The King's Corner

Jesus said to his disciples: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." (Matthew 13:44-46) Can heaven be bought?  Matthew seems to suggest so. Buy the field with the treasure. Buy the pearl of great price. Then our search for heaven is over. It is found; we can buy our way in. Many of us wish it was so. It’s all about money, a theme so relevant today.   Do we need a big bank account to enter the kingdom?  No. Our entry is only contingent on one thing and at no financial cost. If we live the way Jesus lived and if we think the way Jesus thought, we will have found the key without having to dig in fields or search for pearls.   The key is within us we use to open our hearts where the kingdom alread

Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear." (Matthew 13:36-43) Who is a good seed, and who is a weed?  Often it is hard to tell.  Most of us are a mixed bag of good and bad.  Why

The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth; wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water. I bought the loincloth, as the LORD commanded, and put it on. A second time the word of the LORD came to me thus: Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing and go now to the Parath; there hide it in a cleft of the rock. Obedient to the LORD’s command, I went to the Parath and buried the loincloth. After a long interval, the LORD said to me: Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth which I told you to hide there. Again, I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth from the place where I had hid it. But it was rotted, good for nothing! Then the message came to me from the LORD: Thus says the LORD: So also, I will allow the pride of Judah to rot, the great pride of Jerusalem. This wicked people who refuse to obey my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, and follow strange gods to serve and adore them, shall be like this loincloth which is good

What follows is a very insightful article: Did God save Donald Trump’s life? by Simcha Fisher July 16, 2024 America Magazine.  I provide it here because it appeals to my and your questions about God’s will and when and why does God intervene in our lives. (begin) Because I make an effort to stay in contact with people of all political stripes, my social media feed has been…especially stripey lately. One image that keeps turning up is something A.I. churned out in response to Donald Trump’s recent brush with death: It appears to be Mary, blue-eyed and lipsticked and wearing nice little earrings, placidly extending her middle finger to twitch a bullet (still in its shell casing) out of its deadly path. Her manicured thumb and forefinger form a gesture that reminded many viewers of the white supremacy “OK” sign, but which others have argued looks more like a gesture of blessing common in Orthodox icons.

The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Stand at the gate of the house of the LORD, and there proclaim this message: Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Reform your ways and your deeds, so that I may remain with you in this place. Put not your trust in the deceitful words: "This is the temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!" Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds; if each of you deals justly with his neighbor; if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow; if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place, or follow strange gods to your own harm, will I remain with you in this place, in the land I gave your fathers long ago and forever. But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss! Are you to steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, go afte

Return, rebellious children, says the LORD, for I am your Master; I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion. I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently. When you multiply and become fruitful in the land, says the LORD, they will in those days no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD!” They will no longer think of it, or remember it, or miss it, or make another. At that time, they will call Jerusalem the LORD’s throne; there all nations will be gathered together to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem, and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness. (Jeremiah 3:14-17) The Ark of the Covenant is a gold-plated wooden chest that, in Jewish and Christian tradition, houses the two tablets bearing the Ten Commandments that were given to Moses by God.  It also functioned as a way for Yahweh's presence to be with the Israelites and communicate with them.

Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we too believe and therefore speak, knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence. Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God. (2 Corin

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9) Seeds of dishonesty, disinformation, distrust and distancing are seeds that should never be sowed, but those seeds are scattered far and wide by many of us especially in the interest of our political and/or religious beliefs.  We, or they, look for large crowds to entice with w

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50) What is God’s will?  “Here am I, Lord; I have come to do your will.”  This is a familiar refrain from a responsorial psalm.  How many of us really mean that?  It’s quite a commitment that’s supposed to rule our lives – to do God’s will. We can envision this pledge as one we’d make to a medieval king or queen while kneeling before the throne with hand over heart and head bowed.  “Lord, or majesty, I have come to do your will.” The next question we’d likely ask is: “What do you ask of me?  What i

The Bride says: On my bed at night I sought him whom my heart loves – I sought him but I did not find him. I will rise then and go about the city; in the streets and crossings I will seek Him whom my heart loves. I sought him but I did not find him. The watchmen came upon me, as they made their rounds of the city: Have you seen him whom my heart loves? I had hardly left them when I found him whom my heart loves. (Songs 3:1-4) On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman,

4 pm Saturday Homily A shepherd and his dog were herding a flock of sheep in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW roared out of the dust cloud. The driver, a young man in an Armani suit with Gucci shoes, Ray-Ban sunglasses and a Ferrigamo tie, leaned out the window and asked the shepherd: "If I tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?"  The shepherd looked at the cocky young man and calmly answered "sure" .  The young man parked his car, whipped out his laptop; connected it to a mobile phone; surfed to an online GPS satellite navigation system; scanned the area; opened up a database; used his Excel spreadsheets with complicated formulas; and finally printed out a long report on his high-tech miniaturized printer. He turned to the shepherd and said, “You have here exactly 1,586 sheep.”

