Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 7:31-35

Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare the people of this generation?
What are they like?
They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,
and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This is one of the more obscure passages in Luke’s Gospel, making it difficult for us to find its immediate relevance to our lives today.

But a deeper dive may reveal a pearl of wisdom.

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Two of the most significant moments in community life are weddings and funerals – this is no less true today than it was in ancient Palestine. Weddings are moments of great joy, while funerals usher in inevitable sorrow. 

Members of any community are expected to participate in these events when invited. As Saint Paul says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” 

Not doing so could be considered rude, hurtful, even offensive.

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In today’s Gospel, the Lord likens his ministry to a joyful wedding. All are invited to participate! Yet, for some reason, the crowds are not interested in celebrating with him; rather, they accuse Jesus of being a glutton and a drunkard.

On the other hand, John the Baptist’s fire-and-brimstone style preaching stoked fear and repentance in peoples’ hearts, much like a veil of grief descending upon a funeral. That didn’t please the crowds, either; rather, they accused John of being possessed by a demon. 

You can imagine the Lord throwing his hands up in frustration. Neither celebration nor sorrow seemed to satisfy the crowds.

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We can feel that same sense of frustration when trying to share our faith with family members, friends, or those on the edge of faith.

Whether we take the joyful approach of Christ, or the stern style of John, either path leads to an encounter with the Divine.

But faith can never be forced. Some people hear the Gospel message and chose to neither dance nor weep. They’re indifferent. 

All God asks of us is to present the Gospel message, then pray for the best.

So, how might we share our faith today?

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Image credits: (1) Forward in Christ (2) Baptism of Christ, David Zelenka, 2005 (3) Cru

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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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Saint Luke was not an Apostle, nor did he ever meet Jesus. Luke was a Greek physician who heard about Jesus and investigated his life, two of his greatest sources being Saint Paul and Mary, whom Luke met in Jerusalem a few months after the crucifixion.

In many ways, being Greek and a physician defined Luke’s outlook on life. 

The Greeks believed that the gods were ultimately inconvincible or apathetic. If human pleas could sway the emotions of the gods, then, at least momentarily, we’d have power over them, making the gods as vulnerable as men.

Yet Luke was a man of compassion. If the gods were distant and deaf to our cries, then he would do what they would not; he would heal the sick, pushing back the inevitable clock of death.

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Thus, when he heard about Jesus, he was overcome. How could this itinerant preacher also perform miracles, even bring people – like the young man in today’s Gospel – back to life?

Jesus was either a prophet… or something greater. And, unlike the gods of Greece, Jesus was compassionate.

This is why the mercy of God is a signature theme in Luke’s Gospel. God is not only powerful; he also cares about his creation. In Christ, he suffers and dies for us.

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While today’s Gospel scene is truly miraculous, Luke encourages us to keep the bigger picture in mind.

Our hope is not grounded in the fact that a young man was brought back from death to physical life; rather, that Christ – who overcame death permanently – was moved with compassion at the sight of it.

May the same Christ who was raised from the dead have compassion on us, and bring us to life – not only in this world, but especially in the next, “where neither moth nor decay can destroy.”

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Image credits: (1) Learn Religions (2) Jan Verhas, The Raising of the Widow’s Son in Nain (3) Hope Lutheran Chapel

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Gospel: John 19:25 – 27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When someone we love dies, we often return to their grave. On anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, or an otherwise ordinary day when the wave of grief suddenly sweeps over us, sending us back to that place where our beloved sleeps.

Graves allow us to mourn; to pray; even to hope.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. 

We remember those three wrenching hours when Mary stood at the foot of her Son’s cross as he bled and died for us.

I wonder if Mary ever returned. 

In the early hours of the morning, while the residents of Jerusalem were sleeping, did Mary retrace her Son’s final steps? Did she ascend the slope of Golgotha, quietly closing her eyes to meditate as the memory of her Son’s crucifixion bled tears from her eyes?

Did she speak to him there? Did she whisper words of consolation? Did she pray for his return?

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As the sun rose and kissed the hills of Jerusalem, I wonder if Mary meditated on that first question God asked Adam and Eve shortly after the Fall, “Where are you?”

The same question Christ must’ve wondered as he gazed down that slope bedewed by his blood. With the exception of Mary, John, and a band of women, his disciples abandoned him, begging the question, “Where are you?”

The people he was dying to save – even his closest friends – were nowhere to be found. They remind us of the power of fear, and the fragility of human nature. 

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But they did return – not during the hour of our Lord’s Passion, but in time. Perhaps Peter and the others joined Mary on Golgotha months later in the wee hours of the morning, rewriting their stories, atoning for their sins.

Because this is what counts in the end – not whether or not we have failed. As Saint Paul says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

What counts is whether or not we return.

May our Blessed Mother intercede for us, that we too would surrender our lives to the one who died on Golgotha, who has loved us and given himself for us. 

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Aleteia (2) Crucifixion, Titian (3) Maritime Preacher, WordPress