The scripture readings for Lenten Masses are well chosen and effective. They are listed in the parish bulletin and I suggest that you read them beforehand. This is a wonderful way to enrich your experience of Mass. The prayers, however, are also beautiful and can teach us a great deal. Today in the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, that is the prayer said immediately before the Holy, Holy, Holy, we will hear: ‘for after he had told his disciples of his coming death, on the holy mountain he manifested himself to them in his glory… to show that the Passion leads to the glory of the Resurrection”. This refers to the passage before today’s selection. They are connected by a common theme, the same characters but also by the experience of fear. Let us look at the last item. 

We come upon Jesus and the disciples at a rather frustrating time for Jesus.  He has been preaching to large crowds, but they have failed to understand his message. This is understandable. I doubt I would have understood Him in their place. Jesus was self-consciously fulfilling all the requirements of the Messiah but in completely unexpected and for most people incomprehensible ways. It is therefore remarkable that when he asked the disciples who they thought He was Peter, always the spokesman, responded “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” Jesus recognized that this insight came from the Father and told his disciples that he “must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised”. (Mt 16: 21)   Continue reading “2nd Sunday Lent – Fr. Smith Homily” →

Moses is the hidden presence behind Matthew’s Gospel. His name may not be often spoken but there are passages in the Gospel which can only be fully understood by a reference to him. During the Christmas season we read about the slaughter of this innocents. (Mt 2:13-18) Understanding that and indeed the entire story of the flight into Egypt clearly depends upon knowing the details of the birth of Moses. Less obvious, but just as important, are the references to Moses in the visit of the Magi. (Mt 2:1-12) As we read the Gospel of Matthew throughout the year, we will find the presence of Moses hidden in plain sight. Nowhere is this more important than in today’s reading of the testing of Jesus. 

Let us look at the background. In the section before today’s, Jesus has emerged from the baptismal waters of the Jordan just as the Israelites had gone through the waters of the Red Sea and both find themselves in the desert. Jesus spends 40 days in the desert; the Israelites 40 years, but it is a time of testing for both. Matthew tells us that Jesus was led by the Spirit and the book of Exodus (Es 13:31) relates that the Jews were led by the “pillar of cloud and fire”. The great difference is that the Israelites were in the desert because of their sins. Although they had been the beneficiary of deliverance by God from the Egyptians, they rebelled – even fashioning a golden calf for worship. Therefore, they would not receive the promised reward of possession of the land that flowed with milk and honey until they made penance for their sins. They were given a mission from the LORD and for them to be His people, they would need to embrace it. The route from Egypt to Canaan would have taken no more than a few months to complete if distance were the only issue, but it would take 40 years because of their attitude.   Continue reading “1st Sunday Lent – Fr. Smith Homily” →

This week, Jesus continues his reinterpretation of the Torah, which we usually translate as the Law.  As an Evangelist, Matthew will organize these as 6 comparisons. “You have heard that it was said,” and then “but I say to you”. For those of you who do crossword puzzles, these are called the great Antitheses. They are very bold because they show that Jesus has power over the Law. This has great indeed cosmic consequences. But Matthew the Pastor has the more practical concern of organizing and leading his Parish, and in many ways that is what gives his passage its particular power.  

In the first Antithesis that we examine today, Jesus agrees with the precept of the law but wants his disciples to go deeper to grasp its truest meaning. He states the law of retribution: “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. This may sound savage, but is the root of civilization. Before this, a relatively minor infraction could set off a blood feud which could take many lives. By the time of Jesus, this had been further refined so that a monetary payment could be made to take the place of the body part. Yet, Jesus wants more.  Continue reading “7th Sunday Ordinary Time – Fr. Smith Homily” →