“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give” (Mt 10:8).

We cannot buy the grace of God, we do not earn our way into the kingdom of heaven. God’s grace and presence is freely given, without cost. As with any gift, the joy and fulfillment comes from the willingness to receive and open the gift.

God has given us the gift of his Son. We have the choice to say yes or no to receiving him in our life, each and every moment, each and every day. When we say yes to receiving Jesus into our life, he does not come to dwell with us for our sake alone, we are invited to freely share him with others. The Second Vatican Council renewed this call for evangelization. We are to, as did the Apostles, his disciples, and each following generation, say what he said, do what he did, and live how he lived.

We say what Jesus said when we use our words to empower, affirm, heal, and to convict but not condemn. We do what Jesus did: when we build relationships and foster an encounter with one another, when through our acts of hospitality, mercy, forgiveness, healing, and being present, we attend to the needs of others, especially the most vulnerable in our midst.

We are to live as Jesus did. We are to be holy ourselves in every aspect of our conduct, as St. Peter wrote, “for it is written, ‘Be holy because I [am] holy’” (cf. 1 Peter 1:15-16). We begin to grow in holiness when we recognize, repent, choose no longer to be governed by, and seek healing from our own fears, pride, selfish and ego centered ways of living. We grow in holiness when we say yes to receiving the gift of the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit to come into our life to purge us from our indifference and fear so to be aflame with love. In this way, we will shift our posture from the stiff arm of keeping others at arm’s length and instead open our arms wide to embrace each other, to love one another by giving of ourselves without cost.

Sr. Norma Pimentel, M.J., executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, provides an example for us today of how we can live a life dedicated to “giving without cost”. She has allowed Jesus to minister through her as an advocate for the voiceless along the Texas/Mexico border. Sister Norma has been working with asylum seekers, immigrants, and refugees since the 1970’s, providing welcome, hospitality, and shelter, showing those seeking aid, that hope is still possible and that Jesus does care for their plight. Sr. Norma reflected recently on the beginning of her vocation by stating that, “During those first years of my religious formation, I quickly learned the importance of living out our faith by how we welcome and protect those that need us, especially the vulnerable stranger in our midst.”

Jesus may or may not be calling us to the border, but what he is inviting all of us to do, is to be open to receive the gift of the touch of his embrace, to be loved by him. In receiving the gift of his love, we will begin to see each other with his eyes, to see each other as human beings, created in the image and likeness of his Father. Jesus is calling us to love each other, to be willing to touch and accompany one another in our need.

We cannot be indifferent to the cries of the poor. We need to pray and work for an end to the abhorrent and inhumane treatment of our brothers and sisters on our southern border. “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give” (Mt 10:8).

Photo: Sr. Norma Pimentel with young child by Heather Eidson

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, July 11, 2019

“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 10:7).

Empowered by Jesus, the Apostles were sent to proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, that the God of all creation is present in our midst and seeks to restore a relationship with his fallen creatures. The Apostles are to continue Jesus’ saving act of restoring and healing humanity’s relationship with God, through word but more so through deed.

Salvation was to be experienced through encounter and interaction with individuals. The Apostles, followed Jesus who devoted himself to people, “accepting them, receiving them into fellowship with him and granting them forgiveness of sins. The power of his affirmation is to be found in his attention to the concrete individual, in particular to the despised, the abused, the sinner, but also involving himself with people in a very personal way… in giving himself away to them” (Gnilka 1997, 111).

We are called to do the same. Empowered by Jesus, we are sent to enter into the chaos of the lives of concrete individuals in our midst and on the margins in a very personal way. The Gospel is not just for a select few but for everyone. Let us no longer feed our fears, prejudices, and pride, but instead come to a place of contrition, sorrow for the hurt we have caused others, for our actions and omissions, for failing to reach out in love.

Jesus, help us to be more present, accepting, understanding, kind and forgiving and send us to bring your light, love, mercy, and fellowship, so to spread your proclamation: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Photo: Lifting one another up!

Gnilka, Joachim. Jesus of Nazareth: Message and History. Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.

Link for the Mass reading for Wednesday, July 10, 2019

“At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36).

There is much that pulls at us for our time and attention. Jesus witnessed the anxieties, struggles, pain, and feelings of being lost of those in his midst. Are we so different today? Jesus knows the Father, he knows the joy and fulfillment of what being in a full relationship with him entails. Jesus saw then and sees in us now how lost we are, how easily distracted we are, how many things we put before our relationship with God, and he “is moved with pity.”

