Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 23rd Week of the Year (St. John Chrysostom)
Jesus offers a series of blessings and woes, reminding us that when we are united to the Lord we are blessed…and when we drift off on our own we find ourselves in a bad place.
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Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 23rd Sunday of the Year
Jesus calls by name the Twelve Apostles from the disciples who followed him. Chosen by him, they have work to do…reminding us today that the Lord continues to call people to carry on the Lord’s saving work through the mission of the Church.
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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts
Study: Recall a time when you received forgiveness. What did it feel like?
Pray: Is there someone you need to forgive? Ask the Lord for the courage and strength to do it.
Serve: Is there someone you need to ask for forgiveness? Be the first to foster healing in the relationship.
Mass Readings – 24th Sunday of the Year
Let’s take a quick look at a sketch of the readings:
On one hand the teaching is simple: if you want to be forgiven by God, start forgiving one another. It’s sound logic and makes complete sense…until you have something hard to forgive. Perhaps we have felt slighted or neglected, been hurt or experienced disappointment. Maybe we just don’t understand, or maybe we are choosing to interpret a situation in its worst possible light.
Forgiveness is the practical dimension of Christian love. After all, it’s easy to love people when we are comfortable, rested, calm and free of all distractions. The real test of our love happens when we can forgive one another in the light of Jesus Christ.
The Lord offers us the teaching of forgiveness with clarity and conviction. There is no middle ground. We forgive one another if we expect God to forgive us of our own sins. We forgive, knowing that we all stand in need of God’s forgiveness, so that by unlocking the gates of our hearts through forgiveness we can stand before the Lord ready to receive the grace of his mercy.
Two thoughts then emerge today:
May the Lord inspire us to be people of forgiveness as we practice his teaching and follow his example.
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Mass Readings – 23rd Sunday of the Year
One of the hardest things about the Christian faith is the giving and receiving of a tough message, the kind of message that hits our hearts and requires us to grow as children of God. Whether it’s something that needs to be said or something that needs to be heard, may we call upon the Lord for the courage we need to let the message of Jesus Christ speak to our souls.
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Mass Readings – Saturday of the 22nd Week of the Year (St. Peter Claver)
When confronted by the pharisees about his disciples violation of the Law, Jesus cites David and his own authority over the Sabbath. Recognizing Christ as the Lord of our lives, we are inspired to put Christ at the center of everything we do as we offer our lives for him.
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Photo Credit: Jesus of Nazareth, 1977.
Mass Readings – The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Church celebrates the birth of Mary out of gratitude for her cooperation with God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. As we remember the Mother of God today, may we continue to open our hearts – cooperating with God’s plan for our lives as the Lord’s disciples.
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Mass Readings – Thursday of the 22nd Week of the Year
When Jesus steps into the boat he changes Peter’s life forever. As the Lord teaches the crowds and invites Peter to abandon fear and follow him, we find that Christ continues to do the same in our lives, reaching out to us and welcoming us into a life of faith.
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What’s your treasure? What’s so important to you that you will make sacrifices, work hard and dedicate your life to make it happen? A new school year offers the chance for students of all ages to grow in mind and heart!
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Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 22nd Week of the Year
With authority and power Jesus teaches and drives out a demon in the Gospel today. As his followers, may we call upon the Lord for the guidance and courage we need to face our challenges with his grace.
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Photo Credit: Son of God, 2014.
Study: When was a time when I failed to speak up? When was a time I failed to listen?
Pray: Call upon the Lord for the wisdom to know when to speak and when to take heart to the words of another.
Serve: Is there someone in my life right now that I am called to speak to? Or listen to?
Mass Readings – 23rd Sunday of the Year
Do you remember the Aesop’s fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” that we used to hear as children? It is a simple yet profound tale. A young boy is given the responsibility to watch over the animals in the event of an attack from the wolves. Bored of his duties he calls out “Wolf!” and laughs as the area villagers come running.
Delighted with his game the boy cries “Wolf!” a few more times, each time getting the attention of the people. Finally disgusted with his actions they no longer respond, even when a real wolf shows up and attacks the child; his failure to keep watch prevented his message from being heard.
In the first reading today Ezekiel says that being a prophet is a lot like being a watchman. The watchman was responsible for protecting the people from bandits and wild animals. The watchman was required to stay alert, remaining vigilant and ready to call out in a moment’s notice should danger arise.
If danger came, and the watchman failed to alert the people, then the watchman was at fault. But if the watchman called the alarm and no one came, then the people were at fault. Simply put, if the watchman does his duty and no one comes, then those who hear the warning and fail to respond are held accountable.
Likewise, anyone who hears a word of encouragement or guidance and fails to respond is also accountable. Ezekiel, the Psalm, and the Gospel today all point out that there are times when we must open our hearts to messages that we may not want to hear. We may be tempted to “harden our hearts.”
Let’s face it. No one wants to be told what to do. No one wants to be disciplined or chastised; we love our freedom and independence too much for that! Yet there are times when the Church is empowered to keep watch, lest members of the community drift into choices and actions which are harmful and destructive.
This is not easy! The scriptures today alert us to the fact that there are moments when we may be asked to either give or receive a hard word out of love. We might have to give it – to help another from making a mistake. We might have to receive it – and allow another to help us from falling into trouble. Keeping watch is never easy, but without the support of each other, we run the risk of a far greater harm.
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 