Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 12: 1-7

At that time:
So many people were crowding together 
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I’m a convert to Catholicism.

While there are many reasons why, one reason is because of early Church history. I remember asking questions in college like, “What was life like for Christians immediately after the resurrection? Did they celebrate Mass? Were any martyred?”

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Yes, Christians did celebrate Mass (and Catholics have continued this divine command uninterrupted for two-thousand years!) Yes, life was hard for them. Yes, many were martyred.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Pope Saint Callistus I.

As pope, he was martyred early in the 3^rd century AD. Prior to his ordination to the priesthood, Callistus served as a deacon in an underground Christian cemetery in Rome, which now bears his name. Officially, they’re called the, “Catacombs of Saint Callistus.”

Nearly half a million Christians are buried there, including 16 popes and several Saints!

Christians were known for celebrating Mass in the underground catacombs because of fear of persecution. If Roman guards discovered them, often they were martyred on the spot.

You can read more about the Catacombs of St. Callistus online: www.catacombesancallisto.it.

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So, what might the example of Callistus and these early Christians say to us today?

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That Jesus was raised from the dead! It’s a truth worth staking your life on. As Jesus says in the Gospel today, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but after that can do no more… You are worth more than many sparrows.”

You are a child of God. You are worth everything in his eyes. 

May we follow him unreservedly today.

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Image credits: (1) Catacombs, Early Christian Art (2) Saint Callistus, TripAdvisor (3) mylutheranroots.com

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Gospel: Luke 11: 42-26

The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.  
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Saint Ignatius of Antioch, one of the early Christian martyrs, once said, “Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips and the world in your heart.”

Spiritually, everything should be in alignment: our mind, our lips, and our heart.

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The scribes and Pharisees failed to learn this. They spoke of God and claimed to be his representatives on earth, but they were obsessed with the things of this world – money, pride, power, image, and prestige.

They were religious on the outside, but defiled on the inside.

Jesus sees through their appearance, hence the “woes” in today’s Gospel.

It’s easy to criticize these figures from long ago, but we all face the same temptations, to, “have Jesus Christ on our lips but the world in our hearts.”

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What pulls me away from my faith?

Perhaps I’m afraid to trust God. Maybe I doubt him when a prayer goes unanswered. Maybe I’m clinging to an earthly attachment – success, money, my career, my own plans for the future.

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Strive to live in alignment today, having, Jesus on your mind, on your lips, and in your heart.

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Image credits: (1) Sonia Choquette, QuoteFancy (2) Portraits of Saints, Tumblr (3) JeanHanson.com

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Gospel: luke 11: 37-41

After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Pope John XXIII, whose feast day we celebrate today, models how to live the spiritual life. He strikes a perfect balance between personal responsibility and trust in the Lord.

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When he was a young man, he wrote in his diary, “Whatever God has given me to do, I intend to do it all.”

Little did he know just how much he’d be asked to do.

After his ordination to the priesthood, John served as a stretcher-bearer and chaplain during World War One. He then became a spiritual director in the seminary, and some years later was ordained a bishop.

As a bishop, he served in the Vatican foreign service, living all around the world, including Bulgaria and Turkey.

His two final promotions included becoming a Cardinal, and eventually pope. 

“Whatever God has given me to do, I intend to do it all.”

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I’m sure John would’ve shrieked as a young priest had he known that one day he’d carry the weight of the entire Catholic Church on his shoulders.

But as pope, he ended his prayers each night with the words, “Lord, I have done all I can do today. It’s your Church. Now I’m going to bed.”

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What does John’s life teach us?

That there are specific tasks that the Lord calls each of us to do, from planting seeds of faith, to being kind to others, and taking an occasional leap of faith.

Whatever God has given us to do, may we do it all.

But at the end of the night, we should rest in peace, knowing that this world, our Church, and our own lives, are all in God’s hands.

Pope Saint John XXIII, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Time.com (2) Inc. Magazine (3) Homiletic and Pastoral Review