Paul's Reflections 23rd Sun ord time A

7th September, 2008      23rd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

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On the weekend as we celebrate and give thanks for the give of Fathers….   we celebrate the importance of family in our lives….  and acknowledge that we are also God’s children, with God, our heavenly Father…  who calls us to be united in love and care for one another…. and for all..

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In our second reading, Saint Paul says “love is the fulfilment of the law”    - that is a wonderful two sided saying…..     the fulfilment of the law is LOVE….  but also…. to truly love, is the fulfilment of the whole law of Moses and the prophets…..    this means that Christian love needs to be real love…  tough love…  brave love….  love that is strong enough to say sorry when we have caused hurt….   love ready to forgive when others seek our forgiveness…. love ready to affirm and encourage others….  and also, just as importantly, love brave enough to speak out when things aren’t right….  to warn people of any harmful things they are doing…. and to speak up when injustice or wrong is occurring…..    Love is NOT turning a blind eye to wrongdoing in the community….  

 

so, love is not to be equated with the word niceness…..   sometimes true love is about drawing a line and refusing to budge on it, out of real concern for truth and what is right in the circumstances…..   

 

The gospel this weekend is also very interesting….  it highlights how absolutely vital the community is in Christ’s vision…… there is no such thing as a solo Christian…..  we followers of Jesus always belong amidst a community of disciples…. and the community has an important role in ensuring that the members remain faithful to the message and command of Jesus… 

 

the gospel shows Jesus teaching us the way the Christian community is to deal with conflict….   this gospel way rejects gossip and badmouthing of others….  if I have a problem with another….    my first duty… go and talk to that person…   deal with them…..   tell THEM the issues, not the neighbour or the friend at the pub…. or the person down the street…..   deal with it, if at all possible, with the parties involved… and in a spirit of constructiveness… in order that the issue may be resolved……..  if that strategy fails…. then…  speak to interested parties…  wise parties…  the gospel says ‘community’  but this might mean a trusted family member, a close wise friend… a discrete church member…  again, not anyone and everyone…  but a party who might bring an objective, affirming and clear insight into the issue, again so that the issue might be dealt with properly ….  not to score points….   and finally,.. if that does not work….  bring it to the wider community for its arbitration…  its resolution……    and if that fails… then the solution the community comes to, will be affirmed by God., because it has tried to deal constructively, positively and lovingly with the difficult issues….   

 

This gospel is very timely, because this Monday night…  our young ones will be making their first reconciliation.  They have been learning that we all belong not only to our own families,… but we are one big family in the church…..    our actions….   affect not only ourselves but also the community…..   even if the community does not know the detail, if we make bad choices and hurt our relationship with other members, or with God…  we hurt not only ourselves and the people directly involved… but we hurt our friendship with God….  we injure our communion with the wider community of disciples in the church…. (even if our actions are not known to others…  it affects our harmony and unity within the family of God)…..  So…  reconciliation is a way of celebrating God’s love and forgiveness and experiencing our reconciliation and forgiveness with God and the church family…..   //    it is good for us to celebrate special sacraments that connect us to our membership to the wider community…..    for where two or more are gathered… there certainly... Jesus is present…… 

 

May God be with our young ones and their family as they prepare to celebrate God’s love for us, in the family of the church…  God who loves us when we do the right thing… and loves us and searches for us when we stray…  when we make mistakes…. and welcomes us back… 

 

let us ask God to give us the grace and the insight to love even more fully as Christ does….  to act with affirmation and encouragement…  to challenge with love and concern and gentleness….  but nevertheless to speak truthfully and constructively….     and to live as members of the family of God, to whom we all belong…

 

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please reply emails to

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This was sent to you by Fr Paul Kelly from St Mary's Catholic Parish, Maryborough, QLD. My apologies if you did not want to recieve this, please contact me and I will delete the email if you do not want to continue receiving news. Back copies of previous logs can be found by visiting the parish website. www.marycatholic.com

and also please visit my photo pages by clicking this link:

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Paul's Reflections 22nd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

31st August, 2008      22nd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

 

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The gospel this weekend is a stunning incident. It follows immediately upon Peter’s profession of faith. Jesus has just asked “who do YOU say I am”  and Jesus is overjoyed and moved to hear Peter correctly professing him to be the Christ. The straight away, Jesus tells his disciples that he must suffer under the religious authorities of his day and die… and then enter into his glory… Peter… his good friend and loyal disciple… is understandably horrified…..  he wants to protect Jesus so he grabs hold of him… (like someone might throw a protective arm around a cherished friend… and says… “no lord… this must NOT happen to you..” 

