gospel-of-the-day

Let us trust in God. His greatest joy is that we will be free to experience his love and joy!

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man” (Lk 6:22).

Feel like this statement is a little counter to our sensibilities? Who of us seeks to be hated? Do we wake up each morning and say to ourselves, “Self, I hope I receive a good deal of hate from those closest to me today.” No. We want to be affirmed and loved and that is a good. The important point is that we are to have our desire to be loved properly ordered by first allowing God to love us before anyone else. Knowing the love of God helps us to then not be left unbalanced like someone just pulled the rug out from under us when they are a bit short or snarky with us.

If we read the statement a bit closer, we see Jesus is going deeper than just the normal everyday conflicts that we experience. He is not asking us to seek to be hated. He is saying that we will be blessed when we are authentically living our faith and then we receive disdain or hatred. Jesus received it from those of his own hometown when he began his public ministry. We don’t live our faith with the goal of being liked or loved by the world, we live our faith as we have been loved by God, and then share what he gives us to share. In the words of St. Bernadette of Soubirous, our “job is to inform not to convince.”

The Beatitudes are contrary to much of what too many of us are tempted by when seek our satisfaction, security, and fulfillment. Much of us are lured in some form or fashion, by power, fame, wealth, pleasure, and celebrity. What is more, how many of us who proclaim to be people of faith resist Jesus’ teachings because of self-centered reasons? We hold on to things that keep us from God, that really do not make us happy. We do so because we do want to be loved and belong. The challenge is we are “looking for love in all the wrong places” as sung by Johnny Lee.

In today’s Gospel account from Luke, Jesus began to teach his disciples on this deeper level. He had just chosen the twelve by name and that number would not have slipped by them. Their thoughts were more than likely moving closer to the realization that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised heir of David. Would he be gathering them together to restore the twelve tribes of Israel and overthrow the occupying power of Rome? Yes, but not in the way they were thinking.

Jesus’ presentation was not about taking up military or physical armaments, but spiritual ones of attaining the  kingdom through four blessings and dashing the common hope with four woes. Jesus’ message is a universal message, an invitation to and for all who have ears to hear as well as hearts and minds open to receive. Jesus spoke not only to his twelve newly hand picked followers as wells as those from “Judea and Jerusalem” but also those from the “coastal region of Tyre and Sidon” (Luke 6:17). That Jesus did not dismiss but was teaching those from Tyre and Sidon would not have been missed either. They were from Gentile territory.

Jesus’ teachings challenged all present and they challenge us today to evaluate where we are placing our trust and security. If we are placing our trust in the things of this world, the four woes section is for us, for that which is finite and material are fleeting and passing. By placing our trust in Jesus, his Father and the love shared between them, the Holy Spirit, the beatitudes will lead us to experience joy, peace, and love.

Being poor, hungry, in mourning, hated, excluded, insulted and denounced as evil will bring us happiness? Yes. When we are faithful to God, each of them counter the typical substitutes that we can put in place before our relationship with God. Each of the beatitudes that Jesus offers are invitations to experience true, deep and abiding joy. We just need to be willing to relinquish putting self first and seeking pursuits counter to God and his will.

When we rely more on God and less on material things, even relationships; when we depend more on God alone, our relationships and our pursuits will be more properly ordered. With God first, we will experience order and peace and… that all elusive rest of the soul! That rest is so fleeting to so many of us because we are looking to so many other things but God to find rest and love. To be serious about being Jesus’ disciple, we are to look to the things of heaven and not of this world. Learning and living the beatitudes is just such a move. No easy task but when we look at each one and begin to detach from the attachments they allude to, “we will rejoice and leap for joy” (Lk 6:23)!

Joy because we will no longer be ensured by the things of this world and instead experience the inner freedom to enjoy the good things that God gives. We will be fueled not by the advancement or aggrandizement of self, but by the emptying of our ego. We will have room in our hearts to receive the love of Jesus, the source of our joy, which wells up from within and never runs dry! Jesus is the kingdom of Heaven that is at hand and he will lead us, if we are willing to follow, to the ultimate desire and deepest craving and hunger of our being, to be in communion with God and one another.

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Photo: EnJOYed another beautiful sunset painted on God’s canvas of creation last evening. Lightning strikes in the central smaller cloud, not visible. May you experience a taste of the joy God is seeking to bring you today!

