If You Can Use Anything Lord, You Can Use Me - A Homily for the 11th Sunday of the Year

Msgr. Charles Pope • June 16, 2018 •

The readings for this Sunday speak of God’s providence, which is often displayed in humble, hidden, and mysterious ways. While it is true that God sometimes works in overpowering ways, His more common method seems to be using the humble and even unlikely things of the created order to accomplish His goals.

For us who are disciples, there are three related teachings given to us that speak of how God will make use of us and others. It is also good to link these teaching to Father’s Day, which occurs this weekend here in the U.S. These three teachings can be described as Adaptability, “Awe-Ability,” and Accountability.

ADAPTABILITY – In today’s first reading and in the Gospel, we hear how God can take something humble and adapt it to be something mighty and powerful.

The tender shoot of the first reading becomes a mighty oak: I [the Lord] will take from the crest of the cedar…a tender shoot, and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. … It shall put forth branches and bear fruit and become a majestic cedar (Ezekiel 17:22-23).

The mustard seed of the first reading which becomes a great shade tree: The … kingdom of God … is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade (Mk 4:32-33).

Yes, God adapts us for His purposes and no one should say, “I cannot be used.” An old song says, “If you can use anything Lord, you can use me.” There’s a litany I’ve seen floating around the Internet that says,

The next time you think God can’t use you, remember

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses was murderer had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt and was depressed
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too argumentative
Timothy had an ulcer
and Lazarus was dead!

No excuses, then, God chooses the weak and makes them strong

In fact, it is often our very weakness that is the open door for God. In our strength we are usually too proud to be of any use to Him. Moses was too strong at age forty when he pridefully murdered a man, thinking he was doing both the Jews and God a favor. Only forty years later, at the age of eighty, was Moses weak and humble enough to depend on God. Only then could God use him.

We are invited in this principle to consider that it is not merely in the “biggie-wow” things we do that God can work. It is also in the humble and imperfect things about us—the mustard seed of faith, the tiny shoots, the humble growth—that God can magnify His power.

So, God can adapt even the humblest, most ordinary, lowliest things and from them bring forth might and lasting fruit. Never despair of what is most humble about you, or that you are of little account on the world’s stage. It is precisely our humble state that God most often uses to bring forth His greatest and most lasting works.

“ AWE-ABILITY” – This is the capacity to reverence mystery and to have wonder and awe at what God does. In today’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes that although a man plants seeds, he does not really know the deeper mysteries of life and growth:

This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how (Mk 4:26-27).

Despite our often-self-congratulatory celebration of our scientific prowess and of how much we know, there is much more that we neither know nor understand. We do well to maintain a reverential awe of the deeper mysteries of God’s works and His ways. We are also rather poor at assessing the effectiveness of our methods. We may come away from a project considering it to have been very effective, and yet little comes of it in the long run. Conversely, sometimes what we consider to have been an ineffective effort may bear great fruit. God works in His own ways and we do well to remember that He can surprise us, reminding us that He is able and is in charge.

Some years ago, a friend of mine had on her desk a “God can.” It was a metal cookie tin with the following saying on its lid: He worketh in strange and mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. Into this box she would place slips of papers on which were written the challenges, struggles, and failures of her life. When she reached the limits of her strengths and abilities, she would say, “I can’t, but God can.” So, into this metal “God can” went the slips of paper, placed there in the hope that God would make a way out of no way. Quite often He did.

We do well to cultivate a sense of wonder and awe at who God is and how He works. Not only does this bring us joy, but it also opens us to hope. It reminds us that God can work in hidden ways to exult what is humble and to bring great transformation to those who are cast down and troubled. As we saw in the “adaptability” section of this post, it is often in the humblest things that God performs His mightiest works.

ACCOUNTABILITY – If it is true that we can’t, but God can; if it is true that God can use us mightily despite our humble state, our weakness, and even our sinfulness; then there can be no excuse for not bearing fruit in our life. Each of us is accountable to the Lord for how we let Him use us and work through us to further His Kingdom.

The second reading reminds that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil (2 Cor 5:9-10).

God is able to adapt and to work in wondrous and hidden ways to lift us up, even if we are humble and struggle. Given this capacity of God’s, we must one day render an account of how we have responded to God’s grace and His invitation to be used for His work.

On that day of judgment, the answer “I couldn’t” will ring hollow, because God can. Today’s readings remind us to be open to what God can do, often in mysterious ways, and even with the most humble things in our life.

Today is also Father’s Day, and so the following litany of resolution seems appropriate:

I DO solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.

I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.

I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.

I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.

I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.

I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.

I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).

