Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church
Luke locates today’s Gospel account at the start of Jesus’ ministry. If you go back to the beginning of Luke 4, it’s quite the whirlwind of experiences! Jesus spends his forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan; he proclaims the Isaiah text (61:1-2) that prophesied his Messianic identity and mission in the synagogue in Nazareth, following which he is run out of town by a furious mob; he exorcises a demon in the synagogue in Capernaum; and news spread like wildfire throughout the region as people shared their amazement about his teaching and his miracles. Next, Jesus visits the home of Simon (Peter) at the request of the family. Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, and then proceeds to heal many more people and cast out more demons. Jesus attempts to get away to rest and pray, but the crowds find him and continue to press him for more miracles. If they would have had paparazzi in Jesus’ day, I’m sure they would have been all over it! In the midst of the hectic launch of Jesus’ earthly ministry and his rapid ascent to notoriety, it’s Peter’s mother-in-law’s response that I find the most intriguing.
Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Years ago, I met an American missionary who was assigned to Haiti. His main ministry there was as an aide to a priest who did exorcisms. The stories the missionary told of his time there were crazy, wild, and fascinating much like the story in today’s Gospel of Jesus and the man with an unclean demon. We learn about Jesus’ power and authority as he tells the demon to be quiet and come out of the man. The witnesses there were amazed at what happened and speculated as to who Jesus was. Unlike the missionary I met, we may never see such a spectacular feat, so what can this Gospel passage mean for us today?
Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Back in the early ‘80s, as I began my 33 years at Saint Xavier High, I recall certain parents dropping off their sons on North Bend Road and then, before pulling out of the lot, glancing back to see if the boy was still there. They wanted to make sure that he wasn’t “raptured.”
This was the time when the “Left Behind” series sold over 80 million books, making the “rapture” popular, based on what we hear today in I Thessalonians 4:14-17. Millions became obsessed with these books.
Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
There are some scripture passages that always leave me scratching my head and wondering exactly what Jesus is trying to reveal about God. Today’s reading about the parable of the talents is one of those stories. As I reflected on the passage I was struck by the phrase “Come, share your master’s joy.” Where does this joy come from and why are the two servants invited to join in the celebration?
Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist
It’s interesting how the far the account of John the Baptist’s death in today’s gospel reading parallels the Jesus’ passion narrative. Both Herod, in this passage, and Pilate in the passion narrative hold the power of life or death over persons they acknowledge to be holy and both operate out of fear. Herodias and the crowds stand in the place of the accusers: they hold such hatred for these men because of John’s and Jesus’ teaching, which challenged the way that they lived their lives. Both John and Jesus were given a proper burial by respected people who requested their bodies from the authorities. This similarity is notable because today we celebrate the memorial of the “martyrdom” of St. John the Baptist. “Martyr” in an interesting word. In Greek it means “witness” and in the early Church it came to mean those who died for the sake of Christ. Often their deaths had, or were narrated as having, parallels to Jesus death. This is especially clear in the account of St. Stephen, often called the first martyr, in the Acts of the Apostles (See Acts 7).
Memorial of St. Augustine, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
Today we hear from I Thessalonians, the oldest writing in the New Testament (49 CE). The oldest verse in the entire New Testament is, I Thessalonians 1:1: “Paul, Sylvanus, & Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians…” The three missionaries named were leaders of the early Church. But there are many early leaders whose names never landed in the scriptures or in the writings of the early Church Fathers.
Memorial of St. Monica
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Monica, a mother known for her persistent prayer for her son, Saint Augustine. If you know anything about St. Augustine’s story you know that he did not always live the life of a saint. Yet his mother persistently prayed for his sanctification and conversion. We too, are called to pray in this same way for the people we love.
Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
When was the last time an authority figure said something like “explain yourself” to you? It can well up anxiety, quick thinking, and perhaps even the temptation to spin a lie. Or it can be an opportunity for teaching or reviewing the truth. We all want the truth, but we don’t want to get in trouble for it; rather we want to be believed and understood. I wonder if Jesus and Moses felt this way when the taught the people the Law, parables, and new commandments. They were each laying out a radical new way of life for their followers. They each really want the people to ‘get it.’ But even those immediate followers often seem to fail at understanding; is it any wonder we get confused as well?
Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Photo by Phil Roussin; Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pbr-photos/14817553966
Defamers of the Catholic Church frequently quote today’s words of Jesus, “Call no one father,” as a repudiation of religious honorifics of any kind. Our dear Pope Francis used to tease those addressing him as “Holy Father” by returning the favor with “Holy Son” or “Holy Daughter.”
Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Imagine, if you will, the scene that opens chapter one of Deuteronomy. (Note: I am aware that our readings for today do not come to us from Deuteronomy. But to understand the reading from Ruth, which I want to focus on today, we need to know something about Deuteronomy too.) Returning to that opening scene: After forty years of living in exile as slaves in Egypt, not to mention a long and arduous journey out of and beyond Egypt, the Israelites finally and miraculously found themselves standing across the river Jordan from the land God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the land of milk and honey. There, the Israelites would not only enjoy their freedom amidst great prosperity but would also once again take their place as a great nation among nations.
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
We still have on our wall the cross-stitched gift a friend made for us as a wedding gift many years ago with the verse found in today’s reading, “For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you live I will live, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16b) It was (and maybe still is) a popular verse for wedding liturgies and gifts, and understandably so. But the context of the verse, as you might already know, is not a married couple or romantic relationship; it’s the loving bond between a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law.
Memorial of St. Pius X, Pope
I love weddings! The joy of celebrating two people coming together in love is such a wonderful occasion to share with family and friends. Today Jesus uses the story of a wedding to help share insights into the Kingdom of God. The wedding and its planning described in today’s gospel have several twists and turns, and therefore it requires deeper reflection to better understand Jesus’ message.
Memorial of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
“The kingdom of heaven is like . . .” Today Jesus presents to us another parable that helps us better understand the mystery of God’s kingdom. We are meant to identify and approach God in this story with deeper awe and wonder, and to locate ourselves in this narrative, as well. Who is God and who are we to be and become in light of our relationship with this God who created us, loves us, and calls us to become like him?
Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gave us a challenging message: It is difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven with riches. This can be particularly hard to comprehend for the disciples whose society saw wealth as divine favor and for us in our society which values wealth, even equating wealth with virtue and goodness. Therefore, how do we make sense of what Jesus said?
Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Recent popes have referred to today’s Gospel of the rich young man in their many addresses to young people throughout the world. Through this familiar narrative they have encouraged young people, like the rich one in today’s Gospel, to grow their own conversations with Christ and to know first hand the truth that Christ still gazes lovingly, as he does at the young man. Like today’s youth, that rich young man was rich in talents, energy, and dreams.
Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel from Matthew is one of the shortest (and sweetest) that we hear during the liturgical year. Jesus says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
My children love Jesus. One of my greatest gifts as their mother has been witnessing that genuine love and hearing the way they talk about a man they’ve never physically seen.
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
What a happy occasion! Mary, in haste, travels to the hills to visit her relative Elizabeth. How often have we, as Catholics, imagined their reunion?
Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest & Martyr
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy times seven times” (Matthew 18:22).
Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
God’s ways are not our ways, as there is usually deeper process unfolding that is seemingly unrecognizable. In the closing chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy, we a get view of the end of Moses life. We have traveled with Children of Israel from Egypt to Promised Land. God’s promise to Moses and Israel is now fulfilled and indeed Moses gets a complete glimpse of the whole of the Promised Land. It is a foretaste which Moses will not enjoy himself as this view is his last. In many ways Moses worked his whole life for this moment and God gives Him some closure by allowing him to see it.
Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents a child as an example for our growth. He invites us to become humble like a child. Summertime and the transition into the new school year is a wonderful time to appreciate the excitement of children at play. Their freedom and openness to explore and create, and their honesty in sharing their feelings and perspectives are great wisdom teachers.