The Rambler

  SERMON FOR ALL SAINTS DAY  When you attend Mass, look around at the others who are gathered. They represent what could be called the “visible” church. You worship alongside of them. You might even ask one of them to pray for you as you deal with a particular problem or crisis. You’re thankful for the people who belong to the Visible Church. And, in likewise fashion, you’re thankful for those who constitute the “Invisible Church.”  Because you pay attention at Mass, you know that the one stream of worship is being blended with another stream of worship. The worship being produced by the Visible Church combines itself with a continual flow of worship that is being produced by the Invisible Church. It’s a team effort.  So, who are the members of this Invisible Church? These are the faithful members who have gone before us. We don’t think of them as gone; rather, they have “gone ahead.”  They worship before God’s Heavenly throne. In life, they experienced the Lord...

  30TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] Jesus presents us with the “what”--- love God and also love your neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40). As for a “why?”, it seems that a partial answer can be found in the Book of Exodus, chapter twenty two. The very name “Exodus” signifies an intervention on the part of the Lord. The Israelites are being enslaved by the Egyptians. They issue an outcry (Ex. 3:7); the Lord hears their cry, and he subsequently blesses them with the gift of liberation . In other words, he demonstrates his love for the people by freeing them from their experience of bondage. They would do well to love the Lord in return. Furthermore, since they understand what it is like to be in a state of need , they should be sensitive to the people around them who might be in a similar state of need (Ex. 22:20).  All of this becomes amplified when we transition into the New Testament period. The Exodus demonstration has already been chronicled; now, a new demonstration is about to be...

  29TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] Has St. Paul put his visit to Thessalonica behind him? Have the people who live there been relegated to the status of  “afterthought"? Actually, it is just the opposite . They are being remembered very fondly. Paul is profoundly thankful for this community, and he continues to lift them up in prayer (see 1st Thess. 1:1-4). If you happen to be a member of that church, then you’re probably feeling rather touched. It’s nice being remembered. It warms your heart.  Perhaps this explains the popularity of “Cheers” [NBC, 1982 to 1993]. Tuning in, we saw one person after another walking through the doors of that Boston establishment. Why patronize a location like Cheers? It’s the place where everybody knows your name.   And they’re always glad you came . One wonders: did anybody named “Cyrus” ever step through the doorway? We encounter this particular name in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (45:1-3). From an Israelite standpoint, this is a n...

  28TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] It’s the year 1924. Your name is George Mallory. Members of the press are surrounding you. What are they after? They want you to explain yourself: why are you setting out to climb Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the known world? Your sense is that they are reading too much into it. Therefore you offer an explanation that is simple and straight-forward: I’m climbing it because it is there . That’s your explanation. That’s how you operate if you are the famous explorer and mountaineer, George Mallory.  Now, let’s pretend that it’s not 1924. We’re moving further back in time, to the eighth century BC. The mountain in question is not Mt. Everest; rather, we’re faced with a mountain that is shrouded in prophecy. We’re setting out to climb the mountain portrayed in the Book of Isaiah, chapter 25. If a member of the press were to ask you “Why?”, you’ll have to go beyond the George Mallory explanation. You don’t climb Isaiah’s mountain simply beca...

  27TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] It’s not as if they intended to gather in a harvest of wild grapes; it’s something that just sort of “happened” (see Isaiah 5:1-7). We could say the same about the vineyard featured in Matthew chapter twenty one. They were anticipating a routine transaction . It wasn’t that they were aiming to stir up a dose of trouble. The trouble is something that just sort of “happened” (Matt. 21:33-43). It gets bad, sometimes. It’s not that we desire the bad; it just sort of “happens.”  For example, it might get bad within your mind and your soul. It’s not that you want it to get bad. It’s just something that sort of “happens.”   You’re like the seminarian who feels discouraged. He consults with his spiritual director, complaining that the face of God seems so very far away. An array of cobwebs stands between the seminarian and his Lord, obstructing the view. The spiritual director explains that it’s typical for webs to form when there is a...

  26TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] We’ll begin on the farm, where something exciting is happening: the new chicks are arriving! The little girl, who lives on the farm, has been checking daily, with eager anticipation. It’s a thrill for her, seeing the broken shells and the new life that has emerged. However, she notices an egg that has not completely hatched. A partial opening has formed, and there is evidence of movement within the egg. In an effort to be helpful, the girl reaches forward, forcing the shell to come apart. The chick responds by stumbling forward, gasping momentarily…and then it collapses.   Immediately, the little girl runs off, searching for her mother. The mother, having assessed the situation, provides an explanation: by intervening, the little girl did more harm than good. Her intentions were pure, but she actually hastened the baby chick’s demise by removing what was left of the shell. In truth, the chick NEEDED to undergo the process of breaking f...