 

Jesus reaction of swift and breathtaking….   “away with you satan…   get behind me…..”     

 

WOW…..

 

Jesus had only just finished telling Peter his faith was the rock on which he would build the church and now he is saying…   satan…  (which means “adversary”)..  stumbling block…..   obstacle……   begone….  

 

But really this is understandable,…   Jesus has been sorely tempted in the desert by the adversary….    time and time again.. he has had to shrug off the all too subtle temptations to sell-out and take the east path…..  if the easy path wasn’t so attractive…. if the hard path wasn’t so hocking and awful… there would have been no problem,…. but the right way was something no one would be happy to follow unless it was necessary…. and the easy path is so reassuring…..    Jesus has time and time again fended off the adversary’s temptations….   “give them bread… give them material things they desire and then they will follow you…..’….   “give them sensations… give them wonders…. and they will follow you….”…….  “never challenge them…. given them what they ask without questioning… without moving them forward…… and they will follow you…..”…….   “compromise with the world….   reduce your standards……. sell out…. and they will follow you….”….   and now….here is his friend… his devoted disciple……  his rock…….    Peter…..  saying similar things…..  no wonder Jesus shot back that retort like an arrow shot from its bow……..   Jesus has been fending off there obstactles to his true mission time and time again throughout his ministry… and this would not be the last time eother…

 

Jesus is saying to peter.. and to each one of us….   okay… you know I am the messiah… yhe Christ… te chosen one….   fine… that is only the beginning…. NOW you must listen and learn from me WHAT the true meaning of the messiah is…… 

 

Peter and the disciples would have grown up with a very different image of the meaning of a messiah or a christ….   To them.. It was a king…  a warrior…  in the mould of King David… who would come with revolution and power and cast down the regimes in power and rule the chosen people in a Kingdom better than the days of Solomon…….    God’s kingdom on earth…. and earthly kingdom….  too….      Jesus had to teach them to let go of all that…..   he is the messiah but a messiah like nothing they expected….   his kingdom is not of this world……   his power is the cross…. his sword is his word   and his weapon is love…..   is persuasion… inclusion, forgiveness  and justice……     

 

Its interesting though…   Jesus does not speak to peter the same way he dismissed Satan in the desert… there is a big difference here……   in the desert Jesus says… begone….   depart……..    (satan will never follow God… his pride is too destructive…..)./…..  but to Peter.. he says…   begone satan… get behind me …..  its two separate words…... two different things……   to the adversary he says … begone from me…. but to his trustwarothy, loyal peter… he says…..   get back behind me… FOLLOW me… learn from me… don’t try to lead me….   don’t tell me how to do this….    become my follower again…. learn the ways of the messiah …. and of course Peter does….  he had gotten out of his place and tried to drag Jesus into false visions of his mission… but Jesus would have none of that….…  now Peter  was back following Jesus…. behind him… not in front of his as an adversary or an obstacle….

 

sometimes the our friends and loved ones can unwittingly be an obstacle….  they naturally want to protect us, to care for us…. but at times they might say something akin to trying to wrap us up so tight  that they want us not to do the task for which we are appointed……..    like the loved one who tries to stop the soldier going out to battle… to do their job……    then it is a false protection… and must be deflected……   sometimes safety takes a back seat to duty…. to the goal…..  (but we know then that the cost is not small)…. Jesus knew that.. and prepares his followers for this news…

 

Then Jesus puts the icing on the cake…. “anyone who wants to follow me must ‘deny themselves’    …..   Jesus knows that human pride…. human ego is an enormous obstacle to his mission……    Jesus wants to teach and guide his followers…us included…  into a mindset that leaves behind ego and pride and self-interest…. if we are to be true to Jesus message… then we must accept a heavy but liberating truth….   this is not about ME…. this is not about MY needs…. this is about the good news… this is about what is best…..  for others … for all………    my comfort… my needs….. my pride…. ,me… me…. me…..   it must be left behind…….     let’s follow where Jesus leads us….   

