Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Just yesterday, my 6-year-old son, Ben, was looking through our copy of Saints Around the World (a beautifully written and illustrated collection of holy men and women of our church), when he opened up to this picture of Blessed Carlo Acutis. He was pointing to all the things he recognized in the picture – the dog, the cat, the soccer ball and the video games. He looked up and said, “Why is there a poke-ball on here? He’s a saint, why would he have Pokémon on his page?” I couldn’t help but smile at the innocence of this question. I could hear the deeper meaning in his question. It felt to me like he was asking - did this person, who you tell me is a SAINT, actually play Pokémon? I think it surprised Ben so much because he loves Pokémon, but I don’t think he sees himself as much of a saint. Suddenly this person who has lived a holy, saintly life seems very relatable and real.
Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
“Life is difficult” is the opening line of one of my favorite books, The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck. Today’s readings similarly remind us to prepare ourselves for trials in our Christian service and stance for justice. Though I would like all moments to be happy and easy-going, I recognize that It takes diligent work and virtuous discipline to be a faithful worker, friend, partner, or family/community member. It takes courage to act justly and speak for the disadvantaged.
Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
“I do believe. Help my unbelief.” These oft quoted words from Mark resonate and are among the most popular verses in the New Testament. We desire faith, and yet it eludes us. We may wonder why we doubt when faith is so desperately needed. Is God disappointed that we fail to embrace faith totally and without question?
Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle
Today is the Feast of the Chair of St Peter. I know, we Catholics are not only crazy enough to bless our cars, houses, and pets, but we also have a feast day for a chair! We are an interesting breed aren't we?
Obviously, this is not the feast day of a wooden object with four legs and cushion, or even a rocking chair for that matter. We know this because in the Biblical sense, the chair or seat of someone is their position of authority, governance, or power. Hence Christ tells the people “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach but they do not practice” (Mt 23:2-3 RSV). Thus, today is the feast day of Peter's position, his seat of authority, which really means that this is a feast day that celebrates the promises of God as well as, the call for power and authority to be transformed by Christ. That transformation is what I want to focus on today, (despite my temptations to write exclusively about the significance of the giving of the keys).
Optional Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth….”
(2 Timothy 4:3,4)
Drawing on the readings for today’s optional memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, the above verse from the first reading stood out to me. At this time when there seems to be much disregard for the truth, this letter to Timothy might well speak to us today: “proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” (vs 2)
Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Do you ever wonder why certain things happen? I believe completely in a God who is all love, so when I hear and see something that seems horrific- a tsunami that kills thousands of people, a bomb that explodes in a crowded marketplace, an accident where an innocent bystander is killed- whether one or many people are involved- I wonder why would God allow this to happen. Both readings today made me stop and think about God and His role in our world. After some reflection, I realize that my tiny mind can never fully understand or appreciate God’s love and how that is expressed even in the messiness of this world.
Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Our Gospel today presents one of Jesus’ healing miracles (a blind man). Taken at face value, we are inspired by our Lord’s compassion and power to heal. We can also read this account as a real-life parable. In it we are meant to recognize the disciples’ gradual coming to faith and understanding of Christ and his mission; in it we are invited to contemplate our own spiritual journey and recovery of sight. Today, let us ask the Lord to heal us of our spiritual blindness so that we might see more clearly the plans and purposes of God and follow him more closely.
Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
“Offer to God a sacrifice of praise” is our psalm response today (Psalm 50). This got me thinking back to how I have and have not experienced mass as “a sacrifice of praise.”
I was twelve years old when Vatican Council II concluded in 1965. So technically I grew up in the Church of the Council of Trent, the last ecumenical council. 1962-1965 and years immediately following were exciting as well as unsettling. The church, which “changes” at a snail's pace, was changing in leaps and bounds, week to week.
Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, the disciples still do not understand Jesus even though they have been traveling with him for a long time, listening to his teachings and witnessing his miracles. Reading this passage led me to ask myself if I understand Jesus. As a cradle Catholic, Jesus has always been in my life, and many times I took him for granted. This story in the Gospel can help us comprehend better who Jesus is.
Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Growing up (and now) whenever my extended family gets together, there is always a lot of food. Even when a guest visits our home, my mom provides more than enough snacks and food for us to eat. Nowadays, the Sisters and I sometimes invite guests over for dinner. If I’m cooking, I usually wonder whether or not there is enough food for everyone. In today’s Gospel, the disciples asked this question too. Jesus seemed unconcerned, confident that the little they have will feed everyone. In the end, everyone ate until they were satisfied and there was food left over.
Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop
I’m quite familiar with opening things…packages, jars, snacks, toothpaste, gatorade bottles, yogurt tubes…with a house full of kids, the list goes on. I was taught at an early age to hold the door open for others. And at numerous times in my life, I have been encouraged to be open-minded about a topic or situation. As I prepared for today, I was drawn to three spots in our series of readings that each reference the action of ‘opening’.
Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel Jesus moves out of the territory ruled by Herod and into Tyre, a mixed district of both Greeks and Jews. Mark’s very human Jesus is a man of his time and place who saw the children of Abraham as the chosen people above all others.
The Syro-Phoenician woman will have none of it. She is unique among all the figures in the Gospels. She is the only one to win an argument with Jesus.
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings are a beautiful pairing. In our first reading from Genesis, we are reminded of the source of our life. We hear of the garden of Eden and of creation. These words struck me as I read through this time. The “Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). Sit with that image for a moment – the Lord breathing life into you. How does that make you feel? The Lord is the source of our life and goodness. He gives us life and sustains us.
Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
The Genesis story highlights the gifts of God’s Creation on which we humans depend. The days of the Creation story are wonderful in that the various entities of Creation are highlighted and appreciated; They are named and we are invited to give thanks for them. That the story of Creation is told with these details - rather than a simple summary sentence of “God created our world as we know it today” invites us to pay attention to each and every part of our world - creatures of the air, land and water; the landforms and the plants. We depend upon them all.
Memorial of St. Scholastica, Virgin
When asked what their favorite Gospel is many people respond “John,” because his Jesus soars, “leaping tall buildings at a single bound.” Others prefer Luke for his beautiful Christmas story and our favorite parables. Still some chose Matthew, first in order in our New Testaments, with the sermon on the mount and those magical magi from the east.
Make mine Mark.
Mark?!? Yep. His Jesus is brash, in-your-face, misunderstood, unsettling, and taboo breaker. This is a Christ who continuously challenged the status quo and stretched the limits of what was considered acceptable behavior. The Marcan Jesus is the closest of the four gospels to the itinerant teacher/healer from the Galilee.
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
A central theme in today’s readings is Jesus as a shepherd. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews refers to Jesus as “the great shepherd” (Hebrews 13:20). The Responsorial Psalm describes God as a shepherd. Additionally, Mark in the Gospel also alludes to Jesus as a shepherd in the context of the crowd being “like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).
Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
In these times of uncertainty – political and economic changes largely beyond our control – I find it tempting to fear, easy to despair. I imagine others with a more vulnerable status than mine feel these things even more acutely. Today’s First reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (13:1-8) gives me comfort and encouragement. Not only comforting that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”, but also the reminder that God “will never forsake you or abandon you.”
Memorial of St. Paul Miki & Companions
In today’s gospel, Jesus sends the apostles out to spread the Good News. He instructs them to take little, but He sends them “two by two”. From the very beginning, Jesus teaches us that accompanying others on our faith journey is the best road to build the Kingdom of God.
Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr
“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.” Thus begins our first reading today, and interestingly, that verse concluded the passage from Hebrews that we read yesterday. It’s unusual that the Church repeats a verse from one day to the next. Perhaps they’re trying to get our attention. Today is the Memorial of St Agatha, Virgin and Martyr. Hers is a horrific and tragic story of violent abuse. You can read about her here. We can learn a lot from her courage and unwavering love and fidelity to our Lord.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel is a favorite of mine. It’s an example of how Jesus’ compassion is inclusive. This is a time when his contact with a corpse or with women who were bleeding would have made him as a Jewish teacher ritually unclean. And yet Jesus takes the hand of a dead girl to raise her up and heals the woman calling her “Daughter.”