scribes had lost their way and given into worldly things. Like the prophets before him, Jesus is calling out the establishment and serving notice the end is near for them if they do not repent and listen to the good news. The old law is about to be replaced and the one sacrifice for all and for all time is about to be replaced and the new temple is present. The Israelites had once again failed the covenant with God and now a new covenant was being started but only after cleansing the old temple. Ironically the old law and temple was replaced by the caretakers of it by 
killing Jesus. Jesus replaced the old law and presented a new code or way of love or living in the love of God. He stressed that the commandments were only two, Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. In those two commandments are summed up all the law and the prophets. No longer was humanity to be burdened. The codes and laws and prescriptions of the scribes and pharisees are to be gone. Yet, even now humanity sometimes gets carried away with law and regulation. From such we need to be vigilant and remember. Jesus is our savior and has died and risen for us. He did that we might be free to love, unconstrained to find our way to Him. We must avoid placing anything that is an obstacle to God.
Homily, Feast of the Ascension-May 13, 2018
One thing that is hard to realize is that the Ascension is really a part of the Easter event. Christ in dying brought his humanity and divinity into a risen and ascended state. The gospels and Acts depict different instances of Jesus heavenly ascension. Key to keep in mind for the Ascension is what the whole Easter event calls out. The word is “wait.” Look around today and think for a moment. Waiting is probably the most irritating thing we do. Patience is something we like to see others practice, and we like to do whatever right away. But what was Jesus’ message the whole time through the whole Easter event? It was wait for the Holy Spirit.
Even today, we need to take that to heart. Throughout history, the church, or well-meaning members of the church have acted or done things that were contrary to Jesus’ teaching or unfair or just wrong. It is difficult for individuals sometimes to 
wait, to listen, to discern the Holy Spirit’s intention. Life’s choice and activities can be complicated and difficult. Occasionally, we can be faced with almost life changing choices. At such times, it is well if we’re used to withdrawing and opening our hearts to the Spirit. So we are reminded today once again that Christ is risen and his Spirit is among us if we have the patience to wait.
Homily April 29, 2018- the 5th Sunday of Easter
St. Paul was a Pharisee who was totally committed to the ruling group. His devoutness and devotedness set him apart in wanting to quickly rid Israel of what he saw as a new and dangerous cult called Christians. To him, they are going against the law and prophet and teaching a new way, teaching a resurrection, and even replacing the Torah. To him, 
they were trying to replace everything. As a result he took action by getting “warrants” to arrest these Christians and set out for Damascus. It was on that road where he met Jesus, and he was never the same again. His encounter on the way totally life changing. It is then that he learns and believes in Jesus and becomes an avid follower. Yet, in our first reading, we see the difficulty he has of being accepted. Ultimately, he was and of course took Christ’s teaching and went far and wide and spread the seeds or shoots of the vine where ever he went. .
Today that vine of our third reading remains and the fruit it bears depends on the care that we ourselves have given it. This means we must work at it. What it produce requires our attention. Christ calls every day, we respond with our attention and prayer. It’s as 
easy as lifting our heart or mind and doing the right thing. We are called to make those choices every day.The start of a healthy vine and a Christian is with their self. our personal relationship with God and our relationships and interactions with others determines the health of the vine and our worthiness as part of it. We all know the challenges of the relationships and are called to be Christ like in our daily life.
Homily April 8, 2018- the 2nd Sunday of Easter
As we look at the readings today, we’re looking at a series of snapshots taken after Jesus resurrection on Easter Sunday morning. Throughout the readings will take place at various times after the resurrection starting with the evening of Easter following evening one week later. Luke painted a picture of love and unity and no dissension among the followers of Jesus. The idea of the community selling all their possessions and placing them in the hands of the apostles and then distributing them according to need obviously seems to be a bit exaggerated. If we look around us at the various churches, monasteries and religious orders, that is not really a possible practice in the church or in the world as we take realistic look at it today. Even in religious communities, all have different needs and that in itself can create problems.
In the Gospel today, Jesus appears to his disciples, and Thomas is not present. When the apostles tell him Jesus had appeared to them, he does not believe. Even in his unbelief, the apostles did not turn him away but kept him with them until a week later Jesus appeared again. When Thomas saw Jesus, he believed. 
It was a lesson for all of us for all time that we must believe even in what at times we cannot see. It is also a lesson of acceptance. The apostles did not exclude or drive away Thomas because of his doubt. Today we must learn to accept those seeking Jesus and not turn away anyone seeking out God and a place in his church. Jesus and his Spirit live in the Church and in each of us. More than ever that means we should be as he is.
