Twelve Hangry Men

This is a Gospel reflection for tomorrow, August 31, 2016. 

Gospel LK 4:38-44

After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, “To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent.”
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.


I love it when we get a glimpse into the personal lives of famous people don’t you? Have you ever seen a celebrity at Disneyland with their kids just being a mom or dad? My friend just told me yesterday that she enjoys seeing Philip Rivers in mass with his wife and all seven of his children. I love True Hollywood Stories because we get to hear details about celebrity’s regular ordinary lives from their closest friends and family. Each of these scenarios make a bigger than life person seem more down to earth and real.

Today’s gospel has an element of that in it when we learn that Jesus and his friends went over to Peter’s house after synagogue. Every Sunday evening my friends and I go out to eat at one of three places: Tiger! Tiger!, for our favorite beer and French fries, Saigon Star for our favorite Vietnamese comfort food Pho, or RK Sushi because everyone knows that sushi cravings are by far the most irresistible. And I know that lots of people either do brunch or donuts after church on Sundays. Jesus and his peeps seem to have a similar tradition and in this case they went to Peter’s house. Now it is safe to assume that they were significantly hungry because, A. They were guys, and B. Jews fasted for the Sabbath from sundown the night before. Imagine the disappointment when they got to Peter’s house and their cook (Peter’s mother-in-law) was sick in bed!! Twelve Hangry Men = recipe for misery!!!

Perhaps they had a flashback to the wedding feast at Cana when they ran out of wine and Jesus stepped up to the plate and saved the party. Perhaps they remembered when Jesus fed 5,000+ people until they were full. Perhaps they weren’t thinking at all and were being whiny little babies because they were hungry. Whatever it is that motivated them, the story says, “they interceded with him about her.” What a lovely little detail about the intercession of saints! We can also intercede with Jesus on behalf of others. Yay! The next thing Jesus did was, “rebuked the fever, and it left her.” I can’t help but to think that Jesus had some fun in situations like this. How did he rebuke the fever? What words did he say? Did he wag his finger at it like a Jewish grandmother? Did he say, “talk to the hand, fever, peace out”? I don’t know why my mind thinks like this, but it’s fun to imagine the fever-rebuking scene.

After the fever left her it says, “She got up immediately and waited on them.” Wow. Really? She had been sick with probably malaria and she didn’t even wait a minute before feeding her precious baby boys?? But Jesus knew that her own personal dignity was fulfilled in her vocation of serving her daughter’s family which meant Peter and all his friends too. He not only restored her physical health but he restored her purpose in life. How many times do we feel insignificant and like we don’t matter? Jesus wants to heal our feelings of unworthiness by allowing us to use our gifts in service to others. Only when we give ourselves away, can we start to understand our own worth. Peter’s mother-in-law found her worth in cooking food for them and that’s why she got up immediately to serve them. I hope my vocation and my purpose will get me up and out of my funk (fever) immediately, with out delay so that I might serve others and in that service, I will find my self worth. Easier said than done, but perhaps our friends and family will intercede for us and Jesus will rebuke the hell out of our said funk. 

When family dinner was finished, at sunset, it says, “ALL who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him.” I wonder how many people we are talking about here? But he laid hands on EACH one and healed them. Imagine if Peter’s mother-in-law had not been able to feed them, then ALL might not have been healed. Our gifts and talents ripple out into the world in ways we may never even know about, but this story helps us to see that if we look at it deeply. 

The next interesting detail is when Jesus drives out demons and they start shouting, “You are the Son of God.” Jesus silenced them because let’s face it; the last thing he needed was demons proclaiming him as the Messiah. That’s just one big P.R. nightmare and he needed it to stop. 

It seems that Jesus spent all night healing because at daybreak, he needed to go somewhere alone to pray. Even the Author of Salvation needed his own prayer time. Don’t skip over this extremely important insight. We need solitude, we need prayer, and we need to get away. Jesus shows us that here. 

Of course people wanted to keep him around so they tried to stop him from moving on, but he had to keep moving, to keep preaching the good news to others! How often do we get stuck in complacency? How often do we make ourselves comfortable right where we are? Raise your hand if you absolutely love change??

Catholic Faith 9 Students (Gold 6 & 5, & Block 7), please post your overall response to this reflection on the discussion board in Schoology due by the end of class today.   

JOURNAL ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS SEPARATELY IN YOUR NOTEBOOK/JOURNAL (these do not need to be turned in, but are for you own personal growth)...
Today’s gospel has so much for us to reflect on. What calls you out of yourself immediately and motivates you to share your gifts with others? How is your prayer life right now? Do you have any friends or family that you can intercede for in prayer? Are you stuck in complacency? Do you need to move out of that place and onto another in order to spread the good news? Where will you and your family go after church this Sunday to share a meal and quality time together? What “fever” do you need rebuked out of you?

Big | August 28, 2016

August 28, 2016

Humility is not so much making ourselves small, or short-changing the use of our gifts, or smudging our faces in shame, or discounting our potential; that would seem like a mockery of God’s masterful design, declared by Himself, “And God saw all that He had made and it was VERY good.” Humility is more about acknowledging the bigness of God, the immensity of His mercy, and steeping ourselves in the magnitude of His grace.