 

 

(concepts from William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible – Matthew vo2. )

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please reply emails to

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This was sent to you by Fr Paul Kelly from St Mary's Catholic Parish, Maryborough, QLD. My apologies if you did not want to recieve this, please contact me and I will delete the email if you do not want to continue receiving news. Back copies of previous logs can be found by visiting the parish website. www.marycatholic.com

and also please visit my photo pages by clicking this link:

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Paul's Reflections extra daily reflection resources

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Aiming too low

It must have stung Peter to have Jesus call him Satan, especially because Jesus had already chosen him to be the foundation rock of his community of believers. Peter, in his bullheadedness, seems a good stand-in for many of us, taking the heat for what we ourselves might have done or said (“What’s in it for us, Lord?”). Here he is merely expressing his care for Jesus by saying, as any of us would to someone we love, “God forbid that any tragedy should fall upon you.” Yet Jesus reprimands him because Peter cannot see beyond his desire to protect his Lord (and perhaps himself) from the terrible fate Jesus foresees. Peter does not yet see how great a cost a “wondrous love” will pay to accomplish good. By God’s standard no price is too high. Peter, we know, will learn.

Today’s readings: Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27

“Get behind me, Satan! You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

 

Monday, September 1

Labor Day (USA holiday)

Safety first

On the holiday to honor work and workers, it’s worth remembering that workplaces are not always as safe as they could be. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 28,000 Americans between 2002 and 2006 were killed on the job. Mining had a high fatality rate—27.8 per 100,000—but was second to agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting at 29.6. In 2005 U.S. workplaces had 4.2 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses, of which about 4 million were injuries. While the U.S. industrial safety record has improved drastically since 1900—when, for example, the mining fatality rate was 10 times higher than today—and is far better than that of the developing world, it’s worse than that of most countries in the European Union. What can you do to promote the safety of work and workers?

Today’s readings: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Luke 4:16-30

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”

 

Tuesday, September 2

Ramadan begins

Think fast

Fasting for religious or spiritual purposes is an ancient human practice. Jews, Christians, and Muslims consider their periods of fast (Yom Kippur, Lent, and Ramadan) the holiest times of the year, and these three great religious traditions share similar goals for fasting: namely, to cleanse the body and mind of impurities, focus all attention and energy on God, repent for one’s sins, mourn losses, and remember graces received. As Muslims enter their month-long fast, be respectful of their holy obligation and consider what your holy obligations are as a follower of the Prince of Peace.

Today’s readings: 1 Corinthians 2:10b-16; Luke 4:31-37

“For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

 

Wednesday, September 3

All together now

Whether it’s family, work, school activities, or the neighborhood bowling team, for groups to function and achieve a common goal individual members need to figure out how to work together. While a little competition can be healthy, the cutthroat variety usually ends up dividing people and working against the collective effort. Saint Paul used this same argument when he told the Corinthians to stop their rivalries and factions and work together for the kingdom of God. Cooperation and respect will take people a lot further than conflict.

Today’s readings: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Luke 4:38-44

“For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

 
Thursday, September 4

In deep water

We use the phrase “in over your head” to indicate being in a situation that presents challenges that go beyond a person’s capacity or resources to cope. People sometimes “get in over their head” financially or find themselves in a classroom or a job function for which they have not been properly prepared. In a larger sense, however, we are all “in over our heads” in life, part of something more vast, mysterious, and complex than we alone can manage. We need each other, and we need the guidance of One who can guide us as we navigate the deep water we find ourselves in.

