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  Monday – 17 th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel – Matthew13:31-35 With Great Abandon! Making Bread! One thing I miss from our Dakin home is our gas cooktop/oven!!   Our new home has electric and, after 2 years here, I continue to struggle making the adjustment.   Nothing bakes the same way or time; it’s always a guessing game.   I am realizing that altitude may also play a part in the baking process. I made zucchini bread a couple days ago and they finally came out exactly the way I wanted (and tasted).   But baking bread is still a challenge.   Getting the dough to rest and rise is an ongoing challenge.   Hard to realize that such a little ingredient like yeast could play such a big role in baking bread! We hear about yeast in the second parable of today’s Gospel.   Jesus speaks of a woman who prepares 3 measures of flour to make bread.   The recipe I use requires about 4 cups of flour; out of that, I end up with 2 small loaves of fre...
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  Sunday – 17 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel – M atthew13:44-52 Hidden Treasure – Greatest Joy Tennessee Sunrise I admit it!   The last 2 years have been unforgettable.   And yet, truth be told, I wish I could forget a good portion of it!   The emotion and stress of physically moving from our home of 40 years!   The effort of sorting through all those memories and ‘stuff’.   The gut-wrenching separation from family and dear friends!   Those moments of despair and joy from Ginger’s countless medical appointments and procedures, diagnoses and chemo, lab tests and blood work, and then some of my own share and share alike, I guess)!   The little victories with ‘normal’ test results!   The worry and boundless love for my ‘honey’.   Pain, sadness, fear, despair, emptiness!   Admittedly, there have been more storm clouds than sunshine!   A rollercoaster of emotions and events!   And we haven’t always managed the stres...
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  Satur day – Feast of St. James, Apostle     Gospel –  Matthew 20:20-28 Sons of Thunder Mass on Mt. Tabor Years ago when our daughter was in grade school, I remember some sort of honors ceremony where she was hoping to get an award (don’t remember what) but she didn’t.    And she was upset!    So like any loving dad, I went out and bought her a generic trophy to help her feel better.    Yeah, I was one of those parents!    But let’s face it – we all want the best for our kids; we would do whatever it takes for them, and I still do!    But, in reality, there is only so much we can do for them; most of the time they need to learn and to grow from their successes and failures on their own. As we celebrate today the Feast of St. James, Apostle, we see in the Gospel a mother who demands that Jesus give her 2 sons, James and John, thrones of authority to rule the Kingdom alongside Jesus.    Jesus shows incredible...
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  Friday - 16 th  Week in Ordinary Time   Gospel –  Matthew 13:18-23 The Sower & The Seed – Part II Family Gardens Yes, I know.    We just visited this Gospel parable 2 Sundays ago. The sower scatters seed everywhere and only some falls on rich soil.    And then Jesus explains the parable to the disciples. So let’s make this short and to the point!    We know the seed is the Word of God.    We know the Word of God is proclaimed to us every single day!    We know God speaks to us every day!    So my question is this – what “soil” are YOU today?    Are you the rocky soil that starts off joyful and then that joy quickly fades away?    Are you the soil among the thorns, so caught up in the cares of the world that you are too stressed to hear?    Or are you the rich soil that hears the Word and lives it out?    What soil are you today? And if you are the rocky soil...
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  Thursday - 16 th  Week in Ordinary Time    Gospel –  Matthew 13:10-17 Let Me Tell You a Story! Walking Sticks, TN My very first semester of teaching was a complete disaster. I knew all the material, I had all the training and preparation I needed, I was prepared – or so I thought!    Nothing worked!    I presented the notes but all I got back was a classroom full of blank stares.    There was no engagement; it was like we were on 2 different levels or speaking two different languages.    And that, in the end, was completely true.    I was teaching the material at them but not to them!    I realized I needed to speak to them where THEY were at, not at a level where I was at!    And so I began to weave in stories to make my point, to throw out some corny jokes or stunts to catch their attention. Go figure – it worked for 40 years! Every time we read the Gospel, it seems as if Jesus is always b...
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