~~~SisterSea~~~

First Reading: Leviticus 13-:1-2, 45-46 Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 Gospel: Mark 1:40-45 Today's first reading from Leviticus sets the stage for today's gospel. It introduces us to what would be better translated as a “scale disease.” Scale disease includes a variety of conditions where the skin becomes scaly, for example, psor iasis . It is not the disease we know as leprosy today. Unlike leprosy, full recovery from scale diseases was possible. Still, Leviticus says one suffering from scale disease must live alone, separated from the community— and is unclean. Today's Gospel tells us that Jesus ignores the cleanliness laws, takes pity on the man with scale disease, and touches him—and cures him. Jesus shows his respect for the Law by sending the healed man to the priest but he is also stepping on the priests' toes. According to the Law, by touching...

February 1, 2015   First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 There have been many misunderstandings of today's second reading. These have had detrimental ecclesial and cultural effects. These were felt most profoundly in Roman Catholic cultures and circles. Things are changing now mainly because of the abuse scandals but traditionally in these cultures, people who took a vow of celibacy were seen to be closer to God or more holy than those who chose marriage or the un-vowed single life. Not all adverse effect are as well known as the abuse scandals. For example, when I lived in Ottawa, I knew three nuns who where in the psychiatric ward at the Ottawa General Hospital. Only one of them actually had a mental illness. The other two were hospitalized for the crippling anxiety each experienced when she realized that ...

18 January 2015 2 nd Sunday in Ordinary Time First Reading: 1 Samuel 3.3b-10, 19 Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 6.13c-15a, 17-10 Gospel: John 1:35-42 Today is the 101 st World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Today's readings are about “Call and Conduct.” The first reading is about hearing, recognizing and listening to God's voice. In the part of today's passage from 1 Samuel, Chapter 3, that the lectionary left out. God tells Samuel that he is going to punish his mentor Eli and his family because Eli failed to stop his sons from their blasphemous behaviour. In the morning, Eli asks Samuel to be truthful and tell him what God said. Samuel has to decide whether or not to speak God's truth to Eli, the priest who is mentoring him. What the lectionary left out is about the integrity and courage to speak truth to power. In the second reading, once again, the lectionary...

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6 Second Reading: Ephesians 3.2-3a.5-6 Gospel: Matthew 2.1-12 Today is the feast of the Epiphany, which is one of the feasts where the readings are the same each year. So, I revisited the meaning of the word “ epiphany. ” It comes from the ancient Greek word, epiphaneia , which means “manifestation or striking appearance." An epiphany is an experience of sudden and striking realization. The term is generally used to describe scientific breakthroughs and religious or philosophical discoveries. However, epiphany can also refer to any situation in which an enlightening realization allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective. After reviewing the meaning of the word epiphany , I looked at the homily starter I gave last year. The same Lectionary omission in the second reading caught my attention again this year. I realized that although epiphanies are oft...

21 st December 2014 First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 Second Reading: Romans 16.25-27 Gospel: Luke 1.26-38 Our Advent series , which we'll finish tomorrow, invites us to explore Advent in the new universe story. Looked at this way the Nativity narratives are about the birth of Jesus, the Incarnation. However, the birth of the Christ is God's love made manifest with the birth of the universe. During our Advent retreat we looked at the holy disturbances God placed in the lives of the scriptural characters we encounter in the Christmas story. Today's first reading and Gospel emphasize the theme of God's Presence throughout the holy disturbances God places in people's lives as well as how God is present in the new universe story.    First let's look at God's holy disturbances. The first reading refers to how God transformed David from a simple...

Dec. 7, 2014 - Shared Homily Starter (see note) First Reading Isaiah 40:1-5, 6-8 , 9-11 Second Reading 2 Peter 3:8-14 Gospel Mark 1:1-8 Every Sunday during the Lord's prayer, I say the words, “protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.” Although it's hard to be hopeful with all that's going on in the world, Advent is our liturgical season of joyful hope. Today's second reading tells us that we are to wait for the fulfillment of God's promise for “new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.” Isaiah tells us, that “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord” and Mark's gospel suggests that John the Baptist is “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” So Advent is also a wilderness time, a time where we too, prepare the way for the Christ to be born again in us. For the Jews and early Christians, w...

23 November 2014 – Shared Homily Starter First Reading Ezekiel 34.11-12, 15-17 Second Reading 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28 Gospel Matthew 25:31-46 Today is the feast of Christ the King or Reign of Christ Sunday . The mental images that the words “king” and “reign” bring to mind are based on our knowledge of the actions of kings and political leaders. Today's first reading from the priest and prophet Ezekiel gives us God's view of leadership. The image of the shepherd is commonly used to portray good monarchs in biblical literature. So, if we think of Christ the King as Christ the Good Shepherd, we have a truer sense of what this day is about. Now, Ezekiel lived during the time the city of Jerusalem and it's Temple were destroyed in 586 BCE. He experienced the early years of the Babylonian exile. So through Ezekiel, God is saying that the "shepherds" have not taken care of the "flock,...

9 November 2014 Shared Homily Starter First Reading: Isaiah 2:4 Second Reading: Romans 8:19-25 Gospel: Matthew 5:3-11 Today, the whole of creation is certainly groaning. We know the earth and all its species, including us, are experiencing ecological devastation. Remembrance Day is in two days. It's the day we remember those who died in war. It's the day we are supposed to remember that we should no longer wage war. The first reading like today's Gospel speaks of God's design for us in that regard. In ancient Israel, when the ruling classes forced peasants to fight their wars, unlike the military class, they were not provided with armor or weapons. Rather they had to reforge their farm tools such as pruning-hooks, hoes, rakes, and ploughs into weapons. Today's first reading refers to when we learn to live as God intended, peasants will have no need ...

On October 15, 2014, my book, Transforming Addiction , was published.   Addiction is a problem of concern in many communities around the globe.  Assorted strategies have been studied or implemented to address the problem with varied amounts of success. This study investigates spirituality, a largely unexplored factor in recovery from addictions, and its role in the learning processes that transformed the participants from addicts to abstainers.  In addition to examining sociological factors, this study explores the questions of how powerlessness and surrender translate into sobriety as well as the motivation to help others in the recovery process.  Through exploring the participants’ stories, this study deepens understanding of the role of spirituality in recovery from addictions and presents spirituality as the catalyst that led the participants to undertake compassionate service with people still in active addiction. This exploration should provide new in...

Shared Homily Starter First Reading: Exodus 22.21-27 Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1.5c-10 Gospel: Matthew 22.34-40 Today's Gospel sums up the Exodus chapters on the Law, which include today's reading. In the First Reading, the author of Exodus presents just a few ways we show love for our neighbour. If I were to contemporize the first two, it would go something like this. You shall not exploit, oppress or make life difficult for immigrants and refugees. Remember you or your ancestors were also once strangers to this land. You shall not refuse the necessities of life to anyone. Everyone should have security when it comes to their sustenance and health, especially single mothers, children, the disabled and the elderly. Unfortunately the truth is, we, the ordinary folks of the world, are witnesses of oppression on a global scale. This mega-oppression operates as a pervasive erosion that...

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Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time First Reading Isaiah 25.6-10a Second Reading Philippians 4.12-14, 19-20 Gospel Reading Matthew 22.1-14   Sometimes in our dedication to being good Christians, we forget that Jesus was a Jew. We forget that much of what Jesus says in the New Testament is an expansion of themes found in the Hebrew Scriptures, especially the Prophets. We also forget that Paul's writing comes from a man grounded in the Torah and the Prophets. One of the central themes found in the Hebrew Scriptures is justice. Jesus' parable in today's Gospel can be viewed as a prequel of sorts to today's passage from Isaiah, in which the Prophet tells us of the feast God will prepare. But our God is not content just to feed our stomachs and relieve our thirst, God is going to soothe the hurts we have received. God “will wipe away the tears from all faces” and take away the disgrace...