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“You yourself a sword shall pierce.” … On Our Lady of Sorrows.

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Gospel: Luke 2: 33-35

Jesus’ 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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“You yourself a sword shall pierce.”

From the beginning of the Gospels, Mary teaches us that Christians are not immune to suffering.

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First was the sword of Joseph’s doubt. How could Mary be pregnant? How could she betray him?

Even after Joseph accepted what happened to Mary, another sword pierced her heart; she’s forced to give birth to Jesus in a stable, because there’s no room for them in the inn.

Immediately after Christ’s birth, another sword strikes; Mary and Joseph must flee to Egypt, fearing that King Herod will murder her newborn child. 

When Jesus turns twelve, Mary’s heart is pierced again. 

Thinking she’s lost her son in the Temple, she spends days looking for him. When she finds him, Jesus doesn’t apologize; he simply says, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” 

A confusing rebuke at best.

Finally, the sharpest sword of all: the moment when Mary witnesses the crucifixion of her son. I cannot imagine anything worse than that.

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Although Mary’s journey with Jesus was filled with grace, it wasn’t easy; nor at times are ours.

But Mary never gave up. Wherever her journey with Jesus led her, she remained faithfully by Christ’s side, offering us all a model of perseverance in faith.

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Even when our own heart is pierced by grief, stay close to Christ.

It’s the safest place to be.

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Image credits: (1) Catholic News Agency (2) Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word (3) National Catholic Register

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The Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

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Gospel: John 3: 13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him. 

The Gospel of the Lord.

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On August 15, 2021, two-hundred children gathered with their families at their local church in Haiti. All of the children were dressed in white, preparing for their baptism.

Twenty minutes before the ceremony was set to begin, the ground beneath them started shaking. Suddenly the roof collapsed, crushing twenty-three people, including a two-year-old child in her mother’s arms.

Somehow the mother survived.

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When we hear these things, it can leave us disgusted, feeling helpless. I literally cried out in anger, “Why God? How could you let this happen?”

After the quake in Haiti struck, I shared my troubled heart with a fellow priest, who said to me simply:

“At 3 pm on a Friday afternoon, an innocent man was murdered. We believe that man was also the Son of God. Three days later, he was raised from the dead.”

That is the heart of our faith.

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The death of Jesus does not explain why there is evil in the world; nor does it make it okay. 

But Christ’s death and resurrection teach us that, in the end, God is victorious. As Saint Paul says, “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”

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On this Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, may we humbly carry whatever cross we’ve been given in life – even if we don’t understand why it’s there – trusting that God is with us, leading us to a life without evil, suffering, or pain.

Certainly, for those twenty-three Haitians who died on their way to church.

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Image credits: (1) St. Catherine of Siena Academy (2) Reuters.com (3) The Gospel Coalition

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God changes everything.

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Gospel: Luke 6: 12-19

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people 
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Growing up, I remember playing backyard sports with my older brother and his friends. I was often chosen last because I was the youngest; the tag-along; the runt of the group.

If you wanted to win, then choosing me wasn’t the smartest idea.

But humanly speaking, it was understandable. Everyone else was stronger and faster than me.

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But what happens when God enters the picture? 

All of a sudden, the same human being – once limited by nature – is transformed by grace.

Consider what happens in today’s Gospel.

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Jesus chooses the most unlikely men to be on his team.

None of them were scholars; nor were they wealthy; famous; educated; or influential. They were common folk with their own share of flaws, giving Jesus every reason to choose them last… if at all.

Yet each of them was given the grace to change – not only themselves, but also the world. A Church that started with twelve followers in today’s Gospel has since grown by one-million percent!

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Can’t you see a similar story unfolding in our parish?

We’re a small community. Compared to other, much larger parishes within the Archdiocese, we’d be the “runt” of the group.

Yet God has chosen us and given us the grace to grow into an active, joyful, life-giving community that’s increasing by the day, both in number and in Spirit.

That’s what happens when God enters the picture – one life is changed, followed by another and another.

Suddenly, everything – and everyone – is different.

We’ve all been called to be on his team. I wonder, how will we inspire further growth today?

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Image credits: (1) Christian Quotes (2) Great Commissioning, Domenico Gherlandaio (3) Nan Jones