The Rambler

  16TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] You are being assisted by the Holy Spirit, whether you realize it or not. That’s what we hear in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, chapter eight. You are being supported, and it’s a measure of support that seems to be registering from WITHIN , from deep down inside of you. In other words, the Holy Spirit can be described as an “embedded” Spirit (see Rom. 8:9-27). You are made up of flesh and also of Spirit. The flesh and the Spirit coexist, in the same way the wheat and the weeds are coexisting in Matthew chapter thirteen (13:24-30).  It’s not as if the weeds have been invited. They are clearly an uninvited phenomenon. Nevertheless, you understand that they are also an inevitable part of the picture. You learn to live with this particular disadvantage. And likewise you learn to live with the disadvantages that are associated with the flesh. It can be said that they parallel one another: the weeds and the flesh. Weeds not only appear, but they...

  15TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A]  The unfortunate truth is that we live in a fallen world . You can read about The Fall if you refer to the Book of Genesis chapter three. As a result of this fall, the world finds itself locked into a pattern of “futility.”  At least, that’s how Saint Paul describes the situation (see Rom. 8:20). All the world can do is struggle along, moaning and groaning (8:22-23). Obviously, the world needs help. It does not possess the ability to help itself; the help will have to come from some other source. Thankfully, we do hear about a means of support that seems to be descending from somewhere up above.  God is sending his Word to us. It’s a phenomenon that can be compared to the arrival of precipitation: namely, the arrival of rain or perhaps snow (Isaiah 55:10). The Word is definitely being sent to us. But how do we feel about this gift from above? If the Word is indeed raining down upon us, are we positioned so that it can be absorbed?...

  14TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] Come to me, all you who labor, who are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. That’s Jesus speaking in the Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter eleven. He not only issues the invitation; he also provides the means through which we can indeed “come to him.”  He does this when he institutes the sacrament of the Eucharist.  Reflect for a moment on the Eucharistic ritual. Jesus makes himself present within the humble form of a Communion Wafer. He is evidently partial to the humble approach. Note the prophecy being delivered in Zechariah: the Savior is depicted riding upon the back of a mule, a beast of burden (Zech. 9:9). That’s how he enters Jerusalem when we mark the occasion of Palm Sunday (see Matt. 21; Mark 11; Luke 19; John 12). He subsequently follows the path of humility, all over again, by becoming the Bread of Life for us within the context of the Mass.  For our part, we respond by processing forward so that we can receive his...

  13th SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] Why should you practice a spirit of compassion? Well, if for no other reason, it will bring you a reward. You will get something in return. If you give water to somebody who is thirsty, or if you open your door to somebody who is seeking shelter, you will be rewarded for your efforts (see Matt. 10:42). You will be like the barren woman featured in the Second Book of Kings chapter four: she extends a measure of kindness to the prophet Elisha and in return she now has been blessed with the ability to conceive. So there might be something in it for you, if you make the decision to help a needy person.  Meanwhile, what about the decision to receive baptism? Paul discusses the subject of baptism in Romans chapter six. Why should you go through with the process of being baptized? What’s in it for you? If anything, it sounds like you are setting yourself up for a significant dose of grief and sorrow. According to Paul, you’re being baptized, not jus...

  12TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A]  Jesus needs to be understood as the “New Adam.” That’s what you will find when you review the contents of Romans chapter five and likewise First Corinthians chapter fifteen. Meanwhile, what can we say about the original Adam? Actually, there is a lot that can be said about the original Adam. However, for the sake of brevity, we will simply have to classify him as a disappointment. Because the original Adam fails, a New Adam has been called forth, to carry forward with the Plan of Salvation.  How do we know that this Second Adam won’t turn into a disappointment? For example, it’s possible you might begin to hate your life. If life is difficult, if you’re struggling, then it stands to reason that somebody will have to be blamed. Perhaps you will see fit to blame the Lord . It’s certainly an option. It’s an option—unless you happen to be the prophet Jeremiah. He sees “terror” all around him. And yet, he refuses to blame the Lord. Yes, ...

  ELEVENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] In sending the apostles, Jesus specifies that they need to concentrate upon “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:6). The fact that they are “lost” would seem to indicate that they were previously “found” or “settled.”  Evidently, the careful work outlined in Ex. 19:3-6 is going to be undone. God, first of all, does his part by ushering them into the Promised Land; even carrying them at various stages of the journey. There are times when they feel as if they have been lifted up, held aloft by a newly grown set of wings (19:4). With the Lord’s help, they will take up residence within the land that “flows with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8). They will be where it is that they are supposed to be.  And yet, for whatever reason, they will end up someplace else . It’s similar to what happens with Dorothy and her companions. The Yellow Brick Road is what will take them to their ultimate destination, The Emerald City. Therefore, the ...