Monday of the First Week of Lent
“Lord, when did we see you naked and clothe you?”
Ohio is home to 848,000 military vets or retirees. According to the Dayton Daily News our town “is one of the best places for veterans to retire” (Dec. 12, 2021). The impact of military families on our area has been enormous. Dayton without military families would be like Florida without the sunshine.
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Here we are. We are nearing the first Sunday in Lent. We have taken our Lenten fasts and devotions out for a test drive. At this point, we might have been put in a situation by our Lenten practices where we say “Well this is inconvenient.”
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Fasting is hard! When I am hungry, I tend to become more irritable, impatient, argumentative, and generally grumpy. Who wants that? Why should I fast? What’s the point? One essential reason is for spiritual growth. Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal our spiritual condition and opens us up to transformation. It is also good to remember that fasting does not always have to involve food. We could consider fasting from an app on our phone, gossiping for a day, swearing, listening to music on the way to work, putting sugar in our coffee; the possibilities go on without end, really. How do we work through the tension and anxiety of being called to fast?
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
The reading from the Gospel of Luke today poses a real problem for those of us who want to follow Jesus. Jesus seems to be saying two things. First, he knows very well that he is going to suffer greatly, be rejected by those in power both in the church and the state, die, and then be raised. And then he seems to say that if we want to follow him we need to do the same thing. That is, we need to take up our cross, suffer, and in that suffering find our resurrection. If we do that, we will save our life. If we do not, we will lose our life or, at least, a life worth saving.
Ash Wednesday
Today is Ash Wednesday. My reflection is short and sweet today, and centers on a singular question. What specific Lenten disciplines is God calling me to practice this year? For some, this may be a different way to think about what to give up or what to take on during Lent, particularly if your pattern is the same every year. The question shifts the focus from me to God. What is God inviting me to do or practice during these unique 40 days for the purpose of glorifying God and growing as a disciple? Perhaps this is a question you’d want to consider, too.
Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel (Mark 10:28-31) follows directly after Jesus tells the rich young man to “go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven” (Mark 10:21). The young man, disappointed, leaves. Following this event, the apostles start to realize (if they haven’t already) how difficult following Jesus is going to be. Jesus tells them twice that it won’t be easy to enter the Kingdom of God, and then, pressed on the issue, informs the disciples that “with man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27). Enter today’s Gospel.
Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
“Go sell what you have and give to the poor...then come follow me.”
So said Jesus of Nazareth to a genuine seeker who was faithful to the Law of Moses. This rich man, drawn to the message of the young rabbi from Nazareth, wants even more.
Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Being a grandma (Nana) provides me with an insight to understand what Jesus might be implying when He tells His disciples that only the childlike will enter the Kingdom of God. Being around four small children has allowed me to witness their ability to be present in the moment, to see the great trust that they place in those who are caring for them, and to experience their deep desire to share love with those around them. I believe that God desires this same openness and responsiveness in us as we seek to become part of the Kingdom. Like Jesus in today’s gospel, we are called to care for all children, as well as to learn their ways of love and trust.
Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Although Lent is still a few days away, today’s first reading reminds me of something a friend “gave up” for Lent a few years ago: complaining. We’ve all heard (or maybe even made) the jokes about giving up things like homework or work or cleaning for Lent. But this friend was quite serious about giving up complaining. And that really stuck with me. I didn’t think of him as an avid complainer or even a particularly negative person, but apparently he knew that was an area of his life that needed some work. And James’ letter to the early Christians indicates they needed a reminder about that too. Especially complaining about other people.
Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Sin. It’s something with which we all struggle. It’s a reality in all of our lives. The important question we must ask is not – do I have sin, but what do I do about my sins? In today’s gospel Jesus tells is telling us “Yes, I know sin is real in your life, now do something about it!” He is calling us to not only recognize our sinfulness but to cut that sinful action out of our lives.
Memorial of Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr
My husband and I are planners. We spend significant time making plans of all sorts – plans for our leisure time, plans for retirement, plans for projects around the house, plans to spend time with family and friends, the list goes on. We both value being proactive and planning ahead. In today’s first reading, James cautions us around our planning. I hear the Apostle exhorting us to remain humbly rooted in the Lord’s will as we make plans, orienting ourselves to God and not to the world.
