Weekly Reflection

Passion Sunday – “B” – March 22, 2015

From the Pastor /

Today’s passage from Jeremiah begins, “See, the days are coming…” The second reading, from the letter to the Hebrews, speaks of Christ looking beyond His life on earth. In the Gospel, Jesus says that “the hour has come.” We still live in that “hour;” it is still unfolding in our lives.

Our lives are full of small deaths, and small resurrections. When we confess our sins, when we join with Christ in His Eucharist, when we make sacrifices and take risks for His sake, then something in us dies and something new is born again. We can live many years without allowing this death and resurrection to take place in our lives. We may not choose to change, but sometimes it is outside circumstances that force a change on us. This can be the grace of God for us, but only if we have faith and hope. If we lived our lives in a perpetual winter, and all living memory had forgotten the spring, how shocked we would be when a new spring finally came. We would call it the death of winter, unable to imagine that this was not death but a newness of life. St. Paul tells us that we are to walk in that newness of life. Christ walked into the greatest darkness possible, the rejection of salvation itself, yet He entered into that darkness and faced up to it with His human emotions, showing that fear is to be overcome by hope and love.

The art of travel is knowing what to pack, but the experienced traveler will also know what to pack. We will gain more from Lent if we see it as not just a temporary giving up of things but rather training in letting go of everything that holds us up on the journey to the kingdom. Jesus teaches us to travel lightly. In Lent we can learn something about how demanding the journey to eternal happiness can be. It may not be material things that we’re called to let go of. We may need to let go of attitudes, emotional blinds, compulsions, automatic responses to situations; in short, the false sense of self that hides the true self which is being created in Christ. Now in these last two weeks of Lent, we can consider the magnitude of the journey Christ has asked us to pursue. Yet it is not a journey we make on our own; if we look ahead, He is there, and we follow.

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IV Sunday of Lent – “B” – March 15, 2015

From the Pastor /

Becoming God’s works of art means handing ourselves over to be recreated in Christ, shaped by the Father’s love and given a new life in the Holy Spirit. This happens most profoundly when we give up on our own efforts. When we find ourselves finally exiled, lost, at the dead end of our own plans and weaknesses we then realize that what we have driven out is Christ, then we can look on Him and His love and be healed.

Thinking about this in Lent is especially important. We are encouraged by the Church to observe Lent through deepened prayer, more frequent fasting and a greater sharing of what we have. At this stage in Lent many of us will be feeling pleased at what a “successful” Lent we’re having; we’ve stuck to our disciplines and are beginning to feel pretty pleased with our spiritual progress! So let’s be happy in our Lenten journey, and share that smile of God’s love for us a bit more this week. Next time we know we are getting in a mess, instead of simply making bigger efforts of our own, let’s call on Jesus first, and allow ourselves to know the joy of His help in all attempts to love better.

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Institution of the PNCC – March 8, 2015

From the Pastor, PNCC /

The PNCC in ONE, because like Christ, the head of the Church, is one, thus there is also one body in which Christ is head and the faithful as members are united. Although there are many members in the Church, the body of Christ, yet they all are one body and they are united in an inseparable unity.

The PNCC is HOLY, because Christ, her head, is holy. The fact that PNCC members do sin doesn’t destroy the holiness of the Church.

The PNCC is CATHOLIC, because Christ is the Lord of the universe. The PNCC is Catholic as she remains in the original tradition of the Apostles and continues “That which has been believed everywhere, always, by all”. Our holy orders are recognized by both the RC and Orthodox Churches. We are rooted in Scripture, grounded in Sacred Tradition and accept the Ecumenical Councils of the undivided Church.

The PNCC is APOSTOLIC, because her divine founder was the first “apostle”. The apostolic teaching guarded by the Church constitutes the essence of her apostolicity. The uninterrupted sequence and succession of the shepherds and teachers of the Church which begins by the Apostles, guarantees the truth of the Church.

The PNCC is a CONSTITUTIONAL Church. The source of sovereignty rests in each democratically organized parish, which owns, controls and administers all parish property. Ultimate and virtually complete authority is given to the Church’s legislative body, the General Synod. Between synods, the executive body known as the Supreme Council of the Church is the highest governing body.

The PNCC is a BIBLE-BELIEVING Church. A Catholic Church that believes the Holy Bible to be the divinely inspired Word of God.

The PNCC is a DEMOCRATIC Church. The poorest lay person has a voice in the parish. The laity and clergy work together, with separate spheres of responsibility in parochial affairs, and they work together, often after long heated debate, in the seniorate and in the diocesan and general synods.
Our laity is kept well informed of all that is going on in the Church. We are not perfect. We are human. But we know that our Church will, through the sacraments, make possible our growth in grace and our entrance into heaven!

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II Sunday of Lent – “B” – March 1, 2015

From the Pastor /

This encounter of Peter, James and John upon the mountain with the glorious Christ seems out of place in the Gospel of St. Mark. Why are the disciples not able to see the glory of Christ at every moment? Why can they not see this? It is because they have not accepted that Jesus must die on the cross. We, readers of St. Mark’s Gospel, are now seeing all this in the light of the cross and resurrection. We know that without the cross there can be no resurrection. It is only after Jesus has risen that the disciples will understand the significance of what happened upon the mountain. The mountain of the glorious appearance of Jesus only makes sense in the light of that other mountain, Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion. When we think of earthly glory we think of those who have risen above our ordinary human weakness and vulnerability. Those who are rich and famous do not share in our daily struggles to make a living. Sometimes we think that sharing in the glory of Christ will make us invulnerable to human weakness and suffering. With Peter we say it is wonderful to be with the glorified Christ, and we wish to build a dwelling place so that Christ can stay forever with us. Yet remaining with Christ means following Him to that other mountain, the place of the cross.

In order to enter into His glory, Christ calls us to follow Him on the path to the cross. It is very tempting to remain on the mountain, but we are called to return to our lives. Each of us is confronted by suffering: the pain and disappointments of our own lives, the sufferings of those around us. As Christians we are not called to rise above the pain and suffering of the world, but to follow Christ and enter into those places where people suffer. We can only do this as Christ’s disciples, allowing Him to enter into our own suffering and pain, so that we can show to others this healing love. This is what it means to show the glory of Christ.

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I Sunday of Lent – “B” – February 22, 2015

From the Pastor /

In the old legends, the hero was recognized as such from an early age. Mark’s Gospel gives no information on Jesus’ early years, but all Gospel references to what follows Jesus’ baptism draw attention to His unique status. First, however, He is put to the test. We are told that Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted by Satan. We are also told that He was with the wild beasts. It was commonly believed in the ancient world that the wilderness was where evil spirits and demons lived. Jesus was also looked after by angels. In today’s Gospel story, the issue is whether Jesus, the beloved Son of God will trust His Father where the nation Israel, the children of God, did not. Mark doesn’t explicitly tell us the outcome, but we are told that Jesus emerged triumphant from this test and, after John’s arrest, proclaimed: “The kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.”

Perhaps our own test, especially during Lent, is to ask ourselves if we really believe that the kingdom of God is at hand and that it really is good news for us. The goal of Lenten repentance is to change our mindset to accepting God’s good news, and letting it make a difference in lives. After all, the English word “repentance” comes from a Greek word that literally means “a change of mind”. We are called first to change the way we think about God’s kingdom and Jesus’ good news before we try to change our behavior. This change of mind is what Lent is really about.

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Quinquagesia Sunday – “B” – February 15, 2015

From the Pastor /

The person who brought about this turnaround in the life of Paul was Jesus himself, whom Paul met on the road to Damascus. As Paul hunted down the followers of the Lord, Jesus said to him, “I am Jesus and you are persecuting me.” From this moment onwards, St. Paul would never again do anything offensive to anyone, neither Jew not Greek nor Church of God. St. Paul had come to know the Lord, who went about preaching and curing all who were sick. This Jesus of Nazareth never did anything offensive to anyone, though His opponents found much to be offended about. Today we hear of an encounter with a leper. Jesus is anxious that this cure should net be broadcast, for fear it would cause uproar. Ironically, the leper has found his place back among his own people and the Lord has been forced outside. But despite that consequence, Jesus was more than willing to heal the sick man. That is why He came – to bring true life to all people and to heal our sickness.

Our deepest hurts are the things that cause you to fight one another, our anger and our sense of injustice, our aggressiveness with one another and our violence. We are back where we started, with the advice of St. Paul: “Never do anything offensive to anyone.” These are the true sorrows of our world. How do we heal them?

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Sexagesima Sunday – “B” – February 8, 2015

From the Pastor /

It’s easy for us to be so wrapped up in our lives – the daily routine, the demands that simple existence makes upon us – that we lose sight of our true purpose and calling. Like Job, we can be left struggling with our existence, failing to find a meaning in our lives. Sickness, mental illness, stress and anxiety in particular can so consume us that our life feels like no more than “pressed service” and “hired drudgery”. But that highly charged, symbolic good deed of Jesus points away forward us: Simon’s mother-in-law is restored by Jesus’ touch not simply to health but to service. Her encounter with Jesus transforms her suffering into the freedom to serve. This Gospel truth is a lesson the disciples struggle to learn: that true greatness lies in service, for Jesus himself came not to be served but to serve. Those of us who, like Simon’s mother-in-law, are touched by Jesus are raised to serve like Him, to continue His mission of bringing healing and wholeness into our world. So many people are weighed down by burdens of suffering, trapped by external forces of oppression and poverty, or enslaved by internal compulsions and addictions. The response of Christ – of the Christian – is to do more than simply ask “Why?” We are called to engage actively, by proclaiming the nearness of God’s kingdom through lives of loving service.

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Septuagesima Sunday – “B” – February 1, 2015

From the Pastor /

It is said that the greatest victory the devil has won in our modern age is to persuade people not to believe in him. His greatest skill is to deceive people. C.S. Lewis, who wrote a brilliant book called The Screwtape Letters, made the devil into a rather humorous figure.

In the New Testament the devil is no joking matter. In the first-century Palestine, the world of the demonic was taken deadly seriously. St. Mark sees the world into which Jesus comes. It was not neutral ground but occupied by Satan. The Messiah would have to be involved in a cosmic battle with him. In today’s Gospel the battle begins as he performs an exorcism in Capernaum. Jesus goes to teach in the synagogue. The devil recognizes Jesus not as a healer but as a destroyer: “Have you come to destroy us?” Then he tries to trick Jesus into submission by using two names for Him, Jesus of Nazareth and “the Holy One of God”. But Jesus is not deceived. He casts out the unclean spirit, who violently shakes his victim and screams out in defeat.

Imagine such a scene at a Sunday Mass. What would people make of all that shouting and writhing in the sanctuary? It’s not what we expect in church. In our modern, scientific society we may be embarrassed by all this talk of demons and Satan. Modern medicine can certainly explain a great deal of the sickness and disease that we see in the Gospels. On an individual level many people are taken over by powerful addictions, such as drugs, drink or pornography. They are imprisoned. There can seem to be powers at work that are more than the sum of individual people’s evil. The good news of the Gospel is that Christ has won the victory over evil and we can share in His risen power. Evil will never have the final word. Jesus calls us to stand firm against evil and unjust behavior in this world. We do not need to be afraid, as we can know that He is with us and has won the victory over Satan and all his works.

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III Sunday in Ordinary Time – “B” – January 25, 2015

From the Pastor /

Christ would remind us, “No matter what your past may resemble, your future is spotless. And the saints are saints precisely because they kept trying.” Modern culture dismisses sin. But the Nazarene does not buy into that message. A New Testament concordance contains a dozen columns on the subject of sin and only eight on love. God would remind us that He gave Moses Ten Commandments and not Ten Suggestions. He never said, “Keep My commandments unless of course you have a headache.” The good news brings hope. The good news offers everyone peace. Virtue and evil are constantly fighting for the upper hand in each of us. Morally we are split personalities, moral schizophrenics. St. Paul identifies with our human condition in the famous words, “The good I would do that I do not. The evil I would not do that I do.” If we surrender ourselves to the Christ, those Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personalities in us can at last become one worthwhile entity.

St. Paul advises: “Let the shoes on your feet be the good news of peace.” If we take his recommendation, our feet will become unbound. We need not fear where they will take us. We will walk over pebbles and feel no pain. Abraham Lincoln was asked what he thought of a sermon. He replied it was good but had one defect. The preacher didn’t ask us to be great. One cannot say that of Jesus in today’s Gospel. We ask the mystic, “How does one get to heaven?” She answers, “The same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice! Practice! Practice!” Go for the golden apple. The aphorism is correct. While it’s risky to go out on a limb, that’s where the apple is.

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II Sunday in Ordinary Time – “B” – January 18, 2015

From the Pastor /

St. John’s version of the calling of the disciples is concerned with how we grow in faith and so become disciples. As in today’s first reading, about the calling of Samuel, it is a process. John the Baptist passes on two of his disciples to Jesus, repeating his declaration from the time of Jesus’ baptism that this is the “lam of God”, the one who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus is not just a teacher. He confirms this by His recognition of who Simon is, where he has come from and who he will be. In St. John’s Gospel, faith is at times expressed as a coming to Jesus, and seeing in depth is compared with being blind or missing the point. This is how we too grow in faith. If we come to Jesus and spend time with Him, we too may go beyond thinking of Him as our teacher and come to see Him as the Messiah and more.

To discover our true calling and how to be a disciple we are called to follow the same pattern described in St. John’s account. We bring ourselves, with whatever our particular strengths and weaknesses may be. We can know that we are invited to come to Jesus himself and spend time with Him. This may be time spent in prayer, in learning about Him, in just giving time to being with Him. We may not be the rock Jesus calls Simon Peter to be, but we will have a significant role to play. If we find it difficult to believe God has this special interest in us, we can also help each other discover our callings.

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