Jesus offers a word of praise to his Heavenly Father for the goodness he has poured out on creation. This grace is not because of our own perfection; rather, the Lord meets us in our weakness and blesses us with his merciful love. It begs a simple question: Are we open to receive it?
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 15th Week of the Year
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Jesus speaks about the cities that heard his message and rejected it. Their punishment is the result of the natural consequence of not repenting. The point for us is sobering; we have been given so much…does it inspire us to draw near to the Lord?
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 15th Week of the Year
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Study: When in your life have you been in great need and looked to another for help? When have you been able to help another in great need?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the gift of discernment – to know when to seek help and when to offer it.
Serve: Name one practical thing you can do to help someone today. Then do it.
Mass Readings – 16th Sunday of the Year
“His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34)
Have you ever been lost? Confused? Drifting, uncertain of the next step in the path of life? Most of us have been in those dark and difficult places where we feel beaten down by the challenges of life. Simply put, there are times in life when things get tough and we need to draw on the strength and wisdom of another.
The crowds found this in Jesus. His words inspired them; his miracles cured them. As word spread in the surrounding area, more and more people came to hear the Lord and find new life in his presence. What’s more, he saw their need and responded with pity and love – he longed to guide them and give them hope.
In our need we can, like the crowds, draw near to Christ for our strength. His mercy has the power to renew and transform our hearts; his grace comes when we allow him room to make a place in our souls.
Furthermore, there are times in our lives when the Lord will empower us to guide and guard others. Jeremiah foretold that God would appoint shepherds to care for people – God heard their cry when they were led astray and brought them new leaders to gather them together.
Perhaps this week we might see someone in need, someone who the Lord has placed on our path to help. Perhaps we have others to lead by our word and example, inspiring them to draw to the Great Shepherd who cares for us all.
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Note: This post was originally published on July 14, 2015.
God calls us, empowers us and sends us into the world to offer our lives and become living conduits for the Lord’s grace. Each of us has to make a simple choice: Will we respond to the call and follow Jesus?
Mass Readings – 15th Sunday of the Year
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Fear is a common human experience, yet the Lord invites us to reject it. We find the power to do this when we call upon Jesus Christ, who gives us the grace we need to face our fear as we follow in faith.
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 14th Week of the Year
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The Lord makes it clear that a life of faith will often be filled with challenges and opposition. Knowing that there will be tough times, we keep our focus on God…who will give us what we need to keep going.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 14th Week of the Year
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The Lord reminds us in the Gospel, “without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” God’s generosity toward us becomes the model by which we offer our lives for one another.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 14th Week of the Year
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The Lord gives his authority to the Twelve Apostles and sends them out to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. This is our legacy of faith; like those first apostles we are empowered by the Lord for service in the world. Now get to work!
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 14th Week of the Year (St. Benedict)
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The Gospel of Matthew offers a succinct review of the earthly ministry of Jesus, who in turn invites his disciples to pray that God will send more laborers for the harvest. As the Lord’s disciples we continue Christ’s ministry in our lives today as we reach out to those who are troubled and abandoned.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 14th Week of the Year
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Study: Recall a time in life when you had to completely trust another. How did you react to being dependent?
Pray: Where do you see the need for strength in your life today? Call upon God for the help to face your struggles.
Serve: Is there someone in your life you can help empower? Is there a way that you can assist another to face new challenges?
Mass Readings – 15th Sunday of the Year
One of the themes that surface in the Scriptures this week focuses on the notion that God chooses us and gives us what we need. Take a look:
What does this mean for us today?
First, our lives are guided by God. We find our origin and focus in the one who chooses and calls us to the gift of life. We find ourselves in situations that contain blessings and burdens, at times touched by grace, at other times driven to our knees as we are overwhelmed by trial. Yet through it all we recognize that God is the origin and source of our lives.
Second, we find our strength in God. Amos found power and conviction to preach a difficult message – because he knew that the Lord would give him what he needed. The book of Ephesians reminds us that glory and redemption, wisdom and insight, come from the one who triumphed through the Cross. Jesus sends his disciples on mission – trusting entirely upon providence – so that their ministry is not sustained by their own power but dependent upon God alone.
We live our lives with the conviction that we stay close to the Lord. As we draw near to Jesus Christ, we continue to recognize our need for the Lord to remain the center and focus of all that we say and do. Apart from God our lives lose direction; united with the Almighty we discover purpose and meaning.
What’s more, as we rely on Christ we draw new strength! We understand that everything we have comes from God, and through this awareness we are able to receive the power we need to face situations we would have otherwise considered impossible.
God called the prophets and disciples to do extraordinary things…and gave them the strength to carry them out. As we face our challenges this day, may we respond to the one who calls us to do the task before us – trusting that the Lord will also give us what we need.
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Note: This post was originally published on July 8, 2015.
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 