Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today we celebrate the feast of Mary’s birth. In arranging these feasts, our Church is quite straightforward. We celebrate the Immaculate Conception on December 8th and Mary’s nativity on September 8th, exactly 9 months later. The same with the Annunciation—March 25th—and Christmas—December 25th. To mention these parallels reminds me of the many times that the Immaculate Conception is confused with the Annunciation. I recall a friend in college suggesting that because her physical activities led to no possibility of pregnancy, if she were pregnant it must have been the “Immaculate Conception.” I’ve even heard homilies in which priests’ reflections seemed to suggest that we were really celebrating Jesus’ conception in his mother’s womb on December 8th.
Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Have you ever stared up into the stars away from the city lights and marveled at the vastness of space? Or stood on a mountaintop looking out and beyond to the valleys and hills as far as the eye can see? Or gazed out over the ocean and been amazed by the grandeur and power of all that water? I sometimes feel so small, so insignificant in the face of such awesome creation, realizing that I am just a tiny part of this vast world and universe. I can be overwhelmed by the power of God in these moments, and humbled.
Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Every four years in the United States, we as a people are asked to make a decision by voting for a person to be our President. The closer we get to the election the louder the voices often become. The tone of voices and the tenor of the arguments often hamper people’s ability to think clearly and to listen to one another. With this in mind we might imagine Paul’s challenge in ministering to the similarly divided Christian Community in Corinth.
Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
I don’t tend to think very much about the Holy Spirit, and it seems that I’m not alone in this. Of the three persons of the Trinity, the Spirit tends to be the one who is discussed the least. Yet, for Christians, the Spirit should be integral to our understanding of who God is. God is indeed one God, but God also consists of three persons. Focusing on the role of the Spirit in our lives also points to a spiritual reality that lies beyond the physical world that we can see, touch, taste, smell, and hear. And it reminds us of our need for help from God to become the kind of people that we are meant to be. The scripture readings for today speak to these themes.
Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the church
As we near the beginning of our new parish discipleship theme “Being Church at Home and Being Home at Church”, I have been thinking about the area of my life most in need of transformation related to this theme. How can I make my discipleship more “seamless” between church and home? This weekend God made this clear to me! I attended my nephew’s beautiful wedding in Michigan with my extended family and for nearly 72 hours struggled with the revelation. I realized how very uncomfortable I feel speaking openly to my extended family about my call to discipleship and that I know deep in my heart what my specific call and purpose as a disciple of Christ means to me. There were times when I should have spoken but was silent and opportunities to express my discipleship that I let pass by. In a very particular way, I am being invited to struggle to be “Church at Home”.
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
It is a common phrase these days, “I believe in God but not in organized religion.” Or, I have heard people say, “I am a spiritual person but I just do not want to belong to any religion.” More and more people are finding this to be an attractive alternative.
All the readings today are all about organized religion. The first reading talks about the statutes and decrees that Moses gave to the people to observe. The second reading gives us James’ understanding of religion that is pure and undefiled. He says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” And Jesus in today’s gospel tries up to correct false religiosity particularly as he encountered it in Pharasaical Judaism. Quoting Isaiah he says, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.”Jesus was clearly juxtaposing authentic religiosity against and mere human traditions.
Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings reflect on the theme of God’s people—both their character and God’s expectations of them.
Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
The other day, I went out for a walk - it was a contemplative walk, a time for me to recharge while Joel took care of the kids. When I got back, I found my 1.5 year old patiently waiting by the door. "Mama walk!" she said. "Wait Mama." She'd been waiting for me by the door, eagerly, and I can't fully express the kind joy you get knowing someone's been waiting for you like that.
Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
The Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist
Today’s memorial celebrates martyrdom/passion of John the Baptist. The date of this memorial likely corresponds with the date of the dedication of the church of St. John the Baptist in Samara. This church commemorates the location where tradition holds that St. John the Baptist was buried.
Memorial of St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
If you’ve ever had the experience of making a New Year’s resolution, you’ll know how hard it is sometimes to put into practice the kind of changes you want to see happen in your life. It is one thing to wish or believe that things could be different; it is another thing to actually make things better. The challenges we can sometimes encounter in making progress in our faith can also be seen when we look at scripture and the lives of the saints. For instance, Paul complains about how he does not do the good that he has resolved to do, and St. Augustine is well known for the emphasis in his theology on the need for continuous conversion throughout one’s life.
Memorial of Saint Monica
As a pediatrician I spend a great deal of my time counseling children on healthy habits and lifestyles. There have been several instances when I am encouraging a child to eat their fruits and vegetables and wear his or her seatbelt, and the parents are shaking their heads in agreement, when suddenly, the child says, “But Mom (or Dad),you don’t wear your seatbelt!!” As parents we try our best to teach our children how to live good, healthy, productive lives by telling them the right things to do, but it is by our example of how we live that we truly teach our children what we believe to be true. I believe that this is same for us as Christians as well, and today’s readings illustrate that how we act is the most powerful way to share our faith.
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Recently, researchers conducting a WIN-Gallup International poll about religion surveyed people from 57 countries. The poll suggests that in the Unites States, since 2005:
•The number of people who consider themselves religious has dropped from 73% to 60%
•Those who declare themselves atheists have risen from 1% to 5%
From the Christian perspective and from the point of view of church attendance, there are numerous reasons for this decline. But there is no one single reason that stands out. Conservatives and liberals have both weighed in on the statistic. Conservatives say that that the Church is not traditional enough for people to stay true to their faith and the liberals say that it is the Church’s conservative stand is leading many people to abandon their faith. Either way, religion seems losing its hold on the people.
Saturday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Our sensibilities from reading and hearing the gospel stories are conditioned to think of the Pharisees only as hypocrites and show offs. This conception, however, misses some of the force of Jesus’ critique of these folk. They were not such easy targets. On the whole, they were considered the most pious Jews of their day, admired for their adherence to the law and their dedication to God. Nevertheless, their conflicts with Jesus centered around their overly legalistic adherence to the law. These were different interpretations of the Jewish tradition.
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
We’ve been to a couple of weddings this summer. I like having the occasion to dress nicer than my everyday clothes, even dressier than my typical Sunday church clothes. As I tell my kids, it’s a special occasion, one that calls for being “fancier” in order to celebrate the marriage of the bride and groom. Even the less formal outdoor weddings call for making a special effort to look nicer than if you were working in the garden or going to a baseball game. But, certainly, no one is going to turn you away from the church or the reception if you aren’t “dressed up”.
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
In my household, there are three children. We thank God everyday for their presence in our lives and most of the time, they are a joy. We love to have fun with them yet as parents, we wear a variety of hats. One of the tougher roles is helping them stay balanced. We work hard to be aware of their habits and help them see the patterns they are creating for themselves when they focus only on their own desires. Sometimes when things are out of balance with one or all of them, we have to intervene in order to help them hit the reset button. This may mean going to bed sooner, digging in more on their homework or maybe even skipping desert so as to help them gain perspective on their choices.
Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Today’s first reading, from Ezekiel, contains God’s words of judgment against the prince of Tyre. Using Ezekiel as his mouthpiece, God exposes the king’s hubris in setting himself up as a god, while in fact the king is just a mortal human being like you and me. Ezekiel prophesies that the king will meet death just like any other human being. The problem is that he has not lived in a way that has pleased God. We can speculate that he has not shown justice to those he governs.
Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
This past Friday at Mass, there was a young boy who was sitting several pews behind me with his family. He seemed pretty happy to be there and looked like a kid who could probably get along with just about anybody and fit in almost anywhere. However, what grabbed my attention right away was the t-shirt that he was wearing. It was a bright orange t-shirt, which obviously stood out, with a large navy-blue Triquetra (a symbol of the Trinity) across the front. Below the large Trinitarian symbol read the words, “Be Perfect.” What an incredible statement! As we were leaving Mass, I complimented the young man on his shirt and asked him where he had gotten it. Clearly fond of his shirt, the boy smiled and replied, “I don’t know. I got it last Christmas.” Whether deliberate or unintentional, his statement was powerful: Be Perfect. The simplicity of this statement resonated with me, but my unspoken, natural follow-up question to this statement seemed to be anything but simple: “How?”