There is a line in today’s gospel that catches my attention, “they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” What we find here is the scriptural basis for the last sacrament many of us will someday receive: the sacrament of the sick.

Many Catholics grew up knowing this sacrament by a different name: Last Rites. As the old name suggest, this sacrament was given to someone who was dying. But as the gospel line points out, the disciples didn’t anoint the dying, they anointed the sick.

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15th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

When you hear the word, prophet, what comes to mind? A person who can successfully foresee the future? Derived from the Greek for “one who speaks on behalf of,” a prophet speaks to us on behalf of God, or on behalf of those who have no one else to speak for them, giving voice to the voiceless. Prophets call on their listeners to be faithful to their religious traditions. They predict the future when they forecast what could happen if God’s message is ignored. For that reason, prophets were not always welcomed.

Undoubtedly, Ezekiel did not relish the task that God entrusted to him. He probably had the gut feeling that whatever he said would fall on deaf ears. Perhaps he would be ignored or even killed, for that is often the fate of prophets who bear unwelcomed news. All he knew then was that God was counting on him to be his voice in the midst of obstinate people who were no longer listening.

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14th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

“God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living…But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world and they who belong to his company experience it.” So begins and ends our first reading from the Book of Wisdom. I guess that includes you and me, for someday death will be our common experience. Despite our efforts to thwart death, the fact remains that life is a terminal illness.

For some of us, death may come with ample warning, if we are diagnosed with a terminal illness such as Lou Gehrig’s disease or certain forms of cancer. For others, death may come as a consequence for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, as are the victims of traffic accidents, natural disasters, or violence.

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13th Sunday of Ordinary Time – presentedRead More »

The following was written by Deacon Jesmer, but he was unable to present it in Mass due to an illness.  Bless you and get well soon, Deacon.

SCRIPTURE:
1ST Reading: Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24
2nd Reading: 2 Corrinthians 8:7,9, 13-15
Gospel: Mark 5-21-43

Nearly all of us has experienced the frustration of trying to repair or put together some complicated mechanical or electrical contraption without much success. Finally , After all other efforts have failed, we READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. Usually I am reminded at this point by my wife, who sees the mess I am making and says sweetly, “Have you read the instructions?”

The step that we should take first doesn’t even enter our minds until we have tried everything else. We are somewhat like the woman in today’s gospel. She had suffered from a hemorrhage for 12 years and had received treatment at the hands of many doctors of every sort, and exhausted her savings in the process.

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13th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Today we put aside what would have been the 12th Sunday of Ordinary time to celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. The church does so for good reason for his birth marks the dawning of God’s salvation. Now, you might be thinking, “Didn’t that begin with Jesus?” On the other hand, you could be thinking, “Of course, I just heard Paul say, ‘John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.'” Perhaps you are even humming to yourself, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,” which was the focus of John’s ministry and life.

We celebrate his birth at the summer solstice when the sun is at its highest point in the sky and we celebrate the birth of Jesus at the winter solstice. Pointing to Jesus, John says elsewhere in scripture, “I must decrease so that he may increase.” The dynamic of decrease and increase can be considered the mission of all Christians. The vocation of every Christian in fact is to let the light of Christ shine forth to all the world and to bear witness to the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. But that is a mission we are not always inclined to accept.

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Nativity of John the BaptistRead More »