Year: 2024

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Gospel: John 21: 15-17

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and
eaten breakfast with them,
he said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
[Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When you walk into our parish office, you may notice a framed icon of Saint Francis of Assisi hanging on the wall. That icon represents the call of every Christian – past, present, and future.

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800 years ago, as Francis was praying in the church of San Damiano, a tiny chapel located in the hills of Assisi, the Lord spoke to him, saying, “Rebuild my Church.”

That chapel was physically in tatters, so Francis rebuilt it. But the Lord spoke to him again, saying: “Rebuild my Church.” 

God wasn’t asking Francis to rebuild a chapel; rather, to restore faith in the Church. So, Francis started a religious order, the Franciscans, whose mission it was to share the Gospel in word and deed.

On his deathbed, Francis looked at his brothers and said, “I have done what was mine to do. Now you must do what is yours to do.” 

Renew the faith of the Church, a call that summons us throughout the ages.

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700 years later, Pope Saint Pius X, whose feast day we celebrate today, answered that call, instituting several reforms.

First, he dropped the age of First Communion from twelve to seven. He believed in the power of the Eucharist – and that every Catholic should receive that grace as early as possible. As Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Feed my sheep.”

Pius X also required the teaching of the Catechism in every parish, another effort to “rebuild” the faith of the Church.

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This is our mission, too. Each of us must consider: What is mine to do? How do I hand on the faith?

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May the Saints who’ve answered this call, Pius X and Francis included, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Slide Player (2) Indian Catholic Matters (3) RoadLife

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Gospel: Matthew 19: 23-30

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,

“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Then Peter said to him in reply,
“We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“Lord, we have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”

Peter and the others have left a lot behind: their boats, their homes, their families, their imagined plans for the future – all to follow Jesus into the unknown. It’s fair for Peter to wonder, “What will there be for us?”

“A hundred times more, and eternal life to come,” the Lord says. A promise that rings true throughout the ages.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux – a man who, like Peter, left everything behind to follow the Lord. 

Bernard, the third of seven children, was born into a family of high-nobility in France nearly a thousand years ago. While his parents ensured that he received a comprehensive education, at the very center of their family was faith in Jesus Christ.

That faith was greatly tested by the death of Bernard’s mother shortly after he turned nineteen. But such a great loss was met with even greater grace, as Bernard turned to the Lord in his time of need.

Feeling the Lord drawing him closer, he decided to enter religious life as a monk. 

Amazingly, his conviction was so deep, that all of his brothers joined him, with the exception of the youngest, who would join him later, as would his father! His sister became a nun. Thirty other boys of nobility also followed Bernard that day.

Together, they traveled thirty miles north of their home and joined a Benedictine monastery.

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Some years thereafter, Bernard was sent to establish a new Benedictine monastery in France. By his death, over 700 other men had joined! Bernard leaves behind a legacy of faith, humility, and devotion to Our Lady, all of which are evidenced by his 530 pastoral letters and 300 sermons.

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So, what might his life say to us today?

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As is true in the life of Saint Peter, he reminds us that, with God’s grace, we can change the world for the better – one person at a time. 

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Image credits: (1) QuoteFancy (2) Bernard of Clairvaux, Britannica (3) Redbubble

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Gospel: Matthew 19: 16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus looks upon the rich young man…and “loves” him.

The Lord must’ve delighted in his zeal for religion, and in his effort to be, “perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect.”

But notice what happens when Jesus “loves” him:

He peers into the young man’s heart, inviting him into even deeper holiness. “You are lacking in one thing,” he says. “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor…then come and follow me.”

The man walks away sad, “for he had many possessions.” Though he was a pious man, the Lord occupied second – not first – place in his heart, a constant challenge for any believer.

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When Jesus gazes upon us, he “loves” us just the same. He sees our zeal for God and all of the good works we do to serve him in our neighbor.

But he also sees those things that impede our spiritual growth. That’s what love does by its very nature; it seeks to remove things that block further intimacy between two souls. 

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What impedes my own spiritual growth or keeps me from growing in intimacy with Jesus?

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At times, our prayer life becomes rote or dry. Perhaps we compartmentalize our life, allowing faith to influence some – but not all – of our decisions. Maybe there’s a particular person, memory, or habit that keeps drawing us away from the Lord. 

Maybe we don’t always give God enough of our talent, trust, or time.

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Ultimately, the rich young man walked away from Jesus out of fear; he feared that following Jesus would not be enough; he feared leaving the security of his possessions behind, as if they could satisfy him more than Jesus.

We know that isn’t true. The Lord is more than enough. May we do whatever we must to keep the Lord where he belongs – in first, at the very center of our lives. 

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Image credits: (1) John Kenny The Relationship Guy (2) Regular Pastor (3) Behance