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Feeding the Multitudes

Carmelite homily for Wednesday, December 4, 2019 – Lectionary 177

In today’s Gospel we have the feeding of the multitude where Jesus takes the few loaves and fish and multiplies them and gives them to the many.  This is oftentimes called a prefigurement, we say, of the Eucharist where Jesus feeds the multitude.  But Therese has an interesting take – Therese of Lisieux – she writes that when she comes to communion, “I invite all the angels and saints to come and conduct a magnificent concert there so that when Jesus descends into my heart he is content to find himself so well-received, and there I am content too.”  That’s the call; yes, Jesus feeds us but we feed Jesus with our love, our action, and our heart.  We feed the multitude, also. 

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Be Little and Let Jesus Do the Work

Carmelite homily for Tuesday, December 3, 2019 – Lectionary 176

Saint Therese of Lisieux was looking for some way to articulate her Little Way and she found this passage in the Book of Wisdom:  “Whoever is a little one, let him come to me.”  And she concludes, “The elevator which will raise me to heaven is your arms, O Jesus, and for this I had no reason to grow up but rather to remain little and to become this more and more.”  In today’s Gospel we have this image of becoming childlike and things that are hidden are revealed to the little ones.  I think that is Therese’s Little Way.  Let Jesus do this.  Let Jesus accomplish this.  Let Jesus’ grace work through us.  Be little, and let Jesus do the work.  

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Recruiting for the Fishing Team

Carmelite homily for Saturday, November 30, 2019  |  The Feast of Saint Andrew  |  Lectionary 584

Today is the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, and we have the Gospel passage where Jesus is calling Simon Peter and Andrew, fishermen, to be fishers of men and women.  Therese writes, “More merciful to me than to his disciples, Jesus took the net himself, cast it, and drew it in filled with fish.”  He didn’t call Simon or Andrew to be fishers without him.  He doesn’t call us to be fishers without him.  Jesus becomes that fisherman with you, fisherwoman, you fisherman – we, fisher-team. 

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Gratitude

Carmelite homily for Thursday, November 28, 2019 | Thanksgiving Day | Lectionary 945

Note: This post is a rerun from November 13th, since the Gospel passage, Luke 17:11-19, is the same passage for today.

In today’s Gospel we have the well-known story of the ten lepers who come to Jesus for healing.  And he does it!  But only one returns.  And he asks, “Where are the other nine?”  Well, the other nine may say, “I didn’t ask for leprosy, why should I say thanks?  I didn’t do this to myself.”  Therese reminds us, though, “Prayer is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as in joy.”  That may be hard to remember, hard to implement, hard to do – just like the nine who wandered away.  But it is true, “Prayer is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as in joy.”  Let’s try to remember that. 

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How To Be King

Carmelite homily for Lectionary 162 | Christ the King | Sunday, November 24, 2019

In the Gospel today we have a very interesting image of Jesus as Christ the King – Jesus suffering on the Cross.  Yes, Pilate does put the sign ‘The King of the Jews’ over his head, but Jesus suffering on the Cross is Kingship.  Therese – Therese of Lisieux – says, “You will not arrive at what you desire by your own path or even by high contemplation but only by a great humility and surrender of the heart.”  That’s what we see with Jesus on the Cross: great humility, great surrender, great peace.  This is Kingship in the Church.  This is the call of today’s feast. 

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Doing Good on Earth

Carmelite homily for Lectionary 502 | Saturday, November 23, 2019

This is a Re-Post from Sunday, November 10, 2019, because today’s Gospel, Luke 20:27-40, is the same passage proclaimed that Sunday. 

One of the best known lines of Saint Therese of Lisieux is “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.”  This could be the problem in today’s Gospel when the Sadducees come to Jesus with this hypothetical case of a woman who marries seven successive husbands.  And in the end, whose wife with she be?  And Jesus says it’s not like that at all.  I think Therese knows that too.  Heaven is not about being – whose wife will she be – it’s about doing.  In fact, life is about doing, not about being.  I oftentimes  tell couples about to be married, “it’s not enough be married, you’ve got to do married.”  And I say that to our seminarians, “it’s not enough to be a priest, you’ve got to do priest.”  And I think that’s the key everywhere because that’s how God acts.  God is not a being; God is a doing – redeeming us, saving us, guiding us, loving us.  That’s the key that, I think, Therese captured.  And that’s the Little Way.  Do – it’s not enough to be – do good.  “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.”  And let us do our earth doing good on earth. 

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Prodigal Child

Carmelite homily for Lectionary 497 | Monday, November 18, 2019

In today’s Gospel we have the story of Jesus approaching Jericho and there’s a blind man out there who says, “Son of David, have pity on me!”  And the crowds say, “Shh!  Shh!” to him to shush him down.  And he cries out all the more, “Have pity on me!”  Jesus does have pity on him, and Jesus does have pity on us.  Saint Therese reminds us, “I would throw myself into Jesus’ arms for I know how much he loves the prodigal child who returns to him.”  That blind man knew that; Therese knows that; let us know that.  

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Gratitude

Carmelite homily for Lectionary 493 | Wednesday, November 13, 2019

In today’s Gospel we have the well-known story of the ten lepers who come to Jesus for healing.  And he does it!  But only one returns.  And he asks, “Where are the other nine?”  Well, the other nine may say, “I didn’t ask for leprosy, why should I say thanks?  I didn’t do this to myself.”  Therese reminds us, though, “Prayer is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as in joy.”  That may be hard to remember, hard to implement, hard to do – just like the nine who wandered away.  But it is true, “Prayer is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as in joy.”  Let’s try to remember that.  

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Doing Good On Earth

Carmelite homily for Lectionary 156 | Sunday, November 10, 2019

One of the best known lines of Saint Therese of Lisieux is “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.”  This could be the problem in today’s Gospel when the Sadducees come to Jesus with this hypothetical case of a woman who marries seven successive husbands.  And in the end, whose wife with she be?  And Jesus says it’s not like that at all.  I think Therese knows that too.  Heaven is not about being – whose wife will she be – it’s about doing.  In fact, life is about doing, not about being.  I oftentimes  tell couples about to be married, “it’s not enough be married, you’ve got to do married.”  And I say that to our seminarians, “it’s not enough to be a priest, you’ve got to do priest.”  And I think that’s the key everywhere because that’s how God acts.  God is not a being; God is a doing – redeeming us, saving us, guiding us, loving us.  That’s the key that, I think, Therese captured.  And that’s the Little Way.  Do – it’s not enough to be – do good.  “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.”  And let us do our earth doing good on earth. 

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Let All Souls Be Saved

Carmelite homily for Lectionary 668 | Commemoration of All Souls | Saturday, November 2, 2019

On the day of her profession as a Carmelite, Saint Therese of Lisieux carried a piece of paper in the habit pocket over her heart and it said, “Jesus, allow me to save many souls.  Let no soul be lost today.  Let all the souls in Purgatory be saved.  Jesus, pardon me if I say anything I should not say.  I want only to give you joy, and to console you.”  On this Feast of All Souls, make that your mission.  Let us make that our mission.