This resolution comes from the 2011 movie Courageous, which I strongly recommend seeing.

All of us, men and women, will be held accountable, for even if we can’t, God can. Even if we feel too humble and insignificant, God does His greatest work with humble things and humble people. For us, it is simply to say that we have an adaptability that God can use. This should inspire in us an “awe-ability” that joyfully acknowledges God’s often secretive and hidden power. If that be the case, then, knowing our accountability, it simply remains for us to say, “If you can use anything, Lord, you can use me!”

Sunday Gospel Reflections

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel
Mark 4:26-34

²⁶ And he said: "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground,
²⁷ and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how.
²⁸ The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
²⁹ But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
³⁰ And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?
³¹ It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;
³² yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
³³ With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;
³⁴ he did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

Interesting Details

A parable is "a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought" (C. H. Dodd). With parables, Jesus uses what is familiar to describe what is unfamiliar to us: the kingdom of God. The reader is asked to look at his familiar world in a new way--God's way.
"The kingdom of God" is not a place; it really means "the reign of God." "The kingdom of God is like..." illustrates what happens when God's will is done on earth as perfectly as it is done in heaven. The seed is God's word. Both parables emphasize the mysterious growth of the seed.
(vv.26-28) The first parable contrasts the helplessness of man with the power of God. The farmer sows, and then waits. He waits, because the seed grows of its own accord, and he "knows not how." As the seed inevitably grows to fruitfulness, so does God's word grow inevitably to achieve the end for which it was sent. The lesson for us is to be not anxious, be not proud. God's word grows not primarily from our efforts, and grows out of proportion to our efforts.
(v.29) The first parable concludes with an allusion to Joel 4:13; the harvest is the day of judgment.
(vv.30-32) In Palestine, a grain of mustard seed stands for the smallest possible thing. For example, a person of little faith would be said to have "faith as a grain of mustard seed." A mustard plant crowded with birds is a common sight, since the plant has many black seeds which birds feed on. The parable of the mustard seed contrasts a beginning with an end--the smallness of the beginning and the greatness of the end. The Church started with but a small band of uneducated fishermen.
(v.34) Jesus used parables to teach the public, but "explained everything" to his disciples. The difference between the public and his disciples is a matter of commitment.

One Main Point

The reign of God will grow to its fullness, despite all obstacles.

Reflections

Recall a small beginning that has blossomed into fruit--a change in someone close to me that I did not expect, a change in my own attitude or outlook of life. How patient am I with myself? with others? How easily do I give up?
How do I view the church today? Disappointed, anxious, frustrated? How should I view the church?

'We should study the interests of others as our own, and be careful to act on all occasions with uprightness and loyalty.'

St. Vincent de Paul

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 4
26.	And he said: So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the earth,	Et dicebat : Sic est regnum Dei, quemadmodum si homo jaciat sementem in terram,	και ελεγεν ουτως εστιν η βασιλεια του θεου ως εαν ανθρωπος βαλη τον σπορον επι της γης
27.	And should sleep, and rise, night and day, and the seed should spring, and grow up whilst he knoweth not.	et dormiat, et exsurgat nocte et die, et semen germinet, et increscat dum nescit ille.	και καθευδη και εγειρηται νυκτα και ημεραν και ο σπορος βλαστανη και μηκυνηται ως ουκ οιδεν αυτος
28.	For the earth of itself bringeth forth fruit, first the blade, then the ear, afterwards the full corn in the ear.	Ultro enim terra fructificat, primum herbam, deinde spicam, deinde plenum frumentum in spica.	αυτοματη γαρ η γη καρποφορει πρωτον χορτον ειτα σταχυν ειτα πληρη σιτον εν τω σταχυι
29.	And when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.	Et cum producerit fructus, statim mittit falcem, quoniam adsit messis.	οταν δε παραδω ο καρπος ευθεως αποστελλει το δρεπανον οτι παρεστηκεν ο θερισμος
30.	And he said: To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or to what parable shall we compare it?	Et dicebat : Cui assimilabimus regnum Dei ? aut cui parabolæ comparabimus illud ?	και ελεγεν τινι ομοιωσωμεν την βασιλειαν του θεου η εν ποια παραβολη παραβαλωμεν αυτην
31.	It is as a grain of mustard seed: which when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth:	Sicut granum sinapis, quod cum seminatum fuerit in terra, minus est omnibus seminibus, quæ sunt in terra :	ως κοκκον σιναπεως ος οταν σπαρη επι της γης μικροτερος παντων των σπερματων εστιν των επι της γης
32.	And when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the birds of the air may dwell under the shadow thereof.	et cum seminatum fuerit, ascendit, et fit majus omnibus oleribus, et facit ramos magnos, ita ut possint sub umbra ejus aves cæli habitare.	και οταν σπαρη αναβαινει και γινεται παντων των λαχανων μειζων και ποιει κλαδους μεγαλους ωστε δυνασθαι υπο την σκιαν αυτου τα πετεινα του ουρανου κατασκηνουν
33.	And with many such parables, he spoke to them the word, according as they were able to hear.	Et talibus multis parabolis loquebatur eis verbum, prout poterant audire :	και τοιαυταις παραβολαις πολλαις ελαλει αυτοις τον λογον καθως εδυναντο ακουειν
34.	And without parable he did not speak unto them; but apart, he explained all things to his disciples.	sine parabola autem non loquebatur eis : seorsum autem discipulis suis disserebat omnia.	χωρις δε παραβολης ουκ ελαλει αυτοις κατ ιδιαν δε τοις μαθηταις αυτου επελυεν παντα

26. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27. And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knows not how.
28. For the earth brings forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

PSEUD-CHRYS. A parable occurred, a little above, about the three seeds which perished in various ways, and the one which was saved; in which last He also shows three differences, according to the proportion of faith and practice Here however, He puts forth a parable concerning those only who are saved. Wherefore it is said, And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, &c.

PSEUDO-JEROME; The kingdom of God is the Church which is ruled by God, and herself rules over men, amid treads down the powers which are contrary to her, and all wickedness.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or else He calls by the name of kingdom of God, faith in Him, and in the economy of His Incarnation; which kingdom indeed is as if a man should throw seed. For He Himself being God and the Son of God, having without change been made man, has cast seed upon time earth, that is, He has enlightened the whole world by the word of divine knowledge.

PSEUDO-JEROME; For the seed is the word of life, the ground is the human heart, and the sleep of the man means the death of the Savior. The seed springs up night and day, because after the sleep of Christ, the number of Christians, through calamity and prosperity, continued to flourish more and more in faith, and to wax greater in deed.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or Christ himself is the man who rises, for He sat waiting with patience, that they who received seed should bear fruit. He rises, that is, by, the word of His love, He makes us grow to the bringing forth fruit, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand, by which is meant the day, and on the left, by which is meant the night of persecution; for by these the seed springs up and does not wither.

THEOPHYL. Or else Christ sleeps, that is, ascends into heaven, where, though He seem to sleep, yet He rises by night, when through temptations He raises us up to the knowledge of Himself; and in the day time, when on account of our prayers, He sets in order our salvation.

PSEUDO-JEROME; But when He says, He knows not how, He is speaking in a figure; that is, He does not make known to us, who amongst us will produce fruit to the end.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or else He says, He knows not, that He may show free-will of those who receive the word, for He commits a work to our will, and does not work the whole Himself alone, lest the good should seem involuntary. For the earth brings forth fruits of its own accord, that is, she is brought to hear fruit without being compelled by a necessity contrary to inner will. First the blade.

PSEUDO-JEROME; That is, fear. For the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Then the full corn in the ear; that is, charity, for charity is the fulfilling of the Law.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or, first it produces the blade, in the law of nature, by degrees growing up to advancement; afterwards it brings forth the ears, which are to be collected into a bundle, and to be offered on an altar to the Lord, that is, in the law of Moses; afterwards the full-fruit, in the Gospel. Or because we must not only put forth leaves by obedience, but also learn prudence, and, like the stalk of corn, remain upright without minding the winds which blow us about. We must also take heed to our soul by a diligent recollection, that, like the ears, we may bear fruit, that is, show forth the perfect operation of virtue.

THEOPHYL. For we put forth the blade, when we show a principle of good; then the ear, when we can resist temptations; then comes the fruit, when a man works something perfect. It goes on: and when it has brought forth the fruit, immediately he sends the sickle, because the harvest is come.

PSEUDO-JEROME; The sickle is death or the judgment, which cuts down all things; the harvest is the end of the world.

GREGORY; Or else; Man casts seed to the ground, when he places a good intention in his heart; and he sleeps, when he already rests in the hope which attends on a good work. But he rises night and day because he advances amidst prosperity and adversity, though he knows it not for he is as yet unable to measure his increase, and yet virtue, once conceived, goes on increasing. When therefore we conceive good desires, we put seed into the ground; when we begin to work rightly, we are the blade. When we increase to the perfection of good works, we arrive at the ear; when we are firmly fixed in the perfection of the same working, we already put forth the full corn in the ear.

