Reflection for Thursday of the First Week of Lent

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030112.cfm

Persistent Prayer, God the Giver of Good Gifts, The Golden Rule

In today's Gospel, Jesus deals with the Lenten theme of prayer and promises us that if we keep asking, we shall receive; and if we keep seeking, we shall find; and if we keep knocking, the door will be opened to us.  The reason why our persistence is successful is that God knows how (and loves) to give good gifts to his children when they do not grow weary in prayer.

(Sometimes, we think something would be good for us; but God knows it would not be, so he does not give it to us, even though we have persisted in prayer concerning it.  This sort of thing can cause us to become disappointed and angry with God.  In times like this, our only recourse may simply be to trust that God knows what is best and has our best interest at heart, even though we do not know why he withheld something from us.)


Jesus ends today's Gospel with the Golden Rule: "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you."  What does this have to do with prayer?  Maybe Jesus wants us to see that we do not always follow the Golden Rule, so that we will cry out to him in persistent prayer for the grace to follow it, because this is one of the gifts God will not refuse us.


This Lent, let us pray, as Queen Esther did in the first reading, from morning until evening, for the grace to treat others the way we want to be treated; and let us pray with the full assurance of faith that God will grant our request.  This is one favor he cannot refuse.

Reflection for Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022912.cfm

Today's readings deal with that famous Lenten theme: repentance.  Repentance is a radical reorientation of the heart from sin to God.  It includes sorrow and hatred for sin with a firm purpose to live for God.

How do we get to the place where we repent?  Ultimately, it is by God's transforming grace working in our hearts.  But through what means does God give us his transforming grace?

I think one of the best means or channels is when we spend some time before a crucifix and God opens our eyes to see that we are to blame for the crucifixion of Christ, that we, by our sins, have laid violent hands on him and crucified him.  We have to be horrified by what we have done so that we can begin to detest our sins.  We have to grieve over the fact that we were wrong when we thought God was less than good to us and that it would be best for us to rebel against him to the point of killing him.

But we must not be so horrified that we lose hope, because the death we meant for evil, is the very same death God uses to save us from our sins.  It's pretty awesome how God turns things around for our good!

So, from a crucifix, we see the ugliness of our sin and the unfathomable love of God for us.  From these two truths, God empowers us to detest our sins and love him who has loved us so much.

May God grant us repentance this Lent.

Reflection for Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022812.cfm

So far this Lent, the readings have dealt with fasting a couple of times, which is one of the three Lenten practices or disciplines.  Today's readings deal with another: prayer.

Let us face it, while we are with Christ in the desert of Lent, our souls get thirsty.  They may even become a little hard.  It is in these times when we need the Lord to send us the snow and rain of his word mentioned in the first reading to soften our hearts and make them fertile to produce spiritual fruit.

This word of God that changes our hearts is the Lord's Prayer that Jesus teaches us in today's Gospel.  The Our Father said well (slowly with thought on what it means) is like the snow and rain mentioned in the first reading.  It softens our hearts so we can bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, which is Christ himself, the Word of God.  

So, during this Lent, when we feel our center has shifted from the Lord, let us slowly and thoughtfully say an Our Father or two; and let us experience the power of this word of God as it empowers us to center ourselves again.

Reflection for Monday of the First Week of Lent

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022712.cfm

The first reading begins with God commanding, "Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy" and ends with God commanding, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself".  These two commands are connected in that God's holiness is the perfection of his love, so we are being holy like God when we love our neighbor as ourself.

In the Gospel, Jesus raises the importance of this holiness/love of neighbor to a new level by saying that the verdict of the final judgment, and thus our eternal destiny, will be based on how we loved or did not love him, which was evidenced by our performing, or failure to perform, the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned.

Lent is about, first, realizing that Christ loves the Father perfectly and shows it by the way he loves us, his neighbors: he feeds our hungry and thirsty souls with his body and blood; he welcomes us Gentile strangers into his covenant family; he clothes the shame of our nakedness with his righteousness; he heals our sickness of sin; and he visits us in our imprisonment to Satan.

