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First Sunday in Advent
November 27, 2022Focus
Jesus said to his disciples: “...[S]tay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
One-Minute-Homily
> The truth is that we are so busy, rushing from one thing to another, that we have little time, energy or desire to pay much attention to the people and world around us. And we are more or less insulated against information that challenges our assumptions or interrupts our routines.
> Jesus reminds us that we need to "stay awake" because the important things come like a thief in the night. They are unexpected, unfamiliar, even unwanted; they may go unnoticed unless because we aren’t paying attention.
> Advent invites us to be prayerful people – which is to say, people who are reflective and listening, open to what is new, what is challenging, what is unfamiliar. Advent invites us to slow down, step back, to become more aware so that in the midst of our busyness the Lord does not arrive in our lives unexpected and unnoticed.
> At Sunday Mass we celebrate the Lord's real presence among us; it arises out of, and depends upon, our ability to notice his presence in our daily lives.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: What are some of the signs that Christmas is coming? What are signs that Jesus is living among us?
> Question for Youth: Growing up often brings surprises—things we didn’t expect happen. What does the Gospel tell us about being surprised by something that we should have seen coming, but didn't?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: In what ways are we too busy, too distracted, too controlled by routines, to actually notice the unexpected ways the Lord is present in our lives?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings here
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings here
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspectiveFind a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here
• • •
Solemnity of Christ the King
November 20, 2022
Focus
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other,...rebuking him, said..., “Have you no fear of God? ...[W]e have been condemned justly,...but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
One-Minute-Homily
> Everything we do has consequences, although it appears that many of us are content to ignore the consequences of what we say and do or blame them on others. In the end, whether we are at peace or afraid, depends on whether we have accepted those consequences or tried to deny them.
> The two thieves crucified with Jesus represent different responses: the one tried to avoid the consequences of his actions, the other accepted them and still hoped for something better. His trust in the Lord, who turns out to be the King of Mercy, redeemed the consequences of his behavior.
> Our faith in Jesus Christ the King both challenges and enables us to accept the fact that we are unfinished, imperfect, and sinful people. Whatever the consequences of our actions here and now, in the end we all must rely on the Divine King to "remember us” as he did the so-called “good thief.”
> At Sunday Mass we are gathered as sinners and would-be saints, all of whom depend upon the King's mercy in the end.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Do you ever lie or blame others to avoid getting in trouble?
> Question for Youth: Do you stop to think about possible long or short-term consequences before you act? Would it make a difference if you did?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: It's easy to blame things on someone else; how do we try to avoid the consequences of our own choices by shifting the blame to others persons or groups?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings here
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings here
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 13, 2022Focus
Jesus said, “...When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first.... Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues.... ...[T]hey will seize and persecute you.... You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
One-Minute-Homily
> When we look around, it's easy to be pessimistic or fearful. There is plenty of evidence that the world is going to hell in a hand-basket. And when we look inside ourselves: the uncomfortable suspicion that maybe we may not be everything we pretend to be.
> In the midst of this, Jesus reassures us as he did the disciples: “do not be terrified”...do not surrender to an atittude of doom and gloom. Persevere. Trust. Hope. This Gospel is not a warning but a promise.
> As Christians, we are people of hope, not fear. We believe that God is at work redeeming us and the world; our task is to recognize our imperfections and embrace the unfinished nature of creation – in a word, is to trust in God and cooperate with the Divine effort to save us all.
> We proclaim this conviction frequently at Eucharist: “Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory!”
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: What do you do when you are afraid?
> Question for Youth: What do you say or do to help friends who are feeling overwhelmed by fear?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we make decisions based on fear or hope? Do we trust or doubt--ourselves, others, or God himself?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time'
November 6, 2022Focus
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward.... Jesus said to them, "...[T]hose who...attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead...can no longer die, for they are like angels.... That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out ‘Lord.' [T]he God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob...is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
One-Minute-Homily
> This is the time of year when the church focuses on "the last things" and the life to come. Like many in Jesus's time, we have a lot of questions about life after death, and we live, more or less consciously, in fear of death and the unknown which follows.
> Jesus tells us that it's hard to imagine what the resurrected life is like, and we should be careful about making comparisons to life here on earth. All we need to know is that God is the God of the living and to God "all are alive."
> The challenge for us as Christians is to live without being overly preoccupied about when or how this or that will end – and without being overly anxious about death. We can be encouraged and reassured that no one and no thing is lost, and no one "passes away" in God's eyes.
> Sunday Eucharist is a fore-taste of the heavenly kingdom; however separated we are from one another or from life here and now, we are all alive in God's eyes.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Do you ever think about what has happened to people who have died?
> Question for Youth: What difference does it make if you believe in life after death or not?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: What difference does it make to us when we realize that in God's eyes "all are alive"?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 30, 2022Focus
Now [there was] a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man.... [H]e...climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus.... When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” Zacchaeus came down quickly and received him with joy.... And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house...."
One-Minute-Homily
> Two things often make it difficult for us to hear the Gospel: worldly success and our personal shortcomings. People will often go to almost any ends to protect what they have and to avoid being discovered as something less than they pretend to be.
> In today’s Gospel, we meet a rich man who, in the end, decides not to try to hide his shortcomings. Zacchaeus climbs a tree to see Jesus and, when noticed by the Lord, confesses that he has not always been honest and promises to make things right.
> Conversion always entails admitting our shortcomings, thereby allowing the Lord to provide what we lack. It also entails recognizing that our success too often comes at someone else’s expense. Conversion comes when we realize that we are loved and valued in spite of our shortcomings and regardless of success.
> The Eucharist reminds us that conversion always takes place, as it did for Zacchaeus, in the context of community and our relationship to the community.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Has anyone ever said to you, “I love you, even though you’re not perfect”?
> Question for Youth: As we mature we are more likely to discover our shortcomings and our desire for success. How does the story of Zacchaeus apply to you?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: How do success or shortcomings interfere with how we relate to the people around us in our families, the church, or the broader community?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings here
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings here
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel:
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 23, 2022Focus
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness.... “Two people went up to the temple area to pray....The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -- greedy, dishonest, adulterous....' But the tax collector stood off at a distance...beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
One-Minute-Homily
> We learn early on to compare ourselves to others. Like the Pharisee in today’s Gospel, we judge ourselves and others by human standards, based mostly on personal effort, social convention, and economic gain.
> In today’s Gospel Jesus warns us that God judges by different standards. God sees as a loving parent sees. Righteousness and unconditional love are something which is given, not earned, by a generous and compassionate God.
> As disciples, our prayer and our lives should express the conviction that in the end we will all get what we deserve--an infinite measure of divine mercy which exalts those who are humbled and humbles those who are exalted by human standards.
> We proclaim, celebrate and give thanks for this promise of mercy at Sunday Eucharist; we should feel both exalted and humbled.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Do you ever feel that some people are better than you or not as good as you?
> Question for Youth: Do you ever feel pressured to put someone down in order to be accepted by your friends?
> Question for Adults and Parishes: When, how and why do we judge ourselves or others based on social standards or religious conventions?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings here
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings here
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 16, 2022Focus
“...[A] widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘...[B]ecause this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her....’” The Lord said, "...Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night?... I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily…."
One-Minute-Homily
> For the most part, people value persistence. We teach it to our children, we reward it among employees, we respect it among our friends. "Never give up." "Hang in there," we say. Persistence is based in the conviction--the trust--that things will work out for the best.
> In today's Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a persistent widow who would not stop bothering the judge until he rendered her a judgment. He urges his disciples to emulate such persistence in their prayer.
> Prayer is always, in one way or another, an expression of our trust in God's compassion and love--our conviction that sooner or later God will render a judgment in our favor. It is this faith which enables us to persist even when things are difficult and we are challenged to do things we find difficult or uncomfortable.
> We gather regularly at Eucharist so that by our presence and our prayer we may support one another, even when our faith wavers.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What keeps you going when you have to do something that is hard to do?
> Question for Youth: Growing up is largely a process of trial and error. What does the Gospel tell you about not giving up?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Where or why have we given up, failed to be persistent, failed to trust?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 9, 2022Focus
…[O]ne of them, realizing he had been healed, returned…; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? ... Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
One-Minute-Homily
> Some people seem naturally grateful, but some of us struggle – some because we feel we are entitled or have earned what we received; others because it’s just embarrassing to admit that we needed something from someone else. It takes both honesty and humility to be grateful.
> The story of the ten lepers is a sad reminder that many among the Chosen, assuming it was their right, would fail to appreciate what Jesus offers, even while those least likely – the stranger and alien – would receive it gratefully.
> The humbling but honest lesson for us today is that the most important things in this life – those of enduring and lasting value – are always gifts to be acknowledged and received with gratitude, while the things we work so hard to earn, achieve or possess – too often at someone else’s expense – often have very limited value.
> “Take this, all of you” are Christ’s words repeated at Eucharist – a reminder that the greatest gift of all, God’s very self, can only be received gratefully and shared.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What are some of the most important things someone has given you?
> Question for Youth: In the process of “earning” adulthood, are you aware and grateful for the important things which can only be given and received?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we take God’s gifts for granted? Do we give others the impression that they must earn or deserve what God has given us to share?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 2, 2022Focus
The Lord replied, “Who among you would say to your servant..., ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘…Wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’?... So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”
One-Minute-Homily
> We like to be recognized. We like to be noticed and appreciated for who we are and what we do. Recognition implies that we are special or outstanding, and our society rewards those who are outstanding. Even the church recognizes saints who are presumably extraordinary.
> In today’s Gospel Jesus warns the disciples that his followers are called to be servants – not to the wealthy and privileged, but to those in need, those who are vulnerable -- servants who do what they are able to do, whether anyone notices or approves or not.
> For disciples, service is not extraordinary or particularly commendable. We need not overestimate our importance or underestimate our ability. We should not expect recognition or rewards. We are honest and humble (if not unprofitable) servants, doing what we can do.
> Eucharist incorporates us into the Body of Christ, each one more or less empowered to serve without special distinction or recognition.
Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Are you good only when someone is watching?
> Question for Youth: What are some of the things you are tempted to say or do when you think no one cares or notices?
> Question for Adults and Parishes: Are we addicted to attention and praise? Do we depend on people's recognition to be happy and faithful?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings here:
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings here
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 25, 2022Focus
Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who…dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table…. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died…and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
One-Minute-Homily
> We encounter a lot of needy people, but most of us don't pay much attention. The most obvious are those who approach us on the sidewalk or while we're waiting at a stoplight. Often, we avert our eyes, avoid contact, or make excuses. Needy people, whatever the need, make us feel uncomfortable, even indignant.
> In today's Gospel, Jesus tells us that there are serious consequences for ignoring the needy among us. As is true of most lessons in the Gospel, this one applies not just to individuals but to groups--families, communities, whole societies -- and the church.
> Our challenge as disciples is to recognize and respond to the needy among us. We cannot afford to avert our eyes and pretend not to car, or make excuses about why people are in need. The church's social doctrine insists that those who have less than they need have a legitimate moral claim to what we have.
> The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate at Eucharist, arose from God's awareness of our need for reconciliation and love.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Have you ever stopped to help someone in need?
> Question for Youth: People in need often show up at the worst possible time. Are there people in need interrupting your plans for the future?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Who are the people in need among us? Are we willing to put aside "business as usual" to respond to their needs?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 18, 2022Focus
Jesus said to his disciples: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.... No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
One-Minute-Homily
> Generally, most of us will say what we need to say in a given situation, following the advice to “go along to get along.” In the effort to protect ourselves or please others we run the risk that we may ignore the truth, sacrifice our own integrity and betray our principles.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a shrewd steward who realizes that what is important is his master’s honor, not his money. Then he urges his disciples to do the same – to honor the really important things, to recognize the truth, to "walk the talk."
> This is a challenge for disciples in today’s world, where we are often expected to say and do things that we don’t personally believe. As anyone in 12-Step recovery (or Confession) knows, at some point we have to choose to be honest about the deeper truths, even when we can't completely reconcile the truth with our desires
> In the Eucharist we come face-to-face with the deeper truth: we are children of a loving and generous Creator.
For Journaling or Discussion
> Question for Children: How often do you say something you don't mean?
> Question for Youth: When, how and why do you put on "false fronts," pretending to be, say or do something you don't mean?
> Question for Adults: What are the big inconsistencies in our lives? Why is it hard to be honest about them?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 11, 2022Focus
[Jesus] addressed this parable: “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?... Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it?...”
One-Minute-Homily
> Can we even imagine a world without winners and losers? In sports, in business, in politics, in personal relationships – the unwritten rule seems to be that some must lose so others can win. Even churches separate people into saints and sinners, winners and losers.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents us with three examples: a shepherd who searches for one lost sheep, a woman who searches for a single lost coin, and a parent who rejoices when a wayward son finally returns. Each in their own way show us a God who is determined to save the whole of creation and everyone in it.
> The challenge to us is to resist our natural tendency to judge people (or groups of people) as winners and losers. Jesus calls us to imitate God’s determination to redeem all of us, apparent winners and losers alike--even when it violates our sense of justice, as it did the prodigal son’s older brother.
> “This is my body,” Jesus says, winners and losers all, redeemed by the Father’s mercy.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Everybody like to win; can we see something good in those who lose, like God does?
> Question for Youth: As you build your future as an adult, you will strive to be a “winner”. What does the Gospel tell you about that effort?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people whose lives reflect God’s desire to redeem everyone, winners and losers alike? And if we are, how would a “loser” know that?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 4, 2022Focus
[Jesus] turned and addressed them, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. …[A]nyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”
One-Minute-Homily
> Some people plan their lives very carefully, and then hope that all goes well; others muddle along pretty much day-to-day. Both hope that all goes well, and in either case, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. Call it God’s will or the contingent nature of the universe.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us two examples of people who did not plan well enough for unexpected events. He reminds us that following him requires a total commitment and a willingness to invest our whole selves, whatever happens—a willingness to risk being caught unprepared.
> This is the cost of discipleship: the ability to leave behind things dear to us and, when necessary, to embrace what we didn’t expect, what we weren’t prepared for, what we didn’t plan on, and knowing that, like the builder in the Gospel, we may be shamed for not having planned well enough—to embrace life, and the cross.
> The Eucharist re-presents for us the long history of God’s people, confronted over and over again with the unexpected surprises they were never fully prepared—or planned--for.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do you like to be surprised? Does God ever surprise you?
> Question for Youth: Parents try to protect children from what they aren’t prepared for; as you transition into being an adult, what will the Gospel teach you about being prepared?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people who can alter our plans to embrace the unexpected, even the unwelcome, because that is where God calls us?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 28, 2022Focus• • •
"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,…go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
One-Minute-Homily
> Every parent realizes that each child is unique. One may have the ability to achieve what the world calls success; another may lack that ability. A parent does not love the one more and the other less, even though society at large will generally value the successful one and ignore the unsuccessful one.
