Daily Gospel Reflections - Ordinary Time

Monday, nov. 14, 2022 - 33rd week in ordinary time

Gospel – Luke 18:35-43 - Open Your Eyes

For years we wondered why our grandson was so reluctant to dunk his head when he would go swimming. Then we found out it was all because he couldn’t see underwater. So we got him a specialized set of prescription goggles and the world suddenly changed. A short time later the family went on a vacation to Mexico and he was all about swimming and exploring underwater grottos! What a transformation it was when he could finally see clearly!

Today’s Gospel speaks a lot about sight and blindness. A blind man calls out to Jesus in words that say “I know you; you are the Messiah.” In a society where sickness and disease were to be avoided and kept silent, his voice rang out strong and clear! And in spite of his human blindness, he is the one who sees clearly because he sees with the eyes of faith! And the Pharisees, who have no physical blindness, are the ones who cannot see!

The Pharisees focus only on the externals – the Law – and not the heart! But the blind man recognizes Jesus as Prophet, as Lord, and that faith causes him to stand up to the Pharisees and call out to Jesus.

We live in troubling, fearful times. And if we look only with our human eyes, it is difficult to see much that is good or hopeful. But there are plenty of signs of God working in our human condition, moments where the light is beginning to shine bright, moments where there is a promise of unity and healing. God calls us all, however, to see beyond the distrust and animosity. He calls us to see with the eyes of faith and hope. He calls us to see His presence even when life seems cold and unforgiving and then to call out to God is a loud and strong voice – Son of David, have pity on me; help me to see clearly!

sunday, nov. 13, 2022 - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Luke 21:5-19 - It Ain’t Easy Being Christian

Ever tried out for a basketball team? Or that part in the play? Or that entrance exam for nursing or law school? Or that interview for your dream job? In the end, the tryout or the exam was nothing! It was all the time and effort, all the prep work, the sweat and the time you put in! It was not, in any way, easy! And then there were the nay-sayers. All those people who thought you would fail and should give up even trying. He’ll never make it! Do you think he will go through with it? You’ll never amount to anything! You’re wasting your time; get a real job! And yet you persevered!

Jesus makes it clear in today’s Gospel that the disciples (us) will face much worse because of their faith! He reminds us all that, to be true believers, it takes constant time and effort. It’s not a given that we have the faith today and now we can relax. No, faith means we are called to live it out every single day.

And it won’t be easy. We will face opposition, even persecution for following a faith that is so at odds with the world today. People will look at us and shake their heads. They will find ways to make us suffer and question our beliefs. We could be persecuted physically and emotionally for loving our neighbor, for even believing in Christ.

And we will be called at times to give witness – to express in words and in our actions. And He reminds us once again not to worry! Do not be afraid; persevere in your faith. Do not worry about what you will say. God is with you. I am with you. The Spirit is within you and He will give you the wisdom to proclaim your faith and the courage to persevere.

Trust in the Lord, I will praise Him still, my Savior and My God!

saturday, nov. 12, 2022 - Memorial of St. Josaphat

Gospel – Luke 18:1-8 - Persistence

Back when I was in grade school, I remember my mom taking us shopping for school clothes. And as we were walking through the store, I noticed this sweater and I decided I had to have it. So I nagged, I pleaded, I yelled, I cried, I threw an awful tantrum until my mom gave in and bought the sweater. It was bright red! I mean it could have glowed in the dark! And I ended up wearing it only a couple of times before relegating it to the back of my closet. It was, in the end, a complete waste of time and money. But I was persistent!

Today’s Gospel tells us of the story of the widow and the unjust judge, of her persistence in getting a just verdict. We are all called to proclaim the Gospel! We are all called to proclaim it persistently. Our faith demands persistence and perseverance.

A dear friend of ours passed away a few years ago after battling cancer for over 12 years. She was humble, courageous, strong, loving and devoted to her family and she had a constant faith in her God. Through it all, she was persistent in her faith,. Ginger calls her a hero. She had every right to get angry, to rage at God and the cards she was dealt. But she never had a cross word; she was patient and kind, always looking out for everyone else. Even when she was about to enter the hospital for obviously the final time, she gathered her family together, told them over and over again that she loved them, and told them NOT to worry about her; she had already given herself to God!

