The King's Corner

I write this blog the day after the fantastic win of the Boston Red Sox over the Los Angeles Dodgers.  But, today is Halloween.   We have a great treat – no tricks, although the Yankees, Astros, and now the Dodgers must feel they were tricked in some way.   Great pitching and timely hitting made us feel like the Great Pumpkin had risen and appeared in our Boston pumpkin patch, and we now have that World Series trophy!  The Red Sox win gives evidence of what can be accomplished with teamwork, belief in oneself, and leadership giving everyone respect and leading with a positive attitude.   Similarly, that’s what Christ asks of all of us.  But in Jesus’ case, he offers no trophy for what we do on his behalf.  Rather, he asks us to seek the reward one gets by going door-to-door of those in need, not to say “trick or treat” and get something, but to say, "I’m here to give and help you."   In a way when we do this our Halloween costume is that of our MVP, Jesus Christ (not

Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like?  To what can I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.  When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and 'the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.'" When a baby is baptized, it’s as if a seed has been planted to then grow and later become that large bush with many branches reaching out to others through service – to the "birds" finding shelter and then dwelling in in those supportive branches. I was reminded of baptism when in New York City and on my way to Central Park I came across the Church of St. Paul the Apostle.  I learned it is the mother church of the Paulist Fathers, the first order of Roman Catholic priests founded in the United States.   Quite beautiful! The baptismal font and pool were what we would expect from such a welcoming church.   I share those pictures here. Deacon David Pierce

Brothers and sisters: Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.  Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.   Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving.  Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. St. Paul screams out to us today (and every day).  “CIVILITY!   Be Civil to each other!”  Are we?   Do we imitate God?   Are we kind?

October 28, 2018 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.  But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me."  Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"  The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."  Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."  Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. I just returned from a 5-day business trip in New York City.   We had an evening trip down the Hudson River to the bridges,

And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree  but have found none.  So cut it down.  Why should it exhaust the soil?’  He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.  If not you can cut it down.’”    This parable is about second chances. We all need them.  We mess up.  We ask for forgiveness and another chance to redeem ourselves – to regain trust, for example.  We are God’s gardeners, and God expects figs – the fruits.  God is patient.  But God does expect results, eventually. We are also God’s trees that should bear that fruit.  “Please God, don’t cut us down!  Give us another chance.  We’re worth your fertilizer- your love.”

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? Do we interpret the present time as one of discord, anger, hate, intolerance, ambivalence, cruelty, and fear?  Those of us with eyes should see.   We can predict the sky and earth, that is, the weather, but we sure don’t do very well when it comes to predicting human behavior and political maneuvering, except perhaps it’s easier to sow that discord, etc. instead of love, compassion, and understanding. We tend to say one thing, and do the other when it comes to tolerance.   Not everyone of course, but too many willing to be or support hypocrites.

Jesus said to his disciples: "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." Division.  Our country is divided although not based on faith and religion; however, that division can be found in some communities and even within families.  Moreover, divide and conquer is the strategy used by demagogues and those seeking power and control.

  Jesus said to his disciples:  “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” This may be a bit presumptuous, but the Red Sox knew the hour when the thief (Dodgers) were coming, and they did not let their house (Fenway) be broken into.  They were prepared for that confrontation, and they prevailed in the first game of the World Series. Just like the Sox preparation, we need to prepare for the Son of Man for we do not know when he will come.   If we speak of death then, yes, the hour is unknown.  However, when we speak of life, we know he is always at our doors and knocking. We who have ears ought to hear. 

SUNDAY Children's Homily Who knows the fairy tale called Cinderella?  Did she have any sisters?   How many?  She has two sisters – one named Drizella and one called Anastasia.  Were her sisters kind to her?  No, they were very mean.  They only cared about themselves and no one else.  They were selfish. Remember that Cinderella lived with her stepmother and sisters. She had to work hard all day long so the others could rest.  They would not help her. She woke up each morning when it was still dark and cold to start the fire. She cooked the meals and kept the fire going.  Poor Cinderella could not stay clean because she was covered with ashes and cinders from the fire. That’s how she got her name Cinderella. Where did the two sisters go, and Cinderella was told she couldn’t go too?  They went to the ball – a big dance .  And who did they go to see?   The Prince.  The King and Queen felt it was time for their son, the Prince, to get married.  They thought he would find someone

October 21, 2018, Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

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.”  What matters to God?  Perhaps the best answer was provided by Father Richard Rohr in his 2014 book, “Eager To Love: The Alternative Ways of Francis of Assisi.”  God expects us always to be eager to love.  Rohr said, “Only when we are eager to love can we see love and goodness in the world around us…There is no secret moral command for knowing or pleasing God, or what some call ‘salvation,’ beyond becoming a loving person in mind, heart, body, and soul yourself.” For most of us this is a tall order.  That’s what make

"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say." Here’s an example of how to explain the unforgivable sin.  It’s not mine.  It’s from the internet. Imagine you are tired of the Holy Spirit convicting you of a particular pet sin. You want to completely remove the Spirit’s promptings even though the voice is warning you of danger and lovingly trying to show you the right path.  So what do you do?

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…”  (Luke 12:1) We need not worry about Pharisees.   We need to worry about ourselves because being hypocrites is a trap into which we all can and do fall.   No one likes a hypocrite, so let’s beware of this leaven. Here’s a humorous story about hypocrisy: eulogizing a crook.

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.  He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.  Go on your way;  behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. I’ve sometimes wondered how many of the 72 disciples were women.  They went out two-by-two and that would make sense if women were also sent because a woman traveling alone would not be safe.   We’ll never know although in later years a roster of disciples’ names was assembled, but I suspect we can take that 72 with a grain of salt. Going out as lambs among wolves doesn’t make much of a pep talk for those about to travel to many towns to “spread the word.”   One would think the wolves would quickly dispatch the disciples.    Not much of a contest with teeth being sunk into wool and then flesh. 

The Lord said: "Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.  These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces.  Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk." Being like unseen graves is quite the description for someone.  That person is dead to those around him or her.  These are the people who think of themselves as better than those around them and isolate themselves from those who are so-called lower class.   They “pay no attention to love for God.” With Halloween approaching we can envision our walking through a darkened graveyard with difficult-to-see open graves.   Watch our steps!   Life can be like traversing these deep pits in darkness.  The light to find our away between the hidden markers and stones without falling in is provided by

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 provides a good lesson for today.   We may be well-dressed and concerned about how we look on the outside and to other people, but what counts is our soul – that which makes us accountable to God and to other people. God made our outsides and our insides, our souls.   What sense does it make for us to fill our insides with hate and envy – that which plunders our minds and hearts making us do evil things such as acts of bigotry or racism?   Are we fools?!

From Galatians we hear: “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”  What makes us free?    We live in a wonderful country that puts a premium on freedom.  We are free to be what we want; to say what we think; and to fear no dictator or demagogue.  We are free to make choices – be they for good or evil.  We believe Christ set us free from evil, although many choose the yoke of slavery to sin and evil.  We have free will, and sometimes we will ourselves to the darkness that exists in all of us that struggles to get the upper hand over our better angels.

October 14, 2018, Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for today's Homily  To watch Mass in its entirety click The Mass

I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands. This reading from the Book of Wisdom is one I might consider for a wedding homily in addition to the usual choices that have lost some of their impact due to overuse.  This one is what the groom should be saying about the bride.  He should be mindful that she is chosen over light, and her splendor never fades even in sleep.  All gold is just a little sand and silver just mire in comparison to her. Then Mark begins with:  "As Jesus was set

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." This reading from Luke seems to be an affront to Mary with Jesus being disrespectful of his mother.   This sentiment certainly is inconsistent with the rosary and the “Hail Mary:” “Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.”

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.  Today’s Gospel reading from Luke reminds me of last Sunday’s Cape Cod Times Ideas and Opinion section with a piece written by Thomas Friedman: “Greatest threat to US is erupting from within.”   He stated: “I began my journalism career covering a civil war in Lebanon.  I never thought I would end my career covering a civil war in America.  We may not be there yet, but if we don’t turn around now, we will surely get to where we are going which was best described by Senator Jeff Flake on Monday: ‘Tribalism is ruining us.  It is tearing our country apart.  It is no way for sane adults to act.’  …When I look around at all the people who are propelli

