June 9, 2024, 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

10 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent,
should be destroyed,
we have a building from God,
a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.  

The words of St Paul to the community at Corinth spoke to me this week.  St. Paul is speaking about the shortness of life. He reminds us that our faith tells us is true, that our God takes care of us when we die.

Maybe it is an occupational hazard, but I have been thinking about the brevity of life recently. 

I attended my annual retreat last month.  I returned to the National Shrine of St. Anne where I have attended a retreat the past three years. The first time I was pastor of St Paul’s in Hancock I made a connection with Fr. Francis Landry at the shrine. He is a Passionist, a community that meditates daily on the passion and death of Jesus. They take care of the shrine in Scranton.  I have known Fr. Fran since 2010, it was hard to see him struggling with the effects of Parkinson’s disease.  I received a letter last week from the provincial informing me Fran had fallen and is now in residence at the provincial house in Jamacia Queens.  I fear this was my last retreat at the shrine.

2 weeks ago, the final episode of Young Sheldon was broadcast. In the second to last episode, Sheldon’s dad suffered a fatal heart attack.  In the final episode, we found Sheldon reenacting the last time he saw his dad.  In his imagination, he thought about what he should have said or done differently.  I recalled my last moments with my dad and how life can change in a moment.

Last week I offered Last Rites to three people.  Those who have practiced their faith over the years seemed more ready to trust in God and go on to “the dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.”

There is an old credo that encourages us to “Live One Day at a Time”. This is easier said than done, but the truth of the matter is that all God gives us is this day this moment. We can make plans, but God is the one in charge. We live like the Israelites in a tent. This tent can be destroyed at any time. We leave it behind and go forward to a new dwelling. We are invited to trust our God today and into the future.

Every night St Ignatius recommends one take a daily Examen. One reviews the day and considers what one did well, did not do well, and gives thanks for the day that has been and offers a prayer for the day to come.

The examen helps in living one day at a time.  When looking back over the day I discover many people, events and things to be thankful for. Each time I pray the examen it brings me back to living one day at a time.  When told by a follower that he was too busy to pray St. Ignatius told him, “Never forget to pray the daily examen.”.

We are living under a tent, none of us knows when the tent will be folded up, but our faith tells us that we will be given” a dwelling not made by human hands, eternal in heaven.”

Palm Sunday, Year C

By Deacon Paul Cerosaletti • April 13, 2025
I have long thought that the Church gives us the two Gospel passages we hear today — the account of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the account of his Passion and death — for very practical reasons: this is the last Sunday before Easter when we will celebrate Christ’s Resurrection and not everyone is able to attend and celebrate the Triduum liturgies during Holy Week. Therefore, the Church places these two critical Gospel passages together so that we hear and experience them in a regular Sunday Mass setting — literally, to ‘fit them in’ before Easter. But there is another equally, if not more, important reason we are to experience these Gospel passages together. And I honestly don’t know if the Church intends this reason or not, but I believe the Holy Spirit intends it. These two Gospel passages remind us as much as any passage that Jesus Christ, while fully Divine, is also fully human. He is like us in all manner except one, in committing sin. He therefore shares with us the experience of the full range of our humanity. In these two Gospel passages we experience Christ moving from triumph to tragedy, from soaring to suffering: the triumphant, soaring entry into Jerusalem and the suffering and tragedy of His Passion and crucifixion. Christ’s human experience is also our human experience, for do not we all experience triumph and tragedy, soaring and suffering? Therefore, we do not have a God and Savior who cannot sympathize with our human experience, but rather one who shares it with us! And we have a God and Savior who not only soared and suffered for us, but soars and suffers with us. Not just two thousand years ago, but right here, right now, in every minute of our lives. For what did Jesus promise? “I am with you always , until the end of time.” (Mt 28:20) When we soar and triumph, Jesus is with us, by our side. And when we suffer and experience tragedy, especially, Jesus is with us, by our side. We are encouraged to give thanks to God in our triumphs and soaring. And we are invited to unite our suffering with Christ’s suffering and offer it up for whatever or whomever is in need. Christ’s suffering was not pointless, and united to His, neither is ours. We offer it up, trust, and hope. Sisters and brothers, that hope comes from our knowledge of the rest of the Gospel story that we will experience with Christ: that His triumph and tragedy, His soaring and suffering does not end in death, but in the glory of Easter Resurrection.

5th Sunday of Lent C - April 6, 2025

By Fr. Chris Welch • April 5, 2025
5 th Sunday of Lent C April 6, 2025 Often someone will approach me and ask if I can do x y or z on such and such a date. I am not always good and knowing my schedule in the future, so I will say, “send me the dates and I will get back to you.” Sometimes they will send me the dates, sometime not. If I say yes, I may find I have a conflict. This is a stalling tactic giving me time to discern how to respond. This is what Jesus does as he writes on the ground. He knows the Scribes and Pharisees are using the woman to trap him, so he bends down to scribble in the dust to have time to answer them. When he does answer them, his statement is not about the woman’s actions, but about the motives of the accusers. He knows they hope to trap him. If he suggests the woman be released, he has broken the Mosaic law, if he suggests she be stoned he will be in trouble with the Romans. So, he focuses on the motive and state of the accusers. In our first reading we are reminded that God is doing something new. Jesus does something new. He doesn’t focus on what the law says, but he focuses on what is in the heart of the accusers. Mosaic law says that those caught in Adultery, both the man and the woman should be killed. Here we only have the woman. We are told she was caught in the act, but where is the man? For the season of Lent, we have been piling stones in our desert. These stones are the Character defects we wish to reform in this season. They are not for killing others but given to God to use to build us into a new creation. Jesus allows the woman to become a new creation. He refuses to condemn her, He encourages her to sin no more and to go free from the accusations of the temple officials. Have you been like the woman accused by others? How did you experience the forgiveness of your God? When have you been like a Scribe or Pharisee pointing the accusatory finger at another? Cast aside the stones you have wanted to hurl at the other and look inside your heart and see how God’s forgiveness has made you a new creation.

Third Sunday of Lent C - March 23, 2025

By Fr. Christopher Welch • March 24, 2025
After Moses has his conversation with God in the Burning Bush, Moses asks God for what name he should use in referring to God. God gives the vague answer, “I am who I am.” Asking for someone’s name is a common occurrence. When we refer to someone with their name, we honor them. We all like to be referred to by name. This is one way we honor a person. Not all of us are good at remembering names, but when we do remember and use the name of the other person, we honor them. One of the names for God is taken from our psalm, “The Lord is kind and merciful”. God is also patient. The parable from the gospel about the fig tree is a parable about God’s patience. God, being the gardener, is willing to wait a year for fruit. God works the same for all of us. God is patient with us. Not everyone comes to faith in the same way or the same time frame. Some take less time, others more. When we see a new face in church we don’t ask “What took you so long?” or “Where have you been?” We simply say, “Welcome! It is good to have you here.” We ask and learn the name of the new person and we speak to him or her each week using their name and making them feel welcome. Maybe you have been a fig tree or known someone who is or was a fig tree. This is a good reason to give thanks to the patient nature of God. Remember the kingdom is in the future and now.