Tag: faith

“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?” | Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Teach me, Lord, to have complete trust in Jesus Christ your Son whom you sent from heaven as true food and true drink so that we look to you radiant with joy—now and forever.

From the responsorial psalm: “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 6:41-51)

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven, ” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.”

Jesus goes on to reveal his relationship to the Father even further. He has seen the Father, he tells the Jews, because he is sent by him. As the bread of life sent down from heaven, Jesus gives eternal life to anyone who believes in him. Jesus recalls for the Jews how their ancestors ate manna in the desert but died. This is the bread that gives eternal life, Jesus says, “so that one may eat it and not die.” The Gospel passage closes with this teaching from the mouth of the one sent by the Father: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The power of God the Father to speak reality into existence is also in the power of the Son sent by the Father. At every Mass, we hear the priest, in the person of Christ, say the very same thing: “Take this, all of you, and eat it; this is my body which will be given up for you.” Done out of love and in obedience to the Father, Jesus accomplishes perfectly what Saint Paul describes in the second reading. He “loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.”

God, I can’t imagine how Jesus could have been more explicit than this in identifying himself as present in the Eucharist—body and blood, soul and divinity. “I am the bread of life.” How clearly Jesus teaches all of us who he is and what he instituted through his life and during the Last Supper. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” Whoever believes has eternal life, Jesus says, and whoever eats this bread will live forever. Teach me, Lord, to have complete trust in Jesus Christ your Son whom you sent from heaven as true food and true drink so that we look to you radiant with joy—now and forever. Strengthen my faith in the Eucharist and with it; let my soul glory in you, Lord, in your goodness!

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 Father will honor whoever serves me.”| Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commands. His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the upright generation shall be blessed. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 12:24-26)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

Jesus begins to reveal to his disciples his coming persecution and death. What he tells the disciples also prefigures their own suffering and death. Within the same moment, it causes Jesus to express his anguish and at the same time his resolve to do his Father’s will: “I am troubled now,” he says. “Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.” In the same way, Saint Lawrence was martyred as a servant of the Church in honor of Christ. Whatever suffering might come today in taking up our cross and following Jesus, he assures us of the reward: “The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

God, grant me the wisdom to recognize that there will be things I die to today for the sake of following Christ. Great martyrdom isn’t very likely the purpose you give me today. Yet, let me be prepared to be a martyr for the sake of being a servant to your Son. Saint Paul illustrates what that looks like: “Each must do as already determined,” he says, “without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Lord, help me realize I have nothing to give except for what you gave me first. Make my purpose clear to me. Let me be generous, then, in serving Christ and dispensing the gift of his love for the sake of your honor. Saint Lawrence, 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.

“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it.” | Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Learn then that I, I alone, am God, and there is no god besides me. It is I who bring both death and life, I who inflict wounds and heal them. It is I who deal death and give life.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 16:24-28)

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

In this life, Jesus tells us, conduct does matter. It does matter how we choose to live. In making that clear, Jesus also precedes this by teaching how to choose in order to live. And it is completely upside down from the way the world teaches us to live. Rather than saving oneself for the sake of gaining life, Jesus instructs us to do the opposite: deny yourself, lose your life. Who would not be hesitant to do this, to commit to losing one’s life for the sake of finding it? Yet, Jesus asks, “what can one give in exchange for his life?” At what cost are worldly goods gained, and what are they worth in relation to life here and now and the life of the world to come?

God, help me choose to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Christ your Son, as he commanded. In the Our Father is the perfect disposition of true God and true man in obedience to your will. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Because of original sin and the challenging but numbing routines of daily life, it is difficult, Lord, to know your will. Help me see it as I move through each moment of the day. Help me let go of my own agenda and know that you alone are God, and there is no god besides you. Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, 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.

Memorial of Saint Dominic, priest

From the responsorial psalm: “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. Create a clean heart in me, O God.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 16:13-23)

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”

Peter responds to Jesus in a unique way by proclaiming his divine identity. Although the other disciples fail to make their belief explicit, only Peter expresses it to Jesus in this way. Jesus tells him he recognizes this because of divine revelation, not for anything human experience has taught him. Jesus then declares that Peter is the rock upon which he will build His Church. Today’s Gospel gives us Peter’s example of faith, being open to God’s revelations in our lives. In the words of Jesus, it also reveals the primacy of Peter and his successors, the popes, as the leaders of the Church. How easy it is to slip back into the shadows of half-truths sprung from human fears, as when Peter rebukes Jesus for revealing to the disciples the suffering he is about to experience. Jesus sharply reminds Peter, and all of us, not to be misled by fear, suffering, and the darkness of death: “Get behind me, Satan!” Jesus says to Peter, “You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

God, help me examine the two paths laid out in today’s Gospel and take to heart the conclusion the trustworthy expression “You are God and I am not.” Peter immediately rejected your divine plan that Jesus laid out in explicit detail. He would suffer greatly at the hands of others and be killed. The few words that follow are easy to miss: “and on the third day be raised.” As Jesus strengthened Peter’s faith by telling him “You are thinking not as God does,” strengthen my faith in trusting in your Son and in his triumph over sin and death. As Peter put it: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Lord, what can I do but try again and again to let go of my ways and all the anxieties associated with them? As Saint Dominic said: “Whatever troubles may be before you, accept them bravely, remembering Whom you are trying to follow. Do not be afraid.” Saint Dominic, 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.

“Lord, help me.” | Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 15:21-28)

But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

The Canaanite woman who calls out to Jesus, calling him Lord, begs him for help. “My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Jesus at first does not answer her, and the disciples tell Jesus to send her away as she continues to call out after them. Then Jesus tells her that he was “sent only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Again, the woman says, “Lord, help me.” Jesus again seems to resist one who is not a lost sheep—as he called the Israelites—but instead a little dog. Although this sounds harsh, Jesus’ exchange with the woman draws from her a level of faith that causes Jesus to exclaim, “O woman, great is your faith!” For the sake of selfless love, the woman would accept any scrap of mercy from the Lord in order for him to heal her daughter. Will there be occasion today to seek the Lord’s mercy with the same selfless love?

God, help me today as I struggle to stay in your presence. Teach me throughout this day to come to you for my needs and to desire to know your guidance and care. I will forget you, lost in projects and transitory aims. Who will you place before me today that prompts me to go to you out of selfless love. Unless you make that very clear to me, I’m not likely to see it through the fog of distraction and self-absorption. Help me put into action the words of St. Albert the Great: “The greater and more persistent your confidence in God, the more abundantly you will receive all that you ask.” For the sake of your Son’s sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

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.

“This is my beloved Son.” | Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

From the responsorial psalm: “The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:2-10)

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

All of the readings for today’s Feast of the Transfiguration point to the relationship of Jesus to the Father and to the kingship of God. The refrain from the Psalm is “The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.” In the second reading, Peter says, “For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, ‘This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ And in the Gospel, the Father speaks to his beloved Son in the presence of Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John. In the Gospel, Peter hardly knows what to say. By the time he writes a letter to the first Christians, he knows exactly what to say to them about the Transfiguration: “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. . . . You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

Father in heaven, you sent your Son for the sake of our salvation. Bringing all who believe in him the hope of eternal life through his death and resurrection, Jesus brings us into relationship with you as your adopted sons and daughters. Give me the grace to receive the gift of the Eucharist, knowing that in receiving it, I unite with your Son to become like him. Help me recall throughout the day the Prayer after Communion: “May the heavenly nourishment we have received, O Lord, we pray, transform us into the likeness of your Son, whose radiant splendor you willed to make manifest in his glorious Transfiguration. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.” Lord, help me listen to your beloved Son.

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.

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Remove from me the way of falsehood, and favor me with your law. Lord, teach me your statutes.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 14:13-21)

When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full.

Moved by compassion for the crowd even after hearing of the death of John the Baptist, Jesus cures the sick and then feeds them by multiplying the loaves and fish. What Jesus does as he multiplies the loaves is recalled during the Last Supper and during the consecration of every Mass. At his command, we bring our gifts of bread and wine—and our very selves—as the Lord takes the gifts, blesses them and becomes present in the consecrated host. As the Communion Rite from the Roman Missal states: “As the ministers prepare the altar, representatives of the people bring forward the bread and wine that will become the Body and Blood of Christ. The celebrant blesses and praises God for these gifts and places them on the altar, the place of the Eucharistic sacrifice.”

God, every good gift comes from you. Take from me today the simple gifts I give you so that they become through your blessing the spiritual nourishment that strengthens and sustains me. Jesus tells us that he was sent by you and that to do your work is to believe in him. “This is the work of God,” he says to the crowd, “that you believe in the one he sent.” Strengthen my faith, Lord, in your abiding presence. Give me greater understanding and appreciation of the Eucharist as I see the gifts brought to the altar and recognize Jesus’ presence in the breaking of the bread. Mary, Mother of God, 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.

“I am the bread of life.” | Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “He commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven; he rained manna upon them for food and gave them heavenly bread. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 6:24-35)

So [the crowd] said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

After Jesus had fed the 5,000, the same crowd approaches, still looking to be fed. Jesus knows their hearts and tells them that they are looking for him not because of signs but because they ate the bread and fishes and were filled. He tells them: “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” They question Jesus about doing the works of God, asking him for a sign. Jesus tells them: “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” Finally, he makes clear that the one sent by the Father is who they are to believe in, that in Jesus the Father sends the true bread from heaven. “I am the bread of life,” Jesus says, “whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Father in heaven, you sent your Son as true food and true drink. Manna was sent as a sign and pointed to you, but Jesus is not the sign but the bread sent from heaven, the Word made flesh—the real presence in the Eucharist. The food that Jesus fed the 5,000 left them hungry for more food, so they followed Jesus. “One does not live on bread alone,” Jesus says, “but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Lord, help me hear the echo of the crowd as I move throughout the day; they asked the right question: “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” And Jesus gave them the perfect answer: believe in the one he sent. Give me the faith, Lord, to hear your every word through Jesus Christ your Son.

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.

“This man is John the Baptist.” | Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.” Lord, in your great love, answer me.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 14:1-12)

But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

In today’s Gospel, King Herod hears about the ministry and miracles of Jesus and mistakenly believes that Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead. Herod had previously imprisoned and eventually beheaded John the Baptist because Herodias wanted John killed. Matthew uses this story to explain how John the Baptist was beheaded, and it highlights the consequences of Herod’s ruthlessness. At his birthday celebration, quite possibly drunk, he swore to the girl that he would give her whatever she asked. He became distressed when she asked for John’s head and by upholding pride was trapped into following through on his promise before his guests.

God, help me understand the ruinous consequences of pride, the deadly sin of refusing to let go of power, honor, or wealth. There is something more to the story of Herod that I want to call to mind and keep with me today. Herod arrested John the Baptist because he had openly criticized his unlawful marriage to Herodias, who was his brother’s wife. So deeply has sin and dysfunction distorted Herod’s reasoning, that he believed Jesus was John risen from the dead, as if he were a ghost who had come back to haunt him. Keep me in your care, Lord; guide me in your ways and keep me from sin and its deadly consequences. Lord, in your great love, hear and answer me.

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.

“Where did this man get all this?” | Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “But I pray to you, O LORD, for the time of your favor, O God! In your great kindness answer me with your constant help. Lord, in your great love, answer me.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:54-58)

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

In Nazareth, Jesus is met by many who know him by name and have seen him grow up in the house of Joseph and Mary. They contrast the wisdom he has with his simple origin and identify him in relation to family members—the carpenter’s son, the son of Mary, and mention of brothers and sisters. How could this man know what he knows? Just as it is easy to take for granted the gifts and wisdom of those closest to us, Jesus’ own townspeople do the same. The result, Matthew tells us, is that Jesus did not perform many miracles there because of their little faith in him.

God, help me consider two things from today’s Gospel. Help me see and appreciate how you work through those closest to me that I might otherwise take for granted. Even more, give me the grace to realize that in order for mighty deeds, or miracles, to take place I have to have faith in Jesus your Son and Jesus son of Mary. Help me trust in him as I move throughout the day, knowing that in him is the source of all knowledge and wisdom. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

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.