Reflections on the Gospel Reading for the Day

Jesus gave his life that we might have life.

Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief (Mt 17:22-23).

This is the second time in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus shares with his disciples that he will die soon. They are overwhelmed with grief because their focus is on the first part of Jesus’ statement that he will be handed over to death. They do not understand or yet comprehend the second part about how he will be raised on the third day. How could they? There was no point of reference for them. Jesus did bring three people back to life during his ministry, but Jesus would not be merely resuscitated as they were and just die again. Jesus would resurrect and conquer death.

For us, we can read today’s Gospel about the impending death of Jesus and gloss over it a bit too easily. Because we celebrate Easter each year, we celebrate that Jesus has risen. Yet, do we give ourselves time to ponder the wonder and reality of the Resurrection of Jesus? Does the fact of the Resurrection, the reality that Jesus has conquered death and become the firstborn of the new creation really have relevance in our lives?

The life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus matters! The missing piece for those for whom this statement doesn’t register any relevance may be that they do not want to think about death all that much. To be honest, none of us really want to come face to face with our own mortality, and most of us don’t until we or a loved one is forced to.

Beginning the summer after my freshman year of college, I began working the second shift in a nursing home as a CNA. It was the first time that I experienced death up close through the care of the residents. They were not merely patients, they had become more like family.

The first death I experienced surprised me. I was with a woman holding her hand as she peacefully gave up her last breath. I was surprised and blessed by the peace I felt. Another time, I had the opposite experience. When I arrived at work and went directly to a man named Richard whose health had been slipping, only to find his bed empty. I felt the loss and the grief begin to rise and then found out he had not died, only his room had been changed.

The important lesson that I learned from these, the other experiences of death since then, and especially when faced with JoAnn’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, is that life is fragile. To appreciate life, the people in our lives, and not to take anyone or any moment for granted is important. Life goes too quick, even in the best-case scenarios. All that God has given us is a gift and it is important to appreciate and thank God for those people he has brought into our lives as well as all that he has given us.

Jesus understands each of our struggles and tribulations, our sins and our failings, as well as our deepest hopes and dreams. Jesus also knows about our deepest fear of death, for he, as a human being, experienced the reality of his impending death in the Garden of Gethsemane. He sought to help his apostles prepare for his death though they did not understand. The crucifix, the beautiful sacramental object of Jesus on the Cross, is a reminder to us all that death does not have the final answer, Jesus, fully human and fully divine, does.

Photo: Crucifix in the adoration chapel of Holy Cross Catholic Church, Vero Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, August 12, 2024

Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity

Last week we ended the gospel account with these words from Jesus: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (Jn 6:35).

Jesus is offering these words from the context of how his Father has constantly provided for his people as seen in the examples of the Hebrews being freed from their slavery from Egypt, and then God providing bread from heaven in the form of manna. Jesus multiplied the five loaves and fish to provide for the thousands. In our first reading today, God sends an angel to feed Elijah a hearth cake and water to give him nourishment and strength for his forty-day journey.

As a good Father, God provides for his children. He also loves us so much that he is willing to risk that we will reject his offer, which unfortunately, many people have done for generations. Yet, God remains faithful, awaiting the time to help and provide need when there is an opening.

This week we heard the reaction of the people to Jesus’ statement that he himself is the bread of life, he will be the one to satisfy the people’s hunger and his thirst, their deepest hunger, their soul hunger. He is inviting the people to receive him so that they will never have to hunger again. Jesus is not met with open arms of wonder, but “grumbling.”

This word was not chosen at random. This is the same word that was used to describe the Hebrews who were freed from their slavery and provided for by God but instead of being grateful for their freedom and God’s care, they sought for what they left behind. They complained that with Moses and God they were in a worse state than when they were enslaved in Egypt.

