Month: November 2020

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First Sunday of Advent

Picture of Advent wreath with all 5 candles lit and the words advent hope love joy peace above wreath

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Mass Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7
Responsorial: Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Gospel: Mark 13:33-37

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112920.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

It’s hard to believe that Advent begins today! Perhaps the pandemic and the extraordinary death toll in parts of the US like El Paso, Texas have affected how I read today’s scripture. To me, these readings and the gospel in particular get to the heart of the big questions in life. “Why am I here?” “What is my purpose?”

Jesus tell us to “Be watchful! Be alert!” in today’s gospel (Mark 13:33). We just never know. So, in light of this very different year, how can I make the most of Advent?

The good news is that God gave us resources to help answer these questions! St. Paul tells us in our second reading today that as disciples, we have already received God’s grace in Christ Jesus! We are blessed with all sorts of gifts, but sometimes we aren’t aware of what we have or how to use it.

One of the great blessings of Advent is to remind us that we need to set time aside to slow down and take stock of our lives. It’s sort of like a year-end review that businesses undergo, except the Church asks all of us to do it in our individual lives.

One of our key understandings about creation that the Church teaches us is that we need to encourage human flourishing. Another way to put this is how to become the best version of yourself. To me, our first reading speaks to human flourishing. Isaiah reminds us that we are the clay and God is the potter (64:7).

So, here are some questions we might consider. Have I allowed God to mold me? As a disciple, have I surrendered my life to God’s will? This is of course an extremely personal process. And as a parent or grandparent or aunt or uncle or friend, how can I model this process for other people?

Now the good news is that it’s never too late! But what does that mean and how can I get started? Now you might say, “But deacon, I’m over seventy and comfortably retired. What can I do?” Or you’re a fulltime accountant and you don’t see the need to invest in spiritual growth or spiritual development.

These are all excellent observations! While sometimes what God might ask of us fully aligns with an income-producing job, sometimes it doesn’t always. Take being a deacon for example. In general, the vast majority of deacons around the world are not paid employees of the Church. Some deacons might be reimbursed for some of their expenses. Some dioceses might organize continuing education events or retreats to reduce the costs to the deacons. But in general, almost everything the deacon pursues for their spiritual and pastoral education is on them. Deacons do not charge for their services, so the fruit of their ministry is a real gift to community.

So, if deacons can do it, then we can all be open to pursue the paths God has for us even if there is no compensation tied to it. As for retirees, well, you never know what situations might present itself to you with your family and friends or in your volunteer work. Perhaps taking even an online bible study or book club or a class might help you feel more confident about having that conversation you were afraid to have.

For example, I have taken classes through and I also facilitate classes for the Virtual Learning Center for Faith Formation or VLCFF through the University of Dayton. I’ll leave a link in the notes to this podcast. <1> They offer a ton of classes ranging from 3 – 6 weeks. There’s no degree requirement and no commitment. While the classes have an online facilitator like me, there are no online classes, so you don’t have to worry about being available for a zoom call at a specific time. You do you a specific agenda to follow each week, and you may interact with your facilitator and your classmates all you want, but you manage your own time. So, there are adults literally from all over the world who take these classes.

There are also a myriad of other excellent programs out there from authentically Catholic sources. Your pastor might have some suggestions for you too.

How can you tell if a site is authentically Catholic? Ah! Another excellent question! What is the one thing that separates Catholics from other Christians? The Catholic Church is an apostolic church. We believe that our bishop is the successor to the Apostles themselves! And we believe that all the bishops working together form the Magisterium or the teaching authority of the Church. And we believe that the bishop of Rome is first among all the bishops of the world. Most of us know the bishop of Rome as the Pope.

So, if whatever site you’re researching ever uses language like rejecting Pope Francis, then that theologian or that site is not a Catholic site. It doesn’t matter how many times they say they are Catholic or how much Latin is dressed on their website. To reject the Pope means automatic excommunication. Or if the theologian or website uses language like rejecting Vatican Two, then it not authentically Catholic. To say you reject Vatican Two in its entirety is to say you reject the magisterial teaching of the Church, and that means automatic excommunication!

If you’re not sure about a site and you’re not sure who to ask, ask me! I’m happy to help!

So, this Advent, let’s set some time aside to determine if we live like clay allowing ourselves to be molded by the potter. Are we living God’s plan for our lives? If not, what can I do about it?

Homework! I have asked a whole lot of questions today, so you’re homework is to spend a little time this week reviewing all the questions I’ve asked. You can find them in the notes to this podcast or on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org.

I think doing our homework will help us get on track with God’s plan for our lives. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Artist unknown. JPG file.

Notes: Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible quotes are taken from The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
<1> Virtual Learning Center for Faith Formation: https://vlcff.udayton.edu/.

References:
1. Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.
2. Montague, George T., SM. First Corinthians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2011. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. God gives humanity grace to accept Revelation, welcome the Messiah: 35
2. “Come, Lord Jesus!”: 451, 671, 1130, 1403, 2817
3. Christ’s coming in glory: 668-82, 769
4. Church as communion: 787-96, 959
5. Acknowledging that we are sinners: 827, 1431, 2677, 2839
6. Keeping watch: 2612, 2849
7. Prayer of thanksgiving: 2637-38

First Sunday of Advent https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112920.cfm
Lectionary: 2

Reading 1
Isaiah 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7
You, LORD, are our father,
our redeemer you are named forever.
Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways,
and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your heritage.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
with the mountains quaking before you,
while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for,
such as they had not heard of from of old.
No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you
doing such deeds for those who wait for him.
Would that you might meet us doing right,
that we were mindful of you in our ways!
Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful;
all of us have become like unclean people,
all our good deeds are like polluted rags;
we have all withered like leaves,
and our guilt carries us away like the wind.
There is none who calls upon your name,
who rouses himself to cling to you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have delivered us up to our guilt.
Yet, O LORD, you are our father;
we are the clay and you the potter:
we are all the work of your hands.

