Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
The cooler temperatures and the slight hint of red in the trees indicate that fall is arriving. These changes remind me that the cold gray days of winter are not far away. The scripture readings today remind us that our lives transition through youth, to old age, and then to death- similar to the changes we see in the seasons. Although these transitions can be a source of fear and sorrow, Jesus shows us how to find refuge in God throughout our life, and to find resurrection even in death.
Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
With the Autumnal Equinox earlier this week, Fall is officially upon us in the Midwest. This change of seasons seems fitting with today’s reading from Ecclesiastes (3:1-11), “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every thing under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant….” Autumn is probably my favorite season, but it is tinged with a little sadness as I know we are leaving behind the long days and warmth of summer and heading into the sometimes harsh reality of winter, once again.
Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Herod was still curious about Jesus and kept trying to see him. God was knocking at his door again, but he does not see Jesus until he was brought before him for trial. He was hoping to finally witness one of his miracles. However, in this moment Jesus says nothing in response to Herod's questions. Herod has his troops mock Jesus and then sends him back to Pilate. He ultimately rejects God’s offering of grace.
Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest
God purposely created each of us; God desires that we each would live purposefully within the divine design. God created us toward a defined end – that we would offer our lives in praise of God’s glory, that we would love God with our whole being and love neighbor as ourselves, and that we would model our lives after Christ, preferring nothing to him. While none of us fully or perfectly attain this goal during our earthly lives, an authentic desire to live holy lives propels us toward this end. Self-absorption and earthly affections so easily get in the way. Today’s first reading from the Book of Proverbs stimulated my reflection on this topic and reminded me of the teaching of St Ignatius of Loyola and others around holy indifference. I pray that the wisdom of these saints might inspire us to live lives of balance and purpose.
Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
When I was a child, my dad gave me a small treat if I read one chapter of the book of Proverbs each day, for a month. Since it has 31 chapters, and since most are simply a collection of one-line proverbs like in today’s reading, this seemed pretty easy to me. I sometimes wonder at the huge effect of such a small action. While some proverbs are culturally conditioned and don’t make a lot of sense to us today, the great majority still ring true, because humanity is still the same fallen race we were nearly 3000 years ago when these were written. My dad recognized them for what they are; short, simple teaching tools about how people, relationships, and the world work. Recognizing them as true, we can live a life in greater peace with ourselves and others.
Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
I recently came across a little line on the internet that said one of Superman's most underappreciated powers is his ability to control his superhuman strength so as not to inadvertently harm those he interacts with. This strikes me as similar to the admonition St. Paul offers today. We need to have Superman-like restraint.
Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
“I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep everyone’s expectations.” These are the words that end a Calvin & Hobbes strip as Calvin gloats about the C his school work earned. His classmate, who earned an A, is understandably perplexed. As usual, the author of Calvin & Hobbes, Bill Watterson, uses this devious 6-year-old and his stuffed tiger to make us think. This particular statement brings to mind the burden of carrying other’s expectations. The flipside of this is expressed when we lower our own expectations in order to avoid the displeasure of disappointment. Both of these realities fly in the face of our first reading today.
Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Matt Maher wrote a song titled Christ is Risen and it is one of my favorites. And not just because it’s a great tune and I have an obsession with his music; I love the song because of the power of the lyrics. The entirety of our faith hinges on the resurrection of Jesus. We live our lives in the hope of the resurrection. The chorus reads:
Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
I didn’t know it at the time, but (at 14) I was attending a fundamentalist youth ministry. In keeping with the design of the ministry, I was focused on the various team competitions, upbeat rock Christian music, and self-help style messages. But all the while I was getting another message—unless you adhere to all of our rules (which trickled out slowly over time) you are not worthy of God’s love.
Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
If you’ve been to a wedding recently, our first scripture reading may sound very familiar. For Catholics and non-Catholic Christians, this text is a popular one for brides and grooms. While it does indeed serve as a great reminder for the newly married, we dare not let this scripture become romanticized or reduced to a sentimental reading on marital love. No, this passage functions as a powerful call to ground every Christ follower in the only thing that matters, love. At the close of this passage, St Paul maintains, “faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” St Thomas Aquinas would later describe this trinity of virtues as the Theological Virtues. Like the Corinthians, sometimes we wrongly prioritize our charisms, good works, prayer, or other religious pursuits above the core Theological Virtues, the most important of which is love/charity. Today, as we read the scriptures, let us allow God’s word to read us, to read our lives, as we invite the Holy Spirit to shine the light of revelation into our hearts and minds this day that we might grow in love.
Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Over a decade ago, I lived in Scranton, Pennsylvania. On every Good Friday, the bishop would give the homily at the cathedral. He would always begin by saying (in a rather severe tone), “Today is the saddest day of the year.” There was something about that line that never sat well with me. I grew up praying the rosary—including the Sorrowful mysteries—as well as the Stations of the Cross and I never thought that I should be miserable doing so. I was, after all, praying with the Church, which exists precisely because of Christ’s resurrection. These prayers and liturgical actions only make sense in the context of the entire story of Jesus—we enter into His death knowing that He is risen! We die with Him, knowing that we too will rise with Him.
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Today is the Exaltation of the Cross. We're far from Good Friday and there are historical reasons for that, but it is also just good to be reminded of what Jesus accomplished on the wood of the Cross and that message permeates every part of today's liturgy.
Saturday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
This year has been an unusual year for me (and many others I suspect) when it comes to gardening. Since I have been at home all summer, I have had greater opportunities to put more effort into tending my garden. This year because of the pandemic and our quarantine, I have been able to water daily, pull weeds regularly and do the other little things that support a healthy garden. Today’s scripture readings remind us that God creates us and calls us forth to bear good fruit, but we need to make choices that allow our faith to flourish and bring forth those fruits. We are also called to put down deep roots that develop from our trust of God. Without God’s presence to stabilize our lives, the trials and tribulations of this world will wash us away.
Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
One of the “occupational hazards” of my work and ministry is the risk of being a hypocrite. I also think it’s one of the blessings in disguise. As a counselor and spiritual director I have to be so aware, so careful of, in the words of today’s gospel parable, “noticing the splinter in my brother’s (or sister’s) eye,” while not perceiving the “wooden beam” in my own eye. The challenging thing is that without reflection we’re usually not aware of the wooden beam in our own eye. I once had a client who lived in a poverty-stricken area rife with crime and addiction ask me if I knew what it was like to walk from her front door, that probably wouldn’t even close properly, down to the street where her car was parked, that may or may not start when she needed it to. I was starkly reminded of the caution not to judge someone unless you’ve walked at least a mile in their shoes.
Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel, there is a lengthy list of what following Christ entails. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Whew! Jesus’ list seems impossible to live out, yet if what he asks seems too much for us, we are beginning to understand that we cannot accomplish these tasks on our own, but only through God’s grace. By receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the sacraments, we will be better able to witness the love, forgiveness and peace to which Jesus calls us.
Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest
Today’s readings bring to my mind the concept of one’s state in life. This notion centers on the condition of life in which a person finds herself at a particular period on life’s journey. I’ve experienced various states in life – student, single adult, married person, mother, employed, unemployed. Within each such category, we identify much more specific descriptors that paint a picture of one’s state; characteristics of one’s socio-emotional state, economic situation, intellectual development, physical or mental health, relationships, geography, culture. State in life is best described through a holistic lens, considering all aspects of our lives. As disciples of Jesus, I believe we define our lives based not on our state in life, but rather on our life in Christ. I invite us to reflect on today’s readings with that foundational statement in mind.
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today is the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. Happy Birthday Mary! Why do we celebrate Mary’s birth? The answer is one word: Hope. We believe that Jesus Christ inaugurated the Kingdom of God, but we all hesitate to put have hope in the reality that it is here, or that it is even coming into existence. Why is it hard to believe in the complete redemption humanity and all of creation? We see little examples of it hardwired into nature; winter leads into spring, forests come back to life after wildfires, rivers heal when pollution is removed. We even see it hardwired into people: time heals most wounds. Widowed people get re-married, brothers and sisters and parents forgive one another, and new babies keep being born. Diseases will be cured.
Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
One of the hardest jobs I have as a parent is to correct my children. This is difficult for so many reasons, but one, in particular, shone through in today's readings. Do I correct with the heart of St. Paul or the heart of the Pharisees?
Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Two years ago my husband and I were fortunate to see Spectacle - a musical all about the founders of the Marianist order - at its showing on UD’s campus. A recurring theme throughout this musical is that we as the church are called to be a spectacle of saints. We are called to love in such a way that the world takes notice. As followers of Christ we are not called to simply “go with the flow” of our society but rather to challenge the norm so that we are creating a society and a world that is fueled by love and God’s will.
Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
A few years ago, we took a vacation to the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. The area is covered with beautiful landscape and is probably best known as one of the premier wine regions in the country. The scenic lakes and rolling hills are a central figure and play a significant part in the renown of the region’s wines, particularly the variety of white wines like riesling. We visited a number of wineries during our stay to participate in tastings and purchased bottles from different places. We are by no means wine connoisseurs but it was fascinating to learn about each winemaker’s process in making the different varieties. In totaling up the bottles we purchased, we transported a couple of cases full of wine back home with us.