Posts

Deacon Greg 12-4-22

By -
Today’s first reading from Isaiah begins with a promise… “On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” What is this stump? It is the House of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… What is this shoot that comes from the stump, and the bud that shall blossom? It is the House of David! After many kings, and many failed attempts along the way, consider the imagery that all the kingdoms were laid low or had fallen; and all the stumps were dead, except for one… The Stump of Jesse, the father of David, the King whose house shall bring forth our Lord, and Christ gives us this House, The Church, who calls on you to bring it all to YOUR House and to your family, so that together, we have been, are now, and will always be of the House of the Lord GOD, OUR FATHER. Isaiah promises that our Lord JESUS CHRIST will come from this house, and that “justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips, [allowing the] wolf [to] be a g
Post a Comment
Read more

Deacon Greg 11-20-22

By -
Today is the Feast of Christ the King, the end of another Liturgical Year. In the past year, we’ve walked this Sunday-to-Sunday journey with the Gospel of Luke. A year ago, on the first Sunday of Advent, our walk began with this advice from our Lord as witnessed in Luke’s 21st chapter: “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21: 35) Today, on this last step of our journey this year, we hear from the Good Thief, St. Dismas, who did indeed stand before the Lord, the Son of Man, as he hung on his own cross next to him, simply asking Jesus to remember him. Our bookends of this past year are simple… Be strong, be close to the Lord in prayer, and be ready to stand before the Lord with the faith of a converted heart. For Luke, the Son of Man is “The King,” as is evident in Pilate’s referring to him as King on the sign that hung over Jesus’ head as he hung upon the Cross, and in the Good T
Post a Comment
Read more

Deacon Greg 10-30-22

By -
I think it is very important for me today to begin with the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Now I’m not just quoting a prayer, I’m praying this prayer in front of all of you today, on my own behalf, because my friends, Deacon Greg Thompson is a sinner! But as we heard in today’s First Reading from Wisdom, “before the LORD the whole universe is as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.But [the Lord has] mercy on all, because [God] can do all things; and overlook people's sins that they may repent. That they may repent… Today is about CHANGE, and that change must begin with a very heartfelt I’m sorry… So, I am sorry! When I go to confession, and I pray the Act of Contrition. There are two versions that we display in our confessionals here at the Parish. One uses a more traditional style of language: O My God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss o
Post a Comment
Read more

Deacon Greg 9-18-22

By -
9-18-22 Amos: The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done! The Lord equally remembers our greed and our generosity! 1. We spend a lot of time worrying about whether the Lord remembers the bad that we’ve done… HE DOES! 2. But for some reason, we forget that he’s been with us along the way as we’ve succeeded. 3. He’ll never forget, as he is and ever shall be our Lord! 4. We are equally loved, no matter our transgression or our success! Psalm: He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people. My Dad died 25 years ago, this coming Friday, about the same time as Mother Teresa and Princess Diana… And tomorrow they’ll bury the Queen! Look, we’re all equalized in death, and we’re all availed to the true kingdom of God. Princes and Paupers, Kings and servants… In the Gospel today we see a the work of a “dishonest steward,” who masterfully comes up with a way
Post a Comment
Read more

Deacon Greg 7-31-22

By -
Today’s Word offers one of the most sobering phrases that you’ll ever hear in Scripture: “All things are vanity…” The sobering part is that this sounds like it’s saying that this all just a waste of time. “For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun?” NOTHING! Now this tone of futility in today’s First Reading from Ecclesiastes, one of the Wisdom Books of Solomon, seems to be quite the “downer,” but these books are very dedicated to a reflection on the value of wisdom in the midst of the reality of life, and how it moves on in the same vain for all of us! For example, here’s another verse from one of the Wisdom Books attributed to King Solomon: This one, appropriately is from the Book of Wisdom (aptly titled – don’t you think?): “Those who despise wisdom and instruction are doomed. Vain is their hope, fruitless their labors, and worthless [are] their works.” Scholars tell us that the phrase, “Vanity of vanities” is a Hebr
1 comment
Read more

Deacon Greg 7-17-22

By -
Let’s begin with the promise of St. Paul: “Christ is in you!” I’m just not a very complex person. I’ve tried my whole life to simplify things down to the lowest common denominator, so today seems to call us to be ready to receive and serve the Lord in a visitor, or a neighbor in need, and be ready for the rewards! In today’s first reading God pays a visit to Abraham in the form of three visitors. Unaware that it was the Lord, Abraham eagerly welcomed three, saying, "Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way." It’s important to note that at the time, the cultural rule and norm was that one would ALWAYS care for widows, orphans and strangers. Yes… This was an understood obligation because in that patriarchal society, losing one’s husband meant losing and source of income. Losing one’s parents obviously did not bode well for any child or set of siblings attempting to li
1 comment
Read more

Deacon Greg 7-10-22

By -
Before we begin todays reflection, I want to speak to the common criticism that the church utilizes that good ol’ “Catholic Guilt” to convince the faithful to live the Gospel. Today’s reflection does not aim to guilt anyone into any amount of service. Actually I would contend that you are exactly the person who is already doing God’s will, and that you now have an opportunity to step things up a bit! So as I begin, I do not want to be accused of using guilt as a tool, but rather be recognized as God’s humble instrument in opening up an opportunity to serve. I’m just not a very complex person. I’ve tried my whole life to simplify things down to the lowest common denominator, so you can see why today’s readings just jumped off the page and made me proclaim, “YESSSS!” "If only you would heed the voice of the LORD, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you return to the LORD, your God, with all your heart and all your soul…” –
Post a Comment
Read more