> Jesus reminds us that these distinctions based on success, or power, or wealth, or influence do not exist in God’s eyes. Humbling the exalted and exalting the humble in effect erases the distinction. God, like a parent, does not love some of God’s children more than others.
> The challenge for us is to recognize the tension between how God values people and how society generally judges people. Humility is the ability to accept the fact that our success, influence or importance are, by and large, accidents; they are not, as some Christian theologies would have it, evidence of God’s favor.
> The Eucharist reminds us that the first disciples, like those gathered around the Lord at the Last Supper, were not successful or important by the world’s standards.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Some children are really good students; others are not. Do you think God loves those who are more than those who aren’t?
> Question for Youth: Growing up always involves making choices that will determine how successful, influential or powerful we become. How does the virtue of humility influence those choices?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: In what ways do we reflect society’s preference for influence and success? Do we practice the virtue of humility that transcends these distinctions?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspectiveTwenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 21, 2022FocusTwentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
…[T]here will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."
One-Minute-Homily
> Many of us can remember a time when we lost out because we were unable or unwilling to recognize a new challenge or a new opportunity—opportunities in our personal or social relationships when we were unable or unwilling to change, to adjust or respond to a new and unexpected situation.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus expresses his concern that many faithful Jewish leaders will fail to recognize or accept the Good News that he brings. They will be among the first called who will be the last to respond, because changing is sometimes as difficult as squeezing through a turnstyle with lots of baggage.
> For us, and the church, being good disciples means reading the “signs of the times,” and being both able and willing to respond to new challenges and opportunities to live and share the Gospel. We must be like good parents or good business people who realize that the “tried and true” must sometimes give way to the “new and unfamiliar.”
> The change we celebrate in Eucharist isn’t limited to how Jesus is present; we too must be changed, renewed and re-focused.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Moving, or going back to school, is sometimes hard; how can Jesus help us respond to these kinds of changes?
> Question for Youth: Growing up always involves recognizing new challenges and new opportunities; does faith help you embrace or avoid the new and unexpected?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Have we become so comfortable with the “tried and true” that we are unable to recognize or accept new challenges and opportunities?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
August 7, 2022Focus
Jesus said to his disciples: "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!... Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on…a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother….”
One-Minute-Homily
> Real or perceived hurts can split family members apart for years. These hurts resist quick or easy reconciliation because they strike to the very heart of a relationship and make a person feel unwanted, unappreciated, unloved or disrespected in some deeply personal way.
> Today’s Gospel reminds us that religion is sometimes the cause or excuse for these hurts; it was no doubt something the early Christian community experienced when some family members accepted Jesus as the Messiah and others did not.
> As disciples, we must read today’s passage in the context of the whole Gospel. God desires reconciliation and healing, not separation and hate. We must trust that God’s grace can in God’s own way and God’s own time heal the divisions caused by our sinfulness. Our challenge is to cooperate with that grace – a grace which seeks first mercy, not understanding.
> Jesus’ table fellowship with sinners is the model for Eucharist; it should remind us that God is at work healing the divisions which separate us from one another.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What do you think Jesus would say if he could sit down with two people who hate each other?
> Question for Youth: Two strangers meet and fall in love; they are different people with different experiences and sometimes different values. Can you see how God’s grace unites them?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we aware of how our convictions can cause hurt and division? Do we seek separation or mercy?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 7, 2022Focus
Jesus said to his disciples: “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have the servants recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants….”
One-Minute-Homily
> No one looks forward to a late-night phone call or knock on the door. It jars us awake from a peaceful sleep, and too often means unhappy news – a sudden death, an accident, a loved one in trouble of one kind or another.
> The parable in today’s Gospel is also about a late-night knock on the door, but in the way parables often contradict what we expect, this one is not about bad news. The master, upon returning home, prepares a feast and waits on the vigilant servants. This late-night wake-up call is a blessing!
> As disciples, we are not always sure where and when we will meet the master. Our experience contradicts what we expect. It is often at the most inconvenient time, under the most unlikely circumstances, and involving the most unlikeable people that he appears, awaking us from our slumber to impart an unexpected blessing to those who are vigilant.
> The Eucharist is always a celebration of the ways in which we have experienced the real presence of the Lord in unexpected times and places.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of a time when something good happened that was a complete surprise?
> Question for Youth: In the process of growing up, we encounter many new and unexpected situations; do you recognize the Lord’s unexpected presence in those situations?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we try to limit the Lord’s presence to expected times and places, or do we help others recognize his presence in unexpected times and places?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 31, 2022Focus“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do? … I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “…[Y]ou have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’”
One-Minute-Homily
> Many Americans plan carefully and look forward to a comfortable retirement, anticipating that when the time comes they will be well served by an employer’s pension plan, personal investments, and Social Security. They are the lucky ones, who feel entitled to their old age security.
> The rich man in today’s Gospel no doubt felt entitled to a secure old age as well; his hard work and bountiful harvests insured many years of comfort. But God questions his self-satisfaction: has he invested in the truly important things?
> This is a question for disciples at every stage in our lives: at what cost do we insure our security? Who suffers so we can be comfortable? At what point does God say to us, “You fools! You store up treasure for yourselves but are not rich in what matters”?> The next time you gather for Eucharist, ask yourself this: can I be secure if the people around me are not? Can I be comfortable if others are suffering?
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do you ever save up things for yourself instead of sharing them with others?
> Question for Youth: So much of growing up revolves around learning to be responsible; do you sense from the Gospel that this responsibility is not just for ourselves?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: At what cost do we insure our security as adults, families or faith communities? Who suffers so that we can be secure and comfortable?Learn More• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspectiveFind a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here• • •Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 24, 2022FocusSixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."
One-Minute-Homily
> A lot of things attract two people to each other, but what solidifies the relationship is the conviction that each desires the best for the other, and the trust that they can always depend on one another for love and support, no matter what.
> The very short and simple prayer which Jesus teaches his disciples -- and the examples of prayer in today’s Gospel -- show us that the fundamental characteristic of all prayer is precisely this conviction: that God desires the best for us, and we can depend on God’s love and support, no matter what.
> The medieval mystic Julian of Norwich is famous for having said “All will be well.” This doesn’t exactly mean that everything will be OK, but in the end it will all work out. We pray for lots of things, but every prayer arises out of our conviction that God desires the best for us and we can depend on God to bring us to a good end.
> The Eucharist is our most precious prayer; it is rooted in the same convictions of the Lord’s Prayer.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What makes someone a really good friend?
> Question for Youth: How do you experience the two qualities of an enduring relationship: the conviction that your partner desires the best for you and can be trusted to always be there for you?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: How would someone know that we are people who believe God desires the best for us and will always be there for us, no matter what?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
July 17, 2022Focus
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?” The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part.”
One-Minute-Homily
> A good relationship requires good communication – knowing when to speak and when to listen. Married couples fail to learn this at their peril; so do parents of teenagers. More generally, we discover that there is a time to act and a time to step back and look at the big picture.
> Jesus seems to be reminding us of that in today’s Gospel. Martha is anxious and worried about serving their guest well, but her sister Mary realizes that this is a time to sit still and listen. The Lord’s presence and his words will give meaning and purpose to all of the busyness.
> Good disciples are often busy about many things -- doing what good Christians should do, praying the way good Christians should pray. We forget that our relationship to the Lord always begins and depends upon us first listening, learning what is important and what isn’t, what is urgent and what is not.
> Eucharist is about listening too – hearing the Word proclaimed and encountering the Lord present among us.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do you have a hard time being quiet and listening? What happens if you don’t listen?
> Question for Youth: As young adults form new relationships and assuming new responsibilities they discover the importance of knowing when to speak and when to listen. Have you discovered this in your developing relationship to the Lord?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people who listen well to the people around us and the Lord present among us? Or are we consumed with busyness – doing instead of listening?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel:
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 10, 2022Focus
"A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho…. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by…. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by…. But a Samaritan who came upon him was moved with compassion…. Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
One-Minute-Homily
> Not too long ago people knew their neighbors, whether they lived next door or down the road. And they knew them well enough, mostly, to either like them or not. Often today we know nothing about our neighbors and have no idea of what kind of people they are, so we keep our distance just in case.
> The parable about the Good Samaritan is about being neighbors, and the point Jesus is trying to make is fairly obvious: anyone in need is our neighbor, whether we know them or not, whether we like them or not, whether they are friends or foes.
> For the robbers’ victim there is another point to this parable: for him the true neighbor is also a stranger – not a religious leader from his own community. The point here is that God may not always come to us through the official or familiar religious figures we’d expect. Sadly, these days our children and grandchildren know this all too well.
> Of course the Lord is present in the Eucharist, but we should not be too quick to dismiss his presence among those we consider unlikely, undeserving, or alien.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Have you ever helped someone you didn’t know very well? Has someone you didn’t know very well ever helped you?
> Question for Youth: The challenge of being young adults is all about finding new friends and making new relationships; what does the Good Samaritan tell us about that?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we recognize our neighbor among those we don’t know or like well, among the stranger or alien? Do they recognize us as good neighbors?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 3, 2022FocusHe said to them, “Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals…. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' …Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,… say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand….'"
One-Minute-Homily
> From early on, we are taught that the world is a dangerous place, so be wary, be cautious, be prepared. Many of us learned a version of “stranger danger” long before the concept became popular. Prepare for the worst and you will be safe.
> In today’s Gospel Jesus sends his disciples out virtually defenseless, unable to sustain themselves, dependent on others, armed only with goodwill -- “as lambs among wolves.” Their very lives embody the message: the Kingdom is at hand – no need to confront, no need to impose.
> The Gospel is an antidote to the polarization of the culture wars. We are sent into the world as disciples, not crusaders. Our lives give witness to the Good News by embodying the peace and trust which constitute the Kingdom. No need to confront, only to witness, as people of goodwill even among strangers.
> At Eucharist we experience the Kingdom at hand. It nourishes us for witness, not for battle.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: As a child in a world of adults, are you afraid or safe?
> Question for Youth: Young adults, on the edge of adulthood, often feel like lambs among wolves. Do you enter this world with fear or with confidence?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people of peace and goodwill, or do we act like crusaders righting wrong at every turn?
Learn More• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Junme 26, 2022Focus
On the way they entered a Samaritan village, to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem…. Jesus [said] “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
One-Minute-Homily
> Although we live in a global world, we still evaluate people by where they are from – what part of town, what region of the country, a particular country or region in the world. And we often form opinions about people based on conscious or unconscious impressions we have about those places.
> Today’s Gospel is about places, too. On the one hand, we learn that Samaritans were not friendly to people, like Jesus, enroute to Jerusalem. On the other, we learn that the Son of Man, by his own account, did not have a place to call home – the point being that his significance as the Messiah transcended place and human distinctions based on place.
> Our challenge as disciples is to rise above the particularities, limitations, and prejudices about people based on the places they have come from or are going to. We are challenged to be witnesses to the fact that God’s love is universal and unconditional; it is not restricted to certain people from certain places.
> Our worshipping communities often look like they are limited to certain people from certain places, but that is slowly changing. More and more, the Body of Christ actually looks like the Body of Christ.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do you know other children from different places? Is it hard to understand them or accept them?
> Question for Youth: Growing up, becoming adults, often means moving to other places. Do you feel that your faith helps you understand and accept people from different places?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we comfortable with parishes, neighborhoods and communities which welcome people from different places – which is another way of saying, are we comfortable being “catholic”?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
June 19, 2022FocusSolemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
…[T]aking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.
One-Minute-Homily
> Adults of a certain age remember hearing stories about the Great Depression in the United States, when food was scarce and families learned to stretch meager provisions and to share with those who had even less. Immigrants, the poor and the homeless among us know firsthand what it is like not to know where your next meal is coming from.
> Today’s Gospel shows us a God who desires to relieve his people’s hunger, who multiplies what is available and supplies what is missing with his very self – a God whose generosity and compassion is multiplied in his followers.
> Our challenge as disciples -- as individuals and as a community -- is not just to receive the body of Christ, but to be the body of Christ for others – to relieve the hunger of others not just for physical sustenance, but for hope, for acceptance, for forgiveness, for what the theologians call redemption.
> Our challenge, as St. Augustine said, is to become what we are – the body of Christ. That’s what we mean when we answer “Amen.”
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you remember a special time when you shared food with others or they shared food with you?
> Question for Youth: Have you discovered that part of growing older is developing the ability and the desire to share what you are and what you have with others?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people whose generosity multiplies what is available and supplies what is missing in the people and communities around us?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
June 12, 2022Focus
Jesus said to his disciples: “…When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you….”
One-Minute-Homily
> Life begets life, love begets love -- both are qualities which cannot be not shared. Life and love must manifest themselves in one way or another. The life and love between parents, for instance, manifests itself in various ways, but none more profoundly than in their children.
> Today the church celebrates the Most Holy Trinity. What we attest in this conviction is simply that the life and love shared within the Divine Being, between “Father” and “Son”, is manifest to us in their Spirit, who “takes what is mine and declares it to you,” as the Gospel says.
> Through the Spirit we are intimately inter-connected to one another, to the whole of creation, and to the Creator’s Self. The challenge then is to manifest this bond of life and love; we cannot live only for ourselves, only for our particular group, only for the people who seem familiar and comfortable to us.
> This is what we confess: that we believe “in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified.”
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you describe what it feels like to be filled with spirit?
> Question for Youth: The task of becoming adults is to expand the bonds of life and love which we experienced as children into new and adult relationships. Can you appreciate the Spirit which empowers you to do this?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we intentionally conscious of the Divine Spirit which unites us to all of Creation and to the Divine Being that created, redeemed and sustains us in bonds of life and love?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Solemnity of Pentecost
June 5, 2022Focus
Jesus said to his disciples: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always…. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."
One-Minute-Homily
> We know what it means to be passionate – passionate about our first love, our true love, our career or life’s goal, a favorite team or hobby or sport. Caring deeply, unconditionally, sometimes recklessly, often to the exclusion of other concerns and interests – we know well what passion is.
> The feast of Pentecost is about a God who loves us passionately. This is the picture Luke paints in the Acts of the Apostles: disciples touched by the Spirit as if burnt by fire (or drunk, Luke says), passionately, recklessly proclaiming the Word even among strangers.
> This is the challenge of discipleship: to be touched by that same Spirit, to become determined to live and love as God does: passionately, deeply, unconditionally, even recklessly – to love friend and foe alike, in ways which transcend differences in language and culture and experience and conviction.
> The Eucharist often seems so solemn and reverent; it’s easy to forget that what we are celebrating is the presence of a God who loves us, and the whole of creation, with a passion.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you describe a time when you were so excited you wanted to jump and shout and wave your arms in the air?
