Friday of the 20th Week of Ordinary Time
My students like to think that church and all that “religion stuff” doesn’t have much of an effect on their “real lives”. Sure, they go to mass on Sunday for an hour but the rest of the week, they don’t need it. They are in the midst of a culture war – video games and hanging out with friends are far more enticing than going to Mass. Indeed, lots of Catholics like to think that all this church stuff doesn’t really affect me and my life as a Christian (not really).
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
We’re given some difficult readings today. There’s talk of war, human sacrifice, and a king throwing a guest out with bound hands and feet for not coming to the feast dressed properly. At first take it’s rather disturbing, even confusing. Today’s first reading taken from the Old Testament book of Judges (11:29-39a) involves a chieftain by the name of Jephthah trying to save the Israelites from the Ammonites. In asking God for help, he vows to sacrifice whoever first comes out of the doors of his house when he returns victorious. He is very saddened when this ends up being his daughter, his only child. He wants to keep his vow to the Lord and does so although it grieves both him and his daughter who will die without ever bearing children.
Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
When I was young I remember having a conversation with my father where I asked him, “How is it that my allowance is one dollar a week and the neighbor boys allowance is twenty dollars a week?” My dad’s response felt very strange to me at the time. “First of all son, comparison is often the root of evil.” And then he asked me, “Do you think that your friend has better parents than you because they give their children so much money?” I said, “Of course not.” Then my father reminded me that while we did not have that kind of money, he tried to give me something more than money, dad gave us his time. He explained that our time together was worth more than any amount of money.
Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
When I look at people who are very rich – Bill Gates or Warren Buffet for instance – I feel myself wondering what it would be like to have that kind of wealth. How would it affect the way I see myself in relation to others? It is perhaps not surprising that many extremely wealthy people are drawn to philanthropy – spending their money to help others – for it seems to me that it would be unnatural to have so much money and to keep it only for oneself. Then I think of those of us – myself included – who may have enough money to live a comfortable life, but in comparison to many others finding oneself to be very blessed indeed. What does Jesus have to say to us in the gospel for today?
Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
My husband and I moved recently. The house we left was large and we had been there for nearly 20 years. It is where our children spent most of their years growing up. We had been ready to downsize for several years but the move came about rather suddenly and this last month has been a true flurry of activity! I got choked up at the closing on our house and that surprised me. I got teary going through all the kids’ school art work and awards I had stashed in the attic and I had trouble letting go of my grandmother’s chipped, unusable goblets that she received as a wedding gift. When the last load was emptied at our new house, I realized that we still had to let go of at least half of what was sitting on the floor of our garage. So much “stuff”! I am certain I spent as much time rationalizing why I should keep these things as I did packing them. Now, a week later, I look at the stacks of boxes still taped closed and wonder what I was thinking. Frankly, I do not need anything I haven’t already unpacked, but for some reason I felt I needed to take them with me. Today’s readings made me take a much closer look at this.
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
One of the greatest stories of martyrdom in the early church is the story of St. Perpetua. She was merely 22 years old when she became a Christian. Consequently, she was incarcerated for her faith and put into prison along with her nursing baby. While in prison, she got the chance to write her testimony. In it she talks about her father’s visit to the prison. For his sake and for the sake of the baby he pleaded with her to renounce Christ. She writes, “…my father liked to vex me with his words and continually strove to hurt my faith because of his love: Father, said I, Do you see (for example) this vessel lying, a pitcher or whatsoever it may be? And he said, I see it. And I said to him, Can it be called by any other name than that which it is? And he answered, No. So can I call myself nought other than that which I am, a Christian.” On March 7, 203, Perpetua was attained martyrdom when she was thrown to the beasts and killed.
Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(When I was first asked to do reflections I was so excited. The excited for my chance to offer reflections, and because my wife, Bess, was asked to contribute as well. This is our first joint reflection, you will find her thoughts in italics.)
There are so many well known verses in these passages! Which is great, but we also have to be careful. Yes, it is awesome to find them in their original context. However, we can lose some of the value of the overall passages because of this, “Hey, I know that verse!” recognition.
That being said, I strangely latched onto the gospel's line, “After he placed his hands on them, he went away.” That's it, end of reading, end of story. I'm so curious about this ending. Christ prays over the children, tells His disciples what's what about who the Kingdom really belongs to, prays some more, and then just takes off. No indication where He went, no preaching to the parents, no “repent the kingdom is come,” nothing. I was seriously concerned about why the gospel doesn't record Him telling these parents how to be fantastic disciple parents (advice many parents would likely appreciate) or anything for that matter. Then Bess shared something that just made it click.
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
I find it more than a bit ironic to read today's readings this week, especially THIS week. Like many people, I find this time of year hectic with all the busy-ness of changing from summer to fall. My 5 year old started kindergarten this week, and I am getting ready for my own classes to begin next week. I know the summer harvest is at its peak; some friends of mine are picking and canning tomatoes and zucchini like crazy. And there's all the busy-ness of preparing for various new fall programs like our parish retreat and the new Sunday School year.
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today, on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I am particularly drawn to the Gospel reading. The gospel presents for us three very important themes to model in our own lives. First, through Elizabeth’s example, we are shown to become aware of the divine presence in all things and in all those we meet. Through Mary we are taught that the work we do on this earth is not about us, but is about giving all glory to God. And finally, Mary models humility for us and she teaches us how to say yes joyfully to God’s call, no matter how challenging it may be.
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr
What is the most awesome thing you have ever seen in your life? Realizing that it might be difficult to name just one thing or event, place one of the images in your mind’s eye. Now imagine yourself perceiving the beauty, however unable to enter into the experience. It could be very frustrating. Certainly, Moses would have had that feeling on seeing the Promised Land but being unable to enter it. Moses’ vision of this and subsequent death transpired to bring reconciliation to the Israelites for their indifference to their first attempt to enter the Promised Land.
Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Tomorrow is my birthday. Every year, I think back to previous birthdays and marvel at where the years have gone. One way I mark my early birthdays is with the great gifts my family gave me. There is one gift that stands out. When I turned five, my parents bought me a beautiful, bright red scooter. I’ll never forget how I felt the moment I pulled back the shower curtain to find it sitting in the bathtub (this was the favorite hiding place for gifts in our family). The bright red paint is burned into my mind; the scooter was so simple but it represented so many things to me: fun, a bit of independence and most importantly, my parents’ desire to see me so happy. I knew, even at that young age, that they looked out for me, and more than that, they loved me enough to give me a thing beauty and freedom.
Monday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Sometimes I am amazed at how God uses everyday life to speak to me. Today I woke up with a stiff neck. As I went to read the scripture for the reflection that I was about to write, I was struck by the passage that said “be no longer stiff-necked.” (Deut 10:16) It was almost as if God was tapping me on the shoulder and trying to get my attention. In a physical sense, my stiff neck was not only a painful situation, but it also limited my ability to see all of my surroundings because of the tightness of the neck muscles. Trying to turn around to back out of the driveway was nearly impossible. A “stiff necked” spiritual condition is similar in many ways. When I am “stiff necked” I am unable to see God and His work both within my heart and in the world around me. It is almost as if I have blinders on and can only see straight ahead, or the things that I choose to see. I think that both readings today remind me that I cannot live life fully as a disciple unless I allow God to cure my “stiff- necked” attitude.
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Most of you know about my trip home last month to take care of my father. You also know that the doctors advised him against any intervention because his heart was too diseased. Being so far away from home makes it a little difficult for both my parents and I. When I returned from India, I made it a point to make a conscious surrender of this situation to God. But I underestimated my anxiety and the other night it played out in a dream. I dreamt that my mother and I were at the hospital and on the way to the doctor’s chamber my dad collapsed and died. I woke up with tears rolling down my cheeks and thanked God that this was just a nightmare. So I sat down again, and made another conscious surrender of the situation to God. I know that God has it all worked out but sometimes as a human person I struggle to live life from God’s perspective.
Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr
One of my favorite lines in all of scripture is "as it is written." It comes up quite often. It makes me stand at attention, take pause, and anticipate what I'm about to read. These words beckon me to do a little investigation, to check my footnotes, and to appease my inquisitive mind which asks, "Where was that written?" In today's first reading from First Corinthians, St. Paul writes, "As it is written: He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." My initial thought was that this was a beautiful description of God- speaking to the limitlessness of His generosity, His abundant care for the poor, and His righteousness. It came as no surprise that God should be described in this way. The only problem was that, as it is written, this description doesn't refer to God in this passage. It refers to me! It refers to what all of us are being called to in our discipleship.
Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
I love today's first reading (Deuteronomy 4:32-40) because it comes just before the passage where God gives the Ten Commandments,and it is a description of why God hopes the people will follow the Ten Commandments and take them to heart. Usually we see the Ten Commandments listed on a wall or on the back of a prayer card, without their context, as though God simply gave them with no explanation or rationale.
Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest
Do you ever complain to God? Grumble or express your discontent, even anger? I know I do. I don’t mean complaining about other people, I mean complaining about how God seems to be orchestrating things in my life (or in the life of people I care about). Sometimes it seems that as soon as one problem is solved or crisis is dealt with, another one comes down the pike just as I was starting to feel hopeful, even good, about life again.
Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Have you ever wanted something so bad, that you did all you could to make your wish come true? You did everything in your power to make the reality you desired to be true. Everything from petitioning God, to overemphasizing one reality so that another would become what was real. Wishes can create false dilemmas in us or they can help us find a hope that will lead us to faith and truth.
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Last year in one of my classes we were discussing some of the current thought on the “historical Jesus”. Eventually the discussion came to specific stories in the Gospels, in particular the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. Someone mentioned that some theologians thought that this had not really been a ‘miracle’ in the sense that something supernatural had taken place, but rather that the ‘miracle’ of feeding that vast multitude of people happened as a result of everyone sharing the food they had with them and in the end there was an abundance of food remaining. My initial reaction was that they were certainly wrong—how could this miracle found in all four Gospels not be historically accurate? On the other hand, thinking of a crowd that large coming together and sharing what they had with the community to provide for one another’s needs is a deeply heartening notion. After thinking about this for a while I decided it did not really matter whether this particular story was factual in the historical sense. In the end, the importance of this story lies in the truth it conveys. For me, it is another reminder that God ALWAYS provides for the needs of his people.
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
New research suggests that “evolution does not favor selfish people.” It is hard to believe that scholars do research about these things but yesterday, BBC reported in its headline news that “selfish traits were not favored by evolution.” This challenges a previous theory which suggested it was preferable to put yourself first for survival. This earlier research used a model of the prisoner's dilemma game. Two suspects who are interrogated in separate prison cells have to decide whether or not to inform on each other. Each prisoner was offered a deal for freedom if they inform on the other (defection), putting their opponent in jail for six months. If they kept silent (cooperation), they would both get a prison sentence of three months. Obviously, putting themselves first, they informed on each other. But the new research says that what was missing in the old research was communication between the two prisoners. On the contrary, when prisoners talked to each other, the new research suggests, the prisoners did not tell on each other but rather both agree to take on the punishment and remain silent. Research suggests that this behavior of cooperation is typical in the rest of nature (not with regard to the prison situation but that species cooperate even if it means taking a less desirable position). Researchers say that evolution works in favor on cooperation because otherwise nature would head into extinction.