A good practice before we listen to or read the Bible is to pray to the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what he would like us to receive that will help us to grow, to mature, be healed, and/or transformed by his love. The goal of each reading is not only to be moved to live more like Jesus but to be transformed by his love for us.

In today’s Gospel from Matthew, we see that Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and the Herodians. The Herodians are those politically tied to Herod the Great’s dynasty which have been perpetuated through his three sons. Herod Antipas, one of the three and the ruler over Galilee, was in league with the Roman occupation so they could maintain their power. Many of the Pharisees and especially the Zealots were not happy about the Roman occupation of their homeland and did not recognize Caesar but God as their leader. Neither of these groups were fans of each other but are shown to unite against Jesus.

The question they pose to Jesus “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not” (Matthew 22:17), is chosen to create conflict and to gather support for making an accusation against Jesus.

The hope was that he would say either it was or it wasn’t. If he chose yes, pay the tax to Caesar, he would alienate those Pharisees and Zealots that were opposed to the Roman occupation and if he said no, he would rile up those Herodians in support of paying the tax because they benefited from Rome. Jesus turns the question into a powerful teaching.

In asking for a Roman coin, Jesus said, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Mt. 22:22). Jesus is saying to give back to Caesar what already belongs to him, his coinage, but more importantly, to pay back to God what belongs to God.

That which is most foundational and substantial belongs to God, our very life and being. We have seen Jesus repeatedly walk through these traps set by many of these groups because he knows the will of God and acts upon his will free from concern of either their affirmation or consternation. Jesus is more interested in professing the truth as his Father reveals it to him. He does so because he knows his Father and his Father knows him.

This is a lesson we would do well to learn. It is more than willpower or persistence though. We come to know the will of God by knowing God. Relationship is the key to knowing his voice, being willing to hear and then acknowledge his voice, and then being willing to act, to put into practice what Jesus has shared with us.

Our relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit grows as we gather to worship, hear his word proclaimed, receive Jesus in his Body and Blood, praise his name in song. It grows as we savor the love he shares with us in our community of worship as well as in our personal times of prayer, meditation, and contemplation. We also grow in our relationship by inviting God into every moment of our lives and are willing to be led to love others as he loves us.

Knowing God then, being loved by God, we will know better how to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God in each situation that arises in our lives.

Photo: May we open our heart to the light of Christ, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the love of the Father. Saturday afternoon walk and quiet time with God, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, October 22, 2023

God is the creator of all that exists, all that God has made is good, and all that God made depends on him. Angels and humans God created good as well, and he loved them so much that he was willing to risk that they would reject him. His love is unconditional and free. In actuality, all that exists comes into being because of the outpouring of the trinitarian love shared between the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  

The psalmist echoes the reality of God the Father’s love for us in today’s responsorial psalm: “The Lord remembers his covenant forever” (see Psalm 105).

A covenant is more than a contract, it is a sacred bond, a union. God has always been true and faithful to the covenants that he has established. If we look at the covenants of the past, with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, they are initiated by God. They are a sign of his wanting to come close to be in relationship with each one of us, and not just in some abstract way. He made these covenants with individuals.

God wants to be in an intimate relationship with each and every person, so much so that he has sent his Son to be one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity. God’s covenant is a promise to restore what has been lost because of sin – a rejecting of God’s love and relationship.  

We have all sinned, fallen short, made mistakes, chosen our ways over his. Doesn’t matter. Jesus’ arms are wide open, ready to welcome us to rest in his loving embrace. He was sent to forgive us, to renew our strength, and to restore us to our original glory. At this moment, imagine yourself walking into his open arms to receive his loving embrace, allow his love to heal, and restore you.

Hear Jesus tell you how true and faithful his Father’s love is. That he will never let us down. Hear his invitation to open our hearts and minds to his Father’s love, the love that is constant and unbreakable on his part. Let us be still, breathe in deeply and receive God’s love, rest, trust, and abide in his love and know without a doubt that we are loved more than we can imagine.

Photo: Jesus comes especially close to share his love with us by giving himself in the Eucharist. Friends of the Seminary Mass last evening, St. Vincent De Paul Chapel, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link to the Mass readings for Saturday, October 21, 2023

“I turn to you, Lord, in times of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation” (from responsorial psalm, Psalm 32).

There have been times when I have been really tired. When I was in my last semester of student teaching in college, I would teach all day and then work second shift in the nursing home. There were times while going through seminary for the permanent deaconate, working full-time, working on my three classes and being present for JoAnn, Jack, and Christy.