Second, Lent is about repenting of the ways we have not loved God and neighbor, so that we can, in gratitude, begin to love God as he deserves and our neighbor for the sake of God.


May God help us!

Reflection for the First Sunday of Lent

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022612.cfm

As today's readings show, the purpose of Lent is for us to unite ourselves to Jesus' 40 days of fasting and temptation in the desert; so that, through him, we might overcome Satan and become more deeply committed to our baptismal promises, which we will renew on Easter Sunday.


In baptism, we entered into the new covenant with God, which is like a marriage.  God made the vow or promise to be our Father, and we made the vow or promise to be his sons and daughters.  In other words, God promised to cleanse us of our sins, fill us with his divine life, strengthen us to defeat our enemies of Satan, sin, and death, and share his eternal happiness with us in heaven.  We promised to be faithful to him by rejecting Satan and sin, and by believing in all that he has revealed to us in Christ, a revelation Christ himself has kept preserved in the Catholic Church.


Even though we will not renew our baptismal promises, as a Church, until Easter Sunday, it is good for us, as individuals, to keep them in mind during Lent:

Celebrant: Do you reject Satan?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: And all his works?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: And all his empty promises?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

Response: I do.

Celebrant: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

Response: I do.

May our loving God strengthen us to unite ourselves fully to our Lord's 40 days in the desert, so that we will be ready to renew, with full love and commitment, our baptismal promises on Easter Sunday.

Reflection for the Saturday After Ash Wednesday

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022512.cfm

Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."


The reason why the second Person of the Trinity became man was to call sinners, that is, us who have committed the sins in the first reading: oppression, false accusation, malicious speech, lack of concern for the poor and hungry, treating Sunday, the Lord's Day, like every other day (which shows that God is not first place in our hearts).


Lent is about, first, recognizing the love of Christ for us in his call, and, second, repenting so that we can stop doing the things in the first reading and start doing their opposite: using any power we may have for the good of others; getting all the facts so that, if we have to accuse someone of something, our accusation is true; using our tongue to say kind and loving things about others; caring for the poor and hungry and doing what we can to alleviate their suffering; treating Sunday as a day of worship and rest because God, not work, is first place in our hearts.


Lent is about the rebirth of our commitment to God, both in our hearts and in our actions.  May God open our eyes to see his unconditional love for us in Christ's call to sinners, so we can repent in our hearts and show our repentance by a change in the things we do.

Reflection for the Friday After Ash Wednesday

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022412.cfm

Fasting, which is one of the Lenten disciplines, is a form of penance, which means it is one way to remove the temporal punishment of sin.  When we sin, we incur two consequences.  The first consequence is guilt, which is forgiven, through Christ, by sincere repentance in the sacrament of reconciliation for mortal sins and by sincere repentance for venial sins.  The second consequence is temporal (in contrast to eternal) punishment that we have to suffer, either in this life or in Purgatory, to repair the damage our sins have caused others and us.  


When we fast with patience, and without letting everyone know we are doing it, we unite the suffering we endure by fasting to Christ's suffering on the cross; and since his suffering repaired the damage of sin, ours does too. Christ takes our suffering, joins it to his, and offers it to the Father in reparation for the temporal consequences of our sins and those of the whole world.  As such, we, as members of Christ's body, become co-redeemers with Christ, our head. 


In light of such love and opportunity from our Lord, let us patiently endure fasting and other forms of penances this Lent.