While most of us may never face that sort of struggle, we all have our trials and tribulations, our crosses to bear, and like the widow, we are all called by God to be persistent, to persevere in our faith, to proclaim the Gospel every day of our life, whether it’s convenient or not, whether we feel like it or not.

And so we pray that the words of the Gospel, the living word of God, may always be in our thoughts, on our lips and in our hearts. And most especially in our actions!

friday, nov. 11, 2022 - Memorial of St. Martin of Tours

Gospel – Luke 17:26-37 - Ready or Not

I think we can all agree that we are overwhelmed by all that is going on in the world – political and social unrest, the threat of disease, depression and worry about our health and that of our loved ones, the prospect of so many of our children coming down with RSV or the flu or both! How do we even prepare for today, much less tomorrow, in such a troublesome situation? How do we keep our balance, much less our sanity? How do we keep the faith? How do we continue to hope?

Today’s Gospel offers us a very stark image of the Second Coming. Whether it’s on the roof or in the field or in the house, one will be taken and one will be left behind. It is a reminder to us not to get too focused on this life and then lose sight of the next. Not to obsess over earthly possessions and human concerns and forget about the Creator behind it all. Keep the faith! Remain hopeful! Keep your spiritual priorities!

We do not know the day or the hour. All we can do is keep the faith, remain hopeful, and live a life of love for those around us. And through it all, we pray for the wisdom to see God at work in the world.

Thursday, nov. 10, 2022 - Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great

Gospel – Luke 17:20-25 - Right in Front of Your Nose

Ever have one of those days (weeks, months) when everything seems out of whack; it’s all a little off. On top of it all, you keep losing things – eyeglasses, wallet, watch. And that’s not the bad part; the bad part is, when you do find them, they were right there in front of you all the time. Sheesh, how did I miss that? All that time and effort and stress looking for them and they were right in plain sight. We can get so distracted by the world around us that we miss what we were looking for in the first place.

The Pharisees are back in today’s Gospel asking more questions and this time Jesus is especially patient and doesn’t scold them. They want to know when is the Kingdom coming? Do we check the sky for a sign or is it here or there? Jesus quite calmly explains – the Kingdom isn’t coming; it’s already here! It’s right in front of you and you just don’t see it!

In fact, the Kingdom is not just something or some event that is out there waiting for us to find it. It isn’t something that we can just observe or point to! The Kingdom just IS!! Perhaps we spend too much time looking all over for it and we miss the point! Perhaps instead of searching, we need to sometimes stop and leave ourselves open to receive the Gospel message, to accept that the Kingdom is right here, right now, if we only have the eyes of faith!

wednesday, nov. 9, 2022 - Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica

Gospel – John 2:13-22 - Temples of God

We celebrate today the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome. Dedicated in 324 AD, the Basilica is the cathedral of Rome, the official seat of the Bishop of Rome and the mother of all churches throughout the world. It is the first public building granted to Christians as a worship site by Constantine. It is quite unusual that we have a feast day honoring an object, as opposed to a person. I can only think of one other – Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.

Today’s Gospel reflects on another religious object – the Temple in Jerusalem. It was the center of Jewish life at the time of Jesus; it was a place to gather and worship for all major feasts and celebrations. The very life of a Jew revolved around this magnificent house of prayer and sacrifice. From birth to coming of age to remembrance of Passover to celebrations of harvest and Days of Atonement, it drew the people together as one and reminded them of God’s constant love and protection. Even today, while the Temple no longer exists, people still gather at the Western Wall, the base of the Temple Mount, to offer prayers both silent and written.

The Basilica stands today as a symbol of the living Church, the Christian community. It is reminder that our faith is universal and our Church exists across time and in all places. It stands as our spiritual home, a place where our spiritual family gathers to worship, to pray, to partake in the sacraments and to encounter the love of God.

That may be difficult for us to grasp and appreciate these days. Yes, our churches are open but Masses and attendance continues to be sporadic and small. Perhaps many people are still in fear of sickness or maybe we have become too comfortable watching Mass on the TV at home. Either way we are missing that communal element of our worship and prayer life and we may feel alone and perhaps even abandoned.

But consider the history of St. John Lateran. Consider all the wars and fires and social upheaval that it has witnessed. And it not only witnessed but SURVIVED! Perhaps that is our lesson for today- we will survive! The Church will survive; our faith will survive! This continues to be a difficult time we live in, a time of fear and loss of hope and faith. But God has not abandoned us. In fact, He reminds us daily that each one of us is a Temple of God and the Spirit dwells within us.

