Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Our Gospel today tells the story of a leper approaching Jesus acknowledging, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” (MT 8:2) Perhaps it is our heightened awareness on cleanliness from the past several months that causes this line to be most striking to me today--wash your hands, wear your mask, wash your hands, disinfect surfaces, wash your hands. However, this verse also stands out to me because of our incredible need for mercy. We are all sinners; we all need mercy. Our God is a god of mercy, a god of love, a god of forgiveness. Time and again throughout the Gospel and even on the cross, forgiveness and mercy come to the forefront of the life of Jesus. What an amazing gift we have in the sacrament of reconciliation! It is literally our opportunity to be able to take on the role of the leper: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” And no matter what the sin is or how many times we’ve already confessed it in the past, God is ready to stretch out his hand, touch us, and say, “I will do it. Be made clean” (MT 8:3).
Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
In the summer of 2000, just a few months after our daughter, Anna, was born, I and Anna’s biological father attended the Central District Conference (of the General Conference Mennonite Church) annual convention at Goshen College, Indiana. At that time, I was a tenure-line faculty member at Bluffton College (a General Conference college) teaching in the communication department. I remember so vividly being at that conference. I would be sitting in the chapel where one of the plenary speakers was holding forth, and Anna would get fussy. And I would happily get up and walk around with her and jiggle her. And I was proud. I was proud that I occupied a prized position among the Mennonites—a wife and mother. I could also sing the alto part of Mennonite hymns—more pride.
Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Have you had the experience of gazing in sheer wonderment into a newborn baby’s eyes? If you’re a parent, I imagine you’ll recall those moments; perhaps for others it’s been with a niece, nephew, or another loved one’s child. In those marvelous moments, one can’t help but wonder, as did the people who heard of the birth of Zechariah and Elizabeth’s baby, what, then, will this child be? I remember those moments with my boys, delighting in the sheer joy of their existence and wondering, who are you? who will you become? Many times, parents talk about their hopes and dreams for their children – often those ponderings focus on what they will do or accomplish throughout their lives; where their vocational journey will take them. That phrase from today’s Gospel, what, then, will this child be? rings a base note deep within my soul. Imagine yourself now as an infant. Imagine yourself cradled in loving arms, receiving the mirroring gaze of love. Now listen and hear those evocative words spoken over you, what, then, will this child be? On this the Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, the readings remind us that just as God chose and called John, God also chose and calls each one of us. Today, let us discover the answer in God’s word to that question, what, then, will this child be? and let us embrace our call to shine Christ’s light to the nations.
Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Today, I want to begin by paying attention to how the text before us from the Book of Matthew appears in the Lectionary from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. It opens with a single verse wherein Jesus addresses his disciples. Below that verse is a blank line followed by verse 12. Below that is another blank line followed by verses 13 and 14. Thus, visually speaking, we have three distinct words from Jesus. Three instructions. Let’s take each in turn.
Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
I often get called in to settle a dispute between my children. They come to me because one feels wronged and they are seeking judgment. Judgment is a major theme in today's readings.
Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
It is difficult living out our faith in these challenging times. Today’s gospel gives us the perfect role model to imitate as we seek to be disciples of Jesus. Mary leads the way in living out her faith, actively seeking her Son, and reflecting in prayer on God’s love for her. Today on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it is helpful for us to look to Mary and her heart of grace, so we can learn how to deepen our relationship with God.
Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Many years ago, when my grandparents were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, I sang the Carey Landry song “Like a Seal on Your Heart” at their anniversary mass. If you’re not familiar with it, the lyrics are based on the Song of Songs (8:6) and the refrain is “Set me like a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm. Set me like a seal on your heart. How right it is to love you.” The final verse ends with, “for love, if real, has no end.” It was a beautiful tribute to my grandparents’ 50 years of marriage through good times and bad, sickness and health. And I am reminded of it today as I read the readings and am aware of the Church celebrating the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Legend has it that St. Francis and his dear friend Brother Leo wanted to spend one evening meditating on the Our Father. Each of them retreated to their quarters for the night, and agreed to meet in the morning. Brother Leo, after reciting the prayer hundreds of times, was excited to share his good work with his friend. However, in the morning St. Francis was nowhere to be found. Brother Leo went to his room and found him in a trance. After several failed attempts to get his attention, Brother Leo shook him. Leo was eager to share the numerous times he recited the Our Father, but was surprised to learn Francis did not even complete the prayer once. He told Leo, “I started by saying the words “our” and “Father,” and I just couldn’t move on from there.” Brother Leo was stunned and humbled by Francis’s deep devotion.
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Service, or serving others, resides at the core of our Christian discipleship. Just as Jesus came in his incarnation not to be served but to serve (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45), so we as Christ’s followers are called to model our lives after his pattern of service. As we consider the example of Elijah in today’s first reading, reflecting upon what motivates our service may be a helpful exercise. Let’s each pause to look deep within, peel back the layers of our inner onion, and ask ourselves, what internal driver, what root source, motivates me to serve? A follow-on question becomes, how far am I willing to go in my service to others? I submit that Elijah’s motivation to serve was the purity of his love for God and his genuine love and compassion for others, and that from that deep well within him he served selflessly until his very last moment on earth. I want to grow in holiness after his example. I pray that kind of growth for each of us today.
Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
The Response to Psalm 51 is so poignant as related to in the challenges our society faces in this moment. Perhaps it is right that we spend most of our time and energy trying to root out our individual sins, because those are often the ones we have the most power to do something about. But we sin together as well. We can sin as a people. Our liturgy recognizes that today, and with it the need for social reconciliation. As an example, consider racism. As the USCCB has declared, Racism is a sin. In the past we often viewed it as an individual sin- some persons are guilty of racist actions. “But not me. Not us.” A lot of us have been tempted to believe that as long as “I” don’t consciously choose to treat someone differently because of their skin color, I’m free from guilt.
Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Gospel presents a well-known portion of the Sermon on the Mount, but also one that takes time to parse through. In Jesus' reframing of "An eye for an eye," we can be left wondering how is a disciple supposed to handle provocation. To frame this reflection I want to offer something that has always made sense to me. For a long time now I have approached moral questions like today's gospel from a threefold perspective instead of a twofold perspective. The three tiers being morally wrong, morally acceptable, and morally excellent.
Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Today’s gospel reading continues the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew that we have been hearing over the past couple of days.
Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
As I was preparing to attend mass in-person for the first time since the pandemic began, I had a conversation with our 5-year-old about why I was looking forward to going to church. I explained that it was because I would get to see Jesus--I was actually looking forward to receiving Jesus in the Eucharist but decided that using the language of wanting to see Jesus was a little more on his level. Vincent’s response was on par with his interests, “I wish Jesus would come to our house so that I can see his powers…”; most things in his world revolve around superheroes and powers. I reminded him of our prior conversations about how Jesus’ greatest power is that of his immense love for us--he died on the cross out of great love.
Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
Jesus knows better than any of us that reconciliation is really hard. Jesus reconciled us to God by enduring torture and the worst kind of death that the Roman Empire could muster against its perceived enemies. It wasn’t just painful; it was meant to be humiliating and to serve as a warning to others who might dare to defy the order and the rules of the empire.
Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
When I read today’s psalm, Psalm 16, a powerful memory leapt to mind. My son, Jacob, now 26 years old, endured a period of nightly nightmares when he was 3 1/2 years old. So intense and consistent were these daily torments that I concluded it was, at least in part, a spiritual attack. In addition to his dreams, poor Jacob even described seeing shadowy figures near the windows to his bedroom while he was awake! After a night or two, for my sweet son bedtime became a fearsome thing to be dreaded. I took this opportunity to teach my son how to pray the scriptures. Even though he was only a toddler, I taught him simple verses that he could memorize and declare out loud when he felt scared at night. Psalm 16:1 was the first verse I taught him – “Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.” For him at that age, we kept it to “Keep me safe, God.” I also paraphrased 1 John 5:18 for him, “I am a child of God; the evil one cannot hurt me.” Jacob loved putting on the spiritual armor that St Paul describes in Ephesians 6 as well; that practice became part of our bedtime routine. Perhaps you find yourself facing fear today, either from events in our world and our nation and/or from happenings in your personal life or with your family and friends. My Jacob experienced victory and liberation from his nightmares pretty immediately once he started declaring God’s word for himself. Perhaps we can take our cue from the experience of my little son and pray God’s word boldly for ourselves today. Let’s continue with Psalm 16.
Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
It’s a grim scene in today’s first reading. Israel is in the middle of a long drought. Thirst and famine are gripping the land. Elijah meets a widow and asks her for water and food. Her first response is filled with hopelessness: She and her son are about to enjoy their last meal together before starving to death, so she can’t give any food to Elijah. Rather than shining with the joy of the lord, she is a dark and dismal presence. Are you ever afraid to give to those in need because you feel you don’t have enough to spare?
Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
"I lift my eyes up to the hill, where does my help come from, my help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth!" I was able to write those words from memory because every morning my kids can be heard singing those words. While the translation differs from what we find at our link above, the source is the same, Psalm 121. My kids have Psalm 121 memorized at this point, and I think that's awesome. So let's meander around memory and joy.
Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
We live in a time like no other. We are in the midst of a global pandemic, and our country is experiencing nationwide protests and violence stemming from our society which has allowed and promoted racial inequality. As people of faith, how are we called to respond to these challenging situations? St. Paul tells us “proclaim the word!” I believe God is calling each of us to change our hearts and our lives, and then go boldly forth proclaiming God’s word of love, unity and peace.
Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
“The great crowds heard this with delight.” From today’s rather short gospel passage (Mark 12:35-37) this is what stood out to me. Who of us wouldn’t want to “delight” the crowds, “wow” the audience, or impress our social media followers? This gospel passage is a continuation of Jesus teaching and being questioned. And at this point, the crowds are impressed with Jesus, even delighted. But I don’t believe that was his goal. Jesus did not come to win the affection or admiration of people, although at times that did happen. He did not sacrifice the truth and his calling for the sake of his ego.
Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s first reading, Paul writes to his mentee, Timothy, from his jail cell. Paul says, “The word of God is not chained…if we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him.” Paul, in his last moments, shares with one of his successors the path of Christian freedom. Jesuit Avery Cardinal Dulles once wrote, “In the deepest sense, freedom is a gift of God because we cannot liberate ourselves from our illusions and selfish desires without divine grace.” When we spend time with scripture, how do we allow its words to draw us closer to God so we can be truly free? Sometimes our lives can be turned inward because of the many distractions we participate in for our own pleasure and happiness. However, if these distractions cause us to ignore our relationship with God, our family, and the church, we cannot experience the freedom God wished for us.