Invest just five
minutes a day,
and your faith will deepen and
grow
—a day at a time.
Today's "Take Five for Faith" can be found on the front page of the St Francis web site.
Today's Scripture Readings can be found at
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/today.shtml
Thursday, July 24
Feast of Sharbel Makhluf, priest
Inspiration from a hermit
The child of a mule driver, the Lebanese monk Saint Sharbel (1828-1898) ran away from home to join a monastery when he was in his early 20s. While a monk, he longed to live like the ancient desert fathers and in 1875 became a hermit, which he remained for the rest of his life. His poverty and prayer gained for him a reputation for holiness, and people sought him out for advice and blessings. His tomb still attracts pilgrims of all faiths. You may not want or need to head to the hills to find God, but you probably have ways you can simplify your life and make more room for prayer.
"Thus says the Lord: I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride."
Friday, July 25
Feast of James, apostle
You send me
What makes the apostle James different from the many other "Jameses" in the New Testament? The word apostle comes from the Greek apostolos, "someone sent out." The more general meaning of the word is translated into Latin as missio, from which we get missionary. But it is also used in a more specific sense to refer to the first 12 disciples whom Jesus chose, named, and "sent out" to the world. While we honor James in name today as one of those 12, we can honor him and the other apostles much more by carrying on their work in the world. Ready for your send-off?
"Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant."
Saturday, July 26
Feast of Joachim and Anne
A grand legacy
Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, are not mentioned in scripture, but legend says they were childless and thus rejected by society until they experienced simultaneous annunciations that God had other plans. They are often depicted in art as a couple kissing at Jerusalem’s Golden Gate where their separate angels had sent them to announce their mutual good news to each other: Not only would they have a child, but she will be a queen. While Grandparents Day was established in 1979 "to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer," this memorial of Jesus’ grandparents emphasizes handing on the treasure of faith. The affinity that the old and the very young often have for each other in our families is an opportunity to leave our grandchildren much more than our signed wills.
"The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field."
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A riddle wrapped in a mystery
Jesus mentions the kingdom of heaven 38 times in Matthew’s gospel. Clearly he wants us to understand exactly what it is. Yet the kingdom is mysterious; it is not something that can be defined once and for all. The best Jesus can do is to describe what it is like, not what it is. The kingdom is like a treasure buried in a field . . . it is like a merchant searching for valuable pearls. In other words the kingdom of heaven is both that which we find and that which is searching to find us. Hmm. Jesus wants to know if his disciples understand. Today would be a good day to contemplate the kingdom of heaven so that our answer, like that of the disciples, will be "Yes."
" ‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ "
If you haven’t heard or read the first scripture reading for today, you might want to take a look. It’s a story containing the earthy detail of a prophet, on direct orders from God, burying a loincloth, which is a polite word for his shorts. Scholars say this story is a kind of street—or desert—theater: Folks would see Jeremiah hiding the loincloth, which then rots, and would ask themselves, "What the heck is he trying to say?" That the people are to be as close to God as a loincloth to, well, loins. When the people turn from this relationship by, say, chasing after other gods, the symbol of their closeness falls apart and can’t be worn anymore. Do you cling to God like clothes to a body?
"For as the loincloth clings to one’s loins, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord."
Tuesday, July 29
Feast of Saint Martha
"Do you believe this?"
That was Jesus’ question to Saint Martha in the Gospel of John. In the aftermath of her brother Lazarus’ death—and before Jesus raised him from the dead—Christ tells her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." What a promise! Then the crucial question: "Do you believe this?" In her answer Martha speaks the words Saint Peter gets in the other gospels: " ‘Yes, Lord, I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’ " Hard to believe? What is your answer to the question?
"Yes, Lord, I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
Wednesday, July 30
Feast of Peter Chrysologus, bishop,
doctor of the church
In search of the singular pearl
Saint Peter Chrysologus (d. 450), homilist extraordinaire and doctor of the church, preached often on the role of the Virgin Mary in salvation history: "A gentle maiden having lodged a God in her womb, asks as its price, peace for the world, salvation for those who are lost, and life for the dead." Are we willing to accept those terms: peace, salvation, and everlasting life? We’d be crazy not to. But like children still unsure of the difference between a dime and a nickel, many of us trade our most precious gift—our faith—for what looks bigger and better—money and power. God sees each of us as a pearl of great price worth selling all one has to own. No person or thing could ever value us more. Accept God’s terms of discipleship.
"On finding one pearl of great value, the merchant went and sold all that he had and bought it."
Thursday, July 31
Feast of Ignatius of Loyola, priest
Take it to heart
Ignatius of Loyola is honored for many reasons, one of which is the lovely and powerful prayer he wrote, which goes in part: Take, Lord, receive all my liberty: my memory, understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and call my own. You have given it all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and grace. That is enough for me.
The prayer is often recited by those professing a commitment to religious life. You can apply the prayer to your own life as you wish; the important thing is to apply it!
"Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel, says the Lord."
Friday, August 1
Feast of Alphonsus Liguori, bishop,
doctor of the church
Problem report
One could say Saint Alphonsus (1696-1787) knew what it was like to live on the margins. He removed himself from his legal career after a professional disaster, sought his vocation in a hospital for incurably ill people, endured the resistance of his family, struggled to form a religious order, as a bishop revived a flagging diocese though nearly crippled by rheumatism, and late in life was tricked out of membership in his own community. Despite these difficulties, he became one of the church’s great moral theologians and pastors. Don’t let adversity knock you off the course of pursuing what you know to be good and right.
"Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house."
Saturday, August 2
Mistaken identity
Jesus and John the Baptist did not have Facebook or MySpace pages, and you couldn’t Google them to check out their photos. So when Jesus was walking around performing mighty deeds, poor King Herod mistook him for John the Baptist come back from the dead—a death to which Herod had sent John on a whim. Herod completely missed the significance of the Baptizer: Just as John pointed the way to Jesus’ life and ministry, so, by his own example, he pointed to Jesus’ death. Herod’s error cautions us to recognize and welcome the real Christ.
"This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead; and
for this reason these powers are at work in him."
Thought for food
"Give them something to eat" was Jesus’ mandate to his disciples concerning the hungry masses. It is still his mandate to us today as more than 1 billion people—one-sixth of the world’s population—live in extreme poverty on less than one U.S. dollar a day. With grain and fertilizer prices skyrocketing, the world’s poorest have never been more vulnerable. If we want people to be able to feel the loving presence of God in their lives, let’s first make sure they aren’t feeling the wracking pain of chronic hunger. Visit www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu or www.bread.org for ideas on how to help.
"Jesus said to his disciples, ‘They need not go away; you give them
something to eat.’ "
Lead by following
By the year 1818, the remote town of Ars in France had lapsed in its faith. Things only looked worse when a newly ordained priest was sent to minister there. Father Vianney had barely made it through seminary because he was a dull student and in poor health. Yet he single-handedly brought the whole town back to church with three simple tools: prayer, penitential acts, and example. Before his death Ars had become a pilgrimage site for many who wanted an hour in the confessional with the holy Curé of Ars. How does your example encourage others to faith?
"Immediately Jesus spoke to his disciples in the boat, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ "
Tuesday, August 5
Feast of Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome
Can you bear it?
"Mary, the Mother of God" had been a widely used and cherished title for hundreds of years when it was called into question in the early fifth century by a bishop who proposed that Mary should instead be called "Mother of Christ." The people of Constantinople promptly and vigorously disagreed, but the matter was not officially settled until the Council of Ephesus in 431. It was in honor of the council’s confirmation of Mary as Theotokos (Mother or "Bearer" of God) that Pope Sixtus III built the largest and most important shrine to Mary in the West: the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. How do you bear God in the world?
"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?"
Wednesday, August 6
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord; Hiroshima Memorial Day
The power to dazzle—or destroy
Bright light may indicate glory—as of Christ—or terror. On this day in 1945, Lt. Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, which dropped the first atomic bomb, later wrote, "A bright light filled the plane. We turned back to look at Hiroshima, . . . hidden by that awful cloud . . . boiling up, mushrooming." And Jesuit Father John A. Siemes, on the ground at that moment, remembers, "Suddenly . . . the whole valley is filled by a garish light . . . and I am conscious of a wave of heat . . . I see nothing more than that brilliant yellow light." In the plane, copilot Robert Lewis turns away and asks himself, "My God, what have we done?" That the feast of Transfiguration occurs on this date is a perpetual irony, but we must not turn away. The power to transfigure the world can be for good or ill in a generation of superpowers.
"And Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white."
Thursday, August 7
All about rocks
Here’s a riddle: When is a rock not a rock? The answer is: When it’s a stumbling stone. Jesus calls Peter a "rock" when the apostle professes his faith. But then he turns around and calls Peter an "obstacle," a word that literally means a "stumbling stone," a rock over which one trips and falls. It is a reminder to Peter—and to us—that following Jesus leads to suffering, because people of the world will reject the ways of God’s kingdom. The values of the world can only lead to death because all things are passing away. But the values of the kingdom will last because the kingdom is coming and will never pass away.
