Author: Gerry Palermo

Greetings on this the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43

Summary

And you taught your people, by these deeds,
that those who are just must be kind;
and you gave your children good ground for hope
that you would permit repentance for their sins (Wis 12:19).

Reflection

In our sacred readings today, particularly in the second reading, we are given hope that we can become the people the Lord wants us to be.

Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will (Rom 8:26-27).

In the gospel portion, two specific points are made by Jesus.

1. The evil one sows what opposes the Kingdom (An enemy has done this).
2. The final separation belongs to the angels acting according to divine judgment—not to us. (The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels).

The Lord prefers we think in terms of yeast and mustard seeds.

Small things done with great love (baking with the yeast of love and planting confidence with a tiny mustard seed).

A woman prepares food for her family using a small amount of yeast and patience to bring about sustenance. Three measures of flour is a lot of love (50 pounds of bread)! She prepares not a meager amount. No, she prepares a feast of love for many!

A mustard seed. The smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’ If you allow me, I think this is the masculine imperative of the two parables. But that’s my bias. Feel free to ignore that comment 🙂 Everyone is called both to nourish and to shelter.

Kindness is the single most prominent form of expression of the divine presence. Period. End.

Personal Reflection

Plant a tree of safety.
Cook a batch of love.

The Lord will be your strength.
Those who are just must be kind.

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071926.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

Greetings on this the Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings: Micah 2:1-5; Psalm 10:1-2, 3-4, 7-8, 14; Matthew 12:14-21

Summary

In our sacred readings today, we are given the contrast of two ways of living and the ultimate outcome of the powerful and the Servant.

The Powerful

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
and work out evil on their couches;
In the morning light they accomplish it
when it lies within their power (MI 2:1).

The Chosen Servant

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory (MT 12:18a,20).

Powerful Outcomes (The irony is the powerful lament over loss of property to their own captives)

On that day you shall be mocked,
and there will be bitter lament:
“Our ruin is complete,
our fields are divided among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!” (Mi 2:4).

Chosen Servant Outcomes

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope (MT 12:18,21).

Reflection

The contrast is not between the powerful and the poor – although that is a permitted thought. Our Psalmist recounts: Do not forget the poor, O Lord! (PS 10:12b). The contrast is between how we use the power.

Can we go deeper?

Each of us possesses power: personal power, family power, community power and national power. One expression of this power is autonomy: our capacity to choose and direct our actions. You had the power to rise up and get on with your day – go to work or spend your time as you wish.

• The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death – because he chose to heal on the Sabbath contradicting the teachings of the Pharisees.
• When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place – because he chose to keep healing not arguing.

Jesus could have spent his time in confrontation. He chose instead to attend to those following him and cure them all.

Personal Reflection

It is remarkable what is within our power. Either to plan iniquity, and work out evil on [our] couches or to help a bruised reed or to encourage a smoldering wick. If something lies within my power, may it be for the victory of justice. To become more like the Lord, who sees misery and sorrow and takes them into his hands. You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow, taking them in your hands. On you the unfortunate man depends; of the fatherless you are the helper (PS 10:14).

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071826.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

Greetings on this the Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8; Isaiah 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16; Matthew 12:1-8

Summary

Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go, tell Hezekiah: Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David:

• I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.
• I will heal you: in three days you shall go up to the LORD’s temple;
• I will add fifteen years to your life.
• I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria;
• I will be a shield to this city.

Up until that point Hezekiah was generally considered a good king. After being forgiven, things went downhill fast (ex: boasted to Babylon the country’s great wealth; a bad Son and successor, etc). After begging for mercy, Hezekiah did not always receive or use its benefits well. Even though the Lord knew what Hezekiah was like and what he was likely to do, for the Lord the higher priority: I desire mercy, not sacrifice.

In regard to the disciples, who were allowed by law to glean a handful of grain, Jesus asked the Pharisees to reconsider how they see things.

If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.

