Tag: Catholic meditation

Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? . . . In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.

Jesus tells the disciples the parable of the lost sheep after they approach him and ask, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” Calling a child over, Jesus challenges the disciples to turn and become like children. What comes to mind is the two groups of sheep, the ninety-nine in the flock and the one that strays. How do I identify myself?

God, help me understand today’s Gospel reading. Whether I have been the one stray or among the faithful through various choices I’ve made, there’s no question. Even more, whether I am at the same time with the ninety-nine and a stray also defines me. What matters, though, is the choice. Do I choose to be among the flock and will that the lost sheep are found, or do I remain astray, full of adult longings for the substitute gods of honor, power, pleasure, and wealth?

Lord, you said, “It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” By that, I know you include me. I believe, Lord, that you are present with me throughout the day and that your Son intercedes for me in prayer so that I am not led away from you by what I choose to say or do. I know I can ask you at any time to give me the grace to be like a child today and turn to you again and again. Take me and place me in your midst; let me stay near you so that others look just beyond me and see your presence.

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.

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Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest

God has called you through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today’s Gospel acclamation seems much easier to digest than the Gospel reading. In it, the collectors of the temple tax ask Peter if Jesus pays his taxes. Peter replies that he does, and then goes to where Jesus is staying. Already knowing what has just occurred, Jesus then asks Peter who kings take taxes from, subjects or foreigners. Peter replies “from foreigners,” and Jesus tells him, “Then the subjects are exempt.” So that they “may not offend” the tax collectors, Jesus tells Peter to go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the coin out of the fish he catches to give to the collectors.

Thank you, God, for this story from Matthew. I don’t fully understand what it means, so help me bring it to clarity in my own life today and in days to come. I think Jesus is doing here what he did elsewhere by saying, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” That is, be responsible for what the state requires of you but allow God to free you to belong to him.

God, help me realize that you made me to be free so that I can choose to put you first in all things. Biographies of Saint Dominic say that he spoke little unless it was with God in prayer, or about God to others as a way to instruct his brothers. Let my plans be subordinate to your will, and help me see your will in every decision I freely make today.

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.

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Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

In today’s Gospel reading, after saying these words, Jesus goes on to tell the disciples a parable about vigilance by describing servants who await their master’s return from a wedding. As a reward for their vigilance, the master waits on the servants. Just as a master of a house had known when a thief would come and prevent him from breaking in, so it is with being prepared for the coming of the Son of Man, especially for those disciples he put in charge. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Thank you, God, for this parable your Son spoke to the disciples but also to me. Help me understand the meaning of “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” In it, there are two references to time, is and will be and time and eternity. Where my treasure is today and as habit makes daily, there also my heart will be in the future and for all eternity—an inexhaustible treasure in heaven. How am I providing for myself things that don’t wear out and that no thief can destroy? “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?”

I think of the loss of things, things that time erodes—the fading light of a sunset, the end of summer, the end of an era, the end of long-held grief or anxiety. Each of those houses its own treasures and are found again and embraced on return to them. But they finally end, each of them. But you, Lord, are present always, and I find you again every time I journey away and make a return. In you is unending light and warmth and joy—an inexhaustible treasure—even in the midst of suffering. Provide for me today, Lord; let me be ready for 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.

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Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

During Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain, his face and clothing changed and became “dazzling white.” Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus before Peter, John, and James. In the second reading from Peter, he makes clear that he himself was an eyewitness to Jesus’ coming in power and that what he proclaimed was not “cleverly devised myths.” Peter himself, along with John and James, heard a voice from heaven say, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” In the Gospel reading of the transfiguration according to Luke, Peter was awestruck by the appearance of Moses and Elijah and hardly knew what to say. As he was still speaking, God spoke from heaven, saying, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

God, help me understand the need to listen for your voice. Thank you for the boldness of Peter in proclaiming his faith and insisting that he is not professing made-up accounts. Overwhelmed by what he witnesses, he fails to find words: “But he did not know what he was saying.” It is your voice that quiets Peter and turns his attention back to your Son. Surely, in my life there are moments when I speak for the sake of speaking and act for the sake of acting even as I am an eyewitness to a transformation taking place.

