The King's Corner

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said: “I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless.” God also said to Abraham: “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.” God further said to Abraham: “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai; her name shall be Sarah. I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. Him also will I bless; he shall give rise to nations, and rulers of peoples shall issue from him.” Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?” Then Abraham said to God, “Let but Ishmael live on by your favor!”  God replied: “Nevertheless, your wife Sarah is to bear you a son, and you shall call him Isaac. I will maintain my covenant with him as an everl

I’ve read: (begin) The phrase "like a moth to a flame" refers to the well-known attraction that moths have to bright lights, which could include those harmless lights, such as the light from flashlights, as well as dangerous ones, such as fire. The phrase was first used to emphasize a type of attraction that might cause someone's destruction. It indicates that sometimes things that seem familiar and irresistibly inviting might hurt you. There is a reference to this phrase in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", 1596: Thus hath the candle singed the moth. O these deliberate fools! When they do choose. They have the wisdom by their wit to lose.  (end) When we die, we are supposed to go to the light – the light of Christ who welcomes us to the heavenly Kingdom.  Some of us may fear that the light is from the burning in Hell.  O we fools.  Hell is on earth and from are own choosing or by unfortunate happenstance.  

Jesus said to his disciples: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them." (Matthew 7:15-20) Jesus knew how to tell a good and compelling story.  His words stand the test of time.  Bad fruit is rotten fruit such as abuse, neglect, violence, addiction, manipulation, and greed.  Good fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (fruits of the Holy Spirit).  It also is compassion, sincerity, integrity, and honesty.   Who among us is rotten to the core?  We likely can name some people, but then for

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets. "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.  And those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:6, 12-14)

What follows is a survey entitled: Catholics have worst preaching and music in the U.S. by Thomas Reese - Religion News Service June 20, 2023  (begin) Protestant churches have always prided themselves on their preaching and music, especially non-Eucharistic churches that rely on the Bible alone to shape their Sunday services. At the other end of the spectrum are Catholic churches, which have a deep eucharistic tradition and the worst preaching and music in the country. At least, this is the view of Catholics themselves, according to the Pew Research Center. Pew did not intentionally plan to make this assessment. It came out of a study, conducted in November and released early this month, of satisfaction with online and in-person church attendance. What they found was that Protestants are much more satisfied with their preaching and music than are Catholics. When U.S. adults were asked how satisfied they were with the sermons they heard online or in person, 82% of Protestants who regula

Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father." (Matthew 10:26-33) I’m not impressed by being worth more than many sparrows.  Now, I would be impressed if I was worth more than many ospreys or hawks or great horned owls.  Those are BIRDs!  Then again, doesn’t humil

Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The LORD called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me. You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God. For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 49:1-6) “The LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb.” “The LO

So true!  We should be so fortunate.   Deacon David Pierce

Need I say more?   Deacon David Pierce

Brothers and sisters, consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.  As it is written: He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which through us produces thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)

Here are the lyrics to the song: "The Voice of God" sung by Dante Bowe.  I suggest you google him and listen to his song.  The sound of his voice is important to hear.  The lyrics will have a greater impact on your soul. I can hear it in the crackle of a bomb fire And I can hear it in the middle of the ocean water Oh, I just can't explain But it makes me wanna cry And I can hear when the rain falls on my windowsill On a playground where children's laughter lives Oh, I can't explain But it makes me wanna cry

This reflection from Father Richard Rohr is a follow-up to my blog yesterday. (begin) Father Richard reminds us that when we listen to the voice of God, we are given the grace to “pass it on” to others: We must receive all words of God tenderly and subtly, so that we can speak them to others with tenderness and subtlety. I would even say that anything said with too much bravado, over assurance, or with any need to control or impress another, is never the voice of God within us. If any thought feels too harsh, shaming, or diminishing of ourselves or others, it is not likely the voice of God. Trust me on that. That is simply our egoic voice. Why do humans so often presume the exact opposite—that shaming voices are always from God, and grace voices are always the imagination? If something comes toward us with grace and can pass through us and toward others with grace, we can trust it as the voice of God.

Homily for 5:30 Mass In our first reading we hear about God calling Moses and speaking to him. What is the voice of God?  How does it sound? In the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments Charlton Heston provided the voice of God at the burning bush. The actor Morgan Freeman spoke as God in two other movies. If only we were so lucky to hear those deep, comforting voices when God speaks to us.  On the other hand, I’d pick Robin Williams because he’d speak to me, crack a joke, and share a laugh with me. No gloom and doom baritone voice for me.  As an alternate I’d pick Aretha Franklin considered to be the female artist with the most beautiful voice. I’d rather have God sweetly sing to me, rather than lecture me. In fact, we need a God with a good sense of humor. We can hearken to that voice.  God shouldn’t be so stern. Many of us envision God with arms folded across the chest, glaring at us, and saying: “Don’t do that!”  

Today is the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Our Gospel reading is from Luke (2:41-51). Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me

The cross is always front and center, and certainly when we make the sign of the cross.  At the Victoria and Alfred Museum in London my wife and I viewed an array of splendid and valuable crosses such as altar and processional crosses.  One card read: “The cross is the central emblem of Christianity and the symbol of Christ’s Crucifixion.  It first appeared about 350, possibly for use in private prayer. The ancient custom was to suspend a cross above the altar, or to place it alongside, but from about 1000 the cross was generally put on the altar during Mass.  Crosses were also carried in procession before a service.  In early times, people held them in their hand, but later they raised them on poles. Altar and processional crosses were generally made of precious or gilded metal, or ivory, and decorated with gems.  From about 800 they bore the image of the crucified Christ and became known as crucifixes.  By about 1100 the imagery of European crosses had become established.  It usually

My wife and I just returned from England after a 10-day trip.  In London we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum south of Kensington Gardens.  Impressive!   One statue caught my eye.  It’s about Truth and Falsehood sculpted by Alfred Stevens from 1857-66.  Its plaque read: “Truth tears out the double tongue of Falsehood and pushes aside the mask concealing his grotesque features.  His serpent-like tails are exposed beneath the drapery.” In politics and religion there are many double tongues of Falsehood.  Many wear masks hiding their grotesque features.  

