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Posted by on Aug 9, 2026

A Quiet Presence in the Storm

A Quiet Presence in the Storm

Droughts, fires, floods, famines, plagues, wars, discord among communities and families – so many, many difficult and destructive things happening all at once these days. It’s hard to know how to respond in ways that are constructive and supportive of all the best in humanity.

Hard as it is to be hopeful sometimes, we do well to remember that living together in peace has never been a hallmark of the human experience. We generally do better at being good to each other within our local communities, but we don’t always succeed even there. Some folks always seem to get left out for one reason or another. Anyone outside our local community is suspect. We don’t trust those folks, assuming we even credit them with being human.

    • What if they want our food?
    • What if they take our homes?
    • What will they do to our sons and daughters?
    • Are they even human? Probably not! They do things so differently than we do…
    • And so it goes. Again and again in human history.

So much for the history of human interaction. What about the craziness and unpredictability of the weather?

    • Will the rain come in time for the crops?
    • Will the migrating animals we need for food, clothing, and shelter come through our area again this year?
    • Will it ever stop raining? It just keeps coming and the creek is rising. It’ll be coming in the front door soon! I
    • It’s so darned hot – even the sun-loving crops are dying in the fields!
    • The forest and the grasslands are burning out of control. The skies are black and the sun is orange!

Who is causing all this chaos? It must be an angry god! This was the explanation proposed for thousands of years to these very real challenges which we still face today.

When the prophet Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal, he got in so much trouble with the wife of the king that he had to flee. He went off by himself, expecting simply to die alone somewhere. But the Lord sent a messenger with food for him and told him to go Mount Horeb, otherwise known as Mount Sinai, the Lord’s mountain where Moses received the Law. There he was to wait for the coming of the Lord.

Elijah obeyed and arriving at the mountain, he went into a cave for shelter. The Lord told him to go stand on the mountain, outside the cave. There the Lord would pass by in his sight.

Elijah obeyed and went to the mouth of the cave. As he waited there, just inside the cave, the wind blew wildly, and the earth shook, breaking rocks as if they were dry bread. Then fire came, blowing over the side of the mountain and consuming everything in its path. But the Lord was not in the fire.

Finally, there was a very quiet stillness and just a hint of a whisper. This was the moment in which the Lord was passing in front of Elijah. Elijah used his cloak to cover his face and went to stand at the foot of the cave, as the Lord had instructed him to do.

The Lord was not present in the fire and wind and earthquake. All of those can do great harm. Yet they were not signs of the Lord’s presence. The Lord was present in the quiet whisper of what might have been a gentle breeze. (1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a)

A quiet peace also marked Jesus’ response to the challenges of a great storm.

Once he had fed the crowd of over 5,000 people who had come to hear him teach and heal the sick in the countryside across the lake, Jesus went off by himself to pray. He often did this. He had sent his disciples off in the boat to go home too. He could walk home the next day. It wasn’t that far.

But a storm came up on the lake that night. The boat was being tossed around and the wind was blowing it in the wrong direction. Jesus saw it happening and began walking across the water to them.

Think about it. A man whom you consider to be a teacher and healer is now walking on the water of a stormy sea! Since that is clearly impossible for a human to do, it must be a spirit of some sort – a ghost! It’s a terrifying thought for most people and the disciples were no exception.

Jesus saw their fear and called out to them not to be afraid. Peter wanted to be sure. “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” Jesus responded. And Peter, ever brash Peter, hopped out of the boat and began walking toward Jesus. Then he came to his senses and panicked. As he began sinking, he cried out to Jesus to save him and Jesus responded immediately, taking him by the hand and getting him back to the boat.

“Why did you doubt,” Jesus asked Peter. He asks us the same thing today. Why do you doubt? Why do you not trust me?

St. Matthew tells us the disciples paid him homage – “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Mt 14:22-33)

Do we really believe his words too? When he says we are to feed the hungry, clothe those who have no clothing, find homes for those without them, welcome and help those who come from other lands, care for the sick, visit those in prison or are otherwise isolated from the community, why do we doubt that he really meant it?

