from Europe by his voyage of exploration. So Happy Columbus Day and Happy Indigenous Peoples Day. A Memorial Gift: A Thabor, the stand on which the Monstrance is placed for Eucharistic Adoration, has been given to the parish in memory of the late Bill Sullivan, frequently a daily communicant, by his family to honor their father’s memory and his faithfulness as a parishioner here at Christ the King during his retirement years. The Thabor was used for the first time on this past Friday during adoration in the St, Jude Chapel which takes place on each First Friday of the month following the 830 AM

While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Luke 11:27-28) It’s a short Gospel, but right to the central point of our faith.  We are to listen to the word of God – to Jesus – and then act accordingly, meaning, as used by Nike in its commercials, we are to “Just do it!”  We are to be courageous and overcome obstacles. Blessed are those who truly follow Jesus and apply his commandments to our daily lives. Too many of us respond with: “Not quite yet” or “It’s too hard.”  These are quite normal and expected reactions.   Let’s do all of our blessed mothers proud – those ladies who carried us in their wombs (some of us nursed).  We were all born for a reason, that is, to do the will of God – to be in the image of God.  When we reflect that image, we are blessed.  If not, the woes come to mind. Deacon Da

 

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.  And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 

Inspired by Franciscan philosopher-theologian John Duns Scotus (1266–1308), Father Richard Rohr teaches about loving things in and as themselves (October 5 Reflection).  He offers a useful perspective. (begin) What does it mean when we’re told we should love God with our whole heart, with our whole soul, with our whole mind, and with our whole strength? The first commandment is that we should love God more than anything else. The only way I know how to love God is to love what God loves; only then do we love with divine love and allow it to flow through us. Just how does God love? Franciscan philosopher-theologian Duns Scotus said in his doctrine of “thisness” (“haecceity”), that we are to love things in and as themselves, to love things for what they are, not for what they do for us. That’s when we really begin to love our spouses, our children, our neighbors, and others. When we free them from our agendas, then we can truly love them without concern for what they do for us, or how th

  Herein lies our problem.  Divisions of these sorts spill over into our Church.  The devil smiles as we characterize the other as in league with darkness and evil.  Where is our charity?  Where is our love for our neighbor or at least respect for our neighbor and those with different points of view?  I'm sure Christ wonders about the health of his body we oblige to be either left or right.   Deacon David Pierce.

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.  Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.”  The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:38-42) It’s best we sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to him. However, I prefer to simply walk with him and listen.  We all should.  When we do, we won’t go astray and take the wrong path leading to a wide gate and our downfall. Too many of us say, “It’s my way or the highway.”  That highway can lead to a cliff, a fall, and a very hard landing.   Deacon David Pierce

What follows was published in Politico Magazine on June 26 by James Carroll.  It is his revealing review of Pope Francis’ pontificate to date especially as it relates to clericalism and how the Pope has dealt with sex abuse by clergy and Church internal dissent and opposition to his initiatives.  (begin) When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected to fill the Chair of St. Peter nine years ago, no one imagined the chair as having wheels. Lately though, Pope Francis has been seen more often in a wheelchair than on a gilded throne — a mobility impairment that has been sparking speculation about yet another papal resignation. The prospect of Francis joining Benedict VI as a second pope emeritus has set the tongues of Vatican rumormongers wagging, but at this point the insider whispers remain baseless speculation. Still, the apparently declining health and advanced age of Pope Francis (he is 85) do suggest that he is entering the twilight of his papacy, a time when a look back at the significanc

 

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" (Luke 17:5-10) Speaking of sheep and dogs waiting under tables while we eat and drink, our Gospel reminds us (sort of) about today’s blessing of animals at Christ the King.  We owe th

War is hell!  Hell is a man-made creation.  It is place or condition of pain, sorrow, and suffering.  It is not a mythical place of fire and brimstone.  When we die, might we end up in some hell?  I don't believe that is an option, although most Christians do.  I prefer Pope Francis' definition.   What follows is a verbatim account of a World War I horror that occurred in Flanders.  It is a reminder of what can happen due to man's inhumanity to man. (begin) John McCrae was a poet and physician from Guelph, Ontario. He developed an interest in poetry at a young age and wrote throughout his life. His earliest works were published in the mid-1890s in Canadian magazines and newspapers. McCrae's poetry often focused on death and the peace that followed. 

 

October 2, 2022, Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time  Time is Running Out!  The time is now to  acquire a ticket for the drawing to be held on next Sunday, October 9th at noon for the grand prize of $5000 in our Annual Summer Raffle.  Chances are 1 for $20 or 3 for $50 and  there are an additional $6000 in prizes beyond the grand prize to be awarded  so there are plenty of chances  win if you get a ticket,   No need to be present to win, be sure to fill out l you contact information carefully and  clearly on your ticket stubs.