The King's Corner

Brothers and sisters: Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. (Hebrews 12:1-4) Ridding ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us is a tall order.  For many of us those burdens and sins are attached to us with crazy glue.  In fact, we may have to live with those burdens and sins because they cling as if they have a mind of their own.  Addictions are like that whether from drugs, alcohol, or social media dependency that excludes face-to-

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

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger. But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD: the remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue; they shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them. (Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13) Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 R. (Mt 5:3) Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!

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) We must cross to the other side – to be brave, take chances and risks – when asked by Jesus to rebuke those people creating winds, waves, and violence.  He asks us to wake up and get off our soft cushions where we are c

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. (Matthew 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) If we Catholics have light to shine, then why don’t we?  Too many of us hide our light under bushel baskets or in rooms with window darkeners.  And, we need hearing aids.

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18) This appearance occurs at the end of Mark only to be followed by the ascension: “So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.”  Perhaps Mark takes it a bit too far when he has Jesus say: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Condemnation is a

  This is a commentary on how many of us live our lives.  When is enough, enough?  When are we satisfied with the size of our house or the make and year of our car?  We climb the social status ladder hoping to get a rung up on the other guy. We should love our neighbor, not compete with our neighbor.   Deacon David Pierce

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons." Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.  

  We are fishers of men and women.  We mend our torn nets through forgiveness.  In that way our "fish" are caught and retained. Deacon David Pierce

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.”   As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mend

A tabernacle was constructed, the outer one, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of offering; this is called the Holy Place. Behind the second veil was the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies.  But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own Blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. (Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14)

 

  January 22, 2023, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Short(er) and Long(er) Term Needs: As any who own a house will appreciate, there is always something that needs doing in terms of repair or replacement, so please imagine that also being true of a complex that includes a church, a chapel, a residence, an office building, an education and meeting area, and a large gathering hall with attached kitchen! Each year on average the parish is spending at least $100,000 on all sorts of updates and repairs to its buildings and their systems as well as to the grounds on which this complex stands. Earlier this year the hope was expressed that we would suspend the annual collection which funds the larger repairs and improvements in the course of a year in favor of focusing on a capital campaign to address a longer term need to expand storage and gathering space for the weekly food pantry. However, at this time Bishop da Cunha has not yet given u

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: He appointed the Twelve: Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. (Mark 3:13-19) The one name that stands out is Judas Iscariot.  He is the only one with a last name although it may be a creation by Mark to better identify Judas.  We do not know the meaning of “Iscariot,” although some have said it means: “a person who betrays another; traitor.”  It seems likely Mark knew of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, so he penned the name, sort of like Jesus Christ with Christ meaning Messiah – not being Jesus’ surname. None of us wou

Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever.  The main point of what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up. Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer. If then he were on ea

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. (Mark 3:1-6) I love this part of Mark!  I can picture Jesus looking the Pharisees in the eyes and then defying them.  He was for mercy while the Pharisees were all about the Law.  He fought the Law, but in the end the Law won.  Death on a cross was his fate. 

  Sorry Pig.  Trying is the root of all success.  We climb our hills to find Jesus.  Let's not make him cry and jump down off his mountain.   We need to keep trying.   Perseverance enables us to reach the highest peaks and pinnacles of success however we might define them.  Deacon David Pierce

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) Are we open to new opinions or the opposite point of view?  Are we so biased we will reject that which doesn’t agree with our stance?  Most of us are like the old wineskins

Homily for 5:30 Mass Our Gospel reading speaks of John the Baptist, and it reminds me of a poem entitled “If” written 113 years ago in 1910.  It also reminds me, and perhaps you as well, that tomorrow is when we celebrate the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott. Reverend King and his wife were honored on Friday at the Boston Common where a bronze monument called the “Embrace” was unveiled. The English writer and poet Rudyard Kipling wrote his poem “If” providing his opinion on what defines a man – and I add, it’s just as valid for a woman.  Kipling also wrote “The Jungle Book,” a story many of us have read to our children.    The first verse and conclusion of “If” read: “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you. If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too. If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, don’t deal in lies; or being hated, don’t g

Since the children share in blood and Flesh, Jesus likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the Devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life.  Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. (Hebrews 2:14-18) Jesus was tested and suffered.  So do many of us who either fear death or on the edge of death.  Most of us in our 70s and older give the idea of death more thought.  However, through our belief in Jesus Christ the power death holds over us is lessened.  We belief in an after-life and not in total annihilation.  That’s quite comforting.  

Beloved: Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and Blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the Blood, and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son o

Beloved: This is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another, unlike Cain who belonged to the Evil One and slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous. Do not be amazed, then, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is

What follows is an account of Pope Francis' New Year Homily.  We must take it to heart! VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The best way to usher in a truly "new" year is to stop waiting for things to get better on their own, and instead recognize what is essential and reach out now to help others, Pope Francis said. "Today, at the beginning of the year, rather than standing around thinking and hoping that things will change, we should instead ask ourselves, 'This year, where do I want to go? Who is it that I can help?'" he said.

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 [Isaiah]?” 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.” 

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) On this first day of the New Year let’s pray the words found in the Book of Numbers.  We pray the Lord bless us and keep us.  We pray the Lord’s face will shine upon us.  We pray the Lord will be gracious towards us.  We pray the Lord will look upon us kindly and give us peace.   We need all this in 2023 as we confront many problems and concerns related to disease and sickness, including the sickness that springs from racist behavior and divisive politics that promote anger and hate. Deacon David Pierce