Father Denny Dempsey

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time A August 3, 2008

Gospel, Matthew 14:13-21  John the Baptist had announced that the Kingdom of God was at hand. What did people picture when they heard those words? Most had hopes of a Messianic era in which a Messiah King would win independence from all foreign powers and the people would live in peace and prosperity. Given the socio-economic changes that had been going on in Galilee for the past 30 years, lots of people had been displaced from their land and had no secure income. They had found some hope in the ministry of John the Baptist. Jesus understood that, now with John dead, he would become an object of their Messianic hopes even more than before. He needed time to get away with his disciples to reflect and pray about the next stage of their ministry. He had Peter sail his fishing boat to the other side of the lake. Being one of the better-known boats on the Sea of Galilee, people from the many lakeside villages could identify it from a distance. They figured that, if Peter was out sailing, Jesus would be with him. Walking the four or five miles around the northern side of the lake, they arrived ahead of the boat. By Jewish custom, it would be inhospitable not to provide a meal for someone who came to your home. Jesus wanted people to be “at home” with him and so gave increased credibility to the faith he encouraged by feeding the crowds.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time A July 27, 2008

Gospel, Matthew 13:44-52  A detective seeks answers to five basic questions: who, what, where, when, and how. Try applying those same five questions as you strive to understand the reality the Bible calls the “Kingdom of Heaven” or the “Kingdom of God”. In the gospel of Matthew alone, the phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” appears six times (4:17, 13:44, 13:45, 13:47, 13:52, 16:19) and “Kingdom of God” fifteen times (5:19, 5:20, 7:21, 8:11, 11:11, 18:1, 18:3, 19:14, 19:23, 19:24, 21:31, 21:43, 23:13) in addition to numerous other texts that simply mention the kingdom. Checking all those texts can help you discover the answer to many of those basic questions. As with the treasure and the pearl, when one realizes that therein lies something the attainment of which is worth investing everything one has (although I always wonder what the fellow was doing out digging around in someone else’s field and then not telling him of the treasure when he goes to negotiate the sales price). Do we realize the value of living in God’s Kingdom now and eternally? Are we willing to invest ourselves in that Kingdom so as to share the treasure?

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time A July 20, 2008

Gospel, Matthew 13:24-43  The weed is most likely tares or bearded darnel, a mildly toxic weed that, in its early stages of development, looks very much like wheat. By the time a farmer can tell the difference between wheat and weed, the roots are so intertwined that it is impossible to pull out the weeds without uprooting the wheat as well. It is often difficult for people to discern the difference between what is good for them and what merely appears good to them. Sinful attractions can take root in one’s life and become sinful habits. As with some weeds, such habits can be quite difficult to eradicate. Helping a person do so requires time, patience and understanding, not condemnation. Thankfully God has all the time in the world and patience and understanding to match. The Son of God came to save the world, not condemn it. On the level of each individual person, forgiveness is tendered again and again along the pathway of sanctification.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time A July 13, 2008

Gospel, Matthew 13:1-23  With a sack of grain slung over one shoulder, the sower would reach into the sack, grab a handful of seeds, and scatter or broadcast them about. Because of that technique, some seed landed in weeds, on the footpath, and in shallow rocky ground. Plowing usually took place after the sowing. While a fair amount of seed might be wasted, that which landed on good soil and was plowed in would produce a generous harvest on a good year. God scatters his word and blessings about. Not all seeds come to fruition due to indifference or opposition. Nevertheless, the harvest will be plentiful if we receive the seed of God’s word as good soil in which we allow God to weed out what does not belong, plow us over and soften us for his word to take root, and incorporate within us the nutrients of his blessings. The question of the apostles is worth considering. Many a poet has been asked the meaning of a poem he or she wrote. Most are reluctant to do so, preferring that people mull things over and try to figure out the meaning on their own. In that way the listener is both more challenged and invested in the poem. Jesus, as a good storyteller, probably had the same approach. Keep them guessing, pondering the meaning and how the stories applied to their own lives, and coming back for more stories.