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?  Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?  If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" How many fathers hand their sons a snake or a scorpion instead of a fish or an egg?  In other words, how many fathers are wicked, and give their sons nothing but grief or pay them no mind.  How many sons ask but do not receive; seek but don’t find; knock on the door, but fathers don’t open?  For many sons this is the unfortunate consequence of fathers who refuse to be responsible.  There are too many fathers who don’t know how to give simple gifts to their sons – attention

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." Always a confusing reading from Luke, this passage seems to have us make a choice: serve or listen to Jesus.  But we are to do both.  Jesus commanded us to serve the poor, the sick, the imprisoned – all those in need of love and compassion.  But to follow him in these ways, we must listen to him and hear his words.  We must be Martha as well as Mary. Perhaps Luke tells us that before we decide to serve in many important ways, we must first choose the

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days.  But I did not see any other of the Apostles, only James the brother of the Lord. (As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying.) This passage from Galatians makes me glum because in contrast to Paul who swears before God that he is not lying, today’s politicians seem not to hesitate to swear before God to tell the truth – then they lie. Such is today’s political climate with continual jousting for power and control – right versus left, conservative versus liberal, Republican versus Democrat.  It’s a never-ending refusal to be truthful since the truth will not set them free.  It will be a just cause to vote them out of office for revealing their lack of integrity and dishonor.  But lies can be hard to spot, and politicians know how to bamboozle the public and protect themselves.

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.  A priest happened to be going down that road,  but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.  But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. We often pass by other people “on the opposite side.”   We disagree with them, and refuse to see their point-of-view.   We’re closed minded.   We won’t cross over to them.  Instead of wine poured over the wounds of disagreement, we pour the acid of harsh insults and recriminations – sometimes venom,

Click for Fr. Marek's Homily  or Father's Healey and Marek's Remarks

The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a suitable partner for him." So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name.  The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man. Yes, it is not good for man (or woman) to be alone.  So, God gave it a try and created all the animals, but “none proved to be suitable for the man.”  Ah…but there is one animal absent from the list that the biblical writers missed – one that indeed is a suitable partner or companion.    Forget about the cattle, and the birds, and the wild animals.  Lest we forget there is no better pal and a source of comfort, companionship and love than a dog!  Men, what’s our choice: a good woman or a good dog?    Choose wisely. Dea

According to Luke, “The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.’  Jesus said, ‘I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.  Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven." Wouldn’t it be nice if all the demons around us were our subjects; that is, in our control?  Frankly, it would be far better if the demons within us were in our control.  We all have dark sides some would call demonic inclining us towards deception, dishonesty, falsehoods, and egotistical behavior.   The dark side can be out of control, sort of like Darth Vader sabering and shredding the good within us. We need the power or force recognized by Yoda in Luke to tread upon the serpents and scorpions see

O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar.  My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar. Where can I go from your spirit?  From your presence where can I flee?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I sink to the nether world, you are present there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast.

Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! Why do you hound me as though you were divine, and insatiably prey upon me? This reading from Job reminds me of “The Hound of Hell” - not the Hound of Heaven.  In Greek mythology the hellhound Cerberus belonged to Hades, the Greek god of the underworld.  Cerberus was a huge, three-headed, pitch black dog guarding the underworld’s entrance. This “Hound” is not divine; it’s the one that relentlessly pursues us and preys upon us without stopping.  It’s the one that guards the entrance to our own personal underworlds of sadness, depression, fear, and anxiety preventing us from leaving our pits of despair.

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." And to another he said, "Follow me."  But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead.  But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." Jesus answered him, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God." I’m reminded of a song.   Ricky Nelson’s 1963 hit “I will follow you.”  I will follow you Follow you wherever you may go There isn't an ocean too deep A mountain so high it can keep me away

Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.  Job spoke out and said:  Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, "The child is a boy!" Job had every reason to complain.   Satan tried to make a point: those in pain and turmoil will turn against God.  We can sympathize with Job because Satan buried him with terrible loss and pain. It’s always fair to ask, “Why God, why?”   After all, if we have a relationship with God through prayer and conversation, we have every right to cry out, “God, I’m angry with you!” 

One day, when the angels of God came to present themselves before the LORD, Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, "Whence do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming the earth and patrolling it."  And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?" But Satan answered the LORD and said, "Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing?  Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock are spread over the land. But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand upon his person." So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. Satan asks God a questio