discipleship

When we allow ourselves to be loved by God we can love in return.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt 22:34-40).

Jesus, in response, was not just throwing up a cloud of theological dust into the eyes of the Pharisees. His answer to, “which commandment in the law is the greatest?” was drawn directly from the Torah. Showing again his knowledge of the Torah. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 and merged the two verses together as one unit. His purpose was to emphasize the point that what is to be the greatest aspiration for humanity is to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves, not either/or. Jesus again was showing that he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but that he came to fulfill them (cf. Mt 5:17).

In this statement, Jesus also revealed the foundation of reality, the Trinitarian communion of love. For the immanence of God – God within himself – has always been, always is, and always will be a communion of love. God the Father loves the Son, God the Son receives the Father’s love and in return loves God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit is the love expressed and shared between God the Father and God the Son. The overflow and abundance of this perichoresis, or divine dance of trinitarian communion, has been the loving of creation into existence.

This means that we as God’s created beings, his children, have been loved into existence too! We are loved by and capable of loving God and one another in return mirroring on earth the love that is shared in Heaven. It is through our participation in the life of Jesus that we can live up to his command to love our enemies, best expressed in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37).

This is why prayer is so important. If we don’t get our relationship with God right, if we don’t spend time with and allow ourselves to rest, receive, and abide in his love, we will not be able to return the love we have received, and then how can we truly love ourselves and each other? When we do get the love of God right, we and our realm of influence changes. We can experience that peace that surpasses all understanding, and we can find the rest, that rest within the depths of our souls that we all seek. This peace, love, and rest we can then share with God and one another.

We can do so in simple but powerful ways. When we catch the eye of another smile. This small gift can make such difference in another’s life. If someone says, “How are you today?” say, “Better that you asked.” When you are with someone be there as if they were the only person in the world. Go out of your way to do some random acts of kindness, especially for that someone who ordinarily and regularly gets under your skin.

Today – Perichoresis! Let us rest, receive, and abide in God’s love, participate in the dance of God’s trinitarian Love and let his Love reign free in your life to overflowing.

Picture: When we embrace the vertical of loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul, we can share the horizontal, loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, August 22, 2025

We can choose to be envious or grateful for God’s generosity to others.

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard…” (Mt 20:1).

At dawn, nine, noon, three, and five o’clock the landowner hired day laborers to go into the field to bring in the harvest. Many, familiar with this parable, find themselves a bit bemused, bewildered, or even angry at the ending when they read or hear that the landowner had his foreman pay everyone the same pay. The immediate cry is, “That is not fair!” Those, more often than not, who respond this way are focused on the hired hands who started at dawn, worked all day, and were paid the same as the laborers who started at five o’clock.

The workers who started at dawn agreed to a certain wage and the owner paid that agreed amount. The landowner explained, “to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage” (Mt 20:13)? What is missed, if someone is feeling as perplexed as were some of the dawn laborers, is the generosity of the landowner.

We see this similar scene of generosity given and played out in some of Jesus’ other parables. The older son who refused to listen to his father’s invitation to come in to share in the celebration of the feast when his wayward brother had been lost but now was found (Lk 15:11-32); the man who was forgiven his entire debt from the king and then when he had the same opportunity to forgive the one who owed him, did not (Mt. 23-35), and in the parable of the Good Samaritan the priest and Pharisee left the man on the side of the road yet the Samaritan, the despised one, was the one to provide aid (Lk 10:25-37). Each of these parables represents the generosity and mercy of God.

There is a reason Jesus shared the parable of the workers in the vineyard after warning about the dangers of riches. Jesus is inviting the disciples and us to be generous with our time, talent, and treasure. He is also calling us out of our group think or tribal mentality. He is showing us that God’s invitation is for all and he is free to bestow his mercy, grace, and forgiveness on those for whom he chooses, whether we approve or not. Ideally, he seeks to bestow his mercy on others through us. We too are to be agents of his grace.

Are we aware of how generous and merciful God has been with us? If not, instead of focusing on what we do not have, may we give some daily thought to the blessings we do have in our life, otherwise, we will fall prey to the temptation of envy with the generosity that God shows to others. Envy arises when we don’t only seek what another has but begrudge what another has received. This attitude can even grow into wishing harm to befall them. And for what, because they have been blessed?

