Tag: love

“For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” | Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him, For he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (10:13-16, today’s readings)

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”

In the first reading, we hear Sirach say that God says to his people, “Avoid all evil.” He created us to live in wisdom and understanding through his covenant with his chosen people, Israel. Similarly, Jesus tells us in the Gospel to welcome in the kingdom of God as he receives the children who come to him. As the children come to Jesus, he embraces and blesses them. Through wisdom, we choose freely to be God’s children and receive his gift. Mary, full of grace, lived by saying yes to everything God asked of her. In her Magnificat, she proclaims, “the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” As Saint John Paul II said of Mary accepting God’s gift within herself: “This Wisdom is Jesus Christ himself, the Eternal Word of God, who perfectly reveals and accomplishes the will of the Father.” Mary invites everyone to accept this gift of Wisdom.” 

Father in heaven, make clear to me as you would make clear to a child what your will is for me today. If I miss what you make clear, again let me see what I didn’t see the first time. The psalmist contemplates the shortness of life. “Man’s days are like those of grass.” Yet, “the kindness of the LORD is from eternity.” I will make many decisions today, small ones and big ones. Give me the grace, Lord, to use your gift of wisdom and choose what is pleasing to you; even more, strengthen my desire that you might embrace and bless me. 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.

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother.” | Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (10:1-12, today’s readings)

But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

As Jesus teaches the crowds, some Pharisees approach him and ask, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They are testing him with this question. He responds by asking, “What does Moses command you?” They answer, “Moses permits a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” Jesus explains that because of stubbornness, Moses allowed divorce but that from the beginning, God created humans as male and female, intending for a man to leave his parents and become one with his wife. In responding this way, Jesus calls us to a deeper understanding of marital commitment, fidelity, and the need for grace in overcoming the challenges that couples may face in every marriage. As Sirach says in the first reading, “A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds.”

God, thank you for the gift of marriage, a sacred covenant you established by your divine will. What you have joined together, no one should separate. Jesus’ teaching reminds spouses of the commitment they make to each other and the importance of working through challenges. Give me the grace to understand that marriage is a reflection of your love for the Church as married couples embody patience, kindness, and humility in a union that gives all glory to 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.

To be salted with fire. | Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:41-50, today’s readings)

“Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

Jesus continues to speak to the disciples, answering their questions and teaching them. From the same chapter in Mark, in the home of one of his followers, Jesus takes a child in his arms and says, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.” Shortly after, Jesus says: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” He tells them it is better to lose a limb or an eye if they cause you to sin and enter Gehenna, a place of unquenchable fire. It is ours to own when God holds us accountable for our actions as natural consequences follow. By being “salted with fire,” a means to purification in this life’s trials and in purgatory, Jesus encourages us in his mercy to be accountable for the faith and charity we show even as the Holy Spirit refines us in true faith and charity.

God, help me take to heart the words of Sirach in the first reading, who urges me to keep from the error of relying on my own strength and presuming your mercy. “Say not, Sirach writes, ‘Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive.'” As Jesus makes clear to the disciples, make clear to me that I am responsible for the words and actions I choose through your gift of free will, ardent in my faith and trusting in your mercy and justice through Jesus Christ your Son. Lord, make me know your ways; teach me your paths.

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.

“For whoever is not against us is for us.” | Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

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.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:38-40, today’s readings)

John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

By trying to prevent someone from driving out demons in the name of Jesus, John attempts to be protective of the mission of Jesus. It is from a viewpoint that keeps the power of Christ contained and undivided. John, who refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” seems to have the best interest of Jesus in his heart when he expresses this. Yet, the love of God manifested in the flesh and blood of Jesus cannot be divided without multiplying it. That is why Jesus expresses the truth of his person as the embodiment of indivisible truth that no one who performs a miracle in his name can degrade or diminish him. The first reading from Sirach expresses this in relation to service to the wisdom of God: “Those who serve her serve the Holy One; those who love her the LORD loves.”

Father in heaven, deepen my understanding of the exchange of love between you and the Son through the unity of the Holy Spirit. “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, the living access to the Father. Give me the grace to call on you, Lord, as I witness to your undivided power in bringing mercy wherever there are stumbling blocks, to whatever prevents access to the way and the truth and the life in the person of Christ. Jesus, I 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.

“Whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” | Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

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. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:30-37, today’s readings)

Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

As Jesus travels with the disciples through Galilee, he tells them about his coming passion, death, and resurrection. Unable to understand him, they ask no questions but on the way to Capernaum discuss who among the disciples is the greatest. Once inside the house where they would stay, Jesus shares with them what true greatness means as his disciples: the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. The child from within the house that Jesus places before them is somehow closely related to the disciples, possibly a son or daughter or nephew or niece of one of the disciples. In receiving the child, Jesus teaches us what the love of a father for his children looks like as he speaks of his own Father and ours as the “One who sent me.”

Father in heaven, teach me to put myself last of all today. In doing what is necessary today, help me look first to the needs of others even as I accomplish my tasks. Nothing extraordinary is likely to happen today as I try to act on being “the last of all and the servant of all.” Yet, let me receive the gifts you give me today and not take my own agendas so seriously that I forget you, the giver of all that is good. The psalmist’s prayer is to “trust in the LORD and do good.” Give me the grace to take to heart this seemingly simple task today for the sake of your glory.

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.

“Everything is possible to one who has faith.” | Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:14-29, today’s readings)

Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Taking place immediately after the Transfiguration as Jesus comes down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and meets the other disciples, today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ encounter with a man whose son is possessed. In an argument with some scribes after attempting to drive out the demon, the disciples face the lack of faith of the father and the scribes. That is why Jesus says to them, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?” Jesus then asks them to bring the boy to him, whose spirit throws him to the ground in convulsions. The father asks for Jesus compassion and help, saying “if you can do anything.” Jesus redirects the father’s attention to everything that is possible through faith in God. In response, his profession of faith is a prayer for all who have faith in the Lord: “I do believe, help my unbelief.”

God, help me trust that you can do the impossible, especially in circumstances that appear to have no solution. Just as the father asks for help on behalf of the son, let me come to you with firm conviction in faith that you alone can restore us to your image. Daily life seems to produce abundant barriers to the realization of hope sought through continual prayer. Yet, through Jesus Christ your Son, you transfigure human dignity in a way that accomplishes your plan for salvation while respecting free will. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,” you say through Isaiah, “neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.” Lord, strengthen my faith!

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.

Expect nothing back. | Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. The Lord is kind and merciful.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (6:27-38, today’s readings)

“But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

In these words, Jesus might seem to impose a standard that is too high for anyone who has received mistreatment from others. In cases of abuse, turning the other cheek is not about passively accepting it but instead refusing to engage in cycles of mistreatment and a commitment to breaking the patterns of aggression, degradation, and manipulation that inherently assault one’s human dignity. Even so, the forgiveness that Jesus calls us to is not of earthly origin; it comes from the Father, and we receive it as his children. As Saint Paul writes, we have borne the image of the earthly man, Adam, we will also bear the image of the heavenly one, “As a father has compassion on his children,” the psalmist says, “so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.” With the love of the Father—the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ—who first loved us, we are to love our enemies and expect nothing in return.

Father in heaven, teach me to forgive; show me how to be merciful as you are merciful. Help me always to forgive no matter what and to reconcile with others whenever possible. Give me all the grace needed to continue to forgive when mistreated and to know that it is not meant for me to hold as your child but is for the sake of your Son’s passion and death and for him to bear. When reconciliation is for the moment out of reach, teach me in that moment to forgive as best as I am able as I receive and give away your mercy for the sake of your glory. The Lord is kind and merciful. Jesus, I 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.

“Love your enemies.”| Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:43-48)

Jesus said to his disciples: “For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Jesus tells the disciples what would have been very familiar to them according to social conventions of the time (as it is today in many ways): “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Doing this, Jesus tells them, will make them and us children of our heavenly Father. It is God, not us, who “makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” Another way to put it, leave judgment to God and instead love your enemies in imitation of the Father, who is perfect. How we actually accomplish the “So be perfect” part, Jesus tells us, is by asking for help from the one who loved us first as we pray for those who persecute us.

Father in heaven, perfect in me the love you first gave and which I fail to hold and share perfectly. Help me realize my complete dependence on you as the source of love, with which Jesus commands that we love one another, our enemies, and those who persecute us. “I can’t,” I tell myself, “love my enemies.” Or I try to love my enemies but struggle because I don’t like the way they are. Give me the grace to receive the love of Christ to give away to others and let it overshadow the weaknesses I have in expressing your gift of love. Let the Gospel acclamation come to my aid when I need to remember the source of all love: “I give you a new commandment; love one another as I have loved 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.

“Behold, your mother.” | Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

From the Gospel acclamation: “O joyful Virgin, who gave birth to the Lord; O blessed Mother of the Church, who nurture in us the Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 19:25-34)

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

At the crucifixion of Jesus, only a few stood by him at the cross. Among the ones present, John and Mary stand out because Jesus speaks to each of them. By the fullness of her participation in the suffering and death of Jesus and the role Jesus assigns her from the cross, Mary becomes not only the mother of Jesus but Our Mother, the Mother of the Church. Jesus says to Mary, “Woman, behold your son.” From that moment on, John takes Mary into his home. Through that exchange, Jesus invites us to go to Mary, our spiritual mother, to guide us to her Son and who intercedes for us to him. As Jesus is pierced by a lance, blood and water flow out of him immediately. Since the dawn of the Church, the blood and water flowing from Jesus’ side have been seen as symbols of the sacraments of the Eucharist and Baptism. From the cross, Jesus poured out his mercy on us to the last. We have his real presence in the sacraments to see us through this life and the intercessory aid of Mary, our spiritual mother, to care for us and guide us.

God, help me recall throughout the day the scene at the foot of the cross. I have the last words of Jesus to John to ponder: “Behold, your mother.” As Jesus entrusts the care of Mary to John, he invites all believers to do the same. John takes Mary into her home from that time on; let John’s response to Jesus be mine. Mary becomes John’s spiritual mother, and by the same response to Jesus, Mary becomes my mother and I become part of a new spiritual family. Give me the grace, Lord, to have no hesitation to ask for Mary’s intercession every day and especially in times of suffering and anguish. Help me, Lord, remember Mary’s role in bringing me to your Son: “Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”

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.

“Receive the Holy Spirit.” | Pentecost Sunday

From the Gospel acclamation: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 20:19-23)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

The Gospel reading for Pentecost takes place just after the resurrection of Jesus. Earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene and then to the disciples in the upper room. He wishes them peace, showing them his hands and his side so that they know it is him and not a ghost. The disciples rejoice when they see the Lord and Jesus says to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” While Luke describes the descent of the Holy Spirit as a strong driving wind and tongues of fire, John describes the quiet outpouring of the Holy Spirit as Jesus breathes on them. The result is the same: filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples go out to proclaim the Gospel to every nation on earth.

Father in heaven, help me understand that the accounts of Pentecost are not frozen in time as musty historical accounts of the disciples who lived long ago but relate to me today in the reality of the risen Christ in the Eucharist and in the invisible presence of the Holy Spirit. Through the saving work of Jesus your Son, he sent the Advocate as he promised, infusing the disciples with the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit. The same spirit of Truth lives today in the Father, in the Son, and in the love between them, the Holy Spirit. “Come, Holy Spirit, come! / And from your celestial home / Shed a ray of light divine! / Come, Father of the poor! / Come, source of all our store! / Come, within our bosoms shine.”

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.