Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - October 6, 2024

This week the first reading and the Gospel focus on marriage.  As many of you know, my wife, Rosemary, passed away unexpectedly in 2012.  We were married for 27 years.  I was Italian, from New York.  She was English and Irish, from Michigan.  I was the son of a fireman.  She was the daughter of a business executive.  On paper, our relationship had little chance of succeeding, yet, it did succeed.  However, even successful marriages have disagreements from time to time, but we did not allow those disagreements to define our relationship.  Our sacred covenant was much more important to us than the day-to-day issues over which we sometimes disagreed.  Interestingly, when we were first married, we even disagreed about how to resolve disagreements.

Where I came from, arguments quickly escalated into very loud exchanges and then quickly de-escalated.  In Rosemary’s family, disagreements often led to silence.  They would somehow be resolved after not talking for a day or two.  We each had to put our past aside so that we could agree on a strategy for resolving most disputes with civil conversation. Our marriage succeeded because we learned to communicate with each other “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health…”  We passionately talked through problems that, in retrospect, seem insignificant, as well as the dreaded diagnosis of cancer.  Of course, we also had thousands of joy-filled conversations about John as he grew.

Today, sacramental marriage seems to be regarded as a quaint novelty.  Most couples, even Catholic couples, opt for secular weddings on the beach or at a fancy venue.  They disregard the idea that God established marriage as a sacred bond.  They laugh at the statement, “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.”  The past 12 years of being a widower, studying to be a priest, and counseling couples, have given me a more informed perspective on marriage.  There is no doubt that I could have been a far better husband – more patient, less critical, more generous, and less controlling.  I urge those of you who are married to appreciate what you have, keep things in perspective, always keep communicating, and never forget that your love for one another should be at the core of everything that you say and do.  May God bless the sacred bond of marriage.

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - September 29, 2024

Sometimes we get carried away with a person’s status (or lack of status) when deciding if we support that person or not.  Other times, we might set the bar so high for others that we are unable to appreciate their best efforts because those efforts do not meet our expectations.  It seems to me that someone who puts in the time and effort and who achieves good results should be commended regardless of his or her status and even if those results were not perfect.

In this weekend’s readings from the Book of Numbers and from Mark’s Gospel, we are told about individuals who were doing excellent work on behalf of Moses and Jesus.  Yet, in the case of Moses, the two men were criticized because they had “missed the meeting” at which prophesy credentials were handed out.  In the case of Jesus, some men showed great faith in Jesus by performing mighty deeds in His name, but they had not officially signed on as followers of Jesus.  In both cases the followers of Moses and Jesus wanted these “imposters” to stop their work.  In both cases, Moses and Jesus said, “No.  Let them continue to do the good work that they are doing.”

Why would we ever want to stop someone from doing good work?  I sometimes encounter folks who carefully scrutinize what goes on at the parish and within the Church as a whole.  They are quick to point out rules and to disqualify those who are acting with good intentions, but who fail to meet their standards of perfection.  They criticize the hierarchy of the Church, the priests of the Church, and their fellow lay people.  In the Gospels, Jesus often encounters religious leaders who have this level of intolerance.  He demonstrates little patience for this approach.

In a homily about this passage from Mark’s Gospel, Pope Francis said, “The disciples were a little intolerant.”  They proudly relied on the fact that they ​​possessed the truth and they were convinced that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good…This was wrong…Jesus broadens the horizon.” Pope Francis went on to say that, “The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation…We must meet one another doing good.”  Let’s approach one another with open minds and pure hearts.

Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection - September 22, 2024

James Earl Jones (Michigan, Class of ’55) died last week at the age of 93. Many knew him best as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars. Darth Vader was the personification of evil in the epic battle of survival between the noble Jedi Knights and the evil Empire. In fact, until the last moments of Episode 5, we are led to believe that there is absolutely no good in him whatsoever. Star Wars is just one of thousands of stories in which the forces of good and evil square off. Sadly, each day the battle between good and evil also continues to be fought in real life.

This week’s passage from the Book of Wisdom acknowledges the battle of good and evil. In it, the author attempts to explain the mentality of those who are evil. They condemn the “just one” because he challenges, criticizes, and tries to block their evil schemes and plans. They complain that the righteous man is “obnoxious” to them. Those who are evil are most irritated that the righteous claim: to know God; to be children of God; and, that God will protect them against evil. To the evildoers, these claims are arrogant and insulting. Therefore, they decide that the best course of action is to torture and kill the just men. If their arrogant claims are true, they will be protected. If not, they will get the treatment that they deserve.

During the Reformation, the Book of Wisdom was removed from the Old Testament because the reformers believed that it was not divinely inspired. Yet, this particular passage, like last week’s passage from the Prophet Isaiah, appears to be very clearly foretelling the life, suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Indeed, the author instructs that the righteous one should suffer a shameful death and “God will take care of him.” It is strange to me that the Protestant Biblical scholars of the 16th century (who, before about 1520, were Catholic Biblical Scholars) would abandon such a prophetic book. In my mind, there is no doubt that this passage is pointing to Jesus Christ – the righteous man who died a shameful death at the hands of those who were evil. There is also no doubt that God did, in fact, “take care” of Him!