Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. 

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. 
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

    “Now, Master, you may let your servant go 
        in peace, according to your word,
    for my eyes have seen your salvation,
        which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
    a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
        and glory for your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
-and you yourself a sword will pierce-
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“You yourself a sword shall pierce,” an elderly Simeon warns Mary as she rocks the child Jesus in her arms. Giving birth to the Son of God, while the greatest honor imaginable, will also come at a cost. 

With hindsight, Christians interpret Simeon’s words to be a prophetic parallel between Jesus and his mother. Just as a lance will pierce Christ’s side on Calvary, so a sword of sorrow will be thrust into Mary’s heart as she watches her son die in agony.

But is there another meaning to this “sword,” something even more literal which Simeon was foreseeing?

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Perhaps the sword of decision.

The prophets of the Old Testament foresaw a day when the sword of God’s judgment would be cast upon his people. Those who had proven themselves faithful to God would be cast to one side, while the unfaithful would be cast to the other. 

As Simeon gazes upon the Christ-child, he may have recognized that Jesus is this “sword.” The way that Israel – and, in fact, all nations – respond to him will determine which side of fate they fall upon.

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The first person to succumb to this divine judgment was King Herod. Driven by paranoia and an insatiable thirst for power, he revealed his own inner darkness by attempting to kill the Christ-child. 

Thirty years later, when Jesus began his public ministry, the religious authorities proved to be no different than Herod. For them, Christ was not “the” way; he was in the way. 

Meanwhile, Simeon becomes one of the first to rejoice over the birth of the Lord. “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace,” he says, “for my eyes have seen your salvation.”

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Christ remains a divisive figure today. The Gospel has divided nations, families, even our own flesh from our spirit. And so Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?”

The Christ, the Son of the living God!

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Image credits: (1) taylormarshall.com (2) Simeon Holding the Infant Jesus, Andrey Shishkin, 2012 (3) Bible Study Media

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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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We live in a world saturated by social media. People can share their opinion instantly, regardless of whether or not that’s a good idea. One popular platform is X, formerly known as Twitter. Twitter allows you to post whatever is on your mind in 160 characters or less. 

Here is one example.

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

One could write a book about the meaning of that statement – and that is the genius of Twitter and its users, distilling common human experience into pithy tweets.

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus delivers his first public sermon, commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. He distills God’s vision for humanity into nine simple sentences or, we might say, “tweets.” While much could be said about each of them, I’ll focus on two.

First, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

To be “poor in spirit” means, “to know your need for God.” These are the ones who understand the fragility of human life, who see through the emptiness of wealth and power, who seek their comfort and lasting security in God.

Of all the Saints, who has demonstrated what it means to be “poor in spirit” better than Francis of Assisi?

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Francis was born into a wealthy Italian family in the 12^th century. But he renounced his family fortune literally to the point of stripping himself bare before his bishop in the public square as a sign of his desire to offer himself completely to God. 

He then spent the rest of his life rebuilding the Church. On his deathbed, Francis said to the first Franciscans, “My brothers, I have done what was mine to do. Now you must do what is yours to do.”

Most people in this world are not called to live such an extreme form of poverty voluntarily. But, like Francis, part of what is “ours” to do is to be poor in spirit, to discover our need for God.

I think of a father of three young children, who gets up early every morning to pray before there’s a stir in the house. He studies the Word of God, then shares it with teenagers as a Catholic high school teacher.

He is not physically poor the way Francis was. But he is doing what is his to do, which involves learning how to be in the world, but not of it.

That’s where most of us find ourselves. 

We love God. But we’re not Francis of Assisi. We haven’t renounced all of our possessions. We’re ordinary moms, dads, teachers, and workers in the vineyard who are trying to be spiritually poor, while living in a secular world.

Striking that balance is never easy. But “blessed” are those who do.

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The second beatitude can seem a bit more ambiguous. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the land.”

What is this “land” Jesus is referring to? 

We might think of a piece of ground, even national territory. As important as that may be, God’s promise is greater. In the bible, the primary use of “land” is to create space for people to worship.

That was what made Israel God’s people – their ability to worship him.

Yet several times in the Old Testament, God takes back his land when people turn against him. Just six chapters into the Book of Genesis, God covers the earth in a flood, saving only Noah and his family, because humanity had fallen into wicked ways.

As it is written, “The LORD regretted making human beings on earth, and his heart was grieved.” 

History repeats itself in the Book of Exodus. Israel turns away from God by worshiping false idols. The Lord warns them through the prophets to repent, but they do not amend their ways.

Eventually, their land is invaded and their Temple is destroyed as they are sent into exile. God promises to return his people to their land, so that they may worship him again, but Jesus extends this invitation to all nations in today’s Gospel. 

Every person is called to worship God, not only on a strip of land or in this church, but also in our homes and in the world. Wherever we speak, stand, or lay our head is considered “holy ground.”

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Like Francis of Assisi, may we do what is ours to do – come to know, love, and serve the Lord all the days of our lives.

And along the way, discover how blessed we are.

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Image credits: (1) Jackson Community Church (2) The Word Proclaimed Institute (3) Sermon on the Mount, Carl Bloch

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Gospel: Mark 4: 26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There are three stages to farming.

First, you must break open the ground and scatter the seed. Then, wait for the harvest. When ready, reap what you’ve sown.

Human beings tend to be really good at steps one and three: working and reaping. Often, what we struggle with is step number two: waiting.

That’s the time when Mother Nature runs her course. Once the seeds are planted, without any effort of our own, the rains fall, the sun rises and sets, the seeds mysteriously break out of their shell and begin to sprout.

Only then can we reap what we’ve sown.

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus likens God’s intervention in our lives to a farmer planting his seed. Once the seeds are planted, he goes to bed without any stress or anxiety. He simply waits patiently for nature to run its course.

Similarly, once we’ve made our petitions known to God, Jesus tells us not to stress or be anxious. Simply wait. 

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What’s something I’m waiting on God to answer?

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As Saint Paul reminds us, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Much like the farmer who trusts in his harvest, trust in the Creator of all.

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Image credits: (1) Integrated Catholic Life (2) Devotions by Chris Hendrix (3) The Spruce