Woe to those who plan iniquity and work out evil on their couches. In the morning light they accomplish it when it lies within their power. They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and they take them. They cheat an owner of his house, a man of his inheritance. Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I am planning against this race an evil from which you shall not withdraw your necks. Nor shall you walk with head high, for it will be a time of evil. On that day a satire shall be sung over you, and there shall be a plaintive chant: "Our ruin is complete, our fields are portioned out among our captors, The fields of my people are measured out, and no one can get them back!" Thus, you shall have no one to mark out boundaries by lot in the assembly of the LORD. (Micah 2:1-5) YES!  Woe to those who plan iniquity and work out evil on their couches!  Micah reminds us of the LORD’s warning and the fate of evildoers. Evil is not in the eye of the beholder.  It is plain for all to see,

[ Mooch is one of the protagonists of Mutts. He is a tuxedo cat with his own way of speaking and is the best friend of Earl. He's also the pet cat of Millie and Frank .] Humor is the best medicine.  What follows is Pope Francis’ opinion. Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Comedians June 14, 2024 Dear friends, (begin) It is my pleasure to welcome all of you, and to express my gratitude to those in the Dicastery for Culture and Education who have organized this meeting. The Prefect told me that in Italy they say that “a smile is good for the blood”. Do they say that?

The way of the just is smooth; the path of the just you make level. Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD, we look to you; Your name and your title are the desire of our souls. My soul yearns for you in the night, yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you. When your judgment dawns upon the earth, the world's inhabitants learn justice. O LORD, you mete out peace to us, for it is you who have accomplished all we have done. O LORD, oppressed by your punishment, we cried out in anguish under your chastising. As a woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pains, so were we in your presence, O LORD. We conceived and writhed in pain, giving birth to wind; Salvation we have not achieved for the earth, the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth. But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise; awake and sing, you who lie in the dust. For your dew is a dew of light, and the land of shades gives birth. (Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19) Jesus said: "Come to me,

Our Eucharist tends to confuse many Catholics.  That might seem surprising, but it is a fact.  Helping us improve our understanding is Word On Fire that recently wrote: (begin) “In 1950, prominent author Flannery O'Connor was brought by friends to a dinner with Mary McCarthy and her husband. As the evening drew on, the talk turned to the Eucharist. McCarthy, who had been raised Catholic but had fallen away from the Church, remarked that she thought of the Eucharist as a symbol and “implied that it was a pretty good one.” O’Connor famously replied, “If it’s a symbol, to hell with it!” Since 2022, the goal of the National Eucharistic Revival has been to restore as vibrant a belief as Flannery O’Connor held in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Bishop Barron’s book This Is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival continues to be the perfect accompaniment to the Eucharistic Revival. This short book analyzes the source and summit of the Christian life and provides a clea

The final phase of the Synod is scheduled for this October. Quite the event!  What follows is some coverage of what is to come, we hope. (begin) Synod document seeks responses to welcoming, serving everyone: The Synod of Bishops' working document for the second session in October highlights the need for the church to become a place of welcome for all, and how the faithful can help the church in its mission of serving and healing humanity. Key themes include the renewal of the sacraments and the liturgy and finding more opportunities for women in church life and leadership. by Carol Glatz (Catholic News Service) The 30-page document, called an " instrumentum laboris ," was released at the Vatican July 9. It will serve as a discussion guideline for the synod's second session Oct. 2-27, which will reflect on the theme: "How to be a missionary synodal Church." The reflections are the next step in the synod's overarching theme: "For a synodal Church: co

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple – a

I wholeheartedly agree with Pope Francis’ decision pertaining to Archbishop Vigano: Vatican excommunicates former US ambassador Vigano, declares him guilty of schism (AP News) by Nicole Winfield, July 5, 2024.  Vigano’s behavior has been, frankly, outrageous.   (begin) The Vatican has excommunicated its former ambassador to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, after finding him guilty of schism, an inevitable end for the firebrand conservative who became one of Pope Francis ' most ardent critics and a symbol of the polarized Catholic Church in the U.S. and beyond. The Vatican’s doctrine office imposed the penalty after a meeting of its members on Thursday and informed Vigano of its decision Friday, a press statement said. It cited Vigano’s “refusal to recognize and submit to the Supreme Pontiff, his rejection of communion with the members of the church subject to him, and of the legitimacy and magisterial authority of the Second Vatican Council.”

I'm fond of pig and rat as well as all the other Stephan Pastis characters in his strip "Pearls Before Swine."  When I'm pessimistic, I turn to the "wisdom" of rat.   I'm trying not to be pessimistic about 2024 and the consequences of the recent Supreme Court decision making our presidents into kings.  I'm pessimistic about many, many Catholics favoring autocratic rule over democracy.  Lord, help me in my time of distress.   Whatever happened to our support of Jesus's beatitudes? Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.   Do we allow ourselves to be blessed by our behavior and attitudes or do we prefer to be cursed?  Many of us unknowingly choose the latter. I don't smoke.  Never have.  Perhaps it is time to light up.  Preferably i

Most of us want to holler.  We just don't know the best place to scream.  Perhaps we should change the channel from pain, fear and loneliness to one helping us have a change of heart.  Today's Psalm 51 might help. Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 14 and 17 R. My mouth will declare your praise. Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.

