With passion

This week, the scriptures provide us with examples of passionate commitment.  In the first reading, we hear the story of Jeremiah, someone who wasn't afraid to stand with the Lord.  When he dared to speak God's truth to a stubborn, corrupt king, he was thrown down a well (Jer 38:6) and left there to die, yet this did not deter him from his commitment to doing what God had asked of him.

This past week, we celebrated the Liturgical Memorial of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan priest who lived in the early part of the 20th century.  Passionately committed to promoting devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, he established and supervised a monastery near Warsaw, operated an amateur radio station and was involved in many other organizations and publications, each one of them aimed at promoting faith among God's people.  During the second World War, he was imprisoned at Auschwitz.  There he volunteered to take the place of another man who had been condemned to die.  He is now part of the great cloud of witnesses (cf Heb 12:1), people of faith who have given their lives for the gospel.

In today's gospel, Jesus says that he will bring division, not peace (cf Lk 12:51).  When we face a hostile reaction for choosing to follow Christ, we are challenged to go deeper into the heart of Jesus.  How do we contend with the cross of insults, gossip, broken relationships and family quarrels?  The writer of the letter to the Hebrews challenges us to look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2).  Jesus presents us blameless before his Father.  Sometimes, along the road that leads us to our ultimate goal, we encounter humiliation, but this is the road that leads us to eternity.

The Holy Spirit provides us with the skills we need to remain committed to following Jesus.  We can even accept suffering if we understand it as having redemptive value according to God's plan.  If we truly embrace this truth, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (cf Phil 4:13).

His Word Today: Saint Stephen of Hungary

Good morning everyone,

Today, we pray with Saint Stephen of Hungary (circa 975 AD - 15 August 1038).  Not all details about his life are clearly documented, but it seems that he served as the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians from 997 to 1001 and then as the first King of Hungary from 1001 until his death in 1038.  He was the first member of his family to become a devout Christian.  His country enjoyed a lasting period of peace during his reign and provided a preferred route for pilgrims and merchants travelling between Western Europe and the Holy Land or Constantinople.  Following his death in 1038, there was civil war in Hungary for many years.

The life of a peacemaker is never easy.  In order for him to be successful, he had to be very wise and possess clarity of thought and a keen intellect.  We see evidence of both these traits in the gospel passage provided today (cf Mt 19:3-12).  Some Pharisees approached Jesus and tested him, saying: 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife ...'? (Mt 19:3).  Jesus had to tread very lightly in order to bring clarity to this teaching, but he did manage to find his way.

At times, there are questions placed before us that need serious thought and reflection before we act on them or provide our answers.  Saint Stephen reminds us that it is never a bad idea to pray for the gifts of clarity and intellect, and to use these gifts for the good of those we are called to serve.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The details of this celebration are not spelled out in the scriptures but rather in the lived tradition of the Church.  According to this tradition, we believe that when the Virgin Mary completed her earthly life, she was assumed, body and soul, into heaven.  She is the only human being who is believed to have been accorded this privilege - with the exception of Jesus himself.

The gospel passage proposed for today's eucharistic celebration is that of the Visitation.  It provides an example of Mary's generosity: that at the time when she learned of her own special place in the plan of salvation, she did not choose to remain focused on herself, but rather she travelled to the hill country with haste ... where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-40).

Today, let us ask Mary, who was obedient to God's plan to intercede on our behalf.  With her help, may we be courageous and trusting enough to say yes to the Lord whenever He may call out to us.  Our God is calling each one of us, never to a situation that will bring us harm, but always to new, refreshing and exciting ways in which we can cooperate in the unfolding of his great and loving plan.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Maximillian Kolbe

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, a Polish-born priest, a Conventual Franciscan who was imprisoned and died in the German death camp at Auschwitz during the second World War.

The gospel passage appointed for today's liturgical celebration focuses on the words of Jesus: ... love one another as I have loved you.  No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends (Jn 15:12-13).  The life of Saint Maximillian helps us to understand these words more clearly.  At a time in history when people were being persecuted for their belief in God, he promoted the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and founded a monastery in Warsaw.  At a time in history when intellectuals were being suppressed, he operated an amateur radio station which he used to spread the gospel.

At this moment in history, we too face challenges if we aim to follow the advice that was outlined by Jesus: a call to love one another as he has loved us ... willingly, radically and unreservedly.  Not all of us are called to lay down our lives for others, but all of us are called to love.  If Jesus could love us to the point of giving his life for us, and if saints like Maximillian have shown us that it is possible to follow Jesus' example, to what point would we be willing to go in order to live our faith?

