Author: admin

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When we consider some of the bigger challenges facing our world, like poverty, hunger, unpredictable weather, and gun violence, it’s easy to throw our hands up and say these problems are almost too big to be solved.

But that’s not what Christians are called to do.

Even if we can only make a splash, a tiny difference in the life of another person, we should do it.

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Consider the life of Father Peter Claver, a Spanish priest from the 17^th century, whose feast we celebrate today.

Distraught over the injustice of the slave trade, he moved to Cartagena, Colombia, and vowed to become, “a slave to slaves forever.”

For 33 years, Father Peter woke up every morning and went to the shipping docks, where men, women, and children were unloaded after harrowing journeys across the Atlantic and sold into slavery.

While he couldn’t stop this awful practice, Father Peter courageously welcomed them with food, water, and preached the Gospel.

He was a flicker of light – the face of Christ – in what was an otherwise dark and scary time. By the end of his life, he baptized over 300,000 people, giving them something to hope for – a better life to come.

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While we may not resolve every challenge facing our world today, Peter reminds us that there is still something we can do.

We can still bring a cup of water to the thirsty; a word of love to the lonely; a blanket to the homeless; or the Gospel to someone who’s never heard it.

“For whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters,” Jesus says, “you do to me.”

Father Peter Claver, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) YMI (2) How and What

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Gospel: Matthew 1: 18-23

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

    Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
        and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In the longer version of today’s Gospel, we hear the genealogy of Jesus, which includes some pretty surprising and scandalous figures – including adulterers, murderers, and prostitutes!

If we looked back over forty-two generations from our own family tree, there’s a chance we’d also find a bad apple or two.

But this is the genealogy of Jesus! 

Why would God knowingly include sinners to prepare the way for his Son’s first coming?

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To teach us a timeless lesson: that people often lead messy, difficult lives. Everyone makes mistakes; everyone has written a page or two they’d rather not repeat, even the ancestors of Jesus.

As Saint Paul says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” except Jesus and the Blessed Mother.

So, what does this mean for us?

Just as the Lord used imperfect people to prepare the way for his Son’s first coming, God intends to use all of us to prepare for his Son’s second coming.

We help prepare the way of the Lord whenever we repent of our sins; share our faith; strive to be an agent of peace and understanding; and love our neighbor as Christ has taught us.

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So, what can I do to honor Jesus today?

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Image credits: (1) Linking Earth With Heaven Above (2) Prakash @ sabc (3) Breaking in the Habit

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Gospel: Luke 6: 20-26

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.  
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false 
prophets in this way.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“Blessed are the poor… the hungry… the weeping… and those who are hated because of my name… Your reward will be great in heaven.”

While that’s good news for those who are suffering around the world – particularly because of their faith – what about the rest of us?

What about those of us gathered here this morning?

How are we to be “blessed” in Jesus’ eyes?

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Perhaps we can turn to Matthew’s version of this Gospel passage, also known as the Beatitudes. Instead of calling the “poor” blessed, Matthew says, “blessed are the poor in spirit.”

To be “poor in spirit” means to, “know your need for God.”

Blessed are those who know their need for God.

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We gather here every morning because we know our need for God. 

We turn to him when life gets heavy. 

We turn to him after the loss of a loved one.

We offer him our needs, bundled up with our love and praise.

We ask God for guidance in prayer and try our best to please him. 

“Blessed are you,” Jesus says, for bringing God into the picture; for living a life of “we,” not just “me.”

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How can I show the Lord I need him, I’m “poor in spirit,” today?

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Image credits: (1) Bible Love Notes (2) Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls (3) Interrupting the Silence