Epistle 16 - Unpaid Bill

There’s the fattened calf (I prefer the old-school “fatted calf,” but this is the current translation, sigh) and the welcome-home party for the repentant son, plus the ring on his finger and the hug from his father, who greets this ne’er-do-well as if he had risen from the grave.

And we recognize the gift of God’s eternal mercy toward everyone who repents, as echoed by the actions of the young man’s father. That, in fact, is the traditional and simplest Occam’s Razor interpretation of this sizable passage from Luke’s Gospel. And it’s a totally valid understanding of the passage: Jesus intended the forgiving father in the parable to represent The Forgiving Father of All Creation.

But wait, there’s more:

Continue reading Empty nests

Somebody’s gotta do it

A homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 6, 2022

Is 6:1-2a, 3-8, 1 Cor 15:3-8, 11, Lk 5:1-11

We who used to be children probably grew up with Dad Jokes and Mom-isms.

(There were Dad-isms too, but they mostly were some variation of “Listen to your mother!”)

Mom-isms were deeply concerned with what kind of underwear to wear and when, where to cross the street and when, who to play with and when, and homework.

And Mom-isms weren’t always straightforward or direct. For example, when Mom might happen upon a filled-up kitchen sink, she’d say, “Those dishes aren’t going to wash themselves.”

And we got the hint.

Continue reading Somebody’s gotta do it

Infamy

A homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 30, 2022

Jer 1:4-5, 17-19, 1 Cor 12:31—13:13, Lk 4:21-30

The Rock and Roll and Country Music halls of fame. New Jersey Hall of Fame. Halls of fame for every sport imaginable, at every level conceivable: pro, college, amateur and more.

In fact, there probably are halls of fame for every endeavor in which more than three people participate.

And if an inductee is somebody local, then every family member and every neighbor and every teacher and preacher and the mayor and fire chief and three marching bands parade down Main Street to hail the Hometown Hero.

So why did Jesus have to slip away from his home village to avoid being run out of town on a rail?

Didn’t he qualify as a Hometown Hero?

Continue reading Infamy

Solving the puzzle

A homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 16, 2022

Is 62:1-5, 1 Cor 12:4-11, Jn 2:1-11

Rubik’s Cube. Jenga. Pick-Up Sticks. Checkers and chess. Jigsaw puzzles. Even Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Success in every one of these pastimes and many others depends on having the right pieces in the right place at the right time and, very often, having many pieces precisely where they need to be simultaneously.

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Good stuff

A homily for the Baptism of the Lord, January 9, 2022

Is 42:1-4, 6-7, Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7, Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

So: God in Heaven is well pleased with Jesus.

Duh.

Could anyone expect anything else?

Even though his ministry was still in its infancy, Jesus was living the right way, working the right way, teaching the right way and following the Law and the Prophets as any observant Jew of his age should.

Simply put, he was doing everything that a man of his time and place believed would please God.

And God literally said as much.

Jesus, son of God, got high praise.

So where does that leave us?

Continue reading Good stuff

J K M N O P

A homily for The Nativity of the Lord — Christmas, December 25, 2021

Readings from the Mass at Night: Is 9:1-6, Ti 2:11-14, Lk 2:1-14

‘Tis better to give than receive.

Every child knows that. Every adult says that.

Every person of faith, justice and charity tries to live up to that.

So what’s the best gift to give today and every day?

Continue reading J K M N O P

The bigger they are

A homily for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 3, 2021

Gn 2:18-24, Heb 2:9-11, Mk 10:2-16

We’ve all heard the old saw “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” And history has proven that true time and again.

But what about “The bigger they are, the more humble they become”?

Doesn’t sound familiar.

Continue reading The bigger they are

Actions speak louder…

A delayed and brief homily for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 12, 2021

Is 50:5-9a, Jas 2:14-18, Mk 8:27-35

Though we believe the Scriptures to be the inspired Word of God, not all of them are easily understood or digested. Not all of them have an immediately obvious application to modern life. Some can be serious head-scratchers.

Which is why we have homilies, among other reasons.

Occasionally, though, we hear a segment of Scripture that is perfectly simple and simply perfect.

And a long or tedious homily, as The Bard said in “King John,”

To gild refined gold, to paint the lily / To throw a perfume on the violet. . .. / Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

Continue reading Actions speak louder…