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Will we resist doing evil and instead do good and save lives?

The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him (Lk 6:7).

This is an unfortunate and sad scene in the Gospel. What is even worse is that this is not an isolated incident for some of the scribes and Pharisees. They are often watching him closely not so that they may learn and come to know how to live their lives better, but to accuse him. Accuse Jesus of what? Of not honoring the sabbath and breaking the law of God. Yet Jesus has not come to dishonor the sabbath, he came to save.

“Jesus the Savior (2:11) has clearly come to do good and save life. His opponents, however, have come to do evil and destroy life, hardly a fitting way to observe the sabbath” (Gadenz, 124))! There is quiet anticipation as Jesus calls a man with a withered hand to stand before him.

Jesus knows the hearts and minds of his would-be accusers, he also knows what is at stake regarding what he is about to do but because he is more concerned with the condition of the man and not his standing in the community. Jesus seeks to not to impress the crowd with this miracle, he seeks to express the will of God: “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it” (Lk 6:9)? Jesus did not wait too long for an answer but told the man to stretch out his hand. The man was obedient, did so, and was healed.

These two phrases coming from Jesus in today’s Gospel are not only good to commit to memory and meditation but to also put into practice, for they are foundational principles regarding how we ought to interact with one another. First, whenever we wonder whether we ought to help someone, we need to ask ourselves, “Is it lawful to do good or evil, to save life or destroy it?” If more of us ask this question, we might be more ready, willing, and available to help those in need. Would that our law makers ask this question as they are enacting laws.

Second, “Stretch out your hand”, is another phrase we can take to heart. Maybe we will not heal a man’s withered hand, but we can provide a smile, a cup of water, food, some money, our presence, volunteer in our places of worship and/or with groups who are already engaged in causes that we believe in. We can write to and impress upon our congressional leaders the importance of supporting the dignity of the people they represent, at every stage of development from conception until natural death.

We can learn a lot from St. Peter Claver, who left his home country of Spain to settle in Cartagena, one of the chief centers for the slave trade in the sixteen hundreds. He arrived with the sole purpose of taking care of the slaves from the moment they arrived in the port city under horrific conditions. He would immediately board and minister to those who survived the trip. Then as the West Africans were herded into nearby yards, he would walk among them and provide them with food, medicine, and the most calming salve of all, he assured and reminded them of their human dignity and God’s love for them.

We may not heal as Jesus did. We may not be called to leave our country to serve as St. Peter did. But we can do as St. Mother Teresa recommended for those people who appeared at the Mother House door in Calcutta. She encouraged them to go back home and begin with those closest to them. We can begin with our family and friends, in our work places and our schools, our places of worship and our communities. When we are willing to be still, to breathe, receive, rest, and abide in the love of God, we can share love we have received in the unique way that God calls us to do good and not evil.

We may not always be able to cure a withered hand, but we can certainly reach out a helping hand.

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Painting: “The Man with the Withered Hand” by James Tissot

Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, September 7, 2026

When choosing the love of God, we will resist reaction and help to foster reconciliation.

Oppressive clouds and destructive winds of division, polarization, tribalism, nationalism, racial unrest, violence, and war continue to swirl and can wear down and weary us. If we stay focused on the chaos, we can rip ourselves apart, especially when we engage in reacting to the lack of respect in kind. Then instead of being a healing salve, we contribute to our and other’s unrest. Our Gospel today offers some hope.

The opening and close of today’s Gospel reading is very telling: “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone’ ” (Mt 18:15) and “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Jesus provides for us a model and he himself is the source for engaging with conflict with the goal of healing and reconciliation.

Jesus offered the steps for coming together to resolve disharmony. First one to one, then three two one, then if the person still does not see their error, bringing in the elders and leaders of the Church. Each is an appeal to the conscience of the individual who has offended, who has sinned, who has caused harm, and at the foundation of each attempt is the intent to not bring a brother or sister back, not to knock them down with condemnation but appeal to them through conviction. Jesus insists that we resist the temptations of gossip, character assassination, and dehumanization. In this way, we can work to hold each other accountable in love, and invite a movement toward reconciliation and mutual respect.

Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves, as God has loved us. We are to embrace the gift and grace of our own God given dignity and diversity. Each one of us are a unique gift and expression of our loving God and Father that no one has nor ever will again express. Yet, we will not attain the harmony and peace of Jesus’ call for unity if we keep making decisions rooted in our fear and prejudices, if we continue to crouch and operate from a defensive posture and feed our insecurities.

On our own initiative, from a posture of I am right and you are wrong, and even with the best of intentions, we will fall short, for “with human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible” (Mt. 19:26). As we deal with conflict and division, we need to resist reacting, give another the benefit of the doubt, and see each other as human beings first and foremost. With two or more, not enter into gossip and slander, but instead be willing to pray with and for one another, knowing and trusting that Jesus will be with us. Jesus, who spoke and stilled the storm, can speak in and through us to quiet the storms of our own chaos within as well as the winds of chaos without.

When we are willing to unite in prayer, to accompany one another, to seek reconciliation, and to work together to resolve our conflicts, there will be a clear path toward peace. St Paul in his willingness to be transformed by Jesus got this. We are to love our neighbor as ourself, for “Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:9-10). Even though the darkness and gathering gloom of division, dehumanization, polarization, and prejudice appears to be growing, let us place our standard in the love of Christ. Let us meet hate with love, division with reconciliation, and see each other as beloved daughters and sons of God.

Photo: “[T]he light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, September 6, 2026

We are not alone when we acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of our lives.

Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath” (Lk 6:5).

As the disciples were traveled with Jesus, they gathered food where they could. In today’s Gospel, they picked heads of grain and rubbed them in their hands to make them easier to chew. The critique of those Pharisees, presumably, walking along with or close by to Jesus, was that his disciples were breaking the sabbath law by working and thus not keeping it holy.

The reason for this was that pious Jews would often practice what is called, building a hedge around the Torah, meaning that they would institute practices beyond the original law to provide a buffer or guard rails to bring awareness in the case of getting close to breaking a particular law. Fr. Bill Burton, ofm, shared an example that has stuck with me since my Scripture studies in seminary.

There is a prescription in Exodus 23:19, that states that you should not cook a kid (baby goat) in its mother’s milk. So as not to even come close to breaking this law, observant Jews developed the practice, which continues from many today, to not cook any meat and dairy together; thus the idea of building a hedge around the Torah.

The hedge in today’s reading had to do with what constituted work and what did not to keep the sabbath rest intact and keep the sabbath holy. Jesus settled the debate the Pharisees leveled at his disciples by claiming that he was the lord of the sabbath.

The lord of the sabbath needs to be the Lord of our lives. We live in a fallen world, but even at its best, we live in a finite and fragile world. We as human beings can only do so much. The best we can do is to use our intellect and ability to reason while at the same time seek to discern God’s will and direction so that we may access the spiritual resources that God offers to us in our everyday affairs, especially when tragedy strikes.

Tragedy, pain, and suffering happen in our independent lives directly and in our world collectively, the list and variety are vast and varied. Each situation arises for different reasons, some sensible and others with no apparent rhyme or reason. The why to our own personal or broader national and international sufferings we may not ever receive an answer. Yet, in each instance, we are not abandoned, we are not alone. We need not despair because the Holy Spirit works with and through us when we turn to him and allow our hearts and minds to be open to his love working through us.

The Holy Spirit, through Mary’s yes, helped to bring to our world a savior. When his time came, he healed, exorcised, preached and sought the unification of his people so to unify first the Jews and then all of humanity. Many of the Pharisees could not accept that Jesus was the Messiah and instead saw him as a threat. In their minds, Jesus was disobeying God. If he wasn’t God incarnate, they would have been correct. That is the decision we need to make. If he is God, Jesus needs not only to be the lord of the sabbath, but the Lord of our lives, in and out of season, during our trials as well as our joys and celebrations.

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Photo: Jesus in the Wheat Field” by Hangwallz on Etsy

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, September 5, 2026

When we trust Jesus and do whatever he tells us, even when we don’t understand, we will be blessed.

After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply,” Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets” (Lk 5:4-5).

Faith is to believe in God and that what he tells us is true. On our own initiative and will power we are limited as finite beings regarding what we can understand and do. Today’s Gospel reading provides an example. Simon had been fishing all night with no results. Simon Peter follows Jesus’ command to go back out and put into the deep, and Simon not only accomplishes what he originally set out to do, but he also did so beyond anything he had ever imagined!

