saints

What or who do we place our trust in?

“Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over…” (Lk 21:12).

The followers of Jesus have faced and continue to face persecution from the moment of Jesus’ Passion and death by crucifixion, continuing on with his Apostles, and the disciples in each generation thereafter up to and including the present day. There are estimates that there have been more Christian martyrs in the last century than in the whole history of the Church. Persecution was also true for the prophets before the time of Jesus. By entering Jerusalem, Jesus knew that his own persecution and death was imminent.

With today’s readings, we receive the last words from Luke for Sundays. Next week will be the last week in Ordinary Time as we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and the following Sunday, we will begin Advent. So, as we end the liturgical year, our readings reflect not only the time of tribulation but also the end of time and the second coming of Jesus.

Why tribulation and this animosity to those who spoke for God before the time of, during the life of Jesus, and continuing on after with his followers? One reason is that to live by the will of God challenges not only those attempting to do so, it challenges those they interact with. Followers of Jesus who authentically practice the teachings of Jesus become a mirror. The disciples of Jesus have accepted where and how they fall short of the glory of God and welcome the opportunity to be freed from their ego and sin. Others may not be ready and are challenged by the idea of doing so.

The more entrenched into our ego and self-centered view we are, the greater the threat the Gospel is. The more we want to determine our own path and rationalize for ourselves our own truth, to define our own morality, and determine who is with us or against us, the more we distance ourselves from and set ourselves apart from the guidance of God. A clash has and continues to arise.

Jesus seized on the opportunity to present this reality when some of his disciples expressed their wonder with the Temple, and in its time, it truly was a wonder. Yet, Jesus said, “All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down” (Luke 21:6). In his discourse, Jesus echoed the Prophet Jeremiah who said in his own time, “Do not put your trust in these deceptive words, ‘The temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord! the temple of the Lord” (Jeremiah 7:4).

Jeremiah was calling his people to repent from their wicked and disobedient ways (cf. Jeremiah 7:1-15). They chose not to repent and in 587 the Babylonians destroyed the temple that the people placed their trust in. They missed the point that Jeremiah consistently sought to make. What was most important was their faithfulness to God, and that he alone would protect them. Living their lives any way they wanted and apart from God and believing that the temple would protect them was idolatry. Solomon’s Temple fell and as Jesus, stood from the Mount of Olive looking at the second temple that was rebuilt and was still being completed, offered the same judgment. Might and arms would not overthrow the Roman occupiers. It would only happen by trusting in God, allowing him to fight for them, that they would overcome times of persecution to come.

After Jesus’ death a movement of Zealots mounted a military strike against the Roman occupiers and for four years Rome would lay siege against Jerusalem. In 70 AD, Jesus words would be fulfilled. The Romans crushed the rebellion, killing up to a million Jews and destroyed the temple not leaving a “stone upon a stone.” All that was left and what remains to this day are the remnants of the western retaining wall securing the temple mount, better known as the wailing wall.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today as we come to the end of another liturgical year? Who and what are we placing our trust in? There is nothing and no one in the physical world that will save us nor will be our stronghold other than God. We do not know the time or the hour of the final judgment to come, but for each of us, our time on this earth is limited. This thought, well pondered, is not morbid, but can be joyous, because in contemplating our end, we will be less tempted to take the time we do have for granted.

It is important to reflect upon how we have lived our lives daily and how we want to live each day going forward. Do we live only for ourselves and our own pursuits, or do we seek to align our wills with the will of God? Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. Do we feel pressured to compartmentalize and/or privatize our faith or are we willing to stand up for what we believe, not in a belligerent and in your face manner, but with calm assurance and steadfast?

In reading the lives of the saints and reflecting on how they dedicated their lives, even those willing to die as Jesus did, we will see that all were authentic and courageous witnesses. They lived their lives dedicated to the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus with each thought, word, and action. They were not born saints but each encountered Jesus, and at some point decided to follow his lead, and became who he called them to be. We each have a unique role to play in God’s plan and we begin one breath, one prayer, and one act at a time.

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Photo: Jesus was willing to give his life for us, are we willing to live for him?

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, November 16, 2025

Jesus invites us to participate in his life and the communion of the angels and saints.

He promised that he would be there so that she would not have to die alone. The hospital called that her time was closer while the priest was visiting another ill parishioner. He finished up as fast as he could, and unfortunately ran into traffic, and too many lights turning red instead of staying green. And although he pushed the speed limit, when the priest arrived at the nursing station and asked for the name of the woman, the nurse informed him that he was too late, she had already passed.

He felt horrible because he promised her that she would not die alone. As he was mulling over the unfortunate timing, the nurse continued. “An interesting thing happened. An orderly came in with another patient, and I had no order for her to be in this room. This woman looked at your friend and asked if she could have her bed closer to hers, then reached out her hand. They held hands while the orderly and I left to check into the matter. When we returned, your friend was dead. The orderly then moved her bed out. The funny thing is that I have been checking since they left and found no record of this orderly or his patient being in the hospital.”

She did not die alone after all. Was this a visit from two angels?

Today we celebrate the feast of the archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Rafael. Angels are eternal, spiritual beings. They are not human but can take on human form in their appearance. Also, when we die, we do not become angels. We are human beings, and as such we are human and spiritual.

One of the possible reasons that Satan, who is the archangel, Lucifer, and the other angels, now called demons, rebelled against God was because in our participation in the life of Christ, we become higher than the angels. That was too much for them to take and so choosing their pride over God, they rebelled.

Jesus, fully God and fully man, is infinite and eternal as Son, while at the same time finite as human. In Jesus coming close to be one with us in our humanity, we are offered the opportunity to participate with him in his divinity. Like the angels, God has given us the ability to reason and the freedom to choose. We can choose to grasp at divinity on our own terms through our pride, as Satan and his minions, or we can receive the gift of God’s love, participate in the life of his Son, and become like God. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are divine by their very nature, whereas we are given the grace to participate in their divine nature.

We don’t lose ourselves and become absorbed by God, we remain distinct and experience the fullness of our humanity in our participation in the divinity of Jesus. In his resurrection and ascension, Jesus has assumed his glorified Body. He is the first born of the new creation and through our baptism we participate in his life and through him, the life of the Trinity. As we surrender our lives to God, take up our cross, die to ourselves, and follow Jesus, we grow in holiness. We join in the new creation Jesus has won for us. With each faithful step we draw closer to the heavenly Jerusalem, and we become more united to the Body of Christ.

The wonderful reality we can ponder today is that in God’s order of creation, with each breath we take, we can rest in the truth that we belong to an incredibly extended family of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the angels, and the saints. We can rest in the reality that no matter what challenges we are going through, we all have a significant part to play in God’s plan, we are all interconnected, and we are not alone. We are loved, we are in communion with many in heaven and on earth who are not only cheering us on but loving us, willing our good, and guiding us on our journey.

Photo: Each unique ripple reflects the brilliance of the rays of the sun, making for a beautiful symphony. Much like each angel and saint in heaven and us here below.

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, September 29, 2025

As Jesus called and sent the Apostles, he calls and will send us.

“Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority” (Lk 9:1).

Just as Jesus summoned the Twelve, he does so with us and empowers us for mission in his name. The mission of the Church in each generation is to continue to ministry of Jesus and the Apostles. The expression of our service is unique to each of us. We might resist exploring or entering into a deeper commitment of our faith though because we might feel anxious or afraid that God may call us to do something that we would never want to do, or that we couldn’t conceive of being capable of. There also may be some trepidation even when we are clear of the direction God wants us to move in which may arise from our hesitancy to change and move out from our comfort zone. Ultimately, God wants for us what we want for ourselves deep down. We may not even know what that is, but God does.

God knows what will give us and with whom we will experience meaning, fulfillment, and joy in our lives. The challenge for us is to come to know this for ourselves as well. The work of discipleship begins by accepting the invitation of God to walk with him and trust that he knows what he is doing and where he is leading! No matter our age, we are never too young or too old to begin or recommit to the journey along the path of discipleship. One good practice is to reflect on our dreams and desires, bring them to God in prayer, and imagine ourselves embracing what we desire.

When I first joined the Franciscans to study for the priesthood in the early ’90s, I imagined from time to time my ordination day, especially in our second year as we were thinking about taking temporary vows. When I did so, a puzzling result consistently arose. I did not experience any excitement or joy. So, a year and a half into formation, I decided to take a leave of absence. I had asked to take off a year, but the minimum time for a leave of absence was two.

Though I balked at first about the two-year time frame required, I came to see the wisdom of my formation director. I would have come back after a year. About a year and a half after I left, I then realized that my vocational path was leading me to the Sacrament of Matrimony and not Holy Orders. Eighteen months after I came to that realization, I met JoAnn. As our relationship grew and we began to talk about marriage, whenever I envisioned our wedding day, I felt excitement and joy. Each year that we had together built on the one before. We grew closer to God and each other right up until the day of her death.

