15th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

13th July, 2008      15th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

 

(save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary)

 

The gospel this weekend….  is perfect for our celebration of the beginning of the World Youth Day pilgrimage week in Sydney….   the sower went out….   the sower went out to sow……  and it fell on all manner of conditions…..    God is the sower… and the seed is the word of God loving sent out to all…..   and if the conditions are nurtured and encouraged….  that word will bear enormous fruit…….    each one of us received the word of God in Baptism….    the Holy spirit was given to us… to be nurtured, to grow and to forster in us the love jesus wants for the world….

 

Pope Benedict has much to say to us about the mission jesus entrusts to each of us… of helping sow the word of God’s love….. 

 

For the  XXIII World Youth Day ; the theme will be: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). The underlying theme of the spiritual preparation for our meeting in Sydney is the Holy Spirit and mission.

 

In 2006 we focussed our attention on the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth. In 2007 sought a deeper understanding of the Spirit of Love. At world youth day Sydney 2008, we will be reflecting on the Spirit of Fortitude and Witness that gives us the courage to live according to the Gospel and to proclaim it boldly. Therefore it is very important that each one of you young people - in your communities, and together with those responsible for your education - should be able to reflect on this Principal Agent of salvation history, namely the Holy Spirit //….. the Spirit of Jesus.

 

++

 

The Holy Spirit renewed the Apostles from within, filling them with a power that would give them courage to go out and boldly proclaim that “Christ has died and is risen!” Freed from all fear, they began to speak openly with self-confidence (cf. Acts 2:29; 4:13; 4:29,31). These frightened fishermen had become courageous heralds of the Gospel. Even their enemies could not understand how “uneducated and ordinary men” (cf. Acts 4:13) could show such courage and endure difficulties, suffering and persecution with joy. Nothing could stop them. To those who tried to silence them they replied: “We cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). This is how the Church was born, and from the day of Pentecost she has not ceased to spread the Good News “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

+++

 

Please note the absolute need for prayer……  

Apostolic and missionary fruitfulness is not principally due to programmes and pastoral methods that are cleverly drawn up and “efficient”, but is the result of the community’s constant prayer.  (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 75). Moreover, for the mission to be effective, communities must be united, that is, they must be “of one heart and soul” (cf. Acts 4:32), and they must be ready to witness to the love and joy that the Holy Spirit instils in the hearts of the faithful (cf. Acts 2:42). the late Pope John Paul II wrote that, even prior to action, the Church’s mission is to witness and to live in a way that shines out to others (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 26). the ancient church writer, Tertullian, tells us that this is what happened in the early days of Christianity when pagans were converted on seeing the love that reigned among Christians: “See how they love one another” (cf. Apology, 39 § 7).

 

+++

In this regard, let us never forget that the Gospel of Jesus, precisely because of the Spirit, cannot be reduced to a mere statement of fact, for it is intended to be lived in practical witness……   for it is “good news for the poor, release for captives, sight for the blind ...”. With what great vitality this was seen on the day of Pentecost, as it became the grace and the task of the Church towards the world, her primary mission!

++

 

the importance of eucharist……..

In order to grow in our Christian life, we need to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. In fact, we are baptized and confirmed with a view to the Eucharist (cf. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1322; Sacramentum Caritatis, 17). which is the “Source and summit” of the Church’s life. The Eucharist is a “perpetual Pentecost” since every time we celebrate Mass we receive the Holy Spirit who unites us more deeply with Christ and transforms us into Him. My dear young friends, if you take part frequently in the eucharistic celebration, ….you will acquire that joyful determination to dedicate your lives to following the Gospel. At the same time it will be your experience that whenever our strength is not enough, it is the Holy Spirit who transforms us, filling us with his strength and making us witnesses filled with the missionary energy of the risen Christ.

