May September’s colorful change of clothes bless each of you with wonder, joy and gratitude.
Month: August 2024
Pure
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 1, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/090124.cfm
Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
James 1:21-22;27
In his epistle, James is reiterating some strong words from Jesus.
In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees are all whipped up about hand-washing. They have succumbed to the temptation to live a religion of appearances. Jesus basically tells them that no one ever gained eternal life by washing their hands.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
Jesus tells us, and so does James, how we stay clean and pure in God’s sight. Let’s take a look in the mirror to see how squeaky clean we look.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
James 1:21-22;27
Poetry: from Rumi
If you will be observant and vigilant,
you will see at every moment
the response to your action.
Be observant if you wouldst have a pure heart,
for something is born to you
in consequence of every action.
Music: Salvation – Michael Hoppé, Martin Tillman & Tim Wheater
Joy
Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
August 31, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083124.cfm
The one who had received five talents
came forward bringing the additional five.
He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done,
my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Matthew 25: 20-21
In this passage from Matthew, the “talents” are the currency that attains eternal joy. It is not so much about how many talents one has. Instead, it is about how one remains faithful in using them.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
The parable tells us that God exists in the Joy that flows from Infinite Generosity. When we invest our talents for the sake of others, we are invited to share in that Divine Joy.
Poetry: Sonnet on his Blindness by John Milton
With implied reference to the Parable of the Talents, Milton reflects on the loss of one talent – his sight which enabled him to write. His reflection acknowledges that God does not need any of our talents, but rather our faith which “only stands and waits”.
When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide,
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?
I fondly ask; but Patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts, who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best, his state
Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait.
Music: Ode to Joy – Ludwig von Beethoven
Foolish
Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
August 30, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/083024.cfm
Brothers and sisters:
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:17-18
Paul writes that the meaning of the Cross depends on who you are. If you believe, it manifests God’s Power. If you do not believe, it signifies foolishness.
The Gospel and the Cross turn the realities of the world upside down. For those who have falsely believed that power exists in egotism, legalism, division, aggression, vengeance, and greed, Paul says, “No!”. These are only signs that you are perishing.
The power of the Cross is manifested in mercy, justice, community, peace, forgiveness and generosity. This is the path to salvation.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
We ask for the courage to trust the contradictory wisdom of the Gospel, and to live a life that reveals the “foolish” power of the Cross.
Poetry: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross – Malcolm Guite
See, as they strip the robe from off his back
And spread his arms and nail them to the cross,
The dark nails pierce him and the sky turns black,
And love is firmly fastened on to loss.
But here, a pure change happens.
On this tree, loss becomes gain, death opens into birth.
Here wounding heals and fastening makes free,
Earth breathes in heaven, heaven roots in earth.
And here we see the length, the breadth, the height,
Where love and hatred meet and love stays true,
Where sin meets grace and darkness turns to light,
We see what love can bear and be and do.
And here our Saviour calls us to his side,
His love is free, his arms are open wide.
Music: The Power of the Cross – Stuart Townend
Grudge
Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist
August 29, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082924.cfm
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
Matthew 6:18-20
Our Gospel today describes the manner of death for John the Baptist. It is a sad and horrifying story. But the sadder story is how Herodias’s grudge poisoned both her heart and the cowardly heart of Herod.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
We examine our own hearts for any shadow of grudge or ill-feeling we might hold against others. It may be a small fracture, but it can widen over the years to become spiritually poisonous. We pray for the grace to be able to heal, to change, to forgive, and to be truly compassionate.
Poetry: Things That Cause a Quiet Life – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
My friend, the things that do attain
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain,
The fruitful ground; the quiet mind;The equal friend; no grudge, no strife;
No charge of rule nor governance;
Without disease the healthy life;
The household of continuance;The mean diet, no dainty fare;
True wisdom joined with simpleness;
The night discharged of all care,
Where wine the wit may not oppress;The faithful wife, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night:
Content thyself with thine estate,
Neither wish death, nor fear his might.
Music: J.S. Bach / Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7
This is one of several church cantatas which Johann Sebastian Bach composed for the Feast of St. John the Baptist.
Walk
Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
August 28, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082824.cfm
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
Psalm 128:1-2
In today’s Gospel, Jesus really slams the Pharisees! They had to walk away from his condemnation thinking twice about the pretense of their lives!
Paul advises his followers not to “walk in disorderly way” – a little bit gentler admonition, but still a call to get one’s act together.
Our instructive psalm tells us why we should pay attention to the reproofs of Jesus and Paul. It reminds us that to walk in the way of the Lord brings us eternal blessing and favor.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
We ask to continually learn how to walk in God’s grace for there is always a new challenge on Life’s pathway.
Thought:
As you start to walk on the way,
Rumi
the way appears.
Music: Walk in the Light – Aretha Franklin
Jesus is the light of the world
Come on choir
Walk in the light (walk in the light)
Beautiful light (well it’s a beautiful light)
Come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright (Oh Lord)
Shine all around us by day and by night
Oh oh oh oh, Jesus is the light of the world
I wonder, do you know that this evening
Yeah yeah yeah
Walk in the light (we’re walk in the light)
Beautiful light (well it’s a beautiful light)
Come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright
Oh Lord, shine all around us by day and by night
Oh Lord, Jesus is the light of the world
Oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, yeah
Walk in the light (we’re going the distance, yeah)
Beautiful light (we’re going the distance where the light)
Come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright (of mercy shine bright)
Shine all around us by day and by night
(Oh Lord) Jesus is the light of the world (the Lord is the light of the world)
He’s shining (Yes, he’s shining)
He’s shining (oh yes he is, he’s shining)
He’s shining in my soul (oh yes he is, oh yeah)
Tithes
Memorial of Saint Monica
August 27, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082724.cfm
Jesus said:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Matthew 23:23
Today’s Gospel is about the sincerity of our faith. Jesus accuses the Pharisees of shallow practices not motivated by sincere faith. They are surface believers, practicing a religion of appearances.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
We place our own practice of faith before God, asking for the grace to face these questions. Is our faith only a visible display, or is it grounded in the deep virtues of honest judgment, generous mercy, and steadfast fidelity?
