Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Jesus Christ is an intense dude. Well dude might not be the best word, but I think you catch my drift. However, we can diminish His intensity in a flurry of tweet sized one liners from the Gospels. While those one-liners are valid, I want to refocus on the intensity of Christ and why it is important.
Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
A few years back, my brother shared with me the phrase, I am third. I don’t know the specific origins of the statement; however, it does get at the heart of Jesus’ message in the gospel today. “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt 22:37-39) God first, others second, I am third.
Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
I love writing these reflections. That’s partly because I have a thing for Bibles. Even when I was very young—in junior high—and not going to church (my parents stopped taking us to church when I was in elementary school), I had a Bible and loved it. My grandmother gave it to me. It was one of those red-letter Bibles. I don’t recall the translation. But I remember that its cover was green. I read it. Or tried to read it. But a lot of the time—no, most of the time—I didn’t have a clue what it was trying to tell me.
Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Our readings offer a fable and a parable today, powerful literary devices designed to capture our attention and bring conviction to our lives. I’m moved to reflect upon the themes of humility and integrity. As the Gospel acclamation proclaims, The word of God is living and effective, able to discern the reflections and thoughts of the heart. Let’s allow God’s Word to read us and change us as we read the life-giving Word.
Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
If I ever meet someone who claims to be an angel of the Lord coming to give me an impossible-sounding mission, my first thought will probably be, “either I’m crazy, or this guy is…” So, we can hardly blame Gideon for wondering if the person standing before him was really an angel. After all, Gideon was from the biggest loser in a family of losers: “My family is the lowliest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.” How could such a wimp take care of the biggest problem in the whole Kingdom of Israel at the time, the Midianites?
Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
I've taken on more house projects in the past few months than I did in the entire year that we were renting. In doing so I have noticed that once I begin a project I can be overwhelmed with my desire to "do it right." I want the perfect tools and I want to make everything just right, even if no one else would notice. In some instances I think I am taking healthy pride in my work, at other times I'm going too far, which Bess sometimes challenges me on by reminding me that at some point the goal is just to get the project done!
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr
When my husband and I read and reflect on scripture, we often comment that our understanding of the text is limited because we see through our current day vision. Today’s scripture reading describes the momentous occasion when the Israelites have arrived at the promised land, and Joshua calls them to recommit to serving the LORD as they begin this new life. We are also called to serve God today with our lives. What does serving God mean for us today, and how can we put this service into action in our daily lives?
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
I will confess that I find today’s gospel reading to be difficult; one that part of me wanted to avoid reflecting on today, but was repeatedly drawn back to. It is a touchy subject: divorce. Not one to be taken lightly. I have never gone through a divorce, but I know many people who have, some about whom I care deeply. There are those who have divorced by choice, but many more by the choice of their spouse or by circumstances (such as abuse) that led them to make that very difficult decision. How many couples enter into marriage with the intention of divorcing? Very, very few, I suspect.
Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel, Peter asks Jesus how many times one should forgive. Peter thought seven times seemed like quite a lot, yet he is surprised by Jesus’ response that one should forgive seventy-seven times. Of course, Jesus is not indicating that we should calculate carefully the times and cut off the forgiving at 77! In the ancient world, seven was a perfect number, and so Jesus is kind of taking Peter’s number to infinity, as is even clearer in some translations which render Jesus’ words as “seventy times seven times.” To drive home his point, Jesus offers a parable about the two servants in debt. The one who had a huge debt to the king was forgiven. However, he then refused to forgive the relatively small debt of a fellow servant. When the king found about this, he handed the unforgiving servant over to torturers until he could pay back the whole of his original debt.
Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin
Who are the people in your life, or the saints to whom you look, whose legacy you admire? Who are the people who have helped to shape your life? How are you shaping others, and how do you hope to be remembered? Today is a great day to reflect upon our legacy. I pray we each might be inspired to walk in greater intentionality around our calling and the way we live our lives.
Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
Have you ever played a game of ‘catch’ or ‘fetch’ with a person or dog? Consider what happens; something is thrown and returned, over and over again. What’s the point? The point is the cycle. Back and forth, over and over, it’s fun and something good is happening. This is how generosity works for the Christian. God gives to us, we give to one-another, and we give back to God. Around and around, over and over. Is it fun for you? What Paul says is important; Jesus does not simply command giving. He does not require a guilty giver or someone who gives out of their sense of responsibility or duty or ego. Even though we have a responsibility to be good stewards, the goal is higher: the Lord loves a cheerful giver. A lot of people say give until it hurts, and for good reason. Jesus and many after Him have given their lives, and this is a painful thing. But the point is not the hurting; it’s the love and cheer that motivates us to give what was first given to us.
Monday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
One of my favorite moments at family gatherings is when the reminiscing about family history begins. All sorts of stories are shared. Some are goofy, others heroic, some about God's providential hand, and some about the darker and harder things the family has faced. All of them help give the family identity. Their is a legacy and legend to be upheld or in some cases overcome. This is the theme I found connecting the first reading and the Gospel today.
Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel passage caught me off guard. I found myself wondering, “Who is this grumpy and snippy Jesus?” This poor guy wanted his son healed and Jesus seemed like someone spit in His wine. However, after I spent some more time with it, I realized this passage might be deeper than I first suspected. It might be easier to reconcile the “I’ll be with you always” side of Jesus with this “How long will I endure you?” side of Jesus then I first anticipated. There are two phrases from Jesus that I want to consider as we look this passage. Matthew records Jesus telling the disciples that they have little faith and he spoke these words, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?”
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Do you ever get stuck in a rut where you can’t shake your focus from the stress of current situations, busyness of work, challenges in relationships? Sometimes, without knowing it or even being aware of it, we get locked in our own little world or particular situation. We lose sight of the fact that we are part of a much bigger world. Each of us carries a lot on our minds and our hearts; we each bear crosses regularly in big and small ways.
Thursday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Can you imagine what it must have been like to be Peter in the story we encounter today from the Gospel of Matthew? One minute, Jesus is telling Peter that he will make Peter the cornerstone of his church. He even promises Peter the keys to the Kingdom of heaven! Next thing Peter knows, Jesus is rebuking him and even calls him Satan! What can account for this dramatic turn?
Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest
Jesus had a great sense of humor. I see it shining forth in our Gospel text today. It would be easy to mis-read Jesus’ words to the Canaanite woman as harsh and demeaning. Our Lord is never like that! Instead, I see him approaching her playfully, egging her on to be the proclaimer of the Gospel that she was, and taking the opportunity to demonstrate that his mission was to the entire world – to all peoples everywhere and in every age, and to invite us to recognize and welcome each and every person as brother or sister.
Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In the gospel passage for today Jesus is being criticized by the Pharisees for not following the tradition of ceremonial washing before he eats. Jesus responds to his critics by essentially calling them hypocrites—that is, they criticize others of doing the very thing that they themselves do. As an example of this Jesus mentions that the Pharisees allow people to decide not to take care of their parents by saying that the money that they would have spent on their parents belongs to God instead. This practice is allowed because it is a tradition. So in the name of tradition the Pharisees allow people to break one of the Ten Commandments – namely the command to honor one’s father and one’s mother.
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
As we continue with this 18th week of Ordinary Time, we hear more about Moses’ journey with the Hebrew people following their escape from Egypt. When we consider this first reading from the book of Numbers, we might say to ourselves, “These people are certainly big complainers! God rescues them from slavery, and all they can do is complain about the food!” The list almost seems comical: cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. One can picture the Hebrew people daydreaming about food, wishing they could head back to slavery and maltreatment so that at least they could eat well. It’s no wonder that Moses became so upset with these people! If this is our reaction, however, then I suggest we have some more soul-searching to do. After all, our behavior is often very similar to the Hebrew people. Have you ever dreamed of buying the perfect shoes or the perfect shirt or the perfect car or the perfect house, only to make the plunge and come away disappointed? Or have you ever had the experience of praying for something you really wanted, only to get it and be disappointed? In other words, have your expectations of something ever differed from the reality?
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
Today is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola. 500 years ago, Ignatius was seriously injured when struck by a cannonball at the battle of Pamplona. During his convalescence, he read stories about knights and chivalry, and on other occasions read stories about Christ and the saints. During this time, Ignatius discerned his call to leave behind his life of soldier and courtier and begin anew in a life following Christ. This cannonball moment was the turning point for Ignatius as he discerned how God was calling him to love and serve in new ways. Each of us probably has had a cannonball moment- “Experiences that force us to stop how we are living and invite us to live in a new way.” (David Kerr) How we respond to these experiences can be life giving if we are able to surrender to God’s guidance and love. We may not know where the road may lead us, but St. Ignatius and the story of his conversion help us know that we will not be alone, and God will provide the grace needed for the journey.
Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Maybe it’s because I’m really feeling a need for a break and am preparing to go on a vacation with my family next week that today’s first reading stood out to me. I don’t usually feel drawn to the Old Testament book of Leviticus with it’s laws, rules and regulations that can come across as dry. But today’s reading from chapter 23 includes the phrase “you shall do no work” or “you shall do no sort of work” four times! That certainly caught my attention.