Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
“Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?” The words of St. Paul from today’s first reading, his letter to the Romans. So many years ago and yet how many of us can relate even today? “The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not,” also from Paul’s letter. This reminds me of Jesus’ words to Peter when he and the other disciples fell asleep while praying in the garden of Gethsemane, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) These later named saints were human and struggled with living their faith in their mortal bodies, just like us.
Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
The season of fall finally seems to be upon us. It is a time to marvel at the beauty of the changing colors in the leaves, sit around a fire, and enjoy the cool crisp air. William Allingham, a 19th century Irish poet, connected fire and fall in a different way, “Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt.”
Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
I shudder at the term slave, because evil has led to the enslavement of millions of people over the centuries and does so still today in many and varied forms. In this reflection, I want to emphasize that St Paul refers to voluntary servitude, not to people taken against their will into bondage. In Paul’s day, most slaves entered willingly into that relationship, and were paid wages for their service. His references to slavery in the Letter to the Romans are meant to awaken us to the things to which we choose to be subservient, and to lead us toward life-giving, godly obedience. I must ask myself today, “what has mastery over me?” “to whom or to what do I present myself as a slave?”
Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
It’s worth considering what God wants from us, and how we got that idea about God. Listening to some believers, it’s possible to think that our Lord is a very serious Spirit who demands near-impossible acts of faith. Many other believers may give the opposite impression; that our Lord asks nothing of us, other than our belief and maybe a trip to Mass once in a while. The psalmist today gives a very different third way: Delight.
Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
I recently helped with a retreat and for one of the activities we played "Get to Know You Jenga." It is just like Jenga, but there are questions printed on the blocks. As you draw a piece you have to answer the question or respond to a phrase before replacing it. One block that was drawn was an interesting one and the answer offered was clever. The bock read, "There are only two types of people in the world, what are the two categories?" The respondent quickly replied, "Me and everybody else." It was quick, light-hearted, and in some ways very accurate. In today's gospel though we see that reality played out too far.
Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
Today’s readings speak very candidly to us about faith. In the first reading we hear about Abraham and the faith he had to hold on to so that he would become the father of many nations - a reality that seemed to be impossible for many years. We are told that to have faith we must hope against hope - we must believe in something not yet seen and not yet understood. Take this thought to our Gospel, where we are told that the Holy Spirit will be with us, and we must trust this Holy Spirit in all moments. How can the things we hope for come to be? Through the work of the Holy Spirit, working through each of us.
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
In today’s scripture readings I’m struck by the emphasis on faith and the redemption that comes with it. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he emphasizes God’s righteousness and mercy is universal not because of one’s works, but because of one’s faith. Such righteousness and mercy is not limited to specific populations. The Gospel reading from Luke depicts Jesus telling the scribes and Pharisees that the blood of the prophets’ deaths is on their hands despite the fact that it was their ancestors that killed them. This message from Christ could seem daunting at first glance, however Jesus emphasizes that because of their ancestors’ actions, the scribes and Pharisees have the responsibility to be “builders.” Their choice to focus on works over faith therefore contributes to the death of the message of the prophets. Consequently, their failure to embrace their faith places the blood of the prophets on their hands.
Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist
Today, on the Feast of St. Luke, we read in his gospel a story of Jesus appointing seventy-two disciples and sending them out in pairs to every place he intended to visit. There are two main things that stand out to me about Jesus’ very specific directions to these disciples. First, “carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals...” I was reflecting on this Gospel as my husband and I packed for a weekend camping with our family. Preparing for two adults, three young children, and a dog to sleep in a tent and cook food over a fire required carrying way more items than Jesus had in mind for the disciples! But if I was going on a trip to share the Good News and spread the message that Jesus was coming, what would I want to pack? I hear Jesus’ message as a call for simplicity. Go out into the world each day with the clothes on your back, a smile on your face, open ears, and a receptive heart. As I think about evangelizing I often get caught up in the complexities. What if I don’t know all the answers or what if I can’t convince people to care? This passage reminds me that I do not need to be a scripture scholar or a theologian to evangelize. I do not even need to carry a Bible with me. I literally just need to show up and be present to people, bring Christ to the world through joy and gratitude, offering and receiving hospitality.
Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Interestingly, this is my second reflection on Jesus’ Woes. During the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, my assigned Gospel was Matthew’s portrayal (Matt. 23:27-32) of Jesus’ words that we find today in Luke. My prayer today is WOW, Lord, you’re presenting this message to me again; please help me to really “get it” this time – help all of us to really “get it.” Remember, Jesus’ Woes are mournful. The term woe, as it’s used in the original language, is a term of lament, not of judgment. Jesus mourns over the religious leaders’ hypocrisy; our Lord mourns over you and me in our hypocrisy. Today’s first reading and the Gospel do have a lot to say about judgment. But what is really being judged?
Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
An eye-doctor who I met recently listened to me share about the frustration with my glasses. I shared with her how many times I have to take my glasses off in order to function. Without my glasses I can only see about two feet with them on I can’t read. She asked me why I did not have bifocals. My own eye doctor told me it is best to wait as long as possible to get them. This doctor shared with me that waiting may make it impossible for my eyes and brain to adapt to bifocals. Her point of view gave me a new perspective on how to see near and far through the same set of lenses.
Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
At the time of Jesus and Paul, the risk facing a messenger was likely greater than someone today. Messages were delivered in person and so the distinction between the message and the messenger could be lost. So while the phrase “don’t shoot the messenger” might seem less relevant today we still are harsh on messengers. Today we might be quick to write someone off based on what messenger services they publicly share with others (America, Catholic Answers, NPR, Fox News, Life Site News, Commonweal, Catholic News Agency, Catholic News Service, Church Militant and so on). We label what kind of person someone is based on where they derive their messages. This reality is larger than the scope of my reflection, but I do want to ask about THE MESSAGE? How does sharing the Gospel differ from retweeting a BBC article?
Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
What does it mean to be a Christian? Many people say being a Christian means that they believe in Jesus- and this is true, but there is so much more. Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that “those who hear the word of God and observe it” are in fact the ones that are blessed. It is through our living that we most profoundly demonstrate that we are Christians- or disciples of Jesus.
Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
As humans, we have a tendency to categorize people into groups of “us” and “them.” Likely an evolutionary development for survival, our modern brains continue with that tendency to divide people into those categories of those that we belong to, thereby feeling safe and protected by (“us”), and those that we don’t belong to, deemed potentially unsafe and feared and therefore rejected or even attacked (“them”). This seems to pervade much of our social/societal interactions even in today’s “civilized” world, including within our own religion and church(es). Today’s gospel reading from Luke seems to reflect this same sort of tendency.
Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
As I spent time in prayer with today’s gospel, I was immediately drawn to St. Augustine’s famous words from his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” This restlessness has always been present in me, and usually I spend a lot of my time trying to find a way to get control of it. Yet, through the help of God’s grace, I aim to let go of this control so that I can experience glimpses of the rest that St. Augustine describes.
Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Prayer has always been somewhat a mystery to me. I believe strongly in God’s sovereignty. God is God. The One who created everything seen and unseen maintains it, recreates it, and upholds it. God is in control. God is not reliant upon me for anything; God does not need me to do anything in order to accomplish divine plans and purposes. As my Honduran friends say, God knows what He does. Objectively, God does not need me to pray – God can and will accomplish what God wills and desires apart from any action I take. And yet, God invites, requires, and indeed commands me to pray! It’s a wondrous mystery to me.
Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
According to the late Fr. Joe Tedesco, we can lose a lot depending on our translation of today’s Gospel. It helps to imagine the scene. A quiet village is Jesus’s next destination. People who live in small villages are known for their great hospitality, but Jesus is another type of guest; it’s not just him, but a bunch of disciples and every sick or curious person in town. So, when we read that Martha was “burdened with much serving,” we’re talking about a lot of food prep. She’s making several different dishes in a meal to appear to the tastes of a number of people who aren’t local, and therefore could expect something different than the usual food served in this little town. If they have bit of a menu to choose from, they’re at least be something that each person can happily eat.
Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
In working for the church, and even having a stint as a Youth Minister, I have taught about prayer many times. I've taught about acronyms to help us with prayer, Like ACTS. I've taught about Lectio Divina, Praying over one another, and the Examen. But the form of prayer I see in today's first reading is one that I need to give more attention.
Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
“Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” This lesson from Christ to his disciples in today’s Gospel really struck me. What power - to be able to rebuke unclean spirit! I imagine it was a pretty amazing feeling for the disciples to have unclean spirits listen to them - this could almost make the disciples feel powerful - dominant - overly important - in some way. But Jesus reminds them today not to let this “power” go to their head. They are not to rejoice that they have this gift but instead to rejoice because they have a place in heaven - they should not be focused on the worldly power and fame that this gift brings but rather focused on their relationship with God. It is because of God that they are able to perform these powers.
Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.”
Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
“Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!” - This is the message that Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites provide to those who are saddened at Ezra’s reading from the book of the law of God.