 

++

Many young people view their lives with apprehension and raise many questions about the future. They anxiously ask: How can we fit into a world marked by so many grave injustices and so much suffering? How should we react to the selfishness and violence that sometimes seem to prevail? How can we give full meaning to life? How can we help to bring it about that the fruits of the Spirit mentioned above, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” can fill this scarred and fragile world, the world of young people most of all?

 

…You young people, through World Youth Day, are in a way manifesting your desire to participate in this mission. (the pope goes on to say)… Once again I repeat that only Christ can fulfil the most intimate aspirations that are in the heart of each person. Only Christ can humanize humanity and lead it to its “divinization”. Through the power of his Spirit he instils divine charity (love) within us, and this makes us capable of loving our neighbour and ready to be of service.

……In particular, I assure you that the Spirit of Jesus today is inviting you young people to be bearers of the good news of Jesus to your contemporaries – to fellow young people. The difficulty that adults undoubtedly find in approaching the sphere of youth in a comprehensible and convincing way could be a sign with which the Spirit is urging you young people to take this task upon yourselves. You know the ideals, the language, and also the wounds, the expectations, and at the same time the desire for goodness felt by your contemporaries. This opens up the vast world of young people’s emotions, work, education, expectations, and suffering ... Each one of you must have the courage to promise the Holy Spirit that you will bring one young person to Jesus Christ in the way you consider best, knowing how to “give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but [to] do it with gentleness and reverence” (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).

In order to achieve this goal, my dear friends, you must be holy and you must be missionaries since we can never separate holiness from mission (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 90). Do not be afraid to become holy missionaries like Saint Francis Xavier who travelled through the Far East proclaiming the Good News until every ounce of his strength was used up, or like Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus who was a missionary even though she never left the Carmelite convent. Both of these are “Patrons of the Missions”. Be prepared to put your life on the line in order to enlighten the world with the truth of Christ (in the places you live and work); to respond with love to hatred and disregard for life; to proclaim the hope of the risen Christ in every corner of the earth.

 

++

 

Fourteenth Sunday in ordinary Times

Most would know by now of the tragic event that has happened here at Saint Mary’s, Maryborough, yesterday, with the terribly sad discovery of a man who had died just outside the church building , in the side cloister, ….  Our prayers and thoughts are with this man, and for his relatives…..  we offer up the masses this weekend here in the parish for the repose of the soul of this man. May he now rest in the peace of God’s Kingdom in heaven.  The whole parish community, and the wider Maryborough community are saddened and shaken by this tragic event. We also keep in our thoughts the parishioners who were her yesterday (Friday morning) at the 8am mass and who were close to the events as they unfolded…   we are sensitive to what you have been through.

 

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord. May perpetual light shine upon him, may he rest in peace. Amen. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

 

+++++

6th July, 2008      14th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

 

P Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary

 

Often when we describe a yoke…..   or a burden…..   these words create the impression of hardship and difficulty………     and yet…  its good to remind ourselves……   that a yoke was ultimately designed to be used in order to make easier…..  to make manageable… and tolerable….   a heavy task……      a yoke allows a person or a n animal to lift a weight and carry a weight in a way that makes it possible and tolerable…over an extended period of time……..     so, it is in this sense that jesus uses the image of a yoke and a burden……   he has frequently warned his disciples and anyone who dared to follow him that there is a cost to discipleship…….   that it would not be easy…. no guarantee of a dream run……..    it is a task…. a burden…..however…. it’s like that song…..

 ‘he’s not heavy… he’s my brother.’    The focus is not on the difficulty…. but the passion for the cause…. the goal……   the mission is to spread God’s love to all the world… in word and action……  and this is a wonderful vocation……..   it is a duty… a burden… a task…. but… it’s a task of love…..   and in that sense …..   it makes the burden a light one…..    and Christ bears the greater load….