> Question for Youth: The challenge of becoming adult is not to suppress passion, but to direct it in constructive and creative ways. Can you imagine our God as a God who loves passionately?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Is it obvious to others that we are passionate about our faith, that we live to love deeply, unconditionally and recklessly as God loves us?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •Solemnity of PentecostFocusSolemnity of the Ascen
May 29, 2022Focus
Jesus said to his disciples: "…[B]ehold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.
One-Minute-Homily
> We know from experience what it is like to be separated from someone we cherish: good friends move away, a colleague changes jobs, a loved one dies. But they continue to be present to us in one way or another despite their physical absence. Often, that presence continues to shape who we are and how we act.
> The Lord’s ascension, recounted today in both the Acts of the Apostles and Luke’s Gospel, does not signal the end of his presence, only a change in how he is present. He lives on among us in the Holy Spirit, “the promise of the Father.” He continues to shape who we are and how we act.
> The challenge to us as disciples is to allow the Lord’s Spirit to permeate our lives, so that his presence is embodied and revealed in real time and in real flesh and blood – in other words, in us. This presence – his love, his forgiveness, his healing power – is made real in relationship, “where two or three are gathered.”
> The Eucharist is a constant reminder that the Lord is present in flesh and blood; this is a presence which cannot be reduced to bread and wine.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Who reminds you of Jesus? What do they do that reminds you of him?
> Question for Youth: Do you long for the physical presence of someone who is at a distance? In what way does this remind you of how Jesus is present to us today?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Does how we live, day after day, embody and reveal the real presence of Jesus Christ in time and space?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 22, 2022Focus“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father for the Father is greater than I.”
One-Minute-Homily• • •
> How many times have we thought—or heard someone else say—“Where is God in all of this?” or “How could God let this happen?” When bad things happen, we often feel that we have been abandoned by God – or worse, rejected. Like small children, we panic at the prospect that God has left us to fend for ourselves.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus tries to prepare the disciples for his departure by assuring them that the Father will send the Holy Spirit and the Spirit will enlighten them. There is no need to panic -- “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” he says. If you love me (which is to say, if you trust me) you will be at peace – in fact, you will rejoice.
> Jesus is challenging us to make peace with the sad and painful and horrible things that happen to us and to those we love. It’s not the kind of peace the world expects, free from worry and fear. It’s the kind of peace that comes from trusting that in the end, when it really counts, all will be put right and all will be well.
> This is the deeper meaning of Eucharist—the assurance that God does not abandon or reject God’s people.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Who consoles you when bad things happen?
> Question for Youth: Like everything else, our relationship to God changes as we mature; how do you cope with situations where God seems to be absent or unconcerned?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people who seek to relieve others’ suffering, while trusting that in the end only the Spirit can heal everything.
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 15, 2022FocusJesus said, "…I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."• • •
One-Minute-Homily
> When do children believe that their parents love them unconditionally—or at least as unconditionally as humans can love? Sometimes it takes a lifetime. Convincing our children that we love them unconditionally is difficult—first of all because it is hard to do, and in any case, hard to believe.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs the disciples to love as God loves – which is to say, to love unconditionally. That is the amazing thing about God’s love for us, and the thing that, to the best of our ability, should characterize our love for others. It is both hard to do and hard to believe.
> What is unconditional love? It is caring deeply about another simply because they exist, because they are another human being, and a child of God -- not because they look like us, think and believe and act like us, or have some value to us. And caring deeply in an active, not merely a passive, way.
> The Eucharist is the most complete expression of God’s love for us; it unites us as a family striving to love others as God loves us.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do you think your parents would ever stop loving you?
> Question for Youth: Parents are not always the best example of unconditional love; where and how do you experience the kind of love Jesus is talking about?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: How conditional is our love for others – those we know well and those who are strangers to us? What are our conditions?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 8, 2022Focus
Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
One-Minute-Homily
> Throughout most of history, human relations were marked by certain hierarchies: powerful over the weak, rich over the poor, men over women, divine over human. Only lately, in the modern era, did we realize that genuine relationships require mutuality, not dominance and control.
> The Incarnation of Jesus Christ planted the seeds of this kind of mutuality, which the early disciples realized but later abandoned. We hear this ideal expressed in John’s Gospel as the relationship between a shepherd and the sheep: “I know mine and mine know me." And "The Father and I are one.”
> As disciples we are challenged to promote genuine human relationships based on mutuality. That means transforming the hierarchies that frustrate mutuality between white and non-white, economically advantaged and disadvantaged, able-bodied and disabled, Christian and non-Christian, clergy and lay. Pope Francis calls this “going to the margins” and the principle of synodality.> At Eucharist we celebrate the new covenant, and the real presence of a God who came to the margins, becoming human, and living among us.For Discussion or JournalingThird Sunday of Easter
> Question for Children: Do you ever treat other people like they aren’t important or don’t fit in?
> Question for Youth: How are you experiencing the challenge of leaving behind a relationship formed by hierarchy between parents and children and forming adult relationships based on mutuality?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we promote mutuality … or do we protect hierarchies that divide our communities between people who are important and those who aren’t, people who are welcome and those who are not?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
May 1, 2022FocusJesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.One-Minute-Homily
> Western society (and our own egos) tell us we should be able to take care of ourselves; we should be self-sufficient and independent. As a result, we despise being dependent and resent those who are. We hate having to ask for help; we hate being sick and getting old.
> In today’s Gospel, the disciples encounter the risen Jesus and discover that they are dependent on him: he guides them, and they are successful. Like Peter, he empowers them to love, not for the sake of themselves but for the sake of serving the flock and feeding the sheep.
> Even though it is not comfortable, we disciples must embrace our dependence on the Lord and on the people around us. We are responsible for others, and we are dependent on the Risen Lord’s love and guidance. We stretch out our hands and he leads us, often enough to places we do not want to go.
> “Our Father,” we pray at Mass; it reminds us that we are all sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, interdependent on each other and the Lord.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Who are the people you depend on? Does anyone depend on you?
> Question for Youth: In one sense, growing up means becoming more independent and self-sufficient. Do you see how, in another way, it means becoming more aware of our interdependence on others and on God?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Who are we dependent upon? Who are we responsible for? Can we identify and accept our interdependence?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel:
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel:
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Second Sunday of Easter
April 24, 2022Focus
On the evening of that first day of the week,…Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you…. As the Father has sent me, so I send you…. Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
One-Minute-Homily
> Think about the word merciless. Think about when and how you have heard it used. It’s a hard, cruel word, synonymous with cold, heartless, vindictive, inhuman.
> The Church has designated the Second Sunday of Easter as “Divine Mercy Sunday.” It reminds us of God’s mercy, revealed so powerfully in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ–the total opposite of merciless, and the source of genuine peace.
> With the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, God has chosen to live among us, and to act in us through the Holy Spirit. That is why Jesus can say to his disciples--and to us--what we do here is just as real as in heaven. In other words, we are challenged to be just as loving, forgiving and merciful as God-With-Us, even to those who, like Thomas, struggle to understand and believe.
> Would we believe that the Divine lives among us, body and soul, if we did not see the host and drink the wine? Maybe not.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: How does it make you feel when someone forgives you or is merciful toward you?
> Question for Youth: In the process of growing up, we discover that a lot of things we do will affect ourselves and others for a long time to come. Does the Gospel help you appreciate the power or responsibility that you are gaining?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do people look at us and say that we are merciful? Do we fully accept people like Thomas, who had a hard time believing? Are people at peace in our presence?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel:
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •Solemnity of Easter
April 17, 2022Focus
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning…and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved…. So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb…. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
One-Minute-Homily
> Most people love a story with a good ending – a story where the good guys win and the bad guys lose. In real life, even when things look bleak we still hope against hope that things will turn out well, even when it seems impossible.
> The story of Easter is the ultimate good-ending story. The disciples discover the empty tomb, and then slowly realize what has happened: the Lord has been raised from the dead – an impossible ending if there ever was one! This is the good-ending story that makes all other good-ending stories possible.
> Whatever the first disciples experienced, it was something that no one had ever experienced before, and it convinced them that the Lord was alive. Our faith -- and our lives -- are rooted in their conviction – God has conquered evil, sin and death once and for all. Although we do not fully enjoy the consequences of this fact yet, there’s no question about how this story turns out. Alleluia!
> Every Eucharist is both the expression and the experience of the Easter miracle – Christ alive and living among us; let our lives reflect that fact.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of something good that has happened which you thought would never happen?
> Question for Youth: There is a lot of trial-and-error in growing up, and things don’t always turn out the way we hoped they would. Does your faith help you hope that they eventually will?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we live our lives in ways that give other people hope, even when it seems almost impossible to go on hoping?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel:
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
April 10, 2022FocusAs he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. They proclaimed: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest."One-Minute-Homily
> Life has its ups and downs – good days and bad days, sometimes mixed together, sometimes following in succession, one from another. When things are good, we worry that they will turn bad; when things are bad, we can only pray that they will get better.
> In the Gospel accounts of the Lord’s passion we see this progression from happy times to sad times to even better times. On Palm Sunday, the crowds are shouting “Hosannah!” By Good Friday they are shouting “Crucify Him!” On Easter they are stunned to find the empty tomb!
> Holy Week illustrates what the church calls the “Paschal Mystery.” We experience this mystery in our own lives, moving from-life-through-loss-to-new-life. Over and over again we are challenged to part with something good as we advance toward something even better – which, in the end, is eternal life. > The Eucharist sustains us on the journey—a reminder in bad times that something better is coming, and is in fact already among us.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of a time when you had to give up something good in order to get something better – a new home, a new school, a new friend?
> Question for Youth: Growing up is a process of leaving childhood behind and embracing adulthood. What does the Lord’s passion tell you about that process?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do people see us as witnesses to the Paschal Mystery – as people who accept hard times confident that this too shall pass and all will be well?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •Fifth Sunday in Lent
April 3, 2022Focus
The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery…. They said to him, “…Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”… Jesus…said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”… [I]n response, they went away one by one…. Jesus said to her, “Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you....”
One-Minute-Homily
> By and large, we hate ambiguity; that’s why individuals -- particularly in groups -- are quick to form opinions, make decisions, and reach conclusions – judging people and situations even when we have little or no good information and no right to decide.
> In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees bring to Jesus a woman accused of adultery and ask him to judge her. He refuses. Instead, he turns the tables on them and invites anyone who has not sinned themselves to judge her. No one does.
> As sinners ourselves, our righteousness is compromised; we have no right to judge others. Instead, we are challenged as disciples to imitate God’s judgment, which is mercy not righteousness. The truth is, this is particularly difficult for people whose religious leaders feign righteousness and claim the right to judge others.
> The Eucharist is not a sign of righteousness or judgement, it is the supreme expression of God’s mercy. It is Jesus saying, “Neither do I condemn you.”
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do you judge people? Do people judge you?
> Question for Youth: As we mature, we often think we are earning the right to judge others. Does that change if we remember how it feels to be judged by others?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we judging or forgiving people? What must we do to be less self-righteous and more forgiving?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 27, 2022Focus
“…[T]he younger son…set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation…. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you….” So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him…. [He said] ‘[T]his son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found’….”
One-Minute-Homily
> We live in what is called a “transactional” society. Transactional relationships are based on the principle that everyone gets what they deserve or have earned – rewards for the good, punishment for the bad, this for that.
> The famous parable of the Prodigal Son and Forgiving Father is not an example of a transactional situation. As the older son rightly perceives, the younger son does not get what he deserves. From the older son’s perspective, it’s not fair.
> The point of the parable is that God’s relationship to us is a “transformative” relationship. Contrary to what we may have learned, God means to change us by his generous mercy, not merely give us what we deserve. God's mercy should also empower us to help others grow and change, replacing what we call justice with mercy.
> Eucharist is also a transformative experience. As much as the bread and wine, we too are transformed.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of a time when you didn’t get what you deserved…or got more than you deserved?
> Question for Youth: What does the parable of the Forgiving Father teach us about good relationships?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are our attitudes and our behavior more transactional or transformative?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •Third Sunday in Lent
March 20, 2022Focus
And he told them this parable: "There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit…and found none, he said to the gardener, '…[C]ut it down….” The gardener said to him, 'Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'"
One-Minute-Homily
> We used to say, “three strikes and you’re out,” but in many ways we live in a society where it’s more like “one strike and you’re out.” Often, there are no second chances in personal relationships or in business; failure cannot be excused; you can easily be replaced.
> Jesus presents an alternative to this in today’s Gospel. We have no idea how long the fig tree has been failing to produce, but the owner agrees to give it another chance. This is a patient and tolerant owner who heeds the plea of the gardener.
> If God is the owner in this week’s parable, who is the gardener? Is it Jesus, pleading on our behalf for another chance? Or is it us, pleading for ourselves, or a loved one who has failed? In any case, we can count on God’s mercy and patience; with it comes the expectation that we, too, will be patient with others.
> When we gather around the Eucharist, we remember that none of us is not as responsive as we could be; we depend upon a gardener who will cultivate and nurture us, too.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What’s one thing you need to do better in your life?
> Question for Youth: Much of growing up is a process of trial and error—you will make mistakes. Are you encouraged to know that God is patient and merciful?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: What is our attitude toward failure, and people who have failed? Are we willing to help them seven times seven?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings:
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel:
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Second Sunday in Lent
March 13, 2022Focus
Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white…. A cloud came and cast a shadow over them…. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him."
One-Minute-Homily
> What makes a job worth doing, a sacrifice worth making, life worth living? Only a vision, a hope, the conviction that things can be better and that doing something can make a difference. When that vision is missing, life becomes miserable – ask the elderly, the poor or minorities.
> In Today's Gospel Jesus takes three of the disciples to the mountaintop for a vision of his eventual glory and confirmation of his identify as God's son. It is this vision and confidence which will help them endure the rejection, pain and suffering which Jesus-- and they--will experience in the days to come.
> Our experience of God's love and forgiveness is encountered in personal relationships, the community of faith, and the sacraments; it is the foundation for our vision and hope for something better. It gives us the confidence to endure suffering and sacrifice in the conviction that our lives have meaning and our effort make a difference.
> The Eucharist is a transfiguration experience -- both the sign and the source of the vision which calls us to live with faith and hope.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What is your hope or dream for the future?
> Question for Youth: Adulthood does not come easily; it takes effort and sacrifice and sometimes pain. What is the hope or vision that sustains you in difficult times?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people of vision and hope? Are people encouraged, enlightened and transfigured in our midst?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
First Sunday in Lent
March 6, 2022Focus
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live on bread alone.’”
One-Minute-Homily
> They say money is the root of all evil, but only because it buys comfort, power and security, all of which, in a competitive economy based on scarcity, usually come at someone else’s expense.
