gospel-of-the-day

Who has helped to plant the seeds of God’s word in your life?

Do you think we are in the end times? Do you think the world is coming to an end? I have heard these or similar questions over the past few years and longer. I have also heard definitively by some that we are in the final days and that the world is indeed coming to an end. The more we spend time watching the endless news cycle, I can understand why people may feel this way. I don’t need to share a list of the hardships we are going through in the world. In addition, many of us also have our own unique struggles that we are wading through, sometimes feeling like we are neck time and some days sinking even deeper.

This same question of the end times even came up with the disciples. They asked Jesus when that day would come and Jesus said that only the Father knows the time or the hour (cf. Mt 24:36). I believe Jesus was saying then, has repeated in every generation, and is saying to us now, that is the wrong question to be asking as a disciple. Spending time speculating about the end of the world is not to be our focus.

St Paul also chimed on this topic when he wrote to the Church in Rome,  “Brothers and sisters: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing  compared with the glory to be revealed for us” (Rom 8:18). From Paul to this day, each generation has had to face its own trials and tribulations.  There is hope in that this life is not all that there is, but that does not mean we just indifferently endure and trudge through this life until the end. We have other options than mere existence, living in a constant disposition of fight or flight survival of the fittest mode.

There is a powerful scene in the movie, The Lord of the Rings, where one of the main characters, Frodo, a halfling, is speaking with Gandalf, a Christlike figure. Frodo was feeling overwhelmed with the task that he had been entrusted with which was to destroy a great ring of power. He turned to Gandalf and said:  “I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.” To which  Gandalf replied,  “So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

The Lord of the Rings was written by JRR Tolkien who personally witnessed the atrocities of the First World War. If you are looking for a good book or trilogy to read, I would highly recommend it. It is not only a powerful parable of hope, courage, and transformation, it is a deeply Christological parable. Once seeing the size of the trilogy, one might say, “I don’t have the time to read it!” I might then reply, “I invite you to give up the time you spend watching the news and put into reading the tale instead.” Doing so might give us all a little more peace.

Another invitation I could offer is to read the Bible each day, such as the daily readings of the Mass. All of our readings today as well as what I have pointed out so far are interconnected with the principle that God works in small ways to affect and bring about change and a greater good. No matter the time or season, his word does not come back void. This change is not just about some abstract ideal. What God offers each one of us is his love and if we are willing to accept it, personal transformation. This comes forth rather powerfully in the Parable of the Sower.

Do we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear Jesus when he comes close in his word in the Bible, in our seemingly coincidental experiences of each day?

There are happenings or incidences, I like to call them God-incidences, where Jesus is present and active in our lives, where he draws close to us each day. Jesus’ word is constantly being sown into our being through our interactions with one another and our experiences. We are invited to receive him, allow him to take root in our lives, and we are to share the fruit of his love as a result of our growing relationship with him. If we receive the love of God, allow our the resistance to be tilled and turned over, the rocks of sin to be tossed out, the weeds to be uprooted and tossed away, we will have some fertile soil in which to receive the invitation to be loved, forgiven, and healed.

Let me give you a few examples from my own life of seeds sown, of God-incidents, of Jesus drawing close.

Growing up we would often share holidays with my mother’s parents. As we settled in around the table we would continue to visit as the last of the food was placed on the table. My grandmother would sit down, and if the conversation went on a little longer, she would say something along the lines of, “Ok old man, let’s go.” My grandfather would say in a mock, wounded way, “Snucksie, I’m talking.” She would give him “the look” and then he would make the sign of the cross and pray the Our Father. Sometimes he read a short prayer from a little devotional. In times alone with my grandfather, he also encouraged me to take time to be still and quiet and also passed on to me his love of books and reading.

Each of these were seeds that found good soil in my heart and mind. They were impressed upon me because my mind and heart was open to receive them. I was moved deeply and I believe these were times when Jesus drew close and I opened the door and let him in.  If we allow ourselves to recall, we can look back over the years of our lives and see where Jesus has drawn close through the those important people in our lives. The opposite may also be true, and it is important to be honest when and where we have been hurt, for in those places of pain that we are still wounded, we may not trust. Where we curve in upon ourselves and may not be willing to let God love us there.  

