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Finding Refreshment in Spiritual Teachings

Posted in Ordinary Time, Reflections from Other Writers and Speakers, Reflections on Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

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Readings for January 26th:

  1. Nehemiah 8:2–4a, 5–6, 8–10
  2. Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15
  3. 1 Corinthians 12:12–30
  4. Luke 1:1–4; 4:14–21

What stands out to me from this week’s readings:

In the first reading, the people in the temple don’t seem encouraged by hearing God’s law. They seem in awe of it. They seem to accept that it’s trustworthy, that it’s wise to obey it. At the same time, they seem bowed down by it. They seem to focus on how they fall short of fulfilling it. But Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites tell them, ““Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep” (Neh. 8:10).

The psalm reinforces that the law of the Lord “is trustworthy,” “refresh[es] the soul ” and is cause for “rejoicing” (Psalm 19: 8-9). The Lord’s words “are spirit and life” (John 6:63).

The epistle presents God as a life giver through the Spirit. The passage also highlights the human tendency to focus on the gifts we lack rather than the ones we have.

This focus affects how the people see who’ve grown up with Jesus see Him. The reaction of the listeners isn’t included in this week’s passage, but when I read past this week’s excerpt, I see that they say the following about what Jesus reads and says:

“. . . all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, ‘Isn’t this the son of Joseph?'”

Luke 4:22

They can’t envision this son of Joseph, who trained to work with his hands, bringing “glad tidings to the poor,” “sight to the blind,” and “liberty to the captives” (Luke 4:18). Perhaps behind their questions is not only that Jesus isn’t prepared for the mission he tells them he’s on. Maybe the townspeople also remember that he was born too soon after Mary and Joseph’s marriage. Their vision of who Jesus is limited by their preconceived notions and biases.

What I’m saying (to the readings and beyond) this week:

Often, I don’t experience the law of the Lord as “refreshing” to the soul (P Psalm 8). l feel smug and indignant when I think of God’s commands and perceive myself as the one whose been wronged. I sometimes feel constrained when I’m tempted to do something that might not refresh my soul or someone else’s, something that could make my reflection less like God’s.

As I reflect on this reality of my experience, I think about what might change my feelings about God’s commandments. I remember something I once heard a priest say in a homily. I’ll paraphrase what he said like this: rephrase the commandments as statements about what we should do.

I don’t remember how he rephrased them, so I’m going to do that in my own words as follows:

  • Remember that the material world is passing away; hold onto and prioritize what isn’t.
  • Remember that you didn’t get where you are alone. Give back those who have given to you.
  • Recognize that a holy and healthy life is one with a routine that balances work and rest, activity and contemplation. Celebrate the resurrection and its message for all of us. Recognize that we all need community. When one of us suffers, we all suffer. This happens whether we realize it or not. When one of our community members is absent, we are all affected, whether we realize it or not. Live as if you know you are made to belong.
  • Take care of the life you’ve been given, and take care of the lives of those around you.
  • Make commitments and enjoy the security and stability of honoring them.
  • Be mindful of what you have. Be happy with others for what they have.
  • Respect others and what belongs to them.
  • Tell the truth with love.

As I read this week’s epistle, I see it can celebrate the beauty of differences. It can teach that the Spirit makes individuals members of Christ’s body. It teaches that these members are indispensable to the function of Christ’s body, no matter how different the gifts of one member may be from another member’s. It can be used as an antidote against envy and resentment.

Still, I can’t help but think how it can be used to justify never speaking out against inequities, never considering change to be necessary. It could be used to justify rigid social structures. It could be used to justify unjust discrimination and the perpetuation of stereotypes. It could be used to confirm biases and preconceived notions. “What? You don’t feel your voice is being heard, I can hear someone with more authority and/or education asking someone with less. What? You don’t feel seen? You don’t feel your gifts are being appreciated to the fullest?” Don’t worry. Jesus uses them fully even if you don’t feel like the Church, or your work, or your family, or the organization you volunteer with does. You’ll know this someday. You’re important to your communities even though you don’t and can’t have high-profile roles in them. Your communities need you to do work their leaders aren’t doing while they’re busy doing other, more visible, things. You’re essential. Be content and at peace with this. “

I think to myself, “What if Jesus had believed He couldn’t fulfill his mission because of who Joseph was? What if Jesus had thought the fact that Joseph was a carpenter meant that the Spirit wasn’t calling Him to His ministry?

Let’s not underestimate the value of contributions that go unnoticed. Let’s look more closely, deeper, for the gifts in ourselves and those around us. Let’s respect the Spirit’s freedom of movement in us and around us.

What someone else is sharing about this week’s readings:

Find out what role a colorful beach towel plays in Pilar Siman’s reflection on the readings for January 26th.

This week’s prayer:

Lord help us to see in ourselves the gifts that others may or may not see in us. Help us to be open-minded and creative in how we use the gifts You give to care for Your creation. Help us to trust that when our gifts are employed by cooperate with Your spirit, they will accomplish what You had in mind when You gave them to us. Help us to experience Your commandments as gifts to us. Amen.

Work cited:

The New American Bible Revised Edition, Kindle edition, Fairbrother, 2011.

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The Romantic Dynamics of God’s Love

Posted in Ordinary Time, Reflections from Other Writers and Speakers, Reflections on Scripture, Who Am I in God, Who is God, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Readings for January 19th:

  1. Isaiah 62:1–5
  2. Psalm 96:1–2, 2–3, 7–8, 9–10
  3. 1 Corinthians 12:4–11
  4. John 2:1–11

What stands out to me from this week’s readings:

Today’s readings remind me that God’s nature is relationship – not just relationship between the Persons of the Trinity but with creation. God creates because God’s nature is relationship, and a relationship isn’t something that happens to one person. It’s a bond between at least two.

Today’s readings are about an intimate bond, the most intimate bond, the bond between God and God’s people. The readings characterize this bond as a bond between a bride and a groom. They paint an idealized picture of the bond between newlyweds. In the Old Testament reading, God is the groom who “delight[s]” and “rejoice[s]” in his bride (Isa. 62:4-5). Yes, the bride and groom exchange vows him, but the first reading makes it clear that more than vows, expectations, and a legal bond joins the bride and groom. It’s not a bond that’s imposed. It’s a bond that forms and grows. So is the relationship between God and a person who loves God.

The psalm says the royal groom gives the bride cause to sing His praises and get dressed up. Why? Because the groom is a just and heroic leader who escorts His previously captive, deceived, and abused bride to freedom. When I look at this week’s epistle through the lens of a marriage between an individual and God, the passage says to me that the relationship between God and each person is unique. It comes with pleasant experiences, less pleasant ones, challenges, and surprises. Each person’s relationship with God is unique. Each one of these relationships offers distinct gifts to the world.

Fittingly, given the marriage metaphor developed in the first reading, this week’s gospel passage takes place at a wedding. What stood out to me as I revisited the passage this time was the role of surprise in it. Based on what we find in the New Testament, Jesus knows how his earthly ministry will end, but He’s surprised by encounters He has during it. Maybe he doesn’t know everything all at once. The stories about his infancy and childhood suggest this.

And then His mother comes to Him at a wedding and says the host is out of wine. He seems to wonder what this problem has to do with his ministry and mission. Yet I imagine he knows that any good he does can serve that mission. He also knows relationship is the source and goal of the mission. Interaction between two living beings creates that relationship. So his mother’s request plays a key part in his work on this occasion.

He’s not the only person surprised in the passage. The head waiter is surprised, too, by how much better the second batch of wine, the one Jesus changed from water, is than the first.

And why wouldn’t surprise have an important role in the passage? Continuing to be pleasantly surprised keeps a relationship interesting. Furthermore, being able to accept unexpected developments is crucial in a healthy relationship. Responding to these developments in authentically helpful ways is also essential.

I would think having a basis in more than routine and ritual is also important. When I think about this, it seems significant that Jesus uses jars meant for ceremonial washings. He fills them with the water that will become wine. He takes vessels used for ritual and for external purposes and uses them to provide for the needs of the guests.

A lot of water wasn’t safe for drinking for centuries. Water was for spiritual and practical cleansing, in many cases. According to this source, wine mixed with water was for drinking. So not providing guests with enough wine wouldn’t just have been a serious social faux pas. It was likely also health concern.

Therefore, by making sure the host has more wine, Jesus is providing for those present physically and emotionally. He hasn’t made sure they have more wine so they merely survive. As a good spouse cares, He cares about how the guests feel and wants them to thrive. This passage reminds me of when Jesus says, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10) Like the jars for ceremonial washing, he wants the guests “filled to the brim” with what they need. It’s not enough just to keep the jars – us — from being empty.

What someone else is sharing about this week’s readings:

Claire Erlenborn turns to this week’s readings for help with reflecting on what makes “change for the good” happen.

This week’s prayer:

Jesus, I want to fall in love with You. Help me grow in my relationship with you so our relationship can take part in bringing good change to the world. Amen.

Work cited (but Not Linked to):

The New American Bible Revised Edition, Kindle edition, Fairbrother, 2011.

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Jesus’ Baptism Continues Christmas Tidings

Posted in Baptism of the Lord, Christmas, Reflections on Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »

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Readings for January 12th:

  1. Isaiah 40:1–5, 9–11 or Isaiah 42:1–4, 6–7
  2. Psalm 28(29):1-4,9-10 or Psalm 104:1b–2, 3–4, 24–25, 27–28, 29–30
  3. Acts 10:34–38 or Titus 2:11–14; 3:4–7
  4. Luke 3:15–16, 21–22

What stands out to me from this week’s readings:

The feast we celebrate today commemorates a turning point. Today is the last day of the liturgical Christmas season. It’s the end of the beginning.

In today’s gospel passage, we see that Jesus has grown into a man. And yet the message of today’s readings is still the message of Christmas. That message is that God is with us. One of the ways God is with us is by being one of us.

In all the gospel passages associated with Christmas, including today’s, most people don’t understand who Jesus is until God reveals the identity of the only begotten Son in unusual ways. These unusual ways include an announcement from an angel, the radiance of a star, and, in the case of today’s story, a disembodied voice.

But the heavens don’t open, and that voice doesn’t speak until Jesus places himself among sinners — this time in a more conscious and open way than ever before. He’s no longer the infant visited by shepherds and astrologers. His ministry is no longer that of a carpenter in a single village. He’s a man now, free to go where He will without making his mother worry that she’s let God down.

Where He goes is to John. He goes to John to model repentance. He models of the death of the old self and the birth of a new one. His coming to John for baptism foreshadows His death and Resurrection that made ours possible. As part of His baptism, He allows Himself to be submerged in the Jordan River. He then lets the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, come to rest on Him. He offers himself to unite the natural world with God. He teaches that all of this world points to God. It points to God for those who are willing and able to follow where it leads.

All the options for this week’s readings do the same. They point to God being in our midst everywhere, at all times if we know how to look.

This week’s prayer:

Lord, help us. You call all people your beloved children. Guide us to treat ourselves and others the way You call us to. Amen.

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Mary, Joseph, and Jesus: Trust and Growth in Luke 2:41–52

Posted in Reflections on Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on December 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Readings for December 29th:

  1. 1 Samuel 1:20–22, 24–28
  2. Psalm 84:2–3, 5–6, 9–10
  3. Colossians 3:12–17
  4. Luke 2:41–52

Reflection on the Gospel Passage for December 29th: Luke 2:41–52

Like many of us, the family in this week’s gospel passage has been traveling as a part of its observance and celebration of a religious festival. Like many of us, this nuclear family has been sharing in traditions and customs with family and friends. The passage describes this nuclear family as having “completed [the] days” of the festival (Luke 2:46).

Perhaps this wording is simply a reflection of the culture in which the passage was written. Perhaps such observances represented obligations that needed to be fulfilled, tasks that needed to be completed. And yet, it was undoubtedly not just God that these rituals served. They also served the family members, providing welcome variance in their day-to-day routines and helping them to think not only in terms of days but in terms of centuries, maybe even millennia. They strengthened the connections between generations. And not just because people of different ages might share in these customs, not just because of what might be enjoyable about the customs either.

Holiday travel can be a pain these days, but I feel like any conception that I might come up with for how difficult it must’ve been in Jesus’ childhood would be woefully inadequate. Yet, this week’s gospel passage tells me, Jesus’ family and friends have traveled to Jerusalem and continued Passover traditions in what must have been a crowded city.

Then the time comes to head home, and, lo and behold, Joseph and Mary can’t find their boy. For a while, they assume he’s with their friends and extended family. It’s no wonder. They’ve been traveling with a large group.

And part of me imagines they just weren’t ready to grapple with the reality that their boy wasn’t with that group. This possibility would be beyond difficult for any parents to face. Add to that what the possibility would mean for Mary and Joseph — that they have lost God’s son, the Messiah Israel that has been promised and has been waiting for for so long.

I imagine them wondering why God would let this happen. Would God let their failures get in the way of God’s promises to his people being kept. How could it be God’s will that any son disobey his parents, let alone this Son?

We’re told that it takes Mary and Joseph three days to find Jesus. Yes, groups of three have symbolic importance in Scripture. I’m not sure what the official interpretation of the symbolism of three in the Bible is, and to be quite frank, I’m probably not going to look it up before I publish this post. I’m writing these particular words for days before Christmas and probably won’t get them published much before the twenty-ninth. I want to spend most of the time in between being present with my family and friends.

At some point in school, I learned that the triangle is the strongest shape, so the number three makes me think of strength. Its association with the Trinity makes me think of strong bonds. Its association with the time between Jesus’ Last Supper and his resurrection makes me think of perseverance in the face of suffering. It makes me think of how waiting itself can be a form of suffering. Time passing more quickly than I would like can bring suffering with it too.

I imagine Mary and Joseph experiencing many forms of suffering when they have to accept, after having traveled a day’s distance, that Jesus isn’t with them or any of their traveling companions. Maybe they didn’t even feel like they ought to take time to eat or sleep while they searched for Jesus. Maybe they didn’t have appetites anyway and couldn’t relax enough to rest even if they thought God wanted them to. These possibilities mean more suffering.

In the midst of their suffering, Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple. He’s listening to the teachers there, “and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46). The phrase in quotation marks stands out to me. It reminds me of how important listening and asking questions is to forming and growing relationships, even my relationship with myself. It reminds me that these are no less important components of my relationship with God.

After I read that Jesus is “sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions,” I read that “all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:46-47). It seems like the listening and understanding are going in multiple directions. There’s a message about what it means to grow and to grow in all kinds of relationships in that detail as well. The same detail also says that God listens to and understands me. And by me, I mean you, too.

Maybe, at the age Jesus was when he found his way to the temple, didn’t understand human nature quite as well as he would come to as he “advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Luke 2:52). After all, in the passage, he doesn’t seem to understand his parents’ anxiety and confusion. He seems to think they should have known why he left the group and where he went. Nevertheless, despite his young age, he seems to have a clearer grasp of who He is and what that means then they do.

Maybe Mary and Joseph have become comfortable in their day-to-day and annual duties and with their own ideas of what the future will hold for them and for Jesus. Maybe they’ve consoled each other by saying that the suffering they were warned about when he was eight days old hasn’t come yet. And then he disappears, and when they find him, he reminds them who he is. He invites them, once again, to trust God in the face of uncertainty — just when they’ve begun to believe they understood the parts they’d been given in that plan.

How many times have we acted and felt like Mary and Joseph, even though we haven’t been tasked with bringing up God’s son, and some of us haven’t been given children to bring up all? On the other hand, what about times we’ve wandered from the path of others thought we would follow on our quest to become the person God calls us to be and to do what God calls us to do? Do we have the courage to listen to the questions of others, as well as to their answers. Do we have the courage to learn from each other? Do we have the courage to ask the questions and listen to the answers? Do we have the courage to trust that God listens to us even when it’s hard for us to see the evidence of that listening. Lord, give us the courage. Holy family, pray for us. Amen.

Work cited:

The New American Bible Revised Edition, Kindle edition, Fairbrother, 2011.

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Power Isn’t What Stands out in These Scripture Passages

Posted in Christ the King, Reflections from Other Writers and Speakers, Reflections on Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Readings for November 24th:

  1. Daniel 7:13–14
  2. Psalm 93:1, 1–2, 5
  3. Revelation 1:5–8
  4. John 18:33b–37

What this week’s readings say to me:

In last year’s post for the Solemnity of Christ the King, I wrote about the name of the solemnity. The name highlights how difficult it is for humans to describe who God is. Despite this difficulty, we try to use language to describe who God is. By its nature as a human creation, language is limited and imperfect. And yet we have no other means but language to describe Someone who is both omnipotent and personal both the ultimate leader and the ultimate servant at the same time. So we give God a name that we would give to a powerful human leader — king.

Phrases and individual words stand out to me as I read the readings for the solemnity this year. And yes, I’ve heard many of these words used to describe a king. Why? What does the dictionary say these words mean? What do their definitions tell us about us and about God?

The words that stand out to me from the Old Testament passage are “like a Son of man,” “Ancient One,” and “dominion” (Dan. 7:13-14). The passage prefigures Christ, and the translation “Son of Man” highlights what Christ shares with us — Human nature. “Ancient One” points to what separates Christ from other men — His divinity. The combination of the two natures within Him gives Him dominion over everything. Miriam–Webster.com defines “dominion” as “supreme authority.” What do the other passages say about how He exercises this authority? What does it look like?

The word that first stood out from the psalm is “majesty” (Psalm 93:1 Merriam-Webster.com defines majesty as “impressive stateliness dignity, or beauty.” Merriam-Webster.com defines stateliness as “ marked by lofty or imposing dignity.” It defines dignity as “formal reserve or seriousness of manner, appearance, or language.” (And yet, books have been written about Jesus’ sense of humor as it is portrayed in the Gospels. Between Heaven and Mirth is one book that discusses the topic. It’s written by James Martin, SJ.)

Merriam-Webster.com defines dignity as also “the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed.” Additionally, the entry says dignity can mean “high rank, office, or position” or “a legal title of nobility or honor.” So majesty does carry associations with royalty, but it also carries associations with dignity and beauty. These are qualities each of us reflects in unique ways. Furthermore, in baptism, a person is anointed “[p]riest, [p]rophet, and [k]ing.” We use these titles to describe missions and ministries we share with Christ.

“Firm” and its synonyms also stand out to me from the psalm (93:2). God isn’t merciless and unyielding but does offer stability and is trustworthy.

The word that jumps out at me from the epistle is “firstborn”(Rev.1:5). It reminds me that God who is trustworthy and offers stability also offers constant renewal. God became one of us, suffered, and died to offer this stability and constant renewal. In His birth, His growth, His ministry, and His death, He showed us what we can become through Him. He offers us the gift of being reborn as priests, prophets, and kings.

The passage from Revelation recognizes Christ’s power and that that power has been shared with other human beings. It gives the power back to Christ willingly. The passage isn’t worded as if Christ has seized that power. Christ is Lord but doesn’t Lord over people.

Instead, He tells the truth and lives it. Nothing more, nothing less. He simply is who He has been, is and will be. It’s we who name things with our limited means. It is we who call Him king. The Gospel passage reinforces this message.

What someone else is sharing about this week’s readings:


When Jesus says, “everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice,” I think he’s asking for more than simple obedience and piety. He’s inviting us to create spaces of true belonging by connecting through shared stories and experiences. I believe he’s calling us, not just to spread his message through words, but to embody and live out his teachings in our actions and relationships. To belong to the truth is to form genuine connections, where love, empathy, and understanding bring the Gospel message to life in a way that reaches others deeply and meaningfully.

Olivia Catherine Hastie in her reflection on the readings for November 24th

What I’m saying (to the readings and beyond) this week:

Ms. Hastie says the above perspective “is best exemplified through the story of [her] adoption.” I encourage you to read more about that story here.

She concludes her reflection with these questions: What are your shared truths of belonging? And whom do you share them with?

Using Ms. Hastie’s examples as a guide, I’d say my “shared truths of belonging” are:

  • We all have lots of experiences with feeling like we don’t belong, with feeling rejected. Maybe many of us spend more time feeling like we don’t belong than that we do. Jesus did too.
  • We are all vulnerable, and this can be a difficult reality to come to terms with.
  • Each of us has different gifts and limitations. It’s helpful to recognize both.
  • Everything and everyone is interconnected, interdependent.
  • God loves everyone. Nothing anyone can do increases or decreases God’s love.

Whom do I share these truths with? You.

I considered not including this section in this post. Ms. Hastie’s concept of “shared truths of belonging” was difficult for me to reflect on. When I thought about this, I realized I spend much more time focusing on the ways I don’t belong. I spend less time considering the ways I do belong. I often feel like even my family is a collection of people with incompatible personalities and approaches to life. This perception bothers me. I have trouble letting my family members belong as they are. I pray to grow in the ability to be more accepting, and I would always appreciate your prayers.

I don’t think I’ll be posting on the readings for December 1. Or at least those readings won’t get their own post. I think I’ll make a combined post about the readings for December 1 and December 8. I’ll plan to post it before December 8.

We’ll see if the plan comes to fruition. It’s a busy time of year.

Between now and whenever I publish the next post, I want to focus on recognizing the “shared truths of belonging” in my life. I want to be present for others and for God.

I wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving. This time of year can be one of joyful re-connection. I also recognize that it’s a very difficult time for so many people. My prayers are with you.

This week’s prayer:

Lord, Thank You for living, dying, and rising for us. Help us all to experience Your “shared truths of belonging.” Help us experience Your comfort and Your presence in times of loneliness and grief. Help us to work with Your graces to strengthen the bonds of the human family. Help us to see each other with Your eyes. Help us to build communities and societies that find their foundation in truth lived in love. Amen.

Work cited (but not linked to)

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. “Christ the King — Solemnity — 24 Nov. 2024: Readings at Mass.” The New American Bible, 2001. Universalis for Windows, Version 2.195, Universalis Publishing Ltd., 29 Oct. 2024, https://universalis.com/n-app-windows.htm.

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Finding Hope in Distress: Reflections on Scripture

Posted in Ordinary Time, Reflections from Other Writers and Speakers, Reflections on Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Readings for November 17th:

  1. Daniel 12:1–3
  2. Psalm 16:5, 8, 9–10, 11
  3. Hebrews 10:11–14, 18
  4. Mark 13:24–32

What The Readings for November 17th Say to Me:

This week’s readings are about the Last judgment and the end times, the time when the material world ends.

The first reading tells us that this future time will be one “unsurpassed in distress” (Daniel 12:1). The passage continues:

“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake;
some shall live forever,
others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace.

“But the wise shall shine brightly
like the splendor of the firmament,
and those who lead the many to justice
shall be like the stars forever.”

Daniel 12:2-3

The psalm promises that God guides and protects all who turn to God in times of great distress.

The epistle reminds us that Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross is God’s ultimate act of salvation. It’s the ultimate act to defend the human race and the human spirit against whatever opposes divine love. Christ’s sacrifice was offered once, and yet we can receive the graces of that sacrifice again and again. The key is that we seek those graces.

In the Gospel passage, Jesus describes what the end times will be like. They will be characterized by the destruction of the material world and by His return. He suggests there will be signs that these events are upon us, but signs are not definite indicators. No one can say for sure when these times will come. Therefore, we aren’t called to make looking for signs of the world’s end the purpose of our lives. We’re called to live according to Christ’s words and example.

What I’m Saying (to the Readings and Beyond) This Week:

In addition to prophesying about the end times, do this week’s readings invite me to see times of “distress” as times of purification? (Daniel 12:1) These are times to get a clearer vision of what’s fleeting and what lasts. These are times to reconnect with God, with each other and our purpose and through these connections, to grow stronger.

What Someone Else Is Sharing About This Week’s Readings:

When we feel the most despair, the most fear, the most anxiety, that is when God is the closest to us. That is when we are the least alone. That is when the Promised One is right at our door.

Martha Ligas in her reflection on the readings for November 17th

This Week’s Prayer:

Lord, help me to respond with greater charity. Grant me faith and hope whenever and wherever shadows get longer, and lights get harder to see. Amen.

Work Cited:

The New American Bible Revised Edition, Kindle edition, Fairbrother, 2011. T

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Grappling with How Scripture Says to Love God

Posted in Lent, Reflections from Other Writers and Speakers, Reflections on Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Readings for November 3rd:

  1. Deuteronomy 6:2–6
  2. Psalm 18:2–3, 3–4, 47, 51
  3. Hebrews 7:23–28
  4. Mark 12:28b–34

What this week’s readings say to me:

The first reading reminds me:

  • to approach the world around me with humility. Remember that I don’t yet have the fullness of God’s vision or understanding.
  • that God’s vision wants only the prosperity and growth of God’s family. God’s instructions serve only these purposes. With this understanding, we receive the words of Moses to the people of Israel:
  • “[Y]ou shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deut. 6:5-6).

The psalm features the perspective of someone permeated by the above instruction from Moses. The permeation spills into the person’s recollections and words. I imagine voicing the recollections helps them keep their power for the narrator.

The epistle for October 26th focused on Jesus’ humanity in his role as the perfect high priest. The epistle for November 3rd focuses on his divinity in his role as the perfect high priest. He can live Moses’ his teaching more fully than any other human being because of his divine nature. This nature also allows Him to continue living Moses’ teaching. He has conquered death because he is fully human and fully divine. A priest who isn’t fully human and fully divine can’t conquer death on his own.

Often, Gospel passages provide insight into Old Testament passages. However, the November 3rd Gospel passage simply reminds hearers and readers of the central message of the Old Testament passage. It urges hearers and readers to put that message into practice.

What I’m saying (to the readings and beyond) this week:

The commandment from Deuteronomy is beyond hard to live out. If I said “I lov[ed] God with all [my] heart, all [my] soul, and with all [my] strength [emphasis mine],” I’d be lying to myself, to you, and to the Lord (Deut. 6:5-6) .

First, the verse prompts me to think about what it means to love. I’ve often heard in churches that love is an action, not just a feeling. But I experience love as a feeling. It’s a feeling that’s a response to an action or years of actions, but a feeling, nonetheless. And it’s beyond hard to have that feeling for Someone I can’t see. Sure, I can use my mind to accept what I’ve been told about the Lord. I can also accept what I’ve been told the Lord does and has done for me. My heart, however, seems to have a difficult time letting the reality of it all sink in. I have a hard time experiencing it, and I’m a person who wants to experience intense feelings. I long for concrete experiences of God’s presence.

As for a soul, how does it love? By obeying and imitating God? As I consider this as a possible answer, I think of the verse that talks about the disciples being friends of Jesus rather than his slaves (John 15:16). They’re his friends because they know what he’s doing. He’s shared everything with them. They know Him intimately. They collaborate with Him because they want what He does, not because they’re afraid of Him.

When I think of loving with all my strength, I imagine hanging onto the edge of a cliff. I hang there until I have no energy left to hold on. I suppose God is the cliff. However, I can’t lose my grip on God unless I shove myself away from the ledge.

It seems impossible to love God with every last drop of energy, endurance, and maybe even blood. Yet Jesus did it. And I remember reading that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). I try to think of times in my life when what seemed impossible became possible. Nothing comes to mind right now. I can think of times when I did what was difficult, but difficult is different than impossible.

I wonder when faith softens impossible into difficult and when the impossible becoming possible is nothing less than a miracle. But then I suppose faith is a type of miracle too. Maybe it often goes unappreciated for the miracle it is.

What someone else is sharing about this week’s readings:

Eilis McCulloh, HM reflects on how we can begin loving “the Lord your God with your whole being.”

This week’s prayer:

Lord, may we experience the grace of Your presence in our lives every day. May we recognize that You are the source of all that lives and all that provides. Help us to share everything with You and to receive everything you share with us. Help us to remember that love in all its forms begins with listening. It continues with discerning and is made authentic by responding to careful discernment with action. Amen.

Work cited:

The New American Bible Revised Edition, Kindle edition, Fairbrother, 2011.

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The Importance of Persistence in Faith and Prayer

Posted in Disability, Ordinary Time, Reflections on Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on October 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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Readings for October 27th:

  1. Jeremiah 31:7–9
  2. Psalm 126:1–2, 2–3, 4–5, 6
  3. Hebrews 5:1–6
  4. Mark 10:46–52

What this week’s readings say to me:

This week’s readings are a reminder that we need a Savior and that we have one. In the first passage, the Lord unites the scattered tribes of Israel and leads them out of captivity and mourning. The psalm praises God for this liberation, this cause for joy. It expresses faith that God’s providence and never ceases. Working for the Lord, though often difficult, will bear good fruit. The epistle identifies Christ as the Savior whose liberating power, mercy, and providence are never-ending. The Gospel passage is a reminder. God wants us to be equally unrelenting. We should continuously ask for Divine liberation, mercy, and providence.

God wants us to participate in these gifts because participation, not passivity, allows for spiritual growth and relationships. So do the following:

  • recognizing that God is in our midst. This presence is reflected in so many ways and is recognizable to each of us in unique ways
  • recognizing the desire within us for God
  • continuing to call out to God despite fear, doubt, and other resistance from within and resistance from without.
  • trusting that God responds when we persevere in faith

What I’m saying (to the readings and beyond) this week:

I wish I were as persistent as the blind man in the Gospel passage. I also wish God’s responses to my prayers were as direct and as Jesus’ response is in the Gospel passage. I also wish God’s responses addressed my desires as clearly as Jesus does the blind man’s desire in the Gospel passage. Maybe part of the problem is my ability (or lack thereof) to perceive the response. Likely another factor is my inability to understand how my desires and God’s responses to them fit into God’s vision.

What someone else is sharing about this week’s readings:

In a reflection on this week’s gospel passage, Courtney Esteves explores the implications of the question, “What do you want?” She invites us to think about what it tells us about Jesus. It also reveals something about ourselves. Additionally, it informs us about others whom we ask the question. She encourages us to be open to various responses to that question. These responses offer insight we see them as significant or insignificant.

This week’s prayer:

Lord, help me to be persistent in turning to You to satisfy my desires. Help me to perceive Your responses and to recognize in them Your wisdom and love. Amen.

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Reflections on Divine Understanding and Surrender

Posted in Ordinary Time, Reflections from Other Writers and Speakers, Reflections on Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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This week’s readings:

  1. Isaiah 53:10–11
  2. Psalm 33:4–5, 18–19, 20, 22
  3. Hebrews 4:14–16
  4. Mark 10:35–45

What this week’s readings say to me:

The theme I’m getting from this week’s readings is that God understands us. However, we don’t understand God, at least not fully.

The first reading is a reminder to me that Christ experienced the frailty that is inherent to the human condition. In the crucifixion, He also endured suffering that comparatively few have experienced. But His suffering isn’t in vain. His entry into death defeats death by because He’s life in the flesh. Because of this, he conquers his death and ours. This defeat of our deaths occurs when we surrender to Christ whatever comes between us and life.

The passage reminds me that Christ offered his life to God and to us as a healing balm for the effects of sin. I can do the same. I can offer my life and what I value for the same purpose.

The psalm reminds me that God is “trustworthy” (Psalm 33:4). The gifts that come from God’s goodness are everywhere. It also promises that the more I’m open to God’s presence and guidance, the more I’ll experience it. As I experience it more, I’ll become more open to it. This openness will continue regardless of the circumstances I find myself in. It reminds me to seek faith and to ask God for help in recognizing God’s care.

The epistle reminds me that God understands my weaknesses and is waiting for me to turn to Him so that I don’t mistake those weaknesses for sources of freedom. He recognizes that I need his help not to confuse those weaknesses for him, in other words.

The Gospel passage reminds me that while I want to experience Christ’s presence, I tend not prepared to do what it takes to experience that presence. I’m prone to confusing being in God’s presence with bowing to the imposter god of human pride.

The gospel passage shows the sons of Zebedee having the same tendency. This tendency means they don’t understand what their wants and needs will ask of them and of God. They understand that abiding in God with Christ will satisfy those wants and needs. But they don’t understand that abiding in God with Christ requires surrender more than attainment. And surrender is often uncomfortable to the human ego. Surrender often feels impossible.

What someone else is sharing about this week’s readings:

Rebecca Malone discusses two different understandings of glory. She explores how these understandings provide insight into this week’s readings.

This week’s prayer:

Lord, thank You for meeting me where I am. Help me meet You where You are. Amen.

Work cited

The New American Bible Revised Edition, Kindle edition, Fairbrother, 2011.

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Sacred Readings and a Dictionary Bring Wisdom to Life

Posted in Ordinary Time, Reflections from Other Writers and Speakers, Reflections on Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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This week’s readings:

  1. Wisdom 7:7–11
  2. Psalm 90:12–13, 14–15, 16–17
  3. Hebrews 4:12–13
  4. Mark 10:17–30

What this week’s readings say to me:

The first reading shares characteristics with a love poem. Someone prays for a beloved one to come into his life. The prayer is answered. The one praying chooses the beloved over power. The beloved is more valuable to the one praying than jewels are. Compared to the beloved, gold might as well be dust, and silver is no better than mud. The beloved is more important to the one praying than health or physical attractiveness. Unlike the sun, the beloved’s brilliance never fades. The narrator chooses the beloved over all the visible things I mentioned before. However, the beloved brings all of the above with her.

Who is the beloved? Prudence, the passage says. This quality is personified as a woman in this week’s Old Testament passage. Merriam-Webster.com defines the quality as follows:

  1.  the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason
  2. sagacity or shrewdness in the management of affairs
  3. skill and good judgment in the use of resources
  4. caution or circumspection as to danger or risk

Breaking down this definition even further offers insight. Sagacity is the state of being sagacious. Miriam-Webster online defines sagacious as:

  1. of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment: discerning
  2. : caused by or indicating acute discernment

The same dictionary defines discernment as “the quality of being able to comprehend what is obscure”. It defines “obscure” as “dark, dim,” or “not readily understood or clearly expressed.”

One of the ways it defines “shrewd” is “given to wily and artful ways of dealing” and “wily” as “crafty.”

So to have wisdom in decision-making is not to rush the process. Wisdom slices through superficial concerns that cloud the process. To be open to wisdom is to be open to giving love, even though this Divine Love is difficult to understand and practice. Nonetheless, God loves wisdom, and wisdom loves God.

God sees the potential in each of us to be open to wisdom and love. God loves us for that potential. God loves us, too, in the midst of our struggle to be open to that potential.

The psalm prays for wisdom. It then offers a vision of what being open to that wisdom looks and feels like. Sometimes the experience of being open to wisdom isn’t easy. But the narrator suggests that a difficult experience is preferable if it helps him grow. He prefers it over having a pleasant experience that doesn’t contribute to growth.

The epistle uses sharp language to describe just how discerning God’s wisdom is. A paraphrase of it might be God’s wisdom is deeper and wider than any x-ray vision a person could imagine. Each of us will one day see ourselves and our actions the way God sees them.

The Gospel passage says that receiving the wisdom of God means more than just following the letter of God’s wisdom. It means letting go of whatever tries to stand in the way of that wisdom’s active spirit. The passage acknowledges that we need help to let go. It also promises that when we remove obstacles to the spirit’s movement, wisdom operates more freely within us. We will receive more than we let go of.

What someone else is sharing about this week’s readings:

This week’s readings inspire Donna Orsuto to pray and to issue a challenge.

This week’s prayer:

Lord, help me to remember that authentic wisdom comes with humility and without superficiality. Help me to take an honest look at my priorities. Enable me to make well-reasoned decisions. Let wisdom guide me. Amen.

Work cited (but not linked to):

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. ” 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time — 13 Oct. 2024: Readings at Mass.” The New American Bible, 2001. Universalis for Windows, Version 2.193, Universalis Publishing Ltd., 23 Sept. 2024, https://universalis.com/n-app-windows.htm.

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