Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 10: 13-16

Jesus said to them,
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.’
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me. 
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Someone once said to me, “Father, you may be the only bible a person ever reads.”

In many ways, this was true in first century Palestine. Jews were often poor and illiterate, learning about their faith through oral tradition and the teaching of the elders, the religious leaders of their day.

What the rabbi said, went.

This is why Jesus criticizes them so harshly in the Gospels. The religious leaders of his day made religion meticulous and difficult to follow. “Woe to you!” he says.

What the Lord commands of Christians is to teach others about our God by the way we speak, the way we live our lives, and the way we treat others in the process. We may be the only bible a person ever reads.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, a man who lived his life by the bible he read.

Born into a wealthy Italian family in the 13^th century, Francis left everything behind in order to follow Jesus. 

Literally.

One sunny afternoon, in the middle of the public square, a teenage Francis stood before his bishop and declared his desire to spend his life in service of the Church. So, the bishop instructed Francis to renounce his father’s fortune and promise obedience to the Church.

On the spot, Francis removed his clothing and placed all of his money on top.

Naked, he professed his faith – and lived it out for the rest of his life.

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On his deathbed, Saint Francis said to his followers, the first Franciscans, “My brothers, I have done what was mine to do. Now you must do what is yours to do.”

While that looks differently for each of us, the call is the same: live out your faith, not only in word, but above all in action.

You may be the only bible a person ever reads.

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Image credits: (1) Beautiful in Jesus (2) Mondo Cattolico (3) More than Useless

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Job 19: 21-27:

Job said:

Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has struck me!
Why do you hound me as though you were divine,
and insatiably prey upon me?

Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing.

The Word of the Lord.

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Voyager 1 is a satellite launched into space by NASA in 1977. It has been exploring our solar system ever since, traveling further than any other spacecraft in history.

In 1990, Voyager 1 snapped a photo of planet earth from nearly four billion miles away. Our magnificent home appeared as a blue dot against a backdrop of dark, empty space, putting the scale of planet earth – and perhaps our own lives – into a much bigger context.

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For the last four days, we’ve been reading through the Book of Job. 

It began with a dialogue between God and Satan. God praised Job for his faithfulness, but Satan pushed back, saying that Job’s faith was a function of his security. If everything were taken from him, then Job’s faith in God would wither.  

Mysteriously, God allows Job to be tested as Satan takes nearly everything from him.

At first, Job clung deeply to his faith, saying, “The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” But as the shock settled in, Job began questioning – even cursing – the day of his birth.

So, God takes Job on a cosmic tour, showing him the depths of the universe – much as Voyager 1 has done for us. After seeing a much bigger picture, the Lord rebukes Job, asking, “Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me if you have understanding.”

While God will not answer Job’s questions about Job’s own suffering – why things must be – he situates Job’s life into the much larger context of God’s governance of the cosmos. 

Finally, Job accepts what we all must: there are some things which evade human understanding; mysteries like suffering, which we cannot comprehend. As he says humbly to God, “I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth.”

Meaning, Job will question God no more; he’s come to accept God on God’s terms. 

That is what faith allows us to do: to see our lives in the context of a much larger picture; to surrender to Providence; to cling to God even in the smallest trials. 

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Just as Voyager 1 helps moderns minds to see planet earth in the context of a much larger picture – a blue dot barely visible against the expansiveness of the universe – so the Book of Job reminds us that we part of a much bigger reality. 

And yet, the Lord reminds us, “I will never forget you. I have engraved you upon the palm of my hand” (Isaiah 49:15-16).

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Image credits: (1) Seeing Earth from Space Will Change You, The Atlantic (2) What is the Pale Blue Dot?, NASA.gov (3) When Mercy Found Me

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Exodus 23: 20-22

Thus says the LORD:
“See, I am sending an angel before you,
to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.
Be attentive to him and heed his voice.
Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin.
My authority resides in him.
If you heed his voice and carry out all I tell you,
I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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What are angels? What role do they play in our lives?

The Catechism states that angels are, “spiritual beings,” who surround God’s throne and worship him. As Jesus says, “the angels look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” 

Some of them also cross over from heaven to earth as God’s messengers, guiding our steps. 

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In the Old Testament, for example, an angel appears to Abraham, telling him not to sacrifice his son, Isaac.

In the Gospels, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, announcing that she will conceive a son and name him Jesus. 

Another angel appears to Joseph in a dream, telling him not to be afraid; Mary’s child is, in fact, the Son of God. So, Joseph welcomes Jesus and Mary into his home. 

Thirty years later, an angel appears to Jesus in the desert, comforting him as he’s tempted by Satan for forty days and forty nights.

After Christ’s resurrection, an angel appears to Saint Peter while he’s chained to the ground in prison, freeing his wrists and leading him to freedom.

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This Feast of the Guardian Angels reminds us that the veil between heaven and earth is far thinner than we may assume, as angels still act in our lives today.

That often still, quiet voice leading us away from temptation and towards virtue may be our guardian angel; that urge we feel prompting us to accept God’s will in both good times and in bad may be our angel; that sense of peace we feel in prayer may be our angel.

As the Lord says in the Book of Exodus, “See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared,” today, tomorrow, and forever. 

May our guardian angels watch over us and lead us into paradise, the new and eternal Jerusalem.

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Image credits: (1) National Catholic Register (2) My Catholic Life (3) Pinterest