Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 1:39-47

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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A few years ago, on the cover page of National Geographic there was a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the title, “The Most Powerful Woman in the World.”

More than one billion Catholics refer to her as their spiritual mother, a command first given by Jesus to John at the Cross: “Behold, your mother.” 

In honor of this gift, millions – if not hundreds of millions – of rosaries are prayed around the world in nearly every language, seeking Mary’s intercession, trusting she will place our needs, fears, and desires into the hands of Christ, her Son.

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Part of what fuels Marian devotion and intrigue is the fact that she’s appeared to believers throughout the centuries, bringing messages of hope, conversion, and peace. 

The first reported Marian apparition took place in the year 40 AD. There have been an estimated 2,000 other apparitions since. 

But, because of the thorough process of verification required by the Vatican, only 17 apparitions have been officially approved, including her apparition to Juan Diego as Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast we celebrate today.

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Two things stand out regarding these approved Marian apparitions.

First, she appears to the poor, the persecuted, the peacemakers, and the pure of heart, those whom Jesus calls “blessed” in his first public sermon. Such was the case of Juan Diego, a native peasant of Mexico.

Secondly, when Mary appears, she often reveals herself in the style of the local population, using either their traditional dress or the native language to express her closeness and affinity for the people. 

For example, Mary not only spoke to Juan Diego in his native dialect, she also appeared with mestiza – or native – features, draped in a turquoise-colored mantle, which was a sign of royalty in Aztec tradition.

Mary’s message to him was simple: Build a church where I’ve appeared so that my Son, Jesus, may be praised. And when you come here, remember, “I am your Mother. Here I will hear your weeping, your complaints, and heal all your sorrows, hardships, and sufferings.”

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May Mary, the most powerful woman in the world, come to our aid, bringing whatever petitions we hold dear to Jesus, the one who has loved us and given himself for us. 

Hail Mary…

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Image credits: (1) Ascension Press (2) Mary, the Most Powerful Woman in the World, National Geographic (3) Our Lady of Guadalupe, Wikipedia

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Gospel: Matthew 11: 11-15

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force. 
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This is one of the most obscure passages in all of the Gospels. “The Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force,” Jesus says.

What on earth does he mean?

These words come at the end of a monologue from Jesus, delivered to an anonymous crowd, after he hears of the imprisonment of John the Baptist. Certainly, the Lord could read the times. 

John was nearing his end.

And so was he.

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Some scholars break this verse down into two separate events – “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence,” and separately, “the violent are taking it by force.”

First, Jesus and John the Baptist are representatives of the kingdom of God. The Lord may be acknowledging the sad reality that they – as well as a long succession of prophets before them – have suffered, even to the point of death, for spreading the kingdom.

The kingdom of heaven suffers violence because there are forces of evil in this world that will do anything to fight against God.

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Separately, there are those who will do anything to enter into God’s kingdom. These may be the ones whom Jesus says, “are taking it by force.”

Consider Saint Paul. Some of his final words ever written were these: “I have fought the good fight, I have competed well, I have run the race to the finish, I have kept the faith.”

Much like Jesus and John the Baptist, Paul had to fight to do God’s will. Notice he uses very athletic language to describe his ministry – he fought, competed, ran. He’s racing towards heaven, hoping to thrust himself inside the narrow gates. 

The “violent” in this sense are those fighting for their salvation.

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In what ways do we experience faith as a struggle? How do we battle against temptation, sin, and the voices in this world attempting to lead us astray?

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May the Lord give us the grace we need to fight the good fight, to compete well, to run this race to the finish. And, if we must, take heaven by storm.

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Image credits: (1) Active Christianity (2) Christian Life Church (3) ShareFaith Media

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Gospel: Matthew 11: 28-30

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Some years ago, a story went viral about a lost sheep named Shrek.

Shrek lived an otherwise ordinary life until he became separated from his shepherd. For six long years, he wandered the hills of New Zealand alone, often resting at night in cold, rocky caves.

Without his shepherd to shear his wool, Shrek’s coat ballooned to sixty pounds, six times the average weight a sheep normally carries. That’s enough wool to make 20 adult suits!

After he was found, it took Shrek’s shepherd about 20 minutes to shear all of that excess wool. Imagine that – six years of weight lifted in a matter of minutes.

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There’s something arrestingly human about that.

Like Shrek, how often do we carry around unnecessary weight, even five or six times what we actually need to carry? 

We can hide our emotions, bury our grief, or lug around years of unnecessary guilt, leaving us with an arthritic spirit. Why not just let it go?

“Come to me, all of you who are heavy burdened,” Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “and I will give you rest.” This command – “come to me” – implies movement. We must be on the go, leaving the cave we may find ourselves in, leaning into the arms of our shepherd. 

Only then can Jesus do what he does best: shear our “wool” and lift our burdens. 

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This is true not only in prayer, but also in confession, when the Lord forgives – and forgets – our sins.

Today, may we allow ourselves to be found, leaving what no longer serves us behind.

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Image credits: (1) Love Letter Daily (2) your love.blog (3) Business Insider