Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, Each time we offer the sacrifice of Holy Mass we do so for a particular intention. This Mass Intention is provided by one of you, and the priest directs his prayers at that Mass for that particular intention. While each of us are encouraged to bring our prayer intentions to every Mass, the tradition of having the priest offer Mass for a particular intention goes back to the very earliest days of the Church, particularly Masses offered for those who have recently died. We can offer memorial Masses for our deceased loved ones, even if they were not Catholic themselves. We also have Masses for Vocations (the first Thursday of each month in Otter Ta
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, ‘Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! "When will the new moon be over," you ask, "that we may sell our grain, and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat? We will diminish the ephah, add to the shekel, and fix our scales for cheating!"’ The Prophet Amos warns us quite bluntly against exploiting the poor or cheating others in business. He does this not only to protect the poor, but also to prompt conversion of the cheaters. God wants us to treasure each other more than we value possessions, for the love of things can twist us into loving each other less. As soon as I give in to the desire for my brother’
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” This reaction of the self-righteous Pharisees and scribes in our Gospel contrasts well with Saint Paul’s humble declaration: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost.” It is pride that prevents us from recognizing our need for Jesus and His mercy. Pride ruins our chance to draw near to Jesus and grow in relationship with Him. We tend to excuse our sins, or worse, justify them to ourselves and others. But it is the person who openly admits their sins, like the younger son in our parable, who receives forgiveness and restoration. This mid-point of Ordinary Time
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, Our second reading this Sunday is from St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon. Paul writes on behalf of Philemon’s slave, Onesimus, who fled from Philemon’s household for reasons unknown to us. Paul begs Philemon to receive Onesimus back into his home, but in a new way. Philemon is to “welcome him as you would me,” says Paul, “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a brother, beloved…as a man and in the Lord.” This is a revolutionary request for their time. Paul is asking Philemon to overturn the cultural practice of slavery—to treat Onesimus as a person, as equal in the sight of God. Paul took a great risk in asking this, as Philemon was legally