Jesus’ heart goes out to us, he yearns to be one with us, he loves us, but in that very act of love, he risks. He loves us so much, that he is willing to let us choose ourselves, others, or a myriad of pursuits over him. Jesus invites us to enjoy developing a relationship with him so we can come to know his Father, while at the same time he does not impose himself on us. We are given the whole world to choose from or we can choose him. Who do we put first? Is God a priority in our life? If we find that God is at best an after-thought, or at worst a no thought, what is it that we may be choosing over him? Instead of our getting to know God better, what are we putting before him?

Jesus invites us, but too often  we ignore the invitation or, we choose other pleasures, distractions, temptations, and apparent goods. With time and experience we may come to see the emptiness of the lure of these worldly promises, as well as see that our attachments to these often lead to many of our troubles, trials, stresses and anxieties. We may also get in touch with our feelings of unfulfillment, abandonment, and being alone, because there is only one answer to our innermost longing, and that is God himself.

Fr. Thomas Dubay writes that the “one who seeks delight in God alone finds peace and joy no matter what happens” (Dubay 1989, 154). Jesus offers to lead us, just as Jesus has led his disciples through the ages. He sees our potential, our promise, the fullness of who we can become. What made the difference for the saints, was that they said yes to the call of the Shepherd. How will we answer the Shepherd’s invitation today?

Photo: by Kat Jayne from Pexels

Dubay, S.M., Thomas. Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel on Prayer. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1989.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, July 9, 2019

“If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured (Mt 9:21-22).

Just to touch his cloak may seem a small and insignificant act, but by doing so, this woman showed tremendous courage. Suffering from hemorrhaging for twelve years, broke from spending all her resources to be healed, she risked. She could have been severely punished, beaten or stoned for this small act. Under the Levitical code her condition deemed her unclean, in the same category as a leper, a pariah. Touching someone else in that condition would then make them unclean. Yet, in that small touch, that great act of courage, “power had gone forth from him” (Mk 5:30), and she was completely healed. Not only did the woman have courage to touch Jesus, but to admit she had done so when Jesus questioned who had touched him.

In calling the woman who touched him out, Jesus was not condemning her, Jesus was acknowledging her faith and restoring her to the community from which she had been ostracized. Jesus restored her dignity. How many women today still feel and experience the pain of exclusion, not having access to the full and equal benefits of society and the Church? How many people are still considered outcasts and pariahs in our communities?

Pope Francis in his general audience from August 31, 2016 stated: “Once again Jesus, with his merciful behavior, shows the church the path it must take to reach out to every person so that each one can be healed in body and spirit and recover his or her dignity as a child of God”. We too then are to treat each person we encounter, in person and online, with dignity, mercy, and respect.

May we respect the dignity of the women in our realm of influence, have the courage and persistence of this woman, to risk and reach out to Jesus even when it may cost us to do so, as well as recognize that Jesus is present in the marginalized, those on the peripheries among us, those we may consider unclean. In risking to reach out and touch one another, the healing presence of Jesus will go forth from us to one another and our lives will be transformed!

Icon of woman touching the cloak of Jesus

I invite you to read and meditate today on the story in full from each of the synoptic records: Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26 and Luke 8:40-56. These are powerful accounts!

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, July 8, 2019:

“At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit” (Lk 10:1). Jesus did not stop with this action, he continued and continues to call people to himself and sends them on mission to proclaim the same words: “The kingdom of God is at hand for you” (Lk 10:9).

To be a disciple of Jesus is to be both about maintaining the Church he instituted and going out on mission. This is why at the end of each Mass the deacon or priest in the absence of a deacon will say, “Go and proclaim the Gospel of the Lord” or three other formulas of being sent to be missionaries in our communities. This is not a call for clergy and religious only but for all of the baptized.

Pope Francis has asked that this October of 2019 we renew our commitment to our missionary awareness. “This missionary mandate touches us personally: I am a mission, always; you are a mission, always; every baptized man and woman is a mission. People in love never stand still: they are drawn out of themselves; they are attracted and attract others in turn; they give themselves to others and build relationships that are life-giving. As far as God’s love is concerned, no one is useless or insignificant. Each of us is a mission to the world, for each of us is the fruit of God’s love.”

There is much here in the Pope’s words to meditate upon and put into action. We are not just to go out and do missionary work, to evangelize and share the Gospel, we are to embody mission. We “are a mission.” At the moment of our conception we exist as a unique individual already distinct from our parents. We are endowed with dignity and worth just by the fact that we exist.

