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The Baptism of the Lord

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Mass Readings

Thanks for listening! For questions or feedback, please email deaconrudyv@gmail.com.

First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Responsorial: Psalm 104:1-30
Second Reading: Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Gospel: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010922.cfm

Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord. And it gives us an opportunity to reflect on some aspects of our own baptism.

You know, we just came through Christmas, and we’ve already reflected on the Incarnation and the Nativity. Right? We said that God loves you and loves me so much that he’s willing to enter into the chaos of our lives. Why? Why does God want to enter our world?

Because he wants to save us, right? He wants all of us to be saved. That’s his great desire. Not that everyone in the world will be saved. We’re not talking about universalism. But he desires everyone to be saved. That’s what Paul is talking about. In today’s reading his letter to Titus. He’s exploring that desire of God to save us. That should be enough to convert us so that we begin to live a life of virtue that Paul starts to talk about that in Titus. Jesus is the manifestation of God’s desire to save us all.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is baptized by water, and the veil that separates heaven and Earth pulls apart, and we hear God say, “You are my beloved.” The apostles and the first disciples imitate what they see and they go out and baptize new believers. To this day, Christians across denominations baptize new believers, and by our baptism, you and I become adopted sons and daughters. of God. Just like God says to Jesus, “You are my beloved,” so too does God say to you, and God says to me, “You are my beloved.”

Whoa! That’s pretty amazing! It’s astonishing to me because there have been times in my life when I did not feel very beloved. There was a time in my life when I totally bought into what the world says beauty and success look like. And you know, that’s a real challenge for me because nothing I do is going to transform me into a six-foot-tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed cut guy. It’s not going to happen. Sorry, Gold’s Gym!

The other problem that I faced during this time of year is that I would create all these New Year’s resolutions that were completely unattainable – totally false. I would invest my time, my effort, and my money chasing a fantasy. And that’s exactly what the devil wants me to do. The Devil wants me to be a true believer who is so busy I end up doing nothing.

But my brothers or sisters, I have good news! Our baptism sets us free – free from all those false images of beauty free from all those false images of success that we see on TV and in the movies.

But wait, there’s more. Our baptism unites us into a community of believers. And that’s awesome because I don’t have to walk this journey alone. And God didn’t place me in a community so that I could just put my head down and be quiet. No, Jesus engaged the apostles and the disciples. And so too, we have to engage one another. And that’s wonderful because maybe there’s something you have – some gifts or some talent that can help me become the best version of myself. And maybe there’s something I can offer you that can help you become the best version of yourself. And so, we help each other and as a community, we flourish according to God’s design.

But wait, there’s more! What did Jesus do after His baptism? He went out into the world to spread the good news. He did miracles, He ministered to people. And so, we to have an opportunity to reach outside of our parish to other people, because the world is full of people who are anxious, who are scared, who have this desire to believe in something bigger than themselves, but they’re not sure what to do. We have an opportunity to reach out to them.

But how do we do that?

We do that by participating in our own parish community. Our bulletin is full of all sorts of opportunities. Why do we do these things? Why do we have Christmas with Santa or the Christmas Encuentro? Or later this week we have the Lunch & Learn and later this month country dancing? Why do we have all these activities planned all the way through to Vianney Fest in October? Why do we do that? We do them for lots of reasons. But one of the reasons we do that is so that we can meet each other. You see, there are so many new faces in our parish community, and so many people are moving into the area. We want to create opportunities where we can meet each other and build relationships with each other

Why? Because maybe one of us might say to our new friend, “Hey, I noticed you signed up for Deacon Gene’s class that’s about to start where they’re going to unpack the scriptural foundation of the Mass. I was afraid to go along but because you signed up, I’ll go with you.” Or later this year, when we start doing street evangelization, you might say to your new friend, “Whoa, you’re going to go out and give out rosaries and pray with people on the street? That freaks me out! But if you do it, I’ll do it!” If we work together in our community, imagine the amazing things we can do.