Great Spirit, keep my faith strong; help me to walk in prayer and in faith!

tuesday, nov. 8, 2022 - Memorial of St. Leo the Great

Gospel – Luke 17:7-10 - Service With A Smile

Over the last 7 years or so, my wife and I have gotten into a pretty consistent routine. Every Sunday night we would sit down and look at the calendar for the week. The goal? To see if there were any nights when we would both be home for dinner! Most weeks that translated to one night, maybe two if we were lucky. Otherwise it was dinner for one or dinner on the run as we navigated various meetings, services, RCIA, Baptismal Prep, etc. And that doesn’t even include all that we do as spouses and as parents – cooking, cleaning, helping with homework, shuttling the kids to school and practice, checking up on the grandparents, grocery shopping and playing nurse when the kids are sick.

And then on March 15 2020, everything shut down and we faced a new reality. Up until then, we were slaves to our calendars, always double-checking what we were doing and very often wondering how we could squeeze in one more activity. And then the schedule cleared; everything was canceled. We weren’t alone; all of you in some way felt like the train had stopped suddenly and we were all stuck in the passenger car.

Up until then, we were like the servant in today’s Gospel. There was always something more to be done, more tasks to accomplish as a worker, as a spouse, as a parent. There was always more work than time in the day to get it all done. Too often we approached the day and our calendar with a sense of duty and responsibility and nothing more.

But hopefully the past 2 ½ years have given us all the time to step back and evaluate and, yes, appreciate all we have been doing. Hopefully it has allowed us to remember that we are all not slaves but servants! Hopefully it reminds us that, in all we do, we do it out of love!

Jesus calls us all today to live out our faith in service to God and to others. We are all called to be true servants and true disciples. May we continue to take a pause in the hectic mad rush of the modern world and take the chance to reflect and appreciate all that we do so that, when the train starts up again, we jump back in with renewed spirit and energy!

monday, nov. 7, 2022 - 32nd Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Luke 17:1-6 - What A Drag!

Daylight savings time ended yesterday. Ugh! While I appreciate, at least for one night, getting an extra hour of sleep, sunset happening at 4:30 in the afternoon is rather depressing. We are quickly heading into winter, longer nights of darkness, shorter days of sunlight. Cold and darkness! For many of us, it can be a time of isolation and sadness, depression and hopelessness. It tends to drag us down and put us into the doldrums.

And that takes us to today’s Gospel and the one word that resonates with me – millstones! Millstones are huge circles of stones used to grind grain down into flour. In the ancient world, millstones weighed hundreds of pounds. Just imagine one of them draped around your neck.

Today’s Gospel uses them as a punishment for those who cause sin to others. But consider, if you will, the millstones that we are all shackled with. Some are of our own making – selfishness, greed, jealousy, ambition and pettiness. These we have deliberately chosen and they distract us from our true mission of love and compassion. Other millstones may have been thrust upon us – dealing with a crippling disease or loss, fear of the future or our job or finances, or worries about our country and our world. Consider all our children and grandchildren who continue to suffer from and carry the burdens of the effects of Covid – physical pain, depression, and isolation. Whatever the circumstance, they drag us down, immobilize us and prevent us from moving forward in life.

Whatever weighs us down, whatever paralyzes our good intentions, Jesus reminds us in another passage: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Lay your burden down. Trust in the Lord, our Savior and our God!

sunday, nov. 6, 2022 - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Luke 20:27-40 - Something Better Is Coming

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, which scriptures she would like read, and which outfit she wanted to be buried in. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

"There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply. "This is very important," the young woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the young woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor.

The young woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on, I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful and full of substance!

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?" Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork...the best is yet to come."

We see it on the nightly news and the newspapers every day - warnings of darkness and despair, of earthquakes and fires, floods and hurricanes. But in today’s Gospel, we actually hear some good news today! Jesus speaks of the coming Kingdom of God and He makes it quite clear: “those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.”

As we rise to face a new day, we also present ourselves before the Lord, praying for faithfulness and strength to endure the trials of life. Great Spirit, guide me today to hear and do Your Will! And remind me always that something better is coming!