Category Archives: Ordinary Time

September 15, 2015

25th Sunday of the Year – Troubled Times

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

489-Winston-Churchill-Quote-If-you-are-going-through-hell-keep-going

Study:  Recall a time when you were overwhelmed by difficulty.  What got you through it?

Pray:  Call upon the Lord for the courage and strength to face your challenges.

Serve:  Is there someone you know who is struggling?  How can you offer your support?

25th Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

Don’t you wish life would always be easy?  Wouldn’t it be great if challenges and obstacles disappeared with a simple thought?  What’s more, how about if evil, darkness, fear, and violence would vanish from the face of the earth?

I know: I will now wake up from my pleasant dream.  Since the dawn of creation evil and sin have been part of our world, and for this very reason Jesus Christ died and rose.  The death and resurrection of the Lord confronts the darkness  and shines with the light of faith.

As Christians we can thus recognize two fundamental principles:

  • Evil and sin are part of the fabric of life
  • Jesus Christ offers us salvation through his victory on the Cross

Simply put, this means that we have hope in the face of difficulty.  God continues to give grace and strength, empowering us to face our fears and engage life with the faith to continue in the presence of adversity.  We know that life is hard; we know that with the Lord’s help we can carry on.

Where do you find darkness and evil in your life right now?  Where do the difficulties and obstacles present themselves?  Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge these pitfalls and recognize how they tempt and distract us.

For the minute we understand our struggles, we are equipped with the knowledge to petition the Lord for the help we need.  What’s more, as we understand the struggles of those around us, we can reach out with love of Christ to support one another with sincerity and genuine assistance.

May we honestly confront the challenges of life, trusting in the Lord for the grace we need.

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September 8, 2015

24th Sunday of the Year – Can we Walk the Walk?

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

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Study:  Recall a time when you had to carry out a difficult task.  Where did you find your strength?  How did others respond to your actions?

Pray:  Consider the challenges before you right now and ask the Lord for the wisdom and courage you need.

Serve:  Is there someone in your life who is walking a difficult path?  How can you help them?

24th Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

My dad often used the saying:

“He can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk?”

It was a favorite line of his when he heard a lot of words but didn’t see much action.  Fact is, most of the time our words signal our behavior; our actions prove it.

The Letter of James puts this notion of action into the context of faith: we demonstrate our faith by the works of daily life.  Talking about our love for the Lord is good, but showing it consistently is crucial.  Let’s face it – as disciples we are at our best when we are living examples of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Of course, sometimes living our faith is difficult, challenging, and painful.  There are times when we are tested to keep going in the right direction, to stay true to our values and purpose, and to hang in there when we might be tempted to stop.  Not only are we living witnesses, but the proof of our faith is often revealed in our actions when times are toughest.

Both Isaiah and Jesus testify that some paths will demand everything we have, even our lives.  In these moments we trust completely in God for the wisdom, courage, and power we need.

As we walk the walk of faith we remember that we do not do it alone: the Lord continues to put people in our lives and strengthens us through Sacraments, Scripture, Prayer, and Fellowship.  What’s more, there are times when we are called upon to support others on their walk – giving strength to those who struggle.

Whether we are leaning on another or lending a helping hand to someone in need…may we walk the walk, with Jesus Christ by our side.

 

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September 1, 2015

23rd Sunday of the Year – Healing and Hospitality

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

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Study:  Recall a moment when you experienced profound healing.  Then consider a time when someone was genuinely hospitable to you.

Pray:  Ask the Lord to see others with the eyes of Jesus.

Serve:  How can you bring healing to another today?  How can you reach out and welcome someone?

23rd Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

Two big themes bubble up in the Scriptures this week:

  • Healing: Isaiah proclaims and Jesus performs
  • Hospitality: James urges that we show no partiality

Both of these themes are part of the fabric of human life.  We all know firsthand experiences of illness, disease, and discomfort.  We know the relief that comes from health, especially after a long period of suffering.  Jesus spent a substantial portion of his ministry healing others; indeed, every encounter with the Lord brought about some type of transformative renewal.