30. And he said, Whereto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32. But when it is sown, it grows up, and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
33. And with many such parables spoke he the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
34. But without a parable spoke he not to them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

GLOSS. After having narrated the parable concerning the coming forth of the fruit from the seed of the Gospel, he here subjoins another parable, to show the excellence of the doctrine of the Gospel before all other doctrines. Wherefore it is said, And he said, Whereto shall life liken the kingdom of God?

THEOPHYL. Most brief indeed is the word of faith; Believe in God, and you shall he saved. But the preaching of it has been spread far and wide over the earth, and increased so, that time birds of heaven, that is, contemplative men, sublime in understanding and knowledge, dwell under it. For how many wise men among the Gentiles, quitting their wisdom, have found rest in the preaching of the Gospel! Its preaching then is greater than all.

CHRYS. And also because the wisdom spoken amongst the perfect expands, to a extent greater than all other sayings, that which was told to men in short discourses, for there is nothing greater than this truth.

THEOPHYL. Again, it put forth great boughs, for the Apostles were divided off as the boughs of a tree, some to Rome, some to India, some to other parts of the world

PSEUDO-JEROME; Or else, that seed is very, small in fear, but great when it has grown into charity, which is greater than all herbs; for God is love, whilst all flesh is grass. But the boughs which it puts forth are those of mercy and compassion, since under its shade the poor of Christ, who are meant by the living creatures of the heavens, delight to dwell.

BEDE; Again, the man who sows is by many taken to mean the Savior Himself, by others, man himself sowing in his own heart.

CHRYS. Then after this, Mark, who delights in brevity, to show the nature of the parables, subjoins, And with many such parables spoke he the word to them as they could hear him.

THEOPHYL. For since the multitude was unlearned, he instructs them from objects of food and familiar names, and for this reason he adds, But without a parable spoke he not to them, that is, in order that they might be induced to approach and to ask Him. It goes on And when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples, that is, all things about which they were ignorant and asked Him, not simply all, whether obscure or not.

PSEUDO-JEROME; For they were worthy to hear mysteries apart, in the most secret haunt of wisdom, for they were men, who, removed from the crowds of evil thoughts, remained in the solitude of virtue; and wisdom is received in a time of quiet.

Catena Aurea Mark 4

Communion of Saints

Greek icon

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3577763/posts?page=3

Saint of the Day — Saint Joseph Cafasso.

Information: St. Avitus

Feast Day: June 17

Died: 530

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Emily De Vialar

Feast Day: June 17
Born: 1797 :: Died: 1856

Anne Marguerite Adelaide Emily de Vialar was born at Gaillace, Albi in southern France. She was the only daughter of Baron James Augustine de Vialar and Antoinette. Her wealthy parents sent her to school in Paris but at the age of fifteen, she returned to her small town of Gaillac when her mother died.

Fifteen-year-old Emily would be good company for her father. Mr. de Vialar was interested in finding a suitable husband for his daughter. He became very angry when Emily flatly refused to marry because she wanted to be a religious sister and give her life to God.

When Emily was twenty-one, a new priest, Father Mercier, arrived in Gaillac. Emily went to him for direction as she wanted to help the poor and the sick. Father Mercier helped her set up an out-patient service right on the terrace of the de Vialar home.

Emily's father was upset by all the bother and this tense situation between Emily and her father existed for fifteen years. Then Emily's grandfather, the Baron de Portal, died leaving Emily a large fortune. At last she could have the independence she needed to begin her great work for God.

With the help of Father Mercier, Emily bought a large house in her hometown. She and three other women began a religious order. They designed a habit and chose the name �Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition�.

The archbishop blessed their congregation and ministry. These sisters would be care for the sick and poor, and educate children. Twelve young women joined the group within three months. Sister Emily pronounced her vows in 1835 along with seventeen other sisters.

The Sisters of St. Joseph started branch convents. In 1847, the sisters went to Burma and in 1854, to Australia. In forty years, Mother Emily saw her congregation grow from the patio of her home in Gaillac, France, to some forty convents around the world.

Mother Emily wrote many letters which showed her great love for God, for his Church and for people. She saw in her heart people everywhere who needed the truth of the Gospel and the love that Christ brings. She asked Jesus for the strength she needed to continue her mission. Mother Emily's died on August 24, 1856.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, June 17

Liturgical Color: Green

Today the Church honors St. Albert
Chmielowski. He came from a wealthy
family and had a promising career as
an artist, but he gave it all up to work
with the homeless, whom he felt were
ignored by society. St. Albert died in 1916.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: June 17th

Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time; Father's Day

St. Mary Magdalene washes the feet of Christ

MASS READINGS

June 17, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Old Calendar: Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

"To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade."