The people witnessed Jesus multiplying of the five loaves and two fish and they were amazed with the physical manifestation of that miracle, but now as Jesus is going deeper into the spiritual reality, they, as did his own hometown crowd, balk. And even respond in a similar fashion. Who does this Jesus think he is saying that he came down from heaven? “Do we not know his mother and father” (Jn 6:42). Apparently not!

Mary is his mother, but Joseph is not his father. His Father is God. Jesus is the Son of God who became man in the womb of Mary. While remaining fully divine as Son, he takes on human flesh and becomes fully human. His appearance is that of any other man, on the surface he appears to be the son of Joseph and Mary. Jesus is the incarnation of the Son of God the Father. He is the bread of life that has come down from heaven to nourish us physically and spiritually.

Jesus does not soften his language as he continues. He affirms that he knows God the Father because he has come from the Father and he invites those who are listening to believe in this truth and for those who do, they will have “eternal life.” Jesus does not stop there but continues to share how as “living bread”he will give life forever and then he goes over the top: “the bread I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

If Jesus was concerned about their grumbling when he said he was the bread come down from heaven, he didn’t show it here by stating that he will give his own flesh. This is not symbolic language to recall the quail God sent in the desert either. Jesus was offering his own flesh.

This he did in giving his life to the full on the Cross and will be represented again on the altar at each Mass. People were having trouble understanding how Jesus could have come down from heaven, how he could be the bread from heaven, and now what were they going to do with his statement that he was going to give his flesh to eat? They were having trouble understanding what Jesus was saying because they did not understand who he is.

Understanding who Jesus is helps us to understand the Bread of Life discourse we have been exploring these past two weeks. At the surface, the physical level, even with the miracles that Jesus performs, even those who are eyewitnesses, do not see Jesus being anyone other than a human being, extraordinary to some, ordinary to many others, just the son of Joseph and Mary. And yet, Jesus is so much more.

Jesus is the Son of God come down from heaven, he took on flesh in the womb of Mary, lived, died, and conquered death so that he could ascend, return to the Father, not as he came as fully divine but now fully divine and fully human. This is how he can give us his Body and Blood in the appearance of bread and wine, because he has transcended time and space. He truly is the Bread of Life. We like the crowd are given a choice.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit do not impose, they invite, they draw us in with tender chords of love. They give us the free will to either reject their invitation or to ascent with our faith and accept their invitation to participate in their communion of love.

In the Mass, Jesus will come among us again through the power of the Holy Spirit and the words of institution: the words of Jesus said in the first person by the priest. Jesus is the bread of life who will again come down from heaven, not as the same human body that walked among the apostles and the crowd, but in his glorified body that has ascended into heaven. Although the appearance of the bread and wine will remain, the substance will be transfigured to be the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, the source and summit of our faith!!! Today we will receive our daily bread, the superabundant bread of life that will satisfy the deepest yearning of our souls and sustain us as we journey through this life to the next!

Photo: First Mass of Thanksgiving at St Peter Catholic Church; I am blessed at each Mass to hold in my hands, the Body and Blood of Christ.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, August 11, 2024

Let us die to selfishness, and rise in love for one another.

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. Challenging.

We start where we are instead of seeking some abstract ideal of changing the world in some utopian way. Jesus worked person to person, encounter by encounter, and invites us to do the same. We start with family and friends. Resist taking any moment we have with them for granted. We reach out then to our workplaces, schools, and/or community in our everyday interactions. No matter who we meet or interact with may we be respectful, engage with courtesy, patience, kindness, and understanding. As we take these concrete steps, we might be more willing to help the next time we witness the opposite.

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 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 Saturday, August, 10, 2024

In taking up our cross, the lies of the enemy are revealed and we are set free!

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, especially in the grace we receive in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, 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 students I have taught 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, apart from and isolated from God, the difference is that we are not alone in our persistent effort. Inviting God to be a part 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 as I soon came to realize, someone missing. I took a leave of absence and about a year and a half later, I realized what was missing was 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 lurch in the summer of 2019 when JoAnn was experiencing her final weeks with us on 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.