Reflection

So what do we make of these things? The Lord answers prayers even when it is uncertain how you will handle the blessing. At the same time, we need to not judge others (especially when innocent) of crime violations against the faith that we are often too quick to accuse them of committing.

Personal Reflection

The sum of it:

Pray.
Use the blessings wisely.
Don’t judge others.

Mercy can change everything. Our condemning judgment closes the relationship.

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071726.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

Greetings on this the Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19; Psalm 102:13-14ab and 15, 16-18, 19-21; Matthew 11:28-30

Summary

[Of the Lord] For your dew is a dew of light, and you cause the land of shades to give birth. [Boaz to Ruth] May you receive a full reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge. [Jesus proclaims] Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord (ISA 26:19b; RU 2:12b; MT 11:28).

The sacred text of Isaiah 26 is often used as a predictive description of the resurrection and rightly so. However, there is a more pedestrian understanding and one that speaks well to the daily worry of people the world over, that is, the desire and ability for women to have a husband and raise children. During the time of this Oracle, the population of the people was severely diminished – exile, war, and enslavement by the Assyrian Empire.

I inserted the story of Naomi and Ruth to help bring about a warmer understanding of the purpose of the story. Wherever and whenever it was told, its claim of God’s universal concern for humankind and the attractiveness of caring human responsibility shines forth (see https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ruth/0).

Isaiah saw a rebirth (or birthing – birth rate – of a new people) later made explicit by the young women of Boaz who were free and protected. Boaz expresses the divine care: It is by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.

Reflection

The sacred text today brings together personal loss (and advanced age), national decimation, racial discrimination, and famine. All these things weigh heavily on people and in particular women who wish to have families. But Boaz, speaking to Ruth, brings into focus the meaning of Jesus’ words most specifically. Come to the Lord, the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.

Jesus knows. Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. The Lord’s promise is certain; the time and form of its fulfillment remain in his hands.

Personal Reflection

For the women of the world who long for love, marriage, and children: The Lord knows. Rest in the arms of a loving God. Be blessed regardless of the worldliness of the powerful.

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071626.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

Greetings on this the Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Readings: Isaiah 10:5-7, 13b-16; Psalm 94:5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15; Matthew 11:25-27

Summary

Fat Ones

For he says:
“By my own power I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd.
I have moved the boundaries of peoples,
their treasures I have pillaged,
and, like a giant, I have put down the enthroned.
My hand has seized like a nest
the riches of nations;
As one takes eggs left alone,
so I took in all the earth;
No one fluttered a wing,
or opened a mouth, or chirped!”

Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
will send among his fat ones leanness,
And instead of his glory there will be kindling
like the kindling of fire.

Childlike

At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

Reflection

In our sacred readings today we are treated to the contrast in perceived reality of the wise/powerful/learned and the childlike.

The first group sees the world through the lens of their power to dominate and control, seize and plunder. The second group see the world through the lens of the Lord of heaven and earth. How very different the view is! For the childlike, no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

Personal Reflection

Fat with power brings the consumption of others or be known by the Father and Son.
I’m thinking it is better to be known than fat.

For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it (PS 94:14-15).

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071526.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

Greetings on this the Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
Readings: Isaiah 7:1-9; Psalm 48:2-3a, 3b-4, 5-6, 7-8; Matthew 11:20-24

Summary

The saying Long Time Dead is a phrase I heard over and over again as a kid. The intended purpose was to make concrete the possible effect of decisions that are sometimes permanent. The loss of life, your own or of another, was an irreversible outcome. How might this apply in our sacred readings today? Jesus is making the same warning about irreversible outcomes, once dead – judgment, but also a warning about a life divided between grace and the hidden.

“Long time dead—not because death defeats God, but because our earthly season of choosing does not last forever.”

Jesus, of course, is not interested in these outcomes to be effectuated. Rather he warns us about ignoring the constant Visitations of the Lord in and among the places we live, work and play. These great gifts, not shared equally or in similar amounts among peoples (Tyre/Sidon and Sodom in contrast with Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum) are a secondary theme.

