While they were at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples: Who do people say the Son of Man is? Wherever Jesus goes, His fame precedes Him, but away from the prying eyes of Jewish leadership, He wants to know what people thought about Him. Are they open to His message and mission? The people of this region are pagans, raw, and probably less biased to His message.

From their response, Jesus proceeds to know from His own disciples: But who do you say I am? Based on their initial answer, we see no real consensus, with most seeing Him as one of the prophets and even as John the Baptist. Being with Jesus for some time, He asked the disciples their thoughts about Him. He wants to know what people say about Him, but equally important the depth of their perception and understanding of His identity and mission.

Today, we hear in the Gospel of the Canaanite woman who begged Jesus to help her daughter, who experiences evil torment. Knowing she is not a Jew, she feels her unworthiness and disadvantage, yet she persists in her plea, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters. We see in her an example of humility, faith, and gratitude when Jesus healed her daughter. Do we have the same faith and persistence as the woman?

In the Gospel, we hear Jesus - walking on the waters as He approached the disciples' boat rocked by a storm. Most disciples were fishermen who could probably swim, but seeing a person walking on top of the water and not - swimming frightened them. If we do it on our own, we certainly cannot, but with God - we can. How many times have we weathered the storm of our life because the Lord was there to help us? The scene of the panicking disciples was the complete opposite of the peace of Jesus while He was praying alone on the mountain.

In the Gospel, Jesus transfigured in the presence of His disciples Peter, James, and John. The transfiguration displayed God's glory and deepened their understanding of His identity and mission. When the disciples heard and experienced Jesus' glory in the mountain, it reminded them of what happened to Moses at Mt. Sinai (Ex.24). Jesus brought three disciples to Mt. Tabor while Moses also led three of his close associates up the mountain. Moses' face shone when he came down, while a cloud overshadowed Mt. Sinai a symbol of His glory. All the similarities reinforced the theme Matthew already developed: Jesus is the new Moses who comes to deliver the people of God. But Matthew emphasized that there is someone greater than Moses is here. Jesus is no mere human mediator like Moses; He is the Son of God, and His glory is not a reflected glory but His own.

Kissing the Altar at Mass

Question: Why do priests kiss the altar at the start of Mass?

Answer: Our churches and chapels are filled with symbols. We might think of the more common symbols (like the crucifix, statues, stainedglass windows, vestment color and altar cloths) as well as major symbols (such as the paschal candle and the baptismal font). But there are some things that we can take for granted in our sacred spaces, because unfortunately, they seem to just be part of the building, including three of the main symbols of our liturgy: the ambo (lectern), the chair for the priest celebrant, and the altar.

This will be my last “pinch-hit” for Fr. Bing.  I admit that even though I was intimidated by the experience at first, I enjoyed it. In these posts, I have hoped to share the importance of giving back to God with a generous, rather than a guilty heart, and to remind us that God is never outdone in generosity. We are called to give of first fruits from what God has entrusted to us as stewards in His kingdom.  To see that giving of our treasure is something we should expect of ourselves to participate in the sanctification of the world and be united more closely with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

We affirm this as Catholics. We know this from experience. When God entrusts us with the gift of faith, He also entrusts us with the task of instructing our children in that same faith. Teaching children to tithe is an important part of their faith education that we often overlook. Giving to God is a core value of our faith that should be taught early and reinforced often. Yet, it rarely enters our minds to teach our youngest Catholics to start practicing generosity not just with their siblings but toward God and His church from a very young age.

Building a community of faith is one of the most important aspects of parish life. The mission of Jesus Christ unites us. As parishioners, we share in the celebration of the Eucharist as well as the many programs, ministries and services provided by our parish.

Each and every parishioner, when asked, can point to one or more ministries that they are involved in and hold in high regard. They have been either active in a number of ministries or they have benefited or been touched directly by a ministry. That is when both parish and parishioners are joined in Christian stewardship. Stewardship is not a strategy to just raise money. It is deeply spiritual and personal.

Fr. Bing will be gone for the next month, and he has asked me to “pinch hit” in his place in the “Message from Fr. Bing.” He asked me to focus my comments on Stewardship. I must admit to being a bit afraid of this task, as I only learned about it yesterday, but I can say I have already learned a fantastic lesson from this “by chance,” (there is no chance; God has a plan.) As part of my daily routine, I read the daily readings and then go to the website, usccb.org and listen to a short reflection on the day’s readings. Mondays always has Msgr. James Vlaun and he is excellent! Today was no exception, and it just so happened to be on the topic of Stewardship. I would like to share a transcript of what he said here.

We all have gifts; people notice them and tell us: You know, you have a gift! At times we say, how so? Often, we feel a bit uncomfortable and even embarrassed by the compliment. I’ve learned from my former Pastor (Fr. Chuck Kieffer) to say; Thank you and appreciate any form of praise or affirmation from others. But also, I am aware that everything I am and who I am now is a gift from God. Freely you received, freely give (Mt. 10:8b). Even in moments; when I speak or use the possessive tense (my, mine), deep inside, I am fully aware that there is nothing and no one I can claim as mine. My breath, the palpitations of my heart, all the functioning of my internal organs to keep me healthy all the senses of touch, smell, hearing, taste, and my whole being are all gifts from the Almighty Creator.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells His listeners: I am the Living Bread that comes from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever The BREAD He offers is His flesh that gives life to the world. Jesus invites the people to eat His body/flesh a shock to His listeners and would be disciples; in their minds, they wonder where Jesus got the courage to challenge everyone to take his flesh as spiritual food, much more than physical nourishment. Something new and unprecedented is happening. His command is taboo for the Jews and the last straw for many; who left the company of Jesus. If only they stayed longer, they would see through the words of Jesus, who invites them to be one with Him and He in them.

In my experience, one of the peculiarities of being a man is the somewhat unlikely ability to look into the mirror, no matter how out of shape he may be, and declare with full confidence: “Looking good, buddy!” Ask a man. He’ll probably confirm it. Therein lies a mystery. You might think I refer to man’s ability to deceive himself or his propensity toward vainglory. But in this case, I refer to the mystery of a healthy and proper sense of self-love.