Today in the Old Testament reading from Sirach (this Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time), we hear: “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight…  Forgive your neighbor’s injustice…set enmity aside…” We are told in this wisdom book to cease nourishing anger against another, to be merciful, to remember our last days and to let go of hate: this is the way to expect healing, mercy and forgiveness from God. The Gospel parable today is a “mirror” expressing this, too—and a reminder as we ramp up in politics and opinion in our country; and as we fight the effects of social and economic injustice.

​Forgiveness given and forgiveness received are always the work of God’s grace. (Thank you, Rev Rohr!) Unearned and even undeserved forgiveness is necessary to break down the “quid pro quo” world we all know: it is where we have trade-offs, exchanges, and where one-hand-washing-the-other deals are made. True grace makes all things new; and nothing new can happen in those situations where forgiveness is needed and not extended. Without forgiveness we are doomed to just keep repeating the same old sin patterns: our illusions, half-truths, spinning the story, injustice, blaming and shaming, our self-lies, pride and prejudices, and our refusal to seek reconciliation.

“True Spirit-led forgiveness always frees and heals at least one of the parties involved, and hopefully both. True forgiveness also awakens and invites the hearts of others, most especially the offender. True forgiveness does not leave the offender feeling small and judged but liberated and loved.” (Rev. Rohr) In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ parable teaches us this truth about forgiveness, love and grace. In any pain-filled situation we are called as disciples to always choose goodness: especially for that of the offender; in trusting that God’s goodness flows in all things and works through all situations.

So how to start the healing, how to forgive? I suggest we start with prayer—especially for those with whom you disagree on any or all issues. I have reprinted “The Five Finger Prayer” as a helpful guide to begin. In this time of social unrest, fear, division, sickness and strain—we can all use the prayers of and for each other.

Keep singing in your hearts!

Elizabeth Dyc

The Five-Finger Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as the great Christian writer C. S. Lewis once said, a “sweet duty.”
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach and instruct (especially at the start of this school year) and those who heal—especially all our first responders along with all teachers, doctors, priests, parents, pastors and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. In this time of toxic partisan division please pray for the president and all public servants, all leaders in business, industry and politics, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They all very much need God's guidance in order to lead us to justice and peace for all.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger (as any piano teacher will testify). It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, sick, sad, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.
5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As Scripture says, “The least shall be the greatest among you.” Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

We remember all God’s works in praying for others for God is as close as your own hand.

Our first and last readings this Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, remind us of our responsibility to speak up when we see injustice and sin. In the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel the Lord says if “you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die of his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death.” Wow! Jesus in the Gospel has a “plan” for dealing with problems between people and lays out very clearly the order you should follow in dealing with issues. He reminds us that what we do here binds us for always.

​The Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans is a “re-do” of the Ten Commandments, with Jesus’ greatest commandment to love one another thrown into the mix. This is very good advice! Address the wrongs and do it lovingly.

My sense is that we are told to always reconcile, to forgive, to prioritize our short time here to do the work for the Kingdom on earth; to deny ourselves and take up our cross (remember last week!). There is no better time than now to reflect on how you spend your time, talent and treasure—as we start a new school year.

So, BTW--If you have a musical talent, singing or playing, please consider giving your gift to the Church. Come and see me. We are all given different and necessary gifts. Not everybody is able to sing, but if you can, you should! We have a very active Music Ministry at St. Aidan, and I invite you to join us in praising God in song. (Do not worry if you don’t read music; teaching you to read and sing is part of what I do.) Your only requirement is a voice that sings in tune and the commitment to the Ministry. I am speaking up (as Ezekiel and Jesus tells us to today) and saying if you have a talent, you should be employing that ability to further the Kingdom! If you are interested in any of the Worship Ministries—call the office to volunteer! (Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Ushers and Greeters, Arts and Environment—all take some kind of special talent—but, why not try?) There are many and myriad ways to serve!

Discern your responsibility to the kingdom. Please reflect and pray about your priorities and abilities in the giving and sharing of your gifts. You will be amazed what you receive when you give to back to God.

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

Today we hear Jesus tell us that “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” We know that doing this always involves embracing the painful consequences of right actions when easier options are available. How tempting is that? The easy way, the comfortable and “non-confrontational way” is sooo tempting! But what we must understand as Christians is that this is “dancing with the devil.”

​All of us have danced this dance at some time; we are human and prone to sin and failure, greed, weakness and fear. So many times we are in positions when we could speak out, and do not speak up when we should—who wants to rock the boat, be branded a trouble-maker or big mouth, or go against the rest and stand out? That always feels like you have just painted a big red and white target circle on yourself. “Please, Lord, just let me drag the cross a little, okay? Because Jesus, it’s just too heavy to actually carry it…”

These moments of choice could be looked at in another light, however. They can be moments of grace for us; opportunities to do the right thing, to turn from the temptation of the comfortable and conformable. Discipleship does not mean to play it safe, and that is why Jesus rebukes Peter. He knows how hard it is going to get. I would imagine Jesus must be tempted already anyway, and then Peter offers him a plan to put the cross down and run away. We can see that in the name of love Peter does this, but we know that he has missed the mark. The easy way is the slippery slope, and it is a downward slide. Jesus turns his face to Jerusalem for us, praise be to God!