In our own lives, how do we pay him homage? Do we lock ourselves away and build walls to keep people out? Do we stop people who don’t look like us and toss them out of the country? Do we refuse to help parents who can’t earn enough to buy food and provide homes for their children? How do we pay him homage?

He has already told us. We are called to find the Lord present in the storm, quietly calling each of us to be bearers of peace and help within our world. We begin with our families and communities, but we must also reach out and welcome others who come to our communities needing help and support to work and contribute to the well-being of all. We are called to live the truth that Jesus is the Son of God, come to share our lives and lead us into a better way to be humans and communities of life and love.

Not all in our families or communities will agree with how this is to happen or with what urgency. St. Paul felt a great pain and frustration that his religious and national community did not quickly recognize Jesus and become followers of the way. (Rom 9:1-5) We who deal with these kinds of conflicting visions within our nations and families experience some of the same pain.

Yet we are still called to follow the call we hear from the Lord. Only in the continued witness of our lives of service and outreach can Love quietly continue to reach out and transform hearts and lives. Our refusal to break engagement with families and friends in violent or in negative interactions will be essential for the rebuilding of those relationships and building the kind of open, loving communities across our local communities, nations, and the entire world that are characteristic of the Kingdom of God. When the needs of those least able to fend for themselves are being addressed, all benefit as their gifts and talents shine forth for the good of all.

A quiet presence in the storm – the one who brings gentle kindness and healing to all who will accept it, in union with our sisters and brothers around the world.

As we move through our lives this week, may we remember to watch for those who need help, to be kind to those we meet, to speak up for those whose needs are being denied, and to trust that the Lord will be present in those quiet moments of fellowship and service as we work to build a better world community for all.

Peace be with you on the journey.

Readings for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

 

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Posted by on May 17, 2026

Why Are You Standing There Looking At The Sky?

Why Are You Standing There Looking At The Sky?

Have you ever been to a fair or festival that ended with fireworks soaring into the night sky? All who are present typically stop what they are doing and gaze upwards to see the bright lights and the amazing patterns created in the darkness. The lights shine brightly for a moment, then disappear. All who are watching continue to focus on the dark sky, wondering what will come next. Eventually the last one comes – often with multiple different bursts of patterns and colors. Everyone continues to watch for a bit longer, wondering if there will be another one to come. Finally, it becomes clear the show is over, the fair has ended, and it’s time to pack up and go home.

Something similar happened when Jesus appeared to his friends the last time, though only St. Luke describes it in any detail.

If we take time to look at the end of the four Gospels at the same time, we notice something interesting. None of them ends exactly the same way. St. Matthew doesn’t mention the appearances to the eleven in the upper room, or on the road to Emmaus. He jumps from the bribing of the guards to report that the body of Jesus had been stolen to the disciples seeing Jesus in Galilee on the mountain, presumably the one on which he had preached what we call the Sermon on the Mount. On the mountain, he gave them their instructions to go out and tell the world of his coming and to baptize all nations, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” He promises to be with them to the end of the age. (Mt 28:16-20)

St. Mark has the commissioning occur at the table in Jerusalem after the two disciples had returned from Emmaus. Then Mark says, Jesus was taken up into heaven and seated at the right hand of God. The disciples went out and preached everywhere and their words were confirmed by the signs the Lord worked through them.

St. Luke explains that after Jesus appeared to the disciples at the table in Jerusalem, he took them out to Bethany, raised his hands in blessing, and was taken up into heaven. They returned to Jerusalem joyfully and spent their time in the temple praising God.

St. John is the only one who gives us much information about the time in Galilee. His are the stories of Peter and the others once again on the seashore with a huge catch of fish after a fruitless night of fishing. John doesn’t mention the Ascension at all. He simply ends by telling his readers that these were by far not the only deeds of Jesus, but the entire world would not be able to contain all the books that would have to be written to tell of them!

How then, do we know more about the Ascension and what happened with the disciples afterwards? St. Luke wrote a second book, the Acts of the Apostles, that begins with the Ascension in more detail and continues the story through the first couple of decades of the history of the Christian community.

Jesus appeared to his friends over a period of 40 days after the Resurrection. During that time, he taught them many more things, including an on-going promise that he would send an Advocate for them from the Father who would make everything more clear, especially those things that seemed impossible to believe based on their own experience up to that time. He told them to remain in Jerusalem and wait for “the promise of the Father,” that they would be baptized with the holy Spirit.

They had many questions, including whether the time had come for the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. Jesus must have shaken his head sadly at that question. They still didn’t comprehend that his mission was not to restore a worldly kingdom for any group of people. So, he told them clearly, it’s not your privilege to know the Father’s plans! But … something more important was coming, the holy Spirit would come and give them the ability to be witnesses for Jesus in Judea, Samaria, and to the rest of the world.

Then he was taken from their sight, hidden in a cloud. They stood there, mouths open in surprise! What had just happened? They were sort of used to him showing up and then leaving/disappearing. But this? Into or on a cloud?

They stood looking up to the sky, wondering what would happen next. Was that the end of the show for the day, sort of like the end of a fireworks show? When would he show up again and how?

And then there were two men beside them, dressed in white clothing. (Wearing white clothing was something rare enough that the color is mentioned.) The men asked, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” Jesus would return the way he had just left, they explained, but no more details were given than that. (Acts 1:1-11)

At that point, there was nothing left but to return to Jerusalem from the mountain where they had last seen the Lord. It was close to Jerusalem, just a sabbath day’s journey away.

Forty days after the Resurrection actually happens to be a Thursday, but in order for us to be able to celebrate it more easily, the bishops moved its observation to the Sunday before Pentecost.

This is a time for prayer and reflection on the Good News we have received and our mission to share it in our world. A time of hope for the coming of the Holy Spirit again into our lives, with strength and wisdom to help us witness through service and faithfulness to the teachings of our Lord. (Eph 1:17-23)

We stand looking up, hoping for miracles. Yet our witness and actions are still very much needed in our world today. Jesus is here among us yet, within us, reaching out to bring peace, justice, and healing to all peoples. He has not left us. Our war-like behavior will not bring him back on the clouds in glory. He is still here. The glory that is to come will be seen when the basic needs of all people are being addressed. When food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, a way to have and support a family, and to live with the dignity of being a human person are not the rights of just a few but are the rights of all, and obtainable by all.

This day, this week, this month, this year – we are called to act, to speak, to live as if Jesus is truly alive and we are truly his Body.

Do we believe it? Do we act on that belief? Will we close our astonished mouths, look around us, see the Lord present among all those we meet and get to work to make the Good News of God’s unconditional love for all people and all of creation known through our lives and actions?

Christ is Risen. Christ has ascended to the Father. Christ lives in us now.

Peace be with you.

Readings for  The Ascension of the Lord – Cycle A

 

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Posted by on Oct 18, 2025

Keep Trying – Advice for life and prayer

Keep Trying – Advice for life and prayer

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”  We hear this saying so often as we grow up that we often stop paying attention to it. A roll of the eyes, a shake of the head, a shrug of shoulders – so many ways to tell the one who has spoken these words to us that we don’t really want to try any more. But “keep trying” is generally not bad advice. So many things we need to do or want to do require persistence. Babies have to keep trying to learn to sit up, to crawl, to stand, to walk. We have to practice to learn to speak. Just about everything about being a human being requires some sort of practice. Only a smile or a happy laugh seem to come naturally. They are among the most welcome things any of us ever give or receive.

Trying in an Ancient Conflict

In the years between the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and their entry into Palestine, there were forty years of traveling around the Sinai Peninsula and lands east of the Jordan River. There were already people living there and sometimes conflicts arose.

At one point, Amalek led an army against the Israelites. Moses recognized that Joshua was a natural leader in defense of the people against other warring groups, so he had Joshua choose the men who would join in battle against Amalek. Moses went to a hilltop nearby to pray for God’s help and support in the battle. He raised his arms over his head in prayer.

While Moses’ arms were raised, the battle went well for Israel. But he couldn’t keep his arms up in the air unsupported for very long. Whenever he lowered them to rest, the battle shifted and Amalek’s forces gained ground.

Fortunately, two other men were there with Moses. They found a rock on which he could sit and then each stood beside him, helping him hold his arms up in prayer. They did this for  hours, all day long, until at last the battle was won by Joshua and the Israelites. (Ex 17:8-13)

Moses had to keep trying, and his friends helped make that possible. It was a community activity.

A Widow Keeps Trying

Sometimes we wonder if our prayers are heard. In hard times, we may wonder if God cares or if we should keep trying. Jesus gave us a story to help us understand.

Widows in Jesus’ day were among the most vulnerable people. They had no real rights. Women’s identities were based on the men in their family. First their father, then their husband, and eventually, their sons. Once a woman was married, her father was no longer responsible for her. If her husband died and she had no adult sons, she was on her own. But there were no real jobs or careers for women, so poverty and insecurity were their lot.

So, here was Jesus’ story. A widow had a claim for justice and went to the local court to claim her rights. The judge at the court was not an honest man. He ruled against her and in favor of her opponent. She brought the case again, and again he ruled against her. This happened repeatedly. Finally, the judge had had enough. He decided the only way he was going to get this settled was to rule in her favor, lest she eventually find a way to hurt him.

Jesus pointed out that because she kept trying, she eventually prevailed in the case, even against an unjust judge. How much more likely, therefore, was it that God would hear the prayers of his people. God, the just one, would come to help those who call on him. (Lk 18:1-8)

Does this mean that whatever we ask for will be granted? Well … if it’s something that is good for us or for the community, then yes. If not, then something else may be God’s gift of a response to the prayer.

The important thing is to keep praying, to continue to trust that the Father cares and is looking out for us. Keep trying. Keep hoping. Keep loving.

A Worthy Goal

Jesus’ teachings about the importance of prayer and persistence were rooted in Hebrew tradition and Scripture. We Christians sometimes think of Scripture primarily in terms of the writings of the followers of Jesus. But for Jesus and his followers, Scripture was the tradition of the Hebrew people – the stories of how everything came to be as it is now, as well as the history of their nation. The Law, the teachings of the prophets, the wisdom learned through the ages – all were/are part of Scripture.

St. Paul reminded Timothy of the wisdom learned from the Scriptures. This wisdom is the basis for teaching, guiding, even reproving (scolding) those whose actions are not in line with the Father’s hopes and dreams for us.

Paul notes, “Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it.”  Point 1 – The validity of sources of teaching and information from humans matters!

He adds, “… from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation…” Point 2 – Scripture becomes a source of wisdom for us from infancy.

Scripture, inspired by God over the centuries, provides the background truths that we now bring to our own ministry of teaching and witnessing to the Good News through our good works and care of others. (2 Tim 3:14-4:2)

What then are we to do with what we have heard and learned from our teachers (such as Paul) and Scripture? We are to “be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient” in sharing it with those we meet and with whom we interact.

Keep Trying – Convenient or Inconvenient

Today we too are called to be persistent in our prayer, in our actions, in sharing and living out what we have come to believe. God who is love calls each of us to love and care for all the rest of the people with whom we live. This isn’t just caring for our immediate family, our extended family, or those who share our ethnic, cultural, or national identity.

When our leaders fail to care for or target the vulnerable, we are called to speak out.

When access to housing, education, nutrition, healthcare, safety is restricted to only certain groups of people in our communities, we are called to speak out.

When those with lower incomes are treated with less care or consideration in public places or in businesses or schools, we are called to speak out.

When those whose names sound strange or foreign to us and so we treat them with scorn or dismiss them as illegals, therefore criminals and not worthy of common courtesy or legal human rights, we are called to speak out.

The Psalmist cries out to us in the voice of the poor and the oppressed, “I lift up my eyes toward the mountains; whence shall help come to me? My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8)

This week, may we be ones who speak and act on behalf of the poor and the oppressed. May we be among those who count on the help of the Lord and share the gifts we have been given for the good of all.

Keep trying – in life, in faith, and with confidence that the Lord hears the cry of the poor and comes to their aid.

Readings for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

And more thoughts from several years ago.

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Posted by on Aug 24, 2025

The Narrow Door

The Narrow Door

A young man wrote a letter to a priest.  He told the priest he could use the letter any way he wished.  Except for a few minor changes, here’s what the young man wrote:

“I was one of the top swimmers in my category in Canada.  Then one day I let my friends talk me into experimenting with drugs.  I got hooked, and soon my mental, physical, and spiritual health deteriorated badly… I knew I was all screwed up.  I became lonely and terribly frightened.  There was no one I could talk to.  To make matters worse, I was in debt to drug dealers for over $3,000.  I figured my only way out was suicide, so I went home and wrote this note:

Dear Mom and Dad, I am sorry to cause you this pain…please don’t grieve too much.  If I had stayed alive, I would have caused you a lot more grief than by what I just did…I love you and the whole family.            (signed) Christopher

“I began to drink to overcome fear as I prepared to take my life.  Then at the last minute something made me stop; I grabbed the phone and called a crisis center.  I didn’t know it then, but my mother was praying like mad for me.  A few days later I entered a drug rehabilitation program.  Soon I regained my physical and psychological health.  It was then that I started reading the Bible.  The more I read it, the more peace and joy I felt.  This led me to put all my trust in God.

“Meanwhile, there developed in me this growing desire to learn more about Jesus and to get to know him better.  It’s kind of funny.  I must have prayed on my knees at least ten times – asking Jesus to come into my life – before I realized that he was already in my life…

“All this happened about five years ago.  Since then, God has blessed me greatly.  I teach in a Catholic high school and I’m active in my parish community…I’m also still trying to learn how to open myself more and more to the love and mercy of God.

Sincerely yours,
Chris”

That letter illustrates one of the points in today’s gospel: The door to God’s kingdom is, indeed, narrow.  But that didn’t stop Chris from trying to enter.  He struggled and struggled until he did.  I wonder how many people (like you and me), would have had the courage to struggle as Christopher did.

Someone said there are three kinds of Christians: Tug-boat Christians, sail-boat Christians, and raft Christians.  Tug-boat Christians are people who follow Jesus not only in sunny weather but also in stormy weather.  They are people who follow Jesus not only when the wind and the tide serve them but also when the wind and the tide oppose them.  They are people who go to Mass not because they have to but because Jesus said at the Last Supper, “Do this in memory of me.” (Luke 22:19) They are people who help other people not because they feel like it but because Jesus said, “Love one another as I love you.” (John 15:12)

Sail-boat Christians, on the other hand, are people who follow Jesus when the wind and the tide serve them.  But when the wind and the tide oppose them, they tend to go in the direction they are blown.  They are people who go to Mass when family and friends go.  But left to themselves, they often miss.  They are the people who ask, “How far can I go before I sin?”  Rather than, “How much more can I do because I love?”  They are people who tend to follow the crowd more then they follow the Gospel.

Finally, there are the raft Christians.  They are Christians in name only.  They don’t really follow Jesus, even when the wind and the tide serve them.  If they do go in his direction, it’s only because someone pulls or pushes them.  They are people who do Christian things not because they want to but because they have to.  In short, they are Christians in name but not in deed.

The question set before us is this:  Are we a tug-boat Christian, a sail-boat Christian, or a raft Christian?  Are we tug-boat Christians?  Do we follow Jesus in good times and in bad?  Do we go with him not only through the wide door but also through the narrow door?  Or are we sail-boat Christians?  Do we follow Jesus only in good times?  Or are we raft Christians?  Are we Christians in name only?

These are some of the growth questions today’s readings set before us.  No one can answer them for us.  We must do that ourselves.

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

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