Tag: disciples

Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:6-11)

On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.

The scene Luke sets in today’s Gospel presents the trickery of the Pharisees in their attempt to catch Jesus transgressing Mosaic law. Without their approaching Jesus directly, the Pharisees have playing out before them what they believe is a perfect dilemma: Will Jesus cure on the sabbath? Luke goes on to tell us that Jesus understood their intentions, and asking the man to stand before them, he said to the Pharisees: “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Jesus asks the man to stretch out his hand, and he cures him. But the Pharisees become furious, and they discuss together, as Luke says, “what they might do to Jesus.”

Father in heaven, I turn to you in today’s readings to know you better, to come nearer to the source and end of love itself. “Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from him comes my hope,” I read in today’s psalms. You, Lord, are the sabbath rest that my soul seeks. Just as the man with the withered hand put his trust in Jesus, I also stretch out my hand to receive your mercy and healing. Taking refuge in you, enveloped in your love, give me the opportunity today and the grace to be a refuge to others and to be a witness to the mercy and self-sacrificial love of Christ.

From the first reading: “It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in 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.

“There am I in the midst of them.” | Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 18:15-20)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

In today’s Gospel as in the first reading from Ezekiel, God shows his desire to bring all people to him in unity. Jesus tells the disciples to admonish and resolve any wrong done to them among their brothers and sisters, emphasizing forgiveness and mercy. “If your brother sins against you,” Jesus says, “go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.” Jesus continues to speak of fraternal correction and guides the disciples toward reconciliation through the witness of mediators and before the Church. Through Christ’s presence and the action of the Holy Spirit, the process of reconciliation and decision-making among members of the Church is oriented toward God. Jesus promises that where two or three are gathered in his name, he is present among them.

Father in heaven, be my help today in orienting my words and actions toward you. Give me the opportunity to realize it is reconciliation to you and with others that you always offer because you are love itself. Let me take sin for what it is, an obstacle in receiving and expressing love. If necessary, help me do as you ask Ezekiel to do: “dissuade the wicked from his way.” So when sin divides, and it will, guide me to address offenses with the aim of reconciliation and resolution. As the psalmist says, you are our God and we are the people you shepherd, the flock you guide. I ask you for the grace to seek unity and reconciliation with others as you do with your people. “Love does no evil to the neighbor,” says Saint Paul, “hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

From the Gospel acclamation: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

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 Peter Claver, Priest

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:1-5)

Jesus said to the Pharisees in reply, “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

Jesus responds to the Pharisees who criticize the disciples as they walk through a field, picking the heads of grain and eating them. It’s not difficult to imagine this scene. The Pharisees are on their way somewhere, and they stop in their tracks when they notice the disciples doing something unlawful. In response to the criticism of his disciples’ conduct, Jesus argues that human needs, including satisfying hunger and performing works of mercy, take precedence over the sabbath. In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus says: “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus identifies the Pharisees’ confining legalistic understanding of the sabbath and offers a deeper understanding rooted in mercy, compassion, and fulfillment of the Father’s will.

Father in heaven, you look first to the care of your people over manmade rules, rules that become distorted through fallen human nature. When I am overzealous to go to the defense of a house rule or certain habit, help me slow down and think through what I am about to say or do. Is there instead an opportunity for me to be like your Son and offer mercy? When I am keen to point out someone’s wrongdoing, give me the grace to recognize that everything I have is from you. In the sabbath, as with all your good gifts, help me be merciful as you are merciful. Saint Peter Claver, pray for us!

From the Gospel acclamation: “I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through 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.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his apostles: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

With these challenging words, Jesus invites not only the apostles but anybody who hears him to take up his cross and follow after him. It’s hard to imagine a love greater than that of love for parents or children. Yet, in speaking to the apostles, that is the standard he calls us to strive for. The demand of discipleship to set aside the quest of self-fulfillment has a paradoxical result. In Jesus’ own words, what is that result? “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Whoever finds himself worthy of the Lord is the one who loves him more than father or mother or son or daughter. In that worthy state of grace, love of father and mother and son and daughter becomes ever greater.

God, help me remember this way of life that Jesus calls me to and that you, the author of life, give me your Son as the way, the truth, and the life. Calling this to mind, give me the courage to find my life by losing it for your sake. Jesus says, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” Give me the grace to recognize that I am an instrument of your love for your people, your “little ones.” In showing them mercy and kindness, I do your will by giving them a cup of cold water to drink.

Lord, be with me today as I put self-interest aside. Stay with me as I receive others, knowing that I love them all the more as I strive to be worthy of 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.

Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When it was evening, they brought [Jesus] many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus enters Capernaum and encounters the centurion whose servant was at his home, paralyzed and suffering. Amazed at the centurion’s faith and without going to see the servant, Jesus heals him with the words “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” As Jesus enters Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law lies in bed with a fever. As Jesus touches her hand, Matthew tells us, the fever left her. In both of these miraculous healings, Jesus merely says a word or touches to restore the servant and Peter’s mother-in-law. Matthew says that “by a word” Jesus drove out demons and healed the sick. With complete faith in the Lord and with only a word from him, what is there he cannot accomplish?

Lord, help me recognize your power to heal, your willingness to extend your healing to all, and the importance of faith in receiving your healing. Just as in yesterday’s reading as Jesus says to the leper “I do will it,” today he shows his compassion, authority, and his mission to bring salvation to all and to restore them to him. God, with the same faith as the centurion, give me the grace to say, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”

From the Gospel acclamation: “Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

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.

Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately.

The leper who approached Jesus suffered greatly from his disease. In Jesus’ time, leprosy was commonly understood to be a punishment for sin. Therefore, in curing the man immediately from his leprosy, Matthew shows us that Jesus had authority to heal both body and soul. By coming to Jesus, the leper is a great example of his trust in Jesus’ ability to heal him and that faith is essential in our relationship with God and his ability to heal us through his grace.

God, help me understand that the relationship the leper had with Jesus, coming to him in faith and trust, is exactly where I need to be with you. Through the recurrence of sin, I can delude myself in believing that what I have done is beyond your forgiveness. In saying, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean,” the leper comes to Jesus in childlike faith. Jesus’ reply to him shows that what you will is for all to be restored in wholeness to you. In a state of grace, the leper hears Jesus command him to show himself to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses. In the same way after receiving absolution in Confession, I go with joy in a state of grace to offer myself to Jesus as I receive him in the Eucharist.

Thank you, Lord, for your gift of healing physical and spiritual illnesses through your grace, through the sacraments. When I have sinned, let to come to you in faith to receive your divine mercy.

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.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to Peter: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

In today’s Gospel, Matthew describes the moment when Jesus chooses Peter as the first pope of the Catholic Church. From the second reading, Paul himself speaks of his apostleship in proclaiming the Gospel: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” Both of these great apostles cooperated with God’s grace to strengthen them, and both were martyred. Just as Mary said yes to the Lord during the annunciation, Peter and Paul said yes in different ways, which shaped the Church that remains today and which the gates of the netherworld will never prevail against.

God, these giants of the early Church martyred long ago for love of you now pray for your Church before you in heaven. Rather than see them as unapproachable because of their greatness, I ask for them to intercede for me for your grace to compete well in this life and finish the race alive in faith that will bring me to eternal life. Rescue me, Lord, from the threats of this life—great and small. Under your care and longing for you always, may the prayers of Saints Peter and Paul one day bring me to you safe in your heavenly kingdom.

From the responsorial psalm: “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Taste and see how good the LORD is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him.” Saints Peter and Paul, 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 Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them.”

Jesus warns the disciples to remain close to what is true in avoiding false prophets. To remain in the truth is to remain in Jesus Christ, who is truth itself. How do you recognize the false prophets—the ones in Jesus’ time and the ones of today? Jesus says you will know them not by appearances or by persona but by their fruits. “Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,” Jesus tells us, “and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.” The false prophets of Jesus’ day are not too different from the false prophets of today. Just as Jesus invites the disciples to know and remain in the truth, he also invites us each day to remain in him.

God, here I am at the start of a new day. I sit quietly in your presence, undisturbed by the many wavering voices that will compete for my attention throughout the day. Help me avoid the bad and choose the good; even better, give me the grace to remain in you through singleminded attention to your will in each moment of the day.

Thank you, God, for all your gifts. Let me remember to rest in you today as I strive to make the most of your gift of time with the work I have to do and the people I encounter. Help me remain in you as you remain in me so that I bear good fruit.

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.

Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

Jesus continues to teach the disciples about the conditions of discipleship in this earthly life that lead to eternal life in heaven. In teaching them the Golden Rule—“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”—Jesus shows the disciples the way to live day to day in this life. In the analogy of the narrow gate and the broad road, Jesus guides the disciples to the way that leads to the fullness of God’s love and glory. Choosing the narrow gate of salvation—to imitate Christ today and every day—is not easy, but it is the only path that leads to eternal life.

God, as the day unfolds, I will have brought before me more paths than I can choose and more decisions heaped on me than I wish to make. Help me today find the narrow gate that leads to life. I want to remember throughout the day that you are with me. I think of part of the prayer known as Saint Patrick’s Breastplate: “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left.” Give me the grace today to stay within the confines of Christ as I move forward through the day.

From the Gospel acclamation: “I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.”

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 Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

Jesus speaks to the disciples in today’s Gospel about judging others. It is not altogether wrong to acknowledge the faults of others. However, he calls attention to judgment that is arrogant and self-righteous while ignoring one’s own flaws. Jesus calls those who judge in this way hypocrite. One’s own serious faults need to be addressed and corrected first before addressing the minor flaws—the splinter—of others. “Stop judging,” Jesus says, “that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” Be merciful to others, Jesus teaches, just as God is merciful to us.

God, help me make sense of today’s Gospel in light of the people I encounter. Judgmental by habit, I ask you for the grace to see how judgment binds me; fault-finding by nature, I ask for your mercy, despite my own faults. Work through me, Lord, so that I can remain in you and end any division that would keep me from staying close to my brother. Help me see myself and others clearly so that I can do your work.

Be with me today, Lord; let me be a means of your kindness. From the Gospel acclamation: “The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”

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.