Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 8: 1-3

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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No two journeys of faith are the same.

Consider the journeys of those mentioned in today’s Gospel.

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There’s John, one of the Twelve, who never seemed to struggle with faith. He was the “beloved” disciple, who followed Jesus all the way to Calvary.

Maybe I’m like John, a life-long believer. Steadfast in faith, even in times of trial.

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Then there’s Peter. He saw the same things John did; Peter witnessed Jesus perform miracle after miracle.

But it never seemed to be enough. Peter doubted; he waivered in faith like a branch in the wind.

Maybe I’m more like Peter. I want to believe so badly, but struggle. One day I’m totally committed to the Lord. The next day I deny ever knowing him.

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Then there’s Mary Magdalene. Scripture tells us seven demons were driven out of her. Meaning, she was deeply wounded when she encountered Jesus.

But Jesus healed her and offered her a new beginning. Maybe that’s me. The Lord turned my life upside down, right side up.

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There are many other people included in the Gospel today. Our faith journeys may be as different as theirs.

But we’re all destined for the same place. In order to help us make it home, the Lord meets us where we’re at, and invites us to take one step forward in faith at a time.

What might a step forward in faith look like for me today?

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Image credits: (1) Hendersonville Church of Christ (2) teahub.io (3) St. Mary’s Press

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Gospel: Luke 7: 11 – 17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
“Do not weep.”
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst,”
and “God has visited his people.”
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I wonder what moved Jesus to perform this miracle. 

Usually, he heals someone after a display of faith: think of Jesus healing Simon’s mother-in-law, or the Centurion’s servant, or the paralytic lowered to the feet of Jesus by his friends. 

In each case, someone else took the initiative, asking for Christ to offer his healing power.

But today Jesus takes the initiative. He breaks into a funeral procession, brings a dead man back to life, then hands him back to his mother. Why would he be compelled do this?

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Perhaps he saw his own future – and by extension, Mary’s future – that day. 

The Gospel tells us that this woman was a widow. After burying her son, she’d have neither her husband nor her child to provide for her, meaning she’d be reduced to a life of begging.

Maybe Jesus saw his mother, Mary, in that weeping widow’s face.

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Consider another interesting detail.

People have been raised from the dead before. In the Old Testament, for example, the prophets Elijah and Elisha both brought a person back to life. But they were only able to do so after praying to God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus doesn’t pray. He simply says, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” 

Meaning, the same power given to Elijah and Elisha by God is already present in Jesus, which causes some within the crowd to exclaim, “God has visited his people!”

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God still visits his people through us. So, how might we extend his compassion to widows or those grieving today?

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Image credits: (1) Admiral Farragut Academy (2) pravmir.com (3) Community Tool Box, The University of Kansas

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1 Corinthians 11: 17-26, 33

Brothers and sisters:
In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact
that your meetings are doing more harm than good.
First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church
there are divisions among you,
and to a degree I believe it;
there have to be factions among you
in order that also those who are approved among you
may become known.
When you meet in one place, then,
it is not to eat the Lord’s supper,
for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,
and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?
Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?
What can I say to you? Shall I praise you?
In this matter I do not praise you.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, “This is my Body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

The Word of the Lord.

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Saint Paul admonishes the Corinthians more than any other Christian community that he formed. 

In today’s first reading, for example, he criticizes them for being divided, drunk, and arrogant. “In this matter,” he says, “I do not praise you.”

What makes the Corinthians’ behavior so serious is the fact that they’re acting in this way, either instead of – or even while – celebrating Mass.

Paul warns them not to “eat the Body or drink the Blood of the Lord in vain,” lest they bring judgment upon themselves.

“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,” he says, “that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

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There are times when we all make mistakes, as the Corinthians did, which is why we begin Mass by calling to mind our sins.

When Mass begins, how aware are we of our need for the Lord’s mercy? Do we ever receive communion out of routine, forgetting it’s the Body and Blood of the Lord?

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Prior to communion, the priest always prays silently at the altar, “May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving mercy be for me protection in mind and body, and a healing remedy.”

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May we all echo those words today, thanking God for the Mass and praising Him for his mercy is without end.

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Image credits: (1) (2) The Last Supper, Juan de Juanes (3) To Jesus Sincerely