Category: Uncategorized

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Isaiah 40: 25-31

To whom can you liken me as an equal?
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who has created these things:
He leads out their army and numbers them,
calling them all by name.
By his great might and the strength of his power
not one of them is missing!
Why, O Jacob, do you say,
and declare, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?

Do you not know
or have you not heard?
The LORD is the eternal God,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint nor grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
He gives strength to the fainting;
for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles’ wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.

The Word of the Lord.

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When we consider the lives of the Saints – people like Mother Teresa who freely chose to live in abject poverty, serving the poorest of the poor – it’s easy to wonder how they did it.

She not only lived in some of the worst places on earth, she also forsook marriage, children, grandchildren, a career, vacations, or any lasting material comfort, all for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

How did she do it? How have other Saints done it? 

How might we do something beautiful for God, each in our own way?

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Consider the words of the prophet Isaiah from our first reading: 

“Do you not know or have you not heard? … Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, they that hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”

For all believers, God is the ultimate source of strength. He makes our feet as swift as hinds; he restores our heart; he strengthens our soul; he gives us the humility, passion, energy and love we need to do his will.

Whether that means serving in a slum, volunteering in parish ministry, raising a family, or toting the kids across town. We all need God’s strength in order to run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.

So, how do you tap into God’s Spirit of strength?

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Some may do so by receiving Eucharist daily. Others might ponder a page in scripture. Others might pray over a morning cup of coffee or kneel at their bedside at night.

Personally, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to pray at least an hour a day for the last fifteen years.

Each in our own way, we’re called to discover the power behind Isaiah’s words: “They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength.”

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May the Communion of Saints, including Teresa of Calcutta, intercede on our behalf, so that we can all do something beautiful for God today.

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Image credits: (1) ChurchPOP (2) A-Z Quotes (3) MercyMusings, Our Lady of Mercy

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Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto.

Unlike most other Marian feast days, today’s feast is not because of a Marian apparition or title. Rather, it refers to a building, the humble home where Mary and Joseph welcomed the Christ-child into the world.

Tradition states that their home measured only 31 feet wide by 13 feet long and was transported – either by angels or by ship – from Nazareth to Loreto, Italy. 

Interestingly, the stone walls have been confirmed by archeologists to be from Palestine, as are minute bits of pollen found inside the rocky crevices. The size of this home also matches the foundation where it was originally constructed.

Over the centuries, more than two hundred Saints have made a pilgrimage to Loreto – from Thérèse of Lisieux to John Paul II. 

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So, why is this home so important?

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It’s not only the site where the Annunciation might’ve happened. It’s also the place where the ordinary life of the Holy Family unfolded.

It’s where Mary nursed. Where Joseph played with the Christ-child on the floor. Where they laughed, prayed, and pondered as parents the reality of the Word made Flesh, living beneath their roof.

Above all, Our Lady of Loreto reminds us that every home is a “domestic church.”

It’s where our first bonds are made, where hearts are formed, where we rest, eat, pray, argue, and forgive. 

It’s holy ground. 

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May Our Lady of Loreto intercede for us, that our homes would be filled with what hers was – every heavenly grace and blessing.

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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Knights of Columbus (3) Teaching Catholic Kids

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Gospel: Luke 1: 26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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A common practice in Catholic spirituality is the veneration of relics. We believe the human person is a composite of both body and soul. Thus, when someone becomes a Saint, often parts of their body or belongings are kept for believers to venerate.

Relics not only remind us that a particular person lived and died; we also believe that person is now in heaven. Thus, we seek their intercession to aid our own journey to God.

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Perhaps the first example of Catholics venerating a person’s body is that of Saint Peter. 

Immediately after he was crucified upside down in the heart of Rome in the year 64, Christians cut his body off above his ankles and buried him in a cemetery outside the city known as the Vatican hill.

Although Christianity was an outlawed religion, believers secretly returned to the site where Peter lay, seeking his intercession for their journeys.

After the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity nearly 300 years later, the Vatican hill was levelled, and a church was built on top of that site where Peter’s bones were believed to rest.

Nearly 2,000 years later, under the direction of Pope Pius XII, archeologists took the risk of digging beneath the foundation of Saint Peter’s Basilica, where they discovered a plethora of Christian graffiti pointing all the way to Peter’s bones.

To this day, the main altar – where only the pope celebrates Mass – stands directly above the site where Peter was buried. It remains, in many ways, the heart of Catholic devotion.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, our belief that Mary was conceived without the stain of Original Sin.

This unique grace was given to her by God so that, when she bore the Son of God in her womb, she would be the only pure, spotless dwelling place able to welcome the Christ-child.

During her pregnancy, Mary and Jesus became one – not only physically as they shared her body, but also spiritually as her heart meld into his.

If anyone were to be venerated in the Catholic Church – even more than Saint Peter – it would be Mary. 

However, no one has ever claimed to possess a relic of her body. 

This leads to one of two logical conclusions: either Mary didn’t exist… or she was, in fact, assumed body and soul into heaven. 

Traditionally, Catholics believe her assumption took place in Ephesus. And, interestingly, we only have the house where she lived, not her body.

Thus, the only two people to have ever walked this earth without knowing the decay of death are Jesus and Mary, both born without sin.

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Mary teaches us two important lessons.

Unlike her, we are imperfect, capable of sin. Yet our bodies are still temples of the Holy Spirit and should be honored accordingly.

Secondly, we all have a place in heaven. While she received this grace first, she reminds us that every person has a place in the kingdom of God.

Our goal while here on earth is to shape our lives accordingly.

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May Mary’s words, first spoken to the angel Gabriel, also become our own:

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Mary, born without sin, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) National Catholic Register (2) Atlas Obscura (3) One Walk with Jesus