 

Jesus also invites us to learn from him…….  and what we have to learn is that Jesus is loving in all his dealings….. and he is gentle….. and humble…… 

 

it makes me wonder…..many  hardships and burdens come our way throughout life….  some are avoidable…. some seem unavoidable……….   but to what extent are some burdens made all the more heavier (more unbearable) …by the opposite of gentleness and the opposite of humility……..   Jesus also seems to be offering to teach us…….  a path of gentleness…..  compassion and love….. and a path of true humility of spirit…..   can make many burdens so much lighter…

 

I think of a hypothetical example….   imagine that two people are experiencing the exact same difficulty….   a major burden and hardship in their lives…. and these people have the exact same circumstances…… the only difference is.,…. one is extremely proud…..   unreasonably self-sufficient… refusing to face even the truth of their difficulty…. and railing against every development and turn of bad fortune…. whilst the other is gentle…. and humble….  accepting what cannot be changed… and (not so much giving up, but rather surrendering in humility) to the new situations and circumstances this person faces….   could it not be said that the one who is proud and forceful might be putting on themselves an even greater, unbearable burden than the other……     perhaps in this sense, Jesus means us to learn from him… and open up to his vision and response to the world and its events…

 

a yoke is also something used to join to creatures together so that they act as one…  was Jesus saying… join yourself to me…  join your hopes and cares… your fears and struggles to me…. and let me work with you as one……  and see what wonders will result…..

 

I love the meaning of this gospel today…. there is a deep and sturdy realism to the Gospel message Jesus offers us…..    it is the perfect combination of idealism AND realism……     Jesus does not promise an easy ride…. but he does promise us that his WAY makes any burdens capable of being transformed by love ands service. 

 

With the days in the diocese coming up this week… and with the excitement and grace of world youth day week next week too…..   the church is going to be celebrating and experiencing and proclaiming this realistic joy, this practical hope……..

 

ours is not a joy borne out of denying the reality of the struggles and pains of life…..   ours is a joy that says….   we are at peace… we are at rest… and we continue to love…   even with the tragedies and tensions of sin and pain…….    this is a message the world needs more than ever… this is the faith we unite in witnessing over the next two weeks.,… May God richy bless us and give us the joy, the rest and the relief that comes with this faith… and hope…..

 

 

 

 

Paul W. Kelly

269 Adelaide Street

Maryborough Qld 4650

Australia

 

Office:  (07) 4121 3701

Fax: (07) 4121 2829

Phone 041 778 6456

Please visit our website: www.marycatholic.com

 

P Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary

************** IMPORTANT MESSAGE ***********

This e-mail (including all attachments) is intended solely for the named addressee/s and may contain confidential information. If you have received this e-mail in error please inform the sender and delete it from your computer system and destroy any copies.
This e-mail is subject to copyright. Any unauthorised disclosure, modification or distribution is expressly prohibited. Unless explicitly attributed, the opinions expressed in this e-mail do not necessarily represent the official position or opinions of Saint Mary's Catholic Parish Maryborough, Childers Catholic Parish or the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane. Saint Mary's Catholic Parish Maryborough, Childers Catholic Parish or the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane gives no warranties that this e-mail is free from computer viruses or other defects. Except for responsibilities implied by law that cannot be excluded, Saint Mary's Catholic Parish Maryborough, Childers Catholic Parish or the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, its employees and agents will not be responsible for any loss, damage or consequence arising from this e-mail.

The parish complies with laws relating to Privacy and Safety.

For more information on the privacy policy please visit: http://www.parishes.bne.catholic.net.au/maryborough/privacy.html 

For more information on the compliance with Safety policies and laws, please visit:

http://www.parishes.bne.catholic.net.au/maryborough/maryboroughchild.htm

*********************************************************************

 

Sts Peter and Paul

29th June, 2008      Sts Peter and Paul

 

P Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary

 

Sts Peter and Paul went through their lives and minitry strong in the belief that God was with them, that God was accompanying them on their pilgrimage of life…..   guiding them and supporting them in the mission and their proclamation of the Good news…