The parables of Jesus are great to pray with and it is important to be honest with our answers. Do we relate to: the laborers who worked all day for their fair share and begrudged those who received the same pay for an hour’s work, the older brother unwilling to be grateful for the return of his brother, the servant unwilling to show mercy to a debtor, and/or the priest and Pharisee that took the long way around the wounded man on the Jericho Road? If we answer yes, to any or all of the above, allowing the light of Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness can lead us to repent, experience forgiveness, and be grateful for God’s love, which is unmerited. Resting in gratefulness, we can rejoice in the generosity that God bestows upon others, even at the eleventh hour.

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Photo: Mary can lead us through the clouds of our self-preoccupation to experience the light of her Son, taken at University of Mary of the Lake.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, August 20, 2025

What do we still lack?

A young man approached Jesus seeking to know what he must do to attain eternal life. Jesus shared that the key was to keep the commandments. The man asked which ones he was to follow, a reasonable request as there were 613 commandments to choose from! Jesus gave him six: do not kill, commit adultery, steal or bear false witness; do honor his father and mother, and love his neighbor as himself (cf. Mt19:18-19). The man affirmed that he had followed them all. Then he asked that next question, “What do I still lack” (Mt 19:20)?

I can feel the disciples wince, see the mouth of Jesus curl into a smile while his left eyebrow raises. Mark is more eloquent than me: “Jesus looked at him, and loved him…” (Mk 10:17). Matthew, in his Gospel account, does not engage in such subtleties.

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions (Mt 19:21-22). The young man was so close!

Jesus saw that which was keeping this man from following him. Jesus gave him the opportunity to renounce what he had, give to the poor, and receive eternal life – his original request. It is what we have all been created for, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (St Augustine, Confessions). The young man knew what he needed to do but was too attached to his wealth to let go, so he walked away sad.

We do not know if the young man reconsidered Jesus’ offer and returned. I invite you to find a quiet space today, enter the stillness, and return to this scene in your imagination. Play it out again in your mind and come to the same ending, with the disciples and Jesus watching the rich man walk away sad. Continue your observation of them as they ever so slowly turn their heads and gaze at you. Then ask Jesus, “What do I still lack that is keeping me from walking a more intimate walk with you?”

What are you holding onto that is keeping you from giving yourself to the One who is truly Good? “Jesus presents himself as the way to salvation; he is the ultimate good for which the young man” (Mitch and Sri, 247) was searching and we are searching. Jesus looks at you, loves you, and says, “If you wish to be perfect…” What does he ask you to let go of, to renounce, and follow him?
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Painting: “Christ and the Rich Young Ruler” Heinrich Hoffman, 1889

Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, August 18, 2025

“Holiness is standing in the fire of self-knowledge and letting it burn” – Fr. William Sattler

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing” (Luke 12:49)!

This fire that Jesus has come to set is the purifying fire of God’s love which will be manifested brilliantly at the feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit will come like tongues of fire to land upon and transform the apostles. But before that time, there will be a baptism in fire, the passion, suffering, crucifixion and death of Jesus. As he did in the baptism of water he submitted to with John to join in solidarity with us in our human sinfulness, in the crucifixion, he is baptized with fire. Jesus took upon himself the worst fallen humanity had to offer, betrayal, injustice, violence, indifference, scapegoating, mob rule, indignity, inhumanness, and God forsakenness itself.

Impure metals, like gold and silver are placed in a crucible to be heated. The metals become liquified so that the dross, the impurities, will burn off and the metals are purified. The cleansing waters of baptism and the confirming fire of the Holy Spirit purifies and transforms us as well. Yet that is not enough. It is through our daily lives that this purification will continue. That is why Jesus continues: “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Lk 12:51).

Interesting words offered by the Prince of Peace. He has come to set fire on the earth and to establish division. What Jesus is sharing is that to be his disciples, God must be first in our lives. We are to love God with all our hearts, souls, strength, and minds and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to love in that order. When we love God first then all our loves will burn away as they are apparent goods, and those that remain will be properly ordered.

Putting God first will cause division because there will be those who are not willing to do so, even within the same family. Others might have different ideas of what it means to put God first. We can learn from Jeremiah and Jesus that putting God first has a cost, even if that meant all would turn on them.

Jeremiah followed God’s call to be a prophet. This did not exactly turn out to be a peaceful vocation. As is presented in our first reading, Jeremiah was persecuted for sharing the word of God with his own people of faith. They refused to repent and return to God and they refused to listen as the impending destructive power of the Babylonian army was storming upon them and about to be unleashed. Surrender was not in their vocabulary, to the Babylonians, and unfortunately, neither to God.

They refused to listen to God through Jeremiah and instead the princes received permission from the king to throw “him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah” (Jeremiah 38:6). Jeremiah was left sinking in the mud, and left for dead. It was only through the compassion of the appeal of the court official, Ebed-melech, that Jeremiah was pulled up to safety before he starved to death.

We can see not only Jeremiah’s faithfulness in the face of extreme opposition, but in this account we can also see a foretaste of Jesus. He was also persecuted by his own people and left for dead. There would be no Ebed-melech to come to his aide. Jesus died a humiliating and horrific death on the cross descended into the realm of the dead. Like Jeremiah, he went down. And like Jeremiah, he would be raised up. Jesus conquered death and rose through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Both Jeremiah and Jesus, in following the will of God, advocated for repentance and transformation, they sought to bring unity and peace, and yet for those who refused to receive their message and follow them, they were signs of division, demoralization, and ruin. Both followed God in the line of prophetic tradition, which announced that before there will be true reconciliation and peace, before the promised return and unification of the scattered Twelve Tribes of Israel, there will be a time of tribulation, a time of cleansing. For Jesus, there could be no resurrection until he went to the Cross.

How can we live our lives with the faithfulness of Jeremiah and Jesus? We can’t, on our own, alone. If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we need to be people of prayer. We need to daily turn our hearts and minds to God in prayer. “There is nothing more important that we will ever do than pray. That is why the devil hates prayer and tries to chase you away from any prayer” (Sattler).

The devil’s greatest weapon against us is distraction. If we are even willing and able to hear the call of the Holy Spirit inviting us to pray, our first response may be, I don’t have the time. And when we do, the next challenge will be resisting the myriad distractions, diversions, and temptations that the enemy will hurl at us to lead us away from even a minute of prayer.

“This restless being wants to pray. Can he do it? Only if he steps out of the stream  of restlessness and composes himself… No sooner has he started to pray than, conjured up by his inner unrest, all sorts of other things clamor for attention… prayer seems a sheer waste of time, and he fritters it away with useless activities. To recollect oneself means to overcome this deception which springs from unrest and to become still; to free oneself of everything which is irrelevant, and to hold oneself at the disposal of God, who alone matters now” (Guardini, 12).

The beauty of the temptations of the devil is that he is revealing to us exactly what God wants us to see. Our weakness, wounds, sins, attachments, disordered affections, and anything that is diverting us from keeping our face on Jesus. The same face that Peter held fast to when he walked on the water, and then sank when he allowed the distractions of the wind and the waves to look away. We continue to behold the gaze of Jesus when we are vigilant and consistent with praying daily and growing in our prayer so that we also pray in our activity and our challenges.

“Holiness is standing in the fire of self-knowledge and letting it burn” (Sattler). We are called to be still and identify our wounds, distractions, and temptations so that we can hear more clearly to identify whose voices we are listening to. When we are willing to enter into the crucible of the Holy Spirit and allow ourselves to be purified by the fire of his love, no matter what the devil throws our way, we can stand tall. When we resist running, trust in Jesus’ love for us, and remain, all that is not of God will be burned away.

The peace, stability, and unity that we seek comes by taking up our cross daily and walking with Jesus. When we are tempted in any way, let us turn to Jesus immediately. In this way, temptations and diversions will not lead to moments of sin, but will be invitations to receive God’s grace. When we do fall, we simply repent, turn away from the sin, turn back to God, learn from the experience, pick up our cross, and begin again.

With each step we will find healing, forgiveness, and courage. The fear, anxiety, and insecurities will become less, we will heal, as long as we remain in the presence of God’s purifying love and let him burn. We will slowly come to know God’s will for our lives and that is the meaning and fulfillment we all seek.  Jesus has blazed the trail before us. As we remain faithful to prayer, trust and follow him, he will continue to empower and strengthen us that we may continue to walk on as his disciples.

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Photo: Water and fire are powerful signs of the love of the Holy Spirit’s transformative power in the Bible.

Quotes from Fr. William Sattler received from his interview with Matthew Leonard on his podcast, The Art of Catholic on his YouTube channel.

Guardini, Romano. The Art of Praying: The Principles and Methods of Christian Prayer. Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 1985.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, August 17, 2025

“The Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mt 19:14).

Again we see the disciples refusing access to Jesus. The scriptures are not clear why they consistently act this way. We see them doing so with the blind man Bartimaeus, the tax collector Zacchaeus, and the Canaanite woman. In today’s reading, they are refusing access to children. The characteristic of each of those being refused is that they are considered to be on the periphery of Jewish society.