> These are precisely the things which the devil tempts Jesus with in today’s Gospel, but Jesus rejects them because the Kingdom of God – and hence, Jesus’ mission -- is not about comfort, power or security for himself. He is called to reveal God’s boundless mercy and love to others.
> As disciples of Jesus Christ, we too are tempted to place our trust in comfort, power and security. Our challenge is to recognize that our mission is to share, not to possess, the gifts God has provided for all God’s people. This is the point our Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
> The Eucharist invites us to share in Jesus’ act of total self-giving so that others may know God’s generosity.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Lent is really all about sharing; what are you sharing this Lent?
> Question for Youth: Growing up is a process of defining who we are and what we are called to be, but only so that we can be individuals who live for others. Have you discovered how this will be true in your own life?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Insuring our own comfort, power and security are the great temptation for every individual and every community. In what ways are we sacrificing these desires for the good of others?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 27, 2022Focus
Jesus told his disciples a parable, "…Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? … You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye.
One-Minute-Homily
> It’s easy to notice -- and judge -- what other people do wrong – or at least, when they don’t do things the way we think they should. It seems like a characteristic of human nature for individuals to distinguish themselves as “not like that” or “not that kind of person” even if, in fact, we are very much like the “other.”
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus cautions us not to be hypocrites – people who pretend to be something or someone whom they are not. In other words, to define ourselves truthfully as the persons we really are (or are trying to become), not in contrast to others. To admit that, for the most part, we are no better than they are.
> The challenge for disciples is to be focused on the Gospel and to measure ourselves against the example of Jesus Christ. This has nothing to do with social niceties or how we appear on the outside; what matters is whether we are people of compassion, hope and forgiveness on the inside.
> The Eucharist reminds us that there is more to reality than appearances; we are challenged to really be the real presence of Christ on earth.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do you ever pretend to be nice in order to impress someone?
> Question for Youth: The process of growing up means discovering who we really are or want to be. Are you becoming the person God really wants you to be?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Why might someone looking on at us from outside think that we are hypocrites?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 20, 2022Focus
Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? … And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? … Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
One-Minute-Homily
> For successful investors, the fundamental principle is “buy low and sell high;” in other words, maximize your profit. Too often this also seems to rule our relationships: get more than you give, be forgiven more than you are forgiven, protect more than you risk.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus announces the heart of the Good News – and it has nothing to do with profit. In fact, it is all about giving more than we receive, risking more than we protect, stretching beyond even a fair exchange.
> For us, as individuals and communities, the challenge is to avoid seeking to gain or protect an advantage over others, friends or enemies, family or strangers. For, in the words attributed to St. Francis, ”It is in giving that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned, and in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
> The Eucharist is the sign and symbol of a generous God who gives more than he receives, who seeks no profit other than our salvation.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of a time when someone gave you more than you deserved?
> Question for Youth: How do you experience the law of profit in your relationships? How practical do you think Jesus’ advice is?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people who give more than we receive … in kindness … in understanding … in hospitality … in forgiveness?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February13, 2022FocusAnd raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor,… Blessed are you who are now hungry,… Blessed are you who are now weeping,… Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man…. Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.”One-Minute-Homily
> Every society, most organizations, and even some families assume that some members are more important than others. Generally, these are the people who are more successful or powerful or influential or respected than others, and they are thought to be happy.
> In the Kingdom, which is to say in God’s eyes, no one is more significant or important than others. Those who are poor or hungry or sad or hated and excluded are just as valued – just as “blessed”, Jesus says – as those who are successful or powerful or influential or respected.
> This is the challenge for disciples: to rise above conventional ways of judging people, to insure that our social and economic systems value those who seem to be less important or significant, and to realize that happiness – inner joy and hope – do not depend on the things that make people popular or important.
> The Eucharist should remind us that our true value, importance, and happiness come ultimately from God; they are received, as are the bread and wine.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: How should you treat people who are poor or sad or disliked?
> Question for Youth: We are not always successful or important, no matter how hard we try. What does the Gospel teach us about success and importance?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: In what ways do we show that we believe that the poor, hungry, sad, hated and excluded are just as blessed as anyone else?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Find a schedule of weekend Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here.• • •Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 6, 2022FocusJesus said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing.One-Minute-Homily
> Most of us lead busy lives, and the danger is that we become somewhat shallow. We are occupied by many things, but can’t afford to do all of them well. We know a lot of people, but don’t have time or energy to invest in getting to know everyone of them well.
> In today’s Gospel, the disciples are tired and discouraged after a night of unsuccessful fishing. Jesus encourages them to push out further into deeper water, and to try again; the result is a huge catch which overwhelms their nets.
> The Gospel reminds us that the important things – and the important people -- in our lives take time. So does our effort to bring people to Jesus Christ. We must be willing to be patient, to try again when we get discouraged, to make time to go deeper, to engage in a genuine personal relationship.
> Our participation in Eucharist, week after week, year after year, is both a source and a sign of our patient determination and confidence in God’s grace.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of something that you had to try over and over before you could do it? Who helped or encouraged you?
> Question for Youth: There’s no magic or easy answer to becoming an adult; it takes effort, patience and determination. Do you find encouragement in the example of Jesus and his disciples?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we patient and persistent? Do we invest time and energy in getting personally involved in people’s lives, and walking with them even when it’s uncomfortable?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 30 2022FocusAnd all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" He said to them, "…Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his native place…. When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town….One-Minute-Homily
> It is hard to help someone who doesn’t trust you. If they fear that you are insincere, dishonest, or have ulterior motives, they are likely to turn away, ignore your advice, and reject your assistance. It is even more difficult to love someone who doesn’t trust you.
> Jesus encounters this lack of trust in his home town. His neighbors are amazed, but also suspicious; “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they wonder. Their lack of trust makes it impossible for Jesus to do what he has done in other places, and this infuriates the hometown crowd.
> The great tragedy of the Catholic Church today is that it has lost the trust of so many people. That makes it difficult for the church to accomplish what it is meant to accomplish—to be a living sign of God’s love. Becoming a church which deserves people’s trust is the task which faces all of us; it starts with being honest, humble, and sincere.> The Eucharist challenges us to trust that Jesus will keep his promise to be with us to the end of time.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Who do you trust? How do you know who to trust and who not to trust?
> Question for Youth: Growing up is filled with challenges and opportunities; how could your faith help you know which to trust and which to not?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people who build trust by telling the truth, even when it is embarrassing? How can we do that in today’s climate of mistrust inside and outside the church?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
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• Discover the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 23 2022FocusHe stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor…to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”One-Minute-Homily
> In recent years we have become more and more familiar with “mission statements.” Business writes them, churches write them, organizations write them, even individuals are encouraged to write them. Mission statements explain, simply and succinctly, why we exist and what we intend to do.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims his “mission statement”, using a passage from the prophet Isaiah. It amounts to nothing less than a total transformation of social, political, economic and religious systems which create winners and losers.
> As his disciples, Jesus’ mission becomes ours. It begins with how we treat individuals, but it must include our support for, and advocacy of, policies and programs which insure the essential moral dignity of every person, regardless of physical, social, economic or religious differences.> The Eucharist reminds us that Jesus suffered, died and was buried … because he associated with sinners.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Why is it hard to accept other people as equals when they look or act different?
> Question for Youth: How do you continue to respect and value other people in a society which cares only about the winners--the people who are the best, the most outstanding, the most successful?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we recognize and advocate for the dignity of every human person—a dignity the church teaches cannot be denied or surrendered?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 16, 2022Focus
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee …. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine”…. Now there were six stone water jars there…each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the them, "Fill the jars with water”…. When the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine…., [he] called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first,…but you have kept the good wine until now."
One-Minute-Homily
> People say every cloud has a silver lining. And even if it’s not always true, it’s our way of recognizing the fact that often enough some good comes out of adversity – something unexpected, which turns out to be just as good or even better than we expected, in spite of, or even because of, the suffering.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus turns water into wine, rescuing the wedding couple from a humiliating situation. In a way, this Gospel is a template for the whole New Testament: God rescues us from misunderstanding, sin and death by becoming human and showing us the true way to salvation.
> In the Christian tradition, we call this the “Paschal Mystery”—out of suffering and loss come new life. Our task as disciples is to keep this hope of something new and unexpected alive, even in the most difficult times, and to help others believe by sharing the new life they might otherwise never experience.> The Eucharist is the ultimate sign of the Paschal Mystery. “Once you were no people,” Peter wrote, “but now you are God’s people.”For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of a time when something good happened, even though you were expecting something bad?
> Question for Youth: “No pain, no gain,” people say. There is a lot of pain in growing up – unexpected setbacks, mistakes, rejection. What helps you keep going even when things don’t turn out the way you expected?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we give people the impression that they deserve the pain and suffering they experience, or do we help them see it as a pathway to fuller life?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
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• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Baptism of the Lord
January 9, 2022Focus
After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
One-Minute-Homily
> We begin life and often end life totally helpless. We depend on someone else – representatives of the family or community – to provide for our basic needs like feeding, clothing and bathing. Bathing someone has become a sign of affection and love in almost every religious culture.
> John the Baptist, like disciples of Christ who followed in his footsteps later, adopted the ancient Jewish tradition of bathing as a sign of cleansing, new life, and affection. Jesus submits to this ritual so that God might reveal that he was in fact God’s beloved son.
> We Catholics use the sacrament of Baptism as a ritual by which the community assures us that we, too, are beloved by God. God is well pleased with us despite our imperfection, frailty and sin. The challenge is to live as people who are loved and to act in ways which help others believe that they too are loved and capable of loving.
> “Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,” the priest announces at Mass. It is another way of saying, “Behold my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.”
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Have you ever helped someone bath a baby? Did it remind you of your baptism?
> Question for Youth: As we grow, the community or family of people who love us and care about us expands. Who outside our immediate family shows me that I am loved and lovable?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: In what ways do we show others that they are beloved? In what ways do we show them that God is well pleased with them?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Solemnity of the Epiphany
January 2, 2022Focus
…[B]ehold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage”…. And behold, the star…preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. On entering the house…they prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
One-Minute-Homily
> We learn important things from other people all the time; sometimes things we would prefer not to know. It’s especially difficult when we are informed by strangers -- people we don’t know, don’t like, or disagree with. It undermines our confidence, our influence, our power.
> In today’s Gospel magi arrive from the East, and they reveal a truth that King Herod (and, as it turned out, the Jewish religious establishment) did not want to know: the Messiah had been born, a new kind of king had arrived. It was an event sure to upset the balance of power and influence in Israel.
> The lesson here for all of us is that from the beginning the deepest truths or mysteries of the faith were often first grasped by the outcasts and strangers who had no status, no privilege, no authority, institution or ideology to defend. So where are the truth-tellers in our communities? And who are the Magi in our lives?
> It’s worth remembering that the roots of Eucharist are in the fellowship meals which Jesus shared with outcasts and sinners -- occasions which the holy people found scandalous.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: How do you think people felt when they saw the three kings arriving?
> Question for Youth: Who are sources of truth in your life? Are some of them from outside the community of peers where you are most comfortable and familiar?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: In what ways does defending the status quo prevent us from recognizing the truth? Who are the strangers whose testament we reject?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Feast of the Holy Family
December 26, 2021Focus
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers…. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son,…. Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why…? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them.
One-Minute Homily
> Every parent worries about losing their child – not just in a physical sense when they are young, but in other ways as they grow older: an adult child becomes estranged from home and family, or moves far away, chooses an unexpected career or a difficult partner, abandons the practice of their faith.
> Mary and Joseph were no doubt relieved to at last find the young Jesus in the Temple, but it might have occurred to them even then that he would be lost to them in a more troubling sense as he went about his Father’s business. Perhaps they even surmised then that it would not turn out well.
> As we enter a new year, let us remember our children and grandchildren who seem to have lost their way making choices which worry and confuse us. Let us trust that they, too, are about their Father’s business in these changing and challenging times. Perhaps they have something to teach us, however unlikely or painful it may seem to us.
> It is always possible that the Eucharist becomes too routine and familiar. Sometimes we have to stop and remind ourselves that it is in fact a very radical – even frightening – event.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you recall – or imagine -- a time when you were lost and relieved to see your parents?
> Question for Youth: Sometimes growing up requires choices that are not welcomed by parents; are you making unwelcomed choices in order to being doing what God is calling you to do?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people and communities who are patient and trusting with people who are making difficult and confounding choices?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Fourth Sunday in Advent
December 19, 2021Focus
Mary set out and traveled…in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
One-Minute Homily
> During this advent we have been reflecting on the world around us, and the bewildering experience of change which often borders on chaos. But in the midst of these trials, we also experience much hope and surprising occasions of joy.
> In today’s Gospel the pregnant virgin Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is also, surprisingly, with child. At Mary’s greeting, the child leaps in Elizabeth’s womb—an unexpected occasion of hope and joy!
> As disciples our task is to appreciate those happy and surprising events which make the spirit leap in our hearts: a child is born, a conflict is resolved, a sick friend recovers, another enters recovery for an addiction, a loved one is released into the peace of eternal life. Moreover, we are challenged to be the kind of people whose kindness and generosity make the spirit leap in others’ lives.
> The whole of Eucharist is a surprise which should cause the Spirit to leap in our hearts – the Divine has penetrated the world, the Lord lives among us…Emmanuel!
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What would be the most surprising thing you could experience this Christmas?
> Question for Youth: Can you think of situations which have made the spirit leap in your heart? Can you think of situations which would?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people and communities which cause the Spirit to leap in people’s lives and in the world around us?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Third Sunday in Advent
December 12, 2021Focus
The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise…. Do not collect more than what is prescribed…. Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
One-Minute Homily
> In the face of changes and challenges, our natural tendency is to withdraw and prepare to defend ourselves. We see this happening everywhere in the world these days: people are withdrawing into like-minded groups based on ideology, nationalism, ethnic or religious identity.
> In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist offers a different kind of advice: now is time to engage, not withdraw…to share, not hoard…to risk, not defend…to embrace, not reject!
>The impending birth of God-With-Us in the world rewrites the old rules and transforms how we live. We do not need to fear strangers; we can risk trying to understand people who are different; we can afford to share what we have, realizing that most of us have more than we need and many do not have the basic necessities.
> Eucharist re-presents God’s graciousness to us; it should compel us to be grateful, generous and trusting.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: When have you tried to be nice or share with a person who is different from you?
> Question for Youth: Becoming adults requires us to meet new people, to embrace other opinions and ideas. Are you encouraged by your faith to take the risks that are necessary?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: The biggest obstacle to being disciples is worrying about what people “deserve.” Do we believe and act like some do not deserve God’s compassion and generosity?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Second Sunday in Advent
December 5, 2021Focus
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan…. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “…Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
One-Minute Homily
> Change happens, whether we like it or not, and often enough it leaves us confused and dismayed. We are sometimes overwhelmed by what we didn't anticipate or can't understand in the ups and downs, the hills and valleys, of life. Why me? Why this? we wonder.
> In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist reminds us that there is no reason to be distraught by what is happening; "Look up, turn around," John says, "Welcome new opportunities and embrace unexpected possibilities!"
> We should know by now that change often brings unexpected and happy results. As disciples, we should trust that God works wonders in mysterious ways and is even now at work in the apparent chaos and destruction all around us. Here among us is Emmanuel. Let us see the salvation of God-with-us.
> “Lamb of God, take away the sins of the world,” we pray at Mass. “Lamb of God, grant us peace.” Advent reminds us to trust that God is answering our prayer.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What effort are you making to change this Advent?
> Question for Youth: Do you recognize Emmanuel at work in the changes that are happening in your life? Do you welcome his companionship?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: How do we show that we are people of hope – not just in some future reality outside of time and space, but in the Kingdom emerging out of the chaos all around us?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Find a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here• • •First Sunday in Advent
November 28, 2021Focus
Jesus said to his disciples: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay…. …[T[he powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen,…raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.
One-Minute Homily
> Construction sites are always fascinating but dangerous. What was there before gives way slowly to a new building which only gradually rises from the initial chaos and confusion. It takes some time and a lot of work before you can tell exactly what the end result will look like.
> Today’s Gospel is commonly interpreted as a vision of the “end of the world,” and may have been a warning about the destruction of the Jewish state by the Romans. In a broader sense, it reminds us that the Kingdom of God emerges only slowly from the chaos and confusion of the present times.
> For us, today’s Gospel is more a promise than a warning. If we raise our heads we will recognize Christ at work in the in our own lives and in the world around us. Like the Jewish people who waited patiently for the Messiah, we must remain hopeful and confident that the Kingdom is emerging all around us—a process which demands our cooperation.
> We see signs of this emerging Kingdom every time we celebrate Eucharist. What is being changed is not only bread and wine, but all of us.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What are some of the things which scare us when they happen?
> Question for Youth: As you work patiently to construct a new life as an adult, do you recognize signs that God is at work gradually constructing a new world out of the old?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we the kind of people and communities which fear the future or do we look forward with confidence in God’s messy and sometimes confusing “construction” project?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Feast of Christ the King
November 21, 2021Focus
Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" … Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. …[A]s it is, my kingdom is not here. You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
One-Minute Homily
> Maybe there was a time when people assumed that persons with authority told them the truth. Now we know that some people will say almost anything to preserve their power -- or to protect us from the things that would scare us to hell. Even parents, apparently, may lie to their children for this reason.
> This is what makes Jesus different from other “kings”: he was born into the world to reveal the truth, not disguise it. And this is the truth: the God of the universe is Abba, a loving and merciful parent who does not need to preserve power and does intend to scare us to hell.
> We cannot understand everything about the world around us, but we know enough to believe that it exists in the service of an Ultimate Goodness. This goodness is subverted when it is twisted by us for the purposes of preserving power and privilege or instilling fear and shame.
> Every Eucharist reveals the truth; it anticipates the heavenly banquet, the Kingdom-feast, where we celebrate the truth that has set us free from fear and ignorance.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Who do you trust to tell you the truth?
> Question for Youth: As we mature, we realize that people we trusted may have misled us for one reason or another. Are you learning to distinguish between what you can trust and what is misleading?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we preoccupied with power and protection, or are we free to proclaim the truth which liberates people from fear and ignorance?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 14, 2021FocusThirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days…the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky.… And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory…. But of that day or hour, no one knows, …but only the Father."
One-Minute Homily
> Most things in life – even life itself – seem to unfold gradually over time: a new day, a new year, a pregnancy, a marriage, a career, retirement, death, the evolving human race, the cosmos itself: we see signs along the way, but no one knows for sure exactly how or when these events will come to fruition.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus suggests that this “contingency” also marks the Kingdom. The Kingdom is among us, but far from complete; it too apparently unfolds gradually over time, and while there are signs along the way, no one but the Father knows exactly when it will be fulfilled.
> For disciples, living in this unfolding reality of time and space, the challenge is to believe that the Kingdom is in fact unfolding around us, slowly but surely. That requires from us a combination of faith, hope and graciousness (which is a more active form of patience) and the ability to trust that apparent endings are in fact only new beginnings.
> The Eucharist is “food for this journey”; it reminds us, through Word and Sacrament, of how far we’ve come--and how far we have to go.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of things you wonder about because you don’t know how or when they will end?
> Question for Youth: Can you identify in your life those things that you have started but don’t know when or how that they will end? Does your hope for the future reside in your faith in Jesus Christ?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people who live with hope and graciousness, assuring people that God is at work in the world and the Kingdom is gradually unfolding?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
November 7, 2021Focus
Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury…. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen,…this poor widow put in more than all the others…. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."
One-Minute Homily
> Someone once said that you don't get much credit for charity that doesn't hurt. The same can be said for personal relationships: if a relationship doesn't require some effort and sacrifice, it isn't a very serious relationship.
> In today's Gospel, the poor widow gave all she had–“her whole livelihood”--which is why Jesus could say she gave more than all those who contributed much more from their surplus. She is an example of someone who gives all they have for the sake of another.
> This is the great challenge for us as disciples of Christ. Are we saving up to take care of ourselves? Are we contributing from our surplus time, energy, compassion, and means? Are we contributing all we have, or just what we can spare? If it doesn’t hurt does it really matter?
> The Eucharist reminds us that we are disciples of the One who gave everything he had so that we could experience the unconditional love of the Father.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What do you do that is hard to do but helps other people?
> Question for Youth: Relationships require a lot of sacrifice and effort. What’s the biggest sacrifice you have to make to maintain an important relationship?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: In what ways are we overly concerned about taking care of ourselves at the expense of others?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 31, 2021Focus
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this: ‘…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
One-Minute Homily
> We are accustomed to separating people into groups: those we like and those we don’t; those we trust and those we fear; those who think like us and those who don’t. Today, our whole social, political and economic system bears the scars of these divisions and the animosity they cause.
> In today’s Gospel Jesus wipes away the distinction between ourselves, our neighbors and God. Love is such that we can’t love God and not love our neighbor, nor can we love ourselves and not love our neighbor.
> The challenge for us as disciples is to rise above the natural inclination to divide people into “us” and “them” – into those who deserve our love and those who don’t. Loving people is not the same as liking them; if every human person is a child of God, we cannot love one and not love another.
> The tendency to separate people into those who are acceptable and those who aren’t still divides the Christian community; the Gospel impels us to anticipate the day when all will be welcome at the table.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What would it be like if we all treated each other as children of God?
> Question for Youth: Can you identify certain people, or types of people, that you find difficult to love or accept? Do you recognize them as children of God?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: What are we doing, deliberately and intentionally, to overcome the habit of distinguishing between those who are acceptable and those who are not?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 24, 2021FocusAs Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples…Bartimaeus, a blind man,…began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."… Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
One-Minute Homily
> The corrosive impact of “fake news” not only affects the news; it also distorts our basic attitudes and fundamental assumptions about reality. It is a moral and social evil that destroys even our desire to know the truth.
> The blind man in today’s Gospel stands in contrast to so many people -- in Jesus’ time and now -- who have lost the desire to know the truth. Unafraid, Bartimaeus proclaims “I want to see!” “Show me the truth!” His faith in the truth dispels his blindness and changes his life.
> The polarization which divides our families, our society, and the church itself these days, is a sign that too many of us have lost the desire to see the truth; we persist in our chosen blindness, reinforced by “fake news”, in order to protect ourselves from uncomfortable realities and unwelcome change.
> The Eucharist proclaims uncomfortable and unwelcome news: the Lord of the Universe desires only a humble and contrite heart, filled with compassion and mercy.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Why do people tell lies? What happens when everyone lies?
> Question for Youth: Can you think of times when you were tempted to lie in order to protect yourself from uncomfortable truths or unwelcome changes?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: What are the truths that we are hiding from? What stops us from shouting out, “I want to see!”
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 17, 2021Focus
Jesus summoned the twelve and said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all….”
One-Minute Homily
> In an society and economy built on competition rather than cooperation, it is almost impossible for people not to lord their advantages over others. The same is true of a hierarchial church, where clericalism creates the impression that some members are more important than others.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that service is a fundamental component of being Christian. Serving others, not wielding power or wealth or influence, is what distinguishes the follower of Jesus.
> The challenge for us is to integrate service into the very fabric of our being; it cannot be a nice extra, which we engage in when we have extra time or resources. If what we do in life does not somehow serve the common good, especially the needs of those who have less, we have compromised our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ.
> Bread broken and shared, wine passed from one to the other, should always remind us that Jesus did not die just for some and that God’s love is not reserved for a few.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What kind of things can you do that help others and show them God’s love?
> Question for Youth: As you make decisions about future careers and lifestyles, are you considering choices which will serve the common good and not just enrich yourself?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: How do we counteract the temptation to lord our advantages and privileges over others?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 10, 2021Focus
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up...and asked him, “...What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him….“...Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven….” At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
One-Minute Homily
> Anyone who has stood at the bedside of a dying person and held their hand can never forget the moment of passing, when the dying person gently releases the loved one's hand -- a final gesture of “letting go” which brings the dying process to a final close.
> In today's Gospel Jesus explains to the rich young man that the key to entering the Kingdom depends upon rehearsing for this final act of “letting go.” In the end, following all of the rules fades in comparison to our ability to detach from all of our possession, to become poor and to depend on God’s mercy.
> The innate desire to possess which emerges in childhood becomes toxic in a consumerist society, but it’s not just material possessions that impede our ability to abandon everything but trust in God. Our pride, pretentions, entitlements, independence, security, self-sufficiency and righteousness are also possessions which prevent us from “letting go,” caring for others, and living in the Kingdom.
> The Eucharist reminds us, as Paul says, that Jesus "did not regard equality with God something to be grasped," “but emptied himself,...coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance."
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Why do we sometimes feel bad when we give something away or share something with someone else?
> Question for Youth: The process of becoming adults usually includes acquiring the necessary knowledge, experience, connections, and resources; can you imagine how these “possessions” sometimes impede our ability to love and care for others?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: What are the possessions which impede us, as individuals or communities, from “letting go,” caring for others, and trusting in God?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 3, 2021Focus
He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her….” Now people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me…for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. …”
One-Minute-Homily
> Many of us know from personal observation the pain, heartache and suffering which divorce inflicts on the couple, the children, and as we are beginning to realize, on society itself. At the same time, we probably also know the relief and peace which divorce brings to some couples and families.
> In this week’s Gospel, Jesus again expresses his special concern for “the little ones” -- not just children, but adults as well – for anyone who is devalued, abandoned, or rejected by society, including spouses and children who are abandoned for another.
> The challenge for us as followers of Jesus is to examine who the individuals or classes of people are whom we “divorce”? How do we cooperate with the ways in which society devalues, alienates and abandons certain people because they are different, make us uncomfortable, or make demands on our time and resources?
> At Eucharist, the Opening Prayer (traditionally called the “Collect”)reminds us that we are all members of one family, responsible to and for one another.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: How do you feel when friends decide that they no longer want to be your friend, and leave you for another?
> Question for Youth: Young people make a lot of choices about relationships; can you break off a relationship without making the other person feel rejected or inadequate as a person?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: What are we doing to welcome those who have traditionally been abandoned or devalued by society or the church?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 26, 2021Focus
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off…. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off…. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna….”
One-Minute-Homily
> People will do almost anything for those they love—defer a degree, postpone a career, quit their job, move far away from family and friends, forgive infidelities, endure long years of declining health—because in the face of love, no sacrifice is too much.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses a jarring analogy of hands and feet and eyes to remind the disciples that no personal sacrifice is too much in the service of the “little ones” – not just children, but anyone who is displaced, forgotten, devalued, and ignored.
> Today’s Gospel reminds us that what we sacrifice for the least among us, what we do to honor the value they have in God’s eyes, is the final measure of discipleship – and salvation. In the face of love for the least (what the church calls the “preferential option for the poor”, no sacrifice, however painful, is too much.
> Week after week, the Eucharist reminds us that we are a community called to sacrifice our comfort, our complacency, our self-assurance on behalf of the least among us.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What’s the most important thing you have? Would you give it away to help someone who really needed it?
> Question for Youth: Young people are just learning what it means to sacrifice for the love of another. Do you find Jesus’ example helpful or perplexing?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: As individuals and as a community, we make lots of decisions; do they reflect the kind of sacrifice Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 19, 2021Focus
They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. [He] said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child…said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”
One-Minute-Homily
> Who’s the best,…the richest,…the strongest,…the smartest,…the fastest? For a society rooted in the “self-evident” truth that all are created equal, we spend a lot of time and energy dividing people into categories like winners or losers, important or not important, friendly or dangerous.
> In today’s Gospel we learn that the disciples, too, argued about who was the greatest. Jesus reminds them that in God’s eyes we are all like little children for whom everything is given; they have, and have earned, nothing in their own right.
> As disciples we must believe—and live as if-- the distinctions we make between people are artificial and untrue. Our mission is to reduce the inequity created by these distinctions, not add to it. In the end, we are all God’s children who have nothing, and have earned nothing, apart from God’s generosity.
> The Eucharist reminds us that we are all members of the Body of Christ—God’s family, if you will. Distinctions and comparisons are overshadowed by our common heritage.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Have you ever met someone who seemed very different from you, but when you got to know them you realized that you were very much the same?
> Question for Youth: There is a lot of pressure on young people to excel at being unique, different, or better than anyone else. Do you hear in the Gospel a different message?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: In what ways do we deliberately and intentionally look beyond the arbitrary and artificial differences which distinguish and divide us from others?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 12, 2021Focus
He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected…, be killed, and rise after three days.… "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it."
One-Minute-Homily
> No one, except persons with certain pathologies, likes to suffer. We go out of our way to avoid pain and suffering. We make elaborate plans to provide for our comfort and avoid future suffering. Even most of our prayers are prayers to relieve or prevent suffering.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns the disciples that suffering is a constitutive part of following him. Taking up our cross, as he did, means sacrificing our own comfort for the care of others – going out of our way to show compassion, which means “suffering-with” someone else.
> That does not mean that disciples should make a fetish out of suffering, particularly unnecessary suffering. But it does mean that we should accept the suffering which befalls us because we are imperfect and sinful people, and the sacrifice which is necessary to help others bear the suffering which befalls them.
> The Eucharist is a living symbol of a God who, like a loving parent, puts no limit on how much he is willing to sacrifice for his children.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of some ways you have or could do something difficult to help another person?