There may be a lot on your plate right now. Even so, I learned from my wife, JoAnn, that life is short and we cannot take the time we have for granted. Life is hard and it is, even if long too short. I have spent time keeping God at a distance and I have spent more and more each successive year allowing him to come closer. I choose more and more to spend less time in the promises of what the world offers for safety, security, power, pleasure, fame, and honor, all goods when properly ordered, but like weeds that can choke and strangle our spiritual lives if they are placed first or replace God.

I invite you as my grandfather invited me to spend some time in silence and to be still as you finish reading these words. After some deep, slow breaths, invite God to speak in the silence of your heart. As anxieties, worries, false promises, lures, half-truths, apparent goods and disordered affections arise, allow your heart and mind to soften, breathe into them, identify if there any thoughts that are at the source and then choose to uproot them if not of God. Allow the seed of God’s Word, Jesus, to find root in your life. Allow the Holy Spirit to nourish you with his love.  

Even in troubling times, personally right at home, communally, nationally, or internationally, we are not to be strangled by the growing uncertainties, divisions, and even expressions of inhumanity. Instead, we are to till the soil of our hearts and minds, dig out the stones, and uproot the thorns, thereby preparing rich soil that is open to receiving the seeds of God’s love. As we continue to care for our garden, we will produce the rich fruit of his love, experience forgiveness, healing and wholeness to be shared.  

It is our choice regarding which soil we want to have. As Gandalf said to Frodo, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

Photo: My grandfather and me.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, July 12, 2026

Allowing Jesus to love us, we become like him.

Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master (Mt 10:24-25).

Following the teachings and guidance of Jesus was hard for his apostles and disciples then and it is just as challenging today. To live as disciples, we need to learn from and put Jesus’ teachings into practice. That means more than reading some of his teachings: love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul and your neighbor as yourself, turn the other cheek, and what you do to the least of my brothers, you did it to me, and acknowledging, that, “That is some good stuff!” Then just moving on to the next thing on the to-do list.

Living as a disciple also happens in a public way, which means public scrutiny. One thing we all have in common as human beings is that we want to belong, to fit in, and to be a part of. We risk rejection and ridicule by following Jesus and living as his disciple because we run up against our own fallen nature and the fallen nature of others. Jesus said he would be sending us as sheep among wolves yesterday and in today’s reading, he announces that we are not to be afraid of those who kill the body. Not exactly the kind of encouragement many of us are looking for.

Yet, Jesus affirms consistently that we are not to be afraid. Jesus leads us to the most important relationship that we will ever develop and that is with his Father. God cares for us, just as Jesus said, as his Father cares for the sparrows, but even more. God knows us by name, and we are his, we belong to him. Every hair on our head is counted. Our loving God and Father knows us better than we know ourselves. Never have we been, are we now, nor will we ever be, alone. As we come to know God’s will in small moments and follow the nudges of the Holy Spirit, we will experience, joy, consolation, and a fulfillment that is unmatched.

One of the keys to living the Christian life is understanding that it is more than a philosophy, a set of teachings, or a theology. Being a Christian means allowing ourselves to be known, loved, and to build our relationship with a person. Jesus is that person. Instead of hiding or running, we are invited to trust and turn to him. By admitting and giving him our insecurities, weaknesses and our fears, our anxieties and overthinking, our worries and our sins, we can begin to slow down, breathe, feel safe, and we can begin to reset our brain’s wiring.

Isaiah, recognized he was a man with unclean lips, not worthy to be God’s prophet, he allowed his mouth to receive and be purged by the ember placed by a seraphim. St. Peter recognized in the presence of Jesus that he was a sinful man, followed Jesus anyway, and his impulsiveness became properly ordered. We too, will see our weaknesses, our failures and our shortcomings. Yet Jesus loves us anyway. The light of Christ reveals to us our darkness not to condemn us, but to free us. He gently invites us to bring our sin into the light, so we can be purged, purified, and ultimately deified – become like God through our participation in the life of Jesus.

In turning our weaknesses over to Jesus and admitting our utter dependence on him, then we become strong. Our confidence and strength are not in ourselves but in him. Acknowledging Jesus as our teacher does not mean that we will gain all the answers to life, but it does mean that we will be more aware of his presence during each step of our journey. Take courage, be not afraid, and like Isaiah, the prophets, the Apostles, and Mary let us say, “Yes.” to the will of God and take our next step along the path to our healing and freedom as we are loved by him, every step of the way.
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Photo: Jesus’ Sacred Heart is open to receive us in all aspects and situations of our lives.

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, July 11, 2026

We are invited to inform and share, no need to worry about convincing.

Return to the LORD is the plea of Hosea. In our readings this week and in beautiful and loving language the prophet has been encouraging Israel to come home, to leave the idols and their unfaithfulness behind. God, through Hosea, promises to heal, to love, to be “like dew for Israel” (Hosea 14: 5-6). God does not approve of Israel’s unfaithfulness, while at the same time, does not stop loving his children. With gentleness, he seeks to let his grace fall on them like the dewfall, he seeks to wash his children clean, to nourish them and satiate their thirst, to give them strength, and be the source of their life.

Jesus has come to give a visible face to the presence and promise of our God’s loving presence. He healed, cast out demons, consoled, and preached with authority. He too, in the prophetic tradition, called for repentance. Even though God, even while in the act of committing an egregious sin, never stops loving us and calling us back with tender chords of love. It is we who cut ourselves off from his love when we choose anything and anyone over him. God must be first and we must spend time with him to know and grow in our relationship with him. The wonderful gift of our repentance and letting go of our control is that which is not of God is burned away like dross, and what we give to God is purified and made whole.

By trusting in and surrendering our lives to Jesus, we will experience transformation and healing, and we too like the Apostles will be sent to share the Good News of how he has been working in our lives. Not when we become perfect, but right now, even in small ways. Simply as we receive the love of Jesus, we share. We too, like Hosea, Jesus, and the Apostles will face opposition and even be persecuted for doing so. Jesus will protect and strengthen us when opposition arises when we remember to turn to him. And as we do, he will send the Holy Spirit to guide and give us the words to speak.

When we speak the words of God faithfully, that is sufficient. We are not to convince or command, but instruct and invite. As St. Bernadette of Soubirous said when pressured about the validity of her experience with our Mother Mary, the Immaculate Conception, “My job is to inform, not convince.” We do well to follow her lead. The Holy Spirit will work through the seeds we have planted. Let us resist the temptation to impress and instead express the love we have received.

Jesus continually gives himself to us in the Eucharist. When we confess our sins and shortcomings in the confessional and before altar, then we can receive the grace offered by Jesus in his Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. We receive him and so become Christ bearers to a weary and worn world in need of repentance and hungering to experience the gentle love and forgiveness of God our Father.

Photo: May we, like Mary, receive and share Jesus with others.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, July 10, 2026

Called to receive and share the love of God so people may experience the Kingdom of heaven which is at hand.

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

Summoned by Jesus, the Apostles were sent to proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, that the God of all creation is present in our midst, and seeks to restore a relationship with his fallen creatures. This invitation is not new with Jesus. The Father has sought reconciliation and unity with his children since the fall. This is present also in our first reading through the words of Hosea who implored the people saying, “it is time to seek the Lord”(Hosea 10:12).

God has reached out and invites, generation after generation, not in some abstract way, but as he has done since he walked in the breezy time of the day with Adam and Eve. He came among them, he drew close to offer reconciliation, forgiveness, and intimacy and he continues to do so.

