Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
In reflecting upon the readings today, the ideas of commitment and obedience come to mind. In the first reading Daniel does not want to accept the food and wine from the king because it may be unclean. While Daniel doesn't want to put the life of the chief chamberlain at risk, he also does not want to compromise his beliefs. So Daniel, a faithful Jew seeks out another solution. Before moving on to the solution, I think it's important to reflect on Daniel's commitment and obedience to his Jewish faith. He is in a difficult position having been brought under the service of a Gentile king, and there seem to be things outside of his control, such as what is served to him. It would be easy for Daniel to say, "it's out of my control, so I guess I'll just eat the food and wine served to me." But he doesn't do that. Daniel, at the very least, attempts to find a solution that will allow him to remain obedient to his Jewish faith and committed to God. Daniel does not look for an excuse to make the covenants of his faith easier. How often are we like Daniel? Where are the places in your life that you find it easy to remain committed to God and to the Church? And where in your life do you find it difficult to remain obedient? Do we make excuses to make our faith “easier” or do we seek other solutions?
Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
As we head towards the end of the liturgical year, many of the daily Mass readings focus on end-times. Today’s gospel reading speaks about the coming age. Our lives are often so busy that we seldom take time to consider what the ‘resurrection of the dead’ means. The reading today reminds us that God is a God of the living, and death is not an end to our lives, but a transformation to the fullness of life in God.
Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Yesterday we read of Jesus weeping and now today we read about him acting out of anger. Jesus experienced a full range of human emotion. Fully human and fully God; I know sometimes I fail to remember the “fully human” part. Next to yesterday’s gospel reading, today’s gospel passage, The Cleansing of the Temple, is for me a helpful reminder of this.
Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
“As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If this day you only knew what makes for peace…” Luke 19:41-44
Today we read in Luke’s gospel that Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. His lament immediately follows his triumphant entry into the city. He looks out at the sweeping vista and predicts total destruction.
Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
It is with powerful yet somewhat violent imagery today that the readings speak of giving each of us all we need for the building of the Kingdom of God. The story from the Second book of Maccabees shares the image of a faith-filled family. The narrative has the family being tortured for their beliefs. As each brother refuses to obey the command of the king, they are executed, all this while their mother watches. The mom waxes poetically about how the creator of the universe gave each child life and to them they will return. Her statement is not defeatist though, as she encourages her sons to accept their fate with hope that a merciful God will reunite them all again some day.
Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Public perception matters. I wish it didn’t, but it matters a lot. The first reading today (2 Maccabees 6:18-31) gives a strong example of why and how we should take public perception into account. In the first reading we see Eleazar, a high-ranking Jewish official, taken captive and abused by his captors. Part of this abuse includes being force-fed pork, which is considered unclean by Jewish law. Eleazar, for his part, spits out the pork and refuses to eat it. The ensuing conversation struck me as I sat down to write this reflection.
Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s reading from Maccabees is the kind of reading that makes the bible seem particularly foreign and strange to us. The conquest of Alexander the Great, a gymnasium in Jerusalem, a “horrible abomination” built on the altar of burnt offerings. Huh? This stuff is a far cry from our world of Netflix, work commutes, and soccer practices. Or is it?
Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin
Today is the Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini, an Italian American Nun who lived from 1850 to 1917 and spent her life tirelessly serving immigrants and the poor. She was no stranger to chaotic times. Mother Cabrini said of her times: "The world is poisoned with erroneous theories…" This can certainly be said about our own times as well. For Mother Cabrini, changing minds and hearts and finding new solutions to deep seated problems always begins with prayer that is grounded in faith.
Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
Last week, I took the boys to Chaminade Julienne to see the fall play, Clue. Without spoiling it, the show is set at a dinner party hosted by Mr. Boddy, where he admits to blackmailing his guests, Mrs. Peacock, Miss Scarlet, Mr. Green, professor Plum, Mrs. White, and Col. Mustard. When Mr. Boddy turns up dead, everyone is a suspect, and they are tasked with trying to figure which one of them is the killer. Needless to say, the boys loved the play and we subsequently were obligated to teach them how to play the board game this week. It’s fun to feel like a detective, looking for clues to the mystery.
Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
In Luke’s Gospel for today, Jesus offers three very important insights.
First, he insists that the Kingdom is not a thing. It’s not an object to be observed—as if we could know it with certainty or even confidence. This insight stands in sharp contrast to a discussion I heard years ago at a family reunion I attended with my first husband. The family members that gathered were all conservative Mennonites, and they had very specific ideas about the Kingdom.
Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about gratitude and the power it has to transform our attitudes and our actions. Practicing gratitude can become a spiritual discipline as we take time frequently to call to mind the people, the things, the opportunities, the circumstances for which we’re grateful and offer them up to God in prayer. First and foremost, we pray in gratitude to God for God’s love, presence, grace, mercy, forgiveness, salvation – the list is endless as we recognize who God is for us and what God does for us. Gratitude is the antidote for nearly everything that distracts us and drags us down. Impossible situations, difficult people, anxiety, depression, sorrow, any form of suffering suddenly comes into a different light when we shine gratitude into it. While we’re not grateful for the hard things in life per se, when we choose to practice gratitude in the midst of them, we can experience growth in holiness as we gratefully unite our sufferings with those of Christ.
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
You are the temple of God.
Do you believe that?
Not in the way that your head can repeat the phrase “my body is a temple.” But in the way that your heart and soul really hold that you are the temple of God. And not only that you’re the temple of God, but that the Spirit of God dwells in you, and you are holy.
Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s reading from Wisdom 1, the line that states “for perverse counsels separate a man from God” stood out to me, especially in light of the Gospel reading where sin and forgiveness are the subject of Jesus’ teaching. Sin, however big or small, separates us from God. When we sin do we feel the sorrow of that separation? Does it come to mind that our impatience, anger, lie, laziness, neglect, or disobedience is a break in our relationship with the Father? Or do we focus on blaming another, minimizing the sin, or justifying it?
Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
In the gospel reading, Jesus suggests that his followers “make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth.” How can wealth be a friend and what makes this wealth dishonest? In the first reading, St. Paul lives out his Christian friendships as he greets many fellow disciples. How are we called to develop friendships that are holy and life-giving for both ourselves and our community?
Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
More than 2,000 years since the birth of Christ, with the development of modern means of travel and technology allowing access to and communication with practically the entire world, I think it’s safe to say that few adults have never heard of Jesus. So how do we respond to today’s first reading, Paul’s letter to the Romans (15:14-21)? I am especially drawn to this passage ending with Paul quoting Isaiah, “Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand.”
Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
In her home, my grandmother displayed several pictures of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. These portrayals of our Lord often brought me consolation, especially through periods of uncertainty. A meditative gaze into these portraits led me to Jesus, who, with his shepherd’s crook, lovingly and wisely led me through valleys and into light and life.
Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings are a beautiful follow-on to this past Sunday’s scriptures from Deuteronomy 6 and Mark 12. We get to hear St Paul’s voice echoing Christ’s in his exhortation to love our neighbor as our self. Paul incorporates an interesting metaphor into the mix – that of indebtedness. What do we owe in our spiritual lives, and to whom do we owe it? That’s a great question for our prayer and pondering today.
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
I love a lot of things about being Catholic, but I especially love the sincerity and complexity with which we Catholics approach death. Death is no easy subject to talk about! It’s scary, painful, and it provides unmeasurable amounts of uncertainty all at once. This all can make death a fairly dread-filled topic for dinner conversation. So what do we do, as Catholics? We talk about it all the time! We confront our death every time we pray a Hail Mary or go to Mass. We celebrate Ash Wednesday, where we’re specifically reminded that we “are dust, and to dust we shall return.” We even developed an entire art style around skulls, specifically designed to remind us of the fact that one day, we all will die!
Solemnity of All Saints
"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
Today is the Solemnity of All Saints, and in the Gospel reading we hear Jesus preach the famous Beatitudes. The first few Beatitudes to me always felt like a verbal hug from Jesus to his followers. Yet then he turns seemingly darker. At a glance, the warm hug seems to be replaced by a frightful foreboding, as Jesus isn't saying "if they insult you and persecute you" but rather "when they insult you and persecute you."
Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
In today's reading from Romans, Saint Paul explains to the Gentile Christians that it is God has who has brought them into the Christian community—not because of a superior wisdom on their part. Then in the Gospel, Jesus, who is dining at the house of a Pharisee, warns the guests not to take seats of honor or they may embarrass themselves when asked by the host to move to a lower place in favor of someone held in higher esteem. It seems a bit "tongue in cheek" does it not? Nevertheless, in both scenarios, the lack of humility begins with one's way of thinking, the disposition of one's heart. Who among us has not felt entitled or felt superior to another? Also, who among us has not practiced false humility?