 

time and time again, they were saved from imprisonment and death….  and continued on their way, boldly proclaiming the good news….  but they were not under any illusions…..   although they often praised God for his constant love, protection and grace…..  and were grateful for the times they were saved from death…..   they knew that being Jesus’ friends and disciples was not about having permanent protection from suffering, imprisonment and death…. after all, their Master and the founder of the message  they proclaimed… suffered the most terrible fate on the Cross……   being a disciple is not a guarantee of safety or absolute physical protection….  it is not, as we know too well, a charm to prevent all illness or even death…..    but nevertheless…. our discipleship does give us hope and trust… that God remains with us, in the ups and downs of life…. in good times and bad………   in sickness and in health….  in peace and in times of turmoil……….    God is with us… to lead us to eternal life, where we will share eventually in the fullness of Jesus’ Kingdom and have eternal life…  this life begins now… and can be experienced profoundly in so many ways here and now……… but we know the fullness is to be experienced only in the world to come.

 

We Catholics believe that the Pope is the successor of the special role of St Peter… as the foundation stone on which Christ builds his church……    and so, it is timely that we celebrate this feast as the church in Australia prepares to host the World Youth day pilgrimage in Sydney.  The pope will visit our land, and we will join our prayers to those of our pilgrims who will travel down from here to Sydney to be part of the celebration of unity and faith…..    we too, will get to host, less than two weeks…. the international pilgrims who will visit our area… and we will all celebrate and encounter the richness of the universal church….   a church including people from every race, language and culture…..    all one In Christ….   

 

but of course…   in many ways, World Youth day is a living symbol… a to n expression of something much, much bigger….   it’s a chance to celebrate our identity… our membership of the Catholic Christian faith family….   and, as one pilgrim has written…” World youth day has the potential to be great if it is seen as part of a long-term strategy by the church to engage young people….  to enkindle in us all the fire of the Good News that drove the apostles to the ends of the earth in Jesus name…..   and inspired and enlivened them to establish permanent local communities deeply embedded in the principles, life and values of Jesus’ Kingdom….   World Youth day is an encounter and expression of our need to encounter eachother in faith…  for the leadership of the church to meet the young people f the church… and to listen… really listen to each other…. with open hearts…. hearts tuned to the gospel………  if that is not done.. then, as another WYD writer put it recently… unless that happens, then it will have been little more than an expensive gathering of young people…. and please God (with the Spirit of God at work)… it will be a LOT more than that.  

 

St Paul, the apostle to the Gentile nations would be so proud today… as he looks at all that Christ has achieved in and through his church…..   he would be the first to remind us to celebrate our ‘unity in diversity’

 

When Jesus asks ‘who do people say I am….. and then asks the even more important question….  ‘who do YOU say I am’    Simon replies….   “You are the Christ, the son of God.”   It is really important for us to see why Jesus then immediately says his next words…..   you could almost add a “because” into Jesus sentence…..  “Because you say that I am the Christ, the son of the Living God, you are Petros….YOU are the rock on which I will build my church.” 

 

The church is founded upon the rock of the reality that Jesus is THE Christ… THE son of the living God…. and that Jesus is God the SON……    as important as it is that Peter proclaimed these words…..//  … even more importantly is that he proclaimed the central POINT of our Faith… it is BECAUSE Jesus is the Son of God that we are who we are… // that we Christians live as we live…..//   and it is BECAUSE of who Jesus is that we share in the actual divine life and relationship of God by uniting ourselves in mind, heart and communion to Jesus…….    

 

and this changes everything….  it gives us the grace, the love and the freedom to live and to act as Jesus did……    and in so many ways….  by our words, actions and lives…  to set prisoners free… to declare God’s favour to each other…. and to cancel so many types of debt that we can hold over one another……    to BE, as Peter, Paul and the apostles are….. GOOd news to the poor…..

 

Twefth Week of ordinary time, a, 22/6/08

22nd June, 2008      12th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

 

P Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary

 

Poor Jeremiah,   he was only doing God’s will…..  and awful people were doing everything they could to close him down.   Jeremiah was speaking God’s message  - calling for Justice, and faithfulness, and repentance and obedience to God’s law….. and this got him immediately offside with those who were personally benefitting from BEING unjust and selfish.  So, instead of listening to his message, Because it was hard and challenging and required a mindset change….   they did what people have done throughout the generations….. they took the easiest option and tried to shoot the messenger…..    Jeremiah’s enemies did everything they could to abuse him, contradict him….   lie about him so that he would be discredited, laugh at him and attack him……..    the wonderful thing is…. jeremiah just kept telling his message, he ignored the attacks and the lies…..(although it hurt him and got him down)…… and he put his faith in God and kept going……  

 

Jesus is the ultimate example of this complete faithfulness…… his enemies knew that there was only one way they could stop him proclaiming and living his good news message of inclusion, justice and love… and that was to destroy him… to kill him and discredit him…….  But the Word of God in Jesus cannot be silenced… and it rose up again…..   showing once and for all that the opposing forces of lies, injustice and violence… were real, but ultimately empty threats…

 

Saints and real heroes …are people who can endure any hardship, bear any indignity, face any danger, (even death)… not because they think they can’t be hurt….   no…. but because they know that what they struggle for is the TRUTH… and it is RIGHT…. and it is REAL….    and that they know their souls are safe   -

 

(and Jesus knew this perfectly….    do not be afraid of those who can harm your body……    rather fear the one who has power over your very soul).

 

 

Of course, Jesus had a right to fear physical harm…  there were people out there trying to kill him……   but he believed in something much bigger that physical safety in this lifetime…. 

 

Jeremiah had people trying to kill him…. he was right to be concerned….   for us today, the dangers are often not physical…  although occasionally in this country.. and in others places its more common….   there are people still risking their lives and freedom for the cause of justice and truth……  

 

but for many of us.. the dangers we face are more subtle…  often spiritual…  

 

When we have everything that we need, then we can be wordlessly tempted to think that we do not need God. When we look at our world today, we see that the richer nations believe less. We must be careful not to generalize, but that surely looks like the trend.

 

Jesus preaches a very different Gospel. Jesus tells us that real happiness comes from belief in God, from seeking the will of the Father, from giving to others, from sharing what we have with those who do not have, from respect for marriage, from praying and from forgiving.

 

Jesus does not invite us to have absolutely nothing, but always the challenge is there: What are you doing with what you have? Are you loving God and loving one another? What are you doing in your daily life? Are you seeking only your own pleasures or are you seeking the Kingdom of God?

 

So often we long for material pleasures, reassurances and the delights of this world! Jesus invites us to recognize that there is another world in which the values do not exclude pleasure and delight, but in which other values are much more important. When one persons sins, others are encouraged to sin. When one person chooses to live according to the will of God, others can begin to grasp that there is another world. Jesus had a remarkable gift of convincing others of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is God, of course, but He invites us also to share His life and share that gift of convincing others of the Kingdom of God by our manner of living.

 

 

Okay, we may not live in a world where people are trying to kill us…..   but…  there are so many ways of ‘neutralising’ a person…. the most insidious of all is forms of aggression that seem to have been perfected in this modern world…..   we can destroy a person with our words…..    with lies and distortions…. how easy is it to say something about another that makes others think less of them,….  killing their reputation with either outright falsehoods… or even more insidious, by subtle innuendo…..   this is another way people try to remove those who threaten  them…..  

 

But Jesus assures, us….   things spoken in the dark will be brought into the light….   things whispered … will be shouted from the rooftops….   I believe that the truth will often be revealed eventually….   but not denying the damage that can be done in the meantime….   and in any case, Jesus, our role model… assures us not to ever be spooked by the power of lies and threats…..    he showed us to keep going, keep trusting and keep living and proclaiming the truth… and that those who try to oppose.. are doing so because they are threatened by the truth….  but, ultimately,  they will not win. (but let us make no mistake… enormous damage might be done in the meantime… so we need strength, grace and love…to perservere… 

 

 

I have a saying, and I truly believe this… whenever you are doing a thing that is right and good… inevitable someone will come along and tell you to “Stop!”    - we must ignore them,…..    or… as Jesus did…   see their opposition for what it is….  fear and threat… and keep going…

 

May we love the Lord our God and may the way we live show forth clearly that the Kingdom of Heaven is in our midst, especially in the face of opposition or ctiricism. . May we live now in such a way that gives testimony to the love of God and to life everlasting. May we have no fear!