A foundational part of the Good News is to again embrace the wonder and dignity of all life, to allow ourselves to be loved by our Creator again, to embrace the free gift of his love, and to go out on fire with and express the joy and love of being fully alive. We are to give ourselves to others through our willingness to encounter, accompany, and serve one another in love with the purpose of building “relationships that are life-giving.”

When we are touched by the wonder and love of God, when we respect the dignity of life from conception, through all stages of life, until natural death, we come to recognize that “no one is useless or insignificant.” Each and EVERYONE of us are a unique gift to the world that has never been nor will ever be again. Jesus has called us to himself with the purpose to send us out on mission. The time to be, to live, to love is now, for: “The kingdom of God is at hand” (Lk 10:9). Let us go forth this day as missionary people, as contemplatives in action, in peace, to glorify the Lord by our life.

Pope Francis photo accessed from crux now.com and credit: CNS photo/Paul Haring

Pope Francis: Message of His Holiness Francis For World Mission Day 2019:

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, July 7, 2019:

“Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved” (Mt 9:17).

Mark, Matthew and Luke all record the reference of pouring new wine into fresh wineskins. What Matthew adds is, “and both are preserved.” Luke adds: “[And] no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

The Gospel authors are reflecting the tensions of those who would reject Jesus and those who would follow him and his new way. The new wine is to accept the Gospel, the Good News of the kingdom of God in their midst, and to do so means to change one’s mind and heart. “The tension, and often incompatibility, between the old and the new is part of every religious tradition and attends every change within that tradition. Matthew and Luke wrestled with it and adapted it to their community situation. Contemporary Christians have no less a challenge” (The Gospel of Mark, Donahue, SJ, p. 109). Matthew shared with his community that Jesus is the new Temple, the old has been destroyed. Following him in fact meant that both the old and new covenants would be preserved. Jesus did not come to abolish the of the law and prophets, but he is the natural progression of what went before him.

We are invited to wrestle as well. The Church is called to change, to be transformed by the Living God. Many say the Church needs to change this and that, not realizing that we are the Church, the People of God, the Body of Christ. If the Church is to mature and grow each of us are to embrace transformation, being made anew through the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit. This invitation is a call to let go of those habits, lifestyles, behaviors, mindsets, attachments, and addictions that are weighing us down or worse holding us in bondage and slavery to our sin, keeping us separated from God. Much of the material and finite things we hold onto prevents us from receiving the new life God wants to pour into us.

Jesus has come to set us free from our enslavement to sin by inviting us to try some new wine which consists of contemplating upon and living the message of his teachings and actions as recorded in the Gospels. We do not have to be afraid of the change and transformation Jesus is calling us to experience. As St Irenaeus, the second century bishop of Lyons is attributed to have written: “The Glory of God is Man fully alive!” Jesus is inviting us to live our life and live it to the full!

To become new wineskins then, we are called to identify and let go of those selfish and sinful inclinations that keep us constricted and rigid. When we love as Jesus loves, we are expanded and open to receive the new wine Jesus wants to pour in us.

Each time we come to God in stillness, he will reveal to us that which distracts us from going deeper. You may be thinking the old wine is good, but I have had some of the new. The new wine is much better! As we are more and more conformed to Jesus, who we are remains intact, in fact, the false self begins to fall away as we expand and become more of our authentic and true self.

Photo: With Fr. Bill Burton, ofm, 2013 graduation from St Vincent de Paul Seminary. Fr. Bill helped me to shed my old skin and so to better receive the new wine of the Gospel!

Donahue, John R. S.J., and Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. The Gospel of Mark. Vol. 2 of Sacra Pagina, edited by Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2002.

Parallel Scriptural accounts: See Mark 2:22, Matthew 9:16-17 and Luke 5:37-39

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, July 6, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070619.cfm

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Mt 9:12-13).

How could Jesus have called Matthew, named Levi in Mark and Luke, to be part of his inner circle and then how he could eat with sinners? Matthew is a tax collector. Tax collectors were, at the least, believed to be collecting money over and above, skimming off the top, the allotted prescribed taxes. Think of how much IRS agents are thought of in our country. At worst though, they were considered to be in collusion with the occupying power of Rome. Not only were they considered unethical and unclean, tax collectors were in league with the enemy! And Jesus is sitting down and eating with THEM!!!

In quoting Hosea 6:6, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” Jesus was drawing reference to the growing Pharisaic influence to aspire to and take on the ritual purity status of the priests sacrificing at the Temple. To be in favor with the religious leadership, to be accepted as part of the religious community, one had to follow certain prescriptions and practices, otherwise be recognized as unclean and while in that state, one did not belong to the community. Sharing table fellowship was a measure of that social construct, so if one was unclean, they were to eat alone.

Jesus would have none of that. Jesus sought to enter into relationship with anyone who was willing, even those who were considered unclean, on the outside, the peripheries. He loved people then and loves us today for who we are and as we are, a beloved child of God. There is no THEM or OTHER for Jesus! He bestowed and bestows his mercy, love, and healing first, as the starting point of any relationship. Jesus calls us to a better and more fulfilling life now, so that it may carry over into eternity. He accepted and accepts people first, builds relationships first, then continues to walk with us, to empower us to be perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect (cf. Mt 5:48).

The bar of perfection is indeed high, higher than that of the Pharisees; the difference is that Jesus’ mercy, his willingness to enter into the chaos of another, is higher. Jesus meets us in our sin, he enters through our door, but he does not want us to stay there, he wants us to exit out of his door. Jesus’ teachings are hard, and when we fall, he does not kick us in the teeth and cast us aside, he lays down, right in the muck and mire with us, and face to face, wipes the dirt and tears from our eyes, offers his hand, and helps us to continue on our journey to see and experience that which is good, true and beautiful in life.

No matter what we are dealing or struggling with today, know that Jesus loves us more than we can ever mess up and he does not define us by our sin and/or worst decisions. I type as, Peter said, to you the reader, “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).

Arise, as did Matthew in today’s Gospel, and walk with Jesus. Step by step with him we will be transformed as a part of God’s new creation. As we do so, may we also be willing to extend God’s healing, love and mercy with those we will meet today and all days.

Painting: The Calling of St Matthew – Caravagio, 1600

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, July 5 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070519.cfm

Parallel readings: Mt 9:9-13, Mk 2:13-17, Lk 5:27-32

And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven” (Mt 9:2).

Matthew’s account of this scene is much simpler than Mark and Luke’s, but the point is the same. The person paralyzed received healing because some people were willing to bear his weight and creatively bring him to Jesus. In neither of the three Gospel accounts do we know who the people are that bring this man to Jesus for healing. Were they family, friends, or neighbor? It does not matter. They were aware of someone in need, they believed Jesus could heal, and they put forth the effort to bring this man to Jesus.

Are we like those men in today’s Gospel; are we aware, do we care? St. Mother Teresa often said that people are “not only hungry for bread – but hungry for love, naked not only for clothing – but naked for human dignity and respect, homeless not only for want of home and bricks, – but homeless because of rejection.” Let us resist the temptation to be indifferent to the needs of others, to rationalize why we ought not to care, or worse give in to our fears and prejudices so to dehumanize and reject others in need.

Are we aware, are we willing to care that there are human beings in need. How is God speaking to our conscience, how is he moving our hearts? If we feel called and moved to support the unborn – good, the refugee or immigrant – good, the disabled – good. There are so many who are hurting and suffering. Let us not get trapped into criticizing others for reaching out to help in a different way than we feel called. We just need to be honest about where God is leading us and act as the four in our Gospel reading today did; be aware of someone in need, be willing to meet that need, access our personal gifts of creativity and bring them to Jesus as we are able. By collaborating with Jesus in this way miracles can and still do happen.

Today, let us reject the temptation to turn away from another person in need, and instead respect the human dignity of those we encounter and allow God to happen. We can apply this directly to the horror and inhumanity condoned on our southern border by meditating this Independence Day on the words that Pope Francis shared during Mass on Sunday, January 14, 2018: “Migrants and refugees don’t represent just a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be welcomed, respected and loved.”

The Lord hears the cry of the poor do we?

Painting: Healing of the Paralytic – James Tissot

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, July 4, 2019: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070419.cfm

See Mark 2:1-12, Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:17-26

Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God” (Jn 20:27-28)!

Thomas’ acclamation “My Lord and my God!” came from his touching the wounds of Jesus. Jesus who had risen from the dead, had conquered death, and yet still bore the wounds of his Passion. This is a profound message to the Apostles, those Jesus sent to proclaim his Gospel, and for us who have been called to follow him today.

The Body of Christ is still wounded by the sin and division of our fallen nature that put him on the Cross. This reality is a reason that many doubt and do not believe today. Many decry, how can a loving God allow such suffering and pain, especially of the innocent? Blaming and scapegoating, or putting blinders on and keeping the messiness of life at arm’s length is not the answer. The path of a disciple, an apostle, is to first say yes to Jesus’ invitation to, “Come and follow me”, and then to allow ourselves to be led by Jesus into our own woundedness, while at the same time, enter into the pain and suffering of others. Immersed in the chaos of life, like Thomas and the other Apostles, we come to touch the wounded side of Jesus, where healing can begin.

