Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus instructs us to invite the poor, crippled, blind and lame when we have a banquet. As I thought about this passage, this message seems so far from my real life experiences. I find it difficult in the midst of busy schedules to gather with family, friends and neighbors, so how am I to put into practice what Jesus is suggesting. I think that there is a broader meaning to this teaching. It seems that Jesus is calling us to be generous with our hospitality, compassion, charity, and healing with all people- not just those who are able to reciprocate our giving. Jesus is calling us to give without expectation to all those that we meet, so we can imitate His giving and love.
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
We recently met with my son’s teacher for a conference. In it, we talked about some successes and some challenges. The biggest challenge she sees for my son right now is his constant desire to try to fit in. As is appropriate for his age, he is attempting to figure out who he is and what group of friends he belongs to and where he fits. In the conference, I was sad for my son, not because I want to take this all away, for it is an essential part of growing up, but because I remember navigating those same challenges myself.
Solemnity of All Saints
When I was a kid, I was infatuated with sports; I loved to play sports, watch sports, and learn about professional athletes of different sports. I collected trading cards of professional athletes. I sorted them, memorized the stats, and studied the fun facts about each player. My parents purchased us a subscription to Sports Illustrated for Kids; I would read the magazine cover to cover every month, soaking in all of the stories and details from the world of sports. The magazine usually came with a small poster of a popular athlete, many of which I would then hang on the wall of my bedroom. I would search the local library for biographies about professional athletes. I wanted to read the stories of their life and rise to fame and success. I immersed myself in the lives of my favorite players, even to the extent that I dreamed of becoming a professional football player one day (despite my scrawny physical stature and average athletic skills). I wanted to be like Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, or Curtis Martin. They were some of the superstars of the sports world.
Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
There are many images of Jesus: Jewish man and carpenter; a healer and forgiver of sins; one who could fish and laugh with his friends and captivate a crowd with his words; the crucified and risen Lord with pierced hands and feet; the judge sitting at the right hand of his father in heaven.
Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
I was so excited when I opened the scriptures and saw that my assignment comes from Romans 8! Verses 26-39 have long been powerful, defining, guiding truths for me. Obviously, the entire Word of God functions that way, but perhaps you’re like me and certain key passages have been especially formative for you. As I opened my Bible just now, I flashed back to my growing up at First Presbyterian Church, Manhattan, Kansas. A spectacular organ graces the sanctuary. The focal point of this breathtakingly beautiful instrument is a vibrant figure framed by scripture. You can view a photo of it here. Starting from the bottom left and moving clockwise, the scriptures flow: In the beginning God . . . To you is born . . . Glory to God in the highest . . . On earth peace . . . Neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God. That final phrase comes from Romans 8:38-39. I’m jumping ahead from today’s text, but that declaration summarizes today’s passage. As a child, teen, young adult, Sunday after Sunday, these truths embedded themselves within me as I sat in church and gazed upon God’s Word. Great power exists in making declarations from God’s Word. That’s the focus of my reflection today.
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
I was recently with a family holding their newborn son. They invited me to pray with them in thanksgiving for their child. When I asked is there anything they specifically want to pray about? The mother responded, “I would like to thank God for sending us a child when we thought we could not have one. I would also like to God that the baby is healthy.” Then to my surprise, she said, “One other thing, that God allowed me to use even the pain of childbirth to praise God.” We prayed as a family in the back of Church, but I could not stop thinking about her pain connected to praise.
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
When we have a big decision to make we sometimes say, “Let me get back to you, I need to sleep on it.” Jesus, in today’s gospel, would not be impressed by our conventional wisdom. Luke’s gospel tells us that Jesus went up the mountain to pray and “spent the night in prayer.” For Jesus, having a decision that you sleep on would be inadequate. While I don’t think that Jesus is calling us to insomnia, there are a few thought-provoking implications that come from this passage.
Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
I have the wonderful opportunity to accompany 50 pre-med and pre-dental students on a medical service trip to Panama in January. As part of the class they take to prepare for our trip, we are discussing the importance of reflection and the need for inner work to be done to bring our best selves to those we will work with while on our trip. Today’s gospel reminds us that it is essential for us to spend time and effort focusing on our own flaws and gifts instead of noticing only the errors of others. We need to “cultivate” our own ground in order to be fertile soil for Christ to grow in our lives.
Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
“Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?” The words of St. Paul from today’s first reading, his letter to the Romans. So many years ago and yet how many of us can relate even today? “The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not,” also from Paul’s letter. This reminds me of Jesus’ words to Peter when he and the other disciples fell asleep while praying in the garden of Gethsemane, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) These later named saints were human and struggled with living their faith in their mortal bodies, just like us.
Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
The season of fall finally seems to be upon us. It is a time to marvel at the beauty of the changing colors in the leaves, sit around a fire, and enjoy the cool crisp air. William Allingham, a 19th century Irish poet, connected fire and fall in a different way, “Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt.”
Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
I shudder at the term slave, because evil has led to the enslavement of millions of people over the centuries and does so still today in many and varied forms. In this reflection, I want to emphasize that St Paul refers to voluntary servitude, not to people taken against their will into bondage. In Paul’s day, most slaves entered willingly into that relationship, and were paid wages for their service. His references to slavery in the Letter to the Romans are meant to awaken us to the things to which we choose to be subservient, and to lead us toward life-giving, godly obedience. I must ask myself today, “what has mastery over me?” “to whom or to what do I present myself as a slave?”
Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
It’s worth considering what God wants from us, and how we got that idea about God. Listening to some believers, it’s possible to think that our Lord is a very serious Spirit who demands near-impossible acts of faith. Many other believers may give the opposite impression; that our Lord asks nothing of us, other than our belief and maybe a trip to Mass once in a while. The psalmist today gives a very different third way: Delight.
Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
I recently helped with a retreat and for one of the activities we played "Get to Know You Jenga." It is just like Jenga, but there are questions printed on the blocks. As you draw a piece you have to answer the question or respond to a phrase before replacing it. One block that was drawn was an interesting one and the answer offered was clever. The bock read, "There are only two types of people in the world, what are the two categories?" The respondent quickly replied, "Me and everybody else." It was quick, light-hearted, and in some ways very accurate. In today's gospel though we see that reality played out too far.
Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
Today’s readings speak very candidly to us about faith. In the first reading we hear about Abraham and the faith he had to hold on to so that he would become the father of many nations - a reality that seemed to be impossible for many years. We are told that to have faith we must hope against hope - we must believe in something not yet seen and not yet understood. Take this thought to our Gospel, where we are told that the Holy Spirit will be with us, and we must trust this Holy Spirit in all moments. How can the things we hope for come to be? Through the work of the Holy Spirit, working through each of us.
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
In today’s scripture readings I’m struck by the emphasis on faith and the redemption that comes with it. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he emphasizes God’s righteousness and mercy is universal not because of one’s works, but because of one’s faith. Such righteousness and mercy is not limited to specific populations. The Gospel reading from Luke depicts Jesus telling the scribes and Pharisees that the blood of the prophets’ deaths is on their hands despite the fact that it was their ancestors that killed them. This message from Christ could seem daunting at first glance, however Jesus emphasizes that because of their ancestors’ actions, the scribes and Pharisees have the responsibility to be “builders.” Their choice to focus on works over faith therefore contributes to the death of the message of the prophets. Consequently, their failure to embrace their faith places the blood of the prophets on their hands.
Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist
Today, on the Feast of St. Luke, we read in his gospel a story of Jesus appointing seventy-two disciples and sending them out in pairs to every place he intended to visit. There are two main things that stand out to me about Jesus’ very specific directions to these disciples. First, “carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals...” I was reflecting on this Gospel as my husband and I packed for a weekend camping with our family. Preparing for two adults, three young children, and a dog to sleep in a tent and cook food over a fire required carrying way more items than Jesus had in mind for the disciples! But if I was going on a trip to share the Good News and spread the message that Jesus was coming, what would I want to pack? I hear Jesus’ message as a call for simplicity. Go out into the world each day with the clothes on your back, a smile on your face, open ears, and a receptive heart. As I think about evangelizing I often get caught up in the complexities. What if I don’t know all the answers or what if I can’t convince people to care? This passage reminds me that I do not need to be a scripture scholar or a theologian to evangelize. I do not even need to carry a Bible with me. I literally just need to show up and be present to people, bring Christ to the world through joy and gratitude, offering and receiving hospitality.
Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Interestingly, this is my second reflection on Jesus’ Woes. During the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time, my assigned Gospel was Matthew’s portrayal (Matt. 23:27-32) of Jesus’ words that we find today in Luke. My prayer today is WOW, Lord, you’re presenting this message to me again; please help me to really “get it” this time – help all of us to really “get it.” Remember, Jesus’ Woes are mournful. The term woe, as it’s used in the original language, is a term of lament, not of judgment. Jesus mourns over the religious leaders’ hypocrisy; our Lord mourns over you and me in our hypocrisy. Today’s first reading and the Gospel do have a lot to say about judgment. But what is really being judged?
Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
An eye-doctor who I met recently listened to me share about the frustration with my glasses. I shared with her how many times I have to take my glasses off in order to function. Without my glasses I can only see about two feet with them on I can’t read. She asked me why I did not have bifocals. My own eye doctor told me it is best to wait as long as possible to get them. This doctor shared with me that waiting may make it impossible for my eyes and brain to adapt to bifocals. Her point of view gave me a new perspective on how to see near and far through the same set of lenses.
Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
At the time of Jesus and Paul, the risk facing a messenger was likely greater than someone today. Messages were delivered in person and so the distinction between the message and the messenger could be lost. So while the phrase “don’t shoot the messenger” might seem less relevant today we still are harsh on messengers. Today we might be quick to write someone off based on what messenger services they publicly share with others (America, Catholic Answers, NPR, Fox News, Life Site News, Commonweal, Catholic News Agency, Catholic News Service, Church Militant and so on). We label what kind of person someone is based on where they derive their messages. This reality is larger than the scope of my reflection, but I do want to ask about THE MESSAGE? How does sharing the Gospel differ from retweeting a BBC article?
Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
What does it mean to be a Christian? Many people say being a Christian means that they believe in Jesus- and this is true, but there is so much more. Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that “those who hear the word of God and observe it” are in fact the ones that are blessed. It is through our living that we most profoundly demonstrate that we are Christians- or disciples of Jesus.