Children, paidia in Greek, especially so. Paidia could represent a child from infancy to twelve years of age. In ancient Palestine, children were particularly vulnerable, had no status and were completely dependent on their families for survival. Luke goes even further than Mark and Matthew by using, brephē, meaning infant, to describe the children. It is to these children and infants that Jesus states the Kingdom of heaven belongs.

Just as consistent as the disciples are in turning away those in need, Jesus is just as consistent in his ministry of paying particular interest to the individual person in their particular need. He welcomes the children and blesses each one of them. Jesus continually acknowledges and affirms the dignity of each person he meets, especially those neglected and ignored. Those who have been on the other side of the glass looking in, Jesus grants admittance. Jesus bridges the divide of separation through his presence and healing touch.

To enter the Kingdom of heaven, we must be willing to trust and place, as children, even more so, as infants, our total dependence on God alone, instead of relying on our own initiative or effort. There is nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven. The entrance into the Kingdom of heaven is a free gift of God’s grace. This gift is not about our worthiness, for all of us fall short. It is about our willingness to acknowledge our utter dependence on our loving God and Father and accept the invitation he offers all of us to be in relationship with him. As we do so, we are to resist the temptation to prevent others from having access to this wonderful gift, but instead we are to share the same invitation we have received with others.

Photo: A stained glass image of Jesus with children at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA.

Link for the readings for the Mass for Saturday, August 16, 2025

Forgive seven, seventy-seven, or seventy times seven times?

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times” (Mt 18:21)?

Peter may have thought he was being quite generous in asking to forgive seven times because the custom of the time was considered to forgive someone three times. It may also sound pretty generous to us, because the usual question most of us ask is, “Do I have to forgive at all?” Many of us do not do forgiveness well, even if we recognize that it is a virtue. If someone says to us they are sorry, do we reply, “I forgive you.” Often our automatic response is, “That’s alright”, “It’s ok”, or “No problem”. When we are convicted of a mistake, error or offense, do we ask for forgiveness or operate from a defensive posture to explain away why we did what we did, or defend that what we did as right, not willing to admit any inappropriate action?

We are very habitual creatures, and much of what I shared above is learned behavior. We are conditioned and shaped since the time of our youth and even from our time in the womb. We also may recall those cases in which we feel justified in our stance of unforgiveness. Jesus will support no justification or rationalization. He will instead raise the bar for us as he did for Peter: “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times”, which can also be translated as seventy times seven. In either case, we may dismiss Jesus’ statement as mission impossible.

Yet is we are to be disciples of Jesus, we are to strive to forgive as our heavenly Father forgives. Forgive the same person seventy-seven times? Yes. If someone is seeking forgiveness, we are called to forgive. God has forgiven us and will do so unlimitedly. We are to do the same. Jesus does not mean that we don’t hold people accountable. He offered three steps of how to hold one accountable in yesterday’s readings (Matthew 18:15-20). Nor is he saying that we are to remain in a dangerous or life-threatening situation, or enable people in their self-destructive behavior.

Forgiveness has to do with not holding on to the hurt, not allowing the offense to fester as a grudge that builds to hate and negative or violent behavior. Forgiveness is also not a curse but a blessing. For when we forgive, it is an antidote to the poison someone has injected us with. If we refuse to forgive, we allow the person who has injured us to do so over and over again. In our unwillingness to forgive we allow that poison to continue to fester.

If you are struggling with holding onto a grudge and/or past hurts. One approach that may be helpful is to visualize yourself approaching the person you have the issue with and saying to them, “I forgive you”. You may also find it helpful to visualize Jesus standing beside you while you do this exercise. Repeat the process each day in your time of prayer until you start to feel yourself coming to a place of forgiveness, and can imagine that reconciliation is indeed possible.

If you find visualizing difficult, sit down and talk to Jesus. Be honest with him, tell him the situation and share with him that you do not want to forgive the person. Then ask for Jesus to help you. Embrace the sacrament of Reconciliation and confess your unwillingness to forgive. When ready, determine how best to reach out to the person to say that you forgive them; a phone call, email, text message, or in person.

A third idea that may work is to write the person a letter, whether you send it or not. Each of these practical ways provides an opportunity to approach the great gift that Jesus offers us, to forgive seventy-seven times, or to forgive each and every time we are given the opportunity to do so.

We don’t do forgiveness well. But with Jesus, we can begin again. Let us practice saying each morning, “Please forgive me, (Name)” and think of a few thoughts, words, or actions you need to be forgiven for. Then say, “I forgive you (Name), for…” and think of a few words, actions, or inactions to insert. Also, Jesus gave us a pretty good prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We are not alone. Remember, Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified him. We can ask God to forgive those who have offended, hurt, or abused us. Then we can actually move to the point where we begin to develop the freedom of heart to say to others, “I forgive you”, and “Please forgive me.”

Photo: As God forgives us without limits we are to do the same. Looking upon the wonders of creation which none of us deserve can help come to a place of gratefulness for the love and mercy of God that we have received which can help us to forgive our brothers and sisters from the heart. Photo from the grounds of the University St. Mary of the Lake.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, August 14, 2025

Our Father is pleased to give us the kingdom.

We live in a fallen world where suffering, violence, hatred, anxiety, and fear abound and this reality does not appear to be getting better any time soon. Yet, there is still cause for hope. Jesus says in the opening of today’s Gospel: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Unfortunately, far too many do not find comfort in these words. A common complaint is “Well, Jesus said these words some two thousand years ago, I do not see any kingdom, and not only has this world not gotten any better, but it also seems to be getting worse!” To say or buy into this perspective is to miss what God’s kingdom is.

The first words that we have recorded from the beginning of the ministry of Jesus were, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15). What Jesus said then and is saying to us now is that the kingdom of God is about a relationship and a relationship happens person to person and builds slowly over time.

Jesus came to restore the relationship that has been lost with his Father. We live in a fallen world because most of us have forgotten who we are – children of God. Instead of our primary focus being the building and strengthening our relationship with God, we are distracted, diverted, tempted, and led astray by so many other material pursuits and voices. We put ourselves first. We are the priority instead of God and each other. There is suffering, pain, and deep hunger in the world because too many are selfish and self-centered.

The “little flock” that Jesus is offering the kingdom of God to is the disciples who are willing not only to hear his word but those who are willing to receive and put God’s will into action and practice. Because the Apostles did just that, we can do the same today, but each of us have to make our choice about who we are going to follow and which voice we are going to listen to. Our Father is pleased to offer us the kingdom, relationship with him. Will we receive this gift and seek that which is above, or choose to be diverted and entranced by the things here below that only wither and fade?

Photo: God was willing to come close to us through his Son. Are we willing to come close to Jesus to know his Father and be a part of his kingdom?

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, August 10, 2025

Be still, and allow the Holy Spirit to burn!

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

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

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

The disciples did have some moments of doing as Jesus had done, but it was not until Jesus ascended and the Holy Spirit descended upon them at Pentecost that everything changed. Jesus had tilled the soil, he helped to unearth the rocks of the hardness of their hearts, he forgave them, and healed them. But it was not until they let him go after his Ascension that they were able to receive the Holy Spirit and by his power working through them they would do even greater deeds than he (cf. Jn 14:12-14)!

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

The enemy will do everything in his power to distract, divert, and tempt us from setting aside time to pray with God each day. And when we actually begin to discipline ourselves, enter into quiet time daily, we are invited not to stay there but to go deeper, to move beyond only reading, meditating, and praying. There will be times Jesus invites us to set aside our Bible, notes, journal, prayer cards, and/or vocal prayers of petition, and to just be still, to listen, and receive the love that Jesus and the Father experience, the Holy Spirit.

The same Holy Spirit who empowered the Apostles to fulfill what Jesus had begun with them is quietly nudging us on each day. Please listen! He is inviting us to see more clearly those subtle ways we are being distracted, tempted, and diverted from his guidance and what has been inhibiting the growth of our relationship with God. The love and light of the Holy Spirit will reveal, when we are willing to remain still, where and how, in minute and massive ways, we are refusing to follow the will of God.

One of the reasons that we have “little faith” is that we rely too much on ourselves. We are invited to stand in the presence of the Holy Spirit and let his fire burn, to purify us from our own misguided thoughts of self sufficiency. As gold and silver is placed in a crucible and heated, the dross is purified. We are purified in the crucible of our meditation, prayer, and contemplation by the love of the Holy Spirit. Through this purifying light we will see that we cannot save ourselves, that we need a savior, Jesus, with his arms wide open ready, willing, and able to forgive us and love us unconditionally and continually.

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Photo:  A moment of stillness and purification back in December.

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

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, August 9, 2025

Prayer helps us to restore our likeness to God.

He took Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray (Luke 9:28).

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

Jesus is not 50% God and 50% human. He is fully God and fully man. This is the Mystery of the Incarnation; the reality that the second Person of the Trinity took on flesh and became human. This is an important reality, because in this very act of Infinite Grace, the Son of God assuming humanity, Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, as St. Irenaeus wrote, “opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed.” The Son of God became one with us in our fallen and sinful state so that we can become one with him. Through participation in the life of Jesus Christ, we can be restored and deepen our relationship with his Father, and we too can be transformed.

“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 of communion with the Loving God and Father of all creation is for all. Authentic 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, the do not need 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 what experience with our senses. When we slow down enough, when we are actually still enough, we can experience a deeper yearning for more, and begin to see what is keeping us from the deeper reality Jesus is offering.

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 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 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, all of us, all of humanity, not just a select few. We are invited to embrace the fullness and rich diversity of our humanity; the reality that we are physical, emotional, intellectual, while at the same time, spiritual beings. Our fulfillment and joy come from a balance of nurturing the reality that each and every one of us have been created in the image and likeness of God.

Peter, John, and James, as well as each of the saints, embraced the invitation of Jesus and were healed. The likeness to God that was lost in the fall of Adam and Eve was restored through their lives of prayer, service, and growing in relationship with Jesus. We can see the restoration of the likeness through such biblical imagery as Moses’ face which radiated after his intimate encounters with God and in the transfiguration of Jesus with not just his face but his whole being.

Setting time away with God daily to speak with him, listen, as well as follow the guidance of God will help us to grow in holiness and restore our likeness as well. Our hearts and minds and souls will be expanded and transformed such that we will experience the fullness of our humanity, be purified and perfected by our Father’s divinity. We will also embrace the gift of our common dignity and love others as we are loved.
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Photo: “The person who prays begins to see.” From Pope Benedict XVI accessed from The Gospel of Luke by Pablo T. Gadenz.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Withdraw with Jesus for a while.

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 time 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 many seeking him. Jesus was not put off nor did he roll his eyes at this interruption for time to rest.

Making time for quiet may seem like a waste of time, just a simple act, but it is one that is imperative. As busy a Jesus was, Jesus made 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 on the boat before he disembarked. Sometimes in busy moments, even just a few minutes of intentional rest can make a difference. Jesus showed no frustration for having his plans interrupted, instead, 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 and/or externally. Most of the time 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, meditate, or contemplate. We do not sit for a few moments and just breathe. Sometimes when we need to wind down and renew, we choose activities that actually do the opposite. Instead of resting and renewing our minds, bodies, and souls, surfing channels on television, going down rabbit holes on the internet, or watching reels and scrolling through social media for a few minutes will not only turn into a few hours, but we feel more worn out than when we began.

This happens because the video stimulation is not relaxing but actually hyper stimulating our central nervous systems. Especially with social media, once we enter those clips, algorithms go in place and hook into similar viewing sites which activates dopamine hits that get us hooked to engage in more viewing, much more than intended. Again, instead of experience the rest we desperately sought, we feel more wired.

And we then wonder why sleep takes a while and why we get stuck in repeating the same pattern. We just keep moving ahead, 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, and then needing wine or a drink or two to wind down, we then wonder why we are consistently anxious or on edge, if we are even aware that we are actually in a state of chronic stress, and that may even be when things are going well!

Jesus needed some downtime, and in today’s Gospel, we read that he did not get the amount of time he set out to have, yet 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 in depth of his gut with compassion to serve their needs and he went on to perform an incredible miracle of feeding thousands with only a five loaves of bread and a few fish.

When we turn to Jesus for our rest, renewal, and nourishment, he provides to overflowing. Turning away from the modern temptations of perpetual motion and breathing to be still and sit at Jesus’ feet allows us to enter into his rest. We can trust Jesus and seek his guidance, and allow him to do in us his Father’s will so that we can stop doing, and even if only for a few minutes, just be.

From this place of rest, we can think more clearly, make healthier decisions, and resist the impulsive, reactive, and immediate gratification choices. We can realize what we truly need in the moment. Instead of another handful of chips – a glass of water, because we are actually not hungry but thirsty. Instead of checking emails, we can take a twenty minute nap and reset our mind. Instead of scrolling, surfing, and reeling, we can pull our Bible off the shelf, take a few deep breaths, and read this Gospel account, imagine getting into the boat with Jesus, withdraw to a deserted place for a while, and truly wind down. Giving ourselves at least an hour away from technology before going to sleep, we may find we not only fall asleep quicker but sleep more soundly.

Photo: Evening Rosary walk at University of Saint Mary of the Lake.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, August 4, 2025