There have certainly been times of trouble, the biggest when receiving JoAnn’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and then accompanying her through her journey through to the end of this life and then the following two years of wondering how to begin again.

Even when life goes well, life can be hard. Challenges, trouble, and tribulations arise. I have fared the best, time and again, when I remember to turn to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Over the past year, Mary and James the Apostle have been powerful intercessors and supporters in my corner as well.

With each challenge, I seek to focus on Jesus more than the issue at hand. Even something as simple as when I am feeling tired. Instead of saying, even silently, how tired I feel, I do my best to resist and instead ask Jesus to give me strength and the discernment when it is also time to rest, and get some sleep.

Each time I reach out for their help, more and more I experience the “joy of salvation” that the psalmist presents in today’s responsorial psalm. No matter what we are facing, we are not facing it alone. Jesus, his Father, and the Holy Spirit are with us. When we remember to place our hope and trust in them, the finite limitations and fallen nature of this world dims compared to their love for us who as Jesus said that we are “worth more than many sparrows.” We don’t have to be defined by our emotions or external circumstances. Instead let us be defined by God’s love for us.

We are precious children in God’s eyes. Trust in him and his love. Jesus loves, will guide, support, protect, heal, and empower us. Let us offer him our thanks and ask him to help us with any of our troubles or challenges. My prayer is that you too may feel and experience his joy, love, and peace welling up within you today!

Photo: Evening Rosary walk, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, October 20, 2023

I remember sometimes eating a meal when I was a kid and feeling like it was too much, and I was never going to be able to finish it. And the rule was, we did not get up until our meal was finished. When I just focused then on smaller sections instead of looking at the full plate, it made it a bit easier.

Today’s readings can feel overbearing in the same way. There is a lot of good and healthy food here, but looking at the whole is way too much!

So let me offer you a few smaller bites to chew on.

Righteous or righteousness, which appears at least five times in the first reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, is a legal term used in the Jewish lawcourt. Injustice brings about a break in the social fabric. The goal of the lawcourt is to restore that which has been broken, to make it righteous. The judge is righteous when they uphold the law, pronounce judgment, and above all are to be impartial, especially giving an equal hearing to widows and orphans. When the defendant who has been accused is acquitted, they are considered righteous, and all is restored that may have been lost. When this works well then reconciliation is restored to the community.

The ultimate judge is God. God is seeking to bring about the restoration of his creation from the effects of injustice, brought about by sinful and evil acts committed generation after generation. God sought to reestablish the proper order of his creation through establishing covenants throughout salvation history with his chosen people, through Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, and ultimately sending his Son to fulfill the law and the prophets by establishing the new and eternal covenant that is to be written on or hearts.

The ultimate goal then for God is to bring about universal justice. That all may be one as he and his Son through the love of the Holy Spirit are one. “We have all sinned and are deprived of the Glory of God”, yet through the death and resurrection of Jesus we are made new again.

By his Blood, by his unjust death, Jesus proves his righteousness. He restores that which has been lost by taking upon himself the sin and evil of the world, each of our sins. He enters death and conquers it, such that we who die with him in baptism will rise with him. We who place our faith, we who trust in Jesus, are made righteous through our participation in his life. We are restored to our proper ordering as daughters and sons of our loving God and Father.

Photo: Crucifix in the sanctuary of St. Vincent De Paul Chapel, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, October 19, 2023

There are times when it feels like life is too hard, we are let down, or even feel betrayed as Paul shared in today’s first reading when he wrote: “At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:16). And then in today’s gospel, Jesus sent seventy-two of his disciples off “like lambs among wolves.” He gave them nothing to take with them, “no money bag, no sack, no sandals” (Luke 10:4).  

Both Paul and the disciples experienced the limitations of our fallen and finite world. Paul through having no one there for him in his time of need and the disciples by Jesus’ direction. In both situations, there was the opportunity offered to recognize that the only one we can place our firm foundation on is God. Nothing or no one else can be there for us like him.

When we find ourselves in challenging moments, we need to remember that we are not alone. We need to draw on the same strength and source that Paul did, and we too will experience the Lord standing by us and giving us his strength because Jesus is already there. It can feel hard to believe that sometimes, especially in situations that are chronic and ongoing.

We need to remember to breathe, to pray those prayers we know and spontaneously from the depths of our hearts. The hardest part then is to let go and continue to trust. As we surrender, we are not giving up, we are waiting on the Lord to lead us. If all is going well, let us continue to do the same by offering prayers of thanksgiving for what he has given us and pray for those who are in need of help today, especially those in war torn regions of the world such as the most recent outbreak in Gaza.

