Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Matthew 5: 1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 
He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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One of the most popular social media platforms today is Twitter. 

Twitter is used by 450 million people around the world. It allows you to share whatever’s on your mind, usually in a single sentence, or in 160 characters or less. 

Four of the most popular “tweets” from the last year are the following:

Congratulations to the astronauts who left earth today. Good choice.

COVID quarantine day 6.

Humans are simply not built for email.

It is with immeasurable grief that we announce the passing of Chadwick Boseman.

(Chad was the main actor in the wildly popular film Black Panther. He died after a private struggle with cancer at the age of 43).

We could write volumes explaining what each of these tweets means. They all make reference to our shared human experience of an imperfect world, COVID, emails, and death.

This is also the genius of Twitter and its users: distilling sometimes profound thoughts or experiences into a single sentence. 

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus preaches his first and most popular sermon, often called the “Sermon on the Mount.” He boils God’s vision for humanity down to its essence in nine simple “tweets,” also known as the Beatitudes.

Let’s consider three of them. Perhaps the Lord is speaking to you through one of these.

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“Blessed are you when they persecute you.”

It’s easy to apply this Beatitude to people living in different parts of the world where our faith is oppressed. But it also applies to us.

For example, blessed are you ninth graders when peer pressure gives way to courage and you speak up about your faith in Confirmation class. 

Blessed are you husbands and wives, moms and dads, when you ask your spouse and your children to pray with and to pray for you. 

Blessed are you when you speak about your faith at work, when you invite someone to Mass, when you make an unpopular decision – even at great personal cost – because it’s the right thing to do.

Blessed are you.

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“Blessed are the pure of heart.”

To be “pure of heart” means to be “single-minded,” or “without division.” Love for God is the reason behind everything they do.

They are honest with their finances (tax season has begun!)

They live moral lives. God’s presence influences what they see, what they say, and what they do around others, in private, and online.

They pray to resist temptation, to overcome unhealthy habits, to keep God at the very center of their lives.

They ask God to guide their decisions, their relationships, and they lay their future at his feet.

Blessed are the “pure of heart.”

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Finally, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

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

I think of a young father who’s poor in spirit. He wakes up 20 minutes before there’s a stir in the house in order to pray for his wife and three kids.

I think of a woman who was married for 50 years. Her husband passed away suddenly at 6 am on a Sunday morning. She came to the noon Mass that day to thank the Lord for those 50 years, and to pray for her husband’s soul. 

I think of young people taking a leap of faith by attending World Youth Day with me this August in Portugal, including three of our own parishioners.

I think of those who make time to read the bible and strive to understand it, those who discuss faith with their friends, those who give their time, treasure, and talent to Jesus and our parish without a second thought.

Blessed are they.

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Three tweets from Jesus, offering insight into the heart of God.

“Blessed are you when they persecute you.”

“Blessed are the pure of heart.”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Which of these is the Lord inviting me to experience this week?

Make every effort to do it and you’ll be among the blessed.

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Image credits: (1) Thrive Church (2) Twitter (3) BlogtheChurch, WordPress

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2 Timothy 1: 1-8

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day.
I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears,
so that I may be filled with joy, 
as I recall your sincere faith
that first lived in your grandmother Lois
and in your mother Eunice
and that I am confident lives also in you.

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

The Word of the Lord.

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A recent study from MIT found that the average human eye can detect a candle flame flickering in the dark from over a mile and a half away.

Imagine that. One tiny flame can break through nearly 9,000 feet of darkness. 

That is the type of power that Christians have when active in this world. We can break through social, emotional, and spiritual darkness.

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Consider what Saint Paul is doing for Timothy, his “spiritual son,” in our first reading.

We don’t know the precise reason why, but Timothy is struggling, both in his ministry and in his faith. 

Spreading the Gospel in the first century was hard, often dangerous, work. The fact that Paul’s writing to Timothy from prison reiterates that.

But Paul affirms him, reminding Timothy that sharing the Gospel is not only an honor and a privilege, but also a responsibility. It’s something that every Christian is called to do.

Tradition tells us that Timothy continued his priestly ministry for nearly four more decades until he himself was martyred in the year 97 AD.

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Who knows what would’ve happened had Timothy not received such encouragement from Paul. But that one letter was like one little flame, bringing light to a young minister when he was living in difficulty.

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That’s something we can all do today – be like Saint Paul and bring light to someone who may need it.

A phone call. A handwritten letter. A word of affirmation. A text.

Simple things that might make a difference for a few seconds, a few minutes, or like Paul’s Letter to Timothy, for years to come.

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Image credits: (1) FindMotivation.org (2) Heater Tips (3) Simple Truths, Pinterest

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Gospel: Mark 3: 31-35

The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.
Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
“Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you.”
But he said to them in reply,
“Who are my mother and my brothers?”
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This Gospel passage raises several questions.

For example, “How can Jesus have ‘brothers and sisters’ if Mary remained a virgin throughout her life?”

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Some ancient languages like Hebrew and Aramaic (the language which Jesus spoke) did not have words to describe extended family. So, the “brothers and sisters” whom Jesus is referring to could be his cousins.

Another possibility is that Jesus had step-siblings. While we are not certain, some Christians like Saint Jerome believed that Joseph might’ve had children from a previous marriage.

In either case, the Acts of the Apostles report these “brothers and sisters” as being active members in the early Church. (Acts 1:14)

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An even deeper question is, “How can we claim to be Jesus’ mother, or sister, or brother if we are not his cousins or step siblings ?”

Jesus came to establish a new family – a heavenly family – which transcends flesh and blood; it includes anyone who does the will of God. Hence, we are all his brothers and sisters.

It sounds odd, but in a sense we also become “mother” to Jesus whenever we bring his love into the world. As Teresa of Avila once wrote, “God has no hands and feet but yours.”

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How does this Gospel passage lead me to see my neighbor differently?

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May we embrace all people as members of the same family and love each other accordingly.

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Image credits: (1) theidolbabbler.com, WordPress (2) World Mission Society Church of God (3) Eternal Reunion, Ken Turner