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.”
Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today we recall Blaise, fourth century Armenian bishop and martyr, intercessor for illnesses related to the throat.
Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
The theme that runs through today’s readings is faith. The writer of the Hebrews in the first reading describes faith as “the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen,” (Hebrews 11:1). Then the writer demonstrates how Abraham exemplified this definition. He traveled away from his home not knowing where God was leading him. Abraham had faith that God would give him and his wife Sarah a child even though they were both old. He then offered up his only child Isaac not knowing that his son’s life would be spared. In the Gospel, Jesus calms the storm while he and his disciples were on a boat. Then he rebukes them for having little faith by asking them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4:40). What do these stories tell us about having faith today?
Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest
I’m pretty much the only one in our house who uses mustard, and even so, I really only put it on hotdogs, brats, and burgers–and not without ketchup and relish to go with it. Our kids pretty much unanimously oppose the use of mustard for any reason minus Cecilia, who, on occasion, will randomly state that she wants it on her hotdog. Therefore, you might find it quite ironic that one of our favorite meals in the house is a dish called Chicken Dijon (though the true mustard flavor is heavily masked by lots of butter and breadcrumbs, and baked deep into the chicken at 350 degrees). Strange people we are in the Meyer household. Nonetheless, Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed in today’s gospel is a compelling example for our understanding of faith.
Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
"This is the people who long to see your face” — today's responsorial from Psalm 24.
Goals. The word used to drive me crazy. As a teacher for nearly 40 years, we were required to submit 3 goals to the principal every fall at the start of the new school year. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what the previous year's goals were and whatever they were I should just repeat them (and often I did) because obviously I didn’t follow through.
Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
As a teacher myself, this Gospel is one of those moments when I feel very connected to Christ the teacher. In today’s Gospel, Christ uses this beautiful parable of the sower and the seed to help illustrate the various paths the Word of God can take when spoken into the world. Christ outlines the four ways in which people respond to His message. I love this parable and the comparisons it draws, but that was not my favorite part of this gospel.
Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Our Scriptures today speak about doing God’s will, as an important way of loving God and of establishing us as a family of faith together. The psalm response is an enthusiastic offering to God - Here I am, I come to do your will, beckoning us to be open to the core of God’s call to respond with openness and love. And in today’s Gospel - Jesus puts the ties of those who hear the word of God, and live it out as his true sisters, brothers and mother! What a reminder to those of us bonded in our church families through our diversity of age, culture, language and experiences. We are truly sisters and brothers in Christ.
Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Sing to the Lord a new song. For he has done marvelous deeds! Psalm 98:1
Today we recall Ursuline founder Angela Merici, once the largest teaching order in the world. They took a different direction after Vatican II when congregations were encouraged to reassess their missions in light of the original charisms of their founders.
Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle
One of the Marianist Sisters I live with is a college professor. An assignment that she gives to her students is a spiritual autobiography. They write an essay about their religious/spiritual journey starting with what religion or spiritual practices they had growing up to their spirituality today. Today’s first reading is, in a sense, Paul’s spiritual autobiography. He recounts his religious upbringing and how he came to know Jesus and became baptized. His story can inspire us to reflect on our own journey of faith.