Author: admin

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Gospel: Matthew 12: 46-50

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,
his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,
asking to speak with you.”
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There’s an old Chinese proverb, “Not one family can put a sign outside of their home with the words, ‘No problems here.’”

Every family – even the Holy Family – experiences tension.

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We see such tension unfolding in today’s Gospel while Jesus is found preaching inside someone’s home. Suddenly, Mary and a few other family members show up asking to speak with him. 

They haven’t come to ask him if he’ll be home for dinner; they’ve come to silence him. Mark tells us, some of his family thought he was, “Out of his mind!” 

They knew the Lord’s teachings were revolutionary, so they feared Jesus might disturb the civil and religious authorities. In their minds, silencing him would be an act of mercy, keeping him from throwing his life away. 

Although his family cared for him, they didn’t always understand him.

The fact they are standing outside not only speaks to their physical separation, but also their distance in mind and heart. 

If they are to become members of his divine family – the Church – then they must enter the home, where they’ll be invited to, “hear the Word of God and observe it.”

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So, it is for us.

In baptism, each of us is welcomed into the “home” of the Church, where the Lord instructs us by his Word and Sacraments. Our mission is to remain inside this home, in good standing, in a state of grace.

What has been my experience of life in the Church? Do I feel at home? Welcome? Or, at times, do I disagree?

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“Not one family can put a sign outside of their home with the words, ‘No problems here.’” 

There is tension in every family – even this divine family, the Church. But nothing should separate us. As Saint Paul reminds us, “We are one body, the body of Christ on earth.” 

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Image credits: (1) iStock (2) Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, Johannes Vermeer (3) Nickel Designs Custom Doormats

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Gospel: John 20: 1-2, 11-18

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.” 

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.'”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Gustave Doré was a 19^th century artist who was known for, among other things, his paintings. One day, a student of Doré brought him a painting of Jesus that he just finished. Seeking Doré’s approval, the student stood before him, awaiting the verdict.

After a long period of silence, Doré looked at him and said, “You don’t love him, or you would paint him better.”

Love transforms the way we see another person.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, a woman who undoubtedly loved Jesus.

John paints a beautiful picture of her devotion in today’s Gospel. After three dreadful days of mourning and waiting, Mary rushes to the tomb while it’s still dark outside to anoint the Lord’s body. To her absolute surprise, he’s gone.

She’s so overwhelmed with emotion, that tears flood her eyes, preventing her from realizing that first she’s speaking with angels. 

Even after the Lord appears to her, Mary mistakes him for a gardener. Wondering if he took the Lord’s body, Mary asks for it back, as if she’s physically strong enough to carry him away or has a better plan for where to lay him.

While Mary’s devotion is eventually rewarded – the Lord reveals to her that he is, in fact, alive again! – it’s only a momentary consolation. “Stop holding onto me,” he says. “Go to my brothers,” tell them what you’ve seen.

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Herein we find the path of discipleship. There’s the initial search for Jesus; the encounter; then the great commission – “go forth.”

Tell others what you’ve seen.

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In what ways do we show our love for Jesus? Like Mary, how do we share the Good News, not only in word, but also in deed?

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“You don’t love him,” Doré said, “or you would paint him better.”

To the contrary, may all of our words and actions demonstrate our love for Christ today.

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Image credits: (1) Christ’s Appearance to Mary Magdalene, Alexander Ivanov (2) Ibid. (3) Quotefancy

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Gospel: Mark 6:30-34

The apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught. 
He said to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” 
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat. 
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. 
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. 
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Summer is here! Some days, doesn’t the heat feel oppressive? It does to me, certainly when the only color I’m wearing aside from black is the white tab in my collar.

But with this sultry weather also comes the opportunity to bathe in the sun, to dip in the ocean, to read a good book at the beach.

It’s what we do when summer comes: we travel, take a long-awaited vacation, or at least a Friday off and journey down the shore.

While the demands placed upon us might never seem to end, there’s also the understanding that we’re only human; sometimes we all need to rest.

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A brisk reading of the Gospels would make it seem like Jesus never did, as if he were a workaholic, tightly packing his schedule with sharing the Good News, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and bringing the dead back to life.

The overachiever in me clings to this image of a “workaholic” Lord, as if it sanctifies my own busyness, giving me an excuse to never stop.

The Lord did live with a sense of urgency; he knew his three-year ministry was coming to an end. There was so much to do, and so little time.

Yet, today’s Gospel provides us with a different image of Jesus. Not a “workaholic” Lord, but one who invites his disciples to rest. “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while,” he says.

I’m sure the disciples were hesitant at first. What could be more important than Jesus’ ministry of healing and his message of salvation? People were depending upon him!

Eight centuries prior, the prophet Isaiah foresaw this day. Isaiah prophesied that, when the Messiah comes, the blind will see; the deaf will hear; the lame will walk; and the mute will speak.

Jesus was performing all of these miracles. Even the disciples themselves were performing miracles in Christ’s name.

With all of this divine momentum snowballing, why stop? Why not rest later? 

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Because there was one thing that was as important to Jesus as performing good works: forming his disciples.

Soon enough, the students will become the teachers; the followers will become the leaders; the sheep will become the shepherds; the crowds will become their flock.

Christ is preparing to hand his ministry over to them, his often imperfect, workaholic disciples. They need this time away in order to discover Jesus; to learn more about who he is, not just what he can do. 

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Specifically, they need to process.

A lot has happened over the last few weeks. 

In this single chapter of Mark’s Gospel – chapter 6 – the Lord was rejected in his hometown; the disciples went on their first missionary journey; John the Baptist was beheaded by King Herod; and Jesus fed a crowd of five-thousand with five loaves and two fish.

That’s a lot to take in: rejection, missionary work, death, and miracles.

If the disciples act as busybodies, idolizing their work and never taking time to reflect, then they’ll lose the bigger picture. The Good News is about more than healing; it’s about salvation.

Rest will help them process this reality.

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Rest will also revitalize the Lord and his disciples. 

If the Apostles never pause, ponder, and pray, then they’ll burn out. What type of foundation would that be for the Church – a bunch of burnt-out fishermen?

The same is true for us. What good are we if we’re tired, over-worked, and stretched too thin? Maybe a lot has happened in our lives over the last year.

“So, come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest for a while,” the Lord says today. 

Make time to ponder and pray.

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Where is my “deserted place”? Where and when do I rest with the Lord? 

Do I rest with Jesus?

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Summer is finally here. With it not only comes the opportunity to steal a day away, to read a good book, or to dip in the ocean. It also brings the chance to spend quality time with the Lord, reflecting on our spiritual journey. 

“Come away and rest,” he says.

What might that look like for me?

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Image credits: (1) Adobe Stock (2) Scientific American (3) Upside-Down Savior