Grief and sorrow have their own time frame and their expression is just as unique as each individual. One thing I miss the most is holding JoAnn’s hand. In my new home of Holy Cross, I am able to shake and hold many hands. The hands of my “new bride”, the parishioners of Holy Cross.

Sometimes we who mourn, believe falsely that feeling joy again, living our lives again, is somehow a betrayal to those we have lost. There were times that I allowed that lie to settle a little too long. I finally was able to believe what JoAnn had told me, which was, “I know you will be sad but don’t stay there. I will be closest to you when you are doing things that make you happy.” The veil between heaven and earth is very thin at Mass!

Serving as a priest at Holy Cross this past month has been an incredible gift and joy. It has been one of the happiest periods of my life. That does not lessen the gift of my twenty-three years with JoAnn but is an affirmation that our years together prepared me for this time. The best way I can honor her and our love is by being a priest with a heart willing to share that love with those whom God calls me to serve at Holy Cross and beyond.

Denying ourselves and taking up our cross each day, is a grace to let go of the lies that attempt to divert and distract us from who we have been created to be and how we are called to serve best. Each day is a new opportunity to begin again, to live life anew, to the full, with peace, joy, and love to overflowing!

Photo: Strengthened and nourished by another of God’s paintings during my evening Rosary walk.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, August 9, 2024

Mistakes and sin will not undo us, as long as we seek forgiveness from Jesus and begin again.

Peter shows, as he did when he walked on and then sank in the water, how our faith journey can be compared to a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, sometimes more intense than others. As expressed, time and again in the Gospels, Peter provides examples of taking a step forward and two steps back.

In today’s Gospel from Matthew, Peter still called Simon at this time, exemplified this balancing act of our growth process as he first answered Jesus’ question as to who Jesus was when he stated, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus not only commended Simon for being open to sharing this revelation given to him by God, but also added, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:17-18).

Name changes were common when there was a significant change in one’s life throughout the Bible. We can see evidence of this in the examples of Abram, changing his name to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, and Jacob to Israel, just to name a few. Without a doubt, this event was a significant giant step forward for Simon Peter!

Yet, just as Peter reached the heights of theological insight he would just as quickly come crashing down again as he cut his teacher off. Jesus began to share with his disciples about how he would suffer, be killed, and rise again on the third day when, Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matthew 16:22-23).

From being called the rock upon which Jesus would build his Church in one instant, to being called Satan in the next, Peter’s experiences offer some solace for us who are on our own faith journeys. Peter apprenticed with Jesus and as in any learning experience, he made mistakes. We need to realize that in our spiritual life this is going to happen to us as well. We will have days when we feel the joy of the Holy Spirit filling our soul, and yet in the next instant, we may feel empty. We may have clear discernment and direction and then feel indecisive and confused. Some days our prayer is fruitful, we feel energized and on fire, and other days we may experience dryness and that we are just going through the motions.

Jesus’ admonition of Peter to get behind him was not the end of the story. In fact, it would get worse when Peter denied Jesus three times! Yet, Peter persisted and Jesus continued to forgive and give him an opportunity to repent, to start over. After his resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times if Peter loved him, and three times, the third a bit exasperated, Peter said, “Yes,” undoing the travesty of his denials. After the Ascension of Jesus and Pentecost experience, Peter, empowered further by the Holy Spirit led the early Church and gave the ultimate witness and measure of his spiritual growth and maturity by giving his life.

We too will have fits and starts along the way, but the key is to remain faithful to the journey. To continue to dust ourselves off when we have fallen down, be willing to get up and learn from our mistakes, to repent and be forgiven, to seek the help and support of Jesus and one another and begin again. The Good News for us today, is that we are not defined by our mistakes or our worst moments. We are defined by Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God!

Photo: The journey continues, just over a month now at my wonderful parish home, Holy Cross Catholic Church, Vero Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, August, 8, 2024 

Model of trust, persistence, and faith

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).

Reading Matthew 15:21-28 to get the full feel of this Gospel account is helpful before proceeding (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 who had gathered, but instead fed all.

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 had 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.

The disciples did not step up to defend the woman. Maybe they even egged Jesus on and yet 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, “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 by stating that the woman was the one who had great faith! A woman, a Gentile, and not his disciples.

This is a good Gospel to ponder and to help us to assess our faith. Are we preventing people from encountering Jesus or are we opening opportunities for people to experience the healing and love of Jesus? This is not to be an exercise in shame but one of awareness. The disciples fell short in this case, but they did not walk away with their tails between their legs. They remained with Jesus and would eventually give their lives for him.

Are we as persistent as this woman was when faced with our challenges and trials? She remained firm and resolute. First, she came to Jesus because she believed he could heal her daughter. Do we believe that Jesus can help us in our situations, and do we go to him? And she wasn’t leaving until he did so. Do we have the same conviction in Jesus that he can provide for our need, are we willing to reach out to him, and persist when he appears to be silent? The Canaanite woman is a model of clear intent and persistence that we can emulate.

Again, our examination is not to lead us to beat ourselves up if we lack this clear intentionality and persistence in our faith. If we fall short, we admit that truth and strive to be more intentional in our times of prayer. We set a time each day to pray, and for whatever time we choose, we resist any distractions that would attempt to derail us. We are clear and resolute in our intention that it is just Jesus and us that matter in that moment. And even when we feel nothing is happening or that Jesus is silent, we continue to come back. For each time we show up, God will happen.

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Painting: Jesus and the Woman of Canaan – Michael Angelo Immenraet

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, August 7, 2024

“Our hearts are restless, until they rest in you.”

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 experienced Jesus’ profound teachings, his powerful signs and wonders, his healings, casting out demons, love and mercy, all of which were leading those of his followers to believe in the reality that Jesus was the Son of God. I imagine Peter, James, and John, though acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, still pretty much looked at Jesus as an amazing man, but human. 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 while remaining fully God. This is an important reality, because in this very act of Infinite Grace, the Son of God assuming humanity, Jesus, the Godman, opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed. The Son of God became one with us in our humanity so that we can become one with him in his divinity. Through our participation in the life of Jesus Christ we are deified, becoming like God as we deepen 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 1997, 52). This reality of the invitation to experience communion with the Loving God and Father of all creation is for everyone. Our joy and fulfillment are achieved through 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 or his Church, 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 material and finite reality we see and experience with our senses. When we slow down enough, when we are actually, still enough, we can experience a deeper yearning for more as well as a deeper healing needed. We become in touch with the fact that nothing of material reality will ever truly satisfy us.

Even with great achievement, mastery, honor, 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, feeling satisfied for the moment, but eventually in short order, we are left empty, time and time again. This unease is our soul’s yearning, our transcendent nature longing for more, and that longing is for the infinite that the finite cannot provide. St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) articulated 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 fullness of our humanity; the reality that we are physical, emotional, intellectual, while at the same time, spiritual. Our fulfillment and joy come from a balance of nurturing each aspect of who we are in participation with Jesus.

Peter, James and John, as well as Augustine and the saints, embraced the invitation of Jesus and that has made all the difference. God invites us also to experience the wonder, to explore the full breadth, depth, and width of all that our reason and faith can open for us, and go even further, to embrace the yearning of our soul, that we may draw ever deeper into the intimacy of a loving relationship with God, ourselves, and each other. May we say yes to that same invitation today, tomorrow, and each day going forward, to continue to go deeper, to experience the fullness of our humanity and through participation in Christ, our divinity!
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Photo: God reveals himself through the gift of his creation as he does through his Son.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Time to rest and pray.

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself (Mt 14:13).

This is not the first nor the last time that Jesus withdrew to a deserted place. Unfortunately, his effort for some alone time ended abruptly, for when he got off the boat, he was immediately met by people seeking him.

Making time for quiet may seem like a waste of time, just a simple act, but it is one that is very necessary. As busy as Jesus was, Jesus would make time to pray. Though the “deserted place” was full of people by the time his boat reached the shore, he did have some quiet, alone time before he disembarked. Jesus showed no frustration for having his plans interrupted, in fact, his “heart was moved with pity for them” (Mt 13:14).

Often, we lose our patience when we are interrupted. When we are cut off or cut short by someone else, we may react in a negative way internally or externally. Most of the times our hearts are not moved with pity, nor do we show compassion for those who may consciously or unconsciously come to us in need.

If we find that we are constantly impatient, short with others, one reason could be that we do not give ourselves time to stop and be still, we do not make time to pray, we do not sit still, internally as well as externally, even for a few moments and breath. We just keep moving, on the phone, on our apps, on the computer, working, studying, interacting with others, completing this activity believing that once we finish we will be all caught up. Hyped up on caffeine to keep up the pace we have set, we then wonder why we are consistently anxious or on edge, if we are even aware!

Jesus sought some downtime possibly to process the death of John the Baptist, and in today’s Gospel, we read that he did not get the amount of time he set out to have. Though he did get a brief respite on the boat before he reached the shore. When he saw the people, he did not whisper to himself, “Oh no, here they come again.” He instead was moved with compassion to serve their needs.

One way we grow in our faith and improve our health, is to put into practice the actions and teachings of Jesus. Giving ourselves, even a few minutes of quiet time as Jesus did in today’s Gospel can be of great help. I found this to be true one November afternoon during my first year back at seminary. I was attempting to get some reading done for a class when my head began to bob. I don’t drink coffee or caffeine drinks and usually would just push myself through. Instead, this time I felt led to try something new.

I set the alarm on my phone for fifteen minutes. I was out within thirty seconds and didn’t move again until the alarm went off. Unlike feeling groggy and disoriented when I had taken longer naps in the past, I felt a bit more refreshed. I got back to the reading and got more done in less time because I was more alert. This became a regular pattern in which most days at 3:00, I would stop, pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy, and then take a fifteen-minute nap.

Some days I did so at different times or on occasion not at all but this became a regular practice and made a big difference. Jesus invites each of us in our own unique ways to be still, pray, and rest daily. The time that we commit to need not be for a long period, five to ten minutes a day can work wonders. What matters more is being consistent and giving our mind and bodies time to reset and renew. Doing so will make not only a big difference in our lives but also in the lives of those we interact with on a regular basis.

Photo: My favorite icon. It hangs behind the altar in St. Mary’s Chapel at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary. This chapel was a wonderful place to get away and pray for awhile.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, August 5, 2024

Ready to dance with the Bread of Life?

If you are reading these words, hopefully, you joined in reading last Sunday’s reflection as well and are back to continue the journey through John 6 that we started last week. If just joining, you can go back to last Sunday’s post, July 28, read, and catch up. I also hope that you spent or will spend some time, slowly, meditatively, and prayerfully engaging with the words of John 6 at your own pace.

We left off last week with the crowd that had gathered around Jesus feeling amazed to have experienced, witnessed, and have eaten their fill from the miracle of Jesus multiplying the few pieces of bread and fish available from a boy’s willingness to give of what he had. We join the crowd this week having come to realize that Jesus had left them in the evening in a surprising way. They witnessed the disciples crossing Galilee in a boat but not Jesus. They get into boats themselves and follow. Seek him out and find him on the other side they did.

Having satisfied the physical needs of the people, they want more, and Jesus is going to build on the miracle of the multiplication to present them with the more they aren’t even aware of how hungry that they are for. The seed of the teaching of the spiritual food that he wants to nourish them with, he actually planted with his apostles earlier when they first asked him how to pray.