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Greatest

Good morning everyone,

One of the marks that distinguishes a good teacher is an ability to explain very complicated concepts in simple terms.  This is not easy to do, but it is one way that we can identify those who truly understand.  Jesus is one such teacher.  The gospel accounts point out many occasions when he spoke about very complicated concepts using words and examples that made these ideas come alive in the hearts of those who heard him speak.

In today's gospel passage, the disciples pose a question: Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (Mt 18:1), and Jesus surprises them by explaining that greatness - in the kingdom - will not be measured by any degree of physical accomplishment, but rather by our ability to become like children (Mt 18:3).  In other words, it will not be enough to simply be able to explain the kingdom in language that children can understand; we ourselves must become like them.

Saint John Paul II often told us that we should all strive for heaven.  If this is true - and we should all believe it to be so - then we should constantly strive not only to know about Jesus, but to know him.  Our God is constantly seeking opportunities to meet us - in prayer, in other people and in the circumstances of our lives - and he rejoices when we come to him like little children seeking to place our trust in him.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Overwhelmed

Good morning everyone,

In today's gospel passage (Mt 17:22-27), we have a glimpse into the intimate words that Jesus shared with his disciples.  Those twelve were not so different from us, for when Jesus said to them: The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him ... (Mt 17:22-23), they were overwhelmed with grief.

We too are overwhelmed at times when we consider all the suffering that we encounter: people who are experiencing fears and doubts, others who are grieving, still others who seem to have any myriad of questions, all of which demand attention, even if they cannot be adequately answered in a satisfactory length of time.  Just as the disciples contemplated what it might be like to face the world without Jesus at their side, we too must at times entertain such thoughts.  If we have begun to experience life with Jesus, we will never want to be deprived of his company.

When we find ourselves having to face situations that seem to overwhelm us, let us turn confidently toward Jesus.  Let us ask him to remain close to us and to always remind us that he was raised on the third day (Mt 17:23).  This was and always will be the conclusion of the Christian story: he suffered, he died and he was raised on the third day.  What an eloquent source of hope this is for us and for all those who are searching.

Have a great day.

Preparing through work and play

These days of warmth and sunshine permit us to change our routines a little bit.  Adults take time for some rest and relaxation, we learn to re-create and we may even take time to play.  No matter what age we are, it is always good to allow ourselves a bit of time for unstructured play: it allows children to act out their favorite stories and to recreate the adventures of their heroines and heroes.  Such unstructured activities have a purpose: they provide us with the opportunity to prepare ourselves for our future.

From one Sunday to the next, we are invited to reflect on what the future will hold.  We do this through stories, parables and lessons that we hear in this place.  The Book of Wisdom, from which we read today, tells us of a people who were enslaved in Egypt, yet were preparing for a new life that was to come.  These people trusted in the promises of God for the deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies.  Even before their release from bondage, already they were singing the praises of the ancestors (Wis 18:6-9).  How often do we give thanks for the holy people who have preceded us, shared the gift of faith with us and helped us to grow in our own faith?

The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us of the lives of great women and men of the Old Testament.  It shows us how their faith sustained them no matter what challenges they faced.  Abraham continued to believe, even when he was asked to sacrifice his only son (cf Heb 11:8-10).  Have we developed such wholehearted trust in God?

Luke's parables about the alert slaves and the faithful manager (cf Lk 12:35-40) call us to be ready for whatever may come.  Where is our treasure?  Where is our heart?  These weekly passages and our daily actions, whether at play or at work, continually help us to live God's word.

His Word Today: Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Good morning everyone,

Today, the church celebrates the liturgical Memorial of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (born Edith Stein).  On the day when he beatified her, Saint John Paul II said of her that she was an outstanding daughter of Israel and at the same time a daughter of the Carmelite Order.  In her rich life, she united a rich synthesis of the past century: a synthesis filled with deep wounds ... and the full truth about mankind (Homily for the Beatification of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, 1 May 1987).

Edith Stein was born in Breslau (Germany) on 12 October 1891, the youngest of 11 children.  Her birth coincided with Yom Kippur, the most important Jewish festival, the Feast of Atonement.  Edith's father, who ran a timber business, died when she was only two years old.  Her mother, who was a very devout, hard-working, strong-willed and truly wonderful woman, then had to fend for herself, look after the children and the business.  She succeeded in this, but not in keeping up a living faith in her children.  As a result, Edith lost her faith in God.

She (Edith) was very bright.  At the age of 20, she passed her school exams with flying colours and enrolled at the University of Breslau where she studied German and history.  Her true passion though was in Philosophy, which she pursued two years later at Góttingen University.  She eventually passed her doctorate with the utmost distinction in 1917.  In a time when most women would not have had the opportunity to pursue such advanced studies, Edith distinguished herself as a scholastic, but this was not the end of her journey.

After much searching and having witnessed the faith of many others, she converted to Catholicism.  She was baptized on 1 January 1922 and immediately, she wanted to join the Carmelite Order, but this desire was not fulfilled until 14 October 1933.  She lived at the Carmel in Cologne for five years.  However, on New Year's Eve 1938, she was smuggled across the border to Echt (Netherlands) for safety, because she was being pursued by the Nazi regime.  She lived there, continuing her scholastic work until 2 August 1942, when she was arrested by the Gestapo.  She was transported to a transit camp located at Amersfoort and then to another at Westerbork.  Early in the morning of 7 August 1942, she was transported to Auschwitz as part of a group of 987 Jews.  It was probably on 9 August 1942 that Sister Teresa, her sister Rosa (who was also a Carmelite nun) and many other people were gassed.

May Saint Teresa Benedicta intercede for us today, that we who are called to live our faith may have the courage to stay awake ... for we know neither the day or the hour (Mt 25:13) when the Lord is coming.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Dominic

Good morning everyone,

Today, we celebrate the liturgical Memorial of Saint Dominic, a Spanish-born priest who lived during the 12th and 13th centuries (1170-1221).  He is the founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), an Order of Priests who are dedicated to learning and to preaching.

Like the person described in today's gospel passage who met Jesus and his disciples as they continued on their journey, Saint Dominic sought to call out to the Lord: I will follow you wherever you may go (Lk 9:57).  Throughout the centuries, all those who have uttered these words - often with ferver - discover that there is a price attached to such a commitment.  This price can sometimes cause potential followers to pause in their willingness to commit to the journey of discipleship, but once we decide to set out, the Lord rewards our ferver with his gifts of peace and joy.

Even today, the Dominicans seek day after day to share this good news with all those they meet.  Spread throughout the world, they continue their dedication in the fields of education and preaching, always ready to show others that it is possible to follow Jesus wherever he may need us to be.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Mercy

Good morning everyone,

Today's gospel passage presents one of the moments at which Jesus was invited to enter into ecumenical dialogue: a conversation with people other than those to whom he had been sent.  The passage in question places him in foreign territory - in the region of Tyre and Sidon - where a woman of that region approaches him and asks for help: Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is tormented by a demon (Mt 15:22).

According to the customs and practices of the day, Jesus had every right to ignore the woman's plea, yet he recognized her great faith (cf Mt 15:28) and granted the request for healing on behalf of her daughter.

During his pontificate, our current Holy Father has continued to seek out opportunities to demonstrate the power of mercy: calling for a Year of Mercy, establishing ambassadors of mercy, even scheduling surprise visits to various locations throughout his diocese in an effort to be close to his people, all the while demonstrating the merciful face of God.  In each case, His Holiness is teaching us that it is possible to see beyond the confines of our own comfort, and if we dare to go beyond for the sake of mercy, we will discover Jesus even there.

Are we prepared to go beyond in order to discover Jesus in the wounds of our brothers and sisters?  Are we prepared to be surprised by the graces that are given when we surrender to his call?

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Transfiguration

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.  Saint Luke tells us that Jesus took Peter, James and John and went up a mountain to pray (Lk 9:28).  There, the disciples were granted the special gift of witnessing Jesus in his glorified body.  This took place before he suffered his passion.  Some scholars believe that the three disciples were granted this vision in order to strengthen their own hearts so that later on, they in turn would be capable of strengthening the hearts of the other disciples.

Jesus is still inviting disciples - like you and me - to climb the mountain with him.  We have truly been granted the privilege of being able to come away with him.  He shows us his glorified body in the Eucharist at Mass and in the faces of our brothers and sisters, yet it takes a trained eye - the eye of faith - for us to truly recognize this gift in all its fullness.