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
Lately I’ve been thinking about how astonishing it is that two thousand years after Jesus lived on earth Christians can still think of ourselves as his followers. We don’t serve God in the abstract; instead we serve God as revealed to us by Jesus. There were many teachers in ancient times who had disciples then, yet very few if any can be said to still have disciples now. So it is even more remarkable that we can be counted among Jesus’ disciples. As I reflect on the readings for today I’m reminded of the ways that our ability to live as disciples of Jesus is a result of God’s providence and grace through the church.
Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
I believe. Help my unbelief! A father's plea to Christ for the healing of a son in distress—one of the most anguished statements in the Gospels because it is one of the most honest. With every fraternal bone in his body, he wants to believe in toto but to no avail---faith seems to be a Catch-22.
John Paul II wrote of today's readings that “our faith must be a sign of contradiction for the world.”
Our faith is a sign of contradiction---To live we must die. To rule is to serve. To be first is to be last. To become rich is to become poor. To be wise is to be fools.
Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
After listening to today’s readings, one is struck by the theme of tongues, mouths, and speech.
In today’s first reading, St. James warns us to watch our tongues. Here, James uses “tongue” to refer to “speech” and even more specifically, “teaching.” Indeed, he warns at the outset that not “Not many of you should become teachers” (Jas 3:1) because of our capacity to fall short with our tongues. James was deeply concerned about the authenticity of Christian teaching in the early Church, making sure that the gospel was passed on properly.
Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
The church firmly teaches that faith is necessary for salvation and can be cited throughout scripture. Good works alone do not merit salvation. We cannot buy our way to heaven with enough good deeds, or good intentions. The road to heaven is not simply paved by niceness or sincerity. It is the passion and suffering of Christ going to the cross that opens this path for us; and our acceptance of this gift freely given. At the same time, we are called to engage in works of love, reflections of the goodness of God. Christ commands action–”whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mk 8:34) Both faith and works; our first reading today expounds upon this great relationship imperative to our salvation. James brazenly tells us (a la ‘you ignoramus’), “just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” (Jas 2:26)
Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
In a culture high on celebrities, that chases after that which is trending, and demands that you have your “elevator speech” ready at all times, it’s all too easy to focus our eyes on what is above. I don’t mean heaven. I mean those people who seem above. That is, those who have more money than we do or a higher status or whose affirmation of us would mean so much.
Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
This week’s readings prompt me to continue last week’s theme of virtues. Our first reading from James identifies several specific ways that we can practice being virtuous. In our Gospel, Jesus heals a blind man. I pray that today, our Lord might heal us of our spiritual blindness, and give us grace to look intently, with eyes wide open, into his word in order that it might change us and make us more like Christ.
Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
When we face temptation, there are two possible conclusions – either we give into the temptation (the bad outcome), or we experience the fullness of its power in resisting it (the good – although deeply unpleasant – outcome). Giving in to temptation is an obvious possible result. When it crosses our mind or heart to do something we know we should not do, sometimes we go ahead and do it anyway. We are people who sin, and temptation is what plants the seed that leads us there. But what happens when we resist temptation? What happens when we are tempted and try to say “no” to our desires?
Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop
Jesus is exasperated today. He'd just miraculously fed 4,000 people and still they ask him for a sign. Can you hear our Lord sighing? Rolling his eyes?
Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
I love to cook and bake. It is not so much the food preparation itself, but it is the sharing of the food I prepare that brings me great joy. Whether it is a meal shared together or a meal that I prepare to pass along, there is more than just food that is celebrated. Food brings people together. A shared meal becomes an opportunity to strengthen a connection between those who participate. Jesus realizes the importance of food and sharing meals. Today’s gospel relates the story of Jesus feeding the multitudes. Jesus not only wants to nourish the crowd, but He wants to begin to help create a community of believers. After they share this meal, the many people gathered will always be connected by the experience of breaking bread together.