Reflection for the Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022312.cfm


What Jesus teaches us in today's Gospel, and what Lent is all about, seems like a contradiction to the natural mind.  He teaches us that if we want to find our life (i.e., happiness), we must lose ourself through self-denial.  This is not the way we naturally think happiness is obtained.  We think happiness is found by living for ourself, by doing our own thing, by being in charge of our life.  To die to ourself seems to be the path to unhappiness.  Mother Church knows that Jesus has it right and we have it wrong, which is why she requires us to give up things in Lent (e.g., meat on Fridays, food on Ash Wednesday, other things of our choosing like chocolate, soda, and social networking).  She knows that if we walk the path of Christ's self-denial, we will receive the happiness Jesus promised to us and for which we long.

Reflection for Ash Wednesday

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022212.cfm

The word Lent comes from an Old English word that means spring, because it is a season in the Church's liturgical year that is meant to bring about a rebirth of our faith/commitment to God.  The strange thing is this rebirth takes place through the painful practices of repentance and penance.  Repentance is painful because we have to humble ourselves, admit to the Lord, with genuine sorrow, that we have sinned, and return to him.  Penance (the Lenten disciplines of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are forms of penance) is painful because it requires some degree of sacrifice on our part.  Through these painful practices, which God strengthens us to do, God burns off the imperfections and weaknesses of our faith; so that we might have a deeper love of him and our neighbor.

May God help us this Lent to enter, with hearts full of hope, into the painful practices of repentance and penance; so that, just as the amount of daylight keeps increasing, so may the light of God's love in our hearts keep increasing.

Reflection for Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022112.cfm

"Adulterers....purify your hearts, you of two minds...."


We are adulterers and people of two minds, for we can keep our minds centered on the Lord as our end for a time; but then we allow the desires and feelings within us to distract us in such a way that we look to the earthly things to which those feelings point us as our last end.  We are still not completely convinced that only God and living according to God's law of love will satisfy our hungry hearts.  We still believe that something in this life (which is what our passions focus on) will put our searching hearts to rest.  Our adulterous hearts provoke God to jealousy, because he has loved us to the end and does not want (or deserve) any rivals; so we need to humbly confess our ultimate desire to live independently of God by looking for anything but him to satisfy us.


May God give us undivided hearts that are stayed on him.

Reflection for Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022012.cfm


Concerning those nagging sins that have been a part of our lives for many years, Jesus asks us a similar question to the one he asked the father of the demon possessed boy in today's Gospel: How long have these sins been in your life?  Obviously, Jesus knows the answer to this question, so why does he ask it?  Because he wants us to see that the nagging sins have been in our lives for many years because of our failure to trust in him and to pray often.  Our failure to pray constantly about these "obnoxious demons" reveals one of two things.  Either we trust too much in ourselves and think we can overcome them on our own, or we think they are too powerful for even Christ to conquer.  Neither is true; so let us hear Christ say to us, "Everything is possible to one who has faith" and "This kind can only come out through prayer".

Reflection for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021912.cfm


"Thus says the Lord: Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see I am doing something new....It is I, I, who wipe out, for my own sake, your offenses; your sins I remember no more (Is 43:18-19, 25)."

What freedom God gives us in the above passage!  He forgives and forgets our sins, and tells us to do the same.  He gives us a fresh start, a new beginning.  He takes our debt of sin, which we could never pay and which weighs down our life and causes all kinds of problems in soul and body, and forgives it.  However, what is free for us is not free for God.  In order for him to forgive us, it cost him the death of his Son.  He took our debt of sin and nailed it to the cross of Christ, and he applies the merits of that death to us when we sincerely ask him for forgiveness, either directly for venial sins or in the Sacrament of Reconciliation for mortal sins.  With this kind of forgiving love, we should feel like we can breathe again. 


Our burden has been lifted; let us go forth in gratitude and serve the Lord.

Reflection for Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021812.cfm

"With the tongue we bless the Lord and Father and with it we curse men who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers and sisters this need not be so."


