These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
(Mk 4:21-25)
I love this saying of Jesus . . . I call it the “apostolic principle of use lots”—lots of mercy, lots of forgiveness, lots of love—so that God will be even more generous with us. Saint Thomas Aquinas, a bit of a rebel in his own time, used “new-found” knowledge (the writings of Aristotle) to help explain the faith. Traditionalists were horrified. But knowledge won out. Unfortunately, those who followed Saint Thomas weren’t quite up to the task that he left for them, and so they just mimicked what Saint Thomas said. Saint Thomas is the patron saint of seminaries. The photo (1977-1978) is of the Four Musketeers in front of Saint Meinrad Seminary, Indiana.
A sower went out to sow.
(Mk 4:1-20)
The Parable of the Sower (or the Miraculous Harvest) is a real gem. From the very first words . . . “A sower went out to sow,” we are treated to the strangest story about a sower who doesn’t really care about preparing the soil. In fact, when we decide to put in a summer garden we spend lots of time just preparing the soil, weeding, removing the rocks, making sure everything is just right BEFORE we put the seed in the soil. But not the sower in the parable. And even though just a tiny portion of the seed finds its way to good soil . . . look at the miraculous harvest: thirty, sixty, a hundredfold! No wonder the gospel writer tacks on: “Whoever has ears to hear, ought to hear!” But the disciples don’t understand any of it . . . and so the gospel writer has Jesus explain it to them. But please remember, the parable is from Jesus . . . but the explanation of the parable seems to be from the gospel writer.
I recall your sincere faith
that first lived in your grandmother Lois
and in your mother Eunice
and that I am confident lives also in you.
(2 Tim 1:1-8)
Paul, a slave of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ
to Titus, my true child in our common faith:
grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.
(Tit 1:1-5)
The companions of Paul, Titus and Timothy, represent the next generation of church leaders after the time of the apostles. And of course, the reference to the faith of Timothy’s grandmother and mother always reminds me of the faith of my own grandmother and mother!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
(Jn 15:16)
The conversion of Saint Paul is so important in the life of the early church that the Acts of the Apostles has two separate accounts of the event. Saint Paul is a bit more circumspect. In the first letter to the Corinthians when others have questioned Paul’s claim to be an apostle, Paul simply asks, “Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” Saint Paul’s conversion is celebrated with great fanfare in Rome. On the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the pope normally celebrates Mass at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. When my mom and I visited Rome in January, 1989, we attended the three-hour papal Mass at the Basilica, and mom met Pope John Paul II for the second time. The Mass began at 6:00 pm. At the homily, a chair was placed about six feet in front of my mom in her wheelchair, and the pope preached from that chair. He preached 30 minutes in Italian with his Polish accent. Needless to say, mom fell asleep, but when she began to snore, I had to give her an elbow!
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
(Mk 1:14-20)
Jesus never fails to interrupt our daily lives! And when the Lord calls, what else can we do, but drop everything and follow him!