  I'm somewhat encouraged by Day 4 of the Eucharistic Congress.  Too bad it is on day 4, however.  It should be on day 1 and have more emphasis. (see below for 4 presentations. Father Manalo's session looks especially attractive and relevant). Ironically, the Congress is being held at Lucas Oil Stadium. The following 10-year old article might explain the irony. (begin) $300 million female Lucas Oil founder and Colts backer launches bizarre Facebook tirade against Muslims and minorities who are 'running' America • Charlotte Lucas made apparent unprovoked and unusual attack last week • Deleted the Facebook post quickly afterwards but admitted it was her later • Apologized reservedly and issued a bizarre statement about national eating habits • Worth $300 million along with her husband Forrest Lucas • Founded Lucas Oil in 1989 and is a major sponsor of the Indianapolis Colts  By James Nye  (October 2014 in Daily Mail)

Our lives tend to be complicated with many news outlets competing for our attention.  We all have our favorites with each promoting propaganda of some form.  For this reason we must be wise and decisive.   Churches are guilty as well.  Our eyes and attention tend to be diverted from what is most important when our focus is repeatedly switched from one topic to another, and the "big picture" is avoided intentionally or not.  For example, consider the Bible. Brian McLaren in his outstanding book, "Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart" (2024) provides the following perspective.

  Traditions are important such as the traditions of our Church.  It's hard to move beyond what has always been to what possibly could be.  However, I consider myself to be like the gliding lemming when it comes to women becoming permanent deacons.  Dare I say married priests as well?  Dare I say a much more comprehensive and sensible approach as to how the Church deals with pro-life issues?  Yes, I dare say. Deacon David Pierce

While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land. (Matthew 9:18-26)

  Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark 6:1-6) Jesus is assumed to have been a carpenter.  He was also a fisherman – a fisher of men and women catching them with far more than a few worms.  He astonished people with his teaching.  He had a kind of wisdom that appealed to

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Mattthew 9:14-17) Many of us are “old wineskins.”  We have aged.  I’m one.  However, I have a problem with the claim that pouring “new wine” into me will be a bad idea.  “New wine” are new ideas and demands on my life that may at first be challenging.  I will not burst.  I suspect many of my contemporaries feel the same way.  Matthew said people should not put new wine

I encourage all parishioners to view and then share a well-crafted and very informative Mashpee TV production about our Food Pantry and our plans for expansion.    Father Healey, Deacon Frank Fantasia, and Dick Reilly did an admirable job explaining how our Pantry serves the community - not just parishioners.  They explained with much video how our many volunteers feed the hungry and how much more is needed to be done to improve CTK's food storage capacity.   View the episode and see how these three men did CTK proud by their careful and humble explanation of what is needed through our on-going fund-raising campaign.  The video is about 26 minutes long and is inspiring. Deacon David Pierce

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"– he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this, they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men. (Matthew 9:1-8) Today is the 4th of July and a time to celebrate our nation and remind ourselves of our history.   (begin) On July 4, 1776, the United States officially declared it

My wife and I love Welsh corgis! We have owned three that are now in dog heaven. Curiously, when we visited England a few weeks ago, we never saw a corgi.  We saw many small dogs with some being called Covid-dog companions. With the passing of Queen Elizabeth, we were told the corgi was out of fashion.  Blasphemy! Then again, we did see some corgis in Windsor.  They were in a nearby park.  Not quite the same thing, however. Deacon David Pierce

Well, well.  We will soon see.  Perhaps.  At least we will be reminded or introduced to a brilliant man.  As noted in a recent announcement:  Ken Burns Turns His Lens to Leonardo da Vinci: An upcoming two-part documentary will be the filmmaker’s first foray into a non-American subject matter by Julia Binswanger (February 14, 2024)  [from Smithsonian Magazine] (begin) Ken Burns, the award-winning documentary filmmaker known for The Vietnam War, The Civil War, The Dust Bowl and more, is turning his attention away from American subject materials for the first time: His new two-part series, which will air on PBS in November, is all about Leonardo da Vinci.

My wife and I recently returned from a 10-day trip to England where we toured part of the southwest coast, Dartmoor, the city of Bath and Windsor.  England is one of our favorite places, and my English ancestry makes the country even more fascinating.  We drove through the part of Bath where my very early ancestors on my mother’s side lived.  She was a Blackmore.  Many Blackmores were centered in the area called Blackmore Valley near the city of Honiton, just a short drive from the southern coast and English Channel. English history is full of drama and intrigue with religion playing a major part in conflict and wars.  Protestants and Catholics often were at swords points, and I marvel at how these so-called followers of Jesus Christ could be so murderous.  Perhaps the reason is despite being called Christians, they really were not Jesus’s followers subject to his commandments.  It’s a convenient and useful way to establish and defend political alignments. While away and in anticipatio