It is the Great I Am who speaks from a cloud in a voice that Peter, James, and John hear. It quiets the hearts of those close to the Lord and directs their attention back to him. The Gospel reading says about the disciples after that moment: “After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.” God, give me the grace today to hear and know your voice in silence and listen to your Son. At the end of today, I hope to be able to look back and know that you were present, that you love me, and that you were well pleased with all my words and actions.

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Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“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?”

In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus repeats the word life four times, and the refrain of the responsorial psalm is “It is I who deal death and give life.” There is no doubt that today’s readings deal with life and death but also with death in life, the kind of death in which life given to the pursuit of amassing riches is self-destructive. To die to this life through self-denial for the sake of following God leads to greater life.

God, help me hear and understand you through today’s readings. It isn’t easy to read the words “deny himself, take up his cross and follow me,” and it’s harder to do than it is to read. Yet, when I dwell on your invitation to come after you, I know that’s what I desire, to whatever degree I act on that desire.

I know that God asks that I slow down and quiet myself enough so that I can recognize him and hear him throughout the day. It isn’t always clear to me what my cross is, but I ask for God’s grace to recognize it so that I can come after him and deny myself. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

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.

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Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest

Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Fully divine and fully human, Jesus said first to Peter, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church” and next, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” This is Jesus calling Peter to a higher standard, to be like God through his indwelling in us, as is expressed in the first reading from the book of Jeremiah: “I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” In that short passage, God speaks the word covenant four times. And what is that covenant but God’s commitment to us in his unfathomable mercy, found in its fullest expression in the incarnation? “All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.” The cost of this to God? The cost was the suffering and death of his Son. For this reason, Jesus said to Peter, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

God, thank you for the gift of your covenant, your unending mercy. Help me understand what you need from me in order to please you. The responsorial psalm says, “For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” I can’t help thinking, God, that just as I try at times to be a people pleaser, I behave in the same way toward you. Give me the grace to avoid hollow sacrifices and instead be ready for you with a clean heart. “A willing spirit sustain in me, Lord.”

Lord, you are with me always. Even as I struggle to see that you are present in the quiet times of the day or amid the bustle of activity. Come, Holy Spirit. Be with me today and let me know you are present, not in ephemeral sensations but through the certainty of faith. Lord, give me the grace to turn to you during the day and acknowledge you in my thoughts, words, and actions. Help me think not as human beings do but as you do, relying on your covenant with me, which you have placed upon my 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.

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Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

At the beginning of today’s Gospel reading, Jesus withdraws to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Having just challenged the scribes and Pharisees in their questioning him about why the disciples break with tradition, Jesus says to them: “You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”

These are warring words, so it makes sense that Jesus, a warrior whose Passion was all-out war against sin, would go on the offensive and then retreat strategically. Yet, this is the same God of Israel who says in the first reading from Jeremiah: “With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you.”

Help me understand, God, how today’s readings fit together into a larger picture. Jesus left one front where he fought against sin only to encounter another: the Canaanite woman’s daughter who was tormented by a demon. The woman begged for Jesus’ mercy, was challenged by him to test her faith (“It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs”), and then with her persistence, received his mercy (“O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish”). More than once, Jesus attempted to retreat to be alone with his Father in prayer but then saw the needs of those who came to him and met them where they were with his unconditional love. Again, from the first reading, God says: “As Israel comes forward to be given his rest, the LORD appears to him from afar.”

If I see that people came to Jesus no matter where he was or where he was on his way to (even to spend quiet time in prayer), let me not be afraid at that moment to bring my greatest needs to him. If my own plans lead to an unending cycle where I am never satisfied to rest, let me recognize like the Canaanite woman that even the scraps from the Lord’s table, like supersubstantial bread, would at last satisfy my longing and hunger to know God’s will and to do it. Today, Lord, I know you want me to come to you and that you will meet me where I am. Let me recognize that and be bold in standing behind you today in spiritual battle, asking confidently for what I need.

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Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Reflection

“Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.”

The Gospel reading for today continues where yesterday’s reading left off. After the death of John the Baptist, Jesus intended to go off and pray alone, but the crowd followed him and his heart was moved to care for them and feed them. It is striking in today’s reading to see that Jesus dismisses the crowd and then goes up the mountain by himself to pray. His steadfastness is no surprise, yet this subtle detail reveals his desire and fidelity to be with the Father in prayer. When Jesus walks on water and grasps Peter as he begins to sink, he says to him: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Before that, only after Jesus finishes praying, uniting his identity with that of the Father’s, do the disciples say “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

God, help me understand the divine identity of your Son so that when I am perturbed by the day or overtaken by apprehension and doubt, I can hear Jesus’ words to the disciples: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Thank you, Jesus, for your example of being steadfast in prayer. Give me the grace to follow that example when I see only my way of doing things. Help me understand how to make a return to you.

God, teach me to trust you. Show me that the day is not mine, but yours as a gift to me for the sake of giving it back to you to give glory to your name. The pressure of the day and its anxieties—what are they for if not to proclaim that you are over them—all over all? I ask that you stay near throughout the day and come to me to grasp my arm in the midst of the day’s turbulence and storms. Through your grace, give me the means to be steadfast in my desire to give to you little moments alone with you in prayer.

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Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Reflection

“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. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.”

Today’s Gospel reading shows Jesus looking in heaven toward God the Father as he blesses and breaks the loaves and then shares them. Matthew makes very clear in this description Jesus’ actions and demeanor as he prays. The feeding of the five thousand takes place after he has learned about the beheading of John the Baptist and tries to go off to a deserted place by boat. Yet, when he arrives, what does he find but a crowd who followed him? Matthew says about Jesus when he saw this: “When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.”

God, help me understand that being fully human, Jesus attempted to rectify himself in prayer with the death of John the Baptist. He tried to do what is understandable in such a situation by mourning and trying to understand God’s will. Yet, being fully divine, at seeing the crowd Jesus showed his limitless mercy in caring for them, curing the sick, and then feeding them. Thank you, Lord, for this example for those times when I try to understand your will but am so-called interrupted by the needs of others, whether family or strangers.

Lord, you sought prayer and solace with your Father in heaven, yet at the sight of the crowds, your heart was moved with pity for them. Rather than being interrupted, you made your work itself a means of uniting with the Father.

Today through the grace of God, let me be humble in what I see as the right direction. Let me be supple enough to know your will and accomplish it rather than stubbornly pursuing my own aims. Help me realize Jesus’ invitation throughout the day to care for others, to give them some food myself and allow God to take whatever good is in that and make it superabundant.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.

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Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Reflection

God said to the rich man in Jesus’ parable: “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’

The Gospel reading reflects perfectly the futility that Qoheleth expresses in the first reading: “Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and yet to another who has not labored over it, he must leave property.” The things of this world ultimately don’t belong to me; tearing down one barn to build another, as the rich man does in Jesus’ parable, what foolishness is that? Certain aphorisms come to mind: “Man proposes, God disposes.” And “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

God help me to take in fully what I have heard in these readings. There is a certain comfort in knowing all of my restless efforts to succeed—to make more money, to make something take flight, to build a bigger barn—are all vanity. “Even at night,” Qoheleth says, “his mind is not at rest.” In that realization, there is rest. There is in it a moment for a world-weary sigh in which I can set my eyes not on material goods but on “what matters to God.”

Because I don’t always have the consolation of your presence, Lord, call me back throughout the day to rest in you. Let me walk by your side, and turn my gaze toward what you see, and attend to it. In some ways, today is a double chance for rest: first, in that I keep holy the Sabbath; and second, in that Jesus asks us not to toil in vain for the things of this world but to be rich in what matters to God.

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