I have been blessed to be on the team that writes these scripture reflections for over ten years, so it stands to reason that every now and then I would be writing about the same group of readings as I had in the past. This is one of those weeks, and I have to say that it is so true that you can read the same passage of scripture countless times and it can impact you in very different ways depending ...
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We just heard the familiar story of how 10 lepers were healed, yet only one of them bothered to thank Jesus. I suppose the simplest and most direct message of that story, especially on this Thanksgiving weekend, is that we ought to be more grateful for all we have. That’s certainly true in my life. If I thanked God only 10% of the time, for all that I have received, I would be a more grateful person than I am now. ...
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Today’s gospel relates the story of Jesus and the 10 lepers. Jesus heard their prayer, their cry of mercy and sent them immediately to the priests (who were designated by law, to certify healings that had occurred). Those 10 lepers trusted; they did not remain there until they were cured, no: they trusted and went immediately and, while on their way, they were cured. Only one of the lepers – a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus for healing him. This ...
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Once again, we have Scripture readings that are not easily understandable, at least not in the first reading or the first hearing of them. There is a message in these readings, Good News, but we must do a little digging. It seems to be the prophets’ and Jesus’s preferred way of doing things. They get you thinking about something, and then they walk away leaving you to puzzle it in your mind. Neither Jesus nor the prophets are into handing ...
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Last week, as part of my own preparation for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I read the novel Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese. I have been thinking about the multigenerational harm that was done in the name of our faith by those who represented our Church. Even as I was growing up in a Catholic community that fostered my sense of self-worth and unconditional love, Indigenous children were experiencing a Catholicism that stripped them of dignity and made ...
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As is the case with almost all our Sunday Scripture readings, there is a strong connection between the first reading and the gospel. Let’s start with the reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos and see how it spills into the gospel and from there, see how it spills into our lives.
First a little background. Amos lived about 700 years before Jesus. At that time the Jews, God’s Chosen People, lived in the northern kingdom called Israel while others ...
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Jesus spoke in parables with amazing insights into human behaviour; many of them so convincing that they have become clichés of our language. One short parable was about a merchant who collected pearls and finally found the perfect one. He was so invested in his search that he sold everything else he had in order to buy it. When a young rich man asked Jesus for his advice, Jesus drew on his own parable and suggested the young man sell ...
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As I try to preach the Word of God in my own ministry, I’m beginning to appreciate, more and more, the wisdom found in the first readings especially from the prophets of old. As social justice issues arise in our own time, I realize social justice issues were front and center for the Biblical prophets as well. The prophet Amos, whom we heard from in that first reading, protested the wealthy class, the business class, who were notorious for cheating ...
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“Homeless often ‘treated like dirt’” ran a headline in the September 8th edition of the Times & Transcript. It grabbed my attention, and I felt a pang of guilt.
The increasing number of homeless people appearing in our communities, particularly over the past few years, is disconcerting to see. Recently, returning to my car with women friends, parked a couple of blocks north of Main Street, following a performance at the Capitol Theatre, as we left the lights and busyness of ...
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“Here is the God I want to believe in: a Father who, from the beginning of creation, has stretched out his arms in merciful blessing, never forcing himself on anyone, but always waiting; never letting his arms drop down in despair, but always hoping his children will return so that he can speak of words of love to them and let his tired arms rest on their shoulders. His only desire is to bless.” (Henri Nouwen, 1992)
I wonder how many baptized ...
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