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Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textWhen I began meditating on today's passage from Matthew, I got depressed thinking about dreadful photos from Iraq, scandals in the Church, etc. If such things are the "fruit" by which we will be judged, we are in sad shape. What could I offer besides an additional, unnecessary dose of depression?|The answer came on my morning walk: Bob Reilly, my recently deceased friend and role model. Bob was an Omaha public relations professional and professor, the author of more than a dozen books, a World War II veteran, a proud Catholic with 10 children, and an expert on Ireland. His lifetime of kindness culminated in caring for his beloved wife, Jean, a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. While few of us are blessed with Bob's talents, we can all emulate his concern for others.|Bob's legacy is less in his wonderful writing than in the numerous people he touched. I marveled at the way this nationally distinguished author donated precious time to local writers who might never publish a word. He helped numerous struggling authors including me through the difficult process of publishing a first book. He always seemed to have all the time in the world for whoever was intruding on his overbooked life. |When I became a professor, I consciously tried to emulate Bob. Numerous students frequently spoke with something akin to reverence of the impact of his attention and advice. He was a teacher who modeled what he taught. He exemplified the service to others that we see in the best Christians _ not people who make headlines but those who teach first graders to read, empty bedpans with a smile, wipe noses, do tax returns for the elderly, serve dinner at soup kitchens etc.|I read one time that the answer to choking on bad news is to become "good news" to others. This is how we can counteract the headlines that make us ashamed. We can all try to produce "good fruit" as Bob did
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text"For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night."||Last spring my husband and I spent several days marveling at the ruins of ancient Greece. From our Athens hotel room, we had a perfect view of the Parthenon lighted up at night just like the shots during the Olympics. Awesome!||Today's readings, especially the psalm, speak to this experience. They remind us of how small and transitory even the most astonishing works of man are compared with the work of God and eternity.||Before going to Greece, I read up on its history, geography and mythology because I had only dim memories from high school history, especially about Delphi, once the region's spiritual center. Today its impressive piles of stones and fragments of buildings are reminders of long-gone power and influence. Tourists listen to lectures to understand Delphi's significance. Then they head back to the souvenir shops and the street life of Athens.||In God's eyes, what happened in ancient Greece is "as yesterday" just like the achievements of our own time will soon be. Human power and glory are as mythical in the long term as the advice the Oracle at Delphi dispensed!||So what's important? What kind of legacy counts? I think of my friend, the late Bob Reilly , an outstanding author of many books, but an even more outstanding teacher and human being. At his packed wake, people spoke of his books but that wasn't why they came. Bob had touched every one of us with his kindness, mentoring and warmth. He patiently guided me through writing my first book. His wisdom and encouragement were invaluable.||I'll take a legacy of kindness like Bob's over a pile of stones any day. So, I think, will the Lord
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textAuthor's Note:|| The scriptures today are so powerful and so utterly appropriate for this day that I almost feel that anything I say might soften the impact of the Gospel or the power of today's readings. Click on the link above left to read today's scripture readings. A slow and prayerful reading will add to their power.|"To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. . . Love your enemies and do good to them . . . Forgive and you will be forgiven . . . For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." Luke 6:27-38|September 11.|Pray for peace. |Pray for all victims of violence. |Pray for peace
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textFor many Christians, the road to faith runs through doubt. As today's readings remind us, even the apostles doubted before they believed.||"She (Mary Magdalene) went and told [Jesus'] companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe." This reaction may even help us overcome our own doubts about the gospel story. We can't immediately discount the testimony of the apostles because it comes from credible fools.|Later Jesus appears to the apostles and rebukes them for their unbelief but I suspect it was a loving rebuke successfully aimed at jarring them into action. In the passage from Acts in today's first reading, these "ordinary" skeptical men are now risking everything to proclaim their belief. They've come a long way from their first reaction to the news of the resurrection. Even so, there surely were times when they continued to battle their doubts.|I carry in my mind's eye the image of Michelangelo's unfinished statue of St. Matthew. The elderly evangelist seems to be straining to free himself from some torment as well as the constraints of the marble. Yet the statue conveys a paradoxical sense of triumph over the torment, just as there is triumph in our own struggles with doubt and faith.|Like St. Matthew, we will always be constrained by the limits of our humanity; but like the apostles, we can emerge believing. Alleluia
