Father Kevin A. Codd

Reflections on the 175th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Saint Paul Mission in Kettle Falls (WA),

I was honored to be invited to offer some reflections as the Catholic community in Kettle Falls, WA celebrated the 175th anniversary of the foundation of the Saint Paul Mission there. The questions I chose to reflect on were not so much the "when, where, and who" historical questions, but the much more personal "what was it like for the missionaries on the inside?" I found my resources for responding to that question from my own "missionary" experiences as a pastor over the years. 

This is a read version of the text I prepared. The actual talk in the mission church was much longer! 

 

Thomas, Thomas, Oh Dear Thomas!

John's Gospel ends with the surprising story of the apostle Thomas, a late-comer to the Resurrection party. Having not seen Jesus with his own eyes, he loudly proclaims his incredulity. That ends when the Risen Jesus returns a week later. Thomas' profession of faith is the climactic end of the gospel: "My Lord and my God!" Jesus then turns a sidelong gland towards us when he says to Thomas, "You believed because you saw; blessed are those who do not see and believe." 

Were You There? Good Friday, April 15, 2022

"Were you there when they crucified the Lord..." The question posed by that old hymn seems to be best answered by the practical person clearly as "no". How could any of us have been "there" over 2000 years ago? But there is another kind of logic at work in that old hymn and the question it asks, the "logic of love" and it makes us even still "tremble, tremble, tremble." 

A Night of Memories, Holy Thursday, April 14, 2022

The Holy Triduum begins by remembering a night of remembering. On Jesus' final night before his death he gathers with the Twelve to celebrate the Passover Supper. On this final night of life for him, he and all Israel remember the foundational story of their faith, God's leading them out of slavery and into the Promised Land. Jesus also remembers his own life and the many encounters with sinners, disciples, the sick and lame, even the dead to whom he gave new life by the gift of his life. All these memories are kneaded into a loaf of unleavened bread and poured into a cup of wine so that his disciples memories of him might be living memories.

On Pilgrimage with Jesus in Holy Week, Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. In the liturgy of the day, the Palm Procession is followed by the proclamation of the Passion of Jesus, this year from the Gospel of Luke. The lengthy reading from Luke is followed by a very brief homily that calls us to both walk with Jesus on his pilgrimage from Palms to the Cross and to allow Jesus to walk with us in our sufferings, failings, and even death. 

Stones that Condemn: Fifth Sunday of Lent (C), April 3, 2022

Stones have been part and parcel of human history since even before history, for both good and ill. Stones play a significant role in today's Gospel reading from John. They are meant to kill. When a woman accused of adultery is caught and brought before Jesus, it is a test for Jesus. His silence and his brief words turn the accusation back on the accusers. Realizing their own sinfulness, the stones drop from their hands and new life is afforded the woman. 

The Elder Son’s Toxic Brew: 4th Sunday of Lent-C, March 27, 2022

Today's magisterial parable of the Father and his two sons offers the listener many things to contemplate from beginning to end. Today, let's focus on the end of the story and that older son...self-righteous and self-pitying...a toxic brew! 

Inside The Burning Bush, Third Sunday of Lent-A, March 20, 2022

Moses' encounter with the burning bush on Mount Horeb reveals much about God, whose name is forever, "I AM". In John's Gospel, Jesus uses the words "I AM" nine times. Rather than asking that we come no closer, as Moses was asked, Jesus invites us deep into the burning love of God and envelopes us in that love. 

Homily In Advance of Anointing the Sick, 2nd Sunday of Lent-C, 2022-03-13

The important story of Jesus' transfiguration finds its place during the Lenten season each year on this Second Sunday of the season. On this day, the Catholic Community in Cuenca also chose to celebrate the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick so today's homily is brief and attempts to connect both the Transfiguration story and this lovely sacrament of healing. 

1, 2, 3 Temptations, 1st Sunday of Lent-C, March 6, 2022

Jesus faces not just one or two great temptations, but three of them, each building on the previous one, each a challenge to his very identity as "God's Beloved Son." Let's take a close look at each one...