Author: admin

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Gospel: Luke 6: 12-19

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people 
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Growing up, I remember playing backyard sports with my older brother and his friends. I was often chosen last because I was the youngest; the tag-along; the runt of the group.

If you wanted to win, then choosing me wasn’t the smartest idea.

But humanly speaking, it was understandable. Everyone else was stronger and faster than me.

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But what happens when God enters the picture? 

All of a sudden, the same human being – once limited by nature – is transformed by grace.

Consider what happens in today’s Gospel.

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Jesus chooses the most unlikely men to be on his team.

None of them were scholars; nor were they wealthy; famous; educated; or influential. They were common folk with their own share of flaws, giving Jesus every reason to choose them last… if at all.

Yet each of them was given the grace to change – not only themselves, but also the world. A Church that started with twelve followers in today’s Gospel has since grown by one-million percent!

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Can’t you see a similar story unfolding in our parish?

We’re a small community. Compared to other, much larger parishes within the Archdiocese, we’d be the “runt” of the group.

Yet God has chosen us and given us the grace to grow into an active, joyful, life-giving community that’s increasing by the day, both in number and in Spirit.

That’s what happens when God enters the picture – one life is changed, followed by another and another.

Suddenly, everything – and everyone – is different.

We’ve all been called to be on his team. I wonder, how will we inspire further growth today?

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Image credits: (1) Christian Quotes (2) Great Commissioning, Domenico Gherlandaio (3) Nan Jones

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Gospel: Luke 6: 6-11

On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.
But he realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up and stand before us.”
And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
“Stretch out your hand.”
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Vincent DePaul once said, “When you are praying, if you hear the doorbell ring, then get up and answer it.”

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Nobody likes being disturbed, certainly not in prayer; prayer is an act of intimacy. We’re vulnerable because our eyes are often closed, our heart is open, our breathing is steady, while we have a silent conversation with the Lord. 

But sometimes the doorbell rings; charity comes knocking on our door. Meaning, you have to stand up and put the needs of others before your own.

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In today’s Gospel, people have gathered on the Sabbath to pray in the synagogue.

Jesus is there and, suddenly, he notices a man with a withered hand. Instead of ignoring him and continuing with his prayers, Jesus calls the man out.

“Come up here and stand before us,” he says.

Tradition tells us that this man was a stone mason; he needed both of his hands to work. So, if the Lord didn’t heal him, then the man would be reduced to a life of begging.

Could Jesus observe the Sabbath and wait to heal the man on Monday morning? Of course. But Jesus will always put the needs of others before his own.

When the doorbell rings, as it were, he answers.

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So, what might this passage mean for us?

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There are moments when we all need to put the needs of others first.

Maybe that means returning a phone call; visiting a homebound parishioner; inserting a few service hours into our schedule; or even doing someone else’s chores at home.

So, the next time the doorbell rings – when an opportunity for charity arises – will you seize it?

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Image credits: (1) A-Z Quotes (2) Ignatian Spirituality (3) No Longer Lukewarm