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Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." Luke 12:48|I recently attended a "Living Every Day with Passion & Purpose" event with Matthew Kelly, Catholic speaker and author. The above passage resonated with something he said that evening. Kelly told the audience about a clergy who had many people leave the church when they were encouraged to pray for their enemies. During the time when Jesus lived over 2,000 years ago, it could be argued that the popular culture lived by the concept of reciprocal justice or "an eye for an eye." Jesus taught counter-culturally and turned reciprocal justice upside down. Jesus challenged his followers during the Sermon on the Mount: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:43-45 - The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that "An eye for an eye is a law that makes the whole world blind."|There has been an overwhelming amount of tragic violence these past days and a seemingly ever growing amount of hatred expressed towards those responsible for acts of violence. When we live with hatred and unforgiveness we live with something that is worse than any beating that could be given to the servant who was beating the other servants. Hatred and unforgiveness eats away at us from the inside. Also, in the U.S., the death penalty remains a hot debated topic in current culture. We need to re-evaluate the death penalty according to the consistency of Jesus' message. Jesus lived and died at the hands of capital punishment. His response was to ask for forgiveness because they did not know what they were doing. This brings us back to today's reading found in Luke 12:48: "…more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." As Christians, we have been entrusted with more and more is demanded from us.|It certainly isn't easy and we can't do it by ourselves. We can follow Abraham's example and by faith, sojourn in the promised land. The promised land where hatred and unforgiveness will be gone. The challenge I have made for myself is the next time I catch myself cursing under my breath towards someone that has irked me (like cut me off in traffic) is to reverse the curse and ask the Holy Spirit to help me pray for the person
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textI pray that your Lent experience thus far in 2016 has been a special time to enter into a deeper relationship with Jesus! If not, the good news is that there is still time and Jesus is lovingly waiting.|I oftentimes feel like the readings I am given to reflect and write on have been especially chosen just for me at a specific time in my life. Today's readings are no different. This past week, I found myself reflecting on whether or not I would have believed Jesus if I had physically been there on that day with Him when He responded to the Jews: "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM." John 8:58. Would I have been part of the crowd that picked up a stone to throw at Jesus? Tears came to my eyes just thinking about it, but in the Jews' defense, I believe they truly felt they were honoring God in their actions. They were in the temple area and were convinced they had just heard Jesus claiming to be God. Blasphemy!|I then experienced the overwhelming sense that the throwing of stones wasn't something that just happened that day at that particular time in history. It is for all of us today, two thousand years later. We can choose to pick up stones to throw at Jesus or we can choose to believe what Jesus continues to say to all of us: "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM." John 8:58|Jesus, I believe you and am thankful for this gift of faith. My continued prayer for all of us can be found in today's readings, the verse before the Gospel: "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Psalm 95:
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text"He fasted for forty days and forty nights" Matthew 4:2| As I read the Gospel reading for this First Sunday of Lent, I was reminded of the Global Prayer Vigil for Syria Pope Francis held on September 7, 2013. Pope Francis called for a global day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria. Pope Francis invited us to follow the example of a fasting Jesus. Fasting is a powerful spiritual discipline. Fasting and prayer can (and does) bring about change!| It wasn't until my conversion to Catholicism that I became interested in the spiritual discipline of fasting. During my first fast which took place during Lent, I was quite surprised when I had a religious experience that helped draw me closer to God. I found that a transformation had taken place interiorly when I denied myself. I had the sense that fasting allowed the Holy Spirit to reveal to myself a clearer picture of my true spiritual condition.| Over the years, I have opened myself to different types of fasting. Last year during Lent, I abstained from playing the computer game Words With Friends (WWF). While on vacation two years prior with my daughter and niece, they introduced me to WWF and it had become apparent to me that "giving up" WWF would require a sacrifice. In place of WWF, I strove to spend that time reading and contemplating Scripture. That experience was quite powerful. It has been through the spiritual practice of fasting that I received an important insight. When I am convinced that I don't have time for certain practices or activities in my life, I do find the time for other things. While I do continue to play WWF, I strive to obtain a better balance of all activities in my life.| I am still uncertain about what direction I am headed towards this Lent with the practice of fasting. What I do know is that I will do something. Feel free to send me an e-mail to let me know of your experience.|Pope Francis will begin his annual Lenten retreat today through Friday, March 14 at the Pauline Fathers’ retreat and conference center in Ariccia, a town about 20 miles southeast of Rome. While many of us are unable to make a week long retreat, we have been invited to click on the following link for a retreat on the Spirituality of Pope Francis: http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/PopeFrancisRetreat/| Dear Good and Gracious God, We are so grateful for the personal witness of fasting given to us by your Son, Jesus Christ. Our prayer is that through the important spiritual practice of fasting, that we experience the power of personal conversion and transformation which can bring about the conversion and transformation of nations. Ame
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textThousands killed in battle; the ark of God captured, a man afflicted with leprosy – the implicit theme that speaks to me in today’s readings is one of suffering. The following is a list of paradoxes about suffering written by Canon Carl Siegel II:|Suffering is not God's desire for us, nor a gift from God. The paradox is that suffering occurs in the process of this thing we call life.| Suffering is not given in order to teach us something. The paradox is that we can learn from suffering, and grow.| Suffering is not given to punish us. The paradox is that suffering sometimes comes as the result of poor choices we make.| Suffering is not given to teach others something. The paradox is that through suffering we can learn about faith, character, endurance, hope as well as weakness, struggle, humility.| Suffering does not occur because one's faith is weak. The paradox is that our faith may be strengthened by the journey through suffering.| God does not depend on human suffering to achieve divine purposes. The paradox is that, sometimes, God's purposes are fulfilled through suffering.| Suffering is not always to be avoided at all costs. The paradox is that people sometimes choose suffering.| Suffering can sometimes destroy us. The paradox is that it can add meaning to our lives.| In the midst of suffering, how wonderful it is to experience the healing touch of Jesus! Have you experienced Jesus' healing touch? Jesus touches all of us, even when we are not aware of it. I haven't always been aware of Jesus' healing touch and am thankful for changes in my life that have deepened my ability for greater awareness. An instrumental part in my growth can be attributed to the realization of the importance of prayer.| The man in today's Gospel reading afflicted with leprosy realized the importance of prayer. His model of prayer is powerful. His body language is moving as he humbly approached Jesus on his knees. I am reminded of several occasions when I was moved to tears after witnessing the humbleness of people on their knees during Mass. I am also reminded of the time when I was a little girl and would say my nighttime prayers kneeling beside my bed. He also models prayer by humbly asking "if you wish, you could make me clean." Jesus touches the man and the man is made clean. As we continue to experience life, including the battles, diseases and suffering, my prayer is for continued growth in modeling the prayer of the leper and experiencing the healing touch of Jesus
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textJesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Luke 8:1|I was motivated by today's Gospel reading to enter into the Ignatian Spiritual Exercise of imagination. In doing so, I tried to apply my senses (such as sight, hearing, smelling and touch) to visualize myself in the shoes (or sandals) of those journeying from one town and village to another accompanying Jesus. I was drawn to reflecting on what my life had been like prior to joining up on this journey. I knew that Jesus had to have become the center of my life. How did that happen? How did I act when Jesus was only a part of my life?|Sadly, when Jesus is only a part of our lives, not the center, oftentimes we spend a lot of time trying to achieve what we think we are thirsting for such as worldly goods and riches. Many of us live our lives bombarded with these false forms of happiness. Oftentimes, we don't realize that these false thirsts distract us from the deepest thirst of our human hearts - God.|"For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains." 1 Timothy 6:10|As I continued in my exercise of imagination, I visualized the days and nights and what it looked like as I accompanied Jesus. It occurred to me that today's Gospel reading isn't just for the folks back then. It is for us today. All of us. Jesus calls each and every one of us to continue with his mission of preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Jesus longs for all of us to become disciples. He knows that true happiness doesn't come through going through the motions of "acting" like good Christians by following rules. True happiness comes through entering into a deeper relationship with Jesus.|In order to develop this relationship with Jesus, we need to spend time with him. There are many ways to spend time with Jesus. To name a few would be through prayer or reading the Scriptures. When we spend time with Jesus, Jesus starts to matter. Jesus starts to become more of the center of our lives rather than just a part. When Jesus is the center, that is when we want to imitate him and his life. That is when we want to be his disciple and accompany him. Discipleship motivates us to live life beyond the here and now. We are motivated to pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. We also need to remember that (just as those accompanying Jesus in today's Gospel) we are all still subject to sin. Discipleship doesn't mean guaranteed perfection. What becomes important, is how we respond to our sin.|The exercise for the past couple of days brought me to pull out my pictures from the pilgrimage to the Holy Land I was on a few years ago. |This is a picture of me at Tabgha, on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. After a long day accompanying Jesus, we spent some time relaxing in the water
