Sunday Reflection for July 05, 2009
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Sunday Summary

Ezekiel 2:2-5 The prophet is sent into a hard and rebellious world to bring the divine word.

Psalm 123:1-2, 2, 3-4 Surrounded by contempt, God’s children pray for mercy.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Paul endures the mysterious thorn in the flesh to keep his pride in check.

Mark 6:1-6a The people of Nazareth take offense because Jesus won’t keep to his place.

Exploring the Word
Blessed by our critics

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account,” Jesus famously taught in his Sermon on the Mount. And he should know, because Jesus faced precisely this kind of treatment at his debut in Nazareth. Folks didn’t simply disapprove of his teaching. They questioned his credentials and even his paternity (being called “the son of Mary” was irregular in a land where your father’s lineage was paramount). In fact, the opposition got rather physical, if you include nearly being hurled off a cliff at the end of the lesson. When we are criticized, rightly or wrongly, it rarely feels like a blessing.

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Weekday Homily Reflection for July 03, 2009
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FEAST OF THOMAS, APOSTLE
Have you seen the Lord?
It can be lonely to listen to your friends talk about their spiritual experiences if yours are of the more mundane variety. Not everyone has apparitions in a grotto or hears voices in empty churches (and it’s not always a good thing if you do). If your friends levitate, weep with ecstasy during prayer, or rave about their insights from spiritual direction, be happy for them. But also remember good apostle Thomas, who missed out on the big spiritual moment—being one of the first to see the risen Jesus—but made up for it later with the biggest, most whopping profession of faith in all of scripture: my Lord and my God!
Today's readings: Ephesians 2:19-22; John 20:24-29
“So the other disciples told [Thomas], ‘We have seen the Lord.’ ”

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World news in light of the Good News
for Sunday, July 05, 2009
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Preaching the News
» Rebels without cause? – In this Sunday’s first reading the prophet Ezekiel speaks of the Lord’s protest toward “rebels who have rebelled against me.” Honduran President Manuel Zelaya might relate after being forced into exile Sunday by a military coup. . . . More...
» Judgment day arrives – For decades investors looked at the returns financier Bernard Madoff was able to deliver with admiring words that echo this Sunday’s gospel question: “Where did this man get all this?” Having lost their fortunes, they now know they were victims of a monumental scam. Madoff, 71, was sentenced Monday to 150 years in prison. . . . More...
» Energy debate heats up – In this Sunday’s readings the Lord sends Ezekiel to speak to a rebellious people, “whether they heed or resist” that word. The Obama administration’s quest for a comprehensive energy and climate change legislation, which gained approval in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, will likely face stiff resistance in the Senate. . . . More...
» Saint Paul remains in the spotlight – Saint Paul in this Sunday’s reading from 2 Corinthians speaks of “a thorn in the flesh” that was given to him by the Lord to keep him humble. Scientific testing on what are believed to be the saint’s remains “seem to confirm” that they do indeed belong to Paul, Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday. . . . More...
» Mr. Franken goes to Washington – The Minnesota Supreme Court Tuesday declared media figure-turned-politician Al Franken the winner of the state’s U.S. Senate race, ending an eight-month-long election saga and giving Democrats a 60-seat majority that theoretically would allow them to block GOP filibusters. . . . More...
Quote of the Week
“People wanted bigger weddings, newer carriages . . . . They were buying things they didn't need.”
—Mervin Lehman, an Amish father of four, on why "the plain people" in Indiana were not immune to the economic pain searing the rest of the country
Fact of the Week
Italy and Switzerland have agreed to redraw their 1861 border because melting Alpine glaciers have blurred the original demarcation.
London Daily Telegraph

Pastoral Trends
The leadership instinct: Love and fear?
It has been said many times that love depends on trust, a trust that is open to risk-taking. In this sense fear is the opposite of love—that which prevents us from loving. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, pastoral actions, even preaching, can carry an undertone or motivation stemming from fear.  Read more...