Hospitality touches another part of our existence.  It is so easy to prejudge one another!  Looks, clothing, money, power, success….we can quickly get caught up in externals and fail to recognize the shining soul that dwells in the heart.  James (as usual) minces no words here – he speaks bluntly, calling us to treat one another as sons & daughters of God.

Where do you see healing in your life?  Where do you see hospitality?  Perhaps today we can be agents of both, helping others in moments of weakness and need, and reaching out to all with the love of Christ.

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August 25, 2015

22nd Sunday of the Year – The Battle is Within

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Medieval Battle

Study:  Reflect on a time when you struggled with something in the privacy of your heart.  What helped you?

Pray:  Ask the Lord for the grace and healing you need to fight the challenges within you.

Serve:  Perhaps you know someone who is facing a difficult time alone.  How might you reach out?

22nd Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

Listen to the Lord’s words to the people in this Sunday’s Gospel:

He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.

“From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”  Mark 7: 14-15,21-23

We see the effects of sin on the outside in the words and actions that are evident through observation and experience.  Yet the Lord reminds us that the origin of our sin begins within the human heart, and it is there that the battle rages.

We can cloak our lives, guarding our speech and hiding our actions, yet eventually the pattern of our soul emerges through our interactions with one another.  Only God clearly sees our hearts, and it is to the Lord that we turn to:

  • Recognize the role of sin in our hearts
  • Call upon God for the grace we need to be made whole
  • Live our lives in freedom from sin, guided by the Holy Spirit
  • Renew our strength through Sacraments, Scripture, Fellowship, and Prayer

Because our hearts are hidden from view, it is crucial that we take time for reflection and prayer to review the state of our souls.  Some powerful tools to help us:

  1. A good Examination of Conscience
  2. A visit to the Confessional
  3. Frequent attendance at Mass and reception of Holy Communion
  4. Personal Prayer
  5. Someone to whom we are accountable for our thoughts, words, and actions

May we pause to look honestly at our hearts, and call upon Jesus Christ for the grace we need to fight the battle within!

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August 18, 2015

21st Sunday of the Year – Hard Sayings, Tough Decisions

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

tough decisions

Study:  Recall a time when you were confronted with a tough decision.  Who or what helped you to face your situation?

Pray:  Are you facing a difficult time?  Ask the Lord for wisdom and courage.

Serve:  Is there someone in your life who is struggling with a challenge?  How can you help them?

21st Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

The crowds had listened to Jesus.  They had seen the healings and witnessed the miracle of the fishes and loaves.  They had been nourished body and soul by the Lord’s presence, and after hearing the “Bread of Life” discourse they began to doubt and walk away…

“This saying is hard, who can accept it?”  – John 6:60

There are moments in life when we are called to confront a difficult situation.  We are challenged to understand and carry out a task that may be unpleasant or unwelcome.  We have a choice: we can walk away and  allow events to run on their own, or we can engage the situation knowing that every step will be hard.  What do we do?

Joshua expresses the nature of a tough decision in his words to the Israelites in the first reading:

“If it does not please you to serve the Lord, then decide today whom you will serve.”  – Joshua 24:15

Let’s face it.  There are times in life when we struggle to make and carry out the right choice.  Perhaps we don’t know what to do; perhaps we know but we struggle to do it.  Sometimes it can seem like the weight of the world rests on our shoulders as we muddle through hard sayings and tough decisions.

What are you confronting today?  What challenges are set before you?  May we ask God for two key gifts: Wisdom and Courage.  We ask for wisdom to know what to do, and we pray for courage to carry it out!

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August 10, 2015

20th Sunday of the Year – Come to the Feast

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

thanksgiving rehearsal dinner

Study:  What are some of the things that make a dinner special for you?  What makes it a feast?

Pray:  Offer a prayer for those who go hungry this day – either because they lack food or the companionship to share it.