On this day, as we commemorate such a significant event in the lives of these three disciples, let us also be attentive to the invitation that the Lord issues to us: come away with me to a deserted place, to the mountaintop, to the place where we can be together.  In that place, we give thanks for all God's goodness to us and we ask him to bestow upon us the grace of believing that what he has taught us will come to pass.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Despite

Good morning everyone,

At the beginning of today's gospel passage, Jesus demonstrates a very human reaction.  When (he) heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew ... to a deserted place by himself (Mt 14:13).  Jesus loved John, so we can understand why he would have wanted some time alone to mourn, but the crowds followed him.  Perhaps they searched for him: they didn't give up.

It is interesting to note that when Jesus saw the crowd, he did not react with anger; rather, his heart was moved with pity for them (Mt 14:14).  Jesus was fully human and fully divine.  While he may have wanted to withdraw, he recognized the needs of those who came to him, and he responded to those needs: he cured the sick and even recognizing their hunger and providing for them (cf Mt 14:15-21).

Whenever our hearts have been wounded, we too feel the desire to withdraw from the world around us.  For awhile, we may give in to this reaction, but even if we are grieving, we cannot ignore the needs that are around us: the sick and the hungry who need our help.  Jesus had compassion for their needs, even in spite of his own need.  Let us ask him today to help us to always be aware of the needs of others, and to generously respond even in spite of our own needs.

Have a great day.

Look beyond

The scripture readings we have heard today all remind us that if we want to discover true success, we need to look beyond the present moment.  The Book of Ecclesiastes says that no matter how much toil and strain we may exert, all is vanity (Ecc 1:2).  In other words, no amount of earthly success will ever be able to fully respond to our quest for acceptance, self worth and happiness.

The parable of the rich fool, which we heard in today's gospel (cf Lk 12:16-20) also reinforces the importance of judging our successes on a larger scale than we might sometimes be used to considering.  When all is said and done, it really doesn't matter how many physical possessions we accumulate.  The true measure of our success will always be determined by whether we have been able to see Jesus in our brothers and sisters and the extent to which we have used the gifts God has given us to respond to the needs of others.

So how is it that we can store up treasure for ourselves in heaven (cf Lk 12:21)?  Saint Paul tells us that we should set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Col 3:2).  This is not easy to do because the lure of earthly possessions is very difficult to resist, however it is possible for us to abstain from habits that are based on earthly desires and to clothe ourselves with the new self which is being renewed ... according to the image of its creator (Col 3:10).  Many others have led exemplary and inspiring lives by striving each day to look beyond.  We can too.

His Word Today: Who

Good morning everyone,

The scripture passage for today's Mass poses a bit of a paradox: those who are gathered around Jesus are eager to listen for his words, and yet their hearts are left questioning the source of his wisdom ... Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? (Mt 13:54) ... or are their words more an expression of their own amazement at who he has become?

Those who were gathered together that day had known Jesus as a child.  They had most certainly known his parents and the members of his extended family.  In a town of that size, they would have been well informed about every stage of his growth and development.  Knowledge can be a dangerous thing.  When we are familiar with some people and some situations, we find it more difficult to believe that such innocent people could have such wisdom, that such little children could have grown up to be so intelligent, and yet this is exactly the case.

Just as those people stood in wonder and awe in the presence of Jesus, let us dare to stand in wonder and awe before our God today.  Even if we have been praying for many years, we can still ask the Lord to refresh us with the gentle dew of his grace.  He knows how to instruct our hearts in a way that will always keep us focused because his wisdom is far above any human wisdom.

Have a great day.

His Word Today: Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Good morning everyone,

Today, the Church celebrates the liturgical Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787).  He had many gifts and talents: he was a spiritual writer, a musician, a composer, an artist, a poet, a lawyer, a philosopher, a theologian, a Catholic priest and a bishop.  In 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, otherwise known as the Redemptorists, an Order of priests and brothers who are particularly respected for preaching retreats and as confessors.

The gospel passage that is particular to this Memorial contains the words of Jesus who compares his disciples to salt for the earth and light for the world (Mt 5:13-14).  In these words, the Lord encourages all of us to be aware of the talents and gifts we have been given, and to pay particular attention to the ways in which we use these talents to change the world around us.  This change often comes about in small ways, sometimes even unrecognized ways, but we must trust that by changing little things, we can also bring the special light of the gospel to life.

Today, let us ask Saint Alphonsus Liguori to pray with us, that like him, we too might grow increasingly aware of the ways in which each of our brothers and sisters shares the light of their faith with us, and the subtle and not so subtle ways in which the light of faith that is proclaimed and shared can and does change the world around us.

Have a great day.