In the prayer he taught them, what we well recognize as the Our Father, there is an interesting line that relates to today’s discourse. This prayer we recite at every Mass, and which has been passed on generation after generation since the time of Jesus has the familiar phrase: “give us this day our daily bread” (Mt 6:11).

The translation of daily from the Greek ton arton ton epiousios, several Church Fathers have translated as, super, substantial bread. Jesus was teaching his disciples then as well as each generation up to an including us today, to ask his Father to give us super, substantial bread. This is the bread that has been transformed, that has been transubstantiated, bread that at its very core is no longer bread, but the Body and Blood of Jesus. This is the Eucharist we receive at each Mass. Jesus was paving the way for his disciples in teaching them this prayer and building on it as he guided the crowd in today’s reading when he said to the thousands gathered around him, “I am the bread of life”.

The bread that the people consumed from Jesus’ multiplication sustained them physically. Jesus is now moving beyond the physical to their deeper spiritual hunger as he tells them not to seek food that perishes but to seek food that “endures for eternal life” (Jn 6:27). The people then referred to the manna that Moses provided for their ancestors in the desert and asked what sign he would give. Jesus clarified that God provided for those in the desert and he would do so again. “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world” (Jn 6:33).

They asked Jesus to give them “this bread always.” And Jesus is more than willing to oblige as he begins the pivot of pivots when he said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (Jn 6:35). The reaction of the people to this statement we will explore next week.

What we want to meditate upon this week is the gift of this super, substantial bread that we are blessed to receive at each Mass. Through the gift of the Mass we are able to participate in the divine dance of love that has always been, is, and ever will be danced. This is the divine communion of the Father giving all that he is to the Son, the Son receiving and returning back to the Father all he has received and is, and this infinite sharing between them, the love given and received between them is the Holy Spirit.

All that we are and have is a gift from God. In the Mass we give a little bit of what we have received, represented in the bread and wine given to the priest at the altar, represented in the gift of the money we offer, the prayers and intentions we bring. We give our little to the Father and he receives what we have given. He then through the words of the Son spoken at each Mass by the priest and the sending of the Holy Spirit gives to us his Son made present again on the altar as the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ.

We then receive Jesus and consume him, are transformed by him, such that we become what we eat. We become Christified, deified, we become one with Jesus in his divinity. Having received the Bread of life, we meditate on the gift of this miracle and then when we are sent at the end of Mass to continue this dance of love. We are sent out to give to others the love we have received.

Photo: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.” I am blessed to say these words of Jesus and participate in the dance of the Trinity as I celebrate Mass each day!

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, August 4, 2024

Who has our heart?

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. What we heard almost happened to Jeremiah in our first reading as he is calling the people of Jerusalem to repent.

After hearing the news of John’s death John’s he began his ministry, also calling for repentance, “This is the time of fulfillment, the kingdom of Heaven is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15). And yet he promised so much more. John was the voice, Jesus is the Word spoken. Both would 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 assume a defensive posture or open ourselves to love? Are we putting our identity first or our integrity? Most of us are somewhere in between. The hope is that each day we surrender a little more to Jesus, dedicate ourselves to prayer and practicing our faith, and loving one another as we have been loved, a little more.

It is important to stop and reflect on questions such as these, to examine our thoughts, words, and actions and determine to whom have we given our heart, to whom are we 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. When we are humble and willing to see our mistakes, failures, and sins, be contrite, confess, and rectify them, we will experience God’s forgiveness and mercy, we will be transformed, and grow.

What’s more the relationship we have been created for strengthens. Embraced by and participating in the Trinitarian Communion of love, let us recommit ourselves today to living as Jesus’ disciples, seek to better hear his word and follow his path, so to better live and speak his truth by promoting the forgiveness, justice, love, mercy, and reconciliation we have received in and out of season.
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Some great guidance from St. Mother Teresa: “Let the love of God take entire and absolute possession of your heart; let it become to your heart like a second nature.” Photo credit: Press Association

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, August 3, 2024