Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. (Jn:12:24).

In reading this verse, I was transported back to Middle School. Our sixth-grade class was dismissed to head to the cafeteria for the Science Fair. As I drew closer I could hear some unintelligible chanting going on. Of course, I was curious and craned my neck to see over the other students filing in as we entered our destination. As I drew closer and saw a circle of kids taunting and circling someone, I stopped. I heard muffled groans and then saw one of my friends standing in the center of the circle, his forearms pulled up to cover his face. No one was laying a hand on him, but the heckling was inflicting enough damage. I froze not knowing what to do or how to act.

I don’t remember how the situation was resolved, but I do remember how badly I felt that day, and still do for not doing anything. I also withdrew from my friend when I saw him later because I felt so bad for not speaking up or stepping in. I wasn’t there for him as he was harassed nor did I provide comfort later because I was still only thinking of myself, my shame, and not his feelings or his need. That day, I remained just a grain of wheat that did not fall to the ground and die. I was unwilling to die to myself, unwilling to stand up for my friend, and unwilling to provide any comfort.

When we find ourselves in situations when another human being’s dignity is being diminished, Jesus implores us to resist loving our life, assessing first our own self-interest, or we will lose it. Instead, we are to “hate our life” in this world (cf. Jn 12:25) by thinking of others first, instead of ourselves.

We will be in a better position to serve as Jesus did when we are willing to die to self, like the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies. We will grow and mature to bear fruit as God’s mouthpiece, when we speak truth to power, work to change systems in our culture and society that oppress and devalue others, prevent and defend attacks against the dignity of people. As we strive for change within ourselves, others, and society, we need to also, at the same time, accompany and provide support, person to person, for those who have been ignored, disrespected, devalued, objectified, or abused in any way.

Jesus, please grant us the courage to love, to will the good of the other. Give us the eyes to see and the ears to hear the cry of the poor; those who are demeaned, belittled, or dehumanized. Holy Spirit, inspire us to to be that grain of wheat that dies to our own self-centered and fallen self, such that we are not just silent bystanders. Loving God and Father, empower us to stand, speak up, and act on behalf of the dignity of those who are vulnerable, those who do not have access, and/or the avenue to speak up for themselves.

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Painting by Bernardo Strozzi of St Lawrence, the third-century deacon and martyr. Lawrence was asked by the Roman prefect to bring the wealth of the church to help maintain the Roman army. Three days later, Lawrence returned with the blind and lame, lepers, orphans, and widows and said to the prefect, “These are the treasure of the Church.” St Lawrence on this your feast day, pray for us!

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, August 10, 2020

After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone (Mt 14:23)

“After doing so,” is referring immediately to the preceding verse where Jesus dismisses the five-thousand after he had fed them and forced his disciples to go ahead of him and sail off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was now alone, which was the reason he originally came to this deserted place but the people had followed him. Weary, and worn, for we need to remember that Jesus was fully human as well as divine, Jesus “went up on the mountain by himself to pray.”

We need to do the same. In the midst of our business, we need to make time to be alone and pray. Like Jesus, we have many demands on our time. We may have many obligations, many people, and many challenges pulling at us. We also may have many diversions, anxieties, and fears that tempt us when we do move in the direction of making time to pray. The very act of being quiet, of being still, can be a fearful exercise. It is here we are called to face ourselves, our sin, our despair, loneliness, and/or our pain, suffering, and hurts. As Jesus walked up the mountain, I am sure two recent events, being rejected in his hometown and the death of John the Baptist, were on his mind.

If making time to pray has been a challenge, then the first step is to just begin with examining your days to find some “crumbs of wasted time to try to build short moments for recollection and prayer, we may discover that there is quite a lot of it” (Bloom 49). The point is to begin, and it is not so important how or what we pray, but to just make a commitment to two, three, five minutes each day in which to experience the present moment where God is waiting for us.

The very desire to pray is prayer already because we are becoming aware of God’s invitation to spend time with him. Just as Peter walked on water for the time he held his gaze on Jesus, so can we experience Jesus when we meet him face to face in prayer. To pray, we just need to answer the invitation from God and show up. Take some deep breaths, allow your shoulders to relax, and then say, “I am seated, I am doing nothing, I will do nothing for five minutes, then relax” (52).