When we follow God’s direction and initiative all things are possible for us as well.

God’s initiative and grace enter our lives daily just like Jesus entered Simon’s boat. Do we allow Jesus to come that close and follow his commands, even when we don’t understand or want to? Remember the rich man who had followed all the commandments, but when Jesus invited him to sell all and come and follow him, he could not do it. All he was asking for was right in front of him, and yet, the man did not believe in or trust Jesus.

Rejecting the offer is one way to miss the mark. We can also miss the mark as Simon the magician did. When he saw the works of Philip, Peter, and John, he wanted to buy the power of the Holy Spirit to heal. His goal was not to help others, but he sought his own aggrandizement and was rebuked. Turning away from Jesus’ invitation or seeking to manipulate Jesus for our own personal gain will not bring us the fulfillment that we seek. Discipleship with Jesus is about relationship with him.

A better example to follow is that of Mary, who when the archangel Gabriel shared God’s message with her that she was to bear a child, even though she did not understand how this could be, Mary entrusted herself to God. She conceived in her womb, through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, the God-Man, the incarnate Son of God, Jesus the Christ. Joseph also trusted. After hearing the news from Mary, he had decided to quietly divorce her. Gabriel spoke to him in a dream. Joseph trusted.

Peter, James, and John, although less adept in their faith, are maybe even better examples for us. They followed Jesus’ request and lowered their nets, even though they did not see the point. They followed through and were amazed. Then led by Peter’s humility and contrition, they “left everything” and followed Jesus. They went on to announce the Gospel of the Lord and caught people for the Kingdom of heaven.

Where are we today in our faith journey? Are we walking away from Jesus, are we seeking to gain access to the power of Jesus on our own terms, for our own self interests, or do we have the humility to follow Jesus, on his terms, even when we may feel or see no point in his request? God has a plan, as he did for Mary, Joseph, and the Apostles. In a quiet place in our soul, in the stillness of our hearts, Jesus is inviting us to trust and follow him. What we may hear may seem unbelievable, or insignificant, we may even experience anxiety, fear, and/or trepidation. Yet, let us trust, risk, and follow Jesus where he leads and do whatever he tells us.

I did just that a few years ago. After following JoAnn’s guidance to put everything on the table regarding my options of how to live my life without her, I whittled down eight options to two, and then asked God, “What do you want me to do?” In the silence of my heart, I heard quietly, but clearly, “priesthood.” The two years returning to seminary were not easy, and about two months in, when I told Jesus that, “I can’t do this.” He said, “Your right. But I can.” I trusted and followed his lead, and I am thankful everyday.

When we allow our hearts and minds to be open to where God is leading us, we will not only be happy, but we will find fulfillment and meaning in our lives, such that it overflows to others. As Pope Benedict put it during his first homily as Pope, “There is nothing more beautiful than to know him and to speak to others of our friendship with him” (Gadenz, 111). I agree.

Photo: Blessed to have followed Jesus’ invitation to lead a 30 day silent retreat in the Ignatian Exercises this past July at Grand Coteau Retreat Center, LA. Greeted by St. Ignatius when I arrived!

The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, September 3, 2026

“…to other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God”.

But he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Lk 4:43).

Jesus himself, the Son of God incarnate, fully divine and fully human, is the wedding of heaven and earth in his very person. His work of preaching, teaching, healing, and casting out demons, shows that the divine flow of the Father’s Love is infused into our fallen human condition. Jesus came to restore unity to that which had been divided and once he began his public ministry, he was ever on the go. “As Jesus’ ministry of exorcism and healing unfolds, the kingdom of God advances and the devil’s dominion must retreat” (Gadenz, 108).

Through our Baptism, we have been conformed to and indelibly marked by Jesus and for Jesus. We are nourished by his Body and Blood in the Eucharist and we’re empowered through the laying on of hands by the bishop at our Confirmation. We have been divinized, grafted into the life of God through our participation in the life of Jesus the Christ. We too then are priests, prophets, and kings as we participate in his life. We also are, to preach and teach the same Gospel, to be his healing and comforting presence, to make Jesus present to those in our midst, and yes we too are called to cast out all demons, and to shine the light on negativity, dehumanization, and division in his name. As James teaches, we are to “submit [our]selves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee” (James 4:7).

Jesus did not travel very far during his three and a half years of public ministry, yet his teachings have touched many corners of the world. That is because of those who have encountered him, said yes to his invitation, submitted to the will of his Father, and continued to spread his teachings and life in each generation. We too are called to experience “a resurrected new life”, just as the mother-in-law of Peter did. And what did she do once she was healed? Out of gratitude, she immediately rose and served him. She mirrored Jesus in her willingness to serve (cf. Gadenz, 107).

Moment by moment, in each circumstance, we are invited to surrender to the will of his Father, and follow the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit. Each ascent of our will to the guidance of the Trinity is an embrace of the gift of the unique vocation we are called to put into practice. The time of fulfillment is now because Jesus is present in our midst, he is at hand. So let us repent and believe in the Gospel, (cf. Mk 1:15). Let us follow the lead of Jesus that we read about each day.

These are not just nice stories. They are invitations for transformation by participation in his life. By reading, meditating, and praying with these scriptures, we deepen our relationship with Jesus and begin to experience the love of the Holy Spirit. We are given clearer sight to know God’s will and about what to let go of that holds us back from a more intimate union with our Father. Each day is a new opportunity to learn from Jesus, follow his guidance, and be advocates of his love and healing in the unique expression he has given us to share! Let us like, Peter’s mother-in-law, arise, serve, and collaborate with Jesus to advance his kingdom.

Painting: Blessed to spend the month of July in another town, Grand Coteau, LA taking a deeper dive into the grace filled Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Gadenz, Pablo T.. The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018.

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Jesus faced rejection, ridicule, and death and was undeterred because he trusted his Father without hesitation in every situation.

“They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away” (Lk 4:29-30).

“They” were those from Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. They could not accept that he was anything but a carpenter’s son. He did not help his case any as the crowd became a bit more restless. Not only did he say that the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled in their hearing – implying that he is the Messiah, but that the Year of Jubilee prophesied was not only for the Jews, the Chosen of God, but also the Gentiles as well.

Referring to Elijah working a miracle through Zarephath and her son, and Elisha, through Naaman the Syrian presented them as God reaching out to those that were on the outside and that they received the prophet’s message and believed in God. Jesus’ own did not take to kindly to Jesus poking the bear. What followed next is our humanity at its worst when it rises to a mob mentality. They moved as one to lead him out of town and hurl him headlong down the side of a hill.

In praying with this verse, I imagined myself with Jesus in his synagogue in Nazareth, listening to him teaching the people. I watched how the people were first listening to every letter of his message mesmerized and moved by them. But was then astonished as their disposition changed. Their eyes of wonder were clouded over like a once clear, blue sky, that was filled by approaching storm clouds.

The voices of rebuke reached a fever pitch after Jesus shared how God blessed the widow and Naaman, then their bodies rose as one, and they moved in on Jesus. My and Jesus’ eyes met and he mouthed for me to stay close to him. I attempted to do so as the crowd grasped at Jesus and pushed him toward the exit.

I squirmed through the swarming bodies to get outside quickly, and then slipped from the weight and movement of the crowd. Keeping pace, I kept my eyes on Jesus while keep at a safe distance so as not to be trampled. The energy of the crowd was electrified as if a lightning strike was about to unleash. Outside, the bodies did not spread further apart but instead closed into a tighter unit. It was harder for me to see Jesus, I quickened my pace and ran to the right of the converging crowd which now hummed and looked more like a swarm of angry bees as they drew closer to the brow of the hill.

A roar then erupted from the front as arms with clenched fists were raised. Then a sweeping force of pushed ahead like a wave. To my right I spied a man walking away at a clam, yet steady pace. I dashed to the hill side in time to see three or four bodies tumbling down the hill. People were jeering and shouting. I looked again to the back of the man who had now put a good distance between us.

I chose not to run down the hill but toward the man, who I recognized as Jesus walking away. As I closed the gap, I chanced a glance back over my shoulder and saw that the crowd was still fixated down the hill. More shouts echoed but no one looked toward or followed us. I turned back and realized I had fallen behind. I sprinted to catch Jesus.

Panting as I settled into Jesus’ pace, I glanced at Jesus as he walked. Then I saw his face. He radiated a smile of joy. Jesus kept his pace but turned to meet my look of wonder. His smile only increased when I imagined he saw my look of amazement.

“Jesus, the people of your own hometown just rose up to hurl you over the hill. How can you be smiling?”

Jesus breathed deeply, as he kept his steady pace. After a few more strides he said, “I am saddened that their hearts were so closed, their hearts so hardened, but I feel joy in knowing that I did my Father’s will. Even though my own rejected me, even though they had no faith in me, I was faithful to what my Father sent me to do.”

I stumbled then, tripped, and fell. I rolled to sit up. Jesus, stopped and turned to look at me. “The same will be so, when I am raised up on the Cross.”

Our eyes met and we held each other’s gaze. Jesus then smiled again and reached out his hand. I looked at it for a moment and held my breath. I looked up at him again. There was no judgment on his face, but there was a clear, unspoken invitation. I then took a deep breath and placed my hand in his. Without hesitation his strong, calloused, carpenter’s hand grasped mine and he lifted me up like a feather.

Jesus faced his suffering with joy. The people of his hometown not only did not understand him, they rejected him, betrayed, and sought to cast him out. He knew without a hesitation or doubt that he was doing his Father’s will and that his Father loved him. Jesus was like the eye of a storm in the hurricane of his experiences because he was anchored by the bond of love that was unbreakable between him and his Father. That love was iron clad because he always said, “Yes”, without hesitation to his Father’s will. Even to the Cross.

Jesus invites us today to take his hand and allow him to lift us up beyond any anxiety, fear, insecurities, sin, darkness, distraction, or diversion. He is inviting us to let go of anything that is not of his Father’s will. Are we worthy? No. Capable? No. Are we willing? If yes, Jesus will provide the rest! Let us place our hand in Jesus’, let him lift us up. As we take one breath, one step with Jesus today, just one, we begin an amazing journey of healing and wholeness with the Father through the love of the Holy Spirit !!!

Photo: Christ Carrying the Cross — El Greco

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, August 31, 2026

Are we seeking to gain the whole world or eternal life?

There is a difference between the freedom of indifference, doing what we want when we want, how and whenever we want and the freedom for excellence which gives us the freedom to excel at some particular endeavor. I have a guitar in my closet that I have had since I was seven. I cannot play it like George Harrison, Eric Clapton, or Jimmy Page. I do not have the freedom to play it because I have only picked it up in spurts over the years.

I do have the freedom to be sharing these words with you as a priest because I have invested daily the time and energy, required disciplines and sacrifices to be ordained and to continue my practices as a disciple of Jesus beyond ordination.

If we seek the freedom of excellence to be proficient in anything, playing a sport, an instrument, singing, dancing, acting, writing, drawing, pursuing a career, having healthy relationships, being married and a parent, clergy, religious, consecrated virgin, disciple of Christ, we are required to make a commitment of time, discipline, and sacrifice. We will also be required to take risks, make mistakes, and to embrace the reality that we can continue to grow.

In any of the above examples and any you may think of, consistent time is needed each day. The most challenging part of any endeavor is to begin. Once we actually start, the next challenge is the discipline to stick to the system we have put in place to move toward our goal, no matter the distractions and temptations that may dissuade us. Attaining the freedom of excellence also takes sacrifice because to do anything means we are not able to do something else. During each step of the process, we risk making mistakes, not doing it right, and looking foolish. We experience frustration and impatience as we see ahead of us what we seek to accomplish, but the freedom to do just that seems so far out of reach.

Yet, with persistence and consistent effort, and asking for God’s help, we will begin to have brief experiences, breakthroughs in our area of pursuit. We will at times lose ourselves in the moment where we are not only able to play a series of chords, hit that note, make a move, nail a precision shot, or are involved in the joyful experience of engaged communication of mutual understanding, enter into moments of grace and consolation in prayer, we become one with those actions.

A key additional piece is that discipline on our own effort is not sufficient. We need God’s help in everything we do, and if following him, seek his will before we engage in what we seek to do. What may appear to be good may in fact not be. What God offers for us, he will give us the strength to complete. He will strengthen us with the discipline requires. For apart from him our efforts are in vain, and we cannot do anything. With God all things are possible. From this context from our personal experience of life, we might have a better understanding of the demands of discipleship.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life” (Mt 16:24-26)?

Those of us who seek to be disciples of Jesus will need to invest our time daily, be willing to be disciplined and to sacrifice. This is the same as any other endeavor we seek to be free to pursue. Developing our relationship with Jesus is to be our first priority. All else flows from our losing our life in Jesus, mind, body, and soul. We can have all the power, prestige, fame, material gain, pleasure at the tips of our fingers, we may have gained the whole world, but if our fundamental option is our self and our own pride, we will have in actuality forfeited our life, those pursuits will be disordered. God is our fulfillment; nothing else can satisfy the deep yearning for communion with him that we experience in the depths of our soul, whether we are consciously aware of that truth or not.

Finding our life, being true to who we are, free of that which is imposed on us from without and within, is what Jesus means by taking up our cross. We are to let go of our identity, our masks of who we pretend to be if we are to be free to live a life of integrity and authenticity. Jesus refused the identity of the messiah that others projected upon him. He was not to be a leader of power in the worldly sense, not a warrior king, but a suffering servant, a king of peace.

Jesus was nailed to the cross, lifted up, and experienced the pain, suffering, and sin of the world, and face death head-on, and conquered even death itself. He did so that we might have life and have it to the full. As St Irenaeus is believed to have written, “The glory of God is the human being fully alive.” What God wants for us is what we want for ourselves deep down. We just need to have the ears to hear, the eyes to see, and the will to risk embracing the wonderful depth of God’s love, resting and abiding in his love, so that we may love others as we love ourselves. By doing so we will experience the freedom for excellence to be who we are called to be and experience the joy and fulfillment of being fully alive!

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Photo: Turning away from the things of this world and to the things of heaven will lead us to our freedom.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, August 30, 2026

Would we like to celebrate in a banquet of death or eternal life?

“He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother” (Mark 6:28).

The momentum that led to the death of John the Baptist could have slowed and the direction could have taken a different course. It did not slow down and only escalated. Once Herod Antipas offered to the girl “even half of his kingdom”, she went in haste to her mother. Without hesitation her mother asked for John the Baptist’s head and the daughter fed on horrific request not with disgust but bad adding fuel to the fire. The daughter “hurried back” and asked that the head of John be given to her “at once on a platter”.

There was a slight hesitation on Herod’s part when he received the request, but no one spoke up about the atrocity or horror of this request. Herod, as would Pontius Pilate, gave in to the pressure, not saving a life, but in taking the life of an innocent man, which the executioner executed quickly and efficiently.

John’s crime, what he was arrested for, was calling Herod and Herodias to repent, to turn away from the sin of adultery they were committing and to turn back to God. John sought to help this couple to see that their actions not only were leading to their own demise, but that they were leading many of their subjects with them. Each person chose to play their part in John’s death, they chose their own ego-drama over and above the principal actor before them playing out God’s theo-drama.

This horrific account, if it was not bad enough on its own, was a foreshadowing of another – John’s cousin. Jesus would also be tried, condemned, and crucified for choosing to speak God’s word of repentance, to invite others within ear shot to turn away from that which was keeping them from God. Many were not only closed to the idea of repentance, they not only ignored his message, but also called out for his death, “Crucify him” (Mark 15:13)!

John and Jesus were faithful to hearing and following the will of God. They exhibited true courage in their willingness to give their lives, and because they have done so, they have opened up for us the path to eternal life. Where do we find ourselves in the account of the beheading of John the Baptist and the crucifixion of Jesus? Are we on the side of the indifferent that will watch them die without a word, are we on the side of rejecting the light of God and choosing the darkness of our own sin? If our conscience is pricked, do we resist following the invitation of the Holy Spirit and listen to the lies of the enemy and follow him instead?

Is there another option than those witnessed in the Gospel accounts? Yes, those of Mary and the Apostles. They, despite the cultural, political, familial, internal, and even religious pressures of the time, chose to trust in Jesus and follow him, even when they didn’t understand. This is revealed powerfully when Jesus asked the Apostles at the end of the Bread of Life discourse, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life” (John 6:67-68).

With each thought, word, and decision we make, we are invited today to take the time to pause and discern what voices we are listening to. If they don’t align with the will of God, we need to follow the lead of John and Jesus and renounce them. Otherwise, we can get caught up in a momentum of thoughts, then words, that can lead to actions that can lead to some dark places we don’t want to go. The Holy Spirit can help us to change course at any point, even when we have walked away… If we are willing to stop, take a breath, and listen. It is never too late to shift the momentum and repent. It is never too late to turn away from sin, return to God, and get back on the path that leads to eternal life.

Photo: There is much distraction, diversion, and temptation that the enemy will place in our way. When we remain in and follow the light of Jesus he will “rescue our feet from the snare” (cf. Psalm 25:15).

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, August 29, 2026

How can we have enough oil to keep our torches burning all the way to the wedding feast?

“The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves'” (Mt 25: 8-9).

The context for Jesus’ parable was the procession to the wedding feast which was the beginning of the second stage of marriage after the time of betrothal that could take up to a year. One of the roles for this procession was carrying torches to light the way to the home of the groom from the home of the bride’s family home. They needed torches as the procession began after sunset. The wise virgins were not being self-centered or stingy but truly prudent and wise. If they ran out in sharing the oil before the completion of the procession that would have been a terrible embarrassment for the bride and groom. It could also lead to injury by having to walk in the darkness.

Jesus is doing more here though in this parable than introducing prudent discipleship. The wise and foolish virgins are representative of those invited to participate in the wedding feast, an image of participating in the kingdom of heaven. They who have their lamps burning brightly do so because they are living their faith in practice and reflecting the light of Jesus as they witness their faith to others. They cannot give their oil though. Each person must receive the invitation of Jesus and decide to live their faith and put it into practice in their own lives.

No one can do this for them. The foolish virgins are those that are not prepared or ready because they lack the commitment, the discipline, and the actual living out of their life of faith. This is shown starkly when the foolish virgins come to the locked door. They are not allowed in to participate in the wedding feast because the groom, Jesus, says that he does not know them. They are members of the community but they “have offended the bridegroom by their irresponsibility and lack of preparation.” This is “a claim of disassociation, of renouncing his former ties with them” (Mitch and Sri, 192). These virgins represent those disciples that have not put their faith into practice through prayer, worship, and good works. “It is one thing to make a strong start in the Christian life, to believe in Jesus and to commit oneself to repentance (4:17). But this commitment must be sustained over time” (Mitch and Sri, 193).

We gain some insight that the wise and foolish for Jesus has a different connotation than what the world deems to be wise and foolish. St. Paul in his letter to the Church at Corinth wrote that “the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (I Cor. 1:18). The cross was not only a horrific symbol of oppression, it was a sign of the finality of death. To the world the cross showed that Jesus could not be the messiah, for he could not even save himself.

The imagery of the cross was still raw for the first few centuries and was depicted rarely in early Christian art. And yet, in one of the earliest accounts of the New Testament we have Paul not just discussing but proclaiming victory in the cross: “We proclaim Christ crucified” (I Cor. 1:22). A foolish and absurd statement in the view of the world, yet one of foundational wisdom to the disciple and apostles of Christ.

This was and continues to be the banner call of the Christian. Jesus died, and yet conquered death and rose again. This is a statement of faith that we can only make an ascent to through our belief and experience of, trust in, and deepening our relationship with, the one who died, conquered death and rose again. St. John Chrysostom (349-407) wrote that: “For the Apostles themselves came in not by wisdom, but by faith, and surpassed the heathen wisemen in wisdom and loftiness, and that so much the more, as to raise disputes is less than to receive by faith the things so far” (p. 249, The Word on Fire Bible).

Our faith is not a blind faith that we dumbly believe and follow along like lemmings. It is our reason seeking understanding and allowing God’s grace to build on our nature. Our faith grows as it did with the Apostles, through our encounter and lived experience with Jesus. Just like any other relationship, we build it with Jesus through time spent being loved by him, so we come to know him, love him, persevere in serving him through good works, such as the corporeal and spiritual works of mercy.

Jesus was clear that we do not know the time or hour of his return. We do not need to be worried about the time or the hour as long as we are faithful to and trust in him with everything and follow his will and do whatever he tells us to do. When he does return, we, like the wise virgins, will be ready to be welcomed into and enter the wedding feast.

Photo: Daily prayer, weekly Mass, participating in the sacraments, quiet time with Jesus, studying and mediating with Scripture, following the will of God, loving and serving one another, will help us to have enough oil to light out torches and keep them burning.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, August 28, 2026

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

Word on Fire Bible: Acts, Letters, and Revelation. Park Ridge, IL: Word on Fire Ministries, 2022.