God led me to the Franciscans in my mid-twenties, he then led me out, and then to JoAnn. Almost three years after JoAnn’s death, he led me to seminary to be formed as a diocesan priest. Periodically when I imagined my ordination day, even though the schedule was more intense this time around, unlike during my novitiate year with the Franciscans, this time I felt excited. A year and almost two months after being ordained a priest, it is still more amazing than I could have ever imagined!

God loves us more than we can ever imagine, he has a plan for each and every one of us, and he knows what will fulfill us. When we ponder our dreams and desires, and as we investigate, research, explore potential opportunities and continue to pray and discern each step, we will come to see that as we align ourselves with God’s will that makes all the difference. We are not alone in this process, and we have a God who can see the full picture, where we see only a small part.

There will be fits and starts, missteps and slips, doubts as well as confirmations, and desolations as well as consolations. The key through it all, is to remain faithful, to continue to trust in Jesus who called us. He will continue to accompany us along the way. As he did with the Apostles, he will give us the resources and strength we need, and he will send the Holy Spirit to empower and transform our lives.

The process of discerning God’s will for our lives is not just for ourselves alone. Jesus is preparing us for mission. Making time to be silent, to meditate and pray with God, coming to know better his will and to put into practice his teachings, we will be transformed daily by the gift of God’s love. Continuing to breathe, receive, rest, and abide in his love, we will better know how best to serve God in others!

Photo: We too are called like St. Peter and St. Paul.

For Mass readings see bible.usccb.org and click on the link for Wednesday’s readings.

Like with the saints, God calls us to pass on our faith in our unique way and in our unique time.

In the Parable of the Dishonest Steward, the steward who is on the block to lose his job for squandering his lord’s property comes up with a plan to settle his lord’s accounts. He lessened the amount owed with the intent to gain some support from those indebted to his master. Most likely he was giving up his own profits in settling these debts, much like a real estate agent or car salesman today would forego their commission to make a sale.

The prudence or cleverness of the steward is commended by the lord because the dishonest steward had utilized foresight, which was a better quality to develop than the original squandering that landed him in this predicament in the first place.

Jesus commenting on this parable also acknowledged those who were clever in worldly ways, thinking and acting with prudence. Being shrewd and having the foresight to navigate potential conflicts to acquire the desired goal is admirable. Jesus then shared the insight that we as “children of the light” ought to act with prudence as well. The difference being, the application is not for personal gain but applying cleverness in evangelization. As we spread the Gospel, we do so, not in a one size fits all approach. We are to be present and adjust to each person’s uniqueness.

Many in the Church have gone before us aware of the needs of those people in their midst and coming up with creative ways to minister to them. Often they too, utilized the model of the steward’s prudence in today’s Gospel, giving up their opportunity for immediate gain to provide for the needs of others.

St. Francis of Assisi, lived his youth, not as a faithful steward, but as a pampered troubadour, part of the social elite. Then as his transformation began to take hold, he began to sell off his father’s cloth and gave it to the poor. He would ultimately renounce his family name as well as all material possessions, and give all to follow Jesus.

St. Mother Teresa, left her home at eighteen, never to see her family again to become a missionary in India with the Loretto Sisters. She became a school teacher in Calcutta, by no means squandering what the Lord gave her, but she too was called to go deeper. She left the convent to serve the poorest of the poor in the streets, those in the most deplorable of conditions.

Jesus has a unique call for each of us. We too are called to be faithful stewards, to be holy, and to be saints. What needs do we see in our midst? In what ways can we be more prudent? Each of us is invited into a deeper embrace of the Gospel. “We experience faith and encounter God in our own particular time in history, and faith lights up our journey through time. Faith must be passed on in every age” (Pope Francis, 20). Jesus, please deepen our faith and help us to put it into practice in the unique way you call us to serve.

Photo: Image of St. Francis I have had with me since my time with the Franciscans in the early ’90’s.

Walking With Pope Francis: Thirty Days with the Encyclical The Light of Faith. New London, CT., Twenty Third Publications, 2013

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

May we, like the saints, take the hand of Jesus and Mary and allow them to lead us through this life and into the next.

“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Mt 5:4).

From a theological reference point, we might suggest that Jesus shared these words from the perspective of the eschatological event, his second coming at the end of time. We can rely on the hope that Jesus died for us all and we will rise with him on the last day. The saints are those who will rise with him.

This is certainly our hope and for those of our loved ones who have died, our hope is that this is true. I also believe that Jesus was also speaking about our day to day experiences as well. Jesus said, as is recorded in Mark 1:15, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus, is the kingdom at hand, just an outstretched arm away. Those of us who mourn will be blessed, will find comfort when we resist running away, or denying the agony and pain that threatens to overwhelm us and instead allow ourselves to experience the grief and the suffering of our loss. It is in the very embracing of our pain and suffering that we come to encounter Jesus with his arms wide open.

By experiencing the depth of our sorrow and allowing ourselves to grieve and mourn in the loving embrace of Jesus, we can release this unbearable weight and begin to heal. If we ask God or anyone near us why someone dies we may not receive a sufficient answer. His Son though, who suffered the agony, loss, pain, and hurt as we do, understands what we are feeling. His presence and closeness will be the strength we need to guide us through the many ups and downs, fits and starts, of our emotional roller coaster. Just like having a surgical amputation, our life will never be the same, but we will heal and be able to live again.

On this solemnity of the Communion of All Saints, we celebrate all those for whom we believe are now in heaven. This observance began with the holy martyrs who were willing to give their lives for Jesus. There are also those saints throughout the ages who witnessed their faith openly, lived their lives courageously, and to the full. Both have gone before us to the true land of promise, our heavenly home. There are also those unnamed saints who day in and day out quietly lived their faith.

They are all now where we one day seek to be and from there they cheer us on, encourage, and intercede for us that we will one day be with them! The saints are our inspiration, guides, and untiring support. We, like the saints, need not fear death because through our life in Jesus, death no longer has any power over us. Yes, we mourn the loss of those who are no longer with us in this reality, yet we also rejoice in their new life in Christ.

This is the tension. Let us not run from but enter into our pain, grief, and sorrow. Let us allow ourselves to mourn so that we may experience God’s comfort, peace, healing, and yes, even blessing and happiness that will come. At the same time, let us remember and celebrate the lives of those we hold close to our hearts and have gone before us. The veil between heaven and earth is very thin, especially during the Mass where Jesus is made present again. This is the time of fulfillment, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Let us reach out our hands to Jesus and Mary, each of them who daily said, “Yes.” to the Father, and allow them to lead us to repentance and a holy life that will ultimately lead us to heaven to enjoy eternity with all the saints!

Photo: JoAnn shared that she was just changing her address. May it now be 144 All Saints Way, Heaven!

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, November 1, 2024

What might help us to grow closer to God? Some silence.

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples and said to them, “Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals”(Lk 10:3-4).

The opening of today’s Gospel continues the same theme of the past few days and that is the call of a radical dependence on God. Jesus sent his disciples out with no money, no credit cards, no sack, no luggage, no sandals, no Crocs. They were to rely solely on divine providence. They were taught by Jesus to believe and trust in the Father, and now they would put both to the test.

How well could we fare today? Are we even willing to leave the house or go to the next room without our cell phones?

Jesus meets us and accepts as we are and where we are but calls us to go deeper, to invite us to expand beyond our present understanding and practices. We may say to ourselves that we are not capable of being a great saint like the Apostles, but that would miss the point of who a saint is. A saint is not necessarily one who sought to be great but one who was willing to surrender all to God, and most doing so, step by step. They accepted and put into practice what God invited them to do.

We are given the same invitation that the saints have received but we may still be allowing ourselves to be lured away by distractions, diversions, demands, material enticements, and emotional twists and turns. It is good to assess often, if not daily, where and how we expend our energy and time. How much of what we are thinking about and spending our time doing is aligned with God’s will? The material things we have accumulated, are there things we can let go of? What we have, what we think, and how we spend our time, is good to discern and be more intentional about.

If you might feeling a bit overwhelmed or may be doing ok but feeling like you would like to have some more time with God, St. Mother Teresa offers us some good advice. “God speaks in the silence of the heart.” Making some time for silence is a good place to start. Find a comfortable place to sit, take some deep slow breaths, and then ask God to reveal to you what he would like you to bring into your life and by doing so what you would need to let go of to make the space. Who better to guide us than the one who gave and continues to sustain our life?

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Photo: A quiet moment at the end of my Rosary walk

Mass readings for Thursday, October 3, 2024