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textIt's a little odd for a journalist to be a hero worshiper but I can't help it. The reporter in me is always alert for stories of courage, especially moral courage. I find such tales moving and fascinating because they speak to the essence of human potential _ especially stories of ordinary people who perform extraordinary deeds.||Where did ordinary European Christians find the guts to shelter Jews in Nazi Germany? How did black farmers in Mississippi find the strength to try to register to vote in the early 1960's? How did my biggest hero, my mother, find the quiet courage to room with a Japanese-American student during World War II? What gave these people the fortitude to do what so many others failed to do?|Today's readings suggest the source of such moral courage: "Behold I am sending you like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves . . . When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."| These ordinary, unsung heroes were people of faith. They believed that if they took risks to do the right thing, they would receive the guidance and strength they needed. Their actions might have a terrible price, but they were not alone because they believed that God would help them when they needed it most.|This is also true for those of us fortunate enough to plod through relatively safe lives in safe places. Even though, mercifully, heroism probably isn't demanded, with faith in God's help we can all demonstrate moral courage.| We can speak out against war and violence. Even attending a peace rally or vigil says SOMETHING important. If that offends someone, fine.| We can voice our disapproval when people use derogatory terms disparaging other people or shun a co-worker. If that annoys someone, too bad. God isn't asking us to be popular.|We can leave our comfort zones to help other people. If this scares us, we need to face down our fears. Jesus asks us to be brave in living the Gospel. The rewards of even such mundane moral courage are immense. Today's gospel promises that "whoever endures to the end will be saved." Amen
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text"Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." Luke|This morning as I was pounding the treadmill and trying to understand this passage from Luke, the hymn "One Bread One Body" rang out on my Ipod.|"One bread, one body, one Lord of all," sang the St. Louis Jesuits.|Eureka! As a reasonably good person (like most of you) I've always struggled with this Gospel because I identify more with the righteous than the tax collectors who were sort of the mafia of their day.|But John Foley's hymn helped me understand what Jesus was saying: He doesn't divide us into artificial camps or teams like the Pharisees want him to here. WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.|Jesus came to heal all of us because we all sin. He loves all of us despite our flaws. He refuses to be as small as we are when we choose up sides and say God is on OUR side. With Jesus, there is no side - just common, struggling humans who need help and healing to greater or lesser degrees.|This is why Lent can be so rewarding. I used to dread and dislike Lent because of the way we observed it in childhood. At my Catholic school we had mandatory Stations of the Cross on Friday and at home we turned TV off for the duration. My mother found 25 ways to serve canned tuna. To this day, I can't face the stuff. Then on Passion Sunday they put awful purple bags over the statues in church that finally came down on Holy Saturday. UGH! I could hardly wait for it to end.|But now I view Lent as a time for reflection and growth that I look forward to annually. I try to do more spiritual reading or perform random acts of kindness and, hardest of all, cut back on my favorite small sins. It has become a time of healing and hope - exactly what Jesus calls ALL of us to in today's Gospel. We're on a common journey as "one body in this one Lord.
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full textAlmost every morning as I spend 20 minutes on an aerobic "torture machine" at the Creighton fitness center, I badger God with whatever is on my mind, some of it important, some of it trivial.||+Please let Creighton beat Southern Illinois. |+Please help S. with her accounting test. |+Please help (whoever I know is sick). |+Please let it rain, especially in Nebraska City. |+Please let lots of students send in their freshman deposits.|Does God care about such mundane matters? Do we need signs of his intervention to believe? What if he seems to be pushing the delete button on our petitions?|These questions are timeless - the Point/Counterpoint of today's readings:|Acts vs. John - The Church grows because the apostles work signs but many who demanded such signs deserted Jesus because they didn't get them. The surviving apostles had to accept this reality.|Two millennia later, we still struggle with the same central question. Can we love the God who makes no promises for this life but offers Spirit for all eternity? That's what Jesus asks us to do in today's Gospel.|Even when we accept that faith there is no guaranteed ticket to getting what we want, we still ask God to sit on our team's bench and by our side during exams. What's the harm? Could it just possibly help?|We believe that God answers prayers, just not always in the form we seek. That's what faith is all about
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me."||In mind's eye, I can see myself half-dozing on the couch around midnight, waiting to see car lights or to hear a car door slamming. When my teens unlocked the front door, I would breathe a silent prayer of thanks and pretend I had been sleeping but the kids knew better. Another night of worry over! But the safety of my teens was just the top of a long list of worries _ finances, hassles at work, the ups and downs of the local economy, world peace, even whether my son would medal at the week's cross country meet.|It never occurred to me that all this worrying ran counter to the numerous New Testament admonitions like the quote from today's Gospel to surrender fear to a loving God. Until I read this in my "Lent book," I'd never seen the pattern/theme of the anti-worry passages. However they are key to living the life that Jesus commands.