Deacon Larry Jesmer

Happy New Year to everyone! Now, you are probably thinking to yourself what the heck is Deacon Larry talking about. It isn’t the 1st of Jan, 2013! Yet it is the beginning of a new year, the beginning of a new church year.

Last week we celebrated the feast of “Christ the King”and the last Sunday of the outgoing church year. Today we celebrate the first Sunday in Advent and the beginning of a new cycle of prayers and scripture readings. This is the year of cycle C where we hear the gospel of Luke. So, “Happy New Year” to you all.

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1st Sunday of AdventRead More »

Scripture: 1st Reading: Deuteronomy 6:2-6
2nd Reading: Hebrews 7: 23-28
Gospel: Mark 12: 28b-34

In today’s gospel reading Jesus is asked one of those questions where the questioner is looking for a short, simple statement, on a large complex subject. Even so, it seems that Jesus doesn’t need to stop and think before answering him.

Jesus refers back to the words of Moses which the scribe asking the question would have known very well and which we heard in the first reading, ” You must love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.”

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31st Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

SCRIPTURE:
1ST Reading: Numbers 11:25-29
2nd Reading: James 5:1-6
Gospel: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Wow!!! Did you really hear what Jesus was saying to us in today’s Gospel from Mark? Does it put that feeling into the pit of your stomach that says, ” I’d better pay attention to what Jesus is saying to me or I will be in deep trouble!!”

What is Jesus saying to us? Let me refresh your memory. Put a great Millstone around our neck only to be thrown into the sea? Cut off our hand? It is better for us to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna? Cut off our foot or go to Gehenna? Pluck out our eye or go to that place again, called Gehenna, where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched? What the heck is Gehenna, anyway? Holy Cow, I don’t want any of this! Would you?

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26th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Scripture:
1st Reading: Isaiah 35:4-7A
2nd Reading: James 2: 1-5
Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

After listening to this gospel, I can’t help but think of the times I have not heard or spoke the way I should. The situations of our world keep us caught up in the moment and once the moment has passed away we go on doing the same old stupid things. Yes, it even happens to me!

How many of us, for example, take what we have heard each Sunday and have gone out to speak it? Whether it be in our homes, our work places, our play places, our school, with our family, friends? Can we honestly say that we have heard?

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23rd Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Scripture: 1ST Reading- Proverbs 9:1-6
2nd Reading-Ephesians 5:15-20
Gospel- John 6:51-58

In today’s gospel reading Jesus concludes his teaching on the mystery of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ truly present to us. For three weeks running we even sing the same psalm; “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord”. This does not happen very often and is unusual in Church liturgy. Usually the theme’s change every week.

Why is this? Did we really hear the words when we sang the psalm; “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord”? To devote four weeks to the Eucharist sure does stress the importance it must have in our lives and how it affects our minds, hearts, and souls.

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20th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »