Tag: deacon rudy's notes

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Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

cartoon of diverse community

Mass Readings

Reading 1: 1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14
Responsorial: Psalm 16:1b-2a and 5, 7-8, 11
Gospel: Luke 6:39-42

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091021.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

We were living in Switzerland when the pandemic hit Europe. I got to say, I was a little concerned. Well, I was more than a little concerned. They talked about people with comorbidities being at high risk. I’m an older, overweight Latino male. I’m the poster child for high risk! The pandemic rocked my world.

We experienced a particularly hard shutdown in Switzerland. Even our church that easily could seat 500 people was limited by the government to 50 people. So, every Monday morning around 9:00 am, the parish office would send out an email link to register for mass. By lunchtime, all 50 seats were gone. So, we couldn’t gather. We couldn’t reassure or encourage each other.

We hadn’t yet set up our online group. To this day we have two rosary groups that meet via WhatsApp to pray the rosary. One meets on Mondays and the other on Wednesdays. We socialize a little or of course and collect prayer intentions, but then we pray the rosary. But it took us a little bit to get organized.

The kids had to finish the school year online and Katrina had to work from home. So, all four of us are crammed into our apartment – all of us competing for a quiet space to conduct our work. Only our dog was happy with all four of us home all the time. But frankly, I was going nuts!

And then I remembered! I am connected with family and friends back home on social media. So, I turned to my apps for a word of hope. One of the most painful things I think I ever experienced was watching the way my family and friends went at each other on social media first about the pandemic and then the presidential election. I couldn’t believe comments, posts, and the sniping.

But what really hurt me was the way my parish community turned on each other. I wonder why it was more unsettling for me to see my parish turn on each other than it was to see other family and friends. Well, the first reading provided me with some insight.

In Paul’s letter, he calls Timothy “son.” Now, of course, Timothy was not his biological son. So why is Paul, who’s probably not much older than Timothy at the time, calling him son? It’s a bit odd, isn’t it? Well, there’s an overarching theme in Paul’s letters. He acknowledges tine and again that he was a really bad, dude. In today’s reading, he calls himself a blasphemer! Now that is a powerful language for a guy who was a zealous and devout Jew to say – to describe his life as blasphemous. Radical!

But Jesus saved him. And that experience of being saved was like being born again. And for Paul and the early Christian community, that meant something very specific. It meant being born again into a new family. For Paul, that family was the church – the Christian community. That’s why Paul can look at Timothy, and say, Son, because they were part of the same family.

Now the downside of family, of course, is that we all know how to push each other’s buttons. How many family gatherings can get out of hand if we don’t set some rules? What is that all about? Well in today’s Gospel, Jesus suggests we’re all too eager to point out the splinter in someone’s eye. It doesn’t matter if you have a plank in your eye, as long as I can make a snipping comment about the splinter in your eye!

I think Paul would say that the way he lived his life before his salvation, he walked around with a huge plank in his eye. And he was literally pulling the Christian family apart. You see, that’s what happens when we snipe at each other or make passive-aggressive comments at each other about politics or the pandemic or whatever you think the Pope is doing wrong, we tear our family apart. What’s worse is that people around you – innocent bystanders – overhear the snipping and it creates deeper tears.

Of course, we all can’t agree on everything! So rather than tearing each other down, we should agree to disagree – agree that we all have our own planks in our eye that require attention – and then go share a meal or a coffee or beer with each other.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, ask yourself how you can make amends with people you might have offended over this past year and a half?
Second, rather than tearing the family apart, help the Church meet people where they are and commit to walking with them on their spiritual journey.

I think doing our homework will help us be the intentional disciples we are called to be! Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

Image: Diverse Community. Artist Unknown. PNG.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2018. Kindle.
2. Montague, George T. SM. First and Second Timothy, Titus. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Jesus as Savior God: 594
2. The two ways: 1696, 1970
3. Mercy: 1846-48
4. Ignorance: 1860
5. Fruits of grace: 2005

Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091021.cfm
Lectionary: 441

Reading I
1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our savior
and of Christ Jesus our hope,
to Timothy, my true child in faith:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry.
I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man,
but I have been mercifully treated
because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.
Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial
Psalm 16:1b-2a and 5, 7-8, 11
R. (see 5) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Alleluia
See John 17:17b, 17a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Luke 6:39-42
Jesus told his disciples a parable:
“Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

different social media drawings

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Mass Readings

Reading 1: Isaiah 35:4-7a
Responsorial: Psalm 146:6-10
Reading 2: James 2: 1-5
Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090521.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Happy Labor Day Weekend! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal and this is deacon rudy’s notes where each week we break open the Word!

Can you think back to a time when you were cut off from communicating with people – maybe during snowpocalypse – no power, no internet, no tv, no cell communication and even if you had it, you couldn’t recharge your phone!

If you’ve never experienced that, could you imagine what that would feel like?

Would you be frustrated? How could we experience catastrophic power outages in the United States in the 21st century?

How about scared? What if something happens and no one finds me?

Lonely?

I wonder if any of those emotions were experienced by our deaf-mute in our Gospel reading.

Once power, communication, and the internet are restored, what’s the first thing you would text or post on social media?

“Do you know who I saw not wearing a mask?” Or “Do you know who I saw wearing a mask?”

“Do you know who stopped me in the middle of this storm and went off I’m me about vaccines?”

I wonder what’s the first thing I’d text or post on social media?

Isn’t it interesting in this highly interconnected world we live in with so many communication tools we have at our disposal how quick we are to add fuel to all the political nonsense going on? Instead of telling our elected officials to knock it off and get back to work, so many of our family and friends participate in extremist ideas – doesn’t matter what side of the spectrum you’re on – it’s all a load of nonsense!

What is that about?

They used to say to know where our heart is, just look at where we spend our money and time. I still believe that, but I think a slight revision is in order. I would suggest that to know where our heart is, look at what we post on social media.

It seems to me that a lot of people on social media post more about politics or the opinions of their favorite cable news program than they do about their faith in Jesus Christ.

What an interesting exercise. I wonder what we’d find if each of us would scroll through all our social media platforms and all our text messages for the past 30 days. What would be the average of all that content?

How many times did we offer an encouraging word because of our hope in Jesus Christ?

In today’s Gospel, this guy’s friends were convinced Jesus could help. So, they brought him to Jesus. You can almost hear them beg Jesus, “Please help our friend.”

And Jesus moved with compassion looked to heaven because everything comes from the Father. Then, he healed the man in a most extraordinary way.

Can you imagine what it must have felt like to hear sounds for the first time in his life? “What is that sound?” “Why, it’s just the birds.” “Birds! I didn’t know they could make such sounds!” “And that noise coming from the water?” “It’s just the sound the stream makes as it trickles its way across the village.” “Wow!” His life is literally changed forever!

But Jesus asked them not to say anything. Why? Well, Scripture doesn’t answer that question directly. Maybe Jesus didn’t want the healing to distract from the hope and salvation God is offering them. You see, to these Greek thinking Gentiles, the body was corrupt. But Jesus used his body – his finger, his spit, his touch – to heal the deaf-mute. Perhaps Jesus’ lesson to the Gentiles was that the flesh is the hinge of salvation. Isn’t that what the Incarnation is all about?

Could they keep silent? Of course not! They told EVERYBODY! This Jesus can save us! And they hadn’t experienced the crucifixion and resurrection yet! Yet they believed Jesus could save them from their earthly impairments.

What curiosity of faith led them to bring their friend to Jesus? And what faith inspired them to share their friend’s good news?

And yet we who know about the crucifixion and the resurrection, we who’ve been baptized, we who call ourselves disciples – what is the average of the content we text or post on social media?

You see, all around us in church, there are people missing. People among our families and friends who long before the pandemic stopped coming to church. Maybe the pandemic gave them a reason to stop showing up. They need to hear the Good News. They need to be encouraged. They need to be invited. They need to feel welcomed because this world breeds such a powerful loneliness you just can’t imagine! The pandemic put a spotlight on it. It’s like our deaf-mute – totally cut off from everyone. Maybe surrounded by people, but no connection – lonely just the same. What is Jesus inviting us to do?

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, review your text messages and social media posts for the last 30 days. What’s the average of that content? Does it reflect your hope in Jesus Christ?
Second, commit to share more Good News over the next 30 days. How can you encourage your family and friends?

I think doing our homework will help us be the intentional disciples we are called to be! Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image: Social Medica. Artist Unknown. JPG.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Anderson, Kelly and Daniel Keating. James, First, Second, and Third John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2017. Kindle.
2. Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.
3. Montague, George T. SM. Mark: A Popular Commentary on the Earliest Gospel. Steubenville, Ohio: Franciscan University Press, 1992.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Faith: 150-65
2. The mercy of God: 270-1
3. Signs used by Christ, sacramental signs: 1151-52
4. Christ the physician: 1503-5
5. Respect for the human person: 1929-33
6. Love for the poor: 2443-49, 2462-63

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090521.cfm
Lectionary: 128

Reading 1
Isaiah 35:4-7a
Thus says the LORD:
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Streams will burst forth in the desert,
and rivers in the steppe.
The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

Responsorial
Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2
Jame 2:1-5
My brothers and sisters, show no partiality
as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes
comes into your assembly,
and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes
and say, “Sit here, please, ”
while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves
and become judges with evil designs?

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.
Did not God choose those who are poor in the world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom
that he promised to those who love him?