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from Ez 17:22-24. In this reading the prophet Ezekiel spoke about the better days that were to come for the Chosen People when Yahweh would take back His people once more, and dwell in their midst forever. Today's extract is a messianic prophecy in which God says that he will raise up a descendant–a sprig from the lofty cedar David, who will yet be the glory of Israel.

The second reading is from 2 Corinthians 5:6-10. St Paul tells his Corinthians that his constant desire and motive in life is to please God. In this he wants them to imitate him. While on earth this is his aim and when he goes to God in heaven this will be his purpose and his delight.

The Gospel is from St. Mark 4:26-34. One of the proofs of the divine origin of the Church of Christ is its growth from very humble beginnings. Christ could have come on earth in the prime of manhood, without the cooperation of any human ancestry. He could have preached his gospel to the whole world himself without any help from men. By extraordinary miracles he could have astounded the world into believing. If he wished to have the assistance of men he could have chosen the outstanding philosophers and orators of Greece and Rome. Instead, he chose to come into this world as a baby, the son of a poor mother and of a carpenter foster-father. He was born in a stable; was forced into pagan Egypt before he was a year old; he lived thirty or so years in Nazareth in poverty, earning his meager daily bread by the sweat of his brow. Then for three years he trudged the highways and by-ways of Palestine, often weary, hungry and footsore, preaching the good news of redemption. For assistants he chose fishermen, shepherds and tax-gatherers, twelve of the most ordinary of the ordinary people of his day.

When the time came for him to lay down his life for the world as prearranged by his Father, he allowed his enemies to capture him and to condemn him to the death of the cross. These were surely humble beginnings for a kingdom which was to span the earth and the ages. The mustard seed in comparison was large. Yet, this was God's plan and therefore it succeeded as he said it would. The story of his humble origins among us, of his equality with us in all things, sin alone excepted, and of his self-immolation for us, touched human hearts wherever it was told and the grace of God did the rest.

It was not the eloquence of the Apostles, nor their gift of persuasion, nor their fame for learning that moved the pagan world to forsake its idols and its vices. No, nothing but the moving grace of the Holy Spirit and the objective truth of the gospel story can explain the conversion of the Roman empire.

Therefore, the spread of the Church is a proof of its divine origin—it is from God and God is with it. Knowing this, how grateful should we not be to him who has made us members of his kingdom on earth, with the assurance of a place in his eternal kingdom in heaven, if we remain his loyal subjects here below. How good God has been to us! To what lengths of humiliation did he not go to in order to open heaven for us! When we think of Bethlehem, Nazareth, Calvary, can we dare complain because he sends us a few crosses to help us to atone for our own past sins? When we wipe the sweat of honest labor from our brow, we will think of the carpenter of Nazareth. When we feel the pinch of poverty, hunger, debt, we will think of Bethlehem and its stable and of the poor home of Nazareth. If or when the injustice of others should drive us from our home and fatherland, as is the lot of so many today, we will think of the exile in Egypt. If we are saved this humiliation we will do all in our power to help "displaced" persons wherever they may be.

The tiny mustard seed has grown into a tree but it has yet to gather many more under the shelter of its branches. Christ asks every one of his followers to help him to bring all men into the safety of his kingdom on earth, so that they may be enabled to enjoy happiness forever in his heavenly kingdom. Realizing all that God and his divine Son have done for us, would we be so mean and ungrateful as to refuse to lend a helping hand? God forbid! God has already put us on the right road to heaven; we will help him to get in the stragglers, the lazy, the "couldn't-care-less" ones on that same road, by every means available to us.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 4:26-34

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Without parables he did not speak to them. (Mark 4:34)

Did you know that you are quirky? It’s true. The fact that you are taking time out to read these words—and, most likely, to read the Scriptures from today’s Mass—sets you apart as unusual. Not too many people set aside time for prayer, after all.

But your quirkiness doesn’t end there. Do you go to Mass on Sundays? How odd! You could be sleeping in, like a lot of other people. Or getting up early to go fishing. Or any number of other things. Even if you went to Mass yesterday, that’s a peculiar way to spend a night off. There are restaurants to visit, movies to see, and TV shows to watch. But there you go, gathering with a bunch of other quirky people to sing to God and eat his Body and drink his Blood.

It gets worse. Do you forgive people from the heart—or at least try to? Do you try to see God in the people around you? How about going into a small booth and telling a man all of your sins? Who does those things?

Of course, you’re not really quirky. You’re only doing what God created you to do: love him and love your neighbor. But to many people, you are a mystery. And that’s exactly how Jesus wants it.

St. Mark tells us that Jesus himself spoke in riddles and parables to the people around him—he even mystified his closest disciples! This was part of his strategy: to provoke his listeners to think more deeply about God and about their lives. He wanted to awaken in them a hunger for God so that they would come ask him for more. Then, when they were ready, he could open their hearts to the “mystery of the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:11).

So keep being quirky! Love. Forgive. Pray. Give. Then, when someone asks why you are the way you are, tell them you’re just trying to be like Jesus. Who knows? You may win them over.

“Jesus, help me to reflect your love today.”

Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16
2 Corinthians 5:6-10

A Christian Pilgrim

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

(A biblical refection on THE ELEVENTH ORDINARY SUNDAY [Year B] – June 17, 2018)

Gospel Reading: Mark 4:26-34

First Reading: Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalms: Psalm 92:2-3,13-16; Second Reading: 2Corinthians 5:6-10

The Scripture Text

And He said, “The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how. The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.’’

And He said, “With what can we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

With many such parables He spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to His own disciples He explained everything. (Mark 4:26-34 RSV)

People are naturally reluctant to change their minds about traditional beliefs and the Jewish people in Jesus’ day were no different from anyone else. They, too, were set in their ways and were reluctant to abandon their long held conviction, especially religious doctrine pertaining to the Messiah.

Some Jewish people in first-century Palestine believed the Messiah would conquer the world and, through Him, God would then restore the world to what it was like before man and woman sinned. This is what the Jews called the reign or Kingdom of God.

Some Jews believed the reign of God would come quickly once the Messiah appeared and that it would be only for Jewish people. Jesus challenges these ideas with the parables in today’s Gospel.

Jesus compares the reign of God to a seed and in the first parable, He stresses how slowly a seed grows. First there’s the blade, then the ear, and finally the ripe wheat in the ear. Just as this process takes time and doesn’t occur overnight, the reign of God will also take time and will not happen all at once.

In the second parable, Jesus says that the reign of God is like a mustard seed that grows into a huge plant in which the birds of the air builds their nests. Notice that Jesus does not say the birds were only sparrows, or only robins, or only blue jays. Just as all birds build their nests in the tree, the reign of God will be for all people, not only for the Jews.

Knowing the people in His audience were likely to cling stubbornly to their cherished belief, Jesus usually chose not to come right out and tell them they were wrong. That method wouldn’t succeed. Instead, Jesus used parables because He knew people were more likely to remember them and share them with family and friends, discussing the meaning of each parable as they did so. In this way Jesus got them to re-examine their traditional beliefs and challenged them to think in a new direction without threatening them.

Each time we pray the “Our Father”, we pray for God’s Kingdom to come. We pray for the day when God will conquer the devil and restore the world to what it was like before man and woman sinned. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to be patient. He will defeat the devil, but it will take time.

Source: Jerome J. Sabatowich, Cycling Through the Gospels – Gospel Commentaries for Cycles A, B, and C, pages 178-179.)

Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, we understand that Christian hope implies uncertainty and requires patience. You prophet Ezekiel told his people this when he referred to a Hebrew Kingdom of God to come. Saint Mark told his readers the same lesson. God’s word is like a seed in us. Through You, Lord Jesus, our heavenly Father scattered it on the ground. We sincerely want this seed to bear bountiful fruit in the Church today. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

The Gospel in Pictures

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for June 17, 2018:

“We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7) How is your faith these days? St. Paul reminds us that at the heart of the Christian faith is trust, even when we can’t see the road ahead. Pray with your spouse for that kind of faith today.

The Sacred Heart

Pastor’s Column

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 17, 2018

The Friday before last we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is all about love—my love for Christ, of course—but more importantly, Christ’s love for me. When we look at a picture of the Sacred Heart, we notice that this heart has a wounded side where Christ’s heart was pierced (John 19:34). When we feel perhaps that God does not love us, we can look through this image to the gospel, which shows the broken heart Christ died from out of love for us.

I suspect that most of us at some time in our lives have had our hearts broken. We cannot really love someone without taking a risk—the risk of being rejected or hurt! But the reward of risk is to be really loved! Or perhaps we have loved and have had that love betrayed or rejected. We have been hurt. Sometimes we may even feel that God has rejected us or hurt us in some way. But when we see an image of the Sacred Heart we remember how much Christ loved us. After all, what more could he do for us than to have his human heart literally torn open by the ingratitude of the very people he had come to save?

From you and me, then, Jesus wants us to show him gratitude. How many times did I thank Jesus for his love today? If I have been given a cross, can I thank him that he is sharing this pain with me? The Sacred Heart tells me that no matter what pain I am in, Christ really does understand.