And God has blessed us with the wonderful facilities here at St. John Vianney. I know it’s a patchwork of facilities, but they’re still wonderful. It’s a foundation where we can come to, to help ourselves, to help each other, and to reach out. But it requires our work, right? It requires all of us to take care of it and to donate our time. We have to donate our talents and we have to make financial contributions to the parish. Other churches bring speakers. It costs money to bring speakers. It costs money to put on retreats. It’s going to cost us some money to do St Paul Street Evangelization.

One day wouldn’t it be nice if all the lights up there? See all those lights that are out? If you’ve ever been down this road right next to the church at night, you might have noticed it has no lighting and no signage. Wouldn’t it be nice if it had proper lighting and signage so the visitors to our campus could actually find the PAC or the Vianney Center or St. Francis? Wouldn’t it be nice when we walk out those doors if the Marian garden was restored? Wouldn’t it be nice if the labyrinth down at the end of the property was restored? And those two stations of the cross that have fallen over? Wouldn’t it be nice if they were reset in concrete the way they’re supposed to be? And there’s no lighting down there and that would be kind of nice.

The point is none of those things should be any one person’s responsibility. It takes all of us working together. Somebody in the community might say, “You know what? I don’t have time and I don’t have money. But I know how to design a garden. That’s what I do. And I can design a garden for you that integrates with the irrigation and the electrical, so I’ll donate that.” Someone else might say, “I can’t physically do the work, but I’ll write a check and I’ll help pay for that garden.” And someone else might say, “I have all the time in the world. I’ll plant all the bushes you want” or “I know how to do electrical work so I can do some of the light electrical projects around the property.” Wouldn’t that be awesome? That just a few examples. But it takes all of us working together and being willing to step up and own our baptism.

Are you willing to approach Father and say, “Father, what do you need to help us be successful and accomplish our mission as a parish?” If we work together, imagine the hearts that we could save! Our baptism sets us free from all the false images the world throws at us. Our baptism unites us with other believers. And our baptism empowers us to reach out into this world to bring a message of hope to people who desperately need to hear it.

Homework, nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I ask you to reflect on one New Year’s resolution. Whether you’re a student in high school or college, or you’re a retiree at home, we all got to do it.

Find a mirror in your home. Walk up to that mirror look yourself in the eye and say to yourself, “You are beloved. You are part of a community. What are you going to do this year to help your community? You are beloved. You are part of a community. What are you going to do this year to help your community?”

I think if all of us do our homework, it will help us become the intentional disciples that God desires us to be. Do you got it? Do you get it? Are you going to do it? Good! Let’s get out there and make new disciples!

Image Credit: Dave Zelenka. Baptism of Christ, Retrieved January 9, 2022. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptism-of-Christ.jpg. JPG file.

References:
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. Beloved Son: 444
2. John the Baptist: 535, 696
3. Jesus’ baptism: 535-37, 565, 608, 1223-25
4. Descent of the Spirit: 701, 1286
5. Jesus at prayer: 2600

The Baptism of the Lord https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010922.cfm
Lectionary: 21

Reading 1
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

OR:

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.

        A voice cries out:

In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Go up on to a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by a strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.

Responsorial
Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
R. (11b) The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Give to the LORD, you sons of God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
Give to the LORD the glory due his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
The LORD is enthroned above the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king forever.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

OR:

Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30
R. (1) O bless the Lord, my soul.
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
you are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
You have spread out the heavens like a tent-cloth;
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
You have constructed your palace upon the waters.
You make the clouds your chariot;
you travel on the wings of the wind.
You make the winds your messengers,
and flaming fire your ministers.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them allC
the earth is full of your creatures;
the sea also, great and wide,
in which are schools without number
of living things both small and great.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
They look to you to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
If you take away their breath, they perish and return to the dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.

Reading 2
Acts 10:34-38
Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.”

OR:

Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Beloved:
The grace of God has appeared, saving all
and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires
and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,
as we await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory of our great God
and savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness
and to cleanse for himself a people as his own,
eager to do what is good.