With our mouth, we have blessed God and cursed people who are made in that God's image.  How can this be?  How can we bless the God of love and be so unloving in the things we say about others? The problem is not with the physical tongue; it is with the heart.  The tongue reveals the contradiction that is in the heart.  If we bless God with our tongue, then should that not make the tongue a sacred object, so that it is used only for that which is holy?  It would seem so, but it is not there yet.  People do not live right, so we need to find fault with them and talk about it.  We do not always live right either, but we find a way to forget this when we are criticizing someone else.  The basis of our tongue's blessing God is that he is good and has blessed us.  This goodness is present, in some way, in every human being; so we need to focus on that goodness and speak well of people rather than focusing on their shortcomings. 


May the Lord fill our hearts with his love, so that our tongue will be an instrument of blessing rather than cursing.

Reflection for Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021712.cfm


"So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:17


The Lord Jesus Christ, out of his love for us, took up his cross and died.  Now if we are united by faith to such a loving Lord, then how could we not have a love for him and our neighbor that is willing to take up our cross for them? Should not his sacrificial love for us teach and empower us to have sacrificial love for our neighbor? If we are united to Christ, then we should take on his image of love. If we only have faith in our head, but do not have love in our heart, then something is wrong; for complete faith is one that commits the whole self to the Lord, a commitment that is love.


"Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, 'Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.'" Mark 8:34

Reflection for Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021612.cfm


"....have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?" James 2:4


How great it is that within the Body of Christ, the Church, all worldly distinctions like rich and poor disappear!  We are all brothers and sisters of the same Christ who has done wonderful things for us.  Our common bond with the Lord who has loved us and washed away our sins in his blood transcends and does away with earthly distinctions that end up causing people to disrespect and act unloving toward others.  As members of Christ, we should look upon every human being as one for whom Christ died, which should help us love him or her as we love ourselves.


"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:27-28

Reflection for Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021512.cfm


"Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls."


As James says in today's first reading, in order for us to be doers of the word and not merely hearers, we need meekness or humility.  Humility is that virtue by which we cast off our desire to be our own boss, a desire that reveals itself in the "filth and evil excess" that are still in our lives, and follow what God says to us in his word.  A failure to do God's word, or to look intently into his word, is due to pride, for (so we reason) why should we follow the word of the Lord if we are our own lords?  Why should we, as lords, follow another Lord?  If we are our own lords, then we will follow our own word.



May the Lord grant us the humility to see ourselves as we truly are: mortal, creatures, sinners, dearly loved by the Lord in Christ, so that we might put away our own pride and submit to God's will.

Reflection for the Memorial of St. Cyril, Monk and St. Methodius, Bishop

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021412.cfm

"Blessed is the man who remains under temptation, because after he has become genuine, he shall receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him."


In order for us to obtain the crown of life, that is, heaven, we have to love God.  But how do we know if we love God?  By the way we handle temptations, which are those desires that well up within us, which are neutral in and of themselves, but often lead us to act in ways that are contrary to reason or conscience.  If we give in to temptation often, then our love for God is weak (if it exists at all).  If we resist temptation often, then our love for God is strong.


Remaining under temptation without consenting (which can only happen by continual dependence on God in prayer) not only proves our faith is genuine, but it also makes our faith genuine, that is, it makes our love for God grow deeper and deeper.  From this point-of-view, we can see why God allows temptation to exist in our lives.  It is not that he is the one who tempts us; rather, he permits us to be tempted so that our commitment to him might deepen.  


May God give us the wisdom to see temptation from his perspective and the strength to remain under it so that our faith might become genuine.

Reflection for Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021312.cfm

"Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."


The above verse from today's first reading certainly gives us a different perspective on trials, temptations, and suffering does it not?  We usually do not consider them to be "all joy".  In fact, we tend to consider them to be "all misery".  


Trials are sufferings that happen to us that, if we could have our way, we would eliminate from our lives.  They range from the very small (e.g., stubbing a toe) to the very large (e.g., losing a loved one).  Temptations are desires we have to say or do something we know is against the eternal law of God on the conscience.  As such, part of us does not want to eliminate them from our lives.  In both trials and temptations, we are tempted to question God's love and goodness towards us and to turn our backs on him.


James tells us to be joyful in the midst of trials and temptations because they are the means through which God makes us saints, that is, through them God deepens our love for him and our neighbor.  


Anybody can be a good Christian when he or she is not going through any trials or temptations.  May God give us the strength to be true to him when these things come into our lives....and come into our lives they will.

Reflection for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021212.cfm

"I do will it.  Be made clean....Jesus remained outside in deserted places."

During the time of the Old Testament, and in Jesus' day, people with leprosy were banished from the worshiping community and had to live outside the camp.  This was due to the fact that leprosy was highly contagious, and so left those with it ceremonially unclean.

We have a far greater problem because we have the leprosy of sin, which if mortal, makes us spiritually unclean and banishes us from God and the worshiping community, which is the Church.  But the good news is when we turn to Christ in repentance in the sacrament of Reconciliation, he says to us the same thing he said to the leper in today's Gospel, "I do will it.  Be made clean."  This act of mercy on Christ's part cleanses us of our uncleanness and unites us to God and the Church.

The reason why Christ can cleanse us of the leprosy of sin is because he identified with us or put himself in our camp when he went to Golgotha, that place of crucifixion, which was outside the city of Jerusalem.  In other words, Christ became an unclean sin offering, so that he might cleanse us of the sins that make us unclean.

May God give us the grace to repent of our sins and to keep us without spot or blemish before him.

Reflection for Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021112.cfm

"My heart is moved with pity for the crowd....They ate and were satisfied."


There are two things (among many) that happen at every Mass.  


First, Jesus has pity or compassion on us.  He pities us, first and foremost, because he loves us.  Secondarily, he pities us because he knows we are mortal, sinners, weak, and in total need of him.


Second, Jesus' compassion for us causes him to give himself to us to to satisfy us; and this he does in the Holy Eucharist.  Just as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes in today's Gospel to satisfy the (physically) hungry crowd, so at every Mass he "multiplies" his body and blood to feed his (spiritually) hungry Church.  And, when we receive the Eucharist worthily or with the right dispositions, we are satisfied; however, while this satisfaction is better than anything this world can offer us, it is not total.  The satisfaction the Eucharist brings is a foretaste, a preview if you will, of the satisfaction we will receive from our oneness with Christ in heaven.  It is better than anything on earth, but it should make us long and hope for the whole package in heaven.


May God give us the grace to be rightly disposed to receive his love and compassion in the Blessed Sacrament.

Reflection for the Memorial of St. Scholastica, Virgin

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021012.cfm


"He put his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned...."


Our Lord groans or mourns at our spiritual deafness, which is symbolized by the physical deafness of the man in today's Gospel.  He grieves at our spiritual deafness or disobedience because he knows sin is harmful to us and others.  He knows it keeps us from having the fullest relationship with him that is possible.


Our problem is we think sin is good for us, even though the Lord says it is not; we think we know better than he.  This attitude is nothing but foolish pride.  Yet, our Lord still longs for our obedience, as he says in today's Responsorial Psalm: "If only my people would hear me, and Israel would walk in my ways, quickly would I humble their enemies; against their foes I would turn my hand."

Let us groan with the Lord because of our spiritual deafness, ask him to open the ears of our hearts, and begin anew today to obey him in all things.

Reflection for Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020912.cfm



There are two things we can learn from the Syrophoenician woman in today's Gospel.


First, humility.  When Jesus referred to her as a "dog", a title used by Jews for Gentiles or non-Jews to indicate their sinful impurity, she was not angered.  She had no ego, and so she knew there was truthfulness to the title, that is, she knew she was a sinner.  We, too, have sinful impurity in our lives and do not, strictly speaking, deserve a thing from the Lord.  The woman was not offended by such a truth.  Neither should we be.


Second, faith.  Because the woman believed that Jesus was good and loving, she knew he was not using the title "dog" in a critical or derogatory way.  In fact, I wonder if Jesus had a playful smirk on his face when he used the title as a way to indicate that he did not mean it in the negative way his fellow Jews meant it.  While there was truthfulness to the title, the Jews used it in a prideful way in that they forgot their own sinfulness and looked down on the Gentiles.  The woman knew Jesus was testing her faith by playing hard to get, so she was not discouraged.  She believed Jesus would grant her request, even though she was not Jewish.  May we continue to believe in the love Jesus has for us and that he will not withhold any good thing from us, even when he plays hard to get.

Reflection for Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020812.cfm

"From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts...."


I do not think it is by accident that the first sin Jesus mentions in the list of sins that flow from our heart is evil thoughts.  Evil thoughts are first because every sin begins with them.  Before an evil deed is done, an evil thought is thought.


Since an evil thought precedes an evil deed, it is imperative that we begin to resist the evil thought, by turning to God in prayer, as soon as we are aware of it.  If we nip the impure thought in the bud right away, it will not get its claws in us and produce a sinful action.  Conversely, if we flirt with the impure thought, it will be harder to resist and will, more than likely, give birth to a sinful deed.


We must keep in mind that we have no control over the thoughts that just pop up in our minds.  We are in control, however, over what we do with those thoughts once they appear in our minds.  We can entertain them or prayerfully resist them.  Martin Luther has been quoted as saying that we cannot keep the birds from flying over our heads, but we can keep them from building a nest in our hair.  


May God keep us awake to our inner life so that we will recognize evil thoughts right away and turn to him as our rock and sure defense.

Reflection for Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020712.cfm

"In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts."


Why did Christ give us the Magisterium (bishops in union with the pope)?  To keep us from making the same mistake the Pharisees and scribes made in today's Gospel, that is, from worshiping God in vain according to human teachings.


In order for us to know who God is and what he expects from us, we need a revelation from him about these things, because we cannot discover them on our own.


The foundation of this revelation is contained in the Bible; however, Christ knew we would need more than just the Bible and our individual interpretations of it.  He knew we would need two more things.  First, Tradition (that out of which Scripture came and which is the correct lens through which the Bible is to be interpreted).  Second, an authoritative interpreter of Scripture and Tradition, that is, an interpreter to whom he has given the authority to help us to understand correctly what God has revealed to us about himself and what he expects from us; and this authoritative interpreter is the Magisterium.


If we want to know God truly (though not exhaustively or fully) and worship him according to truth (that is, as he wants to be worshiped), then let us humbly listen to our Lord's voice through the Magisterium's interpretation of Scripture through Tradition.

Reflection for the Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020612.cfm

In today's Gospel, people in the land of Gennesaret were quick to bring their sick to Jesus for healing.  In so doing, they displayed love's haste.


Let us also be quick to bring those we love to the Lord in prayer.  Let us remember our Holy Father and all the bishops and priests who govern us.  Let us remember our country, especially in this presidential election year.  Let us remember our spouses, children, and those in our extended families.  Let us remember our friends and coworkers.  Let us remember the poor and those who are unemployed and cannot find work.  Let us remember our deceased family and friends.


James 5:16 says, "The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects"; therefore,  let us persist in prayer by seeking God's will for those we know and love and for those who need our prayers.

Reflection for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020512.cfm

In the first reading, Job complains about how miserable and unhappy life can be; and in the Gospel, Jesus frees people from their misery and unhappiness by healing their sicknesses and ridding them of demons.

Jesus is the answer to our unhappiness.  He is the one for whom our hearts crave.  However, Jesus only gives us imperfect happiness (happiness with a mixture of suffering) in this life.  He will give us perfect happiness (happiness without any suffering) in heaven.  

One reason why we cannot experience perfect happiness in this life is because the effects of original sin (namely concupiscence, a weakened intellect, and an aging body) remain and make perfect happiness impossible.

Another reason why perfect happiness cannot be had in this life is because it only comes from the beatific vision (seeing God face-to-face), which can only occur in heaven.

In this life, Jesus gives us a joy and peace that are a foretaste of the perfect happiness we will experience in heaven and that far surpass the joy and peace the world can give.

May God use the imperfect happiness we experience in this life to create a deeper longing in us for the perfect happiness we will receive when we see him face-to-face in glory.

Reflection for Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020412.cfm

"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." 


Christ calls us to the same quiet retreats with himself as he did to the disciples, because he knows we need it.  Our busy lives have a way of pulling us away from Christ and weakening our inner life.  We need to be refreshed in the Lord.


One way we can have a retreat with our Lord is by having a set time every morning and/or evening for quiet prayer and reflection.  These do not have to be long; but they do need to be free of distractions, so that our full attention can be given to the Lord and what he wishes to say to us.  Sometimes, the entire time will be spent fighting distractions.  As long as we are prayerfully fighting them, I think it is okay, because God uses the struggle to draw us closer to himself.


Another way we can have a retreat with our Lord is by keeping a quiet heart, that is, by keeping an inner awareness of God's love and presence and a readiness to respond to him at all times.  We do not allow the stress of our lives to disturb our inner peace.  In other words, our hearts are always on a retreat with the Lord at the same time as our lives are hectic.


May our love for Christ be so strong that we are always refreshing ourselves in him.

Reflection for Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020312.cfm

John the Baptist suffered martyrdom because he was faithful to his prophetic vocation.  He told Herod it was unlawful for him to have his brother's wife, and this ultimately cost him his life.

How faithful are we to our prophetic vocation, that is, to our call by God, in baptism, to be proclaimers of his truth in word and deed?  If we are not as faithful as we should be, it may be because we fear persecution. 

If we fear persecution, it is proof that we love our own lives more than we should.  John the Baptist loved God more than himself, and this is why he was willing to die rather than be unfaithful to God and to his prophetic vocation.

May God forgive us for loving ourselves too much and for not being true to him out of fear of persecution.  May he strengthen us to love him and the Gospel more than our very lives, and to fear his disapproval more than that of human beings.

Reflection for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020212.cfm

"....Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord'...."


In today's Gospel, Mary and Joseph, out of obedience to the law of Moses, take Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.  This command that every male child who opened the womb had to be presented to the Lord was given for a memorial of the Exodus when God spared the firstborn of the Hebrews, but killed the firstborn of the Egyptians.


Out of love for us, God the Father did not spare his only Son, but freely delivered him up for us, so that we might be spared from experiencing unending death.  This self-giving love of God has opened the barren womb of our heart, so that we might bring forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  


In gratitude for new life, let us go up to Jerusalem, that place of self-denial and crucifixion, and present ourselves, with Christ, to the Lord as living sacrifices.  

Reflection for Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020112.cfm

"They said, 'Where did this man get all this?  What kind of wisdom has been given him?  
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands'....And they took offense at him."


Jesus' townspeople were so close to faith, yet they were so far.  They confessed that Jesus had extraordinary wisdom and that he performed miracles.  Yet, because they had known him since he was a boy, they were not able to get past Christ's humanity and see his divinity.  The things they confessed about Jesus pointed to his divine identity; but I guess, in their case, familiarity bred contempt and led them to unbelief.


A similar thing can happen to us.  When we read the Gospels, we hear Jesus' wisdom and see the miracles he performed.  In addition, we picture him, in our mind's eye, as a man; there is no other way for us to imagine him.  We must keep in mind, however, that Jesus' wisdom and miracles point to the fact that he is God.  He is fully human; but first and foremost, he is a divine person, that is, the second person of the Trinity.  


Keeping Jesus' divine identity in mind is important for us because our hearts crave for God; and in Jesus the man, we can "see" and "touch" the God whom we cannot see and touch, and for whom our hearts long. 


May God help us to cling to our Lord with the faith that he is fully God and fully human.