The Word of God

Daily Reflections

• Reflection – Lectionary: 427

  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.” So how does Jesus respond to our “old friends” today?  Well, to say the least, it wasn’t pretty. Why the harshness of the reaction? That’s what happens when we won’t see how incredibly God is working in our life or in the life of others. It is the expected consequence when we hide behind perceptions, correctness, and the Law while missing the Law-giver in our midst. 

  “And for this reason, we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe.”   The people who understand this can always rejoice because they know themselves, they love the person God sees, and they seek to be as patient with others as possible. But the people who judge and criticize and try to “fix” everyone else except themselves are almost always humiliated. It all depends on the relationship. Today, let us first give thanks that Our Lord loves us so much that we are constantly being exposed to the truth in our lives, ugly at times, but always liberating. Second, let us ask again for the courage to see Jesus in others as we look for Him in our own souls. This is definitely the recipe for true happiness and remarkable clarity. 

  “You can speak with spiritual eloquence, pray in public, and maintain a holy appearance, but it is your behavior that will reveal your true character.” Steve Maraboli

• Reflection – Lectionary: 426

  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” This is truly an amazing Gospel that we have today. It describes the disgust and repulsion that Jesus has for the hypocrites of His day and time, for all those like-minded evil folks who would follow throughout the centuries. The Readings make this an even more thought-provoking day as we recall how great it is to love the Lord and follow Him with every fiber of our being. Once we come to realize and accept our purpose here on earth, our lives are much simpler and have the potential for even greater holiness. 

  “With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us.” The place of the love that is transmitted through the Gospel could never be overplayed or misunderstood. For the many of us who are giving all we have to be the best we can be and please the Lord, we are heartened by the fact that God always prepares the way for us to find Jesus and stay ever-so-close to Him in this life and the next. Our call is to let Jesus increase in our lives and our selfishness decrease. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the wonderful Eucharist, success in this field is within our reach. But in the final analysis, we want to be counted among those who are faithful and loving, and true to our calling. Nothing else will do: “Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated, as you know, in Philippi, we drew courage through our God  to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle.”

  “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.”  Erma Bombeck 

• Reflection – Lectionary: 629

  Today we have a real treat: It is the Feast of St. Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles identified also with Nathanael as we have just read in the Gospel: “Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”  Although at first he was skeptical, he responded to Philip’s vigor and enthusiasm and came to meet Jesus. This is when the first reaction to this encounter was Jesus uttering his now-famous observation: “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” Most people would agree with our assessment that a person who is duplicitous is also said to be “two-faced.”  Bartholomew  (Nathanael)  was clearly free from this type of deception and went on to give great honor and glory to God and the early Church, which Jesus founded with his death. But what exactly is a two-faced person? It is basically a person who suffers from a lack of self-identity, self-esteem, and integrity. This person is also usually one who fakes compliments to please whomever they meet. In an effort to be accepted by the entire world, a “two-faced” person will socially accommodate anyone in an attempt to be popular and liked by everyone but then later hurls usually vicious and negative barbs in the safety of the darkness of deceit. But this is totally evil because it lacks truth and sincerity, everything that Jesus is, and invites us to imitate as His followers. 

  Our hope, our thirst, and our desire must be for Heaven, where there is no deceit or cunning behavior. What are some of the ways we can be imitators of the Apostles who have given their entire lives to follow Jesus and avoid two-faced people and behavior? First, let us practice honesty in every situation and on every level possible. Little lies become medium-sized and on and on. Although, in some circles, being honest means being vulnerable, nothing could be further from the truth. Take the opportunity as often as possible during your day to avoid creating white lies or painting another person’s character as much inferior to yours. You would be surprised how honesty and a strong grasp of the truth actually begins to create a climate of trust and sheds light on elements that are not truthful and good. “Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.” If we truly want to live in peace and have peacefully good nights of sleep, it is best to trust Jesus with all judgments and be as real throughout the day as we are in the silence of our hearts. We simply cannot afford to live in the shadows, the darkness, or always in the background offering petty commentary about people because it makes us feel secure. Only mold grows in damp, dark crevices. 

  “Don’t worry about those who talk behind your back, they’re behind you for a reason.” Anonymous

• Reflection – Lectionary: 121

  “I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open.” Even though we may have our sights on Heaven, there is still a bit of traveling through the hills and valleys of life that make it necessary to not lose our footing. As the Chosen People were making their way through the treacherous desert, they grew tired, weary, frustrated, and thirsty. Life became a painful mystery that needed to be unlocked, and Eliakim was given the key. It was a key that produced relief, a leadership entrusted to the one chosen to lead that would prepare our understanding for the foundation of our faith in the New Testament.