So many in the world are ungrateful to God. They seldom thank God for the gift of their lives or the gifts they have received, let alone their crosses (blessings in disguise). We, who wish to be his friends, at least ought to take some time each day to express our gratitude for his undying love.

Christ said to Saint Margaret Mary, “I will bless every home where my image is displayed and honored.” Do you have an image of the Sacred Heart in your home in a prominent place? Then expect to be blessed! Within us, too, there can be a kind of shrine where the Sacred Heart is venerated and honored. The Litany of the Sacred Heart is one way to do that.

Father Gary

Litany of Sacred Heart Of Jesus

In 1899 Pope Leo XIII approved this Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for public use. This litany is actually a synthesis of several other litanies dating back to the 17th century. Father Croiset composed a litany in 1691 from which 17 invocations were used by Venerable Anne Madeleine Remuzat when she composed her litany in 1718 at Marseille. She joined an additional 10 invocations to those of Father Croiset, for a total of 27 invocations. Six more invocations written by Sister Madeleine Joly of Dijon in 1686 were added by the Sacred Congregation for Rites when it was approved for public use in 1899. This makes a total of 33 invocations, one for each year of life of our Lord Jesus Christ. A partial indulgence is attached to this litany.
Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy Christ, hear us Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, God the Son, Redeemer of the world, God, the Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, One God, Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother, Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God, Heart of Jesus, of Infinite Majesty, Heart of Jesus, Sacred Temple of God, Heart of Jesus, Tabernacle of the Most High, Heart of Jesus, House of God and Gate of Heaven, Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity, Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love, Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts, Heart of Jesus, in whom are all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells the fullness of divinity, Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased, Heart of Jesus, of whose fullness we have all received, Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful, Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke Thee, Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness, Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins, Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium, Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offenses, Heart of Jesus, obedient to death, Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, Heart of Jesus, our peace and our reconciliation, Heart of Jesus, victim for our sins Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in Thee, Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in Thee, Heart of Jesus, delight of all the Saints, Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, V. Jesus, meek and humble of heart.	Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. spare us, O Lord. graciously hear us, O Lord. have mercy on us, O Lord. R. Make our hearts like to Thine.
Let us pray; Almighty and eternal God, look upon the Heart of Thy most beloved Son and upon the praises and satisfaction which He offers Thee in the name of sinners; and to those who implore Thy mercy, in Thy great goodness, grant forgiveness in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who livest and reignest with Thee forever and ever. Amen.

Reflections from Scott Hahn

Tree of Righteousness: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Crucified Christ with the Virgin, St. John the Evangelist and Cardinal Juan de Torquemada, Fra Angelico, 1440-1442

Readings:
Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Mark 4:26-34

In the cryptic message of the prophet Ezekiel, long centuries before the Lord’s coming, God gave His people reason to hope. Ezekiel glimpsed a day when the Lord God would place a tree on a mountain in Israel, a tree that would “put forth branches and bear fruit.” Who could have predicted that the tree would be a cross on the hill of Calvary, and that the fruit would be salvation?

Ezekiel foresees salvation coming to “birds of every kind”—thus, not just to the People of Israel, but also to the Gentiles, who will “take wing” through their new life in Christ. God indeed will “lift high the lowly tree,” as He solemnly promises.

Such salvation surpasses humanity’s most ambitious dreams. And so we express our gratitude in the Psalm: “Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.” It is indeed good, and better still to give thanks with praise. The Psalmist speaks of those who are just upon the earth, but looks to God as the source and measure of justice, of righteousness. Like Ezekiel, he evokes the image of a flourishing tree to describe the lives of the just. The image, again, suggests the Cross as the measure of righteousness.

The Cross is a sign of contradiction to those who would rather “flourish” in worldly terms. As St. Paul emphasizes to the Corinthians, we need courage. Our faith makes us strong, and it is proved in our deeds. He reminds us that we will be judged by the ways our faith manifests itself in works: “so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.”

God Himself will empower the works He expects from us, though we freely choose to correspond to His grace. In the prophetic oracles, He scattered the seed that sprang up and became the mustard tree, large enough to accommodate all the birds of the sky, just as Ezekiel had seen. He gave
this doctrine to His disciples in terms they were able to understand, and He provided a full explanation. In the sacraments He provides still more: the grace of faith and the courage we need to live in the world as children of God.

Jun 16, 2018

11th Sunday: "We sow but God grows"

"The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed . . ."

