Parables

Below is today's sermon on the subject of Parables, by Fr. Philip Powell, OP.  He hits on just one of the things I find enjoyable about the Men of St. Joseph way of doing things. We read the coming Sunday's Gospel reading at our weekly meeting, then we discuss how it teaches us something that we can use in our everyday lives. The Gospel is so rich that we can study the Sunday readings over the Church's three year cycle, then start all over again and dig into something new each time. The Old Testament readings and the Epistles, also shed light on the Gospel readings. That's why the Church put them in Sunday's liturgy!

The parables often generate the most interesting discussion, and I really enjoy and learn so much from them.

by Fr. Philip Powell, OP, from Domine, da mihi hanc aquam!
Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, Church of the Incarnation, Univ of Dallas

Parables—like poetry—drive most people crazy. The symbols, the allusions, images with multiple interpretations—all of these breed frustration and impatience even in the heartiest soul. However, there are some who enjoy the challenge of figuring out these literary mysteries. Think of them as miniature detective stories planted with bits of elusive wisdom designed to stretch the imagination and exercise the mind. And despite the cussing and spitting that parables and poetry often evoke in some, these art forms can push us to broader and deeper understanding, both guide us and force us to consider angles of approach that we might otherwise fail to use. So, let's wipe our chin, confess our cussing, and consider the possibilities. Jesus teaches with parables because he knows something we oftentimes forget: as we progress along the Way we need more and better food for the journey. We can't continue to live and grow in the Christian life consuming nothing but cut and dried propositions, raw statements of belief, and easily digestible greeting card pablum. At some point, we have to tuck into the meat and potatoes of the Good News, risking a bout or two of indigestion along the way. Case in point, those tiny mustard seeds can cause diverticulitis and yeast an itchy rash. Mustard seeds can also grow into a hearty, edible plant and yeast is necessary in leavening bread and making beer. Even the smallest seed, the tiniest bacterium—given time and patience—can produce a desirable (and delicious!) result.

Let's say that Jesus is using the mustard seed and the yeast bacterium to refer to the faith infused into an individual soul. Given the right conditions—a set of listening ears and seeing eyes, an opened heart and mind, a strong desire for holiness—an individual infused with faith can nurture this virtue of trust into a hearty way of life that produces an admirable fruit. But what if Jesus is using the seed and the yeast to refer to the faithful individual planted in the fertile soil the Church? The seed and yeast of one soul's faith can fertilize and leaven the whole Body of Christ, prompting the Body to produce a higher, stronger yield of holiness. But what if Jesus is using the image of the seed and yeast to refer to the Church herself, all of us together constituting just one mustard seed, one bacterium, his one Body planted in the fields of the world? Then, like the faith growing in a single soul, and the single soul growing in the Body of the Church, the Church is planted in the world—one seed, one bacterium—to thrive and produce an admirable fruit. Do we settle on just one interpretation of the parable? Or do we take choose to hold all three simultaneously? Even better: do we take these three and grow them into another and another, always remembering that the mustard seed can only produce mustard and that yeast will always be yeast?

If we hope to avoid being favorable compared to the Jeremiah's loincloth—rotted and good for nothing—then we must safeguard the Word we've been given and at the same time broadcast it as seed into the fields of the world, as yeast into the unleavened dough of our culture. The Lord charges Judah with a faithless pride. He says that they are a “wicked people who refuse to obey my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,” who serve and adore strange gods. If we hope to avoid this righteous charge—as individuals, as a Church—then we must listen to Christ's parable with more than an analytic mind. Our task as those baptized into the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord goes far, far beyond the recitation of liturgical formulas, far beyond the soothing litanies of good intentions. We are not only charged with spreading the seed of the Good News, we are also charged with nurturing what we have planted, tending the fields, pulling the weeds, and reaping an admirable harvest. But even as we work, we do so as servants of a more merciful Lord, one who cared for us as we grew from a seed to a sprout to a fruit-bearing plant. 

Parables—like poetry—can be infuriating in their vagueness. But let's not mistake Jesus' purpose in using the parable of the seed and yeast: he's teaching us that not everyone, at any given time, is ready to produce the same admirable fruit. An excellent farmer is a patient farmer. He is also a lover of parable and infuriatingly persistent.

Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows

All are asked to participate in this novena prayer regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Most holy and afflicted Mother, Queen of Martyrs, you stood beneath the cross and witnessed the agony of your dying Son. Look down with tenderness and pity on us as we mediate on your sorrows and place our request in the sanctuary of your wounded heart. To whom shall we have recourse in our needs and wants if not to you, mother of mercy, who drank so deeply of the chalice of your Son? To whom shall we turn if not to you, mother of sorrows, who shared in the sorrows of your Son from birth to death?

The Father who chose you to be the mother of his Son allowed the sword of sorrow to pierce you through. In the immensity of the sorrows you suffered, help us to persevere and bear patiently with our present sorrow.
Bless those who struggle today to stop the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and to repair the damages caused by this crisis. Protect them from harm, inspire them with creativity and ingenuity, and grant to them perseverance and fortitude in this grave hour of need.

Bless the natural creation -birds, fish, wildlife, plants, large and small- protect them from harm, lead them to healing and safety, defend them from pollution of land and water. May the natural creation of the Gulf of Mexico and its coastal regions flourish again in wholeness and fertility.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for all who have lost their jobs and livelihoods during this time of grave crisis. Help the helpless, strengthen the fearful, comfort the sorrowful, and bring justice to the communities of the Gulf of Mexico. Give strength to stand against the demonic powers which prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Lord, at your Passion, as Simeon foretold, a sword of sorrow pierced the soul of the blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother. Grant in your mercy that we who reverently recall her sorrows may reap the blessed fruits of Your Passion. You who are God, living and reigning with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Recently I had the opportunity to go with several Men of St. Joseph members to the set of the upcoming film, Courageous. We traveled through small town America, north to Albany Georgia. It is safe to say that we were not sure why we

were going, but we knew God had a plan.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the energetic support staff and were introduced to several other visitors. As the next couple of days unfolded we came to see that God was working. We listened to co-writer Stephen Kendrick explain how God inspired this story. What is the story and why were we there? The answer is clear- God wants to speak to fathers! When you look at the family today and how men are portrayed in popular media, what do you see? Single parent families, broken homes, weak or absent fathers. You see daughters who do not know love from their fathers and so look for it elsewhere; you see young men who do not know what a real man looks like because they have never seen one. These tragedies are shown as normal; portraits of the family and fathers today. This is what you see from Hollywood. The media has an overwhelming ability to influence the hearts and minds of our culture, but where is it leading us? Imagine, however, what would happen if popular media became a tool in God's hands? That is the story here. Stephen Kendrick explained, God wants fathers to know all things are possible with Him. It is never too late to be the father He calls you to be. We were privileged to see a collection of scenes and we laughed together and even shed a tear or two as we watched. This film will inspire and encourage men across the country to hear God's voice and to follow Him. As a member of the Men of St. Joseph I believe that God is speaking to fathers around the world. He is calling us to the sacraments to fill us with his Spirit. He is calling us to be fathers who love their families so much that their greatest desire, hope, and prayer is to lead them to heaven; he is calling us to action. We left Albany with a renewed fire in our hearts to be men who "put the family back in the hands of the Father." I am excited for the release of Courageous in the fall of 2011 and encourage everyone to please take your families to see it. For more information on the film please visit- www.thenextsherwoodmovie.com

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament

By Anthony Tobin, Mobile, Ala. - St. Ignatius

Do you feel like you don’t know the Bible as well as you should? Do you want to know it better? The truth is that we Catholics are not as familiar with the Sacred Scripture as we should be. St. Jerome’s popular words should give us chills;

“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ!”

There is no need to be worried anymore. Ignatius Press has just released the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament, (Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition), with commentary by Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch.

Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, renowned Catholic scholars, are paving the way for Catholics to rediscover the treasure of the Church, namely Sacred Scripture, and leading to the rediscovery of Christ.

This Study Bible has comprehensive commentary on the text, an introduction and outline for each book, topical essays, a concise concordance, and an index of New Testament references to Catholic Doctrine. The only bad thing is that only the New Testament is available, right now. We will have to wait a while for the Old Testament to be finished, but hopefully not long.

This Ignatius Study Bible is truly a must! We as Catholics need to reconnect with our biblical roots and this Study Bible is a great tool for doing so.