Reflections for the Third Week in Ordinary Time 2012**
** These homilies were written by Fr. Howard in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
They refer to the daily readings for the Third Week in Ordinary Time 2012.
Sunday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time 2012
January 22, Mark 1: 14-20
Link to Readings for Daily Mass
After John the Baptist 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.”
These opening words from the Gospel chosen to be read on this Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, tell us the purpose, the aim, the thrust of Jesus’ mission. He came to encourage us and to suggest that we repent – that we take to heart the good news he was proclaiming.
The word “repent” means literally to “turn from one’s sin.” In the Greek it is the word metanoia. When we repent, we turn toward doing something the right way rather than doing it the wrong way. Repent means “a change of mind.” Repentance and conversion go together. We turn to another way of doing something. If, for example, I hate and do mean things to someone who is harming me, an enemy, if you will, I am going to have to change my mind and change my way of acting if I want to repent and follow the way of Jesus that tells me to love my enemy. I like to refer to repentance in a more modern way as making a U turn and changing direction in my life.
It is probably a fact of human nature that none of us likes to change. Human beings are creatures of habit. We develop a particular way of doing something, get used to this way from doing it over and over the same way, and find it very difficult and inconvenient to change that way. All of us, for example, when we put on a pair of pants or slacks put the same leg in first. That becomes our habit and we don’t even think about doing it any other way. The pants or slacks go on very easily this way. But, if for some reason or other, I try to put the other leg in first, I usually get all discombobulated, do a jig around the room and bounce off the wall. I changed my habit and things don’t go well.
The same thing is true of our living habits and attitudes. I used to like to drink and I drank a lot. I found my comfort and relaxation in drinking. It worked just fine for many years. What could have been better than to sit down after a busy day of teaching and have a few beers? But then it started to cause problems, big problems, and finally got so bad that I was getting sick and tired of being sick and tired. Change, repentance, was necessary if I wanted to continue to live. Despite this knowledge, it wasn’t easy to acquire this new way of doing things, this change. But with God’s help and the help of many other people who wished me well, I did change and found a new life, a new way of living comfortably.
What habits do I need to change in order to love God more and to love my neighbor more? This is what the Gospel for today urges us to reflect on. God and our neighbor make up the kingdom we profess to belong to here on earth according to the Gospel of Jesus. What do I have to change to be a better member?
With God's promised help, it is possible to change. We can change. We can repent.
Fr. Howard
Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
January 23, Mark 3: 22-30
Link to Readings for Daily Mass
“But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of everlasting sin.”
Today’s Gospel makes mention of the so-called “unforgiveable sin.” It is not unforgiveable because of God’s doing, but from our own doing. We make it unforgiveable ourselves. We have said before that the true disciple makes the values of Jesus his/her own. We have said that discipleship is an active thing. The disciple does what he/she believes. With regard to their sins, the true disciple knows that all they have to do is seek forgivness and it will be theirs.
God forgives the wrongs of the disciple, and the disciple, in turn, is to forgive those who harm him/her. But the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, the one who shows contempt or lack of reverence and belief for God, never desires forgiveness, does not ask for it because he/she denies the one who gives it, and therefore the sin remains unforgiveable.
As Pogo once said, “We have found the enemy and he/she is us.”
Fr. Howard
Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
January 24, Mark 3: 31-35
Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Link to Readings for Daily Mass
“For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Relationships are of the greatest importance to all of us. Alone we cannot survive for very long. We need others to help us, affirm us, encourage us and give us purpose and the wherewithal for living. Our relationships are lumped into two categories in the Great Commandment: God and Neighbor. There we are told we must love, be in relationship with, God and neighbor. And the greater and more intimate the relationship, the better.
We spoke on Sunday of repenting, changing our minds, conversion and making U turns in our lives. One of the main places we look for the possibility of change is regarding these relationships.
How can I make them better?
How can I better love God and my neighbor?
What is going on in my life that is blocking me from closer and more intimate relationships?
What changes would help these relationships?
Let’s all reflect on these questions today.
Fr. Howard
Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
January 25, Mark 16: 15-18
Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle
Link to Readings for Daily Mass
Today’s Gospel reminds me once again of Sunday’s homily on discipleship. True disciples are going to take the Gospel message and proclaim it to every creature, proclaim it to the world. We have talked about this many times before. The People of God are the people of the whole world. We are all together in the same boat. If one sinks, all sink. We are, as Vatican II tells us, in collegiality with one another. And the true disciple will keep this whole Church in mind and prays for it.
There are some strange words toward the end of this Gospel concerning those who believe. The Gospel tells us, “These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents in their hands and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
My Commentary on the New Testament says this, “The power to “tread on serpents” is mentioned in Luke (10: 19), but not the power to pick them up. The power to “drink any deadly thing” without harm is nowhere in the New Testament. (And when those words have been taken literally, they have caused death). In no Gospel does Jesus advocate the seeking of signs. A word to the wise is sufficient. It goes on to say: “Those signs, etc., here are found in the so-called longer ending of the Gospel of Mark. Sometime after Mark completed his Gospel, three anonymous authors offered other endings to it.”
All of this, of course, causes problems to arise among scholars that we do not have the time or space to discuss here. I refer any interested reader to a good Commentary on the Scriptures for further information.
Fr. Howard
Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
January 26, Mark 4: 21-25
Memorial of Saint Timothy and Saint Titus, bishops
Link to Readings for Daily Mass
"To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Let’s say that someone is a really good golfer. He shoots in the neighborhood of par all the time. Then, because of an injury, he has to stop playing the game for a year. Then he starts it up again -- and now, after the lay-off, he finds that he is really just a duffer. His fine game has left him. And if he stops for a longer and longer time, he will lose it all.
The same thing happens in our spiritual life. If, all of the sudden, for one reason or another, I cease to be caring, compassionate, forgiving, serving, etc., I will lose those gifts if I keep this up. The old adage that practice makes perfect is pretty true most of the time. In order to possess a gift, I have to continue to use it. Otherwise I will lose my grip on what I really want to have.
Does any of this ring a bell with you and your gifts or talents?
This makes for another fine meditation for our quiet time today.
Fr. Howard
Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
January 27, Mark 4: 26-34
Link to Readings for Daily Mass
Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel selection that we start out very small and then grow into a great plant in his kingdom. God can take a tiny gift, a tiny talent, and make it something great for his kingdom. Sometimes we look at our talents and compare them to someone else’s who has the same talents. And, of course, we come our second best and stop using our talents. Wrong!! We should never compare our talents and gifts to anyone else’s.
God gives to each the talents he wants them to have and for the purpose he intends. Someone who can only play a simple little tune on a piano might do more good in a given situation that someone who can play Beethoven’s symphonies perfectly. We are to take what God has given us and use it as best we can and let God be concerned with the rest.
Let us not compare ourselves to others.
Fr. Howard
Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
January 28, Mark 4: 35-41
Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church
Link to Readings for Daily Mass
Today the Church celebrates the feast day of one of the greatest theologians ever in the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas. Thomas entered the Dominican Order in 1243. After professing his vows, he studied at Cologne under St. Albert the Great. Thomas was nicknamed the “dumb ox” because of his quiet ways and huge size, but in reality he was a brilliant student. Later he studied in Parish and received the doctorate in Theology.
Thomas was a good writer and his greatest work was the “Summa Theologica” which was the standard theology text in seminaries up to 1965 and Vatican II. Thomas died in 1274 and was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V in 1323.
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
Fr. Howard