Though the temptation is strong to deny, rationalize or flee from the conflict, challenges, hurt, and pain that we and others are experiencing, we must resist. If we don’t, embrace our or other’s trials, we will not come to the root cause of them. We touch the wounded Body of Christ, as Thomas did today, when we are willing to touch one another, to be present and accompany those who bear his wounds, those who are vulnerable: the unborn, widows, orphans, those with chronic illness, the dying, refugees, immigrants, hungry, homeless, and those without access to clean water; those who suffer from addiction, poverty, depression, disease, oppression, prejudice, discrimination, dehumanization, racism, sexism, misogyny, unjust immigration policies, incarceration, those on death row, unemployment, underemployment, wage theft, human trafficking, domestic violence, slavery, violence, war, terrorism, and natural disasters. For what we do to the least among us, we do it to Jesus.

We can easily be overwhelmed with the suffering of the world or our own challenges, but denial or indifference is not the answer. Nor is it healthy to run to others who are in need so we don’t have to face our own issues. There is an act of balance that Jesus calls us to participate in as we learn to love God, love others and love our neighbors as ourselves. The answer is found when we are willing to encounter Jesus and follow his lead.

We do not know where Thomas was when the Apostles first encountered Jesus after the Resurrection, but we do know he was not with Jesus. Apart from Jesus we can do nothing, yet with Jesus, the one who conquered death, all things are possible! When we feel overwhelmed, helpless, or indecisive, may we acclaim with Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus is present with us, so we can be confident and on our way today to make our corner of the world a better place by reaching out person to person, to share a smile, a touch, provide a listening ear, and/or speak up or out, write a letter or make a phone call to our congressional representatives on behalf of the dignity of those who do not have access or a voice.

Painting: The Indredulity of St Thomas by Caravaggio, 1601-1602

Link for the readings of the Mass for Wednesday, July 3, 2018: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070319.cfm

As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep (Mt 8:23-24).

Noah’s ark, as well as the boat in today’s Gospel pericope, has often been a symbol for the Church. The storms may rage without, but those who remain in the boat will be secure. The image of Jesus sleeping can also be a sign for the storms within the boat, within the Church – where it may appear that Jesus is absent.

We are human beings, made in the image and likeness of God, we are good, but we are also fallible and wounded by our sin. We are wounded by the very gift of the free will we have been given. God loves us so much he is willing to risk that we will choose to place other people, places and things before him. We will pursue the promises of wealth, fame, honor and pleasure as substitutes for our true and abiding happiness which can only come from God. God does not cause our suffering, but he will allow us to reap the consequences of our choices.

The hope is that we will learn from our mistakes and grow to realize that we need to remember that God is to be first in all we think, say and do. Even in our darkest moments, even in the darkest moments of the Church, we need to remember that God has not abandoned us. When we are experiencing the storms in our lives that come from without caused by others or the storms from within caused by our own sin or lack of faith, Jesus may appear to be distant, he may seem to not even exist.  Yet, just as Jesus was calmly, sleeping in the boat with the disciples, he was present with them and he is present with us. Once the disciples turned to Jesus and implored his help, Jesus calmed the stormy sea.

Our focus on Jesus through the good times and the bad is the key when life gets bumpy. Our faith in Jesus grows as our trust and relationship in him grows. We just need to remember to turn to him in all our circumstances in life and when we are in need, we will know he is there. Whether that be our own mental storms of anxiety, whether we are dealing with conflict in a relationship, whether we are dealing with some crisis physically, economically, or spiritually, or out beyond ourselves to the Church as a whole such as the present abuse crisis, the inhumanity inflicted upon our brothers and sisters on the border, or the violence inflicted upon the Church throughout the world.

We need not even fear death, because Jesus has conquered death. Jesus chided his disciples, who feared the worst, as they were tossed about in the boat on the raging sea, for having little faith. He knew they could have stilled the wind as he had done or that God would have helped them to ride the storm out, if they had just placed their focus on God instead of their fear.

In all these areas and more, when Jesus may appear to be asleep, or absent, trust and know that he is present. We also have the power to calm the storms in our life or feel his peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding, as we ride out those storms when we come to know him and call on his name. We just need to have faith in Jesus and believe.

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Photo by Johannes Plenio from Pexels

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, July 2, 2018: