Author: James T.

“All that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” | Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today’s readings)

As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”

Following the calming of a storm at sea, Jesus and the disciples arrive at the region of Gerasenes and encounter a man possessed by demons. Living among the tombs and restrained by chains and shackles he smashed, the demon-possessed man meets Jesus at the shore. Night and day, Mark tells us, the man cried out and bruised himself with stones. Recognizing Jesus by name, the demons identifying themselves as Legion, beg Jesus not to torment them. Granting their request, Jesus sends the demons into a nearby herd of pigs, which immediately rush down a steep bank into the sea. The man returns to his right mind, and the witnesses and nearby townspeople beg the man to leave, who first attempts to go with Jesus and then travels to the Decapolis to proclaim what Jesus has done for him. The people are amazed, and word of Jesus begins to spread. Sometimes life would have us living among tombs, possessed by inner demons. If Jesus drove out Legion, he can drive out any of those who name themselves or any who dwell in us in anonymity. “Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.”

God, stay beside me this moment and throughout the day as I meditate on the power of Jesus Christ your Son to name and cast out any evil within me. Thanks be to you, Lord, for the gifts of baptism and reconciliation and the true food and true drink of the Eucharist. Jesus commanded the possessed man to do one thing. Let me open my heart in gratitude to his command and find joy in it: “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Help me remember your compassion, Lord, as I place my trust in you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

From the responsorial psalm: “Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in! Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (today’s readings)

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted—and you yourself a sword will pierce—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

The words of Simeon to Mary are powerful, and from Mary’s viewpoint must have been very disquieting. For her to hear that Jesus will figure into the lives of many in Israel and that he will be a sign of contradiction is unsettling enough. To add to that, Simeon tells her that she herself will be pierced by a sword. This foreshadows the suffering Mary will endure at the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus. And for what purpose? “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” At the end of the passage, Luke says this about all the years ahead that Jesus would spend in the home of Joseph and Mary after they presented him to the Lord: “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”

God, help me understand what Simeon and Anna understood about Jesus. As they awaited the consolation of Israel throughout their long lives, they witnessed him firsthand, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” Confident in his faith at seeing his salvation, Simeon was able to say, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go.” Give me the grace, Lord, to receive the Eucharist with the same faith, realizing that you are truly present in the form of bread and wine—that it is the king of glory, the Lord, that I take and receive and let dwell within me. “Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Quiet! Be still!” | Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the bonds of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel; he has come to his people.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today’s readings)

Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

In the first reading, Saint Paul mentions the word faith—what he defines as “the realization of what is hoped for”—six times as he recounts the faith of Abraham, who followed God and received the fullness of God’s promises. Using the word just once, Jesus questions the disciples after he calms the storm. And with a single word, the same one with which Jesus silences demons, he calms the storm by saying “Quiet!” While the disciples stood in awe of Jesus’ mastery over the elements, we know what they didn’t know about him yet: he is the risen Christ, the Son of God, who destroys death and restores life. The disciples ask him beforehand, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus answers as he always does when we question his sovereignty over every moment in our lives: “Do you not yet have faith?”

God, throughout the day, help me remember three words Jesus spoke to the disciples: “Quiet! Be still!” In order to hear that voice, I have to remain in the boat with him in the midst of storms. Give me the grace to remain there and not cast myself into sea swells. I’m sure that sometime in the future for a yet-unknown reason, my prayer will be “Don’t you care, God?” In that moment, Lord, don’t let me lose sight of you seated in the stern. Remove all fear, and strengthen my faith. Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Of its own accord the land yields fruit.” | Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

San Giovanni Bosco - A black and white photo of a man wearing a hat

From the responsorial psalm: “Trust in the LORD and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security. Take delight in the LORD, and he will grant you your heart’s requests. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (today’s readings)

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.”

Of its own accord, the seed of the kingdom of God sprouts and grows and ripens for the harvest. Jesus speaks in parables to the crowds so that they receive and let take root the word of God as children receive the love and guidance of parents. “With many such parables,” Mark tells us, “he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.” Jesus’ revelation of the kingdom is more than the sharing of factual information; it is an invitation to participate in its wonder and mystery. In receiving the word, as Saint Paul puts it, we are “among those who have faith and will possess life” as the smallest of seeds grow to the fullness of grain that is harvested and gathered.

God, your kingdom is here and now and yet to be. In it, “we live and move and have our being.” Help me today to hold on to a childlike sense of faith and wonder at your presence in the world and in the events of the day that are close to home as they unfold. The Gospel acclamation reminds me that “you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” Let me turn my attention less to the things that I can make grow and thrive and more to your eternal will being done as things take place seemingly of their own accord. Lord, let me take refuge in you; sustain and save me. Saint John Bosco, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“To the one who has, more will be given.” | Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 4:21-25)

He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Jesus continues teaching the disciples, placing his focus on the purpose and impact of his message by making two comparisons: the light from a lamp and ears for hearing. What Jesus reveals is not meant to be hidden away but instead given a place of prominence so that the revelation illuminates all of the lives it touches. “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you” is to say that you receive what you put in, whether attentive to his words or indifferent or dismissive of them. Jesus calls us to actively listen to him and respond to his teachings, which is essential to growing in faith and understanding of his message.

God, as Saint Paul encourages in the first reading, let me do today as I approach you with a sincere heart and absolute trust. So many moving pieces go into a day that it is sometimes hard to see the light that shines right in front of me or to listen attentively for your quiet voice amid a bustle of activity. “Take care what you hear,” Jesus says. And anyone who has hears, which is everybody, ought to hear and see what his revelation makes visible. Lord, keep me far from being the one who has not. Give me the grace to receive still more from you as I measure out the breadth and depth and height of your word. “Such is the race that seeks for him,” the psalmist prays, “that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“The sower sows the word.” | Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 4:1-20)

Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.”

Using a parable about a sower, Jesus describes conditions in life that we all face at one time or another. Jesus explains to the crowd gathered around him by the sea that the seed represents the word of God and that different types of ground symbolize the various responses to his word. Whether through persecution or distraction or anxiety or succumbing to the evil one, we sometimes fail to see God’s word take root. “But those sown on rich soil,” Jesus says, “are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” What kind of soil will the sower of the word find in us as he comes to sow his word?

God, help me prepare my heart to receive your word so that it takes root and bears fruit “thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” The seed that you come to plant will grow throughout my life and continue to grow even into eternal life through the single sacrifice of Jesus Christ your Son. You are the sower who promises and delivers, as Jeremiah prophesied, through the New Covenant to put your laws into our hearts and write them upon our minds. Give me the grace, Lord, to make of myself a good seedbed of rich soil, ready to receive your word. In fruitfulness, let it grow abundantly in this life and continue to grow under the eternal light of your presence. Let me hear and accept your word.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

From the responsorial psalm: “I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me. And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God. Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 3:31-35)

“Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

As the mother of Jesus and his brothers stand outside, word is sent to Jesus that they wish to speak to him. Commonly referred to as brothers were extended family members such as cousins. Jesus tells the crowd who his family is as he looks around at each of them. At the coming of Jesus, Saint Paul tells us, the will of the Father takes the place of sacrifices of burnt offerings and sin offerings. “By this ‘will,’ Paul says, “we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

God, help me dwell today on the divine guidance the readings give in doing your will. The psalmist says, “Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, ‘Behold I come.’ Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.” Twice, the psalmist says, “waited”—”I have waited, waited for the LORD.” God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me. Give me the grace today to recognize and accomplish your will. Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them.” | Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek. The LORD said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.'”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 2:18-22)

Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.”

A day after we hear John’s account of the Wedding at Cana, today’s Gospel again presents Jesus as the bridegroom who delights in the guests at the wedding banquet. As long as Jesus is physically present, joy and fulfillment are given in abundance. But a time will come when he is “taken way” during his passion and death; then there will be fasting in the sorrow of his absence. The two parables Jesus shares—the new patch on the old garment and new wine poured into old wineskins—illustrate the new reality Jesus brings in his presence. The New Covenant cannot simply be imposed on or confined by the ways of the old covenant. The joy of the New Covenant is in Christ himself and the Church he establishes through perfect obedience to the Father.

God, help me participate fully in the joy and new life Jesus brings as your bridegroom. Strengthen my faith, especially in times of sorrow and guide me to live in the fullness of joy that comes from following Jesus Christ your Son. As Saint Paul says, “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” By his example and through your grace, guide me in knowing and doing your will.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“You have kept the good wine until now.” | Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all you lands. Sing to the LORD; bless his name. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 2:1-11)

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from—although the servers who had drawn the water knew —, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

John relates the account of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus performs his first miracle in his public ministry by turning water into wine. The transformation of water into wine immediately reveals the divine nature and authority of Jesus as the Son of God. In the midst of the wedding feast, wine running out would quickly bring the celebration to an end and the guests to a state of desolation. Jesus not only changes water into inferior wine but instead makes it the choicest wine, symbolizing the surpassing joy God takes in his people, as we hear in Isaiah: “No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken,’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you shall be called ‘My Delight,’ and your land ‘Espoused.'” In comprehending what the first of Jesus’ miraculous signs means for us in the midst of the day, what Mary says to the servants, she also says to us: “Do whatever he tells you.”

God, you are in my midst today, continually pouring out your gifts through the sacraments and in the people you place before me. Help me see your superabundant grace in the different spiritual gifts given by the same Spirit. Through Jesus Christ your Son at the Wedding of Cana, you delighted in your people and rejoiced as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride. In perfectly accomplishing your will, Jesus is truly present every day at every Mass as bread and wine is changed into the Body and Blood of your Son. Help me be attentive to his will; in hearing him, help me follow Mary’s example of obedience to your Son and to the Son of Mary: “Do whatever he tells you.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.” | Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 2:13-17)

Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard this and said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) to follow him. Matthew invites Jesus to dine at his house along with many tax collectors and sinners. When the Scribes and Pharisees see them dining together, they are critical of Jesus, questioning why he would eat with sinners. After Jesus hears their remarks, his response reveals the purpose of his mission and how he came to choose Matthew as one of the apostles: the sick need the Divine Physician, and Jesus calls sinners to him. Saint Paul recognizes the dependence we have on the grace and mercy Jesus offers when he says, “No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.”

Father in heaven, help me now and throughout the day receive your grace through Jesus Christ your Son. Let the words of Saint Paul remind me what it means to respond as Saint Matthew did on hearing the words “Follow me.” It means that in approaching the throne of grace, I have the sympathy and compassion of Jesus. Give me the grace to do as Paul urges in saying, “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.” Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of the Divine Physician, show me the way to your Son. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.