The goal to start is not so much what you do during this time, or to experience anything. The goal is that you complete the time you made a commitment to, no matter what arises. You can just examine the day, say the Lord’s prayer slowly, breathe, talk freely with God. Resist the temptations that will arise to stop and get up. By doing so, we begin to disengage ourselves from the hamster wheel of habitual patterns and reactions. We will also begin to see traces of God’s presence in our daily experiences.

One stepping stone at a time is the key. Choose a time and place to commit to being still. Sit, breathe, and complete your time of stillness. Continue to show up and God will take care of the rest!

Photo: Where I show up to pray each day.

Link for the Mass Readings for today, Sunday, August 9, 2020

Bloom, Anthony. Beginning to Pray. New York: Paulist Press, 1970.

Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith.” (Mt 17:19-20).

How do the disciples get from this recurring theme of having little faith in the Gospel accounts to Peter healing a crippled beggar by saying with boldness, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, [rise and] walk” (Acts 3:6)?

A helpful definition “is to say that faith always entails a relationship between persons which stands or falls with the credibility of the person who is believed” (Rahner and Vorgrimler 1965, 164). Faith is not just an intellectual exercise, it is a lived experience. Christian faith is the conviction, belief, and relationship experienced with Jesus the Christ. The disciples learned from Jesus but more importantly developed an intimate relationship with him, such that the love they received and shared became so strong that there was no more room for doubt, distraction and/or fear, such that they would align themselves with the will of God and do what Jesus did and by his power working through them they would do even greater deeds than he (cf. Jn 14:12-14)!

We are invited to do the same. If we only read the Gospels or hear them read we may know something about Jesus, but our life will for the most part remain unchanged. When we read, meditate, and pray with the Gospels and put into practice what we read, we will encounter Jesus as did his disciples and we will come to know and develop a relationship with Jesus and be conformed to him. In this way, we are not just reading a dead letter but encountering the living Word, the Son of God, who invites us to share in the infinite dance of Love that he participates in with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

As our relationship and intimacy with Jesus grows and matures we too will be able to say with conviction the words of Paul: “I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). The best barometer of how we are doing with our relationship with Jesus, is how do we think, speak, and act toward each other?

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Painting credit: CB Chambers, Sacred Heart of Jesus, a gift given to me by Jim and Christine Zoeller, now hangs in my classroom at CN!

Rahner, Karl and Vorgrimler, Herbert. Theological Dictionary. New York: Herder and Herder, 1965.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, August 8, 2020

Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24).

Jesus invites us to deny our self-centered default position which places I, me, and mine (As George Harrison sang) at the center of each of our decisions. We can deny ourselves when we resist making excuses for our sins and come to a genuine place of sorrow for the pain we have caused God, ourselves, and others. By acknowledging our sins and confessing them, we die to our selfish ways, and then we rise again through the power of Christ. Empowered by our humility and the strength of Jesus we are better equipped to resist those temptations when they rise again.

We are also in a better position to then take up our cross, which is to follow the will of God. Jesus showed us the proper orientation of surrender when he said at Gethsemane: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done” (Lk 22:42). Jesus followed his Father’s will to the cross and endured horrific suffering, excruciating pain, humiliation, and abandonment, to death and into new life!

Many a mother I have talked with has shared the struggles of labor, but also expressed the joy of giving birth; many of my students have been exasperated by the time and effort expended for an examination, a sporting event, art show, musical or theatrical performance and yet experienced the joy from the feat they accomplished; and how many times have we faced a challenge, trial, or cleared some obstacle and felt the exhilaration of overcoming the hurdle?

Taking up our cross and following the will of God means accepting a disciplined approach to our lives. When we follow God’s will, as opposed to our own solely, the difference is that we are not alone in our persistent effort. Seeking God’s will in the midst of our decision-making process and trials for our everyday physical as well as spiritual pursuits is the key.

In my mid-twenties, I entered the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province to study for the priesthood. In the year and a half of discernment, from time to time I would imagine my ordination day. To my surprise, I did not feel intense joy. I enjoyed every aspect of my experience with the friars and the ministries but there was something or someone missing. I took a leave of absence and about a year and a half later, I realized what was missing was having a family.

About two years later I met JoAnn, and her three children, Mia, Jack, and Christy. Six months after that we were married and seventeen years later, I was ordained to the permanent diaconate. This is the short version of the story. There were bumpy moments as we learned to grow together by being willing to see each other’s point of view, some perspectives took a little longer than others, and we were at our best when we were willing to sacrifice for and serve one another.

The journey took its roughest lunge this time last year when JoAnn was experiencing her final weeks with us this side of heaven. From the beginning of JoAnn’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, we both prayed, not that our will but God’s will be done. This cross was the heaviest to bear, yet Jesus shouldered it with us and blessed us richly in our surrender. I am truly grateful for those final months that we had together.

The grief and sorrow that I did not allow during JoAnn’s sickness has risen up on and off since I returned home as it did today while I was organizing the garage, something we would often do together when I had time off. Yet, in embracing the sorrow and allowing the tears to flow, I was able to experience the joy and appreciation from our years together. In denying ourselves and carrying our cross – our willingness to resist curving in upon ourselves and face, instead of run away from our challenges, we can actually come to a place of healing, wholeness, and unity with others.

Photo: All of us together last July 4th weekend with Levi and Harley, Mia’s wee ones.

Link for the Mass Readings for, Friday, August 7, 2020

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light (Mt 17:1-2).

Peter, James, and John certainly experienced Jesus’ profound teachings, his powerful signs, and wonders. They also experienced his healing on the Sabbath, casting out demons, and forgiving of sins, which, alluded to the reality that he was the Son of God. I imagine Peter, James, and John, though acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, still pretty much looked at Jesus as being solely a human being. In the encounter of Jesus transfigured, Jesus revealed to his inner circle of Apostles not only a foretaste of what was to come in heaven but a glimpse of his actual divinity.

Jesus is not 50% God and 50% human. He is fully God and fully man. This is the Mystery of the Incarnation; the reality that the second Person of the Trinity took on flesh and became human. This is an important reality, because in this very act of Infinite Grace, assuming humanity, God opened up heaven for us. The Son of God became one with us so that we can become one with him. Through participation in the life of Jesus Christ, we can restore our relationship with his Father.

“By revealing himself God wishes to make [us] capable of responding to him, and of knowing him, and of loving him far beyond [our] own natural capacity” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2^nd ed., 52). As I have been sharing in prior posts, this reality of the invitation of communion with the Loving God and Father of all creation is for everyone. Our joy and fulfillment are achieved by developing a relationship with the God of Jesus Christ.

Many may say they are happy and living a good life without having a relationship with Jesus Christ or apart from God, and I would not disagree with them. I would only add that if we are honest with ourselves, there is more to life than the mere materiality before us. That if we slow down enough, we experience a yearning for more. Even with great achievement, mastery, and accumulation, there is still a lingering question, “Is this all there is?”

We experience consciously or unconsciously a restlessness, we continually search to fill this unease with material and finite things, feeling satisfied for the moment, but eventually, in short order, we are left feeling empty, time and time again. This unease is our soul’s yearning, our transcendent nature to long for more, and that longing is for the infinite that the finite cannot provide.

St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) articulates this desire and yearning so well in the opening chapter of his autobiography, Confessions: “You move us to delight in praising You; for You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.”

The Feast of the Transfiguration is an invitation, not to reject our humanity, but to embrace the fullness of what it means to be human, as the Son of God did through the Mystery of his becoming one with us. We are invited to embrace the full range of our personhood; the reality that we are physical, emotional, intellectual, as well as spiritual human beings.  Our fulfillment and joy come from the balancing and nurturing of each of these aspects of who we are. We are all called beyond mere existence, subsistence, and survival living to experience the fullness and meaning of life.

Peter, James, and John, as well as Augustine and the saints, embraced the invitation of Jesus and that has made all the difference in their lives. God invites us to do the same. He encourages us to be open to wonder, to explore the full breadth, depth, and width of all that our faith and reason can open for us such that we can draw ever deeper into the intimacy of a loving relationship with God, ourselves, and each other. We are called to experience the fullness of our interconnected humanity and through our participation in Christ, share collectively in his divinity!

Icon: Transfiguration of Jesus painted by Theophanes the Greek in 1408

The link for the Mass readings for Thursday, August 6, 2020

He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” (Mt 15:23-24).