Poetry: Flickering Mind – Denise Levertov
Lord, not you
it is I who am absent.
At first
belief was a joy I kept in secret,
stealing alone
into sacred places:
a quick glance, and away -- and back,
circling.
I have long since uttered your name
but now
I elude your presence.
I stop
to think about you, and my mind
at once
like a minnow darts away,
darts
into the shadows, into gleams that fret
unceasing over
the river's purling and passing.
Not for one second
will my self hold still, but wanders
anywhere,
everywhere it can turn. Not you,
it is I am absent.
You are the stream, the fish, the light,
the pulsing shadow.
You the unchanging presence, in whom all
moves and changes.
How can I focus my flickering, perceive
at the fountain's heart
the sapphire I know is there?
Music: We Walk by Faith – Marty Haugen
Thanks
Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
August 26, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082624.cfm
We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,
as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more,
and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater…
… We always pray for you,
that our God may make you worthy of his calling
and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose
and every effort of faith,
that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,
and you in him,
in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1: 3-4; 11-12
How grateful we should be for the communities of faith that nurture us! In today’s beautiful words, Paul prays in gratitude for the faithful and generous Thessalonians community.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
If we have been blessed by the faith of family, friends, parish, school, religious community, or place of ministry, we can echo the words of Paul in his gratitude for the Thessalonians community.
Let’s take the time to recall and give thanks for those who bless us with their faith. Doing so will make us more grateful, humble, generous, and courageous.
Poetry: Common Prayer – Renee Yann, RSM
When she comes to morning prayer,
from night’s isolating shadows,
she comes from someplace
I have never been
with invitations to a place
that I could never be,
save her full divestiture
to God, done humbly before me.
Music: Contemplation – Tim Wheater
To Whom?
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 25, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082524.cfm
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said,
“For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”
As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:64-69
In the name of the disciples, Peter proclaims their absolute faith in Jesus as the Messiah. It is a challenge to ask ourselves if our faith is absolute or conditional. Do we believe only when things work out as we wish? Or can God depend on us, and we depend on God, no matter the “weather”?
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
We pray for an ever stronger faith and give thanks for its gift to us.
Poetry: Prayer – Jessica Powers
Prayer is the trapdoor out of sin.
Prayer is a mystic entering in
to secret places full of light.
It is a passage through the night.
Heaven is reached, the blessed say,
by prayer and by no other way.
One may kneel down and make a plea
with words from book or breviary,
or one may enter in and find
a homemade message in the mind.
But true prayer travels further still,
to seek God’s presence and God’s will.
To pray can be to push a door
and snatch some crumbs of evermore,
or (likelier by far) to wait,
head bowed, before a fastened gate,
helpless and miserable and dumb,
yet hopeful that the Lord will come.
Here is the prayer of grace and good
most proper to our creaturehood.
God’s window shows his humble one
more to the likeness of His Son.
He sees, though thought and senses stray,
the will is resolute to stay
and feed, in weathers sweet or grim,
on any word that speaks of Him.
He beams on the humility
that keeps its peace in misery
and, save for glimmerings, never knows
how beautiful with light it grows.
He smiles on faith that seems to know
it has no other place to go.
But some day, hidden by His will,
if this meek child is waiting still,
God will take out His mercy-key
and open up felicity,
where saltiest tears are given right
to seas where sapphire marries light,
where by each woe the soul can span
new orbits for the utter man,
where even the flesh, so seldom prized,
would blind the less than divinized.
Music: To Whom Shall We Go – Carolyn Arends
Guileless
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
August 24, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082424.cfm
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no guile in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
John 1:47-49
I’m sure Jesus loved all his disciples, but I think he loved Nathaniel in a special way. Nathaniel was a WYSIWYG person – “what you see is what you get“. Jesus never had to second-guess Nathaniel. His faith and longing for holiness were clear. When he had doubts and reservations he brought them openly and humbly to God.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
We ask to be guileless, without duplicity with God, with ourselves, and with our companions. May we burn with a sincerity of heart lit by faith, hope, and charity.
Poetry: The Glance – George Herbert (1593-1633)
As he comes from under the fig tree, Nathaniel’s life is changed and consecrated by his first glance of Jesus.
The Glance
When first thy sweet and gracious eye
Vouchsaf’d ev’n in the midst of youth and night
To look upon me, who before did lie
Weltring in sinne;
I felt a sugred strange delight,
Passing all cordials made by any art,
Bedew, embalme, and overrunne my heart,
And take it in.
Since that time many a bitter storm
My soul hath felt, ev’n able to destroy,
Had the malicious and ill-meaning harm
His swing and sway:
But still thy sweet originall joy,
Sprung from thine eye, did work within my soul,
And surging griefs, when they grew bold, controll,
And got the day.
If thy first glance so powerfull be,
A mirth but open’d and seal’d up again;
What wonders shall we feel, when we shall see
Thy full-ey’d love!
When thou shalt look us out of pain,
And one aspect of thine spend in delight
More then a thousand sunnes dispurse in light,
In heav'n above.
Music: Hymn to St. Bartholomew (also known as Nathaniel) – Fr. Ricardo Arriola
Lavish Mercy 