> Question for Youth: Growing up is painful because it means learning to care more about other people. Do you find encouragement and support in Jesus’ example?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: What would be the result if we compared how much we do for ourselves and how much we do for others, especially those who bear an unfair share of pain and suffering?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Find a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here• • •Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 5, 2021Focus
People brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment…. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” — that is, “Be opened!” — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.
One-Minute-Homily
> The fact is, some of us don’t know when to be quiet and some of us don’t know when to speak up. Or maybe it’s more honest to say we all have trouble sometimes knowing when to speak up and when to keep quiet, and we can make a terrible mistake if we misread the situation either way.
> In today’s Gospel we witness Jesus curing a man who couldn’t hear and couldn’t speak. In some sense this man was probably a symbol of the Jewish People themselves, whose ability to hear and speak God’s Word Jesus intended to restore.
> There is a lesson here for us as disciples of Jesus Christ, both as individuals and as a church. By the grace of God we must learn to listen carefully to the people and the world around us, and to discern carefully when and what to say in a way that encourages and invites instead of offends and condems.
> Our regular participation in the Eucharist – in both the Word and the Sacrament – enables us, over time, to hear and to speak as Jesus himself would.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do you ever talk when you’re not supposed to? Do you ever wish you could say something but are afraid to?
> Question for Youth: Along with age comes both the ability and the opportunity to say what you think. What do you do in situations where you want to share your faith but are intimidated by peers?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we intentionally developing the ability to listen more carefully and to discern how and when to share our faith in ways which are not offensive and hurtful?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Find a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here• • •Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 29, 2021Focus
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders…?” He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.”
One-Minute-Homily
> The sexual abuse scandal in the church has taught Catholics that people in authority may say one thing but do another. A long list of events over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries taught us the same thing about civil authorities. Now we wonder if everything we hear is “fake news.”
> Gathering from today’s Gospel, this is not a “modern” problem. Jesus calls out the religious leaders of his time who honored him with their lips but whose hearts led them in another direction. He calls them hypocrites, and he goes on to warn us that our true intentions, for good or evil, come from the heart.
> This is not just a problem for people in authority; it’s a challenge for all of us. Our broken human nature disorders our desires; we hope and wish for things which are harmful to ourselves and to others. Salvation comes not in merely suppressing those desires, but in allowing God’s love to heal and transform them.
> Standing in line for Eucharist reminds us that we are all, individuals and community alike, pilgrims on a journey of healing and transformation. It takes time, and patience, and hope.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do you ever have the feeling that you want to do something that is not good? What helps you not do it?
> Question for Youth: One of the challenges of becoming adults is learning to engage in honest relationships. Have you noticed how God works through these relationships to heal our disordered desires?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Calling out people’s hypocrisy and punishing people’s failure, is not the mark of discipleship. Are we willing to walk with others along the road to healing and conversion?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 22, 2021Focus
Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "…The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life." … As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
One-Minute-Homily
> Growing and changing is hard. Faced with the prospect of having to change how we think, what we believe, or how we act, many of us would prefer to stay as we are – or in some cases, to return to the way things used to be, to what is familiar and comfortable.
> Jesus offered people a new way of life, and a new way of understanding God, their relationship to God, and their relationship to each other. As today’s Gospel indicates, many of them found this too hard to accept. Instead, they returned to their former lives.
> The Gospel challenges us to grow and change as individuals, as a society, and as a church. It is something new and unfamiliar, and sometimes it’s difficult to imagine and accept, but salvation moves in only one direction – forward, toward the Kingdom. Redemption demands growth and change.
> “The Lord be with you,” the celebrant says to us at Mass. Perhaps the inversion of that greeting would be just as appropriate: “May you stay with the Lord.”
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: What’s hard about growing up?
> Question for Youth: In the process of becoming adults, we grow and change a lot. In what ways do you see your faith growing or changing?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we tempted to accept things the way they are – to take refuge in what is familiar and comfortable? Are we responding to the invitation to grow and change as individuals, as a society, and as a faith community?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Solemnity of the Assumption
August 15, 2021Focus
Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice…“Blessed are you who believedthat what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. And Mary said:…[M]y spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant…. The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name.”One-Minute-Homily
> We are often told that the major task for the later years in life is learning to die well, which is to say, preparing in the end to surrender everything confidently to the mercy of God. But the truth is that life is full of little deaths and we are preparing for the end day by day, year after year.
> The feast of the Assumption reminds us that the whole of creation -- and each of us -- are destined one day to be assumed (or incorporated) into the Kingdom being prepared for us by our Creator. In the midst of loss and hardship, even death, we can trust in the mercy of God.
> The challenge for us is to surrender confidently to the things we cannot change: the loss of control, and power and influence, accidents and poor health, broken relationships – and in the end, life as we know it – confident that God will not abandon us.> The Eucharist is the living sign of Jesus, present among us here and now; our participation in Eucharist is in itself an act of surrender to a loving, compassionate God.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Have you ever had to do something that you really didn’t want to do or give up something you really didn’t want to give up?
> Question for Youth: We think of being young adults as a time when we can begin to do what we like, but we also have to give up some things in the process. What does Mary’s Assumption tell you about that?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we live like people who accept our limitations and losses – people whose example encourages those who are struggling to accept their own losses and have confidence in God?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 8, 2021Focus
The Jews murmured about Jesus…and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves…. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
One-Minute-Homily
> How often is our life changed because we listened to another person? At the same time, we have to ask how often our life is changed because we haven’t listen to someone else – because we didn’t imagine that they had anything important to say, or because we dismissed what they said as foolish or irrelevant?
> Many Jews had the same problem with Jesus. They knew him only as the son of Joseph and Mary -- simple people like themselves – and he said crazy things like “I am the living bread who came down from heaven...whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
> In many ways, it seems crazy to say that Jesus is really present among us, body and soul, in the Eucharist and the community gathered around the Eucharistic table. And yet for those who believe, the real presence of the Divine among us changes our lives; it gives us a new way of looking at reality; it changes how we think, how we feel and how we act.> The Eucharist is a living sign and symbol that we have been embraced by the Divine, by living Bread from heaven; therein lies the power to live in a way that will never end.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Who are the people you listen to? Is Jesus one of them?
> Question for Youth: People have lots of advice for young adults—some good, some not. Do you sense that Jesus has good advice that will help you become the person you want to be?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do our words and actions show people that the “living bread come down from heaven” makes good sense in our lives? Or do we sound and look like crazy people who believe foolish things?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 1, 2021Focus
Jesus…said, “…Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you…. This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent…. I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."
One-Minute-Homily
> What would you do if you were hungry, homeless, unemployed and someone gave you $50? Any of us might be tempted to buy something that would dull the pain, but the more sensible thing to do would be to buy food – because you can’t do anything about the other problems if you’re starving to death.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the crowd that he is the “Bread of Life.” In effect, he says believing in him is the first and most important thing to do in an unfinished, imperfect and sinful world -- because without the “Bread of Life,” we are slowly but surely spiritually starving to death.
> Hunger, homelessness and unemployment are just the tip of the iceberg in an imperfect, unfinished and sinful world. Our task as disciples is to live with the trust, hope and compassion Jesus taught us, and in the process to introduce others to the Bread of Life – transforming what we believe into how we live.> The People of God assembled for Eucharist are the Bread of Life among us; they are the ones who affirm and sustain us in living lives of faith, hope and charity.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Why do you think Jesus chose food as a sign of God’s presence and love?
> Question for Youth: What sustains you in this crucial time when you are growing and changing? Do you rely on what the faith community teaches and practices?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we listen carefully to others? Do we recognize their needs? Does our example become the “Bread of Life” for them?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 25, 2021Focus
When Jesus…saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said…, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" Andrew… said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish…. Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining…. When they had had their fill,…they…filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments…that had been more than they could eat.
One-Minute-Homily
> Most people are generous; some people are even extravagantly generous. But our generosity is mostly limited to what we can afford (which means what we don’t really need or can comfortably live without ). More often than not, our generosity is limited to what we think the other person “deserves.”
> Today’s Gospel gives us an example of God’s generosity – unconditional generosity which assumes that people deserve what they need; a generosity which in fact produces an abundance – in this case, twelve wicker baskets full, the Gospel says.
> The challenge for us as disciples is to learn to be as generous as God is – a generosity based on what other people need, not just on what we can easily afford, or what we think people deserve. We must learn to trust that if we were generous in that way, if we believed that people deserve what they need, there would be more than enough to meet everyone’s needs.> The Eucharist is a living sign of God’s unconditional generosity; there is no “means-test” and no need to prove that we deserve it.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you think of a time when someone shared something with you, or you shared something with them, and it made you feel very good?
> Question for Youth: As we grow older, we begin to realize that sharing and generosity are the foundation of good relationships. Do you see God’s generosity reflected in your own relationships?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we good models of God’s unconditional generosity, or do we measure what we give by how much we can afford – or how much we think others deserve?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Find a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here• • •Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 18, 2021
Focus
The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by your selves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
One-Minute-Homily
> We live in a society that does not really value rest – so much so that even on our time off, we are often busy doing things we didn’t get done when we were “working.” Retired people say they are busier than ever; organized sport seems more like work than recreation; and even vacations become more work than rest.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes the disciples off to a deserted place to rest. Long before anyone invented the word “burnout,” Jesus realized that human beings need to balance work with rest, reflection and prayer.
> We often think that workaholics are only those people who work too much, but we all need to examine how much we are conditioned by a society and economy that over-value production, reward only perpetual effort, and allow rest, recreation and reflection only to a privileged few who have presumably “earned” it.> Eucharist – giving thanks and praise – is not just something we manage to squeeze into a busy weekend. It should become a way of living day-by-day, a habit of taking time away for rest and prayer.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Do people you know work too much? Do you know people who take time to rest and play?
> Question for Youth: Now is the time you are setting a pattern for your life as an adult; are you learning to balance work and rest, recreation and prayer?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we take advantage of people in our families and faith communities who are good workers? Do we model and respect a lifestyle which balances work and play, reflection and prayer?
Learn More• Read Sunday's readings• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 11, 2021Focus
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two…. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts. He said to them, “Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance.
One-Minute-Homily
> It is easy to become consumed by things and burdened by responsibilities. At some point, we may discover that we are so burdened that we have few options to respond to new opportunities and new challenges – even to abandon unhappy and unhealthy circumstances.
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples to take few provisions along on their journey, and to move on quickly from any places where they are not welcome and cannot do their work -- in other words, to travel light and stay focused on their mission.
> The challenge for disciples today is to avoid becoming so weighted down with various responsibilities and possessions – traditions, habits, expectations -- that we are unable to recognize or respond to new opportunities to hear and share the Good News. In other words, traveling light and maximizing our freedom to adapt to the unexpected in constantly changing circumstances.
> “Go in peace,” the celebrant says at the end of Mass – in other words, be at peace; be ready, able and willing to hear and share the Good News in new and unexpected situations this week.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: How much stuff do you pack if you’re going to visit grandparents or going on vacation?
> Question for Youth: Some young people can’t wait to settle down; others want to maximize their options and avoid eliminating possibilities. Which are you?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we strike others as people who are too busy taking care of things that we don’t have time to hear their story and respond to their needs?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 4, 2021
FocusJesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? … Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary….?" And they took offense at him…. So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there.
One-Minute-Homily
> Many young people who leave home for school or work experience a kind of culture shock when they return. People continue to treat them as they did before, completely ignoring, resenting or rejecting how they have grown and changed while away.
> In today's Gospel, Jesus returns to his hometown where he is remembered only as the carpenter's son. His family and neighbors do not recognize his real identity or his mission -- in fact, they are offended by him. As a result Jesus is unable to perform any "mighty deeds" there.
> The challenge to us as disciples is to allow Jesus to be Jesus, and to have faith in the God he reveals to us -- in spite of our assumptions about who he is or ought to be. For instance, if we expect only a stern and judging God he will not be able to work mighty deeds of mercy and kindness among us.> The Eucharist reminds us that our God is a living God; our experience at Eucharist should confirm what we believe, but also challenge us to open our eyes and ears to learn more.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Can you think of a friend who has changed since you first met them? Can you accept how this person is different now?
> Question for Youth: These years are years of growth and change, both in our understanding of ourselves and our understanding of the faith; are you aware of how you are growing and changing?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we individuals and communities who can grow and change in our understanding of God and of our faith, or are we only comfortable with what we have always known?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 27, 2021FocusThere was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years… She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.One-Minute-Homily
> Not everything happens up close and personal. There are people who make a difference in our lives, even though we don't know them very well or see them very often. Their presence, sometimes just their existence, touches us, inspires us, gives us hope.
> In today's Gospel we see two people who did not know Jesus very well -- the synagogue official and the woman with a hemorrhage. Both believed that Jesus could make a difference in their lives -- and he did, even at a distance.
> We can make a difference in people’s lives even if we don't know them very well. To be good disciples, we need to be aware of how our lives touch other people's lives even from a distance – people we don’t know up close and personal, but people who are impacted by what we say and do as individuals and as a community.> The Eucharist reminds us that the Lord is present to us and desires to make a difference in our lives, even if we don't know him very well.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Who are the people who inspire you?
> Question for Youth: Young people often feel distanced from the faith community; can you still have faith in Jesus from a distance as the people in today's Gospel did?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people whose mere presence gives hope and inspiration to those who feel distanced from the church or from the Lord?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Find a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here• • •Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 20, 2021Focus
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
One-Minute-Homily
> Many adults can remember how as a child they were terrified by storms—rumbling thunder, flashes of lightning, and rain pelting against the window pane. Only the soothing voice of a parent or sibling could calm us – this too will pass, and all will be well.
> In today’s Gospel, the disciples are like young children – terrified by the storm at sea. Jesus calms the storm – and their fears. But like many Gospel stories, the incident is a metaphor for the life of faith.
> As adults we discover that there are a lot of things worse than thunder storms – things more terrifying, more complicated, more deadly; things no parent, no lover, no doctor can calm. Only faith reassures us that this, too, will pass, and all will be well. The truth is, we too will pass, and all will be well.> Eucharist is a calm port in the storms of life, where the voice of the Lord present among us calms our fears.For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: Can you remember times when you were very scared? Who helped you stay calm and unafraid?
> Question for Youth: As we grow up, we have to face many of the things parents protected us against as children. Is your faith one of the things that helps keep you calm in times like that?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people who remain calm and trusting, even in scarey times? Do we allow the Lord to calm the storm through our words and our behavior?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 13, 2021Focus
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear...."
One-Minute-Homily
> In the late spring or early summer, unattended lawns seem to suddenly blossom with dandelions. Whether you admire them or detest them, you have to admit that it is pretty amazing how suddenly they appear and how quickly they multiply. Has anyone ever planted a dandelion?