I would encourage you to read in full Matthew 15:21-28 to get the full feel of this Gospel account. (If needed, see the link below).

Jesus’ reaction in this scene does not appear to be consistent with how he has acted toward others who have approached him in the past. Is he just having a bad day and taking it out on this woman? Is his reaction because she is a woman and a Gentile at that? I don’t believe either case to be true.

Jesus has seen his disciples time and again attempting to turn people away, just as recently when the five thousand were hungry and they were ready to send them to the nearby villages, knowing the hour was late to get their food. Jesus was also tired that day too, all but spent, yet, even so, I am sure that he did not check to see who were the card-carrying Jews among those gathered, but instead fed all that were present.

In today’s recording of Matthew, I wonder if Jesus was not so much testing the woman’s faith, as much as he was testing the faith and the response of his disciples. The woman was calling for help. Would the disciples offer to provide her support, following the lead of Jesus who they have observed so many times before? Jesus remained silent to her initial plea for help. What did the disciples do? They asked Jesus to send her away. Jesus appeared to support their indifference when he justified his non-response by stating that he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel, clearly, she was of another fold.

Again, the disciples did not step up to defend the woman in need. Maybe they even egged Jesus on. The woman persisted. She came forward and knelt before Jesus imploring him to help her and Jesus met her with a degrading slur, referring to the woman as a dog. The disciples would now certainly appeal to Jesus for mercy, right? Nothing. Nada. His apostles stayed silent, or worse they may have even started to have a good laugh at her expense.

The woman did not back down, she remained resilient in her effort because her daughter needed her help and she would not be turned away. She did not react or get defensive, but returned with her own retort, by stating, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters”  (Mt 15:27). Jesus then upended the whole scene and shared that the woman was the one who had great faith! A woman, a Gentile, not his disciples.

Those who have great faith are the ones who believe and act on that belief. Coming up with excuses to support our own indifference or rationalizing turning away people in need is not faith. Those who are aware of the need of another, even and especially when the task seems beyond them and is willing to take the risk, to make the effort to reach out and help, are those who show great faith. How would we have acted in this same scenario? I invite you to read Matthew’s account again in full a few times and imagine yourself in the scene.

With honesty, let us assess where we find ourselves in the scene? Are we aghast at Jesus’ initial responses, do we stay silent or speak up for the woman? Do we add our own insults? If we are going through a trial as did the woman, do we have her persistence, determination, and resilience, resisting to be turned away or lose our cool? Would we have this woman’s laser-focused unwillingness to give up?

Can we recall times when we did not recognize the need of others or respect the dignity of others because we perceived them as different or other than us? Were there times when we have or supported others who have loosed derogatory or dehumanizing speech or actions behind people’s backs or directly? Have we defended, justified, or rationalized our gossip, prejudices, or hurtful behavior?

If so, may we seek God’s forgiveness, and if possible reach out to apologize to those we have directly or indirectly hurt. May we commit today to follow the guidance that St. Paul offered to the members of his Church at Ephesus: “No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. [And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ” (Ephesians 4:29-32).

Jesus, please fill us with your love and grace. Guide us and give us the courage to resist hurting others with our thoughts, faces, words, actions, or inactions. Help us to be your light in the midst of the darkness of prejudice, hate, and racism by being more aware, understanding, patient, present, kind, encouraging, empowering, and loving today and each day. Help us to respect the dignity of all we encounter, especially, those we have considered different or have in the past kept at a distance, so that one day we too may hear the words you spoke to the Canaanite woman, “Great is your faith!”
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Picture: Jesus and the Woman of Canaan by Micahel Angelo Immenraet, 1673-1678

Mass readings for today, Wednesday, August 5, 2020

[H]e went up on the mountain by himself to pray (Mt 14:23).

Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him and went further up the mountain to pray by himself. There is a consistent record of Jesus praying in the Gospels and beyond this written record I am sure that Jesus practiced this one on one time with God often.

The goal of Jesus spending time in prayer was not to amass enough spiritual energy so that he could do miraculous things like walking on the water. Spending silent time in prayer was an example of Jesus answering the invitation of his Father to spend time with him. Jesus knew the will of his Father because of this consistent time they spent together.