  “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” We simply need each other. We will fall separately unless we walk together. This is the fundamental truth about the Church and our place in this great sacrament gift that Jesus bestowed upon us all with the foundation of the Apostles with St. Peter as the Head and instrumental leader. The point is clear. As with the Israelites in the First Reading, we too will grow tired and thirsty. Jesus is always there, although we may not always choose Him. Today, we are invited to make that single, awesome, fundamental choice to follow Him. Renew this commitment today by opening your heart to Him with everything in there.

  “Master the art of prayer, and you will have the key to all things.” Michael Bassey Johnson

• Reflection – Lectionary: 424

  “Blessed is the LORD who has not failed to provide you today with an heir!”  In the powerfully healing and inspiring work of drug and alcohol rehabilitation, for those seeking sobriety and a new chance of living in a drug-free world, free from narcissistic tendencies and catastrophes, there is always a Sponsor. This can be someone who has lived with an addict, raised by an addict, or may even have been an addict themselves. Some have called them “guardian Angels” for the immense work they provide and the hope they bring to those who have lost it. What they do will have ramifications for subsequent generations and affect countless lives. At the end of our First Reading, we realize why the relationship between Ruth and Naomi was so important: “And the neighbor women gave him his name, at the news that a grandson had been born to Naomi. They called him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” And Jesus our Savior was born into the House of David! 

  “As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ.” Here is the issue before us today: everyone already knows or is familiar with God or a god. Everyone has already set a system and a list of priorities in their lives, and whoever occupies the very top position is their God or a god. The message once again for us is clear and simple: DO NOT MAKE ANYONE OR ANYTHING YOUR GOD. If we make God our first priority, then we can be assured of a deep level of peace and joy that radiates in and through and all around us. If we have something or someone else in that top position, then we can be relatively promised of a rough turn of events and a life that cannot and will not sustain everlasting happiness. 

  “The main condition for the achievement of love is the overcoming of one’s narcissism. The narcissistic orientation is one in which one experiences as real only that which exists within oneself, while the phenomena in the outside world have no reality in themselves, but are experienced only from the viewpoint of their being useful or dangerous to one. The opposite pole to narcissism is objectivity; it is the faculty to see other people and things as they are, objectively, and to be able to separate this objective picture from a picture that is formed by one’s desires and fears.” Erich Fromm     

• Reflection – Lectionary: 423

  “Naomi said, ‘See now! Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her God. Go back after your sister-in-law!”  Language has the potential of being both descriptive and revealing. For instance, even though the words, “to,” “too” and “two” all sound the same, they mean different things, especially in the context of a sentence. With just the difference of one “s”, your ice cream sundae, which you ordered for dessert, might become a very hot and unpleasant experience in the desert. Why are we “splitting hairs” about language today? Here is the pivotal question: What is the difference and significance between God and a god? One is the Lord, the Almighty, the Creator, the One True God, and the latter is an image, idol, or other object or possession that is adorned, worshiped, and given supreme importance in this life, but not in the next. Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth understood this all too well. 

  “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  Here is the issue before us today: everyone already knows or is familiar with God or a god. Everyone has already set a system and a list of priorities in their lives, and whoever occupies the very top position is their God or a god. The key interest here is simple. If we make God our first priority, then we can be assured of a deep level of peace and joy that radiates in and through and all around us. If we have something or someone else in that top position, then we can be relatively promised of a rough turn of events and a life that cannot and will not sustain everlasting happiness. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

  “If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will, in the end, make no difference what you have chosen instead.” William Law

• Reflection – Lectionary: 422

  “Naomi said, ‘See now! Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her God. Go back after your sister-in-law!”  Language has the potential of being both descriptive and revealing. For instance, even though the words “to,” “too,” and “two” all sound the same, they mean different things, especially in the context of a sentence. With just the difference of one “s”, your ice cream sundae, which you ordered for dessert, might become a very hot and unpleasant experience in the desert. Why are we “splitting hairs” about language today? Here is the pivotal question: What is the difference and significance between God and a god? One is the Lord, the Almighty, the Creator, the One True God, and the latter is an image, idol, or other object or possession that is adorned, worshiped, and given supreme importance in this life, but not in the next. Naomi, Boaz, and Ruth understood this all too well. 

  “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  Here is the issue before us today: everyone already knows or is familiar with God or a god. Everyone has already set a system and a list of priorities in their lives, and whoever occupies the very top position is their God or a god. The key interest here is simple. If we make God our first priority, then we can be assured of a deep level of peace and joy that radiates in and through and all around us. If we have something or someone else in that top position, then we can be relatively promised of a rough turn of events and a life that cannot and will not sustain everlasting happiness. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

  “If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will, in the end, make no difference what you have chosen instead.” William Law

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