Let us place our hope and trust in Jesus today. I pray that you may feel and experience his peace, that peace that surpasses all understanding and share that peace with those close and far.

Photo: Even when the clouds cover the sky, the sun is still there, and no matter the darkest trial, Jesus is right by our side. 

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, October 18, 2023

“Whatever projects we have and however well we plan them, many times situations that are beyond our control and involve a whole host of events contrary to our expectations, hopes, and desires occur, and we must accept it.” (From Jacques Philippe from his book Interior Freedom, p. 44.)

This can be something small, like yesterday when I arrived at the office door of my heart specialist and was greeted with a sign that said, “We moved.” The problem was I was right on time for my appointment. I would not be able to get an appointment for another month. Instead of allowing the wave of stress that was rising to suck me under, I breathed a bit deeper, as I dialed the number for the main office to see if the address on the door was correct and if they could call ahead for me to say I was on the way.

I followed through on what was within my control, took a few slow breaths, resisted any mental noise, and prayed someone would pick up on the other end of the line. All of which happened. I made my appointment and prayed for the staff at the office who would be receiving many patients like myself, who were not going to be as accepting of the inconvenience…

It would have been very easy to give into the temptation to yell at the locked door, but that would not have helped any. There are times when our plans and efforts regarding a particular outcome or just everyday life are changed. We have a choice to make in those situations. We really do. The key is to remember that little truth and resist the knee-jerk reaction.

Breathing, turning to, and trusting in Jesus is a good first step. When we don’t see the change we seek, we still have the same choice, to fight against or accept the reality of the situation. Much more of our lives than we would like to admit is beyond our control. There are some things in which we can bring about change, some experiences take longer than we would like, and some things we cannot change.

Silence from God does not mean he has not heard our requests. It may be there is need for some adjustments, that more time is needed, or there is something for us to learn. We learn patience by being in a situation in which we don’t want to wait and make the choice to be patient.

The best place to be when we find ourselves at a stand-still, where we would rather be moving forward, is to trust in Jesus and accept the situation. This has worked very well for me in traffic, which also happened yesterday morning on the way to my appointment. From acceptance can come a peace to see better our way through that we might have missed by overreacting.

We can learn or find healing in areas of our lives that we may not even have been aware we there. Above all, we grow in our trust in Jesus and our relationship with him. If at the minimum, we learned to be a little more flexible and patient, that is a good thing. We will experience more peace in our lives. As our flexibility and patience grows, as we trust Jesus more, and accept the interruptions, inconveniences, and hiccups that occur, we may actually receive a better outcome than we imagined or planned in the first place!

Photo: We can learn from he adaptability and flexibility of palm trees. St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

When you enter a Catholic church or chapel and look around you will find a sanctuary lamp. This is usually red glass with a candle lit. This can be an oil, wax, or electric candle. The sanctuary lamp is a sign that the Body and Blood of Christ is present in the consecrated hosts reserved in the tabernacle.

The Sign of the Cross, as I discussed yesterday, prayers like the Our Father and Hail Mary, all help to bring us into the presence of God as the sanctuary lamp directs our eyes to the tabernacle and the real presence of Jesus. They are ways of answering the call within coming from our loving God and Father inviting us to spend intimate time with him.

The word of God can be similar if we have ears to hear. The words of the Bible can be a dead letter if they just sit on the page, with the binder closed. But when we read or listen to them proclaimed at Mass, God speaks to us personally.

When we open our minds and hearts to hear those words, sometimes a spark of flame can fly off the page and ignite in our soul. As we ponder them, the flame grows. The word of God is alive and transformative just like fire. This happened to me about three or four weeks ago when I read:

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

That spark ignited and as I continued to repeat these words to myself a flame of joy rose and expanded in my heart. I carried those words and returned to them throughout the day, and as I was falling asleep. I continued to do this all week and each time felt Jesus close. I felt his peace, consolation, and joy.

Like a sanctuary lamp, these words were reminding me that I was a living tabernacle or monstrance, reminding me that I was carrying Jesus as did Mary, the Christ bearer, who we are all called to be.

I pass these words onto you today, that you may also pray and meditate with them. May a spark touch the kindling in your soul and catch flame that you too may radiate the love of Christ and experience his joy.