|Jesus was no Pollyanna mouthing platitudes about the power of positive thinking. He was a member of a persecuted people living in an occupied land. He was fearless in alienating the local and Roman power structures and accepted the consequences.|We can argue that unlike ourselves, Jesus KNEW that things would ultimately come out okay because he was God. However this diminishes His humanity, His courage and His suffering. The human Jesus probably didn't enjoy facing up to the Pharisees any more than a kid enjoys facing up to a bully. The human Jesus must have worried and been fearful but He refused to surrender to worry and fear. He showed us how to take risks and live confidently, trusting God to take care of us in the long run even when things aren't going to work out in this life.|But if worrying is part of your psyche, don't feel guilty and worry more. Picture Jesus being with you, (on that couch, on the playground, in your office or kitchen) helping you to live a life of faith that will enable you to cope with your problems and fears
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text|For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father|is my brother, and sister, and mother." Matthew 12|"Hey baby!"|If you went to Creighton in the last 20 or 30 years, this likely evokes memories of one of the best- loved people on campus. Only she didn't teach philosophy or English. She checked freshmen into the cafeteria and students who have forgotten the rest of us remember her.|Everyone called her simply the "Hey baby lady." I'm ashamed that I never learned her name even though she was legendary.|Every year when I asked my PR students who best lived our Jesuit mission of caring for others, she always won. In her warm, unassuming way, she did the will of our heavenly Father by being unfailingly kind to kids whose affluence might have irked her.|She set an example to how to be a relative of Jesus as described in today's passage from Matthew.|Jesus tells us what really counts for membership in his family is not blood ties, race, gender or even creed but doing God's will – essentially living the two great commandments to love God and our neighbors.|I'm meditating on this passage at a time when many of us are reflecting uncomfortably on racial and status privileges we have taken for granted.|We don't have to yell "white power" from a golf cart to be guilty of excluding others from our kinship. Those of us who were lucky enough to assume we would get an education tend to forget that not everyone came from families who could give their kids this kind of leg up in life. I even experienced a taste of this at a high level when I started at Creighton without a Ph.D. I got subtle messages from some faculty that I didn't quite belong in their club. That changed the minute I acquired those three sacred letters but it taught me a lesson about status bias.|Jesus doesn't ask us how many years we went to school, how much money we make or what neighborhood we live in. He only cares if we have been kind and if we look up to our moral superiors like the "Hey baby" employee.|One of the few good things about life under Covid 19 is that it is making some of us appreciate people we might have formerly treated as invisible like grocery store clerks. Yesterday after I noticed how carefully a young man at HyVee cleaned the checkout line, I thanked him. He said he hoped he did a good enough job. WOW! I know he's one of Jesus' brothers and I hope I can join that family
Daily Reflections (Meditations) on the Scriptures from the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
No full text"We must obey God rather than men" Acts|At the height of the Cold War, my favorite junior high teacher would dramatically ask us if we would risk our lives defending our faith if Russian communists ever marched into Nebraska's prairies. I imagined our class lining up outside school preparing for martyrdom or going to prison like the Christians behind the Iron Curtain that Sister Mary Jude often talked about. Would we be that brave?|Implausible as this sounds, it also was our introduction to the concept that sometimes you have to defy human rulers to obey our divine ruler, the central teaching of today's reading from Acts. "We must obey God rather than men," said Peter and the Apostles to the Sanhedrin who had ordered them to stop preaching about Jesus.|Happily the Russians never attacked Nebraska City so we were spared martyrdom or prison. However a few years later, every night on TV we saw Christians in our own country risking their lives and freedom to end segregation. I believed in their cause but did not grasp the spiritual connection between the civil rights protesters and the early Christians until I read Dr. Martin Luther King's searing "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" during college.|Like Peter and the Apostles, Dr. King and his followers felt that in going to prison to defy unjust laws, they were obeying God's higher law. Like the apostles, they believed they were "witnesses of these things (that Jesus did) as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."|Dr. King's letter had a profound impact on me as I began to understand that being a Christian demanded a willingness to witness even when that meant paying a price. This insight also was extremely uncomfortable. Although I hero-worshiped people like Dorothy Day, they did things for peace and justice that I, a conventional Midwesterner, would never do. Was this hypocritical?|Eventually I realized that witnessing can take many forms and that all of us can do SOMETHING to live our faith beyond attending church. The Sermon on the Mount tells us clearly what God expects – things like feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, welcoming the stranger, comforting the afflicted etc. If we can't find ways to obey these commands in our families, parishes and communities, we just aren't trying.|Happily if we need to transform our lives (and who doesn't) this is the perfect season to begin. May the Resurrection bring you new life just as it did to the early Christians.| Easter blessing and joy to all of you
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