Salvation history is a record of God’s coming close to encounter and interact with individuals in every age. At the appointed time, our Father sent his Son to open the doors to the deeper trinitarian communion they share with the Holy Spirit. Jesus devoted himself to people, “accepting them, receiving them into fellowship with him and granting them forgiveness of sins. The power of his affirmation is to be found in his attention to the concrete individual, in particular to the despised, the abused, the sinner, but also involving himself with people in a very personal way… in giving himself away to them” (Gnilka 1997, 111).

We, as the Apostles, are called to do the same. Empowered by Jesus, we are not to bring about some abstract utopian ideal, but we are sent to enter into the chaos of the lives of real individuals: with our families and friends, those in our schools, communities, and places of worship, as well as on the margins. With each encounter, which may be the only Bible someone else ever reads, may we become a bridge to helping others to encounter the living Word of God. The Gospel is not just for a select few but for everyone. This is just as true today in our polarized climate of 2026.

Just as the sun rises on the good and the bad alike (cf. Mt 5:45), we are to examine ways in which we have contributed to division and separation instead of invitation. May we get in touch with our wounds as well as the sorrow for the hurt we have caused, for our actions and omissions, and for failing to reach out in love. May we receive and abide in his love that Jesus came to offer and then having received, be willing to be sent to share his love. We do so when we are more present, accepting, patient, understanding, kind, and forgiving person to person. In doing so, we will help people to experience Jesus and his kingdom which is at hand.

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Photo: View of the sunrise from my room. With each breath to welcome the new day I was blessed to receive the rays of the sun along with the love of the Son.

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

Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, July 8, 2026

When we follow Jesus we will experience a love and joy that brings rest.

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

There is much that pulls at us for our time and attention. Jesus witnessed the anxieties, struggles, pain, and feelings of being lost regarding those in his midst. Are we so different today? Jesus knows the Father, he knows the joy and fulfillment of what being in a full relationship with him entails. Jesus saw then and sees in us now how lost we can become. How easily distracted and diverted we are. He knows how many things we put before our relationship with God thinking that we will be satisfied, but time and again we are left empty. Jesus remains close even in these experiences and in our sorrow, disappointment and loneliness, Jesus is not distant and aloof, he “is moved with pity.”

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

Jesus invites us, but too often we miss, ignore, or do not follow through on his invitation. Too often we choose other pleasures, distractions, diversions, temptations, and/or apparent goods. With time and experience, we may come to see the emptiness of the lure of these worldly promises, as well as begin to recognize that our attachments and disordered affections often lead to many of our troubles, trials, stresses, and anxieties. We are often led astray because we are seeking to address our underlying experiences of unfulfillment, abandonment, fear of missing out, and/or loneliness. There is only one source, one person, that will ultimately fulfill our innermost longing; God our Father.

I am not advocating for a rejection of the material world. All that God has created is good. We are human beings and a part of God’s glorious creation. Nor do I believe that we are souls trapped in this body waiting to be released upon our death. As human beings, we are a unique unity of body and soul. The key to our fulfillment, finding meaning and belonging is choosing to put God first. In establishing a firmer relationship with God, we can better discern that which we need to let go of, and/or how to reorder that which God wants to remain. Once we begin to experience the fulfillment of his love and establish God as our firm foundation, even the challenges and trials that arise with not disturb our peace.

This might be the moment to be still and evaluate where we are in our lives and to ponder who we belong to. Jesus offers to lead us, just as he has led his disciples through the ages. Those of every age have experienced trials and tribulations and found the promises of this world fleeting. What made the difference for the saints was that they said yes to the call of the Shepherd and then followed him and experienced his peace and rest. Are we willing to slow down, to breathe, and listen to the Shepherd’s invitation today? Are we willing to follow his lead and experience his love?

Photo: A quiet afternoon walk Grand Coteau Retreats, Grand Coteau, LA.

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, July 7, 2026

“The crowd jostles, faith touches.”

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

Just to touch his cloak may seem a small and insignificant act, but by doing so, this woman showed tremendous courage. Suffering from hemorrhaging for twelve years, broke from spending all her resources to be healed, she risked by coming close and reaching out. She could have been severely punished, beaten, or stoned for this small act. Under the Levitical code, her condition deemed her unclean, in the same category as a leper, a pariah. Touching someone else in that condition would then make the one she touched unclean. Yet, in that small touch, that great act of courage, “power had gone forth from him” (Mk 5:30), and she was completely healed.

In the parallel account from Mark 5:21-43, more details are revealed. Not only did the woman exhibit the courage to touch Jesus, but she was then willing to admit that she had done so when Jesus questioned who had touched him. Many of the disciples looked at Jesus wondering how he could ask such a question because so many people had been around and touching him. She could have easily slinked away, but she didn’t. She admitted to touching him and would receive whatever the consequence for doing so.

So many were gathered around Jesus as his disciples pointed out, and yet why was she the only one healed? Pope Leo addressed this in his June 25, 2025 audience: “In his commentary on this point of the text, Saint Augustine says – in Jesus’ name – “The crowd jostles, faith touches” (Sermon 243, 2, 2). It is thus: every time we perform an act of faith addressed to Jesus, contact is established with Him, and immediately his grace comes out from Him. At times we are unaware of it, but in a secret and real way, grace reaches us and gradually transforms our life from within.”

Jesus recognized immediately that power had gone out from him. He may indeed have known who received his grace and gave the woman the chance to be healed on a deeper level and to set aside her fears completely. When she did so, Jesus did not reprimand but affirmed her faith and courage. In this act of healing, Jesus did not contract leprosy, he as God received her illness, healed and restored her to the community from which she had been ostracized. Jesus restored her dignity.

Pope Francis in his general audience from August 31, 2016, stated: “Once again Jesus, with his merciful behavior, shows the church the path it must take to reach out to every person so that each one can be healed in body and spirit and recover his or her dignity as a child of God”. May we too establish contact with Jesus, and as we experience his grace, reach out, in-person and online to others and offer them the dignity, love, mercy, and respect we have received.

Photo: of painting, The Haemorrhaging Woman, by Daniel Cariola.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, July 6, 2026

Jesus invites us to be purified and healed by receiving his love and the light of his truth.

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

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

The Gospel authors offer this teaching of Jesus in the context of the tensions between those who would reject Jesus and those who would follow him and his new way. The new wine represents the acceptance of the Gospel, the Good News of the kingdom of God in their midst. The cost of receiving this new wine though means to change one’s mind and heart. “The tension, and often incompatibility, between the old and the new is part of every religious tradition and attends every change within that tradition. Matthew and Luke wrestled with it and adapted it to their community situation. Contemporary Christians have no less a challenge” (The Gospel of Mark, Donahue, SJ, p. 109). Matthew shared with his community that Jesus is the new Temple, the old had been destroyed in 70 AD.

Following Jesus meant that both the old and new covenants would be preserved. Jesus did not come to abolish the law and prophets, but he fulfilled the Old and in the New brought a greater depth of understanding and practice to a higher level only possible through participating in his life.

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

Much of the material and finite things we hold onto prevents us from receiving the new life God wants to pour into us. Jesus is offering us something better than the merely material. He is offering us the love of the Holy Spirit that we were created to receive. In breathing, receiving, resting and abiding in God’s love, we find peace and rest that brings healing and renewal.

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

To become new wineskins then, we are called to identify and let go of those selfish and sinful inclinations that keep us constricted, rigid, and curved in upon ourselves. We are to let go of our fears so that we can be healed from them. We also must let go of what appears to be good, but in truth is not the good that God offers. We let go when we are still and allow ourselves to be loved by God. As we experience more of his love, we can see better the false truths, apparent goods, and disordered affections.

We grasp for these substitutes for God because we feel alone and empty. When we instead seek God instead of the substitutes, instead of distractions, we will feel the loneliness, true, but now we can invite God to love us there. That which is not true, good, and beautiful will be poured out. We are emptied of the false so to be filled more with the grace and love of God. We become new, fresh wineskins, capable of receiving a continual pouring in of God’s love.

The more love we allow ourselves to receive, the more purified we become from our creature comforts and the apparent safety and security of this world which is so fragile. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his encyclical, Spe Salve, line 42: “His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation ‘as through fire.’ But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of his love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God.”

Photo: Enjoying a quiet early evening walk, breathing, receiving, resting and abiding in God’s love, Grand Coteau, Louisianna.

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

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

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, July 4, 2025

“Do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

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

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

The Body of Christ continues to be wounded by the sin and division of our fallen nature that Jesus experienced the fullness of on the Cross. Many people doubt and do not believe today in God because they question, “How can a loving God allow such suffering and pain, especially of the innocent?” A valid question. Many examples may come to our minds, from indirect or direct experience. Pondering this question can then lead to a series of others, “Why God? Where were you? Do you care?”

Some suffering we can bring upon ourselves by removing ourselves from God’s protection, our own selfish choices can lead to pain that God allows us to experience. We can turn away from him because of suffering that has happened in our lives. We can choose disordered affections and false goods seeking to fill the deep loneliness that we feel. There is evil in the world and selfish acts that ripples our and affects us. The enemy of God seeks to divide, destroy, and kill.

Through it all, God is present, God cares, though again we are limited in what we can see and understand. God allows suffering which can reveal our weaknesses, our attachments and our sins. He allows us to see our lives without him and what the promise if of our life with him. Choosing to turn to him and receive his love, may not change a particular suffering we may be experiencing but we will feel his presence and consolation, and receive the strength to endure and overcome.

Even in the case of death, God reveals a deeper truth that death does not have the final answer. His Son does. That is what Jesus showed Thomas in bringing him close to touch his wounded side. Jesus rose from the dead and conquered it, but the scarring of his wounds remained. Jesus calls us to draw close and to touch his wounds so we can embrace our own, those we can and cannot see. As we allow Jesus to come close to those areas we have not wanted anyone else to see, those sins we never thought would be forgiven, and when we trust and open our hearts and minds to Jesus, we experience his healing.

Though the temptation is strong to deny, rationalize, or flee from the conflict, challenges, hurt, and pain that we and others experience, we must resist. If we don’t embrace our or another’s trials we will not come to the root cause of them. Jesus understands the suffering of the innocent, for he himself was innocent and sinless and was crucified on the Cross. Fair? No. He was willing to do so to free us from our sin, to be present now in this particular time and moment to show us a way out of our darkness, pain, and suffering.

We can be easily overwhelmed with the suffering in our country, our world, or the personal challenges right before us. Denial or indifference is not the answer. There is an act of balancing that Jesus calls us to participate in as we allow ourselves to be loved by and learn to love God, love others, and love our neighbors as ourselves. The answer is found when we are willing to encounter Jesus, grow in our relationship with him, and follow his lead.

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

Jesus is present, just as he was with Thomas and the other apostles. He invites us to be engaged in the unique way he calls us to make our corner of the world a little better. As Jesus enters the chaos of our lives, he prompts us to enter into the chaos of another’s, to hear their story, their experience, be present, and allow the Holy Spirit to happen.

St. Thomas, pray for us!

Painting from Caravaggio: Incredulity of St Thomas, 1601-1602

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, July 3, 2026

Let us not demean but embrace our humanity as well as those in need.

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

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

Are we like the people in today’s Gospel; are we aware, do we care? St. Mother Teresa often said that people are “not only hungry for bread – but hungry for love, naked not only for clothing – but naked for human dignity and respect, homeless not only for want of home and bricks, – but homeless because of rejection.” If we are living our faith, indifference to the needs of others is not an option. Rationalizing why we ought not to care, or worse giving in to our fears and prejudices so as to dehumanize and reject others in need are counter to the call of Jesus.

When we may be closed off to helping others, a bit impatient or short, less than forgiving or merciful, it could be that we have been curving in upon ourselves and not allowing God to love us in areas we may not feel all that lovable. Yet, it is exactly there that Jesus yearns to enter. He seeks to love us in our most wounded places and where we feel shame. All sin is a curving in upon ourselves and away from God. Doing so also distorts reality and keeps us distant from the antidote. When we allow Jesus into our poverty, sin, and shame, we can be loved, forgiven, and consoled. Then we can embrace a disposition that is more open to sharing mercy, forgiveness, love, and care for others.

How is God speaking to and moving our hearts? There are so many who are hurting and suffering. May we not see people as interruptions but invitations to experience God’s grace. We just need to be honest about where God is leading us and act as the four in our Gospel reading did. When we are aware, willing to come close to those in need, access our personal gifts of creativity, and collaborate with Jesus, miracles can and still do happen. Structures of inhumanity and injustice can be turned around when we are willing to be loved by God and love others in return.

Pope Francis has been consistent and clear about the dignity of all life. He tweeted (do we still say tweet?) back in 2013: “It is God who gives life. Let us respect and love human life, especially vulnerable life in a mother’s womb.” During Mass on Sunday, January 14, 2018 he shared: “Migrants and refugees don’t represent just a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be welcomed, respected and loved.” On June 3, 2020, Pope Francis said, “My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life”.

Painting: The Lord hears the cry of not just a select few but all of us in need. Are we willing to share our need, receive God’s love and so help others?

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

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, June 30, 2022

Peter and Paul acknowledged Jesus as the Christ the Son of the living God, do we?

Jesus said to his Apostles, “But who do you say that I am” (Mt 16:15)?

Have we answered the same question that Jesus posed to his apostles for ourselves? Too often we move from this to that, one situation to another, putting out fires and moving from one crisis to another, distracted and diverted, or we are just seeking to make it through another day. Have you ever felt like you are walking in a fog, you began the day with a list and then half the day has gone by and you wondered what happened to the time?

To be a Christian is not a call to stop living our lives, but it is an invitation to live our lives in, with, and for Jesus. We have been described as a People of the Book, along with Jews and Muslims. This is true, yet, more so for us as Christians, we are a people of encounter; we encounter the Living Word, the Son of God, Jesus the Christ.

Peter and Paul encountered Jesus in their lives and were changed forever. We can encounter the same Jesus when we slow down enough to pray and meditate with the Word proclaimed in the Liturgy of the Mass or read in personal prayer. We will find our lives drifting less if we have something, someone we are anchored to.

As a very simple example: except for the first Office of the day, in praying the Liturgy of the Hours, the opening prayer is, “God come to my assistance, Lord make haste to help me.” To embrace the depth of these words and resist the temptation to mindlessly state them, to not take in the request that I am asking, will help us to begin the day with more intention. Also, how many times do we make the Sign of the Cross without being attentive to the profound act we have just engaged ourselves in?

Through invoking a prayer of asking for God’s assistance and making the sacramental gesture of the Sign of the Cross, we are acknowledging that the Creator of all that exists is a part of our lives. While at the same time, as St. Augustine taught, closer to us than we are to ourselves. We may lean on both prayers when tempted, stressed, or anxious. Each one is an affirmation of a commitment to resist giving in to a mindset of minimalism and self-centeredness. All things are possible when we intentionally choose to align ourselves with Jesus, participate in the communion of the Holy Trinity, and welcome the invitation to love others as God loves us.

Peter and Paul both answered the question that Jesus posed. Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16), and Paul “proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20)! They were willing to give their lives intentionally and totally to Jesus and his mission. They allowed themselves to be steadily conformed to the life of Jesus, holding nothing back even in their willingness to be martyred in Rome.

I invite you to read today’s Gospel account from Matthew a few times. Imagine being present in the scene, and then as Jesus approaches and asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Take a moment to think, pray, and then answer. How we answer this question makes a difference. The next question to entertain is, are we willing to follow Jesus with each thought, word, and deed each moment of the day?

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us!

Icon of St. Peter and St. Paul recently given to me by one of my OCIA students.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, June 29, 2026