Homily March 18, 2018- the 5th Sunday of Lent
Jeremiah today straight out tells the people the old covenant is not working and that God is going to give them a new covenant. This new covenant will be different, there will be no temple and it will be written on the heart of each believer, not centered on a place or persons. In John today, we see Jesus say that his dieing by being lifted up for all of us is the new covenant. His life, his death, his suffering is all for the glory of God and the 
institution of the beginning of new covenant which we come to know as the church. But remember, our church is not a building,or a place, but within our hearts, within our communities. Jesus and his church is present when we gather in his name. The sacrifice of the new covenant was done once for all, but we continue that sacrifice when we celebrate the Eucharist. Christ’s Body and Blood becomes present for us to consume on the table we use to prepare for it. As we prepare for Easter, it good that we recall God has given us a new law, a new 
covenant. But it is also a responsibility. 
We are accountable for that law written on our hearts, a law of love, mercy and, yes, even forgiveness. It is a law Christ understands because he was like us as a human being, except for sin,and as divine he shares in God’s patience and love. So, we are called to look out for each other and to care. We must take to heart the words we say each Sunday “ Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”
It’s Not the Money!
3rd Sunday of Lent 3-4-18
Readings: Exodus 20:1-17; Ps 19: 8-11, 1 Corth 1:22-25; John 2: 13-25
I strongly suspect that Jesus’ attitude about money and the accumulation of wealth was very different from the attitudes prevalent in America today. Remember that Jesus was an itinerary preacher in the 1st Century in Judea – or as we know it, Israel. We know that he owned no property and seemly had nothing more than the clothes on his back. In Matthew 8:20, he says, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” He said that in the context of the price of discipleship. In other words, he had made a choice. He could have decided to be a craftsman. Current scholars think that Joseph was not just a crude carpenter, but a skilled artisan who might have worked on some of the larger Roman buildings of the day. It would have been a good paying job, a respected occupation with steady work. Jesus was never shy to tell us that discipleship is a choice, and there were social and economic costs associated with discipleship.
But while Jesus did not choose to pursue money, he was fully aware of the cost of what money can do to us. He carefully seemed to avoid having any money at all. Remember when, in Matthew 17: 24-27, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter about Jesus paying the tax. Jesus tells Peter to catch a fish, and Peter finds a coin that will be enough to pay the tax for himself and Jesus. I doubt that Jesus’ clothing had pockets at all.
When Jesus watched the people make their contributions in the temple, Mark 12: 41-44, he remarked, “…this poor widow has put in (two pennies), more than all those who have given (greater amounts) to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.” He was not impressed with the amount of money which was given, but rather the sacrifice. Jesus knew that 2 cents is more than $1,000 when it is all you have.
And finally, in Matthew 22: 20-22, the Pharisees attempted to trap Jesus by asking if it was lawful to pay the Roman census tax. His reply was, ““Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” You may say that we owe everything to God, or that that we should pay our taxes, but however you choose to interpret this brilliantly vague response, you know that Jesus was not awake nights worried about money or taxes. Money did not make his top 10 list of important things in life.
With all this being said, I find it hard to focus on the way the money changers in the temple exchanged currency. No doubt they were charging unfair rates. The historical writings from the 1st century record the political and financial maneuvering and bribes that went into being given permission to have one of those merchant stalls in the temple. That part of the story would be understandable, at least to us, despite being rather despicable. Still, it was the same as bank fees and exchange rates for currency in much of our world. So what was it that set Jesus off?
What was the gross sin of the money changers and the sellers of sheep, oxen and doves? Well, where were they doing business? For that you need to know something about the temple. The Outer Court of the Temple in Jerusalem allowed anyone to come in and pray and learn about God. Only here could Jews converse with non-Jews and foreigners without being ritually unclean. Only here could faithful Jews tell others about their God, their faith, and beliefs. It was a place where what we call “evangelism” could take place. Instead, the noise and the ruckus of the animals and the shameless profiteering prevented any serious conversation or meditation.
The merchants were not only stealing money from people by their excessive rates, but more importantly, they were stealing the knowledge of God from people who had come to learn. They were preventing people from coming to know God, and from praying. Jesus told us in Luke 19: 10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” So the sin of the merchants was to purposely prevent The Mission of God’s son. The sin was to, for a little money, come between God and his children. In Matthew 18:6, we find this description of the sin: “If anyone causes one of …those who believe in me…to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” No wonder Jesus was so angry.