Alleluia
Cf. Matthew 4:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mark 7:31-37
Again Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

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Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

the word discipline

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Mass Readings

Reading 1: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
Responsorial: Psalm 15:2-5
Reading 2: James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082921.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Welcome back for another edition of deacon rudy’s notes! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together we’re going to break open the Word!

Today I’d like to share some thoughts about our Gospel from this past weekend. We heard excerpts from the Gospel according to Mark Chapter 7. Some Pharisees and scribes confronted Jesus wanting to know why his disciples were not following the letter of the Jewish discipline concerning washing hands.

Jesus quotes Isaiah saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…” (Mark 7:6). He goes on to say that the people, “…disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Mark 7:8)

Now, this is a really interesting place to pause. You see, our Protestant brothers and sisters or even those who stand outside the Church might accuse Catholics of sharing this in common with the Pharisees and scribes. We cling to traditions and customs and lose sight of God’s commandment.

Well, to the uninformed, I guess it would be easy to jump to that conclusion. But nothing could be further from the truth. You see, Catholics do not believe in and teach rules and regulations or disciplines for the sake of our traditions.

Let’s walk through that for just a minute.

We Catholics are disciples of Christ Jesus. As disciples, we observe certain disciplines. Some of these disciplines are from Scripture. Some of these disciplines come from Tradition – both capital “T” and lower case “t” traditions. Some of our disciplines come from our doctrine or our teachings based on Scripture and Tradition.

Ok, but why bother with any sort of discipline at all? Ok, it’s time for a brief lesson in Latin. Full disclosure: I don’t speak Latin. Well, according to The German Etymological Dictionary (Kluge 23rd edition, 1999), the word “discipline” comes from the Latin disciplina. Disciplina comes from the Latin word discipulus or disciple. It also means student. The root of discipulus is discipere which means “to learn.” <1>

If the root of “discipline” is “to learn,” then our Catholic disciplines are designed to teach us about our faith in God, in Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. This is really important to remember because sometimes our family and friends can get really hung up on a particular “rule” in the Church and question why something has changed or why something hasn’t changed. Instead of questioning the legitimacy of a change, we should ask ourselves, “What fruit would that change produce? Will that change help us learn more about our faith?”

A great example is the Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent. Now, we don’t do that so that we can over-indulge in decadent seafood that we would not normally eat. The fruit of the disciple of self-denial is to help us focus on everything but our bellies. Is the way we live our lives consistent with our professed faith in Christ Jesus? But this practice was not just limited to the Fridays during Lent, but all Fridays.

In 1966, the bishops of the United States allowed Catholics to seek alternative forms of penance on Fridays because meat had become fairly common in American culture. Now I didn’t know this, but even though the bishops at that time allowed for alternative forms of penance – by the way, I didn’t know that either that we are supposed to do some kind of penance every single Friday of the year. But even though the bishops at that time allowed for alternative forms of penance they continued to recommend that Catholics should continue to abstain from meat on Fridays throughout the entire liturgical year. <2>

I didn’t know that. There are some suggesting we should return to this discipline of austerity on all Fridays to stand against our consumerist culture and to help shine the light of Christ on how our excesses contribute to the problems in our country and of course to help us focus our attention on Jesus Christ. What an interesting idea, don’t you think?

That’s one example of a discipline whose purpose is to teach us and by proxy all those around us. So, don’t fall into the trap of parroting Church disciplines. Try to understand them and their impact on your faith life and the faith life of our family and friends.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, what disciplines of our Church do you find helpful to you in your faith life?
Second, how can you help other people appreciate the value of discipline?

I think doing our homework will help us be the intentional disciples we are called to be! Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image: DISCIPLINE. Artist Unknown. JPEG.

Notes:
<1> https://latin.stackexchange.com/questions/126/on-the-etymology-of-discipulus-and-disciplina
<2> https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/08/23/climate-change-meatless-fridays-catholic-241270

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Anderson, Kelly and Daniel Keating. James, First, Second, and Third John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2017. Kindle.
2. Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.
3. Montague, George T. SM. Mark: A Popular Commentary on the Earliest Gospel. Steubenville, Ohio: Franciscan University Press, 1992.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Divine providence: 302-8
2. Jesus and Israel: 574-82
3. Jesus and the law: 577-82
4. Imitation of Christ: 1693-96
5. Human freedom: 1731-33
6. Conscience: 1776-77
7. Capital sins: 1866
8. The Old Law and the Gospel: 1961-74
9. Christian holiness: 2012-16
10. The heart: 2517-19, 2563
11. Purity: 2520

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082921.cfm
Lectionary: 125

Reading 1
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
Moses said to the people:
“Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin upon you,
you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?”

Responsorial
Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5
R. (1a) The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Whoever walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Reading 2
James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27
Dearest brothers and sisters:
All good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.
He willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Alleluia
James 1:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
—For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. —
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”
He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.

“From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”