Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today our response to the first reading from Daniel is a canticle also from Daniel:
Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever!
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever!
Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Both readings from today are intriguing. The Gospel seems like it is a commentary on marriage, but actually, it’s the attempt of the Sadducees who don’t believe in the resurrection to trap Jesus who preached about resurrection. Some context might be helpful. In Jesus’ time, it was believed that one or really a man (women weren’t considered in this Jewish law) continued his life by having children. However, rather than contradict himself by specifying a brother or saying that all the brothers were the wife’s husband, Jesus responded to the Sadducees that in the resurrection, people don’t die and thus there is no need to continue one’s life by marrying and having children. Looking at the reaction of the scribes, it seemed that Jesus was successful at getting out of that trap.
Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves (Lk 19:46). At the heart of today’s gospel is Jesus coming into the temple and cleaning house. He proceeded to drive them out with the words above, referencing Old Testament scripture from Isaiah and Jeremiah. The irony of this gospel falling on the infamous US non-holiday tradition of ‘Black Friday’ and the day after Thanksgiving is not lost on me either. Along with schools, many businesses and organizations are closed this weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Thanksgiving Day
I think it’s safe to say that most of us have heard or read today’s gospel story (Luke 17: 11-19) many, many times in our lives. The Healing of the Ten Lepers is a very familiar story, which, as a result, can cause us to skim over it quickly and not reflect deeply, being tempted just to say, “Oh, I know that one,” and move on. I encourage you to read it again and take a closer look at it with me today on this day of giving thanks.
Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr
It is with powerful yet somewhat violent imagery today that the readings speak of giving each of us all we need for the building of the Kingdom of God. The story from the Second book of Maccabees shares the image of a faith-filled family. The narrative has the family being tortured for their beliefs. As each brother refuses to obey the command of the king, they are executed, all this while their mother watches. The mom waxes poetically about how the creator of the universe gave each child life and to them they will return. Her statement is not defeatist though, as she encourages her sons to accept their fate with hope that a merciful God will reunite them all again some day.
Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The readings for this week look forward to the Solemnity of Christ the King on Sunday and to the season of Advent starting the week after. Advent is a time of expectation, of waiting in hope for the birth of the Christ child in our lives. It is a penitential time, a time of self-examination, meditation, and reflection. Advent is also a very busy season, and it sometimes leads people to feel a lot of stress. It can be easy to forget, amid the many holiday celebrations, the shopping, and the gift giving, that the person whom we are expecting with such eagerness and whose advent we are celebrating is Jesus himself.
Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Mark was the first to tell the story of the blind man who called out to Jesus at the gates of Jericho. He even names him, “Bartimaeus,” or Son of Timaeus. “Timaeus” means defiled, profane, unclean.
Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
To help his disciples understand what he was teaching, Jesus often used parables. Today’s Gospel is the parable of the widow and the judge in which the widow is persistent in asking the judge for a just decision. The widow kept bothering the judge, who was described as dishonest, to the point that the judge felt that he had no choice but to give her a fair judgment. Through this parable, Jesus taught that our prayer should be like this widow’s, persevering and steadfast. Sometimes, I find myself and encounter others who are either afraid or don’t want to bother God by asking what we need and want. However, like the widow with the judge, we should be unafraid to make requests and petitions to God. Having a relationship with God sustained by prayer also means coming to God with our whole selves including our needs and wants. In addition, the widow was dependent on the judge’s decision so we too should be dependent on God to provide what we need.
Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
“Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for the original source of beauty fashioned them.” (Wisdom 13:3) As I was reflecting on today’s rather poetic First Reading from the book of Wisdom, you might say I was “distracted” by the beauty (and adorableness) of a little three-month-old puppy who joined our family this past weekend. Yes, I am smitten with this little creature/creation with its perfect little puppy eyes and nose and ears, even its little white puppy teeth and pink tongue, not to mention the rest of its perfectly puppy body all the way to the white tip on the end of its tail.
Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
All of my life I have had a particular interest in weather. Even living in Ohio, I have been fascinated by hurricanes and weather related storms that impact our lives. As I read today’s gospel reading, I was struck that Jesus uses lightning as the imagery to describe His return to the disciples. What might Jesus be sharing with us, and how should we respond?
Wednesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters ten men afflicted with leprosy. Desperate for healing, and recognizing Jesus’ power and authority, they cry out to Him. Jesus has mercy on all of them, yet only one returns to worship Him. What are we to make of this powerful encounter and how do we apply it to our lives today? Worship is our response to the God who heals and saves. And far from a singular response, let us determine today to order our very lives toward and in the One who created us for a life of Beatitude and makes that life possible through the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ our Healer and Redeemer.
Tuesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Anyone who has searched for a job has had the experience of writing up a resume and putting on it the things they have done. We are supposed to highlight things that make us look good. In fact, our culture often has a focus on achieving recognition – from children receiving awards for good citizenship and perfect attendance, to being recognized on the job for years of service and a job well done. It is good to recognize people for the good works they do, but the hope is that we will do the right thing even when we do not expect recognition. Today’s scriptures give us some thoughts on how to live as Jesus’ disciples and yet not to expect anything in return.
Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin
Our responsorial today, taken from Psalm 139, ought to be familiar. It is the basis of a hymn by the Saint Louis Jesuits, “Yahweh, I know you are Near.”
Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
Today’s readings point out two key elements of being a disciple of Christ: dependence on God and community.
Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Today is the feast of St. Leo the Great. I’ve been blessed to know a number of Leo’s in my lifetime and they are all pretty great. Pope Leo I led the Catholic church back in the 5th century. What made him so great? There are likely a number of reasons for this title but my favorite story is the famous story of how he persuaded Atilla the Hun not to invade Rome, saving the people of the city who had sought refuge in the churches there.
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Water is an amazing part of creation- a substance which we cannot live without, although we often take water for granted. Today’s readings describe water as it flows and gives life to all things. Just like water, God’s Spirit flows out and gives life, allowing God to have a dwelling place within all of creation. Just as we need water to survive physically, the Spirit provides the life that we require to be disciples of Christ. It is through the presence of the Spirit within us that we become temples of God-His holy dwelling. We are called to be like water- flowing out into the world to bring new life and abundant blessings through the work of the Spirit within us.
Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
After mass one day a parishioner asked me what would they need to do in order to be holy. Having just heard the reading of the greatest commandment, I reminded them to love God with their whole heart, mind, and soul, and to love their neighbor. This seemed to be answer to the question of that moment, but I could tell the person was looking for more. It could be the person was hoping for a deeper understanding of what it means to love.
Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s first reading comes from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and it pertains to every parish community. In the passage, Paul reminds the Romans that we all have “gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” This means that we should expect God’s grace to be manifest in various ways. Any community that imagines that grace looks the same for every person seems to be gravely mistaken, according to Paul. This is at once freeing and challenging. It is freeing because it allows each of us to discern God’s work in us in light of our individual gifts, talents and desires. It is challenging because it implies that the Church thrives when people are engaged in such discernment and self-giving.
Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Yesterday daylight savings time came to a close. The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. The days are getting cooler and the nights are even colder. Glorious hued foliage, dancing in the crisp autumn air, are soon but memories. The world “falls” into slumber, awaiting spring.
Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
How embarrassing for that person who was asked to move to a lower place in Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel. The society that Jesus lived in was hierarchical with some social classes higher than others. This social hierarchy was even reflected in celebrations where people of higher social standing sat in certain spots or “places of honor” while others of lower status were not able to be in those seats. St. Paul addressed this issue with the early Christian community, Luke’s intended audience, in which during the Sunday communal meals in private homes, the rich ate sumptuously in the dining room while the poor ate in the atrium with less food or none at all (1 Corinthians 11: 20-22, 33-34).