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text|"Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" Matthew 5:9| "Blessed are the Peacemakers" was the message chosen by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI for the 46th World Day of Peace on January 1, 2013. Pope Francis also wrote about "Blessed are the peacemakers" in The Joy of the Gospel on page 111. In the World Day of Peace message, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said it is "alarming" the ways in which we find ourselves involved with conflict such as the inequality between rich and poor, selfishness, individualism and fundamentalism and fanaticism which distort the true nature of religion. I was encouraged when his message reminded us of all the different efforts that people make at peacemaking. This is a testament to "mankind's innate vocation to peace."| An important lesson I learned during my studies at Creighton University was how the "us" versus "them" mentality can be destructive to ourselves and society. The World Day of Peace message stated "the attainment of peace depends above all on recognizing that we are, in God, one human family--We have all been created in the image of God--The peacemaker, according to Jesus' beatitude, is the one who seeks the good of the other, the fullness of good in body and soul, today and tomorrow."| Pope Francis wrote in The Joy of the Gospel, that we often times see conflict but choose to wash our hands free from it or become so involved that we lose our bearings. Pope Francis offers an alternative way. This way is to go beyond the conflict and see others in their deepest dignity. Peace is about everything being in right relationship. Pope Francis continually demonstrates this alternative way, most poignantly during his recent trip to the Holy Land when he invited Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to pray for peace with him at the Vatican. Both accepted the invitation. When all else seems to have failed for any hope of peace between Israel and Palestine, how beautiful it will be to humble ourselves, get down on our knees and together call for help.| "Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text|"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30| Thank you Jesus for your healing invitation!| Jesus extends his healing invitation to all of us. He wants us to share the complexities and complications of our daily lives with him. He wants us to accept his guidance and encouragement which will give us rest. There are those times when the weariness and burdens can be overwhelming. Jesus' invitation to come to him is an invitation of love. Love is the silver lining that can be palpable during trying times. Love makes the yoke easier and the burden lighter.| I experienced palpable love this morning. While walking to my car getting ready to go to work, I became overwhelmed with an aching feeling of love for my husband of 26 years and our two sons. They were busily gathering our farm machinery and tools to take to high ground in anticipation of a rising Missouri River. It has only been a week since they finished replanting our fields because our first crop had been beaten down by a wind/hail storm. The drill of gathering our belongings to high ground is still quite fresh in our memories. Our homestead was engulfed in water for several months in 2011 when the Missouri River did flood. The silver lining during these hard times when the weariness and heavy burdens become overwhelming is that palpable love from our gentle and humble in heart Jesus.| Thank you Jesus for the rest that you provide for our souls.| We are called to use our God given talents to obtain wisdom and acquire knowledge so that isn't the challenge revealed in today's gospel. There are problems when we neglect to acknowledge (either intentional or unintentional) that our talents come from God. Jesus is our role model to be humble in heart. The good news is that Jesus will always extend his invitation to help us find rest for our souls. Jesus doesn't promise us that our lives will be easy. What he does promise is that our burdens will be lighter when we go to him
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textHe said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offering from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." Luke 21:2-4|Today's Gospel reading is a heartwarming account of the theological virtue of charity. While it certainly is good to give from our wealth, it is virtuous to give from our poverty.|I grew up with a wonderful role model of someone who gave from her poverty, my mom. Another role model was my mother-in-law. Both always giving from their poverty. Their giving was of themselves. Always there for others. Always! My mother-in-law has passed away, but her example continues to live in my heart. Today is my daughter's birthday and my wish for her is to soak up the virtuous charity lived out by her grandmothers. |I would be remiss if I didn't mention two additional role models in my life that made the virtuous and self-sacrificing act of giving from their poverty. My youngest brother and now sister-in-law were young and pregnant and chose to continue with their unplanned pregnancy amidst a culture and law that offered them a different option. Today Joshua, my nephew, has his own bundle of joy, Sawyer. Thanks be to God!