"He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.’ "
Friday, August 8
Feast of Dominic, priest
Friars put up a fight
Many of the monastic orders of the church were first formed in opposition to mistakes in thinking. An example of this pattern is the Order of Preachers founded by Saint Dominic in the early 13th century in part to fight the Albigensian heresy, which had become very prominent in southern France. Its adherents believed in a strict opposition between the spirit (pure good) and the flesh (an evil creation of Satan). The Albigenses also refused to believe that Christ resurrected or ever took a material body at all. We need to know of mistaken ways of thinking not only as problems of the past but also as misconceptions that many of us may still carry with us.
"For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?"
Saturday, August 9
Feast of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, virgin, martyr; Nagasaki
Memorial Day
Dare to dream the impossible
Anthropologists seem to agree that human beings are becoming less violent. Yet with 100 million violent deaths in the 20th century and the violent death toll rising by the millions in each year of the 21st century, it doesn’t seem possible that we’ve become a kinder, gentler species. What will it take for us to continue to make progress? The first step is to believe in peace. But, noted Eleanor Roosevelt, "It isn’t enough to believe in peace. One must work at it." In honor of Saint Teresa Benedicta, who died in a Nazi concentration camp, and the tens of thousands killed in the bombing of Nagasaki, commit to initiating peace among feuding family members, neighbors, communities, and nations.
"For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you."
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
That sinking feeling
Two of the most well-known stories in scripture—God’s coming to Elijah in a "tiny whispering sound" and Jesus’ walk on the water—say a lot about our spiritual journey. Elijah was not in a good way. He lived in a bad place with a bad king, the other prophets were dead, and Queen Jezebel had a contract out on his life. Saint Peter also had a problem: Boldly stepping out on the water to walk to his Lord, he got scared and started to go under. For both these holy people in distress, God came to the rescue. When things get tough, we can, like them, lose our nerve. But we know God will answer. The trick may be to have that confidence before we get into trouble.
"Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus."
Monday, August 11
Feast of Clare, virgin
A prayer for the road
Houses in Assisi had two doors: one for daily use and another opened only for the removal of the deceased. When Saint Clare decided to escape from her impending marriage and join the community gathered around Saint Francis, she left her family home through the Door of the Dead. Her prayer is filled with the same decisive confidence: "Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he who created you has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you like a mother. Blessed be you, my God, for having created me. Amen."
"The hand of the Lord was on him there."
Tuesday, August 12
A taste of honey
Is there anything in the Old Testament weirder or more alien than what the prophet Ezekiel wrote? Erich von Däniken even found "evidence" for a spaceship in Ezekiel’s prophecies for his sci-fi hit Chariots of the Gods. Granted, Ezekiel did eat a scroll, give himself a strange haircut, and saw things rarely reported by people who aren’t hallucinating. But his were unusual times, with Israel in exile and God seeming far away. That Ezekiel was still straining to see God in his generation made him unique. Who in our generation is working this hard to learn God’s will?
"The Lord God said to me: O mortal, eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."
Wednesday, August 13
Wings, wheels, and wisdom
When we think "cherubim," most of us imagine that chubby little angel sitting on Grandma’s bookshelf. But the cherubim, who play a role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, are grander and more intimidating than modern-day cherubs. In Christianity they are the second highest of nine choirs of angels. Ezekiel describes them as curious creatures with both wings and wheels—which have given centuries of artists a field day trying to illustrate. Cherubim also have many eyes, which is why they received the attribute of wisdom. Their main job is to worship God continuously—which is what the wise do.
"The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight as they went out with the wheels beside them."
Thursday, August 14
Feast of Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest, martyr
Read all about it
Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941) was a Franciscan Friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz in Poland. What is less well known is that Kolbe was also a prolific publisher. He utilized modern printing techniques to publish catechetical and devotional material, a daily Catholic newspaper that reached a circulation of 225,000, and a monthly magazine with a circulation approaching 1,000,000. Within a month of arriving in Japan on a mission in 1930, penniless and knowing no Japanese, Kolbe and his brother friars were printing a Japanese magazine that grew to a circulation of 65,000. In both his life and his death, Kolbe spread the Good News.
"I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them."
Friday, August 15
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
With us always
It has often been observed that "as the church prays, so she believes." That is especially true with respect to the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It had been widely celebrated for centuries when Pope Pius XII finally declared this belief dogma in 1950. What do we believe through the Assumption? That Mary remains present in the church and the world. That she is a living being with whom we can share our deepest fears and longings. That she is our mother, our advocate, our model of faithfulness and obedience to God. As for the institution, so for the individual: What do your prayers (and actions) say about what you believe?
"Behold, from now on all ages will call me blessed."
Saturday, August 16
The right stuff
God makes it clear that God judges on the basis of one’s own behavior, not because of what one’s ancestors did—the latter being a common belief captured in a proverb: The father ate green grapes and the son’s teeth are set on edge. God says this proverb is out the window. In Matthew, Jesus stops those who would prevent children from bothering him for a hug and a blessing. It’s charming and sweet but not sentimental. For Jesus children are symbols of the little ones to whom the kingdom belongs, and he welcomes all with open arms. Jesus has enough of priests and Pharisees deciding who is "in" and who is "out" of God’s good graces. Our own distinctions and divisions also carry no weight with the Holy One. As the song says, "All are welcome in this place"—no matter which side of the tracks, or blanket, you were born on.
"Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs."
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
No unheard prayers
Some people will tell you that God only hears the prayers of Christians. But today’s story is about a pagan woman whose prayers are answered because she believes they will be. In Christ, there is no "us" and "them"; there is only "us." God’s mercy and compassion is universal. You can’t divide up God’s infinite love. Not everyone goes to church on Sunday or even claims a religion. But just about everyone prays because God is the first and final hope of all. When the chips are down and everything else fails, people pray. And God, who hears the prayers of all, will answer.
"Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ "
Monday, August 18
Poor guy
A wealthy young man came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to have eternal life. We can identify with him; it’s the question we all have in the end. Christ told him that if he wanted to "enter into life" he was to keep the commandments. The young man said he had done that. But then Jesus threw him a curve ball: Sell what you have, give to the poor, and follow me, and that will clinch the eternal life thing. But the young man couldn’t stomach that last step and "went away sad." Jesus asks us, too, to go beyond following the rules and make a personal sacrifice of our security in order to share with one another. Will we follow or go away?
"If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
Tuesday, August 19
Feast of John Eudes, priest
The descending way of Christ
The way of Christ is a descent that will take us very far from the ascending pull of the world. For John Eudes (1601-1680) this way brought him all the way from the Normandy estate of his inheritance to an empty cask. How? Eudes first veered from the path of the world when he took a private vow of celibacy, defying his father’s wishes to marry and build up the family’s fortune. Later, when Eudes had become the star preacher in the Congregation of the Oratory of France, he departed again to serve the victims of a plague. From then on, there was no turning back. Even when Eudes returned to his monastery, he lived in a cask in the middle of a field to avoid infecting others. At what times have you felt the closest to Christ?
"Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
Wednesday, August 20
Feast of Bernard, abbot, doctor of
the church
Past imperfect
Strike with confidence and die yet more confidently, for he serves [God] when he strikes. . . . He is God’s minister, for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of the good. Should he be killed himself, we know that he has not perished, but has come safely into [heaven]." These words come from the mouth of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), the "Mellifluous Doctor" of the church, who "preached" a crusade against the Muslim empire of his day. We celebrate someone like Bernard—and rightly so—as a theologian and leader. But saints are also human beings who don’t always do or say the most admirable things. That’s what makes them human—like us.
"Thus says the Lord God, I am against the shepherds; and I will demand my sheep at their hand."
Thursday, August 21
Prophets see things differently
Anyone who sees Ezekiel only as a haranguing prophet needs to turn to the oracle mentioned in the reading today, remarkable not only because of the tender and powerful love of God it promises, but because God chooses to prove God’s own holiness not by spectacular special effects but by wiping out the sin that separates a foolish people from their loving God. "I’ll show you that I am God by cleansing you of your impurities, giving you a new heart and a new spirit." It’s as though God is starting all over again so that creation is not left wallowing in its own folly. It will bring hope to remember today, should things not go well, the absolute statement of God: "They will be my people, and I will be their God." Any questions?
"A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you."
Friday, August 22
Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
A different kind of queen
An odd juxtaposition of images comes to mind when we consider the words queen and Virgin Mary. The common words associated with "queen"—wealthy, dominant, imperious, proud, and distant—do not apply to Mary in any way. Rather we know her as humble, present, gentle, kind, protecting, and consoling. Why then has the title "queen" resonated with so many people for so long? Perhaps she embodies what we most desire in our leaders—thus, she is our true Queen. When Pope Pius XII instituted this feast day he was not proclaiming a new truth but rather making official what for centuries had been a cherished belief. Today, take some time to think about what Mary, Queen of Heaven means to you.
"I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live."
Saturday, August 23
Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The exalted and the humbled
Jesus frequently cautioned people about their religious leaders. Follow what they say, he told the crowds, but don’t imitate their example, for they like outward displays of piety, try to impose their priestly ways on others, take the best seats, and want to be called things like rabbi, teacher, father. As one quipster put it, "I trust God, but not always the people who work for him." Leaders lead best by doing, and the best doing is not lording it over others but serving them. On this weekly Saturday remembrance of the Virgin Mary, recall the words of her Magnificat in which she praised God who "has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant."
"The greatest among you will be your servant."
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
The big question
You might remember or have heard of the 1950s game show The $64,000 Question. If contestants answered questions correctly, they won more and more money, culminating in a shot at the $64,000 question—worth a fortune then—which they attempted to answer from the sponsor-named "Revlon Isolation Booth."
Two millennia earlier Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" After they had reported the theories that were floating around, he asked them the first-century version of the $64,000 question: "Who do you say that I am?"—with the emphasis on you. Quick, before the clock runs out: What would be your answer?
"Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ "
Monday, August 25
Feast of Louis of France
Can you see yourself in Saint Louis?
Not too many of those who wield political and military power on earth also manage to attain sainthood. King Louis IX of France (1214-1270) was one of the rare few, the only king of France to do so. Perhaps we rightly look askance at the Crusades he undertook in the name of the papacy (both of which failed utterly), but he is also remembered for his great piety, his kindness toward the poor, and his work for justice. He founded hospitals, built libraries, visited the sick, and like his patron Saint Francis of Assisi, even cared for people with leprosy. We would do well to cultivate a similar zeal in our own piety, care of the poor, and work for justice.
"We always pray for you, asking that our God will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith."
Tuesday, August 26
How to make interesting conversation
The true battles of our hearts seldom make good conversation. The poet W. H. Auden hit squarely on this point when he wrote, "To hear people talk, you would think that in their free time they were concerned with nothing but sex, prestige, and money. But the very readiness with which we frankly discuss such matters is a sign that they are not our serious concern." Our serious concerns? That we do not feel worthy to be loved and that we cannot love others. We fight to keep these hidden beneath conversations about celebrities or investments. As Christ put it to the Pharisees, we strain out gnats while leaving camels to swallow whole. Begin to let the most serious concerns of your life guide your interactions with others.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence."
Wednesday, August 27
Feast of Monica
Temperance becomes her
Saint Monica is the patron of alcoholics. Not, as you might imagine, because of the licentious ways of her adulterous husband and profligate son Saint Augustine, whose conversions to Christianity were her crowning achievements, but because she herself became addicted to alcohol at a young age. As Augustine tells the story, according to biographer Serge Lancel, "Monica was sent to the cellar to fetch wine from the cask, but before using the goblet she had brought to fill the carafe she would just wet her lips with the wine . . . Gradually she had acquired a taste for it, to the point where she was drinking entire goblets of it with great gusto." Monica eventually chose prayer over drink and lived a life of holy perseverance worthy of imitation.
"We were not idle when we were with you . . . in order to give you an example to imitate."
Thursday, August 28
Now and then
In the early days of the church, many—maybe most—Christians expected Jesus to fulfill his promise to come back soon, maybe in their lifetimes. For people today, 2,000 years out, the anticipation may have retreated to a dim expectation. We’ve grown used to thinking Christ will fulfill the kingdom in which we have placed our hopes at some distant point in the future, probably after we die, sort of like the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series. But it’s easy to forget that Christ has been with us always, through his Spirit, in our neighbor, ourselves, the sacraments, scripture, and all of creation. We can look for him there, as well as in the time to come.
"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
Friday, August 29
Nothing to fear
Fear wears many masks. Often it looks like anger or annoyance. At other times it appears as defensiveness or aggression. Now and then it shows up as the desire to control or even harm another person. The absolute destructiveness of fear is well known. There are literally thousands of books on the subject. But if we think what we are feeling is anger, a book about overcoming fear isn’t going to be of much help. Consider this: Every negative emotion you can name is rooted in fear. The next time you feel resentful or defensive or powerless, ask yourself, "What am I afraid of?"
"Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody."
