31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,

"Which is the first of all the commandments?"

Jesus replied, "The first is this:

Hear, O Israel!

The Lord our God is Lord alone!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul,

with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

The second is this:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12: 28-31)

Today’s Gospel is a reminder of the great commandment. In this Gospel Jesus recalls the Shema prayer – the prayer said daily by most Jewish people. It is a poignant reminder or what we are called to be as Christians. We are called to love God and love our neighbors.

How do we show love for our God and our neighbors in these turbulent times? We are in the midst of the Presidential election and are being bombarded by political ads that are full of unkind rhetoric, accusations, etc. Social media is full of similar platforms that seemingly seek to divide. In the midst of all of this the call is clear we need to follow the great commandment. If we treat one another with kindness, we will be a far better nation. Let us take these days to pray for peace and model peace in all we do.

To Autumn

For the past month I have been intrigued by the beauty of the changing leaves. Cooler mornings and cold evenings have been happening more frequently. There is a true beauty to fall. I came across the poem To Autumn by John Keats. As you read it take some time to enjoy the beauty of autumn today.

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
  Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
  With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
  And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
    To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
  With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
    For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
  Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
  Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
  Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
    Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
  Steady thy laden head across a brook;
  Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
    Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
  Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
  And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
  Among the river sallows, borne aloft
    Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
  Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
  The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,
    And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Written September 19, 1819; first published in 1820. This poem is in the public domain.

Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

In today’s Gospel, a young man approaches Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replies that one must follow the commandments. The man acknowledges that he has observed all of these since his childhood. Jesus then says that only one thing is lacking: he must give his possessions to the poor and follow Jesus. The man leaves in sadness, and Mark tells us that this is because he had many possessions. This is a unique passage as the young man went away sad.  Encounters with Jesus usually end with the person being happy and grateful. In this story it is not the case.

Jesus makes two requirements of the wealthy man who approaches him. First, he must give up his possessions. The second requirement Jesus makes of this man is the invitation that Jesus extends to all would-be disciples: “follow me.” Jesus very much wants this man to be his disciple.

What does this Gospel mean for us as we move forward. Perhaps it is a call to give yourself first to God. Ground yourself in God and everything else will be blessed by God and fall into place. Let us live this day in joy rather than despair. May we hear and believe the responsorial psalm “Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!” May we be filled with the love and mercy of God every day!

Pray for Peace in the Middle East

 

Monday, October 7th marks the 1 year anniversary of thekidnapping of the hostages which escalated the conflict in the Middle East. As we mark this somber anniversary let us pray for peace in our hearts, our homes, and our universe. May peace reign in the hearts of all.

Peace in the Middle East

God of mercy and compassion,
of grace and reconciliation,
pour your power upon all your children in the Middle East:
Jews, Muslims and Christians,
Palestinians and Israelis.
Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope,
oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation,
that violent encounters may be replaced by loving embraces,
and peace and justice could be experienced by all.

- Reverend Said

World Day of Migrants and Refugees

 

Today, September 29, the church observes the World Day of Migrants and Refugees with the theme: "God walks with his people".

The Church has been celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR) since 1914. It is always an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges; and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers.

Pope Francis emphasizes that God not only walks with His people but also dwells within them, especially in the poor, marginalized, and those on the peripheries. The encounter with a migrant or refugee is an opportunity to meet Christ and to grow in love, compassion, and faith. Let us pray with migrants and refugees on this 110^th anniversary of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

Prayer

God, Almighty Father,

we are your pilgrim Church

journeying towards the Kingdom of heaven.

We live in our homeland,

but as if we were foreigners.

Every foreign place is our home,

yet every native land is foreign to us.

Though we live on earth,

our true citizenship is in heaven.

Do not let us become possessive

of the portion of the world

you have given us as a temporary home.

Help us to keep walking,

together with our migrant brothers and sisters,

toward the eternal dwelling you have prepared for us.

Open our eyes and our hearts

so that every encounter with those in need

becomes an encounter with Jesus, your Son and our Lord. 

Amen.

Serviam

 

In today’s Gospel Mark paints, a vivid picture. Jesus and His disciples arrive in Capernaum and enter a house. Jesus asks them about the argument they had while they were journeying. The disciples are uncharacteristically silent and afraid to answer. They have been caught. Jesus then summons the twelve and teaches that those who would be first in God’s kingdom must be servants of all.

Jesus then calls forward a child and teaches the disciples that to receive a child in Jesus’ name is to receive both Jesus and the One who sent him. In this action, Jesus is teaching his disciples and us that when we serve the least ones among us, we serve Jesus himself. Who are the people without power or status in our society that Jesus is calling us to serve?

The Ursuline motto of “Serviam” – I will serve echoes this Gospel. Serviam is the motto of all the Ursuline Schools worldwide. The Latin word Serviam means “I will serve”. Service to your family, your parish, and your community are signs of Serviam. The word includes in its meaning self-sacrifice and world-embracing charity. The Serviam Shield is the emblem of loyalty known by Ursuline students throughout the world. The seven stars, representing Ursa Minor, are a reminder of St. Ursula, patroness of young women and education. The stars tell us of the heights to which our ideals must soar. The cross stands for Faith, the foundation of all Christian action.

“Take care of all…having each one engraved on your mind and hear, not only their names but also their situation” St. Angela Merici

As I was writing this reflection a song from the Dameans came to mind, We Are Made For Service is what we should do each day. Let us serve each other in joy and compassion.

We are made for service to care for each other; We are made to love each sister and brother With love that will last through sorrow and pain, A love that will never die with strain.

God sent His son to show us the way, One who shared His love every minute of the day, One who gave His life that we might live  And His spirit to help us through the years.

Life can be so lonely when nobody cares; Life can be so empty when nobody shares; But if we give ourselves both time and again The happiness of Christ will live within.

International Day of Peace

On Saturday, September 21^st we celebrate The International Day of Peace which was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.

2024 Theme: Cultivating a Culture of Peace

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace.

In that declaration, the United Nations’ most inclusive body recognized that peace “not only is the absence of conflict, but also requires a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation.”

In a world with rising geopolitical tensions and protracted conflicts, there has never been a better time to remember how the UN General Assembly came together in 1999 to lay out the values needed for a culture of peace. These include: respect for life, human rights and fundamental freedoms; the promotion of non-violence through education, dialogue and cooperation; commitment to peaceful settlement of conflicts; and adherence to freedom, justice, democracy, tolerance, solidarity, cooperation, pluralism, cultural diversity, dialogue and understanding at all levels of society and among nations.

In follow-up resolutions, the General Assembly recognized further the importance of choosing negotiations over confrontation and of working together and not against each other.

The Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) starts with the notion that “wars begin in the minds of men so it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed”. It is this notion that framed the theme and logo of this year’s observance of the International Day of Peace. The ideas of peace, the culture of peace, need to be cultivated in the minds of children and communities through formal and informal education, across countries and generations.

The International Day of Peace has always been a time to lay down weapons and observe ceasefires. But it now must also be a time for people to see each other’s humanity. Our survival as a global community depends on that. (un.org)