|St. Maximilian Kolbe, canonized on October 10, 1982, was declared a Martyr of Charity. During my journey into the Catholic Church, I had watched a documentary "Ocean of Mercy: Three Lives – One Vision – No Limit". This had been my first introduction to St. Maximilian Kolbe and while riveted at this man's story, at that time I was focused on St. Pope John Paul II. Several years ago, Fr. Michael Gaitley came to give several talks at an event held on Creighton's campus. During these talks, I learned of Fr. Gaitley's "33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration". This caught my attention because I had made a consecration to Jesus through Mary following St. Louis de Montfort's Way of Total Consecration. As I listened to Fr. Gaitley, I knew I wanted to re-consecrate and better understand how to live out this consecration daily. To my delight, St. Maximilian Kolbe was an instrument in this book.|The main thing I knew about St. Maximilian Kolbe was how he willingly gave up his own life so that a man who had been condemned to death could live. He made the ultimate sacrifice, he gave his own life. This event happened in Auschwitz during World War II. During my re-consecration process, I came to understand how St. Maximilian Kolbe's life was a continuous string of virtuous acts. He gave from his own poverty. He was ordained a priest in 1907 and offered his whole livelihood advancing the mission of the Church. He is our modern-day role model. St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!|As we are winding down the month of November, the month which has been dedicated to praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, this is a beautiful way to offer an act of charity, an act of love, to give from our poverty
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textThe Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!| Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,| inside you are filled with plunder and evil.| You fools!|| Today’s readings took me to a recent dialogue between Pope Francis and La Repubblica’s founder, Eugenio Scalfari. La Repubblica is the largest circulation Italian daily general-interest newspaper. I have reprinted some questions I felt were relevant for today’s readings: | Eugenio Scalfari: However, as we said, Jesus told us that love for one’s neighbor is equal to what we have for ourselves. So what many call narcissism is recognized as valid, positive, to the same extent as the other. We’ve talked a lot about this aspect. | Pope Francis: “I don’t like the word narcissism”, the Pope said, “it indicates an excessive love for oneself and this is not good, it can produce serious damage not only to the soul of those affected but also in relationship with others, with the society in which one lives. The real trouble is that those most affected by this – which is actually a kind of mental disorder – are people who have a lot of power. Often bosses are narcissists”. | Eugenio Scalfari: Many church leaders have been. | Pope Francis: “You know what I think about this? Heads of the Church have often been narcissists, flattered and thrilled by their courtiers. The court is the leprosy of the papacy.”| Eugenio Scalfari: The leprosy of the papacy, those were his exact words. But what is the court? Perhaps he is alluding to the curia? | Pope Francis: “No, there are sometimes courtiers in the curia, but the curia as a whole is another thing. It is what in an army is called the quartermaster’s office, it manages the services that serve the Holy See. But it has one defect: it is Vatican-centric. It sees and looks after the interests of the Vatican, which are still, for the most part, temporal interests. This Vatican-centric view neglects the world around us. I do not share this view and I’ll do everything I can to change it. The Church is or should go back to being a community of God’s people, and priests, pastors and bishops who have the care of souls, are at the service of the people of God. The Church is this, a word not surprisingly different from the Holy See, which has its own function, important but at the service of the Church.”| As I read this interview, I wondered if many of the Pharisees Jesus continuously chastised suffered from narcissism. The Pharisees had a defect and had become “Vatican-centric”. They were more concerned with outside appearances and neglected their insides and the world around them. I reflected on my own life in light of these readings. How many times have I been guilty of damaging my soul and my relationships with others? Our maker knows our outside as well as our inside. My take away from today’s readings as well as this interview is the importance for humble role models such as Pope Francis and the importance for prayer; prayer to not be ashamed of the Gospel, to not exchange the truth of God for a lie, and to love one’s neighbor. | Here is the link to the entire article:| http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2013/10/01/news/pope_s_conversation_with_scalfari_english-67643118
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textI know I said this before but it has happened again! The readings for the day are so relevant to life today. How often do scripture passages strike a chord with you?!|Life is precious. All life is precious: pre-birth, post-birth and after-life. So precious that we are individually set apart by God from our mother's womb to have his Son revealed to us! Thank you God
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