Matthew’s Gospel offers a couple of key insights into God’s love for humanity. The Lord seeks us out when we are lost and astray with a compassion that knows no limit; our task is to humbly receive this gift with the openness of a little child.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 19th Week of the Year
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Study: Name a time when your endurance was tested to complete a project. What kept you going?
Pray: Call upon the Lord for strength! Consider the many ways God has touched and blessed your life.
Serve: We all can help lighten the load of others. Who can you help today?
Mass Readings – 20th Sunday of the Year
In the book of Hebrews we hear how living our faith can be compared to running a race. A cloud of witnesses (the Angels and the Saints) are cheering us on, and we set our eyes on a great prize at the finish line.
Yet we know that a race can be filled with difficulty. Our endurance is tested, an injury may occur, an accident or change in circumstances can overturn our best plans. Both Jeremiah and Jesus experienced these types of trial and anguish, reminding us that it happens in our lives as well.
So where do we find our strength? The answer comes from the Psalm Response: Lord, come to my aid! In our need we call upon God for the grace we need to face our challenges and keep our eyes fixed on the Kingdom of Heaven.
May we look to the Lord for what we need today, and even if we fall…trust that Christ will pick us up and set us on the path that leads to life.
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Note: This post was first published on August 8, 2016.
The Letter to the Hebrews stresses the power of faith in the life of a Christian. Faith strengthens both the head and the heart, and as we foster our faith we are empowered with the grace we need to face the challenges before us.
Mass Readings – 19th Sunday of the Year
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The Lord teaches a key concept – the Paschal Mystery of death to new life – through the example of a grain of wheat. What needs to “die” in us today so that God’s grace can raise up something new and blessed in our hearts?
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 18th Sunday of the Year (St. Lawrence)
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Jesus speaks bluntly in the Gospel of Matthew, making it crystal clear that his disciple must take up his cross and follow the Lord in order to enter into eternal life.
Are you ready?
Mass Readings – Friday of the 18th Week of the Year
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When Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” he is inviting them into a spiritual self-discovery that leads to personal change. The moment we claim Jesus as Lord we recognize our relationship to the Messiah and declare our allegiance to follow where he leads.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 18th Week of the Year (St. Dominic)
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Photo Credit: Son of God, 2014.
The Lord’s interaction and subsequent care for the Canaanite woman offers us an insight into how we reach out to others…even when they are not part of our “group.”
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 18th Week of the Year
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