 

 

 

(adapted and taken from Monastery of Christ in the desert, and also 2008 A Book of Grace Filled Days, and also additions by Paul Kelly).

15th June, 2008 11th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

15th June, 2008      11th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

 

P Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary

 

This weekend’s Gospel has a word that one could spend a lifetime reflecting upon:   it says  “At the sight of the crowds, Jesus' heart was moved with compassion for them // because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.”

 

Compassion is at the heart of Jesus’ message of Good news.  It is a timely reminder, that being followers of Jesus means not ‘having all the answers’  or being God’s fix-it people…… but it is about joining ourselves to Christ who is the “compassion of God”.   - 

 

First and foremost, what people encountered when they met Jesus, was not a man with all the answers…..  but a man with the compassion and love of God ……  and this transformed, healed and freed them…..

 

I was reading a reflection  the other day and it was about how a man and his family struggled to cope when their sister was badly injured in an accident… he wrote:

that some of the nicest people said the worst and most unhelpful things to him at that time….   “its all God’s will and you just have to accept it.”….  “God never gives a person a cross they can’t handle” …..”God must have been trying to teach you a lesson”….     “we will only find out in heaven what she did to deserve this.”   ……. and so on…. and that was just his friends…..  

 

In the end…..   being Christian is about love…. and compassion….. not helpful advice……..   and we see, as the example of this…. time and time again…. jesus… in there…. boots and all ….. with the poor, the sick, the sinner, the outcast……    and why…..  not to make a point….  not to teach a lesson…. but because his heart broke when he saw their suffering… and he couldn’t help but be in there with his beloved…….    suffering with them…….

 

would it not be a better place if we are known (most of all) for our compassion…..  even our foolish tendency to compassion…..  beyond reason…..  

 

It reminds me that Christianity… is really not a head trip….  its not about rules, concepts and practices….. but really…… its about a person…….   its always about the person……..   firstly, the person and values of the person called Jesus…. and secondly….  (but just as important)  … the people we meet……. and he places we find each other in….

 

 

Also, our relationship with God, so close, through the invitation of Jesus….  has come about not from us meriting it or deserving it….  no, no, no…..  far from it….. if we were to get what we deserved… it would not be a pretty picture……  we have a deep and abiding relationshop with God because of God’s gratuituous…. ridiculous… and preposterously generous love…….    and so,….. our actions, values and decisions too can flow from gratuitiousness rather than self interest…….    self-interest and self-indulgence really has no place in the Christian message…..  counting the cost…..   getting our fair share….  wanting ‘our cut’   ends up making no sense when we look face to face with the compassion of Christ….. who gave witout counting the cost….. without caring what was in it for him………   Lord… let us do the same…….

 

every time we receive communion…. we are saying AMEN……  YES LORD… to the values of Jesus…  and to receiving Jesus into our hearts and lives…….   this is such a priceless treasure……    and its why we pray silently after receiving hold communion….  with thoughts like this……   ‘lord, as we receive your body and blood… may we become more and more like you, / may we love more and more  like you do, with every passing day…..  and may we never be parted from you…….  in thought… word… or deed……

 

(Ideas taken from Sharing the Word. Gustavo Gutierrez;  Preaching to the Converted, Richard Leonard,  Abbot’s homily, Monastery Christ in the Desert).