If we are to come to not just know about God but truly know him and his will for our lives we need to do the same. We need to make consistent time to be still and open our minds and hearts to be present with God. True, God doesn’t only speak to us in our quiet and still moments. God engages with us in our everyday activities, but if we are not aware and attuned to his presence, which improves when we are still and quiet, we can often miss or dismiss daily happenings with God.

Setting consistent, daily time, ideally the same time each day, will help us to slow down our pace. The first thing in the morning is best. We can slow down before we even get started. Start with five or ten minutes. If this is new, even those few minutes can be a challenge. Just continue to show up!

As we begin to slow down more consistently, turn off the automatic pilot, and step away from our harried pace, we will begin to discern and come to know God’s voice which speaks in the silence of our hearts.

God invites us to move beyond our mere survival instinct and reactions or settling into a comfortable and protected cocoon. God encourages us to be fully alive and to be engaged in the lives of others. How this takes shape will be different for each of us. We each have a particular and unique role to play in our collaboration with God, which we will come to know when we set aside and show up for some consistent time to pray just as Jesus did.

Painting: “Not By Bread Alone” by Michael Dudash

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, August 4, 2020

“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. (Mt 14:26-29).

This is one of my favorite Gospel stories. Yes, Peter quickly started to sink, but for that brief moment…

Life is a struggle. Challenges, fears, trials, and conflicts pound at us like turbulent waves. We may be tempted to be paralyzed by our fears and begin to sink because of the weight of the pounding. Yet, when we trust and keep our eyes on Jesus we keep who is present in the midst of our storms, we will overcome.

In many a top ten list of fears, I would guarantee that speaking in public consistently makes the top three. This is an area I have struggled with on and off again over the years. One incident happened about six years ago as I had the opportunity to share my first reflection during my acolyte year of formation for the permanent diaconate. I must have prepared for three to five hours, writing and rewriting well into the wee hours of the morning the night before. Just before the morning liturgy, our director of formation informed me that there had been a last-minute change of plans and we were going to have different readings than I had planned. He offered to give the reflection in my place, as well as gave me the option to continue and incorporate what I had planned into the new readings.

I chose to remain on course to offer the reflection, and as we processed in, I immediately regretted my choice. The winds and waves of anxiety started to batter me and continued their assault as I came up to read the Gospel. As I came to the end of the reading, a quiet peace settled over me. I then began to preach extemporaneously, ignoring my notes. There was an unexplainable feeling of joy that welled up in me, and like Peter, for that brief moment, it was as if, I too was walking on water! Halfway through the reflection though, my mind directed me back to my prepared notes, and I lost the connection that I had just experienced. I sputtered a bit to the end but finished free of any major catastrophe.

After the service ended, I remained in my seat quietly for a second to catch my breath. My classmates Dennis, Hank, and Pete, who all knew how nervous I was going into this, swarmed around me like I had just touched home plate after a walk-off home run. I can still feel Pete’s bear hug.

JoAnn had appendicitis during her first-grade year of school. She missed a lot of her reading lessons but worse became very self-conscious from that time forward about reading aloud. During our husband/wife retreats each year, wives were given the opportunity to read during the Liturgy of the Hours or Mass. JoAnn did not feel comfortable nor did she want to do so but accepted the offer. We prepared, she practiced ahead of time, and then she prayed to the Holy Spirit just as she approached the ambo. JoAnn felt very nervous but as she began to read, she felt this overwhelming sense of peace fill her whole body. She was no longer fighting back nerves but tears of joy at God’s presence.

There will be times when Jesus invites us to come out of the boat and step onto the water, he will call us to move out of our comfort zone. May we, as did Peter, trust him and step out in faith. This will be a risk, and yes, there will be times that we will sink, just as Peter had done. But even though he sank, he immediately remembered to call out to Jesus to save him and Jesus immediately reached out his hand and pulled him up. Jesus was there for Peter, he has been there for JoAnn and me, and he will be there for you.

There may be something that you have been feeling led or encouraged to attempt, to start, to do, yet the waves of doubt, anxiety, and fear have been rocking the stability of your boat.  “Be not afraid! Come.” Step out of the boat, take the risk, keep your eyes on Jesus, and walk on the water!
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Photo: JoAnn and I during our formation period in the permanent diaconate program.

Link for the Mass Readings for Monday, August 3, 2020

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. (Mt 14:14).

The feast of the feeding of the five thousand was quite different from the birthday feast of Herod Antipas (Mt 14:1-12) that we read yesterday. Herod’s focus was on himself, not the welfare of the guests attending his banquet. Herod’s pride was on full display, and it culminated in his ordering the head of John the Baptist to be served up on a platter.

Jesus was focused instead on those who gathered around him; “his heart was moved with pity for them”. Jesus was aware of their need, their hunger, not only for something to eat but a deeper spiritual hunger. He made himself available to them. Jesus taught, healed, and when that time ended instead of sending them off to fend for themselves, in the multiplication of the bread and fish, he met their most basic need for nourishment.

There is a stark contrast between the attitude of Herod and Jesus (cf. Mt 14:13-21). We can certainly see these two scenes playing out clearly in our country and the world today. The question for us is do we close ourselves off, embrace an indifference to those who are in need, and let others fend for themselves, or do we make an effort to be aware of the needs of those around us and attempt to be of help. Mother Teresa said: “People are hungry for God. People are hungry for love. Are we aware of that? … Do we have eyes to see? Quite often we look but don’t see. We are all just passing through this world. We need to open our eyes and see” (Mother Teresa, 56).

We do not have to feed five thousand. The effort of putting our love into action for one person is a good way to begin. Jesus, please grant us the eyes to see, help us to be more aware. Please help us to have hearts that are more open that we may experience compassion for those around us, and please set our soul on fire with the Holy Spirit to put into practice acts of love, to reach out and be present to those in need in our midst. May we recognize with St. Mother Teresa that: “We are collaborators with Christ, fertile branches on the vine” (56).

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Photo of St Mother Teresa, putting her love into action. Getty Images.

Mother Teresa. No Greater Love. Edited by Becky Benenate, Joseph Durepos. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2001

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, August 2, 2020

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him.” (Mt 14:1-2).

After the death of Herod the Great (4 BC), one of his sons, Herod Antipas, was given a portion of his father’s kingdom by the Roman Emperor Augustus. Thus, Herod Antipas was the tetrarch, or prince, of Galilee and Perea from 4 BC to 39 AD. Herod, like, Pontius Pilate, held power as long as he was a faithful servant to Rome.

News of the ministry of Jesus got back to Herod and he believed Jesus to be John the Baptist raised from the dead. What followed in today’s Gospel were some reasons why Herod arrested and unjustly beheaded John the Baptist. John was killed for speaking truth to power, as happened often in the long line of prophets before him. Jesus would continue John’s ministry of calling for repentance, for a return to follow the will of God. He would also suffer capital punishment, at the hands of Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate. The Apostles and martyrs of the early Church followed John and Jesus, lived the truth publicly and courageously, and were bold witnesses of their faith.

How are we living our faith today? Are we faithful to the Gospel values that Jesus and the Apostles taught and were willing to die for? Do we serve Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate or Jesus the Christ? Do we serve fear or love? Are we putting our identity first or our integrity of living and holding others accountable for living the Gospel? If we are honest with ourselves, we are not so much all the way one or the other, but a mixture. The hope is that we are moving over time closer to serving God, being people of prayer, and being present to each other with more love.

It is important to stop and reflect on questions such as these, to examine our conscience and determine who it is that we are truly serving. It is not easy living the teachings of Jesus. We will fall short, but we must remember that God loves us more than we can ever mess up. We experience the fullness of his forgiveness, light, love, and mercy when we are continually willing to follow the call of John the Baptist and Jesus, which is to acknowledge when we have put something or someone else first before God. When we repent, turn back to God, we are strengthening the union of relationship we were created for.

When we are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to shine upon the darkness of our mistakes, failures, and sins, we will experience his forgiveness and mercy, we will become more open to truly knowing his will and how best to serve him and each other. Embraced by and participating in the Trinitarian Communion of love, let us recommit ourselves today to living as Jesus’ disciples, to growing in courage to better follow his path, so to better live and speak his truth with love, mercy, and justice in and out of season.
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Photo: Have missed my evening walks. Returned last Wednesday to see this beautiful white flower. A random occurrence or a God incident? I believe God was saying hello and welcoming me back to the beauty of his creation 😉

Link for the Mass readings for, Saturday, August 1, 2020