If we apply this teaching of Jesus to a single person we could say the Lord chooses when and where he visits us and we are obligated to carry/see/know this gift into the Tyre, Sidon and Sodom of our lives – the hidden, disaffected places. We are not bifurcated people. We are one human person, and the Lord claims every territory of our life.

Reflection

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.

Personal Reflection

Lord, may you be Lord of my Tyre/Sidon and Sodom with the fullness of your gifts the same as in my Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.

I make this prayer freely, with the whole and undivided self your grace has awakened.

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071426.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

Greetings on this the Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 1:10-17; Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23; Matthew 10:34-11:1

Summary

The sword pierces and reveals.
The reward is participation in divine relationship.

What does Jesus want to pierce?

Just before our reading from Isaiah, an apt description of our condition.

Our condition

From the sole of the foot to the head
there is no sound spot in it;
Just bruise and welt and oozing wound,
not drained, or bandaged,
or eased with salve.

and accusation regarding actions/worship

I find no pleasure. When you come in to visit me, who asks these things of you? Bring no more worthless offerings; your incense is loathsome to me. Your hands are full of blood!

then an Appeal

Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

Reflection

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword…. and reward.

Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

What does Jesus want to reward?

He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.

Personal Reflection

As a deacon my homiletic approach is often different than that of a priest. In my charism, I focus on the things we can do and the things we must own.
We have been given:

1. Dignity
2. Autonomy
3. Openness
4. Gratitude
5. Worship

These gifts are our tools of forming a response to the Divine Imperative of relationship.
Jesus wishes to share – reward – his divine life with us.

The sword reveals that which is unhealthy.
The reward is the healing balm of love.

• A prophet’s reward is to experience and share the divine love and divine mission.
• A righteous man’s reward is a peaceful life – extendable to peace in our homes, community and among nations.
• The reward of kindness is kindness.

What is your sword – reward today?

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071326.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

Greetings on this the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23

Summary

“Hear then the parable of the sower.

The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.

The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.

The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word, and it bears no fruit.

But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

Reflection

In our Gospel portion today, we are given a distinct set of outcomes and the causes of those outcomes.

While the story is told as a series of distinct and separate cases, it may be more profitable to understand them as the possible conditions of any person on any given day.

Who am I today?

Hearing without understanding.
Receiving with joy, but without allowing the word to take root.
Rooted only until trouble or persecution comes.
Surrounded by the thorns of worry and the lure of riches.
Receiving with a shrewd mind and simple faith—and bearing fruit thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.

Personal Reflection

Every day—in prayer, at work, in the home, or on the road—we must decide to seek understanding, allow Jesus’ words to touch the heart, refuse to let danger become the controlling fact, and prevent anxiety or riches from becoming our North Star.

We are called to go beyond these things.

Just today.

Today.

Let tomorrow take care of itself.

Who am I today?

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071226.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

Glory to God in the Highest!

Greetings on this the Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5; Matthew 10:24-33

Summary

The Preparation – At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.

The Sending – Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

The vision of the Lord enthroned in glory stamps an indelible character on Isaiah’s ministry and provides a key to the understanding of his message. The majesty, holiness and glory of the Lord took possession of his spirit and, at the same time, he gained a new awareness of human pettiness and sinfulness. The enormous abyss between God’s sovereign holiness and human sinfulness overwhelmed the prophet. Only the purifying coal of the seraphim could cleanse his lips and prepare him for acceptance of the call: “Here I am, send me!” See commentary: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/0

Reflection

What I say to you in the darkness (the recesses of the heart), speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

Personal Reflection

What a marvelous thing to witness to the conversion of a man who accepted the Sending. A sending that makes the enormous movement from judgement to participating in the salvific mission of the Lord. God doesn’t need more judges. He needs our humanity.

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071126.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry