Tag Archives: Judgment

July 15, 2014

16th Sunday of the Year – Weeds & Seeds

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Weeding

Study:  What good thing in my life needs to be cultivated to grow?  What bad thing needs to be removed?

Pray:  Do I see the issues in my heart with clarity and honesty?  Ask the Lord for guidance.

Serve:  Can I help someone to grow?  Are there opportunities right now where my service can help others become stronger and better?

16th Sunday Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily

I love spending time in a garden.  I love watching the beauty of nature unfold from spring to fall as the plants grow and mature.  My moments in the garden are times for solitude (its just me and the mosquitoes).  I pray, reflect on current issues and needs, and enjoy the satisfaction which comes from time well spent.

I will also freely admit that when I get the chance I actually like weeding.  As a boy I hated it; the work seemed like a punishment and a useless chore.  Yet now I look forward to the time I can spend without care or worry as I dig out unwanted weeds.

That’s a good thing since weeds do not stop growing!  I can spend hours working in the garden, making sure that it is immaculate and pristine, and come back the next day to find a new set of weeds stubbornly about the business of growing right in the midst of my peppers, tomatoes, and basil.

Weeds are persistent (as anyone who has been away from the garden for more than a week knows), and if left untouched can and will take over a garden – choking out all the other plants.

In the Gospel today Jesus uses the example of weeds and seeds to convey some basic truths about our lives:
1.  Patience is required to let the seeds grow.
2.  Weeds are a part of life.

Every gardener knows that you cannot force a plant to grow; it develops over time at a set and natural pace.  Patience is necessary to allow the seed to change and transform to full maturity.  The plant needs time and steady attention if it is to flourish.

Gardeners also know that weeds are always present.  Only through constant care and attention can a person stay on top of the weeds; discipline is required if the garden is to be kept in control.

The fact is, we live in the garden of life.  Like a seed, we grow and mature through time and constant attention.  Only through patient application can we become the creation that God dreams us to be.

Yet we also know that in our life there are weeds.  Temptation and sin are a part of our world, and if left unattended they threaten to choke us off from God and one another.

May we place our trust in Christ, the master gardener, to help us with the weeds and the seeds!

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December 3, 2013

2nd Advent – Decorating our Homes and our Hearts

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Christmas Tree

Study:  What are some of the special things we do to prepare for Christmas?  How can we apply this preparation to our own hearts?

Pray:  Pray for the spiritual vision to truly “see” God at work in our lives this Advent.  Bring to prayer any special moments or experiences which touched your heart.

Serve:  How might we help others prepare for the coming of Christ?  How might our service bring others closer to God and one another?

2nd Advent Readings

They were located in the storage space under the stairs in my parents’ house.  Each year several boxes of varying sizes would get pulled out from this space on the day after Thanksgiving.  The contained:

* Christmas tree
* Ornaments & Tinsel
* Lights
* Christmas figurines
* Advent Wreath
* Nativity Set

Furniture would be moved to make space for the tree, items would be packed up or rearranged to accommodate the Christmas decorations, and other items (wreaths & candles) would be purchased.  The preparations would often take several hours to set up, but when finished, the house would be transformed.

Many homes have similar (or even more elaborate) traditions in their preparations for the coming of Jesus.  Decorations, inside and out, completely change the appearance of a home – often at the cost of hours (or even days) of hard work.

These decorations can often change the appearance of a building in a variety of ways.  Beauty and light are the intended result, and the added attention of decorations reveals the power of the season.  Simply put, we decorate to show that something special is happening in our world.

What is true for decorations is true for us.  Just as decorations can transform a building, so to we are called to look at our hearts to discern what needs to be changed, improved, or cleaned up.  We have the opportunity to see how our lives affect others.

We adorn a building with decorations to make it beautiful, but do we take the time to decorate our hearts?  Do we pause and look at our values or priorities, our hopes, needs, or fears?  Do we examine what is not of God in our life and change it?

The Scriptures remind us that when Jesus comes he will be our judge.  He will rule the nations and govern with justice.  In preparation John the Baptist urges the people to repent – to make a change in their hearts – and adorn their lives with the beauty and goodness that arise from this season.  Let us do the same, and decorate both our homes and our hearts, so the Lord will find us ready when he returns.

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March 12, 2013

5th Sunday of Lent – Justice & Mercy

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Flower

Study:  When have I truly experienced mercy from another person?  When have I been clearly in the wrong yet encountered understanding and compassion?

Pray:  Is there something in my life that needs God’s mercy?  Is there something or someone that I need God’s help to face?

Serve:  How can I practice mercy right now with someone in my life?

5th Sunday of Lent Readings

Teaching in the temple area, Jesus is confronted by the scribes and Pharisees with a woman (where is the man?) caught in adultery.  We are told that their intention is not justice, but to trap Jesus – so he can be arrested and silenced.

Here is the overview of John 8:1-11.
1           Jesus at the Mount of Olives
2          Jesus teaching in the temple area
3-6      Woman is brought to Jesus; Law is stated
7          Jesus writing on the ground
8          “Let the one without sin cast the first stone”
9          Everyone leaves; Jesus & the Woman alone
10        “Has no one condemned you?”
11        “No one, sir.”
“Neither do I…Go, and sin no more.”

Note that in this passage the Lord addresses two different groups.  The first group is composed of sinners.  His words to the scribes and Pharisees are profound:  “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Obviously, they must drop their stones; reflection and experience bring back numerous reminders of their sins.

Yet there is someone present who is without sin – JESUS!  His words to the crowd are about himself; he has the right and the authority to judge.

When the crowd finally disperses, he has the opportunity to speak to the woman.  “Neither do I condemn you.  Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”  Two crucial points surface from these words.

First, Jesus tells the truth; the behavior in question is a sin.  He does not ignore the fact, nor does he try to defend or explain it away.  He says it simply and directly.  His word is justice.

Second, the compassion of Jesus is evident in his gentle forgiveness.  He has the right to judge her, and he chooses mercy.

With the scribes and Pharisees Jesus reminds us “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1).  With the woman Jesus reminds us that in our sin and weakness we come to the Lord who longs to heal and restore us.

Which response speaks to us today?  We know that sin is real.  We know that all of us have failed and fallen through temptation and evil.  Do we need to ask forgiveness – for ourselves, or for presuming to judge others?  The Lord waits for us!

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Lent