Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: John 1: 47-51

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Angels are like special friends sent to us from heaven. They only exist for two reasons: to praise God, and to guide us along the path of salvation. 

Throughout history, God has sent angels to earth with the mission of revealing a message of particular importance. In the Old Testament, for example, an angel was sent to Abraham to tell him not to sacrifice his son, Isaac. 

In the New Testament, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, proclaiming that she will bear the Son of God in her womb. And at the end of time, it is Michael who will slay that ancient beast, Satan.

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The Church believes that angels still have a purpose in our world. Each and every one of us has been assigned a guardian angel by God to guide us in our affairs.

On the last day of our life, it is our own guardian angel who will bring us to Jesus. We are reminded of this truth at funerals, when the priest concludes the Mass with the words: May the angels lead you into Paradise.

Today, in particular, on this Feast of the Archangels, we’re reminded just how much God loves us – so much so that he creates a guardian angel for each of us to make sure that we make it safely into heaven.

May the angels pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) The Guardian Angel, Marcantonio Franceschini (2) Song of the Angels, Adolphe Buoguereau (3) The Daily Beast

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Gospel: Luke 9: 51-56

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus is entering his final days. 

He’s now headed to Jerusalem, where he will be handed over by Judas and killed.

It’s a critical moment in his life and ministry. So, Saint Luke adds a descriptive detail to help paint the picture: facing Jerusalem, Jesus becomes “resolutely determined.” 

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We can imagine him staring off into the distance. 

Knowing what’s in store for him, he stiffens his face, draws a deep breath in, and courageously puts one foot in front of the other.

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Long before he suffers physically, Jesus feels the weight of his cross, the weight of the isolation and rejection held in store for him. 

Incredibly, this doesn’t sour his spirit; nor does it prevent him from doing good to others. 

For example, in today’s Gospel, he’s rejected by the Samaritans – the sworn enemies of the Jews – but Jesus doesn’t send fire upon them as the disciples request; he leaves them alone, and I’d imagine, wishes them well.

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What is Jesus teaching us?

That we can be kind and do good at every moment in life, even when we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders.

Regardless of our circumstances today, we can still live and love like Jesus.

What might that look like for me?

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Image credits: (1) Saint Clairsville Church of Christ (2) Jesus Prays Alone, IHOP network (3) Helphomelesswomen, Twitter

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Gospel: Luke 9: 46-50

An argument arose among the disciples
about which of them was the greatest. 
Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child
and placed it by his side and said to them,
“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
For the one who is least among all of you
is the one who is the greatest.”

Then John said in reply, 
“Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name 
and we tried to prevent him
because he does not follow in our company.”
Jesus said to him, 
“Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Two weeks ago, this was also our Sunday Gospel. “The greatest among you must be your servant,” Jesus says. 

The lowly is exalted; the poorest becomes the greatest.

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I began that homily with the story of Cinderella, which has a surprisingly Christian twist: Cinderella, the lowly house servant wins the prince’s heart, becoming a princess.

Today we celebrate a real-life Cinderella story, as it were. Saint Vincent de Paul spent his life serving the poorest of the poor. Now he’s been given the greatest gift of all: eternal life. 

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Vincent came from very humble means, born into a peasant family in the French countryside in the 16^th century. As a young man, he was even kidnapped at sea, spending two years of his life as a slave.

After evading his captors, Vincent returned to France, where he was ordained a priest and began his mission of providing for the poor. The demands for his charity became so great that he started a religious order for both men and women.

Today the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul has grown to 800,000 active members – both lay and religious – in over 150 countries.

They continue the work Vincent began: serving in soup kitchens, offering disaster relief, job training, medical services, prisoner re-entry programs, and so on.

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In doing this work, each member follows the path of Vincent (and even Cinderella), a path that leads from poverty to greatness; from service to eternal life.

How might we follow their example and be of service to others today?

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Image credits: (1) St. Vincent de Paul, Positive Living (2) Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet, Ford Madox Brown (3) St. Vincent de Paul Society