        When the kindness and generous love
                    of God our savior appeared,
        not because of any righteous deeds we had done
                    but because of his mercy,
        He saved us through the bath of rebirth
                    and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
        whom he richly poured out on us
                    through Jesus Christ our savior,
        so that we might be justified by his grace
                    and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

Alleluia
Cf. Mark 9:7
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

OR:

Cf. Luke 3:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
John said: One mightier than I is coming;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”

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Third Sunday of Advent

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Mass Readings

Thanks for listening! For questions or feedback, please email deaconrudyv@gmail.com.

First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Responsorial: Isaiah 12:2-6
Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
Gospel: Luke 3:10-18

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121221.cfm

Happy Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for “rejoice,” and we hear that a lot in today’s readings! Our rose-colored candle today because the Church invites us to celebrate! We celebrate and we rejoice because we are halfway to Christmas! Can you believe it? Rejoice because the Lord is near!

Today also happens to be the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We don’t celebrate it this year because it falls on a Sunday and the Sunday liturgies take priority. But there is something important about that story that is relevant for us today.

Five hundred years ago, the Church had been struggling in its missionary efforts throughout central and south America. So, our Lady appeared in Mexico to encourage in the faith. But she didn’t appear to the bishop. No! She appeared to a poor indigenous laborer. The bishop wanted proof.

Oh, how our Lady provided proof!

Mary presented St Juan Diego with roses to take to the bishop. Why was this a sign? First of all, it was December and there was frost on the ground. Second, the roses weren’t native plants. These roses came from the same part of Spain where the bishop was from. What an extraordinary sign!

Now, in today’s Gospel, John the Baptist who had been preaching in the region of the Jordan (Luke 3:3) didn’t ask the people around him – the people he had just called a brood of vipers – to produce an extraordinary sign. But he told them they needed to repent and to prove their conversion. Or to put it another way, their repentance needed to produce fruit. You see, repentance is not about saying, “I’m sorry.” Repentance is about radical change – a turning from our old way of life. When we repent, we turn away from the lifestyle that caused us to sin. And the fruits of that change are corporal works of mercy – sharing our blessings with others.

The people ask him, “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10)

John the Baptist tells the people that if they have two cloaks, they should give one away. Or whoever has food should give some of it away. (Luke 3:11) Tax collectors shouldn’t collect more than they should. (Luke 3:13) And soldiers shouldn’t extort people. (Luke 3:14)

Notice that it isn’t the occupation of the tax collector or soldier. John the Baptist doesn’t care what the job is, but how we conduct ourselves on the job. We can’t just say, “it’s business” to justify taking advantage of people.

Why these particular fruits?

Well, if I’m holding on to stuff I don’t use; if I’m hoarding more food or supplies than I could use in a year; if I’m taking advantage of people through my job, who’s the focus. The focus is on me. How often sin revolves around me. But repentance – changing my life means I’m willing to see someone else to offer them help.

Alright, let’s look at this from another angle. Isn’t mercy the other side of repentance? We repent and place ourselves at the mercy of God. But when we look out and forgive others or help others, we show them mercy. What is mercy?

Just this week my spiritual director reminded me about the definition of mercy. The Jesuit moral theologian Jim Keenan defines mercy as the willingness to enter into the chaos of another.

Doesn’t that sound like what’s happening in the Incarnation? God willingly enters into the chaos of our world – of our lives. Maybe you’re experiencing a little chaos because someone you loved just passed away. Maybe you’re experiencing a little chaos because you or someone you love received a bad diagnosis and they’re facing a difficult road ahead. Maybe you’re experiencing a little chaos because you’re a single parent or your parents of young children and it’s a struggle – balancing work, schoolwork, the shopping, and the cooking and the cleaning. And let’s face it, the kids have more energy than we do so we feel like we’re racing just to keep up. And by the way, how is it December? It was just September, wasn’t it?

Despite the chaos of our lives, Jesus willingly steps into our lives, not like some phantom. But to walk with us as a human – to be just like you and just like me in every way except sin. Jesus says to you and to me I’m willing to step into your chaos.

John the Baptist tells us we can’t just reach into our pockets and toss a little change into the Salvation Army bucket, you know with the people ringing their bells. Do they still do that? No, John the Baptist tells us we need to look the other person in the eyes – to see them as a human being and to say to them “I am willing to bring the chaos of my life and get involved in the chaos of your life.” Like those roses that Our Lady gave to St. Juan Diego 500 years ago, I need to break through the frost of this post-Christian world and to share the joyful hope of Jesus Christ with everyone I encounter because we’re all in this together.

That’s another beautiful lesson learned from Our Lady. I’m sorry if you missed the talk by Christy Wilkens about Lourdes this past Thursday. She’s the daughter of parishioners. The family donated a copy of her book Awakening at Lourdes. Just as soon as our library volunteers can get that into the card catalog, it will be available in our library to be checked out. But one of the lessons she learned is that it’s not that God won’t give you more than you can handle. But rather, it’s God will not give you and your community of friends and family more than you can handle.

What a beautiful lesson.

We’re not alone on this journey. We’re part of a community. So, my repentance means that God is willing to show me mercy – to get involved in my chaos. So too must I be willing to get involved in the chaos of the community by sharing what I have – by sharing my particular gifts of time, talent and treasure. I think that’s one of the lessons from today’s Gospel.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following question.

John the Baptist tells us we need to share what we have with others and to not use our jobs to take advantage of other people. Ask yourself, “how do I joyfully put my time, my talents, and my money and possessions at the service of others?”

I think doing our homework will help us prepare to celebrate Christmas as intentional disciples. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Then go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPEG file.

References:

1. Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2018. Kindle.
2. Hamm, Dennis SJ. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013. Kindle.

Catechism References:
1. Joy: 30, 163, 301, 736, 1829, 1832, 2015, 2362
2. Jesus the Savior, 430-5
3. John prepares the way for the Messiah: 523-4, 535
4. John the Baptist: 535, 696
5. Fruits of repentance: 1460
6. Works of mercy: 2447

Third Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 92

Reading 1
Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you
he has turned away your enemies;
the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
he will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.

Responsorial
Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6.
R. (6) Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Reading 2
Philippians 4:4-7
Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Alleluia
Isaiah 61:1 (cited in Lk 4:18)
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Luke 3:10-18
The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.

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Fifth Sunday of Easter

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Thanks for listening! For questions or feedback, please email deaconrudyv@gmail.com.

Mass Readings

Reading 1: Acts 14:21.27
Responsorial: Psalm 145:8-13
Reading 2: Revelation 21:1-5a
Gospel: John 13:31-33a, 34-35

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031322.cfm

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the summary of faith. It almost sounds too easy – it’s too simple! What does it mean to be a Christian? Jesus says we must, “love one another” (John 13:34a). Then Jesus says, “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34b).

Why does Jesus qualify this new commandment? Because Jesus specifies a particular kind of love – the love of the cross. Jesus loves us so much that he totally gave himself for us – no strings attached. That’s a very peculiar kind of love that we call agape. Total self-gift. <1>

And as Jesus loves us, we are called to love others. So, before we go any further, we have to start with Jesus loving each and every one of us. We don’t start with, “Look at all we do! Look at how much I love,” like some badge of honor. We start by saying, “Look what love has done to me.” “Look at all the ways love has touched my life.”

I can tell you I am a very different person today than I was when I was first starting out in life because of the ways love has touched my life. <2> Don’t get me wrong, you might have problems in your life. Maybe your life isn’t going the way you hoped. Maybe you’ve experienced a series of unfortunate events. But rather than focusing on the negative, we need to from a place of love to reach out to others in love.

Who is the other we’re supposed to reach out to? Jesus tells us in the Gospel (Luke 10:25-37), that the other is our neighbor. Jesus says we should love our neighbor as ourselves. A scribe will ask Jesus, “And who is our neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) Jesus then tells the story of the Good Samaritan. Of course, that is one of the primary points of that parable is that everyone is our neighbor. <3> My neighbor might look or sound different than me. “Neighbor” is not limited by race, color, language, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation. Everyone is my neighbor.

Alright, everyone is my neighbor. But how do I show love for them? Jesus gives us that answer too in the Bible. This is very important, especially for all of you type A’s out there who love rubrics and metrics and KPIs.

In the Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus says that when the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will separate the people like a shepherd separates the goat from the sheep. To those on his right he will say, “because you cared for me when I was hungry and thirsty; when I was naked and sick; imprisoned and homeless, you are blessed.” And those on his left he says, “because you did not do these things for me, you are condemned.”

Then both sides will be confused and say to Jesus, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, naked or sick, imprisoned or homeless?” Jesus will answer by saying, “whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me; and conversely, whatever you didn’t do for the least of these, you ignored me.”

Whew! Those are some KPIs! But they’re concrete – something actionable. Ok, so, we know who is the other, and we know what we are supposed to do. How do we do it? How do we show love for others?

Here’s one suggestion that the Church teaches us. It’s called the ART method of social justice. Social justice is a term we use to describe the practical dimension of living out love in the world. “ART” stands for act, reflect and transform. <4>

Let’s start with act. You see a homeless person on the street, so you give them a little money, or you give them a bottle of water. This time of year you might keep a little cooler in your car so you can give them a bottle of water. Or maybe you go to the store and buy some premade sandwiches and them in your cooler. You might say, “but what if they don’t really need help? What if they’re going to use the money to buy drugs or alcohol?” I don’t.

Jesus didn’t say, “Judge them.” Jesus said, “Love them.” The sainted Mother Teresa once said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” So, we love first – that’s act.

Next, after we’ve taken some action, then we reflect. We ask, “why is this person begging on the street? Why do people come to our country illegally? Why do people get into abusive relationships?” – or whatever the question is that God placed on your heart. We discuss these questions with our family and our friends. We’re trying to understand the root causes. To do that, we’ve got to move beyond the fluff, beyond the Twitterverse, and beyond social media and cable news. We need to try to identify the real root causes of the problem. How can we possibly fix anything if we don’t understand the root causes of the problem? So we reflect.

After we have reflected on the problem and hopefully come up with some possible solutions, then we transform. Let me give you an example.

Let’s say that in your neighborhood, there’s a road and people speed down that road all the time. And someone almost got hurt the other day. So maybe after going through this process, you seek to transform and you advocate on behalf of your neighbors to City Hall and you say, why can’t we put a stop sign here, or maybe some speed bumps to slow traffic down? That’s an example of transform. Right? As we start to think about potential solutions for whatever problem God laid on our hearts, maybe we get involved in our community, we vote. We get involved in a ministry or a nonprofit organization that tackles one piece of whatever’s on my heart. Or maybe I start a new ministry or a new nonprofit, to work on that idea. Whatever it is, we act, we reflect and we seek to transform.

Is that easy? No. Trying to make a difference in the world is not easy. The reality is, that we might get discouraged. We might experience rude awakenings and disappointments along the way.

There will also be distractions. The world wants us to focus on ourselves. Look, in this Snapchat kind of world (is that even still a thing? Snapchat?), in this Snapchat kind of world, it’s easy to on me. It fills the internet with selfies. What’s a selfie? It’s all about me. We focus on me.

How do we overcome distractions and disappointments?

We come home. We come to mass. Because Jesus gave us this church to support us to nurture us to help us and he infused the church for sacraments, to heal us, and to nourish us.

So, when we come to church, and we see other people we remember, it’s not all about me. It’s about other people. When we participate in the sacraments that go into confession and that little cubicle back there. We allow Jesus to heal us to embrace us to lift us up. When we come to Mass, we allow Jesus to feed us at least twice: Once in the Bible, and once in the Eucharist. We are empowered by the Mass to go back out into the world.