> In today’s Gospel, Jesus suggests that the Kingdom of God is something like that – God has scattered the seed on the land, and if left unattended it will sprout and grow, almost mysteriously, and eventually produce a full harvest.
> The challenge for disciples is not to become like fussy homeowners uprooting and poisoning the pesky dandelions. We have to allow the Kingdom to take root where it will – “of its own accord,” the Gospel says -- even though God’s plan defies our control and our very narrow ideas of what the Kingdom should be.
> Sunday after Sunday the Eucharist challenges us to trust that the Kingdom will sprout and grow – we know not how – if we stop killing it.
For Discussion or Journaling
> Question for Children: When you see a dandelion, so you ever think that God is like a gardener and he has planted the dandelion to show us how much he loves us?
> Question for Youth: Over and over in the process of growing up, unexpected things happen; often they look like obstacles, but sometimes they turn out to be surprising opportunities. Can you identify some of these unexpected experiences in your own life?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we prepared to allow the seed God has scattered to sprout and grow of its own accord? Or are we busy trying to shape the Kingdom into our own narrow vision of what we think or hope it should be?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
June 6, 2021
Focus
While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.”
One- Minute Homily
> Most of the time we eat meals with people to whom we are related, with whom we have a connection, or share a common bond. Eating together nourishes our relationships. We do not usually eat with strangers or enemies, unless we are trying to form a new relationship.
> Jesus used meals as a way of creating a new relationship with God's people -- especially the lowly and despised, the sick and the poor. He instructed his disciples to remember his example and to do the same, nourishing our relationship to him and to each other.
> Our challenge as disciples is to follow Jesus’ command -- reaching out to the people around us, sharing God's love and mercy, nourishing our common relationship to one another as God's children, redeemed through Jesus Christ. At this table there are no strangers and no enemies.
> The Eucharist commemorates this relationship. As the pandemic lockdown showed us, our relationship suffers when we do not take time to commune with one another.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Do you ever feel left out or unwanted when it comes time to eat?
> Question for Youth: In the midst of nurturing old relationships and making new friends do you make time to commune with the Lord?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we welcome the strangers among us--in our families, our neighborhoods, our community, our parish? Do we accept them as they are? Do we allow them to change us?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Solemnity of the Holy TrinityMay 30, 2021
FocusThe eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...."One-Minute-Homily
> We all have different roles in life and multiple responsibilities. At one and the same time, a single person who is also a child, a sibling, a spouses, a parent, a friend, an employee. Although others are aware of our various roles, they usually know and relate to us primarily as one or the other.
> The early Christian community eventually concluded that the Divine Being revealed to them by Jesus Christ was one God who is known to us -- and relates to us -- in three distinct ways, or as the tradition said, as three distinct “persons” -- Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit.
> At different times in our lives, under different circumstances, we may experience God more as Father, Son or Spirit. These relationships shape how we pray, and also how we portray God to others. But God is always more than one or the other, and always so much more than we can imagine – a God of unconditional love.> The Creed which we proclaim at Mass reminds us that the three "persons" of the Trinity are "consubstantial" -- which is to say, they are all manifestations of the one Living God revealed to us by Jesus.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: What do you think of when you think of God? What kind of person is God most like?
> Question for Youth: Our image of God tends to change as we grow up; do you see God more as a parent or a friend?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: What image of God do we portray to the people around us? Is it a God who is compassionate and inviting, or a God who is stern and judgmental?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •Solemnity of PentecostMay 23, 2021FocusOn the evening of that first day of the week...Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you.... As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
One-Minute-Homily
> Successful parents eventually realize that every child is unique. There is never one rule that fits all; you have to adjust your expectations and hopes to the unique circumstances of each child and every situation -- to be at peace with the way things are.
> In today's Gospel, Jesus breathes on the disciples and imparts his Spirit. It is his Spirit which will enable them to decide when to forgive and when to retain -- in other words, to adjust rules and expectations to new situations and individual circumstances.
> It is the Spirit of the Lord which allows each of us to recognize the unique and special circumstances of every person we meet, and to adjust our expectations and judgment accordingly. It is this same Spirit which allows the church to grow and change, adjusting to new situations and individual circumstances as well.> "Lord have mercy," we pray at Eucharist -- confident that the Spirit empowers us to live and learn, even when we make mistakes.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: How do you know what is the good thing to do when there is no rule telling you what to do?
> Question for Youth: As young people mature, they often outgrow the rules which guided their behavior as children. How do you decide now what is the Christ-like thing to do?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people who recognize the uniqueness of each person? Do we rely on rules or the Spirit to adjust our expectations to fit their particular circumstances?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Find a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here• • •Solemnity of the AscensionMay 16, 2021FocusJesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature...." So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.One-Minute-Homily
> We are accustomed to dividing everything into binaries -- either-or, good-or-bad, right-or-wrong, here-or-there, black-or-white. So it's natural that we would think of a separation between heaven-and-earth, time-and-eternity, life-here-and-life-there.
> When trying to describe the Ascension, the Gospel writers described Jesus as being "taken up." But not before instructing them to go forth, "into" the world where he would continue to be present among them. The Ascension is only the next step in the mystery of the Incarnation, of God present among us.
> Sometimes it's uncomfortable to think that Jesus is really here among us -- sitting next to us at the table, standing nearby when we're at our desk, laying next to us in bed. Confounding our habit of dividing reality into separate categories, he is as much "here" as he is "there."
> The Eucharist reminds us that the Ascension describes a change in how Jesus is present, not where he is present.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Can you think of times when you feel someone's presence, even if they are not physically present?
> Question for Youth: Often in the early stages of a new relationship we are constantly aware of a new friend or lover, even when they are not with us. Do you experience Jesus that way?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Where and when are we most aware of the Lord's presence? Are we limiting his presence only to the times and places which feel most comfortable to us?
Learn More• Read Sunday's readings here• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings here
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 9, 2021FocusThis is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.... This I command you: love one another."One-Minute-Homily
> It sometimes seems like we no longer even know who our friends are. People are so polarized on political or religious issues that we just avoid interacting. We’re reluctant to perform even customary acts of kindness toward strangers for fear of offending them.
> "I call you friends," Jesus says in today’s Gospel. Not servants. Not slaves. Friends. You, I, and the Father are connected to one another as friends who are united by love. You are not our enemy; you do not need to fear offending us as a servant or slave might.
> Disciples must start with the assumption that the people around us are friends, not enemies, capable of loving and being loved. We may have many differences, but we share this common origin as friends united in the love of the Father and the Son. This common bond should override all our differences.> We do not customarily -- or comfortably -- eat with strangers. The Eucharist is a meal for friends: all of us, Jesus, and the Father, our differences notwithstanding.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: When you see someone new, do you think of them as a potential friend or possible enemy? How would Jesus think about them?
> Question for Youth: At certain times in our lives we are not sure if we can even trust our friends. What bridges that lack of trust in your life?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Does our attitude begin with the assumption that people we don't know are much more likely to be friends than enemies, regardless of appearances?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 2, 2021FocusJesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.... Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit...."One-Minute-Homily
> We know what happens when a plant gets cut off from its roots, when a tree limb is cut off of the tree, when a child is separated from its parent, when any human person is separated from family, friends and community. Each in their own way wilts, shrivels, and dies.
> In today's Gospel, Jesus uses the example of a grape vine to explain how the church, like the rest of nature, is interconnected -- it is a family or community rooted in him. If we get disconnected from those roots, we lose our ability to produce good fruit.
> This is a challenge for all of us, not just young people who want to be "spiritual but not religious." We need a faith community to nourish, enrich, support and challenge our faith and the behavior which flows from it. We need to provide that nourishing community for others.
> This is a challenge for all of us – and not just young people who want to be "spiritual but not religious." The pandemic may have altered how and when we connect to the faith community, but it also proved how much we need a community to nourish, support and challenge our faith; it reminded us, too, of the responsibility we have to provide that community for others.> The Eucharist is the faith community assembled for prayer and worship. Even if it is poorly celebrated, it reminds us of where we are nourished and in whom we are rooted.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Can you remember when you were young being sad or afraid to leave mom or dad to go to school?
> Question for Youth: Young people are at the age where they are re-negotiating their relationships to family and church; do you see the pros and cons of being rooted in a family and a faith community?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do people experience a relationship with us as something which nourishes their ability to produce good fruit, or does it confuse and discourage them?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 25, 2021Focus
"I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.... This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own...."
One-Minute-Homily
> Every parent knows what it feels like to hear a shout from the other room, "Mom, help!" ... or a late-night phone call, "Dad, can you help me?" Day after day, year after year, a parent’s life is disposed for the protection and care of their children. That’s how a child comes to know that they are loved.
> In today's Gospel, Jesus calls himself the "Good Shepherd" who lays down his life for the sheep. Here is the God who disposes of the Divine life for the welfare of the children -- a twist on nature, where the shepherd usually ends up leading the sheep to slaughter.
> The point is that the "Good Shepherd", like a loving parent, lays down his life so that we might know God’s love for each and every one of us. The challenge for us is to accept this love, to be transformed by it, to be grateful for it, and to affirm it with others, friend and foe alike.> The Eucharist reinforces this fact; here is the Good Shepherd -- like the good parent -- who feeds and nourishes us so that we may have life in its fullness.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: What are some of the good things your mom or dad does for you because they love you?
> Question for Youth: Young people often feel that parents try to protect them too much. Can you see behind this the Good Shepherd who would rather die than have his loved ones hurt?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: How are we specifically being called to be Good Shepherds, willing to sacrifice our security and comfort for others right now?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Third Sunday of Easter
April 18, 2021Focus...[H]e stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ...[H]e said to them, "Why are you troubled? ... Look at my hands and my feet; it is I myself...." While they were still incredulous for joy... he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it....
One-Minute-Homily
> Some people can eat anywhere, anytime. But many of us lose our appetites if we are stressed, distraught, or grieving. “I’m not hungry” we say when we are upset or worried. We’ll sit down and eat when everything is back to normal.
> In today's Gospel, the Risen Jesus appears to the disciples, wishes them peace, and asks for something to eat. It's a sign that he is alive and well; there's no need to be worried or distraught. This is, as they will discover, the "new normal," the Risen Lord present in a new way.
> As disciples, our challenge is to recognize the Risen Lord whenever and wherever he is present to us. He is not buried in sacred places; he is not hidden behind tabernacle doors. He is present, even in the things that depress us and worry us, in our joy and in our grief.> The Eucharist is our experience of the Lord sitting among us, sharing a meal, and wishing us peace. “You live in me and I in you”--this is the new normal.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Where do you think would be the most unusual place to meet Jesus? What would you give him to eat?
> Question for Youth: What are the things that worry and distress you? Can you imagine Jesus being present, assuring you that these things will pass?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do other people experience the Risen Lord when they encounter us? Do they feel the incredulous peace of knowing the Lord lives among us?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Second Sunday of Easter
April 11, 2021Focus
Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
One-Minute-Homily
> We live in an age of doubt. We are taught from young on to question everyone and everything. Many of us are skeptics by nature; we have a tendency to doubt someone else’s impressions, especially about things that seem too incredible to be true. “Show me,” we say.
> John’s Gospel does not say whether “doubting Thomas” actually touched Jesus’ wounds. For him, seeing was believing – which is actually no more or less than what the other disciples had experienced a week before. Thomas is all of us who have learned that faith is not blind.
> The truth is, most of us require some kind of evidence to believe that what we are told about Jesus is true. We look for that evidence in how Christians actually live. Do they act like people who have seen and believed? The people we seek to evangelize expect no less than that from us—how we live should reveal the fact that we have indeed encountered the Risen Lord.
> To believe that what we say about Eucharist is real, people must see us acting like the Body of Christ in real life.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: What signs do you see that tell you God loves us and cares about us?
> Question for Youth: Young people question everything they’ve been told; what evidence have you seen that shows that what people say about Jesus is true?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: If seeing is believing, do other people see in us evidence that what we believe is true?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •
Solemnity of Easter
April 4, 2021Focus
Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter…. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in,…and he saw and believed.
One-Minute-Homily
> There are a lot of things in life which seem final and irrevocable -- certain choices, medical conditions, some legal actions, personal commitments, taxes (if you’re an honest person). And of course death, the final irrevocable thing about life.
> But the story of Easter -- the resurrection of Jesus Christ -- assures us that death is not final and irrevocable after all; in fact, through the eyes of faith not much of anything in this world is final and irrevocable -- except love. Only love endures, St. Paul says, in a reading frequently chosen for weddings (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:7).
> The challenge for us as "Easter People" is to live like we believe that God's love and mercy transcend time and space -- and death. Everything else shall pass -- incorporated into the Kingdom, or discarded as unnecessary. But God’s love endures, as do we who have come to know that love. Therein lies the reason for our "Alleluia!"> God did not intend only to raise Jesus from the dead. God intends to raise all of us too, and reaches out through Eucharist to lift us up.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Do you know anyone who has died and is now living with God?
> Question for Youth: Although young people face many decisions which shape their lives in one way or another; does it help or hurt to know that in the end God has the final word?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: If we are truly "Easter People" strangers will notice a difference in our attitude and behavior. Do they?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
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• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
March 28, 2021
FocusThey led Jesus away to the high priest,and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.... Many gave false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. Some took the stand and testified falsely against him.... Even so their testimony did not agree. The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus, saying, "Have you no answer?" But he was silent and answered nothing.One-Minute-Homily
> It seems a part of human nature to blame someone or something when things go wrong -- even when there are no clear indications that anyone in particular is to blame: Who's responsible? Who takes the rap? Who pays the price? Who becomes the scapegoat?
> In the Gospel accounts for Holy Week we see how the religious and political authorities blamed Jesus for the people's discontent, ignoring the truth which would have revealed to them the real cause of their problems.
> As disciples we have to admit that many of our problems are caused by the fact that we are all imperfect and sinful people, living in an imperfect and unfinished world. Our efforts to deny that truth, or to shift the blame to others who cannot defend themselves – our personal or social scapegoats -- only makes matters worse.> The Eucharist reveals to us the truth that only in a community of mercy and compassion can we begin to address the real conditions which are to blame for so much pain and suffering in our world.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Do you ever try to blame someone else for something that you've done?
> Question for Youth: Young people get blamed a lot; do you ever feel like you're being blamed for something that is not your fault?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: We all face many problems; are we being honest about whom or what is to blame for those problems? Who are our favorite scapegoats?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• Find a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here.
• Find a schedule of Holy Week services here.• • •Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 21, 2021
Focus
Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”
One-Minute-Homily
> Anything of value requires effort on someone’s part -- hard work, personal sacrifice, and often a willingness to forgo a certain amount of comfort or contentment. Even gifts sometimes require the sacrifice of pride, fear of being indebted or dependent on the gift-giver.