Serve:  Is there someone you know with whom you could share a meal?  How might you make your meal a feast with others?

20th Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

Growing up in a large Italian-American family, big dinners were a common occurrence.  The usual suspects like Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving were typical; but family gatherings (with all the adults talking and the kids talking louder) provided numerous opportunities for people to gather and make the simple task of taking nourishment a beautiful experience for body, mind, heart, and soul.

Tables were set, special foods chosen, delicacies prepared in advance…all these steps to make the dinner something special, something extraordinary.

They were feasts.

Indeed, whenever we take the time and effort to make dining an experience, we create opportunities that touch us on multiple levels.  Good food is augmented by delightful conversation, enlivened with beauty, and woven together with human hopes and dreams.  A feast is not just an abundance of food; it is a rich expression of God’s goodness working through others to nourish our lives in profound ways.

All of the readings point to different ways the Lord sustains our lives:

  • Wisdom sets a rich table, calling us to abandon foolishness to follow her
  • We “taste and see the goodness of the Lord” in the psalm response
  • Ephesians invites us to be filled with the Spirit, living upright lives
  • Jesus commands us to eat his flesh and drink his blood, that we might have eternal life

Every Mass provides us with the opportunity to draw near the altar and be renewed through our reception of Holy Communion.  Christ sets the table for us, inviting us to turn away from destructive and harmful forces, so that we might receive the grace we need to continue on the journey of life.

Come to the Feast!

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August 4, 2015

19th Sunday of the Year – Dependence upon God

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

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Study:  What are some of your regular chores?  Which ones do you find boring, dreary, dull, or difficult?

Pray:  Take a moment to count your blessings.  Consider the many ways you have been blessed by God.

Serve:  How can you help someone with a difficult chore?  How can you assist another with a challenging task?

19th Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

Every summer my sister and I had a standard routine during school vacation.  We would get up, have some breakfast, and face the dreaded work list.  Our mother was the master of list making – with her perfect penmanship, she would write out the chores that needed to be done before Amy and I could go down to the beach for some fun.  We would groan and complain,”This is SO HARD!” while mom just smiled and reminded us that we all have work to do to keep the house running.

One time when I was feeling particularly oppressed, I had the gall to ask, “What did you do?” and I discovered that my folks:

  • Paid all the bills
  • Kept up on all the maintenance of the house
  • Provided for all our food and clothing
  • Handled mysterious things like “insurance” and “taxes”

In other words, I quickly discovered that my life – even with my terrible chores – depended completely on them.

Both Elijah and the crowds in the Gospel discover a similar lesson today.  Elijah was grumbling and the people were murmuring, but God fed them (both physically and spiritually) with food for this life and the next.

The point is simple: our lives are completely and entirely dependent upon God.  While it is true and important to note that we all have work to do, it is crucial to remember that we have this work because God allows it.  Our lives are supported every moment by the grace of the Almighty; the Lord sustains our lives so that we might offer them in our work…the “chores” that we get to do.  What’s more, God nourishes us so that we can do these chores with strength, courage, and wisdom.

For several weeks now we have heard how God feeds us with heavenly bread; perhaps today we might take a moment in gratitude to thank the Lord for what we have received, so that we can do today’s work with an open mind and a willing heart.  May our chores remind us that they are part of life – a gift which we have received from God.

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July 28, 2015

18th Sunday of the Year – Bread from Heaven

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

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Study:  Reflect on a time at Mass that profoundly spoke to your heart.  What stood out?

Pray:  Prepare your heart for your next Holy Communion.  What do you need to bring to Jesus Christ?

Serve:  Is there someone who you can encourage to return to Mass?  Can you help them draw near to the table of the Lord?

18th Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

Jesus said to them,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”   John 6:35

We know that our bodies need food to sustain life; what we discover today is that our souls need spiritual food to sustain eternal life.  Where do we find this bread from Heaven?  Jesus Christ!

Have you ever experienced that feeling when you are exhausted?  Out of gas?  Wrung out?  It is often a sign that we require rest and nourishment; we come to the table to be fed.

