You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31).

November is the great Month of Thanksgiving and the month of Giving. It is the perfect time to reconsider these two of Jesus’ “greatest commandments” - love of God and neighbor. They relate to three major aspects of the heart of every serious Christian steward’s life, day in, day out. The practice of using time, talent, and treasure is called stewardship, which is a way to live a life centered on Christ. The goal is to use these gifts to bring glory to God and to proclaim the name of Jesus.

“Master, I Want To See.”

These famous words of Bartimaeus, the Blind Man of Jericho, ring in our ears today. We all want to know the truth. Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life.

We are so often blinded by the world. We are blinded by lies and hate. The world wants us to be silent. We must be hopeful and excited about calling out to God in prayer. We are all blind beggars calling out to God all the more. We cannot and must not stay silent. We all want to see, literally and spiritually.

A Homily based on Isaiah 53: 10-11

It seems that conflict has become the norm these days. Well, many centuries ago, the prophet Isaiah faced much conflict as well. The details in his time were different, of course, but the conflict was just as threatening. And he struggled with “What am I to do?” The conviction he came away with was that he was to hold on to truth, press on, and “he shall see the light in fullness of days” (Is 53:11a).

It is very obvious that Our Lord speaks to the two big issues in our state and country today.

One of our moral theology professors in seminary, Fr. Jerome Young, a Benedictine monk, once quite startlingly and honestly told us that in our world today, the 10 Commandments have been basically reduced, boiled down to two commandments. It is a sobering reality:

The Family Is Our Connection To God

The start of the first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, always reminds us that it was God who created man. Then God made woman as a partner for man.

When Adam sees the woman he says, “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman.’” Logically, God desires that man and woman should become one. They are made complementary, made suitable to each other. In this union of God’s love, the Sacrament of Marriage, that man and woman work together to bring their family to Heaven.

Today, Jesus speaks to us, His disciples, of avoiding scandal, which causes “the little ones who believe in Him,” to sin.

We often think that scandal is something of which we are not capable; scandal seems to be something outside of us, those “big, public sins” which appear on TV news.

Jesus speaks to His disciples, you and me, who are loved by Him. Who are “the little ones who believe in Him”? They are our brothers and sisters who are “smaller” than we are, whose faith in Jesus is developing.

“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

This is one great example of what our retired Bishop Thomas Olmsted called Catholics in the Public Square, Christ Himself teaches us on critically-important moral issues in our modern times. Bishop writes very clearly:

We very warmly welcome Bishop John Dolan this weekend to Blessed Sacrament Parish for the official Order of Pastoral Installation.

Chapter 8 is the halfway-point of St. Mark’s very short Gospel and it is very theological.

The Scripture we hear and read today is called The Confession of St. Peter and is the turning point of Christ’s ministry. Jesus asks Peter and also asks us personally: “But who do you say that I am?”

These are the only words Jesus says to us today. We have to pay special attention. What Jesus says is important. But he does other things as well. Let’s role play a little with this story. Imagine if someone came up to you, face to face, then poked their fingers in your ears and put spit on your tongue and groaned up to Heaven and said: “Be opened.”

“Ephphatha!” Be Open to Hearing the Word of God.

This is an important story that touches each one of us. We may say, “but I am not deaf and I do not have a speech impediment.” So often we don’t listen and we say the things badly!

This man was deaf to the Word of God, and Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Word, healed this man. Jesus took the man away from the crowd, so that the man could be alone with Him. He healed the man’s deafness, removed the speech impediment and the man was able to hear and speak plainly.

We conclude the Bread of Life Discourse. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” Strong, powerful, truthful words.

Jesus is teaching about himself and about the sacrificial death He is to endure. He is teaching about the Holy Eucharist, the sacrament of the sacrifice of the cross is made present on the altars of the church until He returns.

Jesus continue our short retreat this weekend with the end of the mysterious Bread of Life Discourse.

Our readings are at once inspiring and challenging. Jesus had just very directly declared:

“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

These words would have caused consternation and confusion among the Jewish disciples mainly due to their very strict dietary laws; and this led in turn to the showdown we witness today in our Gospel.

“They shall all be taught by God.”

Jesus continues His teaching on The Bread of Life in the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, and reveals Himself as the Bread of Life, the Bread of Heaven. Christ tells us that He is the Word of God Made Flesh, a disgusting thought for many followers.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51).

“I Am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

It is an astonishing claim and revelation: Our Bread of Life Retreat With The Lord Continues
There is so much in these powerful readings: Jesus clearly tells us today on our retreat with Him:
He Explains Who He Is and Why He Came
Remember That God Always Does The Most With The Least