> Salvation is no different, Jesus says in today’s Gospel. Although it is a gift to us, it required the life, death and resurrection of Jesus himself for us to realize and appreciate the gift – a self-giving sacrifice which originates in God’s love, not divine anger.
> For disciples, salvation requires a certain amount of sacrifice as well – a death to self-justification in order, first, to accept the gift, and then a death to selfishness in order to share it with others. It is this sacrifice which makes the gift eternally fruitful, both for us and for others.
> We are reminded of this self-giving, this dying-to-self-for-others, each time we hear these words at Mass: “this is my body, given up for you … this is my blood, poured out for you.”
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Can you think of something you have worked very hard to achieve?
> Question for Youth: As we grow, we often begin to realize that what's really important takes hard work and sacrifice; in what ways have you discovered that in your own life?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: In what ways are we being challenged to sacrifice so that others may experience God's gift of salvation?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective.• • •
Fourth Sunday in LentMarch 14, 2021FocusThird Sunday in Lent
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” ... For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. ...[W]hoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
One-Minute Homily
> We know infants learn to understand themselves and the world around them from adults who imitate the child's expressions and feelings. This process, called "mirroring," helps the infant feel secure, valued, and connected to people who care about them.
> In today's Gospel Jesus explains his role in the Father's plan -- to be "lifted up" so that people might see God's love and mercy revealed in him and come to be saved. There, on the cross, Jesus "mirrors" God's desire to save us, not condemn, us.
> Our challenge as disciples is to see in the cross not only our capacity for sin, but also our capacity for love and compassion -- to see mirrored in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus God's love for us and thereby our ability to reflect that love to others.
> Through the Eucharist we are incorporated into the Body of Christ; through this living Body we too are lifted up to mirror God's love to the world around us.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Have you even looked in a mirror and thought to yourself, "I am a child of God; God loves me"?
> Question for Youth: Who are the people in your life right now who reflect God's love for you? Does realizing that you are loved empower you to love others?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we talk and act like people who mirror God's love and affection for others, even those who may seem to us to be spiritual infants?
Learn More• Read Sunday's readings• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Find a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here.• • •March 7, 2021Focus
Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area.... ...[T]o those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
One-Minute-Homily
> We are so accustomed to living in a market economy that we take it for granted that anyone and anything can be bought and sold if the price is right -- friendship, sex, political loyalty, public policy. Name your price; everyone has a price.
> The cleansing of the Temple in today's Gospel shows us that there is an exception to this rule; God's love and grace -- salvation itself -- is not for sale and can't be bought. There is no spiritual marketplace, there are no salvation brokers; you can’t put a price on grace.
> The biggest challenge for us is to believe that salvation is a free gift. It's God's unconditional love -- a non-negotiable fact, freely offered to everyone, not just those who can afford it or work hard enough to earn it. All we need to do is receive it and allow it to transform our lives.> Eucharist is the most excellent sign of God's love. It is also freely given -- we are not entitled to it because we are saved; we receive it in order to be saved.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Do you ever feel like someone is trying to "buy" your friendship?
> Question for Youth: Do you recognize situations in which young adults are trying to trade sex for affection?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we give people the impression that God's love and mercy are something that you earn by membership, participation, financial support or moral behavior?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Second Sunday in LentFebruary 28, 2021FocusFirst Sunday in LentJesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white…. [They] hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then…from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”One-Minute-Homily
> Revelations can be terrifying. We are left speechless, but only momentarily. When we finally see something clearly, we realize that we have to change. If we wait long enough, of course, the experience passes, life goes back to normal, transformation is delayed.
> The Lord’s transfiguration left the disciples speechless; the Gospel says they were terrified. If they were struggling to understand the Lord’s true identity, the experience left no doubt; but it also revealed a troubling truth about his destiny here on earth.
> Sometimes we come face-to-face with the terrifying truth about who we are and with the nature of the people we belong to. Yes, we are God’s beloved, but believing and becoming who we are meant to be involves sacrifice, suffering, and a kind of death to the way things are.> Every Eucharist reminds us of who we are; it challenges us to accept transformation. It can terrify us; it leaves us speechless.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Do you like surprises? Can you think of a surprise that made you happy or a surprise that made you sad?
> Question for Youth: Growing up often involves coming face to face with truths that have been hidden for years; what revelations are you experiencing about your faith?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we act like people who have seen a vision and been transformed, or as people trying to preserve the way things are?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
Find a schedule of Masses in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls parishes here.• • •February 21, 2021FocusSixth Sunday in Ordinary TimeThe Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."One-Minute-Homily
> Life often enough drives us into the desert -- into lonely, unfriendly, unknown and unwanted situations. Often, however, it is in these desert experiences that we discover something new, deeper, and better about ourselves and emerge the better for it.
> We read in today's Gospel that the Spirit drives Jesus into the desert where he is tempted by Satan but then emerges prepared to launch his public ministry: the Kingdom is near!
> We simulate these desert experiences by prayer, fasting and almsgiving in Lent, but the important thing is to remember the lessons we have learned from our real desert experiences -- in spite of our weaknesses and failures, we are called to trust in a God who will never abandon us however desperate things get.> We should remember this every time we gather at Eucharist. Everyone there has been to the desert, and many of us still languish there seeking hope and encouragement.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Can you think of a sad or painful time in your life? Do you remember how God reached out to help you get through this time?
> Question for Youth: Growing up is a desert experience where we are often afraid, alone and confused. What are you learning about who you are and what you want to be during this desert time?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do people experience us and our communities as oases in the desert – as a source of hope and encouragement and support?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective
• • •
February 14, 2021FocusFifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
One-Minute-Homily
> Early on in life, we learn that a hand can help us or hurt us; a touch can be soothing or painful, consoling or damaging. In time, we learn that the less physical, more emotional ways that we “touch” people can also relieve pain or cause pain – the power of touch.
> We see an example of the spiritual power of touch in today’s Gospel. Jesus reaches out to the leper and touches him – a dangerous and audacious thing to do at the time, given the nature of leprosy, but therein lies the cure to so much pain and suffering.
> All around us are people in varying degrees of physical, emotional, mental or spiritual pain; they are saying to us, “if you wish, you can make us clean.” Do we have the courage – and grace – to do what it takes, however unpopular or dangerous? Or will we choose a more popular option: indifference?> For centuries, most people just knelt and watched the Eucharist. When we can receive the host and wine today, we realize that Jesus actually wants to reach out and – really – touch us.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: How are some of the ways you use your hands to help or hurt other people?
> Question for Youth: Young adults begin to realize that sexual intimacy, has emotional, psychological and spiritual as well as physical components. What are you discovering about the deeper implications of touch?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Who among us, or around us, seeks the healing touch that Jesus depends on us to give them? Why are we ignoring them?
Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •February 7, 2021FocusFourth Sunday in Ordinary TimeOn leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.One-Minute-Homily
> One of the most painful and tragic aspects of the coronavirus pandemic was not only that it kills people, but often that people die alone – separated from the physical presence of loved ones and family, an isolation imposed by the contagious nature of the deadly virus.
> Whatever the literal event behind this week’s Gospel encounter, Jesus illustrates God’s response to anyone in need of healing: he approaches Peter’s mother-in-law (a mother-in-law, of all people!), he touches her, and restores her standing among those who are well.
> As disciples of the Lord, we are challenged to imitate God’s healing embrace of those who are in need of physical, mental or spiritual healing and reconciliation with the healthy community – even those who are estranged from us, and those whom we might think are responsible for their own misfortune.> The Eucharist reminds us that the healing power of God resides in the Body of Christ among us; healing and reconciling are a shared responsibility of the whole community.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: What can you do when you see someone who is sick or needs help?
> Question for Youth: As we grow up we begin to meet people who are broken or needy.
Do you embrace them or reject them?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: what is our attitude toward people who are sick physically, mentally or spiritually? Do we reach out with compassion or do we blame them and avoid them?Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
May 23, 2021January 31, 2021FocusIn their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?...I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!" The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, "What is this? ... He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."One-Minute-Homily
> All of us have bad habits, attitudes, and inclinations, some of which are more destructive, evil or sinful than others. The Christian tradition gives the name "original sin" to these sinful inclinations which, like demons, possess us and control us.
> In today's Gospel Jesus demonstrates God's power over our evil dispositions; “even the unclean spirits obey him!” the people exclaimed. In Jesus, God calls out our demons and frees us from our sinful inclinations.
> For most of us, this is a gradual process which may take a lifetime (and perhaps some time after that as well) -- one step at a time, one day at a time, we live in hope of final redemption. And, as people in 12-step recovery programs know so well, we can't do this alone.
> The Eucharist reminds us that Jesus is present in the community; it is through this community that he casts out the demons which possess us.For Reflection or Discussion> Question for Children: Can you think of bad habit or attitude you would like Jesus to help you stop?
> Question for Youth: These are often the years when we discover attitudes or habits which cause problems for us or the people around us; have you identified these in your own life and are you working to correct them?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: are we growing in our understanding of sin as something deeper and broader than individual acts? Are we patient with the time and effort it takes to redeem these attitudes, inclinations and fears in ourselves and others?Learn More
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• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •
Third Sunday in Ordinary TimeJanuary 24, 2021FocusSecond Sunday in Ordinary TimeAs he passed by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea.... 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.... Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.One-Minute-Homily
> Growth often involves leaving behind one way of life for another. We leave the womb to be born; we leave childhood to become adults; we leave the single life to be married. And in the end, we leave this life for the next.
> In today's Gospel, we again hear Jesus calling the first disciples to follow him. They leave behind their families, their homes, their jobs to do something that must have seemed perfectly natural and completely improbable at the same time.
> Each day we are called as disciples to leave behind one set of values, principles and behavior in order to live out the values, principles and behavior of a disciple. In one way, this seems perfectly natural; in another, it is always a challenge and is sometimes very painful.> The Eucharist is often called "food for the journey" -- a reminder that we are always growing more fully into our call to be disciples, day by day, year by year.For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Can you think of something you do -- or don't do -- because you are trying to be like Jesus?
> Question for Youth: This age is an important time for making choices which will shape the person you become as an adult; do you think of these choices in terms of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: If people didn't know what church we attend, how would they be able to tell that we are disciples of Jesus Christ?
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• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective• • •January 17, 2021FocusBaptism of the Lord
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ. Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.One-Minute-Homily
> If it has never actually happened, we can at least imagine what it would be like if our employer called us in and said something like, “You do good work. I’m going to promote you, with more pay, better benefits, and a company truck. Of course, it will mean more work.”
> Jesus wasn’t actually offering his disciples more pay, but he did offer them new opportunities, more benefits, more responsibilities – and maybe even, as in the case of Peter, a new title. They would all later be known as followers of the Christ, or “Christians”
> Over the centuries, people have become Christian for lots of different reasons – to avoid death or damnation, to gain power and influence, because that’s just what people did, to find meaning and purpose, to experience love and hope. The beginning of a new year is a good time for all of us to examine the reasons why we became – and continue to be -- Christians.
> We gather around the table of the Eucharist (when it’s safe to do so) because we have been invited by the Lord and we have said yes to the invitation. We are disciples of the Christ.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: If Jesus were here in person, what might he ask you to do?
> Question for Youth: For some people growing up means being able to do whatever you want; for others it means being able to make a difference in someone else’s life. Do you struggle with the tension between those two motives?> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are people confused about why we are Christians? Are our motives pure and are they obvious to others?
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January 10, 2021Solemnity of the EpiphanyFocusIt happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”One-Minute-Homily• • •
> Being named and claimed by someone -- "this is my daughter," "this is my husband," "this is my mother" – has consequences. It defines our identity and informs our behavior; it limits our freedom to be and do whoever and whatever we want to be and do.
> In this week's Gospel, the Father names and claims Jesus -- "this is my beloved Son." This defines the Son’s identity and imposes on Jesus the responsibility to be and do what the Son of God is expected to do, which is to incarnate the Living God in time and space.
> Our challenge is to allow God to name and claim us – to recognize that relationship and to grow in our commitment to be and do what is expected of us as sons and daughters of the Divine. It prohibits us from using slurs and epithets to devalue God’s relationship with others who have also been named and claimed.
> The Eucharist names and claims us as the Body of Christ on earth; it imposes on us the challenge of embodying the Living God in our time and place.
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: How do you feel when people call you names?
> Question for Youth: Growth into adulthood means forming new relationships which shape who we are and what we do. What happens to our existing relationships then?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do we struggle seriously to balance the claims we make on others with the claims that others make on them?
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• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspectiveJanuary 3, 2021Focus
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. …[O]n entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
One-Minute-Homily
> Not too long ago, people were forbidden to associate or marry outside their social, economic, religious, ethnic or racial spheres. Now, personal affection has transcended these restrictions in many places, but politicians (and some religious leaders) continue to exploit group animosities to maintain power and control.
> The Christian tradition has long recognized the story of the Magi as a sign that the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ is a universal God whose love and mercy is not restricted to a chosen people.
> It is tempting to think along these lines that God is a God of both “us” and “them”, but the truth is, with the exception of minor and superficial differences, there is no longer an “us” or “them”, and that is the truth we are challenged to believe and proclaim in our personal lives and in our social lives.
> This truth -- more true than we like to admit sometimes -- is revealed to us in Eucharist when we pray “and you, my brothers and sisters.”
For Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Why do you think kids are mean to people who look, talk or act differently?
> Question for Youth: Peer groups -- people who are like us -- exert a lot influence on how we treat people who are different; how to you experience that kind of pressure and how do you respond to it?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Do outsiders sense that we still judge between "us" and "them", between newcomers and oldtime members? What gives them that impression?
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• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspectiveFeast of the Holy Family
• • •December 27, 2020Focus
When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,… Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted —and you yourself a sword will pierce— so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
One-Minute Homily> Although modern society tends to devalue the wisdom of the elderly, time and again experience reveals they know and understand more than we give them credit for. It’s often grandmothers or fathers who perceive something true about a child which escapes their parents’ anxious judgment.
> In today’s Gospel, two elderly people—Simeon and Anna—recognize the child Jesus as the promised Messiah. Perhaps Mary and Joseph had already begun to suspect this, but it turns out that most of the wise Jewish religious leaders never would.
> The challenge for all of us--in our families, in society and in the church--is to appreciate the wisdom and experience of older members. Not being invested in existing power arrangements, they might have wise suggestions about what needs to be changed and improved
> Eucharist is the ultimate medium for change and renewal—each time, each week, it challenges us to adapt to new challenges and experience.
For Discussion or Reflection
> Question for Children: Do you ever feel that a grandparent understand you better than your parents?
> Question for Youth: The closer you get to adulthood, have you discovered the value of an older person’s wisdom and experience?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we open to the insights and wisdom of older members, or do we assume they agree with the way things are?
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[Last Update: 11.25.22]
