March 06, 2011
9th Sunday in Ordinary Time
We were waiting for the speech -- about fifteen of us in a local cinema! We knew historically that he did speak but still wondered if he would. We were watching and listening to the academy award winning movie: The King's Speech. 75 years ago King George addressed the British people on the dark eve of WWII. He was a stutterer. We have been listening to the King's speech at Mass for the last six Sundays. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount begins at chapter 5 verse 1 and ends at chapter 7 verse 27. For all of us who hope to follow him we must listen to and live these words. It is not enough to say: "Lord, Lord" at worship or in crisis. The God's wisdom or will in the teaching of Jesus is a way of life. Moses in our 1st reading had difficulty speaking. He pleads with God not to send him to Pharaoh on behalf of the Hebrew people in bondage. God's speaks through Moses that we must take the Word into our hearts and souls. It must become the "ground of our being" in the sifting sands and mud slides of life. St. Paul in the 2nd reading was not the greatest preacher. He acknowledges as much in the face of criticism from super preachers but Paul insists that he still speaks the powerful word of God. Paul reminds us that our ability to listen to and to live God's Word is by God's grace -- not our accomplishment. If we are to boast we must boast in our weakness and in God's strength. With Ash Wednesday we commit ourselves to the traditional Lenten practices of almsgiving, fasting and prayer. Our prayer so often becomes our speech to God. We forget that we must listen attentively to the One who speaks in Sacred Scripture and in the quiet of our hearts. During Lent we should wait on God's living Word -- the King's speech.
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8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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1st Sunday in Lent