It always seems to be more difficult to do the right thing—whether it is choosing the non-fat foods or taking a deep, calming breath in the midst of righteous anger; being kind to the mean person or taking time for someone when all you really want to do is your own thing. It is realigning priorities, being fair, giving the benefit of the doubt, forgiving seven times seventy and putting others before your own self. It is speaking out against war (of any kind), injustice, prejudice and judgment (which is not our place). It is feeding anyone who is hungry—not just the “deserving poor” and picking up your cross while helping someone else carry theirs. What you may notice is that carrying our crosses together actually may make for a lighter load—or at least—good company on the way. “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct.” Hmmm. Thank God for his mercy and compassion, forgiveness and grace as we struggle with our crosses and temptations.

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

Last week we heard Jesus say to Peter: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” At times we are all just like Peter; we doubt when God seems far from us and when we see no way clear in trouble. Like the “foreign” (Caananite) woman in the Gospel today (this Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time), we must persist in our faith and in our trust in God. This is always easier ‘said than done’ especially when we are burdened by trouble and sin!

​I received an email from a friend of mine (back some years): “The Ten Guidelines of God.” I found it to be a comfort, reminding us to trust God, and it also speaks of “letting go and letting God.” I thought these guidelines were good advice, so here they are again… in the meantime, Keep Singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

THE TEN GUIDELINES OF GOD

1. QUIT WORRYING: Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST: Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME: Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids, with the finances, with your emotional roller coaster? MY list! I want to help you. All you have to do is ask!

4. LEAVE IT ALONE: Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME: I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH: I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE: You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none, and with those who worship me differently.

8. BE PATIENT: I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND: Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you to be different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF: As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only—to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors, but also love yourself. It makes My heart aches when I see you angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me.

Don't ever forget......

Today, the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear in the First Reading (Old Testament) from the Book of I Kings that the Prophet Elijah hears God’s voice as a whisper. He has just experienced the glory and power and might of God’s creation, expects to find God in this power, and yet instead, Elijah hears God’s voice in the quiet.

​Our lives are like the earthquakes, the winds and the fires described in Kings. We are living “helter-skelter” lives, burning our candles at both ends (and sometimes in the middle!), living stressed. We are always in a hurry, and rushing where? We don't seem to find the time to stop and listen to God. Not many of us know how to get out of the rat race—those storms of our incessant whirlpool lives that we call the daily grind.

Tragically, many of us are perfectly content (even proud!) with living this “out of control” way! We continue this pace even though we are in danger of becoming disconnected from God and the things of God. Many of us inhabit lives that are going in a million different directions at once, with no clear destination, and certainly not a heavenly one. (Remember a couple of weeks ago? Where your treasure is, your heart shall be…)

Psalm 46:10 charts out the path to a rewarding life “Be still and know that I am the Lord.” The problem with us is that we are not still long enough to know that God really is the Lord of all our existence—not just in our church activity—but in our marriage and family, our business and friends, our money and health, and anything else we wish to add to that list. We are not our own─we are made by God, for God.

In the Gospel today Jesus walks on the water and calls Peter to Him to do the same. Peter’s faith falters and he begins to sink in the waves, and he cries: “Lord, save me!” Jesus does for Peter as He always does for us; He stretches out His hand to hold us up. He stills the storm and He tells us to take courage and to ‘Be Not Afraid.’ First though, it is important to be still, to be able to hear the whisper of God’s voice in our hearts. As usual, it’s all about our priorities, our choices.

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

The story in the Old Testament reading today of Solomon’s petition to God for an understanding heart (wisdom), for discernment in right and wrong—right judgment—demonstrates just what is real treasure. Real treasure is the wisdom that will help us choose to always seek first the kingdom of heaven and the way that leads to everlasting life before all other things. The Gospel refers to this wisdom, this attitude, as “a pearl of great price”─true and lasting treasure! And after all this time we still speak of the Wisdom of Solomon and pearls of wisdom. With good reason!

So, what would you give to attain this pearl of great price? Would you give your all? That is the point of the Gospel parables. What do you give in order to gain a place in the kingdom? (Fr. Kevin has spoken of sacrifice for doing the right thing!) We work so hard for so many things that we will not take with us into the next world. In the third parable we hear how the net will be cast to collect fish of every kind. The good fish will be separated from the bad fish—like last week’s story of the wheat and the weeds.

Now is the time for you to pray for the Wisdom of Solomon, for discernment and right judgment in determining your priorities for your time, talent and treasure. What will you give for the pearl of great price, for your place at the table? Would you give a few hours to serve your Community? Would you be willing give up a couple of hours of television, change or rearrange your schedule, take a chance for eternity?

The incredible thing about any ministry in God is how it leads you on to more ministries and more gifts from God. It is true that so many times in the very midst of giving, you will find yourself receiving. So, take a chance on true treasure, on this pearl, because where your treasure is, there your heart will be.

Keep singing!

​Elizabeth Dyc

Today’s readings are all about the power of God’s Word to take root in our hearts, minds and spirits. The Prophet Isaiah assures us that God’s Word will produce results, “…my word shall not return to me void…” He uses the imagery of watering the earth, “making it fertile and fruitful…” We see an image of a garden, an appropriate image this time of year, as we work to water, weed and feed our own personal garden patches. God, the Great Gardener of our spirits, gives us this same care and attention.

​St. Paul today speaks of how all of creation, and we, “who have the first fruits of the Spirit” wait to be harvested by God. This is our redemption of which he speaks, the reward of the eternal for those who believe.

Jesus tells us the familiar parable in St. Matthew’s Gospel of the seeds and the sower, and He quotes Isaiah’s warning against closing our eyes and ears in allowing the Word of God to take root in us. The question is: What kind of ground are we for God’s word? “The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” These are very clear words today from Jesus. Today the Psalm refrain is: “The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.” So, how do we become fertile soil for the Word?

We must always first begin with God, in all we say and all we do. Understanding is a grace, and if we are open to the Word, it will be given. His Word, then, must take root in love, and more importantly, in action: we must feed the poor (your families, too), comfort the sick (children and relatives), visit the imprisoned (homebound elderly), etc. You get the picture. That kind of action in our lives is a sign of true and fertile ground. We also attend Mass and other Church related activities as priorities in our lives. The liturgy (mass) is the summit of our worship, and then we must go home and have households of active faith.

There is a hymn text (refrain) that says: “So the Word came to the world, so the Word came to stretch His arms and die for the world. As He loved, so we live─to sow the Word.” Conversion and then action will make us fertile ground.

Keep singing!

​Elizabeth Dyc

I was reading and praying through our scripture for this weekend in our Missalette (The Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time), and I saw that the verse for the Gospel Acclamation today is: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…” Maybe your first reaction (mine was) is probably that we Christians have a special place of honor with all the perks implied by power. But the implication here is huge for us true believers—and it is not about the privileges of power—but about the responsibility, the mission, the inheritance and accountability we are called to as Catholic Christians.

​This “entitlement” as named Christians is one that demands deep commitment and fierce self-reflection. Our integrity as true believers must constantly be held to a Gospel standard and examined: are we doing the right thing in the moment, the hard thing, and waiting for a later and better reward? That is what each and every one of us is called to do. And we also have a collective responsibility in that all of us are responsible to these core ideals—no “passing the buck.”

St. Paul tells us that by our Baptism we are baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ: if we die with Christ, we shall live with Him in “newness of life.” We are called to live for God in Jesus, announcing His praises, called out of darkness into light—doing the hard work. A new life is what we will find: an energized best version we are called to be in order to work in this field of souls. That is the life we are chosen for and that we choose: acceptance that bestows responsibility for others, accountability for our actions, and the joy of the cross. Is it worth the sacrifice and hard work, eschewing the easy way out? Only you can say for you.

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

Today, this Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary (Counted) Time, Jesus tells us: “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” St. Paul reminds us today that Jesus died for the ungodly—and that would be all of us. We did not deserve or earn our salvation, but we were given salvation anyway!

​It is hard to imagine this kind of thinking—especially in our world of commercialism—you know: the giving without selling or trading something. (Sorry if I sound a bit cynical…) Our system is based on quid pro quo, reward and punishment, and justice as retribution instead of unconditional love and mercy. This much of anything requires this much payment. The problem is we all tend to look at all our relationships as having some sort of fundamental cost to them—and the divine doesn’t work that way according to Jesus.

We’ve got to admit that this system of exchange seems reasonable to almost everybody today. If we’re honest, it makes sense to us, too, and seems fair. It’s how we are trained to see the world and how things work. The only trouble is, Jesus doesn’t believe it at all, and He is our spiritual teacher and leader.

Let’s look at a relationship without cost: there would be no “you owe me” but instead there would be no comparison between what we give and what we get. Hard to do—as we feel we’ve worked hard to get to our rightful place and position. But if we are truly Christian, we need to listen to what we are told in the Gospels. We seek a world of mercy, forgiveness, and unconditional love. But in our society we worry about anything “free” given to those who do not seem to have earned the right to—whatever.

What we have forgotten is none of us “deserve” anything! It’s all a gift from God. We need to begin to live in the kingdom of God, instead of the kingdoms of this world or we will think exactly like the world and not like Jesus. We have to stop counting, measuring, comparing and weighing. We have to stop saying “I deserve” and deciding who does not deserve. None of us deserves anything; remember: we haven’t earned our salvation but are given it anyway. Conversion to this way of thinking is hard to do though, unless  had the chance to experience that infinite mercy and realize that everything is a gift from God—all the time. Food for thought…

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc