Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
What do you wish?
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Reflection
Thanksgiving is a product of reception.
Treasure is delivered in vessels.
Service is the immediate motivation.
Ransom is the ultimate gift.
Personal Reflection
What do you wish? For you, your family, your community and your nation?
I am thankful for being ransomed, a treasure delivered in human vessels, offered with a servant’s heart, mirrored from and a part of the life of Jesus.
Greetings on this the Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Readings: Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13; Psalm 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11; Matthew 13:10-17
Summary
Why do you speak to the crowd in parables (Mt 13:10b)?
There are several answers that speak to the divine prerogative, the progressively elaborated divine plan of revelation and the necessity of using the right method at the right time.
It is better to ask the Lord than to not ask the Lord.
The priests asked not, “Where is the LORD?” (Jer 2:6a and 8). They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jer 2:13b).
Reflection
It is good to ask the Lord questions. If we don’t seek divine guidance, we will write our own. We will dig our own cisterns that give a vague promise of water but have none to give.
Personal Reflection
Start each day in prayer. Thanksgiving. Supplication. and the Whys of our heart.
Greetings on this the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene Readings: Song of Songs 3:1-4b; Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9; John 20:1-2, 11-18
Summary
From the preface SAINT MARY MAGDALENE, Apostle to the Apostles.
He appeared in the garden and revealed himself to Mary Magdalene, who had loved him in life, witnessed him dying on the Cross, sought him as he lay in the tomb, and was the first to adore him, newly risen from the dead. He honored her with the office of being an apostle to the Apostles, so that the good news of new life might reach the ends of the earth. And so, Lord, with all the Angels and Saints, we, too, give you thanks, as in exultation we acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts…
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me” (Jn 20:17a).
Our walk with Jesus is a faith in motion. We are constantly reminded to stop holding on to things that limit our faith and relationship with the Lord. Thousands of years of faithful worship strengthen us and reassure us of our common destiny. Jesus’ words to Mary remind us to keep moving forward. Gently release the form of faith that once helped us but now keeps us from following where the risen Lord is leading.
What might this contain?
Memory of sin. When sin is confessed and forgiven it has only one role remaining. To remind us of the danger and pain that comes from sin. Think of sin memory as a new traffic sign erected at the location of a bad accident. A traffic sign that says “Full Stop” or “No Left Turn” these are the gifts of sin-memory and forgiveness.
I no longer call you slaves the Lord said. You are Son and Daughter and Brother and Sister. Peacefully enjoy the presence of the Lord.
Evangelize. If Jesus has helped you, tell someone, anyone. I found him whom my heart loves.
I was trained in the USAF Strategic Air Command 28th Bomber Wing during the Cold War.
“Peace Through Strength” was our doctrinal phrase. It has been horribly misused by the current Administration.
Related was another tactical saying I never forgot:
At some point, bombs no longer break the enemy; they only rattle the rubble.
Even as we trained and prepared delivering bombs on the potential enemy, we accepted the limits of warfare.
When “peace through strength” becomes threat-display, humiliation, vengeance, or we will kill you rhetoric, it mutates. Then it is no longer peace through strength. It is identity through domination.
Maybe the distinction is:
Peace through strength requires strength under moral command.
War through strength is strength released from moral command.
Or more sharply:
Peace through strength is deterrence with restraint.
War through strength is power looking for permission.
At some point, power no longer builds peace; it only rattles the rubble.
Strength can preserve peace only while it remembers what peace is. Once it forgets that, strength stops being a shield and becomes an idol.
Fulton Sheen’s Wartime Prayer Book. Best to pray it before such wisdom is dismissed as weakness.
Prayer for Charity and Tolerance
May I be no man’s enemy, and may I be a friend of that which is eternal and abides. May I never quarrel with those nearest me; and if I do, may I be reconciled quickly.
May I never devise evil against any man; if anyone devise evil against me, may I escape uninjured and without the need of hurting him.
May I love, seek, and attain only that which is good. May I never rejoice in the ill-fortune of one who has wronged me.
When I have done or said what is wrong, may I never wait for the rebuke of others, but rebuke myself until I make amends.
May I win no victory that harms either me or my opponent. May I reconcile friends who are angry with one another.
May I, to the extent of my powers, give all needful help to my friends and to all who are in want. May I never fail a friend in danger.
When visiting those in grief, may I be able, by gentle and healing words, to soften their pain.
May I respect myself.
May I always tame that which rages within me. May I accustom myself to be gentle and never be angry with people because of circumstances.
May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things he has done, but know good men and follow their footsteps, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Attributed to Eusebius
The War Secretary needs to be relieved. Our President deserves better guidance.
A woman and a man dressed as Jesus engage in conversation inside an elevator. It’s version 2. If you note there is a shadow Jesus behind Jesus as I asked the image be modified to show Jesus listening not speaking. This AI stuff is hilarious. A bit freaky but hilarious.
Greetings on this the Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Readings: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Psalm 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8; Matthew 12:46-50
Summary
While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him.
Reflection
Ever hear of an elevator pitch? The concept is to have ready at all times a concise presentation- a request that takes no longer than the time it takes to ride an elevator from the first floor to the second floor (as you have a captive audience in the elevator unable NOT to listen). Be prepared to have a specific message, a specific invitation and a specific ask ready to go for when the opportunity comes.
So.
What do you wish to say to him?
Thankfully we get some hints on writing our elevator pitch from Micah and the Psalmist today! They can help us write up our individual pitch.
Lord: I need a Shepherd and your compassion. If you don’t mind, cast into the sea all our sins. Remember us as you remembered Abraham and Jacob – our fathers from of old.
Restore us to our innocence, give us life that we may rejoice in you. Show us, O Lord, your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Personal Reflection
You see, that pitch (from the heart, of course) is precisely the will of the Father.
Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.
It isn’t a test of works. It’s an expression of need and desire to be real and be well. This is the will of the Father.
AI generated Jonah in the belly. It’s the hidden pains that need the attention.
Greetings on this the Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Readings: Micah 6:1-4, 6-8; Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23; Matthew 12:38-42
Summary
You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.
This instruction from the prophet Micah should be enough. You need not read any further than this. If Micah makes sense then follow your heart and do it. But we rarely can settle for the obvious. It’s just the way things are.
Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.
Here is the commentary on the request for a Sign: The scribes and Pharisees refuse to accept the exorcisms of Jesus as authentication of his claims and demand a sign that will end all possibility of doubt. Jesus’ response is that no such sign will be given. Because his opponents are evil and see him as an agent of Satan, nothing will convince them. (See https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12?38)
Reflection
Doubt is a constant human problem. Sometimes it arises for good reason. At other times it grows from disappointment, disillusionment, betrayal, or fear. Doubting another person after betrayal is understandable. Past betrayal may explain our caution, but it cannot safely become a judgment transferred to every person, every relationship, or to God. Self-doubt can be even harder to overcome.
So let’s turn the question around.
Christians, we wish a sign from you.
We have the visual signs: Sign of the Cross, the Crucifix, the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and prayers (ritual and extemporaneous).
Then we have the famous Letter of James quote: Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works (Jas 2:18).
In our gospel portion today, the only sign given is the Sign of Jonah. We immediately think of the three days in the sepulchre and that is good. The three days in the tomb are Christ’s decisive sign. Our answering sign is conversion—a life changed by his death and resurrection. So here I prescribe for you a mini retreat like the Sign of Jonah.
Give the sign of Jonah, and begin again. Take some time today for this exercise.
The Storm – Identify the storm within you. The resistance to the divine call to do what is right, to love goodness, and to walk humbly with the humble Lord.
Enter the Belly (solitude and darkness) – Spend some time with your doubts, disappointments. Name them. Honor them. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Surrender Them – Pray like Jonah – Jonah prayed to the LORD, his God, from the belly of the fish: Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me; From the womb of Sheol I cried for help, and you heard my voice (Jon 2:2-3).
Reenter the Nineveh before you—the world whose response you cannot control—with renewed purpose.
Jonah was first converted, then sent as a sign.
BTW, Jonah still had more purification to come and the story doesn’t end with his perfection but his continuous struggle to change and humbly follow the Lord.
Why do we think it would be easier for us?
Personal Reflection
Lord, we demand signs from you all the time. But today we’ll reverse it. Here is my Sign for You.
There is a storm that needs calming, a solitude that needs encountering, a surrender that needs expressing and a reengagement that needs empowering.
Help me to become the sign I keep demanding from Christ.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray.
O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Sunday gospel portion for the 15th, 16th and 17th Sundays in ordinary time focus on the Parables contained in the gospel of Matthew. It has been a methodical movement through chapter 13, the second half of the Third Book of the Gospel of Matthew. Seven parables plus explanation. The parables are different from the teachings that precede them, as they force us/them to think differently and to probe for meaning (and enter into dialog about them with one another – it is described as ‘hidden’) rather than a simple correction of mistakes in taught laws and off-center practices. Parables hold a precious and sacred space within the life of Jesus and how we can understand divine mysteries: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. Because parables open our minds, we can take this divine message and spot the nuanced difference. I desire mercy as your goal and sometimes sacrifice as its expression – not as an end unto itself.
Next week ends with an important question and a final conclusion.
“Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.”
This final question about understanding parables is for us too. Because there is a dramatic transition about to take place. The mystery of parables is a way to understand the mystery of the next part of the life of Jesus (loving sacrifice). Our readings shift (adding back the Friday and Saturday before the 18th Sunday) to The Rejection at Nazareth, The Death of John the Baptist and the Feeding of the Five Thousand. That is, the intensification of the rejection of the Gospel and the broadening of the merciful acts of the Lord. The miracles go basically [editorial leeway, please] from particular (Leper, Child, the possessed, Paralytic) to general, i.e., Feeding 5,000 and 4,000 and the healing of many people – and the sacrifice that is born of love not blind adherence to law. Said another way, expanding in scale, intensifying the divine response.
And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”
The parables are more than a summation of the Old Testament moral thinking reconstituted. They are an invitation to think anew. Several times in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus asks: What do you think?
Reflection
I put links to the parable Sunday readings below if you want to cruise back through and ask the question: Do I understand?
Nobody has perfect understanding, so don’t fret about that.
Plus there are more parables to come in the Matthew account anyway – more of a blend of teaching/parable.
Personal Reflection
Do you want me to give you the answer? It is hidden in the answer Jesus gave: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. As we move along into the Gospel these coming weeks sacrifice and mercy are not presented as opposites. In Jesus, sacrifice is no longer an alternative to mercy. Loving sacrifice becomes mercy enacted.
By the way, I set up a new desk setup in my office for typing and reading. Here are photos of my space. The desk to the left is for scheduling liturgy and financial things we all need to do (the light bill must be paid!). The book cases contain manuscripts, canon, music sheets, scores, multiple bible translations, Jewish midrash, treasured Catholic texts, and odds and ends. The shelf above contains keepsakes of days gone by.
Do small things with great love. Cook and plant kindness,
Greetings on this the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings: Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43
Summary
And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins (Wis 12:19).
Reflection
In our sacred readings today, particularly in the second reading, we are given hope that we can become the people the Lord wants us to be.
Brothers and sisters: The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will (Rom 8:26-27).
In the gospel portion, two specific points are made by Jesus.
The evil one sows what opposes the Kingdom (An enemy has done this).
The final separation belongs to the angels acting according to divine judgment—not to us. (The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels).
The Lord prefers we think in terms of yeast and mustard seeds.
Small things done with great love (baking with the yeast of love and planting confidence with a tiny mustard seed).
A woman prepares food for her family using a small amount of yeast and patience to bring about sustenance. Three measures of flour is a lot of love (50 pounds of bread)! She prepares not a meager amount. No, she prepares a feast of love for many!
A mustard seed. The smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’ If you allow me, I think this is the masculine imperative of the two parables. But that’s my bias. Feel free to ignore that comment 🙂 Everyone is called both to nourish and to shelter.
Kindness is the single most prominent form of expression of the divine presence. Period. End.
Personal Reflection
Plant a tree of safety. Cook a batch of love.
The Lord will be your strength. Those who are just must be kind.