 

+++++

 

extra weekday reflections:

 

Monday, June 16

 

Bottomless pockets

 

People often seek guidance about how to respond to the “spare change” people who camp out on city streets. They also want to know what to do with the mountains of solicitations they receive in the mail. Obviously, if we gave every single time we’re approached, some of us would be asking for spare change ourselves before long. But the secret truth we don’t like to acknowledge is that most of us could give far more than we do. The best advice I’ve received is: Give till it scares you. That’s the threshold where the faith walk begins.

 

Today’s readings: 1 Kings 21:1-16; Matthew 5:38-42

 

“Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”

 

 

Tuesday, June 17

 

Breaking even

 

The love to which Christ calls us is not a zero-sum game. But we often treat it that way. We are polite to the coworkers who are polite to us. We send birthday gifts to those who remembered ours. Perhaps we only give that amount of affection to our spouses that we can be sure he or she will reciprocate. When we treat people according to the way they treat us, our love is a slave to the wills of others. It can never flow freely. We seek to break even in our love, when all we do is allow the other party to dictate its limits. This attitude is so contrary to the love of Christ, who loves each according to his own will, his own grace. Pray today that your love will flow through the freedom Christ has given us.

 

Today’s readings: 1 Kings 21:17-29; Matthew 5:43-48

 

“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?”

 

 

Wednesday, June 18

 

Left holding the bag—or the mantle

 

Elijah’s farewell is less about a prophet’s grand exit in an F-4 tornado and more about what remains of him. Like Elisha, the friend and disciple left behind, we may feel the absence of Jesus and overwhelmed by the task he has left us. But Elisha is left with more than memories and a ministry. He has his master’s mantle, and a “double share” of his spirit. In our turn on the planet, we, too, may feel our Master has left us on our own, but Jesus assures us that here on earth we will do the same things he did “and greater besides”—not walking on water or changing water to wine but “righteous deeds,” acts of compassion, justice, and forgiveness.

 

Today’s readings: 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

 

“As Elijah and Elisha continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.”

 

 

Thursday, June 19

Feast of Romuald, abbot

 

Note to myself: Become a saint

 

Sometimes the life of a saint can seem so far beyond our ability to model that we feel defeated before we start. How many of us have thought, “I could get close to God, too—if I didn’t have this demanding job, or these children to care for, or this household to manage. Anyone can pray in a monastery!” Saint Romuald, who spent his life in pursuit of solitude, silence, and contemplation, understands our dilemma. He wrote, “The fact that we cannot duplicate their [the saints’] lives does not change the call to us to be totally open to God in our particular circumstances.” Yes, we are busy. But God is calling us “in our particular circumstances.” How can we be open to God today?

 

Today’s readings: Sirach 48:1-14; Matthew 6:7-15

 

“In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.”

 

 

Friday, June 20

 

Eyes on the prize

 

Perhaps you have heard of a monastic discipline called “custody of the eyes,” which originally was promoted as an aid to chaste living. In our age of total media exposure and graphic representations of sex and violence, we would do well to exercise a measure of this discipline in our own lives. If the eyes are the window to the soul, there might indeed be good reasons to keep the blinds half drawn much of the time. Overexposed eyes can lead to a washed-out soul. Focus on your higher calling and exercise discipline as to where you let your eye wander, for there your heart may soon follow.

 

Today’s readings: 2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20; Matthew 6:19-23

 

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

 

 

Saturday, June 21

 

As you sow, so shall you reap

 

“If we are rushed for time, sow time and we will reap time,” Dorothy Day wrote in her memoir The Long Loneliness. “Go to church and spend a quiet hour in prayer. You will have more time than ever and your work will get done. Sow time with the poor. Sit and listen to them, give your time lavishly. You will reap time a hundredfold. Sow kindness and you will reap kindness. Sow love, you will reap love.” How many of us would try to cope with our busy schedules by actually taking time for something not on our to-do lists? Yet if we trust, God will multiply the time we invest in prayer, love, and generosity into a great harvest.

 

Today’s readings: 2 Chronicles 24:17-25; Matthew 6:24-34

 

“Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

 

 

 

 

 

©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