Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel is my favorite of all our Lord’s parables. I’m moved every time I read it by God’s generosity, extravagant mercy and grace, and the startling paradox revealed. Typically, I would read it as one of the laborers hired first, pitying those hired last and praying for greater humility to celebrate God’s grace to them. God forgive me! Today, I receive this Gospel from an entirely different perspective; today I am the worker hired at 5:00pm. Where do you find yourself in Jesus’ story today?
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
If I ever meet someone who claims to be an angel of the Lord coming to give me an impossible-sounding mission, my first thought will probably be, “either I’m crazy, or this guy is…” So, we can hardly blame Gideon for wondering if the person standing before him was really an angel. After all, Gideon was from the biggest loser in a family of losers: “My family is the lowliest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.” How could such a wimp take care of the biggest problem in the whole Kingdom of Israel at the time, the Midianites?
Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
Today’s reading from Judges reveals that during times of great difficulty God raised up judges to guide Israel. This was before permission was given to God’s people for a king, because YHWH alone was Israel’s king.
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
At the top of the steps as you enter our home we have a display of photos of our family–an individual picture of each of the kids and a family photo, all of which surround a cross that was gifted to us several years ago with the phrase, “as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Today’s first reading is the precursor to this great exaltation by Joshua; it is a reflection by Joshua of the continuous commitment of our good God to his people; a recap of his life and the unconditional love of God toward the people of Israel: “gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.” (Jos 24:13)
Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
On October 2, 2006, Carl Roberts IV entered a one-room Amish school house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania while class was in session. He told all the boys and the teacher to leave the school. They did. And the teacher ran to a nearby Amish farm and called the police. (Amish are allowed to have phones. They’re just not supposed to be in the house.)
Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
If you’ve ever been in a car accident, you may have wound up taking your car to a body shop. The ensuing body work hopefully restored your car, if not to its original pristine state, then to a functional state of repair. It’s no accident (pun intended!) that we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, are required to engage in Body work. We are, after all, the Body of Christ, and each of us is responsible for doing our part to keep Christ’s Body as healthy and vibrant as possible. That takes work, it takes intentionality and effort. In our Gospel today, Jesus invites us into some serious Body work. Let us ask Him for the graces we need to be courageous and willing to do the (oftentimes) hard work to which we’re called.
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today, as we gather to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, we reflect on the unique and profound event that took place in the life of our Blessed Mother, Mary. This feast commemorates the moment when Mary, body and soul, was assumed into heaven; a foretaste of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life that awaits each one of us.
Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr
King Richard I, 12th century English monarch, was known as “the Lion Heart” for his courage and fortitude. However, while returning from the 3rd Crusade, he was captured and a huge amount was demanded for his release.
Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin
I was happy to see that my reflection writing for today lined up with the Memorial of St. Clare since she is one of my favorite saints. So much so, in fact, that our daughter is named after her. Maybe best known for her connection with St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare was to have said, “Christ is the way, and Francis showed it to me.”
Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr
Today’s readings are a great reminder that each of us has been given particular gifts and talents, and we are called to use these to generously serve others. God supplies the gifts and the abundance, but we must discern what blessings we can share with others through prayerfully listening to God’s voice. Using these gifts of service often requires sacrifice, and it is through our imitation of Jesus that we find the path to follow.
Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
It’s easy to read the story of Israel’s journey from Egypt to the Promised Land with critical eyes. The Israelites are a fickle lot, pledging undying allegiance to God one day, falling into fear the next, turning away another day. They grumble, they protest, they doubt, they create idols. Like armchair quarterbacks, we might scoff at them. God worked mighty wonders in their midst and performed miracles for them – how could they so easily fall away?! But if I’m honest, I see myself at times in the children of Israel, and I imagine you might, too. May today’s readings inspire us to a greater confidence in God, our Deliverer.
Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest
In the gospel passage for today Jesus is being criticized by the Pharisees for not following the tradition of ceremonial washing before he eats. Jesus responds to his critics by essentially calling them hypocrites—that is, they criticize others of doing the very thing that they themselves do. As an example of this Jesus mentions that the Pharisees allow people to decide not to take care of their parents by saying that the money that they would have spent on their parents belongs to God instead. This practice is allowed because it is a tradition. So in the name of tradition the Pharisees allow people to break one of the Ten Commandments – namely the command to honor one’s father and one’s mother.
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In the Gospels the miracles and parables of Jesus have one purpose — revelations of the Kingdom of God. Today in blessing simple food, Jesus reveals a great sign of that Kingdom.
Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest
Do I deduce a hint of jealousy in our gospel today? After being gone, traveling, teaching, preaching, and performing miracles, Jesus returns home. Jesus grew up in a simple Jewish family with likely very little wealth and basic social status. People in Jesus’ hometown know his roots, his family, his abilities. He is just the son of a carpenter for pete’s sake! Who does he think he is to come in there and dare try to teach? The most severe critics in our lives are often people who know us well. It might be a family member, a relative, a neighbor, someone we grew up with, a colleague, or someone we interacted with regularly. The people of Nazareth were quite certain that they knew everything there was to know about Jesus. Yet he comes at them with wisdom and mighty deeds. There’s no way this is the same Jesus.
Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s first reading continues the story of the exodus, under the leadership of Moses. Having received the Ten Commandments, Moses is instructed to build a “Dwelling” for the commandments, which he had placed in an ark. But of course, we notice that it is not merely stone tablets in this Dwelling; rather, the LORD actually dwells in the ark. The LORD accompanies the Israelites on their journey, and the people know that God is with them as they travel.
Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
What is the one thing that you would give anything to have? As that question stirs your imagination, picture yourself the heroine or hero of an epic treasure hunt. Searching for buried treasure has long been the pursuit of pirates, Old West outlaws, Vikings, and Indiana Jones. Jesus invites us into such an epic quest in today’s Gospel. Let us approach him as our Treasure today and seek to love him above all else with a pure love.
Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Today’s readings can result in a bit of spiritual whiplash. In the first reading, we come upon the scene of Moses and the Hebrews in the desert. Moses pitches a tent outside of the camp as the place to meet God. But there is a startling detail: Anyone who wished to consult the LORD would go to this meeting tent outside the camp. Anyone! Not only has God been faithful in leading the Hebrews out of their slavery in Egypt, God is now generously available to them. But here comes some whiplash. The LORD reminds Moses and his people that God is abundant in mercy and kindness but he is also just, meaning that punishment will not only come upon the guilty but upon their “children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.” In the end, Moses prays that the LORD will stay with them in spite of their faults (and faults they have!). The whiplash comes from being pulled to the directions of both mercy and justice. Jewish interpreters have said about other places in Scripture that God’s character is often portrayed with both attributes so as not to be confined to either.
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
As we hear in today’s Gospel, Jesus favored parables—short allegories featuring people, places, and things familiar to ordinary listeners—to get his point across. These parables are centered on the Kingdom of God, in stark contrast to the Kingdom of this world.
Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
These days, the term “fear of God” has become lost to us. You may have heard the commonplace assertion that the “God” of the Old Testament is angry and scary, in contrast with the “God” of the New Testament who is loving and kind. Today we have two readings, one from the Old Testament’s book of Exodus, and one from the New Testament’s gospel of Matthew. Our Catholic tradition believes that these are not competing images of God, but complementary pictures of the same Trinitarian God. The first reading resonates well with the phrase “fear of God.” God descends with trumpet blasts, peals of thunder and lightning, in the midst of a cloud of smoke and fire. It’s no wonder that the people trembled. What we see here is that God is powerful; the dramatic effects indicate the importance of the event. This God, who is powerful and strong and all-knowing: this is our God. And we ought to fear God, not in a hide-under-the-table sort of way, but in a manner that acknowledges that God is distinct from us and worthy of all glory and honor and praise. God is worthy of respect in a way that no person and no thing in this created world can be. Too often we think of God in some sort of casual way, as just there when we need Him, to be a nonjudgmental support who answers all our prayers, despite their infrequency and our overall spiritual laziness.
Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
I’ve been doing a lot of serious weeding this summer. I don’t mean just pulling up dandelions and other little plants, I’m talking about uprooting heavy-duty invasive ground-covering plants, vines, and ivy that have practically taken over our backyard. Yes, we’ve neglected it for too long as life has taken us this way and that over the past several years. And now I’m seeing how little-by-little these weeds have “choked out” the other plants. Just like the “worldly anxiety” and “lure of riches” choke out “the word of the Kingdom” in today’s gospel passage from Matthew (13:18-23).