Mark 4: 26-34

The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/061718.cfm

What might St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Calcutta, Bill Gates, Walt Disney, Starbucks, or any marriage have in common? On the surface, there essentially seems to be very little. I’m not sure that the Coffee Giant Starbucks feels any affiliation to Francis of Assisi.

Yet, in one way, they all have one thing in common. In fact, Jesus implies the same in the parables we hear this Sunday from Marks Gospel: they all started with something very small and from that small idea or gathering around them, something very large and significant took place. The growth of the Franciscan movement, for example, began 800 years ago with one somewhat radical and saintly person of Francis. Mother Teresa began with a personal experience on the streets of poverty in Calcutta, India and one dying man. Today her order has grown worldwide as they serve the poorest of the poor. Bill Gates began in a garage and today his corporation of Microsoft has made him one of the wealthiest men in the world and his technology has become an integral part of our everyday lives everywhere. Growth happens quietly, exponentially, maybe even unnoticed but over time, with the right help, it becomes powerful. How much truer it is with God's grace.

Think of your own children and how quickly they grow from little boys to men and little girls to young women. It all happens of its own power that is mysterious and hidden from us. The same seems true, Jesus implies in the parables, especially his familiar one about the mustard seed, when considering the work of God in our lives; the movement and effect of his grace.

So this weekend our scriptures bring us to reflect on how all things, despite our inherent need to control everything, is fundamentally the work of God which cannot be contained and will push forward of its own power to fulfill God’s will and order of things.

What better imagery could Jesus use than that of nature, so much a part of ancient life. In fact, our Lord uses images of nature and agriculture so often we may want to refer to him by an new title as “Jesus the Farmer.”

So, the “kingdom of God” is like one who goes through the natural process of daily life, unawares of growth around him, but nonetheless that transformation follows its own mysterious process silently but inevitably. From a small seemingly insignificant seed, planted in the ground, contains the potential to become a large bush. Strange and miraculous it seems for we do not see it or notice its potential but there it is. Some hidden force or influence brings it to life. Jesus reminds his disciples to be aware of such growth as ultimately to be of God’s design.

So, maybe the question for us is the nature of the “kingdom of God.” Jesus spoke of this many times in comparisons of what that kingdom is “like.” Here we see that it has a power and plan to fulfill. Such is with Jesus’ earthly ministry and the fulfillment of God’s salvation for humanity. His kingdom here does not refer so much to a future life; what heaven might be like. But rather, Jesus implies that his kingdom will grow here; it is something of this life and a foreshadow of its fulfillment in glory as God establishes a new way of being for humanity. Those who follow that new Way are members of his kingdom. We pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

We often say that Jesus began with only twelve but today the Christian faith has blossomed around the world to include billions of believers. The Catholic faith alone has over one billion who profess the Catholic faith united in Christ. Yet, rather than use an image of an oak tree or cedar, tall strong and portraying the image of strength, Jesus uses a tiny seed and a bush. Anyone of us might want to compare our work to something which gives the image of strength or success. Yet, our Lord seems to be saying something less obvious but more significant.

As he compares the kingdom of God to a small, tiny seed and a large bush from that seed, it seems he might imply that God’s work in our life is more ordinary than we realize. We want the big drama, the quick answer, the flashy miracles. Yet, if we reflect on God’s work we see that his will is carried out in ordinary ways, right before us.

Think of simple, saintly quiet people who do great things with their lives in ordinary ways. A kind gesture, faithfulness in marriage under challenging conditions as each spouse grows older, a single parent who make great sacrifices for their children, one who cares for the infirmed elderly with dignified compassion or a generous donor who seeks no praise or recognition but gives for the common good of all. We might have the examples in our own families, parishes, schools, or institutions and not even notice them. One who prays and seeks the path of holiness is not often noticed but we see it in their kindness and gentleness. Those who love and serve unselfishly after Christ's example are members of the kingdom of God.

This is the growth that Jesus refers to and as each “seed” is planted it exponentially brings about a great good. So, it seems the adage: “Look around you” to see God at work and his grace fulfilling his will.

Jesus chose common bread and wine; how more ordinary and frankly uninteresting could that be, to be transformed into his own body and blood for our nourishment and transformation. That became the “bread of life,” the “lord’s supper” and the source and summit of the Christian life.

Once a journalist observed that Mother Teresa could never be successful in meeting the needs of all the dying on the streets of Calcutta. Her response simply said: “I am not called to be successful; I am called to be faithful.” We sow seeds but God grows.

O God, strength of those who hope in you,

graciously hear our pleas,

and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing,

grant us always the help of your grace,

that in following your commands

we may please you by our resolve and our deeds.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

Amen.

(Collect of Sunday)