Anchor yourself in these words of God and know that Jesus is present and you are free to experience the love of the Holy Spirit that can bring you healing, courage, clarity, strength, peace, and/or whatever you are in need of to be free. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Photo: Sanctuary lamp in the chapel of St. Mary’s Chapel, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

When we speak these words, not only are we opening or focusing our time of prayer, but these words are a prayer in and of themselves. We are acknowledging and accepting the invitation of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity to dwell with and accompany us. God is always present and inviting us to be in relationship, just as, if not more present, than the air we breathe. This prayer helps us to be more aware of that truth!

This past week I have been more aware of the gift of this simple yet powerful prayer as I slowed down with the practice. As I said “in the name of the Father,” I would pause and take a slow, deep breath, or two or three before continuing, “and of the Son.” Breathing slow, and then finishing, “and of the Holy Spirit.” and added more breathing.

What I noticed is that as I did so, my mind quieted and I became less distracted. I also began to focus on each person of the Trinity and have a short conversation with each one of them instead of going through the motions. I carried this practice through the day, and in the midst of activities, just slowed down and called the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to mind. This made for some peaceful moments of prayer and peaceful and joyful days as well.

Passing on to you this Sunday as you begin your week! Know that you are not alone.

Photo: My view each morning, St. Vincent De Paul Chapel, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Luke 11:27-28).

Jesus is not discounting his mother nor putting her down in any way by his response. Especially because Mary is the exemplar of not just someone who, but one who other than he, consistently heard the word of God and observed it. Probably even before but the earliest record of this we have is Mary saying, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your will” (cf. Luke 1:38). She was instrumental in collaborating with God’s will to bring about the salvation of the world in her willingness to bear his only Son.

The wonderful gift of what Jesus said is also an invitation to all of us. If we ever felt at some point that we never fit in somewhere, if we did not quite belong, or we didn’t measure up to someone’s or our own expectations, we need no longer feel that way. Jesus is inviting us to have a seat at the table. And the good news is that there is unlimited seating!

All we have to do is hear the word of God and observe it. Simple as that. And the other good news is that God has made us just for that purpose; to be like Mary and participate with him in bringing about the salvation of the world. The challenge is to be willing to identify what we are allowing to get in the way of first of hearing his word, renounce or let it go, and secondly once we can then hear his word, to be willing to act upon it.

I have been praying more often lately the prayer of St. Mother Teresa who asked that she could be a pencil in God’s hand. A beautiful image of fully surrendering to God’s will such that we can hear his word and act upon it as he moves us without hesitation. Just like Mary and Jesus do.

I will be participating in desert day, day of silent reflection Saturday so I will not have access to computer or phone until the evening, so I am sending this for Saturday ahead of time. Be assured of my daily prayers for you all as I take my evening Rosary walk!

Photo:  I begin and end each night’s evening Rosary walk with Mary. St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the readings for Saturday, October 14, 2023

In today’s gospel account, Jesus is accused of collaborating with Satan because he has cast out a demon. Jesus quickly counters the absurdity of the claim by stating that, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house” (Luke 11:17).

If there is one thing that Satan, the one who accuses, the father of lies, and his demons are unified on, it is to promote disunity, isolation, and chaos. They will seek any way to break through our defenses, our weaknesses, tempt, and mislead, to get us to even doubt the truth. They also seek to isolate us from one another. Here Jesus is healing a person from being possessed and it is made to look like he is in league with the devil.

Jesus reveals the error and builds on it with the truth, “But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20). The kingdom of God reveals and casts out demons, uncovers lies, and reconciles division. Jesus in his perfection comes to purify, cleanse, and to restore the true Father’s original purpose of harmony, oneness, and unity.

Jesus offers those in his midst a choice through his words. They can choose to recognize him as the Son of God who acts in the name of the Father and join him, or they can reject him and side with the enemy. They are free to choose and receive the consequences of their choice.

We are given the same choice today and with each choice we make. Do we take a moment before deciding to ask is this the will of God? Are our thoughts, words, and actions, divisive, hurtful, unkind, or are they unifying, empowering, and loving? For any in the first category, great! When we can admit that, then we can repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It is important to recognize our need for healing, which helps us to be more prudent, and ask Jesus for help to begin again.

For those in the second category, let us thank Jesus for working through us. In both ways, we recognize the truth, and we continue to build on the love Jesus gives us, we trust him even more, we grow in relationship with him, and can better share the love he offers with others.

Let us choose Jesus today. Let us choose to be loved and to love in return.

Photo: The light of Jesus reveals the truth and the way and the life. Rosary walk, St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, October, 13, 2023