Category: Uncategorized

Salt to Taste

by Gerry Palermo, posted in Uncategorized
A glass salt shaker labeled 'SALT' next to a mound of white salt on a surface, with a warm background.
Salt and Light AI generated. Not impressed.

Greetings on this the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 58:7-10; Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16

Summary

In our sacred reading today we have the juxposition of the declaration of Jesus describing us a Salt and Light and the Prophet Isaiah describing the effects of Salt and Light.

You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh? Do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket? Your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard (Mt 5:13a, 14; Isa 58:7; Mt 5:15a; Isa 58:8).

Reflection

If salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified ((Mt 5:13bc); 1 Cor 2:1b-2).

Salt and Light are elementary in type and are used by Jesus to describe:

  1. Who we are – essential and treasured part of the divine love.
  2. What we need to do – become beacons of light for others.

Personal Reflection

  • We are like salt. Meant to be integrated into the recipe of the divine salvation plan. Each of us add a taste, texture and type of flavoring that makes the Kingdom real and filled with life. If you permit, the Lord wishes to salt his message with you – salt to his taste!
  • We are the light bearers. We bear the Light of Christ and become a part of the light meant to be shared as well.

If it were not so, the Lord would not give us this description. We cannot live without salt and light. Both in the body and in the spirit. We are each unique expressions of the Divine.

Let me adopt the method of Saint Paul: My message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God (1 Cor 2:4-5).

Let’s resolve to be salt and light. May it happen by surrender and responding to love itself. This is the life the Lord desires for us.

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020826.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

I’m only as joyful as my saddest child

by Gerry Palermo, posted in Uncategorized
A sculpture representing grief and loss, illustrating the emotional impact of losing a child. Accompanied by text emphasizing the unique pain of parents who lose a child.
Grief in loss

Greetings on this the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Readings: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22

Summary

Zeal for your house will consume me (Jn 2:17).

Yesterday was the Chapel of Holy Innocents.

Prayers for the unborn and their mothers in crisis finds a home here.

Three men smiling together in a room, two in green liturgical vestments and one in casual attire.
Father Paul, Deacon Gerry and Mr. Jim Kolar – the man who made it all happen.

Today after the early morning Mass at St Mark’s I go over to the Veteran Administration Medical Center (VAMC) to minister to veterans in the CLC (Community Living Center) and Hospice units and then serve the Holy Mass. The women from Sacred Heart are coming and I so look forward to seeing my friends again.

A group of six people poses together in a church setting, standing in front of an altar decorated with candles and prayer items. Stained glass windows provide colorful light in the background.
Two Years Ago

Prayers for veterans and their families finds a home here.

I’ll attach more photos later if possible.

Today we celebrate the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches, this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope’s cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.

A home for all of us whether our own home is in ruins, stolen form us, or we are in a diaspora. Prayers for the dispossessed and on pilgrimage finds a home here.

Source: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/dedication-of-saint-john-lateran-basilica/

Reflection

Recently, a woman said to me from deep within her spirit a phrase that haunts me.

I’m only as joyful as my saddest child. At first I thought it was a singular, impactful, unique statement but learned since it is a shared feeling among so many parents. It also opens up other threads of discussion such as self-care and teaching maturity and self-reliance. even still, with all the ‘proper wisdom-filled care‘, joy is limited by the sadness of our children.

Prayers for our children finds a home here.

Source: https://www.imom.com/youre-only-as-happy-as-your-least-happy-child/

new Birth

Christ himself used the image of childbirth to name the pain that gives way to joy.

When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world (Jn 16:21).

A sleeping newborn baby curled up on a soft blanket, wearing a striped onesie and dark pants.

Prayers for our mothers and newborns finds a home here.

Personal Reflection

The immensity of the human need for healthy bodies and healthy souls, for relationships built on mutual respect and common good is vast. Incalculable. At least for me, a mere human. But for the Lord Jesus the cleansing of the temple isn’t a vanity play. It is a restoration to prayer in my Father’s house.

A historical painting depicting Jesus in the temple, driving out merchants and livestock, with a crowd reacting in surprise and chaos.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
  • Zeal for prayer.
  • Zeal for love.
  • Zeal for restoration and return.

that is to say…

Zeal, O Lord, make me a dwelling of your mercy.

Zeal, O Lord, I beg you, may I have zeal for the Father’s House. Not as a destination but a journey of life. Not as a sanitary sink but a sanctifying reality. In the tension and irony of Joy, we are joyful to be with the Lord and share the sadness of the saddest child. There is no other way for us. “Eli, eli, lama sabachthani? is the depths of empathy and sympathy. The Pathos of God.

Sacred Readings full text: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110925.cfm

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry

Unable to post today

by Gerry Palermo, posted in Catholic, Uncategorized

How I wish to post butthe day has gotten away from me. Spent all spare time on the Day of Reflection preparation.

Instead a wonderful reflection for today is from another blogger. Great stuff!

Persevering in Prayer: Finding Strength and Transformation

Indifference is all the difference ATNOBO25

by Gerry Palermo, posted in AT, ATNOBO25, Catholic, creation, Interreligious, Justice, Uncategorized


Greetings on this the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31

In our gospel portion today, we are given the insight to be able to say:

The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference.

Consider the Rich Man (Dives) in the Parable of Lazarus and Dives.

Each Day, every day

He dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps.

Knew but Ignored

He knew Lazarus but cared not. Until he would be potentially useful. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’

Indifference is deadly decay

So indifferent were they, that when Lazarus died, noone buried him.

When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

Indifference blinds

Indifference blinds us to Grace and salvation.

Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'”

Kindness endures

Nobody is perfect. You may be having a bad day and aiding others is the furthest thing from your mind. This story is about someone who day-by-day had a life practice of indifference, advantage, resources, intelligence and the nascent capacity to be kind (Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment).

This indifference of one man caused the death of another, Lazarus, and doom for his five brothers.

Nobody can complain they are unable to be kind. Lapses? Sure. A way of life? Never!

Kindness saves

Kindness can be painful.  Those who were kind were made ill by the collapse of Joseph.

They shared their home, food, music, eine and oil. This is the contrasting kindness to the vile images of those ‘with’  taken in the Book of the Prophet Amos.

Kindness Praises Kindness

Blessed is he who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free.

The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those who were bowed down. The LORD loves the just; the LORD protects strangers.

The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. The LORD shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.

Our calling

But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.

Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.

I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus.

Appalachian Trail

I ended the day yesterday in Holy Mass (of Thanksgiving) for a successful 241 mile hike through Massachusetts and Vermont,  end-to-end, entering New Hampshire on Saturday.

Kindness Abounds in Water

The severe drought made water management a critical task. There were days I had to restrict my water intake to two gulps every 70 minutes (set a timer on my phone). Thanks be to God for kindness. Water caches along some routes helped. I even begged a State Forestry Firefighters for a pint when passing each other. In payment I had to promise to stamp out any campsite firepits smoldering that I come across.

Kindness Abounds in Food

The distance between roadcuts made food management difficult. Thanks be to God for kindness.

One day hiker saw me at a forestry parking lot and gave me her snack bar, “you need this more than me”. Still others, while hiking extra miles to town to get food, simply stopped their truck offering a ride to town! I always apologized for my smell. Yes, it was bad. Like damp laundry waiting a week to be washed… times 10.

You see, I was Lazarus. Food, water, shelter, and kindness in small, yet for me, significant amounts… praise the Lord O my soul, as our responsorial psalm goes.

Your Kindness is in the Image and Likeness of God.

Peace be with you,
Deacon Gerry