Deacon Clark Goecker

Today is the second to the last Sunday of the Church year.  Next Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.  As the Church nears the end of the liturgical year, the Scripture readings take on a more ominous nature. The readings traditionally speak about the end of the world, the end time, the final coming of Jesus to take all peoples and all creation to himself.

Each of the readings speak of a future time when there will be judgment and a reckoning before God.  The tone of the readings is foreboding and the imagery includes cosmic upheaval. BUT in the outcome, we see the triumph of good over evil and that new life will overcome the fear of death. We see love, giving of ourselves to others. We see hope even in the most difficult of times.

The first half of today’s gospel leans heavily on traditional language and ideas of the Old Testament.  In the passage immediately before today’s gospel, Jesus spoke about the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. We can’t imagine the impact of Jesus’ words on the Israelites.  For them Jerusalem and its Temple was the very dwelling place of God.  It was also a significant event for the early Church as well. As you recall, in the early Church, Christians assembled in private homes to share the Eucharist. It is a good reminder that Christ is to be found in the people and not in a building.

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33rd Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Over the past several weeks, we have been journeying with Jesus and his disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem.  During this time with Jesus, the disciples seem to have become incredibly thick headed (stubborn).  To each of Jesus’ three passion predictions, they make inappropriate responses—Peter scolding Jesus; the disciples arguing who is the greatest; and James and John requesting places of special honor in the Kingdom.

And, if you were to take a moment now, how might you describe your relationship to Jesus? Are you a humble disciple putting aside self-interest, being a servant of all?  Are you willing to fully embrace the Cross, the clearest expression of Jesus’ mission? Are you willing to give up your life for others, or are you more concerned about your reputation? These are difficult questions and it is hard to be completely honest with ourselves, isn’t it? We pray that we can be all we hope to be in the eyes of Jesus. But, can we truly embrace what Jesus is asking of us? (pause)

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30th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

After five weeks of reflecting on the sixth chapter of John’s gospel and the theme of Jesus as the Bread of Life, we return this weekend to continue our readings from Mark’s gospel. The theme of today’s readings is the nature of true religion and how we live our faith.

As we hear in the first reading, the Law of Moses was very important for the people of Israel– a legal system they had developed in their desire to be God’s people.  Through the Law they were to lead lives which were different, better than their pagan neighbors. There was a great emphasis on the observance of the Law as a sign of commitment and obedience to God.  By the time of Jesus, however, the Law had become so hopelessly complicated that only experts could interpret its application to the many practical problems which would arise in daily life.

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22nd Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Let’s step back a few weeks…Jesus’ ministry is rejected in his own home town of Nazareth, but he continues his preaching in surrounding villages; he has sent his apostles out in twos giving them “authority over unclean spirits.”  His apostles are returning and Jesus himself is gathering larger crowds each day.  You can imagine those feelings—the excitement of the returning apostles, the hopeful expectations of Jesus, the exhilaration of the crowds who have witnessed Jesus’ words.  And, we can appreciate the weariness of the apostles and Jesus, and understand their desire to “get away by themselves for a few days.”  (pause)

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16th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Several years ago, I had an extraordinary conversation with our daughter—one of those special times in a father/daughter relationship that I especially recall on this Father’s Day weekend.  She was in the senior year of college majoring in chemistry and I was nearly finished with diaconate formation and in the midst of a masters degree in pastoral studies. We got off on the topic of chaos….and how each of us approached the topic. It was a fascinating discussion and we concluded chaos was the essence of all her study and I had to agree that addressing chaos in its many forms was an integral part of my formation as well.

Today’s readings also remind me of that conversation. In Scripture there are many examples of bringing calm out of chaos. Certainly in the Book of Job we experience chaos in one’s life.  Job’s personal life was beset with a series of storms.  We can surely relate to Job’s situation when we confront the challenges and even dark spaces in our own spiritual journey.  In those times, we, too, turn to God for comfort and courage.

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12th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »