Sitting with the Sacred

As I begin drafting this week, it’s Thursday, July 28, and thanks to some opportunities I’ve seized outside of this blog, I’m out of time to put together the type of post I have before. Right now, God seems to be using life to teach me not to cling too tightly to my plans.

Now I’m far from opposed to making plans. I want to encourage everyone to make them. Outcomes aside, the planning process itself is a great teacher, not just about what we’re planning, but about ourselves. So even when plans don’t work out the way we hoped, they aren’t wasted. Sometimes, they do work out the way we hope they will, but the path we take to get to the intended destination isn’t the one we thought we’d follow. Along these lines, I’m not going to skip posting this week, but I am going to try out yet another new approach in what I post. I don’t think this will be the usual approach from here on out, but it may be an option I consider from time to time.

My new approach is to share the reflections that others publish on the readings from the previous weekend. First, I want to start with Dr. Susan McGurgan’s reflection about the gospel reading that inspired my post last week. The passage was Lk 10:38-42. Dr. McGurgan’s bio under Preacher includes a wealth of credentials. You can watch a video of her preaching on this passage as well as read the text of her reflection by following this link.

Second, I want to share with you a reflection from Boston College School Associate Professor of Old Testament Jamie L Waters. Here, she reflects on the Old Testament reading from July 24, Gn. 18: 20-32. I hope you can access this reflection. As a digital subscriber, I’m not limited in the number of times I’m able to follow the link. It’s my recollection that America Media allows a certain number of free views before it asks readers to sign up for a digital subscription. However, if any of you lets me know you can’t access this article, I won’t link to this source again.

Third, I want to share with you again the prayer I wrote for my June 2 post. I’m linking to it here because this past week’s gospel reading, Lk. 11:1-13, included the Lord’s Prayer. I thought about just copying and pasting the prayer here, but then I thought referring you to the original context for it would be helpful.

And finally, I’d like to share with you Brenna Davis’s reflection on the Lord’s Prayer because who needs just my take on it — especially for the second time around? Not me. I wanted to hear someone else’s perspective. As with Dr. McGurgan’s reflection, you can watch a video of Ms. Davis presenting hers under the Video link, and you can read the text of it under the Text link. Her bio is under the Preacher link on the same page as her text and video.

Works cited

Davis, Brenna. “July 24, 2022: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time,” Catholic Women Preach, FutureChurch, https://www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/07242022, 24 July 2022, Accessed 28 July 2022.

McGurgan, Dr. Susan Fleming. “July 17, 2022: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time,” Catholic Women Preach, FutureChurch, https://www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/07172022, 17 July 2022, Accessed 28 July 2022.

Rutledge Lisa, “Our Ascension,” Sitting with the Sacred, Oleander Isle Editing & Publishing, https://sittingwiththesacred.com/2022/06/02/our-ascension/ 2 June 2022, Accessed 28 July 2022.

Waters, Dr. Jamie L. “God, Our Father, Calls For Justice and Hospitality,” America: The Jesuit Review, America Media, https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/07/20/justice-hospitality-god-father-243388?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=22942&pnespid=pLtrES0WN7EY3fDMu27sCpOT4A6nVYYtfPizzeZ4thJmHv4SYX4HgDlY5gP0d4E4o34lMxHT, 20 July 2022, Accessed 28 July 2022.