Please accept my apologies for not receiving the last two blogs of 2023 from “A Catholic Deacon’s Perspective” for the 33^rd Week in Ordinary Time and Jesus Christ, King of the Universe in a timely manner.  We have taken measures to rectify the system problems and hope future blogs will be uninterrupted and received on time.  Any prayer you want to insure that would be greatly appreciated.

Father Greg Boyle, SJ, founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehab and re-entry program in the world, wrote a reflection in “Naked, and You Clothed Me: Homilies & Reflections for Cycle A” in which he refutes the title of Christ the King for a title he believes is more in keeping with what the feast day celebrates:

Be honest!  We have at times in our life waited too long to take action on something that needed to be done and suffered a consequence for it.

For me it came early in my life.  I had decided to do something else with the thought I would still have enough time to get home to join other altar boys picked up by Father Michael Dempsey from my parish to see the Harlem Globetrotters play.  I missed them by just minutes and had to wait another 40 plus years before going to see the “show,” as it was called.

Though the Gospel and first reading from the 31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time specifically address how badly the priesthood from the Old and New Testaments treated the chosen people of God, it also intentionally mentions how all of us are called to be models of the faith in which we believe.  This is especially true of us baptized into the Catholic faith as priest, prophet and king who promise to follow the ways of Christ. 

Since the onslaught of Covid-19 pandemic, we have become frightened, confused, impatient and sometimes angry with life or with whatever is or is not happening. Civility, kindness and a genuine effort to be helpful seems at times to have taken a hiatus waiting for the Coronavirus to come to an end.  What makes it even more difficult for us baptized Catholics is that we are called to rise above this because of our promise to love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength and all that God has created as Jesus loves us according to our Gospel from St. Matthew today.

It never ceases to amaze me to what lengths people will go to make a point.  St. Matthew’s Gospel today provides us with an example I believe verifies this belief.

According to biblical and historical scholars, the two Jewish sects of Pharisees and Herodians during Jesus’ times hated one another.  The Pharisees resented the demand of any tax payment to a foreign king because they believed that God was their only king.  The Herodians were supporters of Herod the Great, King of Galilee, who received his power from the Romans and, therefore, supported the collection of taxes to benefit their cause.  And yet, both were willing to put their differences aside to form an “unholy” alliance that rid them of Jesus, because they hated Him more.

Having a free will can be difficult at times.  You get to choose, but the outcome may not be what you imagined.  Saint Matthew’s Gospel today presents us with a parable from Jesus to the Jewish chief priests and elders of His time, as have the last two prior Sundays, inviting them to seriously consider His message of becoming holy according to God’s ways rather than their own interpretation of what they believe God meant.  In there lies the problem.

My parents taught me to be honest even if doing so could cause me a hardship.  They believed that one is responsible for his or her actions and must be held accountable, especially if it causes a negative result, whether it hurt someone or did not. 

God, out of His love, created us for a purpose.  We are called throughout our life to discover what that is.  As disciples, God gives us multiple gifts to understand the ways of the Lord.  It is from this aspect that we practice our faith as true and faithful servants of the Blessed Trinity in thought, word and deed, as well as faith, hope and love.

In conversations with people, I have discovered over the years that everyone has been involved in dysfunctional behavior in their family either directly or indirectly.  In an effort to solve this, a few are trying to talk it out between themselves, working to improve one’s behavior over time.  Others may attempt an intervention to eliminate the problems.  Some are more serious and require professional assistance.

Based upon numerous studies by sociologists and psychologists throughout the years, their results have told us for the most part that our perceptions about life are based on expectations we encounter whether based on what we are told, see, hear, experience or believe.  And, from that conclusion, many people decide what reality is in their lives.

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

We know that St. Peter’s response to Jesus about who do you say that I am in St. Matthew’s Gospel, was revealed to him by God the Father.  If we asked Jesus the same question about us, what response do you believe you would receive from Him?  It is probably the most profound and intimate question any person can address to another.

If we are honest with ourselves, life is about relationships: Acceptance and rejection.  We make decisions based upon our perception of a multitude of criteria that fall into our comfort zone.  If we believe it is good for us, we accept.  If not, we reject it and move on.

Despair and fear seem to be on the rise in our society.  If it is not about daily stories of hate crimes, people being killed by guns or knives, destruction from war or weather, it concerns political unrest or general negativity in every plausible scenario.  There is no escape because social media in all of its outlets believes it needs to notify everyone, whether you want to know or not.

For those who have visited the amphitheater at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota at dusk, you might remember looking up at shadowed busts of four past presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.  All of a sudden, bright lights surrounding the sculpture are turned on, the shadows disappear and each face is detailed in a radiant aura.  In the background is a taped voice telling you a story about the sculpture.  You also can hear voices of other people expressing their awe about what is happening and as you listen, you don’t want the spectacular show to end.

One of my favorite children’s movies is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  It’s about a candy maker who issues five gold tickets in various chocolate bars he sells so a child can become a partner in his business and help them to grow their business.  What makes it interesting is how the five children who found golden tickets react to all the choices with which they are presented at the plant and how they make their decisions.