Today’s readings: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23; Luke 5:1-11

“Jesus said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ ”

 
Friday, September 5

Something old, something new

It’s hard to imagine the time when Christ and his message was new, but indeed they were. At the beginning many people had trouble accepting his person and his gospel, just as many do today. Back then they wanted to see him in terms of what was familiar, well-known, comfortable. But he tried to move them off this course. New things, like new wine or a piece of a new garment, do not go onto or into old things, like old wineskins or garments. Can you experience your faith as something new and maybe a little uncomfortable, challenging you to fresh ways of seeing and doing?

Today’s readings: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Luke 5:33-39

“New wine must be put into fresh wineskins.”

 
Saturday, September 6

Peace is with us

“The moral right to conscientious objection is recognized in the 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church (sect. 2311), but it is in no sense mandatory,” noted St. Thomas University Professor Scott Wright in a recent issue of St. Thomas Magazine. “Still, as a form of Christian witness, pacifism—the opposition to all war—has also had a long and distinguished tradition.” This tradition is rooted in Jesus’ Beatitudes and the gift of peace he leaves with his disciples; it is further sustained by Saint Paul’s admonishment to the church in Corinth to be fools for Christ—and bless when reviled, endure when persecuted, and speak kindly when slandered. Peace be with you today and every day following.

Today’s readings: 1 Corinthians 4:6b-15; Luke 6:1-5

“When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we speak kindly.”

 

 ©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. Phone: 800-942-2811; e-mail: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; website: www.TakeFiveForFaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O’Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy

 

 

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please reply emails to

holyjoe@ozemail.com.au

This was sent to you by Fr Paul Kelly from St Mary's Catholic Parish, Maryborough, QLD. My apologies if you did not want to recieve this, please contact me and I will delete the email if you do not want to continue receiving news. Back copies of previous logs can be found by visiting the parish website. www.marycatholic.com

and also please visit my photo pages by clicking this link:

www.mysteriousthree.com

or the direct link by pasting the following into your web browser

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/554239563oXJIdn

(some of the recent photos appear at the start of the page of photos, other new ones may be right at the last page)
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24th August, 2008 21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

WHO AM I ? …. a person can not be distilled into the characteristics and fact or even titles that they may have.. every person, not least of which Jesus himself, is mystery and encounter…. Jesus must be encountered as a person before one can understand him as a figure of doctrine and belief… //

In fact surely one of the most common things humans do to each other and it may be the most unfair thing we can do.. it try to reduce people to categories and file them into neat boxes so that we can understand them… // TO ‘LABEL’ ANOTHER PERSON //

Whilst that may sometimes be helpful for practicality.. it actually is a reducing of the mystery and complexity of a person to clichés and stereotypes… // which can replace dealing with the real person in favour of labels and generalizations and assumptions about a person that are pale shadows of who they really are…..

EACH person MUST DISCOVER the meaning and nature of Jesus themselves….// There is no substitute for personally encountering Jesus as Christ in the scriptures and in our daily lives… // its not enough to obtain merely the PRE-packaged doctrines about Jesus… although that is not to say those doctrines don’t tell us much about Jesus and his mission.. // but Jesus is much more than the things we say about him…Ultimately Jesus is about encountering God (and that encounter with God occurs in relationship and not merely an intellectual exercise)… encountering Christ and his good news in our lives… in the people we meet and ourselves… and our life story…

Perhaps the second reading holds the Key.. in it Saint Paul reminds us that, although there is much we can and need to know and search for in relation to our understanding of Jesus and God in general… nevertheless.. ultimately God is much more than we could ever comprehend… God has some aspects that are knowable but others.. that are beyond our human comprehension….are not// But actually … that applies to any human being… the person sitting next to you… even if you know them very well… ultimately they are (still) a mystery….// They cannot be reduced to a list of facts about them.. they are much much more than the sum of their characteristics and traits…../ or past ways of relating and behaving// we are mystery.. and God is infinite mystery…// ultimately… its not as much about knowing and more about engaging in the mystery…..// , jumping into the deep…./ and ongoing prayer, reflection, dialogue and discussion… and of course, encounter….in the unfolding events of each day…..

Christ reminds us, it’s all really about relationship… more than categorization and definitions. relationship with God… relationship with each other.. relationship with who we are ourselves.. it is an ongoing.. never ending journey…


// each one of us is called upon to reflect personally on jesus question…. “But you….. who do YOU say I am……”

I suppose it should come as no shock… that (personally speaking)…. jesus… means everything to me….. Not only do I really, admire him as a person…. I like the message of inclusion, forgiveness, and welcome that jesus comes to give all people…… I like the way he put people first and God’s law was always put in its proper persepective as a lifegiving source for the benefit and help of humans… not as a millstone around the neck…… I love the fact that jesus is God … become human….. which makes humanity.. and the physical world… blessed, holy… sacred…… // I am in awe of the fact that Jesus is so protective of his children… that he says…. I regard what you do to even the least of these… it as as if you are doing it to me personally……. he throws over each of us… especially the most poor and forgotten…. a cloak of protection, care and inclusion that is beyond comprehension……… Jesus, to me is the ultimate revelation of not only what God is like.,… but how God acts towards us… and what God feels towards each of us…. and that is very good news…

I not only worship jesus as God the son, and messiah.,.but also admire him and like him as he is a friend and mentor // I can’t get enough of the still fresh and challenging message that is to be found in his words, parables and actions… in the new testament… I believe (like Peter) we haven’t even begun to comprehend the radicality of his message…… and we are only just starting to apply it in our lives….

21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

24th August, 2008      21st Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

 

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WHO AM I ? A person can not be distilled into the characteristics and facts or even titles that they may have. Every person, not least Jesus himself, is a mystery and encounter.   Jesus must be encountered as a person before one can understand him as a figure of doctrine and belief… //

 

In fact surely one of the most common things humans do to each other may be the most unfair thing we can do.. it try to reduce people to categories and file them into neat boxes so that we can understand them… // TO ‘LABEL’ ANOTHER PERSON //  

 

Whilst that may sometimes be helpful for practicality, it actually reduces a person's mystery and complexity to clichés and stereotypes, which can replace dealing with the real person in favour of labels, generalizations, and assumptions about a person that are pale shadows of who they really are…..

 

EACH person MUST DISCOVER the meaning and nature of Jesus themselves….//   There is no substitute for personally encountering Jesus as Christ in the scriptures and in our daily lives…  // its not enough to obtain merely the PRE-packaged doctrines about Jesus…   although that is not to say those doctrines don’t tell us much about Jesus and his mission.. //  but Jesus is much more than the things we say about him…Ultimately Jesus is about encountering God (and that encounter with God occurs in relationship and not merely an intellectual exercise)…   encountering Christ and his good news in our lives… in the people we meet and ourselves…  and our life story…

 

Perhaps the second reading holds the Key..  in it Saint Paul reminds us that, although there is much we can and need to know and search for in relation to our understanding of Jesus and God in general…    nevertheless..    ultimately God is much more than we could ever comprehend…  God has some aspects that are knowable but others.. that are beyond our human comprehension….are not//       But actually …  that applies to any human being… the person sitting next to you…  even if you know them very well…  ultimately they are (still)  a mystery….// They cannot be reduced to a list of facts about them..  they are much much more than the sum of their characteristics and traits…../ or past ways of relating and behaving//     we are mystery.. and God is infinite mystery…//   ultimately…  its not as much about knowing and more about engaging in the mystery…..//   , jumping into the deep…./   and ongoing prayer, reflection, dialogue and discussion… and of course, encounter….in the unfolding events of each day…..

 

Christ reminds us, it’s all really about relationship…   more than categorization and definitions.    relationship with God…  relationship with each other..  relationship with who we are ourselves..   it is an ongoing.. never ending journey…

 

 

//  each one of us is called upon to reflect personally on jesus question….  “But you….. who do YOU say I am……”

 

I suppose it should come as no shock… that (personally speaking)…. jesus…  means everything to me…..   Not only do I really, admire him as a person…. I like the message of inclusion, forgiveness, and welcome that jesus comes to give all people…… I like the way he put people first and God’s law was always put in its proper persepective as a lifegiving source for the benefit and help of humans… not as a millstone around the neck……   I love the fact that jesus is God …  become human….. which makes humanity.. and the physical world… blessed, holy…  sacred……   //   I am in awe of the fact that Jesus is so protective of his children… that he says….   I regard what you do to even the least of these…  it as as if you are doing it to me personally…….    he throws over each of us… especially the most poor and forgotten…. a cloak of protection, care and inclusion that is beyond comprehension………     Jesus, to me is the ultimate revelation of not only what God is like.,… but how God acts towards us… and what God feels towards each of us…. and that is very good news… 

 

I not only worship jesus as God the son, and messiah.,.but also admire him and like him as he is  a friend and mentor  //  I can’t get enough of the still fresh and challenging message that is to be found in his words, parables and actions… in the new testament… I believe (like Peter) we haven’t even begun to comprehend the radicality of his message……  and we are only just starting to apply it in our lives….  

 

 

 

 

18TH Sunday in ordinary Time. Year A. 10th August. 2008

18^TH Sunday in ordinary Time. Year A. 10^th August. 2008

 

An anonymous writer once wrote:   “What good is it having a man who can walk on water, unless you can follow in his steps?”   -   But this gospel makes it very clear… if we are really to follow in the footsteps of Jesus….   and this leads us sometimes into unsteady waters….   unchartered territory….  we have to trust our leader completely… we must trust that Jesus is our lord… he does have the words of eternal life.. he does love us and care for us… and want the very best for us….   // we must be willing to be called forth by Christ in the very heart of the storm… and to trust in his companionship with us…in the ups and downs and storms of life…… and that takes enormous courage…  enormous trust……    St peter shows us this… and the real fears and doubts we can experience along the way….

    

Peter’s encounter with Jesus is interesting … “if it is you Lord… (if it is you??... he doubts still…..)….  Bid me to come across the water”.. and he does…  but Peter sinks without Jesus….   Peter’s ministry, (and our ministry, our lives)… is inextricably and essentially connected to Jesus… /./ Without Jesus, we’re sunk !…….        We need to stay next to Jesus and close to his message or else we’re well and truly out of our depth….

 

Saint Peter clearly also represents us (the “church,”) …So,  we come to understand ourselves by standing in Saint Peter’s shoes. Being human, we will always be vulnerable, not simply to harm but also to fear, doubt, and hesitation. The storm will frighten us, and the sea could well drown us. These fears are quite real; the challenge is to live boldly despite (or beyond) the fear and the danger. We have to be willing to get out of the boat, with heart pounding and mind racing, our eyes fixed always on Jesus and his one-word command: “Come.”  (—Alice Camille)

 

The first reading and the gospel seem to be a strong contrast…    elijah meets God whose presence is indicated by a “tiny whispering sound” …. and Jesus is encountered..   taming the raging stormy waters……   but in a sense …   whether it be in storms or silence…   /  dramatic or ordinary… the message is the same… God is present and active amongst us and with us….    and the signs are there…   if we search and listen with the eyes and ears of faith.

.

In this week of vocations …   I recall the writer and public speaker Michael Whelan once saying: “one of the major roles of the priest (or any Christian in any form of leadership), is to constantly remind ourselves (and the community) of OUR TRUE IDENTITY . This TRUE IDENTITY is found through the great promise of the covenant: Jesus says… (God says)… I AM WITH YOU…    That is not a guarantee of constant success or even comfort… // it is an important fact.. // Whatever comes.. God is with us…// truly with us….  //  Never leaving us…    God promises us… above all else…..   follow me…..come with me……..   go where I lead you……   I am with you always……..   

 

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weekday reflections:

 

Sunday, August 10, 2008
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

That sinking feeling

Two of the most well-known stories in scripture—God’s coming to Elijah in a “tiny whispering sound” and Jesus’ walk on the water—say a lot about our spiritual journey. Elijah was not in a good way. He lived in a bad place with a bad king, the other prophets were dead, and Queen Jezebel had a contract out on his life. Saint Peter also had a problem: Boldly stepping out on the water to walk to his Lord, he got scared and started to go under. For both these holy people in distress, God came to the rescue. When things get tough, we can, like them, lose our nerve. But we know God will answer. The trick may be to have that confidence before we get into trouble.

Today’s readings: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33

“Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.”

 
Monday, August 11
Feast of Clare, virgin

A prayer for the road

Houses in Assisi had two doors: one for daily use and another opened only for the removal of the deceased. When Saint Clare decided to escape from her impending marriage and join the community gathered around Saint Francis, she left her family home through the Door of the Dead. Her prayer is filled with the same decisive confidence: “Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he who created you has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you like a mother. Blessed be you, my God, for having created me. Amen.”

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28c; Matthew 17:22-27

“The hand of the Lord was on him there.”

 
Tuesday, August 12

A taste of honey

Is there anything in the Old Testament weirder or more alien than what the prophet Ezekiel wrote? Ezekiel did eat a scroll, gave himself a strange haircut, and saw things rarely reported by people who aren’t hallucinating. But his were unusual times, with Israel in exile and God seeming far away. That Ezekiel was still straining to see God in his generation made him unique. Who in our generation is working this hard to learn God’s will?

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 2:8-3:4; Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

“The Lord God said to me: O mortal, eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”

 
Wednesday, August 13

Wings, wheels, and wisdom

When we think “cherubim,” most of us imagine that chubby little angel sitting on Grandma’s bookshelf. But the cherubim, who play a role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, are grander and more intimidating than modern-day cherubs. In Christianity they are the second highest of nine choirs of angels. Ezekiel describes them as curious creatures with both wings and wheels—which have given centuries of artists a field day trying to illustrate. Cherubim also have many eyes, which is why they received the attribute of wisdom. Their main job is to worship God continuously—which is what the wise do.

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 9:1-7; 10:18-22; Matthew 18:15-20

“The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight as they went out with the wheels beside them.”

 
Thursday, August 14
Feast of Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest, martyr

Read all about it

Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941) was a Franciscan Friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz in Poland. What is less well known is that Kolbe was also a prolific publisher. He utilized modern printing techniques to publish catechetical and devotional material, a daily Catholic newspaper that reached a circulation of 225,000, and a monthly magazine with a circulation approaching 1,000,000. Within a month of arriving in Japan on a mission in 1930, penniless and knowing no Japanese, Kolbe and his brother friars were printing a Japanese magazine that grew to a circulation of 65,000. In both his life and his death, Kolbe spread the Good News.

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 12:1-12; Matthew 18:21-19:1

“I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them.”

 
Friday, August 15
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

With us always

It has often been observed that “as the church prays, so she believes.” That is especially true with respect to the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It had been widely celebrated for centuries when Pope Pius XII finally declared this belief dogma in 1950. What do we believe through the Assumption? That Mary remains present in the church and the world. That she is a living being with whom we can share our deepest fears and longings. That she is our mother, our advocate, our model of faithfulness and obedience to God. As for the institution, so for the individual: What do your prayers (and actions) say about what you believe?

Today’s readings: Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; 1 Corinthians 15:20-27; Luke 1:39-56

“Behold, from now on all ages will call me blessed.”

 Saturday, August 16

The right stuff

God makes it clear that God judges on the basis of one’s own behavior, not because of what one’s ancestors did—the latter being a common belief captured in a proverb: The father ate green grapes and the son’s teeth are set on edge. God says this proverb is out the window. In Matthew, Jesus stops those who would prevent children from bothering him for a hug and a blessing. It’s charming and sweet but not sentimental. For Jesus children are symbols of the little ones to whom the kingdom belongs, and he welcomes all with open arms. Jesus has enough of priests and Pharisees deciding who is “in” and who is “out” of God’s good graces. Our own distinctions and divisions also carry no weight with the Holy One. As the song says, “All are welcome in this place”—no matter which side of the tracks, or blanket, you were born on.

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32; Matthew 19:13-15

“Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

 

 
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Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O’Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy