Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:
“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.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“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.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In April 2020, a ninety-nine-year-old British World War Two veteran, Captain Tom Moore, wanted to raise money to support people who became ill with COVID-19.

He promised to walk one-hundred laps around his garden with his walker before his 100^th birthday, only a few weeks away.

His goal was $1,250.

Then his story went viral.

In all, Captain Tom captivated the hearts of 1.5 million people, raising over $40 million!

What started as a humble effort to help a neighbor exploded into a global obsession.

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Captain Tom’s story reminds us that God works in mysterious ways, using simple ideas and ordinary people to change the world.

A mustard seed, as Jesus says in the Gospel, is the smallest of seeds. But when sown into the ground, it becomes the largest of plants.

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Consider another “mustard seed” story: Mother Teresa. 

In 1950, she started a small religious order in India, whose mission was, in her words, “to care for the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society.”

Who would be interested in following her?

By the end of last year, the Missionaries of Charity had grown to 5,167 members serving in 139 countries with 760 homes for the homeless, the sick, and the dying.

Volunteers from our own parish prepare food every Monday morning and hand deliver it to the Missionaries of Charity’s soup kitchen in Newark.

The world’s attention – our attention – turned to the poorest of the poor.

And it all started with a single mustard seed.

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The same is true for the Church. 

Jesus began with the Twelve Apostles. Now 1.2 billion people – nearly 1 in 6 – identify as Catholic. That’s a growth of one-million percent!

And it started with just a handful of mustard seeds.

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A 99-year-old man fundraises $40 million.

A nun from nowhere propels poverty onto the world stage.

A Church with one billion followers starts with twelve.

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The power of a mustard seed.

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Allow me to conclude with a story whose future is yet to be written:

A small suburban parish, stuck in the middle of a pandemic, starts dying on the vine, languishing six months without a pastor. Suddenly, a young priest is appointed shepherd of that parish. 

One by one, parishioners return. One by one, parishioners get involved. One by one, hearts are changed as people sense real change is coming. 

We, too, are like a mustard seed, “the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.” 

But we will become, “the largest of plants,” as Jesus says, a home for every heart and soul in northern Bergen County and beyond.

While we’ve only just begun, imagine what the Lord can do through us.

It begins with one seed, one step, one “yes” at a time. 

Suddenly, an entire community is transformed.

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A 99-year-old man fundraises $40 million.

A nun from nowhere propels poverty onto the world stage.

A Church with one billion followers starts with twelve.

Now imagine what we can do.

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Image Credits: (1) The Word Church, YouTube (2) Full Gospel Holy Temple (3) Wales 247 (4) The Independent (5) First15 (6) St. Pius X, Old Tappan, photo taken by Rev. Kevin Kilgore

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Christians are called to live in “ecstasy.”

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When we hear the word, “ecstasy,” our minds may drift to that terribly destructive drug. But the word, “ecstasy” originally referred to a religious experience.

It meant to, “step outside of yourself,” to see the world from someone else’s perspective.

Isn’t this what God did when he took on flesh?

In the Incarnation, the Lord stepped outside of heaven; he came down to earth, and learned what it felt like to live and move as a human being; to flee King Herod as a refugee; to feel the twinge of hunger; to know the embrace of a mother; to be loved; and even to be hated.

The Lord stepped outside of himself whenever he encountered his neighbor. He was constantly healing the sick, forgiving the sinner, teaching the curious, and stretching people’s minds to see what it really means to love.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

While this feast reminds us of the infinite mercy of God, it also challenges us to step outside of ourselves and see the world from another person’s perspective.

It’s something we can do in the smallest of ways: we can listen before we speak; reach out to a lonely neighbor; feed an empty stomach; or pray for a person in need. 

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In what ways do I live in “ecstasy”? How do I step outside of my own thoughts or plans and see the world from someone else’s perspective?

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May we continue to model our lives after our merciful God, who has loved us and given himself for us.

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Image credits: (1) Rohn and Associates Design, Inc. (2) Jesus Washing Peter’s Feed, Ford Madox Brown, Tate (3) Vatican News

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Gospel: Matthew 5: 20-26

Jesus said to his disciples: 
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother,
Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The Church is widely known for making distinctions.

For example, there’s a difference between good and evil; an angel and an archangel; moral versus immoral; or a venial sin versus a mortal sin.

A venial sin might involve harboring a slight grudge in our heart towards someone who has hurt us; a mortal sin would involve intentionally acting on that anger – even to the point of murder.

While we are most likely not guilty of any mortal sin, we can commit venial sins often enough. The temptation is to brush them off, as if they are really not that big of a deal. 

I’m angry at someone…. so what?

The Gospel tells us that that grudge IS a big deal, because no sin is permissible in heaven. “Whoever is angry with his brother,” Jesus says, “will be liable to judgment.”

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Do I judge others? Do I gossip? Do I ever lose my temper or harbor anger in my heart? 

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Jesus wants to remove these burdens from our hearts, especially through confession. Doing so frees us to love.

This is, after all, the challenge of discipleship: to forgive without limits; to be the servant of servants; to love to a ridiculous level, just as Christ has loved us. 

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Image credits: (1) Church of the Madalene (2) Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch (3) Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt