Tag: reconciliation

“Go your way; your faith has saved you.”| Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Then they said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:46-52)

But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

As Bartimaeus persists in calling out to Jesus, something inside him changes. He hears that Jesus of Nazareth approaches and recognizes the divinity of Jesus. “Son of David, have pity on me.” Although blind, Bartimaeus knows who Jesus is and that he can heal him, make whole what is partial. Although others tried to silence him, he kept calling out all the more. “Son of David, have pity on me.” Throwing off his cloak, Bartimaeus springs up to go to Jesus. With a word, Jesus restores his sight, and Bartimaeus follows him on the way. The faith of Bartimaeus restores him, makes him whole, and sets him on the way to salvation.

God, help me see, even if I don’t want to see or am afraid of what I might see. Bartimaeus said, “Master, I want to see.” I’m not sure I have what Bartimaeus had in that desire. Yet, like him, I cry out to you for your mercy. What would you have me see about myself, about my relationship with you, about my ability to hear your voice and do what is pleasing in your sight? Help me trust that when I call out to you, you hear me and provide what I need. Throughout the day, help me recall the prayer of the psalmist, who asks you to restore in overflowing grace what is sorely lacking: “Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the torrents in the southern desert. Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.”

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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“It may bear fruit in the future.” | Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “I rejoiced because they said to me, “We will go up to the house of the LORD.” And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 13:1-9)

And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”

Before sharing this parable with his listeners, Jesus responds to their interpretation about Pilate’s brutal act toward Jewish people, concluding that this is a demonstration of God’s treatment of the worst sinners. Jesus calls all who would hear him to turn away from sin and toward God: “I tell you,” he says, “if you do not repent, you will all perish.” In the parable, the fig tree symbolizes Israel. In judgment of Israel, God possesses both the truth of justice and the truth of mercy. Instead of cutting it down, the gardener asks to care for it another year, nurturing it so that it ultimately bears fruit. In God’s perfect judgment, he does the same for us, showing mercy to the contrite time and again in spite of our sins.

God, help me today remain faithful to you. Faithful to your plan for me and trusting in your mercy, give me the grace to remain in you. I don’t want to be the one who exhausts the soil but instead who produces fruit from the gifts of your grace and mercy. Jesus, I trust in you! 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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“Make an effort to settle the matter on the way.” | Friday of the Twenty-ninth 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 Luke (Lk 12:54-59)

Jesus said to the crowds, “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

Jesus points out to the crowds that people can predict the weather but fail to recognize who is present before them and the urgent message he bears. The spiritual realities that people don’t see, Jesus brings to light so they can see them as clearly as they know that a storm is coming from an approaching storm cloud. What is necessary, Jesus says, is repentance and reconciliation. Doing anything else is self-enslavement to some human power. To reconcile with one another in facing disputes is to open our hearts to the Father of mercies and live in relationship with others through him.

God, you know me well; my shortcomings and hesitations and fears you know. Yet you remain faithful to me, though I fail to do the same. Give me discernment to know your will and courage to follow it with confidence. I look up at the night sky and marvel at how it all came to be; yet it is. Help me be steadfast in seeking you, who are being itself, as I strive through Christ your Son to do what pleases you, as Saint Paul said, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.”

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.

Perpetual adoration live stream Kolbe Shrine.

“There am I in the midst of them.”| Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

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

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

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church. If he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. 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.”

Jesus teaches the disciples how to reconcile within the Christian community. In first approaching the wrongdoing of another toward you to find reconciliation, Jesus hints at the joyful outcome. Seeking reconciliation out of sincerity and goodness multiplies goodness by winning over a brother with it. If private reconciliation is not achieved, then escalating it with the involvement of more witnesses is necessary. In this teaching, Jesus emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation but at the same time calls attention to the need for discipline and accountability when necessary. The aim is unity in the Church through Jesus Christ. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

God, thank you for entrusting to me the means to choose reconciliation and to discern when that is at least temporarily not possible. Jesus acknowledges that brothers and sisters do sin against one another, and he makes explicit the reality of truth in saying “so that every fact may be established.” Grant me the wisdom to reconcile in the light of truth whenever possible for the sake of uniting in prayer with those who gather in the name of Jesus Christ your Son. Through his teachings, help me learn to recognize when I encounter someone who refuses to reconcile, even when listening to the counsels of the Church on repentance and conversion. For the sake of your glory, Lord, guide me as I seek to follow your teachings on reconciliation. Saint Maximilian Kolbe, 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.

Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

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

Jesus said to his disciples: “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.”

Jesus teaches his disciples about the need for unity with the Father and reconciliation among one another among members of the Church and within the community. What he teaches speaks to relationships on earth as well as one’s relationship with God. “Amen, I say to you,” Jesus says, “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” His words guide us toward seeking resolution, forgiveness, and oneness with the Father.

God, help me understand and take in what you share with the disciples about resolving conflict and restoring unity. Whenever I am wronged by someone, help me remember first to address it privately with the person. “If he listens to you,” Jesus says, “you have won over your brother.” If conflict persists, in the witness and reflection of others, help me be willing to acknowledge any wrongdoing on my part and forgive as you forgive me. Give me the grace, Lord, to see as you see and free myself of anything that would bind me from belonging to you.

From the Gospel acclamation: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, And entreating to us the message of reconciliation.” Reconcile me to you, Lord of heaven and earth.

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.

Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.”

What catches my attention immediately from today’s Gospel reading is Jesus’ acknowledgment of the inevitability that things lead to sin. As people in constant need of God’s forgiveness, I feel relieved that Jesus recognizes the inevitability of fallen human nature. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the slate is wiped clean through contrition and the forgiveness of the priest, who absolves sins in persona Christi. To those who cause others to sin, however, Jesus says, “It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” Hearing and believing that, I want to put myself in check whenever an opportunity comes to cause others to sin. Jesus then tells the Apostles to forgive those who hurt you—over and over forgive them. Just as in the Our Father, forgiveness from God comes with a spirit that cooperates with his will in forgiving others. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Lord, you say to me, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur.” Let me consider further these words in relation to the Our Father. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” The word us prompts us to consider that this prayer embraces others—our family, the community, and larger spheres of interaction. Keep me, Lord, from causing others to sin, and let me pray that you deliver them from the same. For this, Lord, the Apostles said to you, “Increase our faith.”

God, you take the little faith I have and assure me that astounding things can happen. Today, when I am troubled at the tasks I face, help me remember that you call me back to sit still and rest in you and forgive those who wrong me. Through your grace and my humility to receive it, keep me from being a people pleaser for the sake of pride. Instead, work in me today to accomplish all that is fully pleasing 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.

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