Stand on a beach with your feet set on the shoreline and as the waves breathe in and out across your ankles, giving you no choice but to sway along…recall what that feels like. The vastness of the ocean doesn’t make me feel inadequate, but it sure does make me feel held in the arms of something much greater than myself. As the sun smooches, the wind tickles, and the water dances, I come in contact with the depth of my soul and in awe and wonder I can’t help but to recognize that the same God that created light, the same sculptor that formed the mountains, the same painter that makes sunrises and sunsets, the same musician that sings through wind chimes and songbirds, the same choreographer that taught the waves to roll, the same poet whose words steal our breath, the same Spirit that stirs our deepest heart, the very same mover and maker of all things lovely….made you and me. Humility is knowing the bigness of God.

Today’s readings encourage us to practice humility, so if you need to be reminded of the bigness of God, walk outside and let the sun, the wind, the moon, or the stars teach you and it is well with my soul. Have a blessed day.

Reading 1 SIR 3:17-18, 20, 28-29

My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find favor with God.
What is too sublime for you, seek not,
into things beyond your strength search not.
The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise.
Water quenches a flaming fire,
and alms atone for sins.

Responsorial Psalm PS 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11

R. (cf. 11b) God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
The just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.

Reading 2 HEB 12:18-19, 22-24A

Brothers and sisters:
You have not approached that which could be touched
and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness
and storm and a trumpet blast
and a voice speaking words such that those who heard
begged that no message be further addressed to them.
No, you have approached Mount Zion
and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and countless angels in festal gathering,
and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven,
and God the judge of all,
and the spirits of the just made perfect,
and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

Alleluia MT 11:29AB

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord,
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 14:1, 7-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honor. 
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this man,’
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place. 
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. 
For every one who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” 
Then he said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Suck It Up | August 21, 2016

August 21, 2016

Raise your hand if you have ever been in a crowded banquet hall with round dinner tables and every seat is occupied? Your table is on the opposite side from the door and now you have to pee, which requires you to maneuver through the crowd toward the door. Sometimes you can squeeze between people’s chairs fairly easily, but most of the time it takes great physical ability to stretch your body in such a way and suck it all in to make yourself skinny enough to shimmy through. Heaven forbid if you should have to ask the person sitting in the chair to scooch up so your fat self can get by…so embarrassing. Not to mention, you have to pee, so scrunching up anything makes the whole endeavor even more urgent and crucial. This familiar anecdote might just hold the essence of today’s gospel.

As Jesus was passing through towns and villages, someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” And Jesus said, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter, but will not be strong enough.” All of today’s readings emphasize the importance of discipline in our lives and Jesus tells us very clearly that we need strength to be able to get to heaven. Strength comes from working out, conditioning, and practice. When we meet God face to face we will meet him with what we have trained and practiced for in our lives. So if there is a guacamole-eating contest to enter the narrow gate, I’m in! Or if there is a matching your shoes to your outfit competition, I’m in! Or if there is an anxiety over things I can’t control tournament, I’m in! Or if there is a self-loathing match, winner winner chicken dinner!! Olympians are a product of much training, sacrifice, and conditioning and we can apply their example to our spiritual lives. They choose every day to sacrifice certain things in the name of their passion, and with the ultimate goal for excellence in their field. This can and should also be the way we approach our faith lives.

Let’s go back to needing to pee in the crowded banquet hall. Sometimes we are far away from where we need or want to be. Sometimes an urgent need or dire situation gets our butts out of the comfy chair we are in and moves us toward the place where we can find relief. To get there, however, we must navigate the way with thought and prayer. It won’t always be easy to get through, but the urgency of the need will keep us striving to get there. Sometimes we need to stretch ourselves in ways that might seem impossible and other times we just need to suck it up and go through something uncomfortable. The hardest thing might just be to ask another person for help, to move out of the way, and/or to admit that we need them in order to reach the place of significance. These are very practical tools to help us pass through the narrow gate.

Meditate on the things that are keeping you from passing through, pray about the areas that you need to stretch, face the things that you need to suck up, and seek the help of other trusted pilgrims on the journey. A full bladder leaves us antsy, uncomfortable, and agitated, and the same is true of a restless heart. We need to empty ourselves so that we can rest in Him, and a rested soul is one that is pliable enough to squeeze through the narrow gate where eternal rest awaits. Have a blessed day.

Reading 1 IS 66:18-21

Thus says the LORD:
I know their works and their thoughts,
and I come to gather nations of every language;
they shall come and see my glory.
I will set a sign among them;
from them I will send fugitives to the nations:
to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan,
to the distant coastlands
that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory;
and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.
They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations
as an offering to the LORD,
on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries,
to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD,
just as the Israelites bring their offering
to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.
Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm PS 117:1, 2

R. (Mk 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R.. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 HEB 12:5-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters,
You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:
“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.”
Endure your trials as “discipline”;
God treats you as sons.
For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?
At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

Alleluia JN 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father, except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”