The same is true with our souls.  There are times when we are intellectually drained, feeling lost and confused, doubting ourselves and uncertain about our next decision.  We can feel crushed, worn out by the demands of life and overwhelmed by the challenges that confront us.

What we require is a different type of nourishment – we look to a Person who loves us, understands us, and provides us with the grace and strength, the peace and perspective, to be renewed for the next step on our journey.  Christ feeds us with his Body & Blood, so that we might become more fully his disciples; we come to the altar to be fed.

What are you hungry for today?  What challenges do you face?  May we draw near to the Lord in Holy Communion and allow his love to transform our lives – for this world and for the world to come.

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July 21, 2015

17th Sunday of the Year – Hungry? Come and Eat!

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Loaves and Fish

Study:  Recall a time when you experienced real hunger.  What was it like?

Pray:  What are you hungry for in your spiritual life?  Ask the Lord to feed your soul.

Serve:  Consider helping out a food pantry or location that serves meals to those in need.  How can you help alleviate hunger around the world?

17th Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

The word hunger means many things to different groups of people:

  • You have the “munchies” and want to graze on snack foods
  • You hanker for something…but you are not sure what it is
  • Your stomach is growling and you want to eat
  • Your blood sugar is dropping and you know you need to eat
  • You have missed a couple of meals and you are ravenous
  • You have not eaten in days…and you understand starvation

At it’s most basic level, hunger means that we recognize our need for food to keep our bodies going.  While most of us have no awareness of famine, we all have the daily experience of the need to eat.  Food is necessary for life, and the quality of the food we eat enhances (or detracts) from the quality of our lives.

The same concept applies to our spiritual lives as well.  We certainly need a level of physical health to sustain our spiritual lives, but we also require spiritual sustenance to strengthen our souls and renew our hearts.

Jesus knew this.  The people coming to him were hungry – body and soul – and his teaching, feeding, and Eucharist sustained them.  What’s more, every time we come to the altar we participate in the banquet of his grace.  We continue to receive – Body & Blood, Soul & Divinity – the spiritual food we need to flourish.

Practically, when we come to the table may we pray with grateful hearts for the blessing of nutritious food; when we come to the altar may we pray with grateful hearts for the blessing of Christ.  In both cases, the hand of the Lord feeds us, he answers all our needs.

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The Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes, Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti);  ca 1545-1550, oil on canvas, 61 x 160 1/2 inches,  Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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July 14, 2015

16th Sunday of the Year – A Shepherd who cares for his Sheep

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

 

Herd of sheep on beautiful mountain meadow

Study:  When in your life have you been in great need and looked to another for help?  When have you been able to help another in great need?

Pray:  Ask the Lord for the gift of discernment – to know when to seek help and when to offer it.

Serve:  Name one practical thing you can do to help someone today.  Then do it.

16th Sunday of the Year Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

“His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34)

Have you ever been lost?  Confused?  Drifting, uncertain of the next step in the path of life?  Most of us have been in those dark and difficult places where we feel beaten down by the challenges of life.  Simply put, there are times in life when things get tough and we need to draw on the strength and wisdom of another.

The crowds found this in Jesus.  His words inspired them; his miracles cured them.  As word spread in the surrounding area, more and more people came to hear the Lord and find new life in his presence.  What’s more, he saw their need and responded with pity and love – he longed to guide them and give them hope.

In our need we can, like the crowds, draw near to Christ for our strength.  His mercy has the power to renew and transform our hearts; his grace comes when we allow him room to make a place in our souls.

Furthermore, there are times in our lives when the Lord will empower us to guide and guard others.  Jeremiah foretold that God would appoint shepherds to care for people – God heard their cry when they were led astray and brought them new leaders to gather them together.

Perhaps this week we might see someone in need, someone who the Lord has placed on our path to help.  Perhaps we have others to lead by our word and example, inspiring them to draw to the Great Shepherd who cares for us all.

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