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-19) Jesus was Jew.  Goes without saying?  Clearly, he was a faithful Jew by indicating he did not come to abolish the law or the prophets.  He said, “…not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law…”  To the detriment to our faith, too many Christians don’t consider him to be a Jew – just the Son of God.  Such amazing confusion, or purposeful rejection?   Of importance, he instructed all of

  Gary Larsen cartoons (Far Side) have been my favorite.  Peanuts comes in second.  Non Sequitur is third.   Larsen's cartoons often touch on biblical themes.  They remind us of our God-given penchant for humor and laughter helping us separate ourselves from the beasts.   Then again, Larsen's human-like beasts remind us that our human, monkey-like (or donkey-like) behaviors put us more than a few levels below the animals we often mock.   Deacon David Pierce

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying “Blessed are: the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven; they who mourn, for they will be comforted; the meek, for they will inherit the land; they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied; the merciful, for they will be shown mercy; the clean of heart, for they will see God; the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God; they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven; and you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus, they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:1-12) I’ve never understood “they who mourn” are blessed.  However, now I get it.  If we mourn, it’s because we have lost someone of great value. 

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.  Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." (John 6:51-58)

In the course of his teaching Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood." (Mark 12:38-44) They devour the houses of widows.   At first, this seems to be a strange claim.  I’ve read: (begin) The phrase devour widows’ houses means “greedily chea

This is today’s Psalm 146:1-2, 6-7, 8-10 Praise the LORD, O my soul; I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. R. Praise the Lord, my soul! The LORD keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free. R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

Evil is always on my mind, not to do evil but to better understand and deal with it.  Satan does indeed roam the earth looking for something or someone to devour. He has a lot on his menu, and America is an entrée.  Here is Father Richard Rohr’s May 17 reflection entitled “Evil Depends upon Disguise.” (begin) Father Richard stresses that evil often masquerades as good, and so provides justification for immense injustice:  The world (or “system” as we say now) is a hiding place for unconsciousness or deadness in the words of Paul. Both Thomas Aquinas and C. S. Lewis taught that the triumph of evil depends entirely on disguise. [1] [2] Our egos must see it as some form of goodness and virtue so that we can buy into it. 

What follows is the March 30 Joint Statement of the Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development on the “Doctrine of Discovery.” I never knew this doctrine existed until this Joint Statement. 1. In fidelity to the mandate received from Christ, the Catholic Church strives to promote universal fraternity and respect for the dignity of every human being. 2. For this reason, in the course of history the Popes have condemned acts of violence, oppression, social injustice and slavery, including those committed against indigenous peoples. There have also been numerous examples of bishops, priests, women and men religious and lay faithful who gave their lives in defense of the dignity of those peoples.

What follows is Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation (May 15) “Principalities and Powers” from the Center for Action and Contemplation.  He deals with one of my major concerns about evil and the "devil."  He shares a brief perspective from Barbara Holmes.  They both speak the truth for those with ears who listen. (begin) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. —Ephesians 6:11–12  In a talk for the Living School, CAC teacher Barbara Holmes helps students make sense of the biblical language of the “principalities and powers” of evil:  Just when one might think we’ve taken all the fire, mystery, divine comings and goings out of the Bible, we encounter the book of Ephesians. In this verse [above], we read about mystical powers, clashes in heavenly

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son.  He sent him to them last of all, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 

To view all the photos from the Ordination go to  https://christthekingparish.com/ordination-of-rev-christopher-daniel-hughes/  

Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Corinthians 13:11-13) Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.  What is it?  We all say: “In the name of Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”   It’s our one God existing as three divine persons. 

I thank the LORD and I praise him; I bless the name of the LORD. When I was young and innocent, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer. I prayed for her before the temple, and I will seek her until the end, and she flourished as a grape soon ripe. My heart delighted in her.  My feet kept to the level path because from earliest youth I was familiar with her. In the short time I paid heed. I met with great instruction. Since in this way I have profited, I will give my teacher grateful praise. I became resolutely devoted to her—the good I persistently strove for. My soul was tormented in seeking her. My hand opened her gate, and I came to know her secrets. I directed my soul to her, and in cleanness I attained to her. (Sirach 51:12-20)

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area. He looked around at everything and, since it was already late, went out to Bethany with the Twelve. The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry. Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, he went over to see if he could find anything on it. When he reached it he found nothing but leaves; it was not the time for figs. And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” And his disciples heard it. They came to Jerusalem, and on entering the temple area he began to drive out those selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area. Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples? But you have made it a den of thieves.” The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it and were seeking a way to put him to deat

“Now is the time to repair the damage done to previous generations and to those who continue to suffer.”   These are the words of Pope Francis, and they are encouraging, but not entirely satisfying.  Read below this account provided by Gerald O’Connell (May 5) in America Magazine.  His summary and conclusions are relevant to the ongoing Synod discussions. (begin) Pope Francis to conflict-ridden sex abuse commission: This is “the moment of reparation.” “The sexual abuse of minors by clergy and its poor handling by church leaders has been one of the greatest challenges for the church in our time,” Pope Francis said in his keynote address to members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on May 5. But, he said, “now is the time to repair the damage done to previous generations and to those who continue to suffer.” The pope met the commission while it is holding its plenary assembly in Rome (May 2 to May 6) at a time when many questions have been raised about its organiz