Do we have to do that alone? No! In our first reading from Acts, Paul and Barnabas were sent out as a pair. All the disciples were sent out in pairs. So, we don’t do it by ourselves. We open ourselves up and allow Jesus to walk with us. Allow the church to walk with us. Allow our friends and families to walk with us so that we can go out and love other people through the art of social justice.

Can you imagine what kind of world this would be? If every Catholic – if every Christian reached out all the time in love? Man, we could set this world on fire!

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love. (Fr. Peter Scholtes, 1960s)

Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, there’s one thing I asked you to do this week.

First, remember God loves you. God loves you. How can you use ART to transform the world? God loves you, how can you use art to love other people?

I think doing our homework will help us be the intentional loving disciples that Christ Jesus calls us to be. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Then let’s go out there and share the Good News!

Image Credit: Unknown. JPG file.

Notes:
<1> Himes, Michael, The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism, “Chapter Five Church,” Kindle.
<2> “Love,” Daily Meditations Newsletter, May 12, 2022, https://cac.org/daily-meditations/love-2022-05-12/.
<3> Himes, Michael, The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism, “Chapter Five Church,” Kindle.
<4> United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Leader’s Guide to Sharing Catholic Social Teaching, (Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 2000), 37.

References:
1. Himes, Michael J. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004. Kindle.
2. Kurz, William S., SJ. Acts of the Apostles. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013. Kindle.
3. “Love.” Daily Meditations Newsletter, May 12, 2022. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/love-2022-05-12/.
4. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015. Kindle.
5. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Leader’s Guide to Sharing Catholic Social Teaching. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 2000.
6. Williamson, Peter S. Revelation. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015. Kindle.

From the Catechism http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. “as I have loved you”: 459, 1823, 2074, 2196, 2822, 2842
2. A new heaven and a new earth: 756, 865, 1042-50, 2016, 2817
3. Church as God’s temple and Bride: 756-57, 796
4. Characteristics of the people of God: 782
5. Ordained ministry: 1546-51
6. Charity: 1822-29
7. Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper: 2746-51
8. Petitions in the Our Father: 2822, 2842

Fifth Sunday of Easter https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031322.cfm
Lectionary: 54

Reading 1
Acts 14:21-27
After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news
to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the kingdom of God.”
They appointed elders for them in each church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Responsorial
Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
R (cf. 1) I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R Alleluia.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R Alleluia.
Let them make known your might to the children of Adam,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or:
R Alleluia.

Reading I2
Revelation 21:1-5a
Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people
and God himself will always be with them as their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,
for the old order has passed away.”

The One who sat on the throne said,
“Behold, I make all things new.”

Alleluia
John 13:34
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
John 13:31-33a, 34-35
When Judas had left them, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself,
and God will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.”

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Second Sunday of Lent

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Mass Readings

Thanks for listening! For questions or feedback, please email deaconrudyv@gmail.com.

First Reading: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Responsorial: Psalm 27:1, 7-9, 13-14
Second Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1 OR Philippians 3:20-4:1
Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031322.cfm

In today’s reading, Jesus climbs a mountain with Peter, James, and John. And while they are on that mountaintop experience, Jesus is transfigured. Jesus’ real identity is revealed. In the awesomeness of that experience, Peter, James, and John want to hold on to it. So, Peter tells Jesus, “Let me build three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” They wanted to stay connected to God in that place, in the relative safety of that mountain. They did not fully understand their call, to go out into the world to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ – not yet at least.

Just a few passages down in this same section of Luke, Luke says that Jesus set his face resolutely on Jerusalem. It is a journey that leads Jesus to the cross. There are some people who say and have told me that clearly, Jesus failed. Look at that corpse on that cross? How can that be any sign of success? People like that don’t understand how God can use the resurrection to transform an instrument of state terror into a radical act of love.

On the mountain, Moses and Elijah speak to Jesus about his exodus. What does the word “exodus” mean to you? When I hear the word exodus, I’m immediately taken back to Hebrew Scriptures, to that defining moment in the history of the Jewish people, when the chosen are led out of slavery, to freedom.

