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Gospel: Luke 1:57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?”
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born… and the day you know why.”

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In today’s Gospel, we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. From the moment of his birth, people were wondering, “Why was this child born? What will he become?”

They intuit John will do something great for God, simply because of the circumstances that surround his birth.

First, Zechariah was struck mute by the angel Gabriel in the Temple; then Elizabeth miraculously conceives this child in her old age; finally, the boy is not named after his father. 

Instead, his name is John.

In Hebrew, Jehohanan – or “John” – means, “God has been gracious.” After praying for their entire adult lives to have a child, God gives Elizabeth and Zechariah a son, whose mission will be to prepare the way of the Lord. 

Certainly, God has been gracious.

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John reminds us that we all have a “why,” a reason for our lives given to us by God. My mother used to say, her “why” was simply becoming a mom, much like Elizabeth and Mary.

My “why” has been serving God and his people as a priest. 

What is your “why”?

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Perhaps the answer changes, even simplifies, over time. 

But we can all be sure of this: the same Lord who breathed air into our lungs at birth also gives us a purpose – not only in the grand scheme of things – but also in the little tasks we are called to do each day.

May we discover his will – and do it joyfully today. 

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Your Daily Cup of Inspiration (2) Adobe Stock (3) Daily Word, Terry Gillespie

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Gospel: Matthew 7: 1-5

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Sight is a curious thing. 

Eyes allow us to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation – the glow of sunrise, the twinkle of the stars at night, the blue of water, the face of our beloved. 

But it can also be misused to judge and criticize the imperfections of other people without noticing our own.

This is the irony of the eye. 

It cannot see itself. Nor can it look inward. Eyes can only look outward, allowing us to see one of two possibilities: beauty or imperfection. 

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Which of the two do I tend to focus on? 

In particular, what do I see when I look upon other people, either beauty or imperfection?

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No one is perfect.

“All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God,” Saint Paul says. 

Sometimes it is right and necessary to correct a friend, a neighbor, or a colleague who has done wrong.

But before criticizing someone else, the Lord commands us to take a hard look within, making sure that we are not guilty of the same offense – or a greater one – lest we be hypocrites.

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Perhaps today we can set our tendency to notice imperfections aside and focus on what always surrounds us: the glow of sunrise, the twinkle of the stars at night, the blue of water, the face of our beloved.

The beauty of the earth.

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Image credits: (1) Auckland Eye (2) Fountains of Life (3) Pinterest

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Gospel: Luke 9: 11-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God,
and he healed those who needed to be cured.
As the day was drawing to a close,
the Twelve approached him and said,
“Dismiss the crowd
so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms
and find lodging and provisions;
for we are in a deserted place here.”
He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.”
They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have,
unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.”
Now the men there numbered about five thousand.
Then he said to his disciples,
“Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.”
They did so and made them all sit down.
Then taking the five loaves and the two fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing over them, broke them,
and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And when the leftover fragments were picked up,
they filled twelve wicker baskets.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I converted to Catholicism during my second year in college. 

I wasn’t raised with much religion – I was baptized a Christian, but only went to church a handful of times afterwards.

I remember soul searching as a teenager, asking some of life’s bigger questions: 

“Is there a God? Why is there evil? Why are so many born into poverty and violence? If God exists, does he know me? Does he have a plan for my life?” 

Back then, my aunt attended a non-denominational mega church, so I reached out to her and asked her to take me. That became my only experience of Christianity until I reached Seton Hall University.

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In college, I went to Mass for 100 Sundays, often sitting in the last pew, wondering what all of these Catholic gestures meant. 

Why was there so much sitting, standing, kneeling, and responding? It seemed strange to me.

Then there was the Eucharist.

I remember clearly saying to myself, “That’s either Jesus or it is not. If it is, then I must have Him.” But how would I know the difference?

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I started reading the bible from cover to cover. 

All of the miracles Jesus performed – from the multiplication of the loaves to the raising of Lazarus – pointed towards this pivotal moment. If the Lord could turn water into wine, then why could he not turn wine into his Precious Blood?

After all, the focus of Jesus’ ministry was healing people. It only makes sense that on the last night of his life on earth, he’d want to give us the only thing he had left: his Body and Blood. 

His presence in our lives would be forever assured.

John’s Gospel makes this clear. 

In chapter 6, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life…whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Dictionaries have been written over the centuries explaining why we believe this – why the Eucharist is the Promised Presence of Christ. 

But instead of delving into theology, allow me to share why Eucharist is so meaningful to me. And, perhaps, why it may be so meaningful to you.

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Each morning at Mass as I approach the altar and place the host in my hand, Christ repeats those sacred words through me, “This is my Body…This is my Blood.”

While it is him offering himself for us, I take that moment as an invitation to offer myself for you, as well.

In the silence of my heart, I pray in union with the Lord, saying, “This is also my body, my heart, and my life given up for this community of faith.” 

Every homily written, every Mass, every baptism, wedding, or funeral celebrated is my way of giving myself up for you. 

It’s how I participate in Christ’s command, “Do this in memory of me.”  

Strangely enough, giving myself away has only increased my sense of purpose, my inner peace, and overall happiness in life. 

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Haven’t we all answered that command to some extent?

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Think about all of the tiny sacrifices we make for one another throughout the day, allowing us to say with the Lord, “This is my body, this is my blood, this is my time, my heart, my life given up for you.”

We answer that call for our family members.

I think of pregnant mothers who share their bodies with their unborn children; young parents who sacrifice sleep and sanity to raise their children; parents who never miss a sports game or school ceremony; others who care for elderly parents or a spouse.

We answer the call within our community.

Think of the volunteers who run our parish soup kitchen; those who stand at the door and greet; those who teach in our faith formation program; those who serve on staff; and those who are helping to expand our parish ministries.

I think of the countless frontline medical workers, fire fighters, police officers, and members of our military who risk their lives day after day for our safety.

The examples are endless, but the call is the same. In the words of Saint Augustine: “Become what you are: the Body of Christ.”

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In what ways do I answer the call to become like Christ, offering myself for others?

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On this Feast of Corpus Christi, may we all unite ourselves to Him, who first loved us and gave himself for us.

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Image credits: (1) Central Christian Church in Ocala, FL (2) Catholic Answers (3) GotQuestions.org