Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
As a Lay Marianist and someone who works at an institution run by the Marianist order (the University of Dayton), today’s Gospel reading from John holds a lot of significance. Vowed religious and members of the Marianist family across the world make an effort to say a prayer called the Three O’Clock prayer which recalls the imagery of Mary and John standing at the foot of the cross.
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
It is striking how, in today’s first reading, the people are made well after simply looking at the bronze serpent. Why would simply looking at a sculpture be recorded in our salvation history as the way the people were saved from the wrath of the snakes’ bites? In the Israelite camp, there were thousands and thousands of people, and there was only 1 bronze snake. So, to see it, the people would need to seek it out. The pilgrimage to go and see the snake was a sign of belief, the opposite of their unbelief that caused the snake problem in the first place. It’s a pretty low-key miracle compared to the quail, water from the rock, walls of water, and ten plagues that the people saw earlier. God was helping the people understand that they need a two way relationship with God; they need to seek the Lord to be saved.
Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
‘Dealing with addiction is enough for me to want to end it all.’ The desire of this person whom I encountered was that they be restored to their old self who lived solely for the faith in Christ who was their Lord and savior. They implied that because of their journey into sin that they must have caused God to turn their back on them. Although I assured this person that Christ, this dichotomous understanding that many of us, myself included can enter into. The sentiments of this person’s feelings reminded me of today’s first reading. Paul challenges us to put to death, to end anything in our earthly selves that causes us to take our focus off of Christ who has saved us. All forms of sin, and any actions that are impure are a form of idolatry that must be put away so that we can put on new self, renewed in the image of God who made us.
Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The text from Luke for today is simple and breathtaking. Jesus spends a night in prayer. In the morning, he names the twelve apostles from among his disciples. Together, Jesus and his newly appointed apostles join a large crowd that had gathered. Jesus heals many there who sought liberation from their diseases and unclean spirits.
Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
A friend of mine lost her brother recently following a very short illness. She traveled for hours back and forth to be with him during the weeks of his hospitalization. She also found herself unwittingly immersed a family situation very difficult to navigate. The day after his funeral she was suffering a great deal and the only thing she needed was someone to simply listen to her. It seemed to be how God would be present to her in that moment. Raw pain and grief—suffering—is very difficult to endure or witness in others. But suffering, an inescapable part of being human, can be recognized as an invitation from God. Unsuspecting as we are, every meaningful relationship in life opens us to this painful, yet life giving reality.
Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest
I have good parents. They love my siblings and me (and our spouses). They desire to know what is happening in our lives, even when it has been a while since I’ve checked in with them. They worked hard to set good examples, and provide us with great educations. Most of all, they were not afraid to have us kids groan at them about the [good] choices they made. The example that came to mind as I reached the end of the Gospel today was ‘Vacation Church’.
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today is the day the Church celebrates the birthday of Mary. We honor Mary in many different ways because she is so essential to God’s plan of salvation for us. Her willingness to have her life changed so radically when God asks her is an inspiring and humbling witness to her faith. Mary models so much for us, including discipleship, selfless love, and courage. She is the first disciple because she said yes to Jesus before he was even born; she is selflessly loving, putting the salvation of others before her own comfort by saying ‘yes’ to God; and she is courageous in both these things, willfully opening herself to scorn and stigma by essentially becoming an unwed mother in a time when this almost surely meant social exclusion.
Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Years ago, I read with my youngest son a wonderful children’s book, beautifully illustrated, about Mother Teresa’s life (Mother Teresa, by Demi, 2005). One of the things that stood out to me was that she did not set out to start her own order of sisters and brothers, or to earn the Nobel Peace Prize, or to be known and loved throughout the world, she simply listened to God’s voice, God’s call within her, and took little steps to answer that call. She even had what she referred to as “a call within a call”. While she had already answered the call to become a religious sister and went from teaching in Calcutta to eventually becoming the principal of the school, she became aware of the people suffering in the slums near the school and began to visit and help them in whatever ways she could. Then, while on a train to her summer retreat, she heard the call to leave the convent and “help the poorest of the poor while living among them.” Her first “school” among the people living in the slums was simply under a tree with five “street orphans” who she began to teach by writing with a stick in the dirt.
Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
A good friend of mine is one of the kindest, gentlest and holy souls I know. It is fascinating how many people come to me and talk about how this man has healed their lives and given them hope. Often I remind the people that I hear their feelings of gratitude, and ask them to consider sharing these deep heartfelt feelings directly with this person. Many of them realize this and then endeavor to tell this person. In Paul’s letter to the Colossians’ many people, had been telling Paul about the faithfulness of the people in Colossae. As he writes the Colossian’s, he expresses gratitude for the ways their faithfulness to the Word is bearing great fruit. What are the ways of sharing our gratitude that might bear great fruit?
Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
The text that comes to us today from Luke is dramatic! Jesus is teaching on the Sabbath in Capernaum when he encounters a man who is possessed by a demon. The man cries out to Jesus and even challenges him, suggesting that Jesus has come on a mission of destruction. Jesus responds with force and authority, telling the demon to be quiet and come out of the man. The demon does, and does so without harming the man in any way. The people who witness this ask, “What is there about his word?”
Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel Jesus uses the phrase, “Physician cure yourself” as He addresses the people of Nazareth. Every time I come across this reading, I wonder exactly what Jesus is trying to say. After some reflection, it seems that Jesus is suggesting that people who are His followers need to have humility, openness, and the ability to find the supernatural in the most ordinary and familiar. Without a proper receptiveness, God does not force His mercy and healing on those who refuse to believe, and therefore they cannot experience His power.
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
I am a cradle Catholic. I was twenty, and about two-and-a-half years in the seminary, when I had my first deep spiritual experience. I made a good confession, I resolved to spend time in prayer each day, and also make some serious life-changes. Because I felt close to God, and because I was earnest about living my new life, I expected life to get a lot easier. The opposite happened. I lost some friends and I found my new existence to be a struggle. Like me, most people who newly become Christians or have had a conversion experience, expect life to get easier. They expect temptations to go away, their prayer to be answered easily and their strained relationships to get smooth. Their rational is very logical. As they move closer to God, and as they embrace holiness, they expect a turn around. The expectation makes perfect sense. If you take medication for an ailment and do everything the doctor asks you to do, you are supposed to get better. In spiritual life, often, the opposite happens. Life actually becomes harder. It is counterintuitive, but this is exactly what happens.
Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
A few important things have happened on September 2. World War II formally ended with the signing of the documents for Japan’s surrender in 1945. Keanu Reeves of The Matrix was born in 1964, “Woah.” Finally, my daughter, Hosanna, was born. As we celebrate her second birthday, she’s going to help us break open the Parable of the Talents.
Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
All three of my daughters have said words this week that I imagine are familiar to many of us: "No fair!" Sometimes their sense of fairness was offended because they thought another person got a bigger treat. But sometimes their sense of fairness was offended because another person was more talented than they were. My oldest daughter excels at reading; my middle daughter is a terrific dancer; my youngest daughter is proud of helping set the table.
Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s gospel, Jesus urges his followers to stay awake and be prepared for their master’s return. This is an especially challenging command for us today. We get prepared for something we believe will happen; if it doesn’t, we lament that our preparation was a waste. We see waiting as passive, but we see preparation as active. Being ready and then not doing anything seems silly. Wouldn’t it be better to move on to the next task on our list? Or better yet, be ‘done’ for the day and enjoy a cold drink?
Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Reflecting on the Wednesday scriptures now for eight years, sometimes feels repetitive however the Spirit of God often illuminates the readings with experiences that are eerily timely. In the last few weeks I met a patient that knew themselves well. The crux of our conversation challenged both the patient and myself like the words of Jesus in today’s gospel: “on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy”.
Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist
The story we encounter in Mark today is a story of a very powerful man (King Herod) who as king can hand out punishments as easily as rewards. And whether he does the former or the latter is entirely up to him. While his wife (Herodias) undoubtedly enjoys many privileges, she doesn’t have anything like the power of her husband. If she wants to get something done, she has to go through the king or work in the shadows.
Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
What constitutes the authentic practice of religion? What is it that we do in our everyday lives that establishes who we are as Christians? What 'voices' command our attention?
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Not because Jesus was having an identity crisis, he asks his disciples who they thought he was. Peter confesses that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” As I said last week about the story of the Canaanite woman, Matthew wants his readers know that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. What happens after this is truly meaningful. Jesus does not ASK Peter who Peter is. Jesus TELLS Peter who Peter is - the rock on which he will build his church. In fact, Jesus defines two things - Peter and the church. Jesus was not having a identity crisis. Jesus was giving Peter and the church a vision and a mission.
Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Several months ago a significant change occurred in my family. Our roughly 18 month old daughter, Hosanna, was found at the top of the stairs. No big deal, right? The minor detail that I'm excluding is that we had last left her in her crib. My wife and I took her back in her room, put her in her crib and asked her to show us how she got out. She complied without a fuss and in less than 5 seconds was standing on the floor wondering why our expressions were closer to fear than pride. All of this was occurring just before our third child would be born. Suddenly, we had two bed-sleeping toddlers sharing a room, so we made an investment. We bought a video monitor. That's when we took parent spying to a whole new level.