We have a much larger “Court” than the Outer Court of the Temple where we can pray, and meditate, and talk about God with those who are seeking the divine. We have much of our nation where it is permissible to talk with people who want to learn, to have their questions answered. It is a wonderful privilege. It, of course, is also a responsibility. How do we present God? Such conversations have recently felt more polarized, more political. God, of course, is not political. God is a God of love for the poor, a defender of children and those who are unable to provide for themselves. God is the healer of the broken-hearted, those who have been used and abused. God is not a God of religion, but a God of faith and trust and truth. Are we ready to have these conversations in a tender way, with the attitude of a servant of God?
Many thanks to BJ on The River Walk blog for this perspective.
Homily, March 4, 2018- the 3rd Sunday of Lent
It always seemed strange to me that Jesus got angry and attacked the sellers and money people in the temple and overturned tables and started a stampede of animals out of the temple. The account today is from John and places the incident at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The other three writers place it in Holy Week. Ultimately, Jesus is confronting the loss of faithfulness and the lack of true worship from the temple. The priests and
Homily February 18, 2018- the 1st Sunday of Lent
Over the years we have learned that living in the middle east, the culture was tribal and family centered. A person’s home town was like an anchor or stake that centered or protected a person in a world where a single or unattached person was seen to be in danger. We see today in the gospel and from the last few weeks, that Jesus has left Nazareth. He has encountered John the Baptist(and been baptized, but not in Mark’s gospel) and now we see Mark say the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert. In Mark, there is kind of urgency for Jesus to get to the desert. It is as if in those forty days, Jesus was communing and preparing with a different
family. Spiritually he was preparing his ministry, being attended by the angels and in his new family meeting Satan and what that entailed. Perhaps, his first encounter with Satan away from the protection of his earthly family. But with his time of preparation done and John having been arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and began to preach: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
As we ponder that today, I would like to say we all have busy schedules and not a whole lot of time for lent. But most of you have smart phone and tablets or computers and email. I would suggest for lent that you can get the daily Mass readings for lent in an email every day simply by signing up at the catholic bishops site on-line. It is free and you can read it where ever you read your email. In this way you can receive a thought each day as Easter approaches. The link is below.
Homily, February 4, 2018-the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the gospel, we see Jesus leave the Synagogue and go to Peter’s house. Peter’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever and Jesus heals her and helps her up. She then waits on Jesus and his disciples. After sundown when the sabbath ends, the sick from the town start to come to Jesus to be healed. The following morning, Jesus arose early and set out alone in 
the desert. Later when his disciples caught up, he said it was time to move on. He said he had not come to heal, but to teach the word of God. So he continued on. Jesus, more than any of us was aware of a mission, of a reason he was 
here. Unlike ourselves, he avoided distractions and continued his journey. His life, his service, his love left much for his disciples and followers who followed and came after him to do and imitate. His journey was to give his message to the whole world and so it has been for his followers. But the world today is not perfect, nor has it been in any century. The twentieth century, the last one, was filled with war and ugliness that people could impose on their peers. Violence, and war seems to be a part of what people are. But why? People are kind and loving with their own, why not beyond the family and the boundaries of town and country. Jesus taught who was our neighbor, and ultimately our neighbor is the one who can express love and care for others. Everything we do for a neighbor, a brother or sister, we do for a loving, unifying reason. More 
than anything, we are called to reach out to the Jobs of this world. Even in our time there are those filled with despair and the drudgery of daily life. They need our support and help. We should reach out and offer a hand, a word, some solace. After all, we all have a bad time a some point or another. None of us can do it alone without God’s help and those around us.
Homily January 28, 2018-the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
I want to take a look at what St Paul’s letter said this morning. It seems that in many ways he seems to criticize everybody. He says being single means that a person is free to be concerned about things of the Lord. Married people, he says, are concerned about their spouse and things of the world. Yet in the very beginning of Genesis, we see God say
it is not good for a person to be alone. In fact, Christ made marriage a Sacrament because it is the very normal and spiritual way that most are called to follow Christ to salvation. It is a partnership of love centered in Christ. Certainly married couples have troubles and all the problems of the world, but you know single people have problems too. Being single does give more time, but being alone, childless is not always the gift he makes it seem. Further he seems to imply that married people are less spiritual than single people. It is just not true, as there are multitudes of holy and 
spiritual married people. For some reason, the church through the centuries has focused on the single people, the religious, the clerics. But let’s be honest, the church is made up of all the baptized. Sanctity and sainthood comes for all who live their lives in the faith and love of Jesus Christ.
So, to sum up, I would say we should realize that the married person, and the single person(whether lay, religious or clergy) reflect God’s love in different ways and different paths. Yet, truly, God has made each of us individually and calls us each individually, except those who are married, he has said that then two have become one flesh.
CACINA 
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