Responsorial
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
R. (4) Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power,
and come to save us.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

Reading II
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Brothers and sisters:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Alleluia
Psalm 85:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Show us Lord, your love;
and grant us your salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mark 13:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

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Christ the King

Jesus holding a globe with puzzle pieces for continents

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The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Mass Readings

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Responsorial: Psalm 23:1-3, 5-6
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111520.cfm
https://deaconrudysnotes.org/

My brothers and sisters, what does it take to be saved? The answer to that question is what today’s Gospel is all about! If you are the type of person who needs rubrics for the judgment we will all face, then today is your day! In today’s Gospel, Jesus sorts the puzzle of humanity.

We begin by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. As disciples, we set out on a great quest for holiness marked by selfless love. We also try to help others find their hope in Christ Jesus. But how do we know we are disciples? What separates the good work we do from any other NGO?

Jesus says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me,’” (Matthew 25:31-36)

Now the disciples listening are shocked and they ask him when was he hungry or thirsty or naked or in the hospital or in prison. How does Jesus respond? He says, “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me,” (Matthew 25:45)

And then he ends by saying, “And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life,” (Matthew 25:46).

That’s it. No more and no less. This is the rubric against which you and I will be judged. Notice what he didn’t say? Jesus doesn’t say you be judged by how often you attended mass or how many times you went to confession or how many times you went to adoration or how many times you prayed at all, let alone the rosary. How is that possible?

Let’s break it down.

What does it take to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned?

Look at how Mother Teresa’s ministry began. Twenty years after she joined the Sisters of Loreto, she began teaching poor children whose families couldn’t afford to send them to school. Recognizing the dignity of these poor children, she tried to equip them with the basic tools they needed to break the cycle of poverty. Later, she began to collect dying people from the side of the road – literally dying people thrown in ditches alongside of the road – and she ministered to them through their death. She gave them clean beds to rest. She bathed them. She tended to their wounds. For her, there was no such thing as rationing healthcare! No life, no matter how near to death, is unworthy of attention! Why did she do all of this? She recognized the dignity of the dying person, and she tried to help them meet their maker in peace.

That’s why for centuries the Catholic church has run so many food pantries, hospitals and schools. It’s like we discussed last week about the ART of social justice. We meet a person’s immediate need. Through our acts of charity, we help the person appreciate their own dignity and self-worth. We try to give them the tools they need to live a life of dignity. And we advocate for changes to prevent people from becoming trapped in poverty.

What does it take for me to help the poor, the sick and imprisoned? I have to be willing share what I have – my money, my time and my talent. I can’t outsource my obligation by saying my taxes go to help the poor. Too many of our government programs do not affirm human dignity. Too many programs trap people in poverty or worse dismiss their lives as worthless deciding who can be aborted and who can and cannot receive healthcare. So, no, we cannot rely on government to fulfill our obligation under today’s Gospel.

If we find it difficult to help others, then we need to ask what is standing in our way. Are we placing money, prestige, power above God? If we are not careful, our possessions become a god. Scripture tells us, you cannot serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24).

But it’s not just money or possessions that can stand in our way. It can also be hubris, right? There is the intellectual movement poising thought in our educational systems from our universities to our primary and secondary schools that denies the existence of God or any notion of objective truth. To such people, helping the needy isn’t about recognizing the God-given dignity and worth of the human person.

If I can’t see God in the needy, then how can I possibly ever feed them, quench their thirst, clothe them, visit them when they are sick or in prison. If I can’t do any of these things out of love, then have I really accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior?

The great challenge of today’s Gospel isn’t about opening up our pocketbooks. It’s about helping us discern our relationship with God. Do I have a healthy relationship with my time, my money, my talents and my thoughts? I am not saved by my works, but my salvation is evidenced through the way I live my life.

But Satan is clever! We don’t need black Friday sales to remind us of all the comforts and luxuries offered by the world. How do we resist?

My brothers and sisters, Christ our King provides! Christ gave us the Church and the sacraments to nourish our minds, our hearts and our bodies. Why do we go to mass every week? Not to check a box on a form. No! We go to mass every week and we receive the sacraments and we pray often to worship God and to ask for the strength to resist temptation and to help us see all the ways God has graced this world. And these graces help us on our quest to be holy disciples who, out of selfless love for Jesus, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, how would you describe your relationship to your possessions or your opinion? Are these more important to you than God?
Second, as Advent begins, what sorts of things can you do the help shift your attention to God present in the needy?

Doing our homework will help us live our lives of salvation. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Image Credit: Artist unknown. JPG file.

Notes: Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible quotes are taken from The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.

References:
1. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010. Kindle.
2. Montague, George T., SM. First Corinthians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2011. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Christ as Lord and King: 440, 446-451, 668-672, 783, 786, 908, 2105, 2628
2. Jesus and the poor: 544, 1373
3. Christ as Judge: 678-79, 1001, 1038-1041
4. Works of mercy: 2447
5. “The Kingdom Come:” 2816-2821

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112220.cfm
Lectionary: 160

Reading 1
Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.

As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,
I will judge between one sheep and another,
between rams and goats.

Responsorial
Psalm 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Reading 2
1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
When everything is subjected to him,
then the Son himself will also be subjected
to the one who subjected everything to him,
so that God may be all in all.

Alleluia
Mark 11:9, 10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”