Church tradition has long identified the vineyard in this parable as Israel. The tenants were seen as the leaders of ancient Israel, the servants as the prophets who received the unjust treatment from them, and the son is Jesus himself. To many observers, this gospel passage alludes to the rejection of Jesus’ preaching by the elders and chief priests. We gather together as his followers but how often do we find ourselves doing the same thing, rejecting his word?

Think of the vineyard as your mind and the wicked tenants as your negative beliefs, habits and attitudes. The servants are divine ideas that your ego rejects. The tenants’ final act of defiance, in killing the son, refers to our rejection of Jesus whenever we commit a grave sin.

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Respect Life SundayRead More »

For some years now, we have heard of the New Evangelization and in some ways, the scripture today emanates that. This is something for you to ponder as I continue on. Keep it on the back burner for now but not to far back.

Today’s story begins by introducing us to a familiar scenario of a father who asks his sons to go out into the vineyard to work. Just imagine yourself as one of the listeners back then. You are introduced to a story of two sons. That definitely brings memories to you of other stories about brothers from the Hebrew scripture. So you are now thinking there is going to be some kind of tension between the brothers. You anticipate some problem in this story before it is even told.

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26th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

At a glance, the readings today dealt with religious leadership; a sacred trust in both ancient Israel and early Christianity that played a significant role in the evolution of our Church, which stands out as the oldest institution in the world, having survived 2000 years in the face of persecution, blessed along the way with good leaders and bad ones.

What motivates us to belong to the Catholic Church? For some people, being Catholic was an expectation of the time and place in which they lived. In some societies, one had to be Catholic in order to get ahead, much less survive. In our neck of the woods, being Catholic is a choice most of us freely make but would we if our lives were on the line?

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21st Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

When Chris and I met for lunch recently, he reminded me of Marcia’s fascination with tombstones. I recall that she visited cemeteries in New Orleans; together we looked at some while visiting cathedrals in England and the mausoleum in the new cathedral in Los Angeles. I have no clue what her children plan to put on her gravestone at Sunnyside Cemetery but given that she spent many years in religious education and parish ministry, perhaps what one person had placed on his gravestone could serve as Marcia’s last chance to pass a bit of wisdom on to us.

Remember stranger as you pass by
as you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so shall you be
so prepare yourself to follow me.

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Marcia Halligan’s Funeral HomilyRead More »

Having experienced typhoons on Guam, I can relate to what the folks in Hawaii experienced this past week. That brings to mind the story of a minister who found himself literally in deep water due to a flash flood. The water was above his waist and still rising as he grabbed an injured woman.  A rowboat came by and a guy yelled, “Let me save you!” but the preacher said, “Take this woman. God will save me!”  After taking the woman, the rowboat moved on.

By now, the water was up to the man’s chin as he struggled to help a father and his two children stay afloat. A helicopter hovered overhead and the pilot yelled, “Here, let me save you!” Again, the minister said, “Save these people. God will save me.” Finally the preacher drowned and he found himself at the pearly gates where St. Peter ushered him into the presence of God. The minister said, “Lord, I have always lived a good life, feeding the hungry, helping the homeless, praying often, and leading people to faith in you. Tell me, Lord, why didn’t you save me in that awful flood?”

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19th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »