The Church of Saint Matthew - Saint Paul’s West Side

07.26.2020 Homily

(Recording of the homily begins a minute or two late)
 
…The man sells all his resources and then he buys the pearl.  The pearl is the Kingdom of God.  The treasure if the Kingdom of God.  But the Kingdom of God is not some idea, some thoughts, some philosophy, some construct.  It’s not a physical thing; it’s not an institutional thing. The Kingdom of God is Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the treasure that is buried in the field.  Jesus Christ is the pearl of great price.  And the invitation is to so live as to find in Jesus Christ the very center of meaning in our lives.  That we’re willing to put other things aside, we’re willing to put other things in second place because we wish to embrace Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, the human face of the Living God.  And in following on his teaching to walk more deeply in relationship with Him. 
Now as I mentioned earlier, people come to that in a couple of different ways.  There are some people just who happen to stumble on faith.  They are not looking for it.  All of a sudden they come face-to-face with the reality and it’s like a revelation.  You’ve heard people say: “My eyes were opened.  I saw for the first time; I understood.”  Sometimes people do come upon the faith in that way.
But sometimes people come upon faith because they have searched and searched and searched, year after year after year, they have looked for peace within their souls, they have looked for integrity in their lives; they looked for holiness, and they find it and they put everything else aside so that they can embrace it.
You see the story of the saints is really the story of those people who go after the treasure, go after the pearl.  And one of the ways in which you and I learn about what it is to live out the Christian life, is in the biography, in the story, in the life story of the saints.  They are here as examples to demonstrate what it is to find the pearl of great price, what it is to discover the treasure buried in the field.
You and I come together to this table of the Lord…we’ve come from various ways and various manner.  But we’re here, here at the table of the Lord.  And we only are invited into, to enter into the life of Jesus.  We’re invited to be drawn into the mystery of His love for us in the Sacrament of his death and resurrection.
Now this journey that you and I have undertaken is journey that began for many of us at the moment of our Baptism.  That in the moment of our Baptism the door was opened for us.  And we were encouraged year and year by all kinds of people in our lives to continue to search more deeply for the presence and power of God.
So it’s wonderful that you and I have the opportunity to welcome Tavanti to the household of the faith through the Sacrament of Baptism.  And that as she is baptized, and as we renew the promises of our baptism, let us pray in thanksgiving that we have been given the opportunity to discover that pearl and that treasure that is Jesus Christ.

07.26.2020 Gospel Matthew Chapter 13

Jesus said, the kingdom of God is like a treasure planted in a field, which a workman finds and then buries it. Going his way, he sells all that he has, and then he buys the field. Or the kingdom of God is like a merchant in search of precious pearls. And when he finds a truly wonderful pearl, with great joy he goes and sells everything and he buys the pearl. Then Jesus said to his disciples, do you understand this? And they said, yes. And Jesus said, every scribe who is educated in the kingdom of God is like a householder who draws from his storehouse both the new and the old.
The gospel of the Lord.
 

07.19.2020 Homily

The 13th chapter of St. Matthew's gospel contains a series of parables about the kingdom of God. And this is the first of those parables, the story of the wheat and the weeds. The word that is in the Greek text for the weeds really does not mean just ordinary, everyday garden variety weeds. It refers to a special kind of weed, which is called Darnell. Darnell is a pernicious weed. It's a poisonous weed. And Darnell looks almost exactly like wheat. In fact, you can't tell the difference until you come near harvest and the wheat will have a head on it. The Darnell will have a flower. So when these servants come to the master and say, I'm going to go out now for you. And I'm going to pull up all the weeds. Really what he's saying is you're not going to be able to tell what's weeds and what is wheat. They all look the same. Let them grow side by side, the wheat will not be harmed. Let's be patient enough to wait to the end. And then in the end, we'll gather the Darnell tired in bundles and burn it and bring the wheat into the barn. 
This weed, that grows grows about, oh, maybe three, four feet tall. Maybe not that much with three feet tall. And the flower on top is about two inches in diameter, the very large flower. And it's a beautiful flower shades of purple and pink and red make up this flower this round blossom. That weed has since become help in a curative way in that. Now we can know how to use that weed to help it help people who have disease. So in its raw form, it's poisonous, but when it's, when it's processed, it becomes a very helpful thing. 
It's been said that a weed is nothing more than a flower before it's time. Jesus says, let them grow side by side, let the good and the bad live side by side, because you don't know which is the good and which is the bad for sure. That's a challenge that he puts to each and every one of us that to live in the kingdom of God is to live in a mixed circumstance. We know that there are parts of existence, parts of, of the lives we lead that are, that are harmful and parts that are wonderful. We know that there are aspects of life that are destructive and aspects of life that are life giving and what we want to do. You know, we want to just rip out the bad stuff and keep only the good stuff, but we're not always sure what's the bad stuff and what's the good stuff. And we are not always sure what God seeks to bring out of what I call the bed stuff. 
Now we're facing that in a very dramatic fashion right now, the entire world is caught up in a pandemic. People by the hundreds of thousands are dying. People by the millions are becoming sick throughout the country. And throughout the world, people are walking around, covering their face with a mask so that they don't harm their neighbors so that they don't breathe on their neighbor and friends for disease to the name. And that's okay. Call a very strange and a very difficult and a very uncomfortable and a very frightening way to have to live. And we've been doing that for the past four months. And we'll probably be doing that for some time. Yet. The temptation is to say that the way things were was what is good and the way things now, are what is bad, but you and I don't know what God will bring out of this moment. What he's saying now is we're going to have to let this grow side by side. And the time will come when the Darnell, the weeds that which is poisonous will be tied up and thrown away. And the wheat that, which is good, will be brought into my barn. 
So he's asking patience  from us, be patient, allow the plan to work out. This is not being played out by my standard or yours, that there is a reason for this somewhere in the world. There's nothing I can do about it as the, the owner of of the fields so there's nothing I can do about those weeds there. I just have to be patient and I need to wait until harvest time. Well, you and I are called to be, to be patient with the image of the kingdom of God, is the patient faithful life of you. And to be in the midst of the mixture, that is the world.

07.19.2020 Gospel Matthew Chapter 13

The Lord be with you, the gospel of the Lord, Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Jesus said, the kingdom of God is like a man who planted good seed in his field. Then he went to bed and during the night an enemy came and sewed weeds throughout that good seed. His servants came to him and said, did you not sew good seed? How is it that there are weeds now growing in the field? And the man said, this must've been done by the work of an enemy. And his servant said, well, then let us go and we will pull up the weeds. And the master said, no, you can't do that. We will let the weeds. And the wheat grow side by side until harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to gather up the weeds and bungle them and throw them into the fire. And I will have them take the wheat into my barns. 
The gospel of the Lord 

07.12.2020 Homily

The gospel reading today comes from the very beginning of the 13th chapter of St. Matthew's gospel. There are seven parables that are found in that 13th chapter.The whole chapter is really a series of Jesus teaching in parables. This parable is the one that leads it off and we get a hint about what all of this is about. In the opening words, Jesus says, pay attention and listen. Then he tells the parable and he ends but saying now, if you have ears to hear listen. What he's asking of his disciples is that they open their ears to receive, but not only the physical ears, the ears of the heart. Saint Benedict, when he wrote for his monks said that the first rule of the monastery was to listen with the ear of the heart. 
But Jesus tells this parable, the sower goes out and he sows seed. And the first seed, he sows falls on the footpaths and the birds of the air come and take it away. It produces nothing. The foot path is hard ground. There's no give to it. It's like concrete. It's as hard as the city street. These categories that Jesus uses represent a worldview in which some people live. The foot path represents living with unquestioning presupposition. Preconceived ideas. It is the world of racism, sexism, prejudice. These are the values that one holds who is on that path and those values or those ideas or those impulses come from, from others. The people with whom they associate or from the culture, or from an ethnic experience or from religious teaching. 
Then Jesus says there is seed that falls among the rocks. And there was an openness there. The seed is able to, to find soil, but there's no substance to the Rocky soil. And that Rocky soil really represents habits that are truly resistant to change that Rocky soil is stubbornness. That rocky soil is the inability to take a risk. Then Jesus says some of the seed falls among thorns. And while it does sink roots down and begin to grow, the thorns grew up around it and choke it. Those are the ones who are choked by the lure of wealth or power pleasure. And then Jesus says, there's the good soil, the good soil that receives the seed, the good soil that receives the word and it bears fruit a hundred fold, sixty fold, thirty fold, rich harvest comes out. 
Now Jesus says, if you have ears to hear, listen to what I'm saying, He's really asking them, how much do you really want to hear the word God? Is That really important to you? And what has to go in order for you to hear that word? What has to change? What ground needs to be worked? The same questions are asked of you and me.

07.12.2020 Gospel Matthew Chapter 13

The Lord be with you the Gospel of the Lord, Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Jesus left the house and went down to the shore by the sea and a great multitude came upon him and pressed against him. And so he had to step into a boat and put out a bit and then sit down while the crowd, the multitude gathered on the shore. And then he taught them. He taught them in parables. So listen now and pay attention. A sower went out to sow seed. Some seed fell on the walking path and the birds came and they ate it up. Some seed fell among rocks and it took root, but the, there was not that much soil. And so when the sun came out, it scorched the plant because the roots weren't very deep and some seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew and choked the plant. Other seed fell on good ground and produced 100 or 60 or 30 fold. If you have ears to hear listen. 
The gospel of the Lord. 

07.05.2020 Homily

Jesus uses images that his audience would readily understand and experience. He uses images of agriculture. He uses images of fishing. He, he uses images that relate immediately to the people who are, who are listening to him. And this is an agricultural image that he chooses today. He says, come to me, take my yoke upon your shoulders. Learn from me. I am meek and humble of heart. The yolk was made of wood. It was carved to fit over the neck and the shoulders of the animal. It prevented pain and discomfort. The word yoke was a term to describe submission. Two oxen were chosen to share the yolk one and older mature, and one young and immature by sharing the yolk with a veteran, the younger one is trained the experience. One draws harder to bear the majority of the load. 
And so the older one carries the majority of that load. The older one leads so that the younger one does not have to wander around and wonder what to do. The younger one learns from his mentor. It gains wisdom and he gained skill. This is the image that Jesus is using. Now the image of the yolk for the people of Israel was the image of the law that God in his goodness had placed the law upon the shoulders of the people of Israel. And as they walked, they walked in fulfillment in, in obedience and submission to that law. And there was someone to teach the young one. They would walk together. So there would be a rabbi and a student, or there would be an older person and a younger person. 
Now the law was interpreted by the Pharisees in a very burdensome way. Jesus said at one point that you are not to imitate what the Pharisees do. They bind up heavy burdens and they lay them on people's shoulders. And yet they're not willing to lift so much as a finger to help them carry it. Jesus says, you're tired of that. That's burdensome. So come to me, all of you who find this burdensome, and I will refresh you, take my yoke upon your shoulders. The yoke that Jesus offers is the mercy of the father. Take my yoke upon your shoulders. 
Learn from me. I'm the seasoned one. I'm the experienced one. You don't have to know everything. Just watch me learn from me or I am meek and humble of heart. And if you do this, you will find rest for your souls. Now, in summary of this teaching, we might say that the yolk is the merciful love of God. Jesus is the messenger of God's mercy. And what Jesus says to you and to me this day is get in yoke with me. Let me lead you. I will bear the weight of your burden. My yoke is good. You will find rest and companionship as we work together.

07.05.2020 Gospel Matthew Chapter 11

The Lord be with you , the gospel of the Lord, Jesus Christ. According to Matthew.
Jesus raised his voice and said, I give you thanks, father, Lord of heaven and earth, where you have not revealed these mysteries to the wise and to the learned, but to the mirror list of children. That is indeed your wish. All that is has been placed into my hands by the father. No one knows the son except the father. And no one knows the father except the son and those to whom the sun wishes to reveal them. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened. And I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me or I am meek and humble of heart. And you will find rest for your souls my yoke is easy. And my burden is light. The gospel of the Lord.

06.28.2020 Homily

In Today's gospel reading, Jesus has really two messages for his disciples. The first message is that their faith must rest in him and everything else must become secondary. That being a disciple of Jesus is not a hobby. Being a disciple of Jesus is not just something you do when it's convenient, but that the word of the Lord is central in your life. And in all relationships, that word in a sense, governs those relationships that word lays down the principles by which those relationships take place. 
The second thing he is saying to his disciples is that if you are going to be my follow, where you're going to be a person of hospitality. So he says anyone who welcomes you is going to be really welcoming me and anyone who welcomes me really welcomes the father who sent me. So if you welcome a profit, you'll receive the reward of a profit. If you welcome a righteous person, you'll receive the reward of a righteous person. And if you show kindness to a little child and give that child a cup of cold water, because that child is my disciple, you will not lose your reward. 
Hospitality is a keystone of Jesus teaching about the kingdom. And hospitality is not necessarily, you know, having a lunch and inviting people in hospitality is an openness to receive whoever shows up.  Hospitality is the attitude of opening doors and not building walls. Hospitality is the willingness to accept all, whatever their diversity, whatever their difference, however, they appear to us to accept all as our sisters and brothers. That's what the hospitality is of which Jesus speaks. So he says to us, and he says to his disciples, put my word center in your life and everything else revolves around it and open the doors wide. Wide enough, or all to enter and refuse the temptation to build walls.

06.28.2020 Gospel Matthew Chapter 10

The Lord be with you, the gospel of the Lord, Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Jesus said anyone who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Anyone who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever find his life will lose it. And those who are willing to lose their life for my sake will find it. The one who welcomes you welcomes me. And the one who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. You welcome a prophet because he is a prophet. You will receive a prophet's reward. If you welcome a righteous person because that person is righteous. You will receive the reward of righteousness. And if you welcome one of these little ones and give them a drink of cold water, because that little one is my disciple, you will not lose your reward. 
The gospel of the Lord.