My brothers and sisters, we too are being called to an act of transformation. We’re being called to an exodus to go out into the desert for these 40 days of Lent. Is exodus easy? No, it wasn’t easy for the Jews, right? They wandered around the desert for 40 years. It took a lifetime to reach the promised land and that in itself is worth spending some time unpacking. Scripture tells us that the Jews complained, “let us go back into the arms of slavery! Better to die a slave with a full belly than to die in the desert, hungry.” Sometimes it takes a radical act on our part, to cause us to examine the things we’re attached to.

When I hear the word exodus, I can’t help but think of all those people coming across the Polish border from Ukraine. When I see those images, mainly images of women carrying small children and the elderly trying to get to safety, they’re not carrying very much with them. What will they do? Where will they go? Can you imagine what it would feel like to walk in their shoes? To pack a backpack and just walk to a foreign country, not knowing whether I’d ever see my family or friends again, let alone my house?

When we lived overseas, there was an anti-immigrant sentiment that swept across Europe. And in fact, in Poland, there is one political party that called for the construction of a wall on the border with Ukraine to keep out Ukrainian immigrants who are stealing, Polish jobs.

Almost all of that sentiment has disappeared today. In fact, one of those politicians Wojciech Bakun who’s the mayor of a village on the Polish side of the border, just this week was being interviewed and asked for more assistance so that his little town of 60,000 people can serve more refugees. <1> What a radical about-face brought about by sitting in close proximity to the real face of evil – not the evil that politicians like to talk about – but the real face of evil has caused some Christians in Poland to wake up and let go of strange teaching.

The Knights of Columbus in Poland and Ukraine are setting the example for all of us, just like the Knights of Columbus in our own parish, who would give you the shirt off their back or their last dollar if you were in trouble, the Knights in Poland and Ukraine have set up mercy huts on the Polish side of the border. A mercy hut is a place where people can get a hot meal or coffee and clean water free of charge. The Knights internationally first deployed mercy huts during World War One to serve refugees – European refugees fleeing the combat zone. Here we are 100 years later, deploying mercy huts again in Europe to serve European refugees leaving a combat zone. It’s almost overwhelming but it’s also inspiring.

Our readings today, particularly in light of current events, challenge us to change just like Abraham who answered the call in our first reading. We’re being asked to answer the call and go out onto our exodus journey for 40 days of Lent. Just like the people St. Paul talked to in the second reading, we’re asked to let go of earthly things. We are challenged to ask ourselves, “what things are we enslaved by?” – maybe possessions, maybe ideas, maybe their strange teaching. We are challenged to let go of all of that. Like Peter, James and John, we can’t hold on to our faith in the relative comfort and safety of our church. We’re challenged to go out into the world to bring the good news of Jesus Christ.

Homework nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist. I asked you to think about one thing.

What is God calling you to do right here, right now? That will look different if you’re eight or nine or 80 or 90 or somewhere in between, and that’s okay! What is God asking you to do right here, right now?

I think doing our homework will help us be transformed into the intentional disciples that God is calling us to be you got it. Do you got it? Do you get it? Are you going to do it? Good. May each of us come to know the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image Credit: Unknown. PNG file.

Footnotes:
<1> Bakun, Wojciech, “Hundreds of thousands of refugees are passing through this Polish city, mayor says,” interview by Ari Shapiro, NPR, March 10, 2022, https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1085838465.

References:
1. Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2018. Kindle.
2. Hamm, Dennis SJ. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Jesus reveals the Father: 516
2. Transfiguration: 554-56
3. Cloud manifests the Holy Spirit: 697
4. New Exodus: 1151
5. Church and state, civil authority and conscience: 2234-46
6. Moses and Elijah: 2583
7. Jesus at prayer: 2600

Second Sunday of Lent https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031322.cfm
Lectionary: 27

Reading 1
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”

Responsorial
Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Reading 2
Philippians 3:17—4:1
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.

or:

Philippians 3:20—4:1

Brothers and sisters:
Our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.

Verse Before the Gospel
Cf. Matthew 17:5
From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, hear him.

Gospel
Luke 9:28b-36
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.