Deep Calls to Deep Roc Homily (a) – Thirty-Second Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
This gospel does NOT present an academic debate about afterlife… It’s about the experience of becoming grounded in Christ so that serenity, joy, and praise take root in our lives NOW. Question: Given all the chaos leading up to this election, will there be life afterwards? Given what has come to the surface the past two […]
Roc Homily (FIN) – Thirtieth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Exalt? Humble? Whaaa…? How can we bear to be humbled? To discover self-idolatry and then hand it over? OUCH! To exalt Characteristics of self-exaltation: 1) forgetting God, forgetting one’s former state of humiliation because one has become self-sufficient; 2) self-idolatry, denying one’s vulnerability & mortality. Deuteronomy 8:13f — 13 and when […]
Roc Homily (c) – Thirtieth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Can we endure being found out? This is one scary proposition. The Pharisee couldn’t look behind his own curtain to see that he damned others of the things he was hiding. In his woundedness, he projected a pure, high-minded, righteous image: “Look, I am innocent, not like this unrighteous guy here.” However, Luke tells us that […]
Roc Homily (a) – Thirtieth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
The Pharisee & the Publican: We sang the psalm, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor…” What happens to our prayer when we spend our lives trying not to be poor? This scene from “The Wizard of Oz” came back to me as I studied this gospel passage: “Pay no attention to that man […]
Roc Homily (c) – Twenty-Ninth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
A Parable for Today: God’s will for us to pray always There is one prayer, it seems to me. It is “thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” In other words, we pray for repentance. That would mean me and you praying for repentance in the midst of contemporary “scorched earth policy” made manifest in these […]
Roc Homily (b) – Twenty-Ninth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Two Unsavory Characters It seemed to me that Luke’s choice and use of certain words reveal a surprising subtext – neither the judge nor the widow are models for us (!) Here’s a look at just a few of the terms: The Widow: To pray = proseuchomai Luke 6:28f 28 bless […]
Roc Homily (a) – Twenty-Ninth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Intro: “the need to pray always…” The wordplay at work beneath the surface of the text in this parable opens our eyes to new horizons of interpretations… Luke 18:1f Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart – This shows that prayer has an edge to it as seen […]
Roc Homily – Twenty-Eighth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
The Ten Lepers & their drama Leper = alienated Leprous men = capable of betrayal & murder They approached him from afar = “from exile” / from alienation Samaritan leper was doubly alienated / outcast He gave thanks = eucharisteo (Jesus gave thanks for cup & bread at Last Supper) The one who was doubly alienated gave thanks […]
Roc Homily Part Deux – Twenty-Seventh Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Unprofitable servants?!?! Wha the…!!! What was your reaction to being reduced from “Special” status? This is the passage from Luke I love to hate. It uncovers my tried and true sense of entitlement. “Look, I’m a St. Louis Jesuit for goodness’ sake. What do you mean, ‘unprofitable servant’! Don’t you realize how much I’ve done […]
Roc Homily – Twenty-Seventh Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
“Increase our faith!” Let the people say, “Amen!” Ah, the wonders of the lectionary that does what it has to do, select passages and leave others out. And Sunday’s gospel is a good example of contextus interruptus. The first four verses of chapter 17 are kind of important for they tell us exactly what prompted that prayer. […]
Deep Calls to Deep 