Saturday, August 30
Well done
The delightful Oscar-nominated Iranian film Children of Heaven tells the story of a boy living in Tehran who must share a single pair of shoes with his little sister. He’s a fast runner, so he enters a foot race to win a second pair of shoes for his sister. It is a lovely parable of someone who takes the one talent he has and puts it to use for the sake of love. If we are truly good and faithful servants of God, we can share our master’s joy by putting our talents to work for the sake of those who are in need.
"Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy."
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Aiming too low
It must have stung Peter to have Jesus call him Satan, especially because Jesus had already chosen him to be the foundation rock of his community of believers. Peter, in his bullheadedness, seems a good stand-in for many of us, taking the heat for what we ourselves might have done or said ("What’s in it for us, Lord?"). Here he is merely expressing his care for Jesus by saying, as any of us would to someone we love, "God forbid that any tragedy should fall upon you." Yet Jesus reprimands him because Peter cannot see beyond his desire to protect his Lord (and perhaps himself) from the terrible fate Jesus foresees. Peter does not yet see how great a cost a "wondrous love" will pay to accomplish good. By God’s standard no price is too high. Peter, we know, will learn.
"Get behind me, Satan! You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
Monday, September 1
Labor Day
Safety first
On the holiday to honor work and workers, it’s worth remembering that workplaces are not always as safe as they could be. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 28,000 Americans between 2002 and 2006 were killed on the job. Mining had a high fatality rate—27.8 per 100,000—but was second to agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting at 29.6. In 2005 U.S. workplaces had 4.2 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses, of which about 4 million were injuries. While the U.S. industrial safety record has improved drastically since 1900—when, for example, the mining fatality rate was 10 times higher than today—and is far better than that of the developing world, it’s worse than that of most countries in the European Union. What can you do to promote the safety of work and workers?
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor."
Tuesday, September 2
Ramadan begins
Think fast
Fasting for religious or spiritual purposes is an ancient human practice. Jews, Christians, and Muslims consider their periods of fast (Yom Kippur, Lent, and Ramadan) the holiest times of the year, and these three great religious traditions share similar goals for fasting: namely, to cleanse the body and mind of impurities, focus all attention and energy on God, repent for one’s sins, mourn losses, and remember graces received. As Muslims enter their month-long fast, be respectful of their holy obligation and consider what your holy obligations are as a follower of the Prince of Peace.
"For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
Wednesday, September 3
All together now
Whether it’s family, work, school activities, or the neighborhood bowling team, for groups to function and achieve a common goal individual members need to figure out how to work together. While a little competition can be healthy, the cutthroat variety usually ends up dividing people and working against the collective effort. Saint Paul used this same argument when he told the Corinthians to stop their rivalries and factions and work together for the kingdom of God. Cooperation and respect will take people a lot further than conflict.
"For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building."
Thursday, September 4
In deep water
We use the phrase "in over your head" to indicate being in a situation that presents challenges that go beyond a person’s capacity or resources to cope. People sometimes "get in over their head" financially or find themselves in a classroom or a job function for which they have not been properly prepared. In a larger sense, however, we are all "in over our heads" in life, part of something more vast, mysterious, and complex than we alone can manage. We need each other, and we need the guidance of One who can guide us as we navigate the deep water we find ourselves in.
"Jesus said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ "
Friday, September 5
Something old, something new
It’s hard to imagine the time when Christ and his message was new, but indeed they were. At the beginning many people had trouble accepting his person and his gospel, just as many do today. Back then they wanted to see him in terms of what was familiar, well-known, comfortable. But he tried to move them off this course. New things, like new wine or a piece of a new garment, do not go onto or into old things, like old wineskins or garments. Can you experience your faith as something new and maybe a little uncomfortable, challenging you to fresh ways of seeing and doing?
"New wine must be put into fresh wineskins."
Saturday, September 6
Peace is with us
"The moral right to conscientious objection is recognized in the 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church (sect. 2311), but it is in no sense mandatory," noted St. Thomas University Professor Scott Wright in a recent issue of St. Thomas Magazine. "Still, as a form of Christian witness, pacifism—the opposition to all war—has also had a long and distinguished tradition." This tradition is rooted in Jesus’ Beatitudes and the gift of peace he leaves with his disciples; it is further sustained by Saint Paul’s admonishment to the church in Corinth to be fools for Christ—and bless when reviled, endure when persecuted, and speak kindly when slandered. Peace be with you today and every day following.
"When